526 



MAINE. 



neoticut, $500; dividend, 100,000 eggs. Unit- 

 ed States, $1,450 ; dividend, 290,000 eggs. To- 

 tal mouey, $3,000 ; total eggs, 600,000. 



During the year 2,000,000 shad were given 

 by Professor Baird, the United States Commis- 

 sioner of Fisheries. These fish were divided 

 between the Penobscot and Kennebec Rivers, 

 1,000,000 having been turned into the Sebas- 

 ticook at Watorville, and 1,000,000 into the 

 Mattawaiukeag, near its junction with the Pe- 

 nobscot. 



The following ponds have been stocked with 

 black bass this year: Trip Pond, in Minot; 

 Gardiner Pond, in Wiscasset ; Gun Point Ice 

 Company's Pond, at Harpswell ; Hosmer 

 Pond, in Rockport; Kezar Ponds and Heald 

 and Cushman Ponds, in Lovell ; and Little 

 Pushaw Pond, in Corinth. 



During the year four citizens of the State 

 upon trial were convicted of murder in the 

 first degree. Two verdicts of manslaughter 

 were rendered, and two additional indictments 

 for murder were found and sentence imposed 

 in one upon a plea of guilty, the court adjudg- 

 ing the grade to be murder in the first degree. 

 Two citizens were sentenced to imprisonment 

 for life for the crime of arson. The Attorney- 

 General in his report remarks as follows : " The 

 convictions for murder in the first degree dur- 

 ing the present year alone exceed the number 

 during the three years previous to the abolition 

 of the death-penalty, and are nearly equal to 

 the number occurring during the three years 

 following. The frequency of these horrible 

 crimes and the fiendish brutality exhibited in 

 the commission of a large portion of them has 

 naturally created a sentiment in the commu- 

 nity for the application of the death-penalty in 

 cases of such atrocious character. There are 

 arguments for and against its application ar- 

 guments that are satisfactory to the minds and 

 consciences of the adherents and opponents. 

 Any amount of discussion of the question, I 

 apprehend, would have but slight effect upon 

 the convictions already formed by the mass of 

 our citizens. The laws are for the protection 

 of the public, of society, and are not presumed 

 to be in sympathy with the hardened criminal, 

 and if the law-abiding and peaceable citizens 

 of this State, who desire to live with some 

 sense of security, can be better protected from 

 the assassin's knife or the ruffian's bullet by 

 the restoration of the death-penalty, it is a 

 matter that should receive the most careful 

 and serious consideration of the Legislature." 



During the year ending November 1st, the 

 whole number of prosecutions and offenses in 

 the State was 1,200. Of these more than half 

 were for violation of the liquor law. Franklin 

 County has the cleanest record, there being 

 but 7 criminal cases in the entire year. Ken- 

 nebec had 210 and Cumberland 298. In Ken- 

 nebec County there were 135 cases for viola- 

 tion of the liquor law, a greater number than 

 in any county except Cumberland, which had 

 174. Of the prosecutions and offenses 10 were 



for homicide, 3 for arson, 3 for perjury, 11 for 

 forgery and counterfeiting, 30 fur compound 

 larceny, 70 for larceny, 5 for burglary, 2 for 

 robbery, 2 for rape, 10 for assault with feloni- 

 ous intent, 103 for assault and battery, 4 for 

 affrays and riots, 11 for offenses against chas- 

 tity and morality, 13 for malicious mischief, 9 

 for cheating and conspiracies, 6 for defects in 

 highway, 119 for nuisance, 646 for violation of 

 the liquor law, 118 for other offenses. 



The Reform School is in a prosperous condi- 

 tion. Since the institution was founded by the 

 State, twenty-eight years ago, 1,678 boys have 

 been received and cared for, and there were in 

 the school, December 1st, 113 boys. Thirty- 

 four boys were committed during the year. 

 Twenty-six acres of land have been under cul- 

 tivation. The farm is in a high state of im- 

 provement, and the value of the crops har- 

 vested, milk and meat sold, was $7,501.83. A 

 large portion of the boys are employed in the 

 chair-shops. The receipts from December 1, 

 1880, to December 1, 1881, were: 



Balance on hand December 1, 1880 $481 76 



From State Treasurer 13,000 00 



Farm and stock 2.086 56 



Chair-work 8,189 87 



Cities and towns 2,696 71 



All other sources 27484 



Due Treasurer of Reform School 2,000 00 



Total $28,629 28 



The expenditures during the same period have 

 been $23,247.45, leaving a balance on hand of 

 $451.78. The schools are under the charge of 

 competent teachers. The present number of 

 boys under instruction is 113. 



The following table gives the number of male 

 citizens of the State between eighteen and forty- 

 five years of age : 



The following are the valuation and popula- 

 tion of the cities of Maine, as reported by the 

 Valuation Commission: 



