RHODE ISLAND. 



received from the board of inmates and other 

 smiivrs, making the total resources $94,785.29. 

 I'p t lU'ivmhiT :>l>t payments had been made 

 amounting to $76,044.78. The estimated ex- 

 pm-M's for the fiscal year i-mling April 30, 1878, 

 are $89,500, and the appropriation required is 

 i. 'I'lu- number of inmates of the Asy- 

 lum for the Insane at the beginning of 1877 

 was 198, against 170 a year before. Of these 

 91 wore women. In the Almshouse there were 

 14-J inmates, of whom 68 were men, 00 women, 

 8 boys, and 8 girls. The total number at the 

 end of 1875 was 137. The number in the 

 Workhouse and House of Correction was 258, 

 of whom 57 were women; in the same insti- 

 tution in 1875 there were 284. The average 

 number of inmates in the three institutions on 

 the farm for the year was 566, making the av- 

 erage cost of each $123.72, or $2.38 per week. 



Good progress has been made on the new 

 State-prison, which is located on the farm. 

 The main building is nearly completed. The 

 amount thus far expended on it is $254,116.60. 

 The total estimated cost is $334,000. The 

 number of convicts in the old prison at the end 

 of the year was 86, in the jail 147, including 14 

 females. The latter institution is used jointly 

 by the State and the county of Providence. 

 The receipts of the year on prison account were 

 $4,173.82; on jail account, $15,594.89: total, 

 $19,768.71. The expenditures were : on prison 

 account, $7,328.45 ; on jail account, $15,447.31 : 

 total, $22,775.76. 



The new Oourt-House for Providence County 

 is likely to be completed during the coming 

 year. Its whole cost is estimated at $225,000, 

 and the State has appropriated $180,000 for 

 its construction. The courts have heretofore 

 been held in the State-House at Providence. 



There are 39 savings-banks in the State, and 

 the total amount of deposits on the 28th of 

 November was $50,511,979.41. The number 

 of depositors was 99,865, a decrease of 1,770 

 during the year ; the average amount due each 

 depositor was $505.80, an increase of 95 cents. 

 The decrease in the total deposits was $799,- 

 851 ; of this sum, $319,078.91 was paid out in 

 dividends by two banks in course of liquida- 

 tion. The largest amount duo any one de- 

 positor was $48,092.87. The average dividend 

 of the year was a small fraction over six per 

 cent. The total resources of the banks were 

 $52,287,889.64. There are other State banks 

 having aggregate resources and liabilities of 

 $5,056,968.46. The assets and liabilities of the 

 Rhode Island Hospital and Trust Company on 

 the 28th of November were $7,040,806.98. 

 Its capital is $500,000, and it had in deposits 

 $2,239,843.44, and in moneys in trust $3,905,- 

 683.05. 



The six fire and marine insurance compa- 

 nies chartered by the State Legislature have 

 a capital of $1,300,000; assets, $2,153,945; 

 liabilities, $633,005. The total risks of these 

 home companies amounted to $8,809,577 ; pre- 

 miums, $110,618.48; losses paid, $29,446.06. 



There were 104 companies of other States do- 

 ing business in Rhode Island, whose risks there 

 amounted to $81,428,578; premiums, $406,- 

 818.53 ; losses paid, $222,934.33. There were 

 also 14 foreign companies having risks to the 

 amount of $8,303,146 ; premiums, $113,611.82 ; 

 losses paid, $83,495.90. 



STATE SEAL OF RHODE ISLAND. 



The adjourned session of the Legislatnre be- 

 gan at Providence on the 1 1th of January, and 

 continued until the 20th of April. Three 

 amendments to the constitution of the State 

 were proposed. One of these gave foreign- 

 born soldiers and sailors, citizens of the United 

 States, honorably discharged from service dur- 

 ing the late war, the same right to vote in the 

 election of all civil officers, and on all questions 

 in all legally organized town, district, or ward 

 meetings, on the same conditions as native-born 

 citizens. Another, abolishing the registry-tax, 

 gave every male citizen, twenty-one years old, 

 with two years' residence in the State and six 

 months in the district, a right to vote for all 

 civil officers and in town meetings, except in 

 election of city council in any city, or on any 

 proposition to impose a tax, or for the expen- 

 diture of money in any town or city, in which 

 cases he must have paid a tax on his property 

 valued at least at $134. Another looked to 

 the adoption of a general corporation law. 



An amendment was made to the general 

 statutes in relation to the General Assembly, 

 which makes the House of Representatives 

 consist of one member for every 8,023 inhabi- 

 tants of a town, and one additional for every 

 fraction exceeding one-half of this ratio, pro- 

 vided, however, that each town shall be en- 

 titled to at least one representative, and no 

 town to more than twelve. This makes the 

 House consist at present of 72 members. 



An amendment of the laws in relation to 

 the exemption of property from taxation oc- 

 cupied a good deal of attention, and excited 

 prolonged discussion. The exemptions finally 

 agreed upon were as follows : 



Property belonging to the State ; lands ceded or 

 belonging to the United States , buildings for free 

 public schools ; buildings for religious worship, and 



