CONNECTICUT. 



221 



The teachers' salaries have been doubled dur- 

 ing these ten years, and the sum expended for 

 building and repairing schoolhouses has in- 

 creased more than fourfold. 



The increased attention given to teachers' 

 institutes has proved beneficial. Good results 

 are also obtained from the Normal School, de- 

 signed to educate and train competent teachers 

 for the public schools. It is in successful oper- 

 ation. This school, it is said, " educates a 

 good many teachers for the West, and for 

 other States sending out some fifty graduates 

 annually." 



Great attention is bestowed by the State 

 upon her charitable and reformatory institu- 

 tions, and provision made for them. For the 

 charitable institutions alone, the following 

 amounts were paid last year from the public 

 Treasury : 



For the insane $60,566 87 



For the deaf and dumb 9,107 17 



For the blind 4,675 00 



Forthe imbeciles 5,700 69 



For State paupers 3,567 06 



For sick and wounded soldiers and hospital grants 26,189 44 



For soldiers 1 children 71,019 42 



$150,825 65 



For the reception and treatment of demented 

 people there are two places in Connecticut, the 

 " Hospital for the Insane " at Middletown, and 

 the " Retreat " at Hartford. The number and 

 condition of the patients in the former institu- 

 tion, which is the larger of the two, are thus 

 officially stated by the superintendent, for the 

 past year : " The number of patients at the 

 beginning of the year was 395 175 males and 

 220 females; admitted during the year, 210 

 122 males and 88 females ; discharged, 155 

 78 males and 76 females ; remaining in the in- 

 stitution at the end of the year, 450 219 males 

 and 231 females. Of the 155 patients dis- 

 charged during the year, 41 were recovered, 

 44 improved, 34 stationary. Thirty-six died." 

 The death-rate during the year was 2 per cent, 

 lower than the year before. Of the 450 pa- 

 tients remaining in the hospital at the date of 

 the report, 22 males and 14 females were be- 

 lieved to be curable; 197 males and 217 fe- 

 males, incurable. The ages of the insane 

 within the hospital vary from less than fifteen 

 years to eighty and over. 



It is stated that " since the hospital was pro- 

 jected the disease of insanity has undoubtedly 

 increased," and "that in 1865 it was officially 

 reported to the General Assembly that there 

 were over seven hundred insane persons in the 

 State (and this probably included only the fully- 

 developed cases), whereas the combined ca- 

 pacity of the only two hospitals in the State 

 cannot advantageously accommodate more than 

 six hundred patients." 



In the State Reform School there were at 

 the end of April, 1874, 294 boys. The man- 

 agement of this institution during the last year 

 has been equally successful with that of any 

 previous year. Its expenses for the year 

 amounted to about $56,000, and its receipts to 



nearly $60,000. Of this sum the State con- 

 tributed more than one-half for weekly sup- 

 port, as the statute prescribes. 



The Industrial School for Girls has at present 

 91 inmates, and the place seems to want room 

 for their accommodation. Its management 

 and condition are stated to be every way satis- 

 factory. The income of this institution has 

 been sufficient to pay for its current expenses, 

 and leave a surplus in its treasury. During 

 the past year the State Treasury paid some- 

 thing over $16,000 on account of this school. 



Concerning the criminals confined in the 

 State-prison, the following details are from 

 official statements for the year : " The whole 

 number of prisoners in confinement, March 31, 



1874, was 181. Received during the year, 132. 

 Discharged during the year, 77 leaving in con- 

 finement, March 31, 1875, a total of 236. The 

 General Assembly pardoned 7 ; Secretary of the 

 Navy discharged 13 ; 3 died. Of the 236 pris- 

 oners, 200 were white males, and 3 white fe- 

 males; 31 colored males and 2 colored females. 

 The nativity of the prisoners is given as fol- 

 lows : Connecticut, 95 ; Massachusetts, 22 ; New 

 York, 33 ; Ireland, 25 ; England, 13 ; Germany, 

 1 ; . France, 2 ; Canada, 4 ; Prussia, 2 ; St. He- 

 lena, Australia, Russia, Scotland, Sweden, one 

 each. The others came from the different 

 States of the Union. Twenty-seven are im- 

 prisoned for life ; 34 were under twenty years 

 of age when sentenced, and 13 were over fifty 

 years of age ; 15 were convicted for attempt 

 to kill ; 56 for burglary ; 3 for burning barns ; 

 3 for arson; 8 for breaking and entering; 12 

 for horse-stealing; 15 for murder; 16 for rob- 

 bery; 13 for theft from person; 41- for theft. 

 The others for the usual list of crimes." 



The expenses of the State penitentiary during 

 the year amounted to $23,543.58; its income 

 to $26,255.75. 



The managers of the Hartford Orphan Asy- 

 lum, in their last annual report, dated June 14, 



1875, officially state as follows : The whole 

 number of children during the year ending 

 June, 1875, has been 117 ; the number received 

 48; new home provided for 40; the present 

 number 65. There has been no death the past 

 twelve months, and no illness which required 

 medical treatment, until very recently, when a 

 slight sickness summoned one of the city phy- 

 sicians. 



The current expenses of this institution seem 

 to be met mostly from free contributions made 

 to it in money, or in kind, by private citizens 

 outside, and by the managers themselves. 



There are twenty-three railway companies in 

 Connecticut. Their financial condition, amount 

 of business, and earnings for the year 1874, were 

 as follows: The capital paid in, up to Septem- 

 ber 30, 1874, amounts in the aggregate to $36,- 

 733,244.62 ; an increase of $664,550 over that 

 of 1873. Funded and floating debt, $20,032,- 

 241.38; which is $498,029.02 less than in the 

 previous year. Of this debt $12,850,896.90 is 

 for Connecticut. The total cost of road and 



