WASHINGTON TEKRITORY. 



WEST VIRGINIA. 



763 



1841 and 1842. In 1844 he was appointed 

 Judge of the Court of Common Pleas, but re- 

 signed in 1847, and was elected Governor of 

 the State in 1853. He accepted the Bussey 

 professorship of law in Harvard University in 

 1856, and filled that position for 20 years. 

 The degree of Doctor of Laws was conferred 

 on him in 1854 hy both Harvard and Williams 

 Colleges. Besides compiling a variety of his- 

 torical sketches, he wrote a " Treatise on the 

 Law of Real Property," " Law of Easements 

 and Servitudes," " Sketches of the Judicial 

 History of Massachusetts," and "Study and 

 Practice of the Law." 



WASHINGTON TERRITORY. Though 

 the great distance of the Territory from the 

 centres of civilization, and difficulty of access, 

 have retarded immigration, its progress in 

 wealth and population has been steady and 

 satisfactory. Agriculture, manufactures, and 

 mining have been unusually prosperous. The 

 wages of labor have been remunerative. Un- 

 der the existing revenue law no portion of 

 the revenue for a given year is paid into the 

 Territorial Treasury until after the expiration 

 of that year, and after all the expenses for the 

 year have accrued and warrants therefor have 

 been drawn upon the Treasury. This has ne- 

 cessitated the payment of interest on these 

 warrants, in some instances, for a period of 

 more tban two years. County treasurers are 

 required to pay over Territorial revenue only 

 three times each year, on the first day of Feb- 

 ruary, July, and November. The Territory 

 credits each county annually with the amount 

 of delinquent Territorial tax therein, but no 

 provision is made for the payment to the Ter- 

 ritory of the amount so credited should it be 

 subsequently collected by the county, by sale 

 of lands or otherwise. 



The tide lands on Puget Sound and in the 

 valleys of the rivers flowing into the Sound, 

 and a portion of the heavily timbered land, 

 constitute an agricultural area capable of sup- 

 porting a population as dense as that of any 

 of the older States. The production of cereals 

 and vegetables on these lands can be justly 

 characterized as enormous. The obstructions 

 to navigation existing in many of these rivers 

 have prevented settlements upon lands above 

 the obstructions. 



The character, quality, and extent of the 

 agricultural lands east of the Cascade Moun- 

 tains must be seen and examined to be fully 

 appreciated. The productive capacity of that 

 region is estimated at 50,000,000 bushels of 

 wheat per annum. The production of wheat 

 in the eastern portion of the Territory, the 

 past season, is estimated to be 50,000 tons, of 

 which 40,000 tons will be exported. 



Among the large and important industries 

 of the Territory are the salmon and other fish- 

 eries, on the Sound and on the Columbia River. 

 Many of those which are in this Territory on 

 the Columbia River appear to be claimed by a 

 neighboring State, and annual productions 



which should be credited to the Territory 

 figure largely in the statement of exports of 

 that State. 



Coal and lumber constitute the principal 

 articles of export from Puget Sound. The 

 quantity of lumber manufactured during the 

 past year has been about the same as in for- 

 mer years 250,000,000 feet, valued at $2,500,- 

 000. The recent construction of railroads 

 from tide water to the coal fields of King and 

 Pierce Counties will stimulate the production 

 of coal. The shipments during the first seven 

 months of the year amounted to more than 

 80,000 tons, seven-eighths of which were from 

 King County. 



Under an act of the last Legislative Assem- 

 bly, a proposition to form a State constitution 

 and a State government was submitted to the 

 people at the last general election. Eight- 

 elevenths of the entire number of votes cast 

 on the question, which constituted a majority 

 of all the votes cast at the election, were in 

 favor of a State government. 



By existing laws a complete census of the 

 Territory is required to be taken biennially, 

 but the work is frequently neglected. The 

 present year six cotmties failed to forward cen- 

 sus returns. It is estimated that the present 

 population will reach 50,000, a gain in two 

 years of 14,000. Immigration appears to be 

 on the increase, a fact attributable to the work 

 of the Board of Immigration in disseminating 

 information respecting the Territory. The 

 average number of patients under treatment 

 in the Hospital for the Insane during the year 

 ending August 15, 1877, was 64||f . The as- 

 sessed value of property in 1875 was $14,569,- 

 156; in 1877 (two counties estimated), $17,- 

 063,577.94. Territorial tax levied in 1876, 

 $60,556.31 ; in 1877, $67,423.95. Amount paid 

 into the Treasury from October 1, 1875, to 

 September 1, 1877, $109,821.79. Amount dis- 

 bursed, $108,158.79. Amount of warrants 

 paid from October 1, 1875, to September 15, 

 1877, $88,253.62 (for Insane Hospital, $64,- 

 983.62; keeping convicts, $17,866.04; Terri- 

 torial University, $1,500 ; salaries, $7,889.23 ; 

 miscellaneous, $6,514.73). Amount of crimi- 

 nal expenses allowed to counties, $5,547.57. 

 Amount of interest paid on warrants, $4,720.- 

 82. Warrants outstanding on October 1, 1875, 

 $21,840.22; on September 15, 1877, $7,478.98. 



WEST VIRGINIA. The Legislature of this 

 State met at Wheeling for its regular session 

 on January 10, 1877. Upon the organization 

 of the two Houses, U. N. Arnett, of Marion 

 County, was elected President of the Senate ; 

 in the House of Delegates, Mr. Gibson was 

 chosen Speaker by a unanimous vote, being 

 the nominee of the Democratic members. 

 The Republicans made no nominations. 



The vote for State officers as canvassed be- 

 fore the Legislature was as follows: For Gov- 

 ernor, Henry M. Matthews received 66,20 

 votes; Nathan Goff, Jr., 43,477; James Laid - 

 ly 332. For State Superintendent of 



