WEST VIRGINIA. 



WISCONSIN. 



773 



males, and 44,906 are females. Of those twen- 

 ty-one years old and over who cannot write, 

 15,181 are white males. 



The free-school system is in successful op- 

 eration, but the want of a sufficient number 

 of competent teachers is one of the obstacles 

 in establishing suitable schools. 



A Normal School for training and educating 

 proper teachers in common schools has been 

 established at Marshall College, with a branch 

 school at Fairmont, and another at West Lib- 

 erty, all of which are now in a prosperous con- 

 dition, and said to give general satisfaction. 



The distributable school fund for the year 

 commencing September 1, 1871, amounted to 

 $174,896.62. The whole number of youth 

 was 166.746. Amount per capita, $1.07f. 



The West Virginia University continues to 

 meet with increased success. There is a larger 

 number of students on the rolls than ever be- 

 fore ; the higher classes are enlarged, and in- 

 creased facilities are provided. The president 

 suggests in his report that professional schools 

 in law and medicine be established without 

 delay, material for education in such schools 

 being already at hand. The receipts from all 

 sources on account of the university were 

 $23,688.44, and the disbursements $23,497.86. 



The Asylum for the Insane, at Weston, con- 

 tained 241 patients male 118, female 123. 

 Their number at the date of the previous re- 

 port was 207; admitted during the year, 66; 

 discharged or died, 32. Whole number under 

 treatment in the year, 273. There were ex- 

 pected as many patients to arrive at the hospi- 

 tal within a few weeks after the present report 

 as would increase their number to 300. This 

 would crowd the hospital to a greater extent 

 than is comfortable or safe. It has cost half 

 a million dollars already, and the Governor 

 says "is not much more than half finished." 

 The lands belonging to the asylum embrace 

 273 acres, and the hospital proper, whose foun- 

 dations were all laid from the first, is of such 

 dimensions that an eye-witness, after a minute 

 inspection, says : " The plan pursued calls for 

 a building over 1,200 feet, or nearly a quarter 

 of a mile in front. The quadrangle formed by 

 the front and side walls of the Asylum would 

 embrace nearly nine acres." 



The Institution of the Deaf, Dumb, and 

 Blind, at Romney, is in the second year of its 

 existence, and contained 57 pupils. Of these 

 10 are blind, and 47 deaf-mutes; 33 of them 

 were received during the year. The total re- 

 ceipts during the year were $22,581.57; the 

 expenditures were $18,203.13, leaving a bal- 

 ance of $4,378.44. 



The number of convicts in the State Peni- 

 tentiary, on May 31, 1871, was 107, from which 

 time to September 30th there were received in 

 it 17, discharged 12, pardoned 6, escaped 5, 

 of whom 3 were recaptured, one died ; leaving 

 in confinement, on the 1st of October, 103. 

 The State has already expended for the con- 

 struction of the Penitentiary the sum of $248,- 



534.96. The building and grounds were pro- 

 jected on a scale much beyond the necessities 

 of the State, and her resources have in con- 

 sequence been injudiciously taxed. The south 

 cell-building, which is nearly complete, con- 

 tains 224 cells, while the number of convicts, 

 October 1st, was 103. The wall and buildings 

 will make an enclosure of 7f acres. 



A Commissioner of Immigration has been 

 appointed by the Board of Public Works, in 

 compliance with ah act of February 28, 1871. 

 West Virginia has no homestead laws, nor 

 lands to which such laws are applicable ; but 

 there are in the State "a number of large 

 landholders willing to sell their lands on favor- 

 able terras. Governor Jacob suggests the es- 

 stablishment of an office of a common agent, a 

 commissioner, or clerk, to whom those land- 

 holders can transmit a description of their 

 lands, titles, prices, and terms, in a certain 

 prescribed form." Such commissioner will 

 then have the means of furnishing accurate in- 

 formation to persons seeking new homes, and 

 thus be enabled to invite immigration, saving 

 the immigrants the time and expense of look- 

 ing personally for lands that may suit them. 



WILLARD, Rev. EKASTUS, a Baptist clergy- 

 man, missionary, and scholar, born in Lancaster, 

 Mass., July 4, 1800 ; died at Newport, R. I., De- 

 cember 30, 1871. He received his early educa- 

 tion in his native town, whence he entered Wa- 

 terville College (now Colby University), Me., 

 and graduated about 1824. After spending some 

 time in teaching, he studied theology at the 

 Newton Theological Institution. He was or- 

 dained to the Baptist ministry, and settled as 

 pastor at Grafton, Vt., in October, 1833. In 

 August, 1835, he was appointed a missionary 

 to France, and, with the exception of a visit 

 of sixteen months to this country in 1845-'46, 

 remained in his field as a missionary and theo- 

 logical teacher for twenty-one years. On his 

 return to the United States in 1856 he was ap- 

 pointed, at his own request, as a missionary 

 to the Ottawa Indians, but in 1859 resigned, 

 and for six years, though in feeble health, was 

 the faithful and beloved pastor of the Baptist 

 Church in Salem, N. Y. His health finally 

 failed so completely that he was unable to 

 preach, but he resided in Salem till the sum- 

 mer of 1871. Mr. Willard was a profound 

 scholar, an excellent Hebraist, and familiar 

 w,ith the languages and literature of Conti- 

 nental Europe. His pupils in France are now 

 among the ablest scholars and preachers of 

 the dissenting churches. 



WISCONSIN. A most calamitous event 

 has rendered the year 1871 forever memora- 

 ble in this State. In the last days of Sep- 

 tember and the first days of October, extensive 

 fires overran the northeastern part, destroy- 

 ing much property and causing great distress. 

 These were but the forerunner of an incom- 

 parably more disastrous conflagration on the 

 8th and 9th of October, wonderful alike for 

 the vastness of its dimensions ten or more 



