VIRGINIA. 



753 



The total expenditures, ordinary and extraor- 

 dinary, not including the amounts paid to the 

 free-school fund and for interest on public 

 debt, amounted in the same year to $1,018,- 

 628.54. 



The amount of the taxable property in the 

 State, as assessed for 1875, had not been fully 

 returned in December of that year, but was 

 known to be considerably less than the amount 

 assessed in 1874, when it was $332,428,256 in 

 the aggregate, composed of $253,486,058 of 

 real estate, and $78,942,198 of personal prop- 

 erty. It was estimated on unquestionable data 

 that, even retaining for 1875 the same value 

 which was assessed for 1874, the net amount 

 of taxes levied on it at the same rate, of fifty 

 cents for every hundred dollars, would be 

 $1,496,943.93, while the State wants much 

 more than this sum to cover her expenditures. 



The public instruction in the State appears 

 to have been of late years steadily improving, 

 and the number of children attending school 

 has vastly increased. The following summary 

 statements of the public and private school 

 operations in 1875 are taken from official doc- 

 uments : 



Number between five and twenty-one years of 

 age: white, 280,149 ; colored, 202,640: total, 482,- 

 789. Number of public schools : white, 3,121 ; col- 

 ored, 1,064 : total, 4,185. Average number of months 

 taught : in cities, 9.69 ; in country, 5.42 : total, 5.59. 

 Number of pupils enrolled : white, 129,545 ; colored, 

 54,941: total, 184,486. Pupils in average attend- 

 ance: white, 74,056; colored, 29,871: total, 103,927. 

 Percentage of school population enrolled: white, 

 46.2; colored, 27.1. Average cost of tuition per month 

 per pupil enrolled, 70 cents ; whole monthly cost per 

 pupil enrolled, 89 cents. Number of teachers : white 

 males, 2,360; white females, 1,363: total white, 3,- 

 723 : colored males, 351 ; colored females, 188 : to- 

 tal,colored, 539 : total white and colored, 4,262. 



Number of pupils between five and twenty-one 

 in private, primary, and high schools : white, 19,- 

 466 ; colored, 3,819 : total, 23,285. Number of stu- 

 dents in colleges, 1,880. No colored colleges. There 

 are 243 students at the Hampton Normal and Agri- 

 cultural Institute, which is not classified as a college 

 in the documents. Number of teachers in private 

 schools : white males, 454 ; white females, 775 ; col- 

 ored males, 33 ; colored females, 57 : total, 1,319. 

 Whole number of pupils, public and private, 207,771. 



The aggregate receipts for the maintenance 

 of schools during the last year amounted to 

 $1,021,396.68, derived from the following 

 sources: State fund, $478,759.46; local taxa- 

 tion, $465,424.09 ; private donations, $52,482,- 

 13 ; Peabody fund, $23,750. 



The total school expenditures for all pur- 

 poses in the same year were : for current ex- 

 penses, $934,118.47, of which $726,300.87 was 

 paid to teachers ; for permanent improvement, 

 $97,278.2"!, of which $94,582.40 was paid for 

 real estate, buildings, and furniture. 



The Agricultural and Mechanical College, 

 now in the third year of its existence, is also 

 steadily increasing in its usefulness and the 

 number of attending students. These num- 

 bered in the first year 120 ; in the second, 197; 

 in the third, 222. 



The charitable and penal institutions of the 

 VOL. xv. 48 A 



State seem to be very satisfactorily managed, 

 and realize the purpose for which they are sev- 

 erally intended. 



The number of patients in the Eastern Lu- 

 natic Asylum at the beginning of the last fiscal 

 year, October 1, 1874, was 294 males 131, fe- 

 males 163. Admitted during the year, 72 

 males 39, females 33. Total number of patients 

 under treatment in the year, 366 males 170, fe- 

 males 196. Out of these were discharged, as 

 recovered, 33 males 11, females 22 ; as im- 

 proved, 8 males 4, females 4 ; as stationary, 1 

 female; died, 19 males 14, females 5. Re- 

 maining under treatment on October 1, 1875, 

 305 males 141, females 164. Average num- 

 ber in the year> 302. Number of pay patients, 

 13. The whole number of insane persons un- 

 der treatment at this asylum during the year 

 was larger than in any previous year since its 

 organization. The number of recoveries, in 

 proportion to the number admitted, was much 

 greater than in 1874, and above the average 

 of preceding years. 



The aggregate receipts of the asylum for the 

 last year were $65,932.95, of which $60,000 

 had been appropriated by the General Assem- 

 bly. The disbursements were $65,094.28. 



The gross receipts from farm and garden 

 products amounted for the year to $6,100.48, 

 of which $3,126,38 was outlay for labor, im- 

 plements, and fertilizers ; leaving a net return 

 of $2,974.10. 



The arbitration for fixing the boundary-line 

 between Virginia and Maryland, which was 

 progressing satisfactorily and near to its com- 

 pletion, has been suddenly arrested by the 

 death of William A. Graham, a member of the 

 board. In the arrangements now existing be- 

 tween the two States for the said arbitration, 

 a modification is proposed providing that, in 

 case another vacancy occurs in the board from 

 any cause, it may be filled without arresting 

 the work of the arbitration. 



For the participation of Virginia in the ap- 

 proaching Centennial Celebration at Philadel- 

 phia, a State Board of Centennial Commission- 

 ers was appointed, which has requested of the 

 General Assembly a suitable appropriation to 

 enable them to complete their arrangements 

 and execute the work assigned them. 



A bill appropriating ten thousand dollars for 

 the just-mentioned purpose was after a time 

 introduced in the Senate, and, not without 

 great opposition, finally passed by a vote of 24 

 to 10. In the House of Delegates the bill was 

 not allowed to go further than the second read- 

 ing ; and on a motion subsequently made to 

 reconsider the vote by which the House had 

 refused to advance the bill to its third reading, 

 the motion was lost yeas 56, nays 58. 



On the 8th of December the two Houses 

 met in joint convention for the purpose of 

 electing the State officers, when the following 

 were chosen : For Secretary of State, James 

 McDonald; First Auditor, William F. Tay- 

 lor ; Second Auditor, Asa Rogers ; State Treas- 



