CONNECTICUT. 



243 



at Hartford, in the beginning of May, 1873, 

 had 225 pupils, of whom 51 were from Con- 

 necticut. The last census of the United States, 

 however, shows that there are in Connecticut 

 many other deaf school mutes of proper age, 

 who are not receiving the education intended 

 for them hy the establishment of this institution. 



The whole number of children connected 

 with the Hartford Orphan Asylum during the 

 past year was 97 ; number provided with 

 other homes, 40 ; number indentured in per- 

 manent homes, 11 ; number received, 38. 

 Four have died. 



It seems that persons of wealth, in disposing 

 of their property by testament, remember this 

 institution by bequeathing something to it; 

 the report noting, as an unusual occurrence, 

 that " for the first time in a long period of ' 

 years, no legacy has been left to the Orphan 

 Asylum during the last twelve months." 



The Connecticut Industrial School for Girls, 

 at Middletown, has admitted 123 inmates during 

 the three years of its existence. Thirty-four 

 of them have been discharged. With the sum 

 appropriated for it by the last General As- 

 sembly the institution lias been treed from 

 debt, and its building furnished with many 

 conveniences required for its successful opera- 

 tion. 



The State Reform School, on the 1st of 

 March, 1873, had 301 boys under its care. 

 The number of those received during the 

 previous year was 147 ; of those discharged, 

 160. 



The earnings of the boys for that year 

 amounted to $13,199.55, which sum exceeds 

 their earnings at any preceding year. It has 

 covered all tlie current expenses of the school, 

 and left a surplus in its treasury. The institu- 

 tion is free from debt, and no appropriation 

 of State money is asked for it. 



In the State-prison there were 175 convicts 

 confined on the 1st of April, 1873, of whom 

 60 were received into it during the year, one 

 fourth of this number being from the County 

 of Hartford. Forty among the convicts are 

 colored persons. All of the convicts, except 

 three, are males, thirty-nine of these, and one 

 of the three women, being colored persons. 

 Thirteen of the prisoners are less than twenty, 

 and fourteen more than fifty years old. As to 

 their respective nationalities, they are in the 

 proportion of three Americans to one for- 

 eigner. One hundred and sixty of them have 

 been sent to prison for their first offense, ten 

 for their second, and two for their fourth. 

 Eight were pardoned by the Legislature. 

 Twenty-three of the convicts are under sen- 

 tence for life. 



The receipts of the prison, almost exclu- 

 sively from the earnings of prisoners, and its 

 expenditures, during the last year, were as 

 follows : Receipts for the year shoe-shop, 

 $14,695.01; wire-shop, $3,030.40 ; burnishing 

 shop, $2,220.30 ; rule-shops, $4,833.85; profit 

 and loss, $675.95; board of United States 



convicts, $880.31 ; interest, $117.14 ; total, 

 $26,452.96. Expenses : expense account, $11,- 

 245.74; provisions, $8,662.76 ; clothing and 

 bedding, $2,195.71 ; hospital, $543.59 ; female 

 department, $208 ; transportation of convicts, 

 $165.77; repairs and improvements, $1,918.89; 

 leaving a net gain of $1,511.50. 



There are ten county -jails in Connecticut, 

 eacli of the eight counties into which the State 

 is divided having one for its own prisoners ; 

 New London andFairfield Counties, two each. 

 To maintain the prisoners confined in these jails, 

 the State pays three dollars a week for the board 

 of each, which nearly covers all their current 

 expenses. The inspector, who was extraordi- 

 narily appointed last year to visit all the pris- 

 ons in the State, and examine into their condi- 

 tion in every respect, has recently presented a 

 detailed report of his inspections, character- 

 izing these county-jails as noteworthy for 

 strength and safety. Those which have land 

 and shops attached employ their prisoners in 

 various works, and from their earnings pay 

 no inconsiderable sums of money into their 

 county treasuries respectively. The treasury 

 of Norwich County received last year $2,817 

 from that source; Windham, $1,513; Hart- 

 ford and New Haven, $4,000 each. 



One of the most important matters of gen- 

 eral interest acted upon by the General As- 

 sembly at their session was, the proposition 

 to submit to the people the question of call- 

 ing a convention for the purpose of framing a 

 new constitution for the State. The measure 

 was strongly urged by Governor Ingersoll in 

 his message, especially because the existing 

 constitution, though good and adapted to the 

 wants of the people for whom it was formed 

 in 1818, is utterly inadequate to their require- 

 ments in 1873, the lapse of more than half a 

 century having worked in their condition very 

 material changes politically and socially, in all 

 respects. A bill to that end was introduced 

 in the House of Representatives, entitled " An 

 act to provide for the calling of a Constitutional 

 Convention." It declares the objects of the 

 act, etc., and determines the power of action 

 of the delegates when in convention, by im- 

 posing on them certain restrictions in specified 

 matters. The bill met with strong and de- 

 cided opposition in both Houses, many of their 

 members maintaining, among other reasons, 

 that the deficiencies in tlie old constitution 

 may be more easily supplied by particular 

 amendments, than by engaging in the long 

 and expensive work of forming a new one. 

 The bill was put on its passage in the House 

 of Representatives on July 9th, and defeated 

 by a very large majority 141 nays to 62 yeas. 

 The Senate had previously rejected it by a vote 

 of 14 nays to 7 yeas. 



Upon the declaration of the vote in the 

 Lower House, one of its members moved " to 

 reconsider, in order that he might make a mo- 

 tion to have this bill continued to the next ses- 

 sion, and published with the laws." The House 



