606 



OHIO. 



1800 ; was educated for the magistracy, and, 

 after a journey in Spain, became a writer, pub- 

 lishing an essay on the Moors in Spain, " Stud- 

 ies on the Institutions and Literature of Spain," 

 and a translation of " Don Quixote." He also 

 translated the works of Pushkin, Gogol, and 

 Turgenieff. He was director of the Italian The- 

 atre in 1838 and 1839. A popular exposition 

 of his liberal philosophical convictions was pub- 

 lished under the title of " Libre Examen." He 

 was a distinguished art critic. 



Webb, Matthew, an English swimmer, was 

 drowned in an attempt to swim through the 

 whirlpool of Niagara river, July 22, 1883. 

 From bruises on his head it was surmised that 

 he struck upon a rock and became unconscious. 

 He was born at Irongate, in Shropshire, Jan. 

 18, 1848. He was formerly captain of a mer- 

 chant-vessel, and received one of the first 

 medals given out by the Koyal Life-Saving So- 

 ciety, for rescuing a sailor from drowning. His 

 swimming powers were first brought into pub- 

 lic notice by the feat of swimming in the 

 Thames from Blackwall to Gravesend in 1875, 

 and, a fortnight later, that of swimming from 

 Dover to Ramsgate in eight and three quarter 

 hours. These were preparatory to an attempt 

 to swim across the English channel. At his 

 first attempt he was compelled to return by 

 adverse currents, but, ten days later, on Aug. 

 24, 1875, he accomplished it in twenty-one 

 hours. In June, 1883, he landed in the United 

 States, with the intention of attempting the 

 feat which cost him his life. 



OHIO. The State officers for the year were 

 as follow: Governor, Charles Foster; Lieu- 

 tenant-Governor, Reese G. Richards; Secre- 

 tary of State, James W. Newman', Auditor, 

 John F. Oglevee ; Treasurer, Joseph Turney ; 

 Attorney-General, George K. Nash ; Commis- 

 sioner of Common Schools, Daniel F. De Wolf; 

 Board of Public Works, Henry Weible, George 

 Paul, and S. R. Hosmer. 



Finances. On Nov. 15, 1882, the public fund- 

 ed debt of the State was $4, 901, 665. During the 

 year there was paid $379, 150 ; leaving the public 

 funded debt of the State Nov. 15, 1883, $4,522,- 

 515. Since November 15th, bonds of the loan 

 payable after Dec. 31, 1886, to the amount of 

 $31,800 have been paid, leaving the total of 

 the funded debt, $2,314,050, due after Dec. 31, 

 1886. The local debts at the same time were 

 as follow: Debts of counties, $4,381,680.21; 

 debts of cities, first and second class, $35,231,- 

 302.88 ; debts of incorporated villages, $1,478,- 

 526.56 ; debts of townships, $645,751.21 ; debts 

 of separate (special) school districts, $1,659,- 

 834.64 ; total local debts, $43,388,095.50. Net 

 decrease in above local debts, $2,378,255.72. 

 _ Military. The present force of the Ohio Na- 

 tional Guard consists of eighty-two companies 

 of infantry and seven batteries of light artil- 

 lery, and a total of 5,457 men, including offi- 

 cers, a reduction during the year of 418. 



Insane. About 3,800 insane people are cared 

 for with the present accommodations furnished 



by the State, about 1,000 are cared for in the 

 county infirmaries, and there are probably 500 

 to 1,000 persons in private institutions and with 

 their families and friends. 



Railroads. The report of the Commissioner 

 of Railways shows a steady growth in the mile- 

 age and in the business of the railways of Ohio. 

 There were, June 30, 1883, 6,900 miles of rail- 

 way in the State, an increase over the number 

 of miles of the preceding year of 13-06 per 

 cent. The capital stock of these railways rep- 

 resents a value of $250,743,376.17, an increase 

 of 4*9 per cent. The capital stock and debt 

 make the sum of $478,069,435.16, showing a 

 decline in the indebtedness of 9'55 per cent. 

 The business of this year was an advance of the 

 preceding in the number of passengers, 7 '42 

 percent.; in the passenger mileage, 2'99 per 

 cent.; in the tonnage, 4'01 per cent. ; in ton 

 mileage, 4'04 per cent. The average rate per 

 mile was 2 -49 9 cents, an advance over the for- 

 mer year's rate of 5*6 per cent. The average 

 rate per ton per mile upon freight, 8'75 cents, 

 an advance in the rate of 8 - 24 per cent. The 

 gross earnings of the year were $49,900,506.26, 

 an increase of 9'02 per cent. The net earnings 

 were $16,326,213.37, an increase of 18'58 per 

 cent., making 3 '42 upon the total amount of 

 stock and debt. The operating expenses of the 

 year were $33,574,292.89, an advance of 4*64 

 per cent. These operating expenses were 67'- 

 28 per cent, of the gross earnings. Sixty-eight 

 per cent, of the railways of Ohio are now laid 

 with steel rails. There are 38,723 men em- 

 ployed, an average of 5 men to the mile. 



Coal. The Inspector of Mines estimates a 

 falling off of the output of the mines of 1,250,- 

 000 tons as compared with last year. This is 

 attributed to the present depressed condition of 

 the iron industry, into which the consumption 

 of coal so largely enters. 



Crops. The Secretary of the State Board ot 

 Agriculture says the wheat and corn were 

 much damaged by frost, the latter suffering 

 most. The total wheat-crop was placed, in 

 October, on the basis of the returns then re- 

 ceived, at 25,500,000 bushels, but later reports 

 showed so much of it shrunken that it was not 

 believed it would make the flour of more than 

 21,000,000 bushels, or just half an average crop. 

 The total number of acres in corn was 2,499,- 

 000; bushels per acre, 2'83 ; total estimated 

 bushels, 70,741,000, against 90,869,000 in 1882, 

 and a ten years' average of 100,000,000 bushels. 

 The yield per acre, 28'3 bushels, is the lowest 

 for thirty -three years, except 1854, 1856, 1863, 

 and 1864, when it was 26, 27'7, 27'7, 27, and 27 

 bushels respectively. The total number of 

 acres in potatoes was 106,400; bushels per 

 acre, 113; total bushels estimated, 12,132,600, 

 against a ten years' average of 75*9 bushels per 

 acre, and 8,754,578 bushels total a year. 



Live-Stock. The report of the State Board of 

 Agriculture shows the following percentages 

 of the different breeds of live-stock : Cattle 

 Per cent, of Shorthorns, 65; Herefords, 2; 



