794 



VINTON, FRANCIS. 



VIRGINIA. 



YINTON, Rev. FKANCIS, D. D., LL. D., an 

 American clergyman of the Protestant Epis- 

 copal Church, a professor and author, born in 

 Providence, R. I., August 29, 1809; died in 

 Brooklyn, N. Y., September 29, 1872. He 

 received his academic training in his native 

 city, entered Williams College at an early age, 

 but, before graduating, was appointed a cadet 

 at West Point, whence he graduated, ^fourth 

 in his class, in July, 1830, as brevet lieutenant 

 of artillery, and was immediately promoted 

 to be second-lieutenant of the Third Artil- 

 lery; was two years in garrison at Fort In- 

 dependence, Mass., nearly a year on topo- 

 graphical duty, six months on engineering 

 duty, three years in garrison at Fort Constitu- 

 tion, N. H., during which he studied law, and 

 was admitted to the bar at Portsmouth; a 

 brief period in the Creek nation and on re- 

 cruiting duty, and resigned August 31, 1836. 

 Very soon after his resignation, he followed 

 the example of his elder brother, and, aban- 

 doning the law, entered the General Theological 

 Seminary in New York, and received deacon's 

 orders from Bishop Griswold in 1838. Two 

 years afterward, he became Rector of St. Ste- 

 phen's, in his native city of Providence. From 

 this charge he passed successively to that of 

 Trinity Church, in Newport, R. I., and to that 

 of Emanuel Church, in Brooklyn, L. I. In 

 1847 he became rector of Grace Church, in 

 Brooklyn. In this position he remained for 

 eight years, declining, meanwhile, episcopal 

 honors, which were offered to him in 1848, 

 with the bishopric of Indiana. At the elec- 

 tion for Provisional Bishop of New York, in 

 1851, he was within one vote of being chosen. 

 In 1855 he was invited to become an assistant- 

 minister at Trinity Church, in New York, and 

 accepted the invitation, and subsequently 

 filled this responsible post. In 1869 he was 

 elected Ludlow Professor of Ecclesiastical 

 Polity and Canon Law in the Episcopal Gen- 

 eral Theological Seminary. He was an ex- 

 tensive writer on general subjects, in maga- 

 zines and reviews, his educational training 

 making him a man of varied and extensive 

 knowledge, with a style clear and forcible. 

 His book on the canon law is regarded as an 

 authority in the Church of which he was a 

 minister. His other publications were : "Ar- 

 thur Tremaine; or, Annals of Cadet Life," 

 1830; an oration on "The Annals of Rhode 

 Island and Providence Plantations," 1863; 

 "Lectures on the Evidences of Christianity," 

 1865, and many single sermons, pamphlets, 

 lectures, and essays, 1840 to 1872. 



VIRGINIA. The joint resolution of the 

 Virginia Legislature, passed in December, 

 1871, to " discontinue the issue of bonds re- 

 quired to be issued by the act for funding the 

 public debt," and vetoed by Governor Walker 

 on the 28th of that month, was passed over 

 the veto, in January, by more than a two- 

 thirds vote of both Houses. A joint committee 

 was then appointed "to take into considera- 



tion all questions of finance Connected with 

 the funding bill, and the payment of the pub- 

 lic debt." A majority of this committee pro- 

 posed a plan which provided for the funding 

 of two-thirds of the debt with new bonds, pay- 

 able in thirty-four years, at three per cent, in- 

 terest for the first twelve years, six per cent, 

 for the next ten years, and seven per cent, for 

 the remaining twelve years. Another plan 

 was submitted by a minority of the committee, 

 and several more were offered in the way of 

 substitutes. The discussion of these various 

 plans took up a large share of the session. 

 None of them were adopted, and the only ac- 

 tion taken was a repeal of the clause of the 

 original funding act, making the coupons of 

 the bonds receivable for taxes, and the pas- 

 sage of an act for the payment of interest due 

 in 1872. The latter was as follows : 



JBe it enacted lyy the General Assembly, That it shall 

 be the duty of the Auditor of Public Accounts to 

 pay into the public Treasury, subject to the warrant 

 of the Second Auditor, so much of the public reve- 

 nue as the Second Auditor may certify to be neces- 

 sary to pay the interest on the public debt as herein 

 provided. 



2. On the 1st day of January, or as soon thereafter 

 as may be, and on the 1st day of July, 1872, there 

 shall be paid two per cent, interest upon the princi- 

 pal of the public debt, bearing an interest of six per 

 cent, per annum, as evidenced by bonds issued 

 under the provision of the act approved March 30, 



1871, and, upon that part of the debt bearing an in- 

 terest of five per cent., there shall be paid, at the 

 same times, one and two-thirds per cent. ; and, upon 

 two-thirds of the debt, the securities representing 

 which have not been changed since the 30th day of 

 March, 1871, there shall be paid a like interest. 



3. It shall be the duty of the Second Auditor, upon 

 the presentation of any coupon for the payment of 

 interest under this act, to stamp upon such coupon 

 the amount of interest paid thereon, and return the 

 same to the holder thereof. 



4. The receipt of interest, under the provisions of 

 this act, shall be held and deemed to be an acquies- 

 cence upon the part of the creditor in the provision 

 of an act " declaring what shall be receivable in pay- 

 ment of public dues." 



5. This act shall be in force from its passage. 



With regard to the effect of the repeal, the 

 Attorney-General gave the following opinion 

 in reply to inquiries : 



COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA, | 

 ATT'Y-GEN'L'S OFFICE, RICHMOND. March 9, 1872. | 

 Sons. JOSEPH MAYO, Jr., and ASA EOGERS: 



GENTLEMEN : I have the honor to answer your 

 note of this day, by saying that the act passed by 

 the General Assembly, on the 7th day of March. 



1872, entitled "An act declaring what shall be received 

 in payment of taxes or other demands of the State," 

 was intended by the General Assembly to repeal so 

 much of the second section of the act approved March 

 30, 1871, entitled "An act to provide for the funding 

 and payment of the public debt," as made "the 

 coupons receivable, after maturity, for all taxes, 

 debts, dues, and other demands, due the State." 



It is my opinion that the funding of the public 

 debt will be continued until the whole debt is fund- 

 ed, or the law authorizing it is repealed, and that the 

 exchange of registered bonds for coupon bonds may 

 be made as heretofore, with the exception only that 

 all coupons hereafter issued will not bear the prom- 

 ise that they are receivable in payment of all taxes, 

 debts, dues, and demands, due to the State. 



JAMES C, TAYLOK. 



