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VERMONT. 



VIRGINIA. 



the finest animals. A new breeders' associa- 

 tion, with E. S. Stowell for president, called 

 the Vermont Atwood Merino-Sheep Breeders' 

 Club, has been formed in opposition to the 

 Vermont Merino-Sheep Breeders' Association, 

 with whiqh fault is found owing to the admis- 

 sion on its register of sheep outside of the 

 State. 



A contention arose in November between 

 the students and the faculty of Middlebury 

 College. A student in the second year re- 

 ceived demerits for some trifling breach of the 

 rules, and afterward an additional number of 

 demerit marks given to the whole class alike 

 in consequence of a disturbance. The total 

 was sufficient to suspend the student. His 

 classmates considered this an injustice, and re- 

 fused to attend college unless he were received 

 back. The faculty tried to assert their author- 

 ity by suspending the whole class, whereat the 

 other classes joined the rebellion and refused 

 also to go on with their studies unless the fac- 

 ulty yielded. The affair finally ended in a com- 

 promise. 



The Burdett-Estey organ suit, which has 

 been for a long time before the courts, was 

 ended by the award of about $150,000 to the 

 plaintiff by ex-Governor Stewart, Master in 

 Chancery. The suit was brought in the name 

 of Riley Burdett, whose rights had been trans- 

 ferred to Silaa M. Waite, against Jacob Estey, 

 Julius J. Estey, and Levi K. Fuller, for in- 

 fringement of a patent on an arrangement of 

 extra reeds in organs, which by being tuned a 

 little above or below the diapason produce the 

 wavy effect called by the plaintiff the "har- 

 monie celeste " and by the defendants the 

 " vox jubilante." On this contrivance, used in 

 the manufacture of the Estey organ at Brattle- 

 boro, it was claimed that the plaintiff possessed 

 letters patent. The case was first brought in 

 the United States Circuit Court of Vermont, 

 December 30, 1871. It was heard successively 

 by Judges Small ey (in 1874), Woodruff, and 

 Johnson, all of whom died before rendering a 

 decision. Early in 1878 it was argued before 

 Judges Blatchford and "Wheeler at New York 

 by distinguished lawyers, including Senator Ed- 

 munds, William M. Evarts, and E. W. Stough- 

 ton. Judge Blatchford affirmed the validity 

 of the patent in part, and an accounting to de- 

 termine the profit made by the Esteys on the 

 improved mechanism was ordered, the result 

 of which inquiry was the report of the Master 

 in Chancery awarding the sum named, subject 

 to the approval of the Court. 



The case of James R. Langdon et al. vs. the 

 Vermont and Canada Railroad Company et al. 

 came up before the Supreme Court. This was 

 a bill in chancery brought to establish the pri- 

 ority of the liens upon the trust property, or, 

 in other words, to have the Supreme Court de- 

 termine which should be paid first out of the 

 avails of the Central and Canada roads and 

 their property, the accrued rent due the Ver- 

 mont and Canada, or the receiver's indebted- 



ness, so called, which, in the shape of floating 

 debt, equipment bonds, Stanstead, Shefford, 

 and Chambly bonds, guaranteed bonds, and 

 income and extension bonds, amounts to about 

 $6,000,000. 



The Beunington village election was made 

 the subject of a legal dispute. An action of 

 quo warranto was carried before the Supreme 

 Court. The State set forth in the complaint 

 that, by reason of the mob capturing the vil- 

 lage meeting in April, 1879, no legal election 

 was held. The defense answers that the said 

 noise and confusion was no greater than usual 

 on such occasions, and that a legal election 

 was held. The moderator whose election was 

 contested was S. E. Harris. 



A new State workhouse has been built at 

 Rutland. It is a brick building with walls 20 

 inches thick, the walls between lines of cells 

 being of the same thickness. A corridor runs 

 between the outer tiers of cells and the wall 

 of the building. The cells are 72 in number 

 and disposed in three double tiers. The cells 

 are 7 feet by 6, and are ventilated by tubes 

 communicating with the outside air at the 

 roof. 



VIRGINIA. The question of the settlement 

 of the State debt still engrosses the public 

 mind. The citizens are divided into two par- 

 ties on this issue, called the Debt-Payers and 

 the Readjusters. In the early part of the year 

 a funding bill passed the Legislature by a con- 

 siderable majority and received the approval 

 of the Governor. The proposed method of 

 funding the debt was accepted by a syndicate, 

 composed of a Council of Foreign Bondholders 

 and the Funding Association of the United 

 States, representing nearly all the holders of 

 Virginia State securities. The bill, which is 

 known as the McCulloch bill, aroused the live- 

 liest dissatisfaction after it had become a law. 

 A strong agitation was set on foot for its re- 

 peal by the Readjusters. This was made the 

 main issue on which members were elected to 

 the General Assembly in November. The plan 

 for funding the debt embodied in the McCul- 

 loch bill is to issue registered and coupon 

 bonds dated January 1, 1879, the principal pay- 

 able in 1919, with interest at 3 per cent, for 

 ten years, 4 per cent, for the next twenty years, 

 and 5 per cent, for the last ten years, payable 

 at Richmond, New York, or London on Janu- 

 ary and July 1st in each year until the prin- 

 cipal is redeemed. The State has the option 

 to redeem any or all of the bonds by paying 

 the principal and accrued interest at any time 

 after the expiration of ten years from January 

 1, 1879. The coupons will be receivable at 

 maturity for all taxes, debts, dues, and demands 

 of the State. The holders of registered bonds 

 are entitled to receive a certificate for inter- 

 est, and this certificate will be good for taxes 

 or other demands due the State. The bonds, 

 coupons, and certificates are non-taxable. The 

 law was to be binding if, on or before May 1, 

 1879, the Council of Foreign Bondholders and 



