182 



DELAWARE. 



91,532 in 1850; 112,216 in 1860; 125,015 in 1870; 

 146,608 in 1880; 168,493 in 1890; and 184,735 in 

 1900. Capital, Dover. 



Government. The following were the State 

 officers in 1900: Governor, Ebe \V. Tunnell; Secre- 

 tary of State, James H. Hughes; Treasurer, L. 

 Heisler Hall: Auditor, John A. Lingo, who died 

 Jan. 26, and was succeeded by Isaac N. Fooks; 

 Attorney-General, Robert C. White; Commissioner 

 oi Insurance, Edward Fowler; Adjutant General, 

 Canett .1. Hart: Inspector of Agriculture, E. H. 

 Bancroft: Chancellor, John R. Nicholson; Chief 

 Justice, Charles B. Lore; Associate Justices, Igna- 

 tius C. Grubh. W. C. Spruance, James Pennewill, 

 and William H. Boyce: Clerk. William Virdin. 

 All are Democrats except Messrs. Ball and Lingo 

 and Justices Spruance and Pennewill, who are Re- 

 publicans. 



Population. The population of counties in 

 1890 and in IJtOO was as follows: 



The population of the principal cities in 1900 

 was: Wilmington, 76,558; New Castle, 3,380; 

 Dover, 3,329; Milford, 2,500; Lewes, 2,259; Smyr- 

 na, 2,168; Laurel, 1,825; Seaford, 1,724; George- 

 town, 1,658; Middletown, 1,567; Harrington, 1,242 ; 

 Newark, 1,213; Delaware City, 1,132. 



Finances. The joint committee of the Legis- 

 lature to settle with State officers found that the 

 Secretary of State had received from incorporation 

 fees $69,739.89 since March 13, 1899, and that 396 

 companies had been incorporated under the gen- 

 eral corporation act. The accounts of the State 

 Treasurer for the year ending Jan. 9 showed the 

 following figures in recapitulation: Balance in 

 general fund, $65,152.33; Delaware General Elec- 

 tric Railroad Company (guarantee fund), $17,500; 

 New Castle and Delaware City Railroad Company 

 (guarantee fund), $4,500; total, $43,152.33. Bal- 

 ance in school fund, Jan. 9, 1900, $34,035.90; bal- 

 ance in sinking fund, Jan. 9, 1900, $4,483.73; 

 total, $81,671.96; guarantee fund, $22,000; grand 

 total, $103,671.96. There was practically no money 

 at the beginning of 1899, as there were debts 

 amounting to more than was in the treasury. 

 Two notes amounting to $85,000 were paid in the 

 year. 



The amount of State licenses of all kinds for the 

 year ending Sept. 29 is given as $114,359.23, an 

 increase of $5,280 over the amount of the year 

 preceding. The revenue from taxation of rail- 

 roads, according to the Treasurer's report, was 

 $68,653.30. The Adams law for taxation of in- 

 vestments has been attacked as unconstitutional. 



Wilmington had a bonded debt of $1,965,100 at 

 the beginning of the year. 



Militia. The National Guard, which was some- 

 wliat broken up by enlistments for the Spanish 

 wnr, is improving, companies being refilled. The 

 Government appropriation under the new law is 

 $5,175 a year, to be drawn in clothing, arms, and 

 camp ami garrison equipage. 



Education. The reports of the public schools 

 of the State, outside of Wilmington, give the 

 following statistics: Total enrollment in all 

 schools (white), 22,254; monthly attendance, 

 l.~i.!:JS; number in graded schools (those having 

 more than one teacher), 10,280; in rural districts 

 white, ll.!>74: colored. 4.<i77 : amount paid in sal- 

 aries in white schools, $141.05!): colored, $18,- 

 1^7.94; for text- books white, $8,277.18; colored, 



$1,459; total expenditures for white schools, $194,- 

 300.63; for colored, $22,826.94; number of graded 

 schools having libraries New Castle County, 4; 

 Kent, 7 ; Sussex, 1 ; number of schools in rural 

 districts having libraries Kent County, 2, where 

 are good circulating libraries under the control of 

 the State Federation of Women's Clubs; average 

 monthly salary of principals in New Castle Coun- 

 ty. $53; Kent, $50; Sussex, $53.50; assistants, 

 New Castle County, $35; Kent, $32.75; Sussex, 

 $29.25. 



There are 22 Delaware students in the State 

 Normal School at Westchester, Pa. 



Delaware College granted diplomas to 14 stu- 

 dents, June 20. The class that entered in Septem- 

 ber numbered 25, of whom 19 are in the agricul- 

 tural and engineering courses. A new curriculum 

 went into effect this year, giving more freedom 

 for elective studies. The college and the experi- 

 ment station have about 10,000 books, of which 

 3,000 are in the general library. 



The Wilmington Military Academy graduated 

 4 in the scientific course and 1 in a special course 

 in June. 



Attention was called this year to a so-called 

 " University of Delaware," which was offering in- 

 ducements to residents of Europe and parts of 

 the United States who desire the degree of doctor 

 of philosophy. The incorporators were found to 

 be a dentist, a saloon keeper, and a trimmer for 

 a car company. The two latter knew very little 

 about the institution, but had signed because they 

 were asked to. The dentist could not be found. 

 Under its charter the " university " can teach 

 dental surgery and the science of philosophy, and 

 confer degrees for these courses, and also confer 

 honorary degrees. The charter is perpetual, and 

 the " university " can operate in any part of the 

 world. 



Public Institutions. The Hospital for the In- 

 sane, at Farnhurst, had 320 patients in August. 

 The expenses for the first four months of the year 

 were $9,176.46. 



The Ferris Industrial School for Boys had 70 

 inmates at the opening of the year. The receipts, 

 including a balance of $1,207.31, were $17,447.07; 

 the balance remaining, $2,846.59. A farm of 200 

 acres is cultivated by the boys. 



The Industrial School for Girls is supported in 

 part by the State and in part by voluntary sub- 

 scriptions. There were 19 girls present in May: 

 accommodations are provided for 50. 

 The Delaware Orphan Home and Industrial 

 School for Colored Boys was opened at Wilming- 

 ton in November. It is maintained by colored 

 residents. 



Business. From statistics of failures in 1899 it 

 is learned that there were 30 in Delaware, with 

 liabilities amounting to $95,954 and assets to 

 $47.431. In 1898 there were 21, with $136,450 lia- 

 bilities and $71,700 assets; and in 1897, 45, with 

 $210,800 liabilities and $91,950 assets. 



The clearings at Wilmington banks for one week 

 of April, 1900, were $1,139,314.52, as against *S76.- 

 957.87 for the corresponding period of 1899. The 

 clearings for 1898 were about $37,000,000, and for 

 1899 $42,000,000. For the six months ending 

 April 1 they were $24,353,054. 



Railroads. The report of the Delaware Rail- 

 road Company for the year ending Oct. 31, 1899, 

 shows the following liiriiivs: Freight earnings, 

 s*!.-,.s:::;. ( .i2: passenger, siiH.:.7.~>..~>4: mails, exnre.-s. 

 rents, and miscellaneous. #!H,127: total gross earn- 

 in--. si.:;'.ti.:>:;<;.46; operating expenses, $988,7 \' '-.'- 

 net earnings. .S40-2.7!>2.!I4: interest and premiums 

 on securities matured, $14,110.54: gross income, 

 $416,903.48; interest, taxes, and sundry charges, 



