corporate the Worcester and Norwich rail-road company. A general act was passed to define the rights and duties of rail-road corporations in laying out their roads, &c.; it also prescribes the mode of transferring shares. RELIGIOUS SOCIETIES.-Nineteen religious societies were incorporated. SCHOOLS AND SCHOOL DISTRICTS. Whenever, at any meeting of a school district, a clerk of such district shall be chosen, and no justice of the peace shall be present to administer the oath required by law, the moderator of the meeting is authorized to administer the same. SHERIFFS.-Sheriffs are authoriz. ed to appoint special deputies in any of the counties of the state, to execute those duties only which deputy sheriff's are empowered to perform by St. 1820, c. 52. TRUSTEE PROCESS.--Any party who may be authorized to sue out an original writ, returnable to the supreme court, for the recovery of any sum of money, shall be entitled to the benefit of the provisions in the several acts concerning the trustee process; and an original writ may be issued under the seal of the supreme court. TURNPIKE CORPORATIONS.--An act was passed providing a mode of calling meetings of such corporations, when the regular meeting may have been omitted. WHARVES.-Thirteen acts were passed authorizing the construction and extension of wharves, &c. WIDOWS AND MARRIED WOMEN. Whenever any widow shall waive the provision made for her in the will of her deceased husband, the judge of probate may make to her such allowances from the personal estate of the testator, as he is now authorized to make to widows of persons deceased intestate. When any married man has heretofore absented, or may hereafter absent himself from the state, abandoning his wife, without sufficient provision for her support, the supreme court may, upon her applica. tion, authorize any person holding money or other personal estate, to which her husband may be entitled in her right, to pay or deliver the same or any part thereof to her; and her release or discharge shall be as valid as if made by the husband. The following resolves were also passed. Resolves, In relation to a bill now pending in the congress of the United States. Whereas, The committee of ways and means of the house of representatives of the United States, have reported a bill for the further reduction of the duties on imported goods, the passage of which into a law would materially affect the interests of the people of this common. wealth, and Whereas, It is important that the opinion of the general court should be expressed upon the subject, in or. der that the senators and representa. tives of this commonwealth may be better enabled to understand, and give effect to the wishes of their constituents; therefore 1. Resolved by the senate and house of representatives of the commonwealth of Massachusetts in gene. ral court assembled, That the passage into a law of the bill for the further reduction of the duties on imported goods, now pending in the house of representatives of the United States, would prostrate the prin. cipal branches of our domestic manufactures, destroy our agricultural enterprise, paralize our commerce and fisheries, and comdemn to bank. ruptcy and ruin thousands of our most industrious and enterprising citizens, and materially affect in the most injurious manner the prosperity of the whole country. 2. Resolved, That it is the usage and the duty of enlightened and prudent governments, to proceed with great deliberation in their legislation on all important subjects, and that no greater political evil can well be imagined, than frequent and rapid changes of the laws, especially such as affect the property and industry of the citizens:-that for congress, after having recently revised the revenue laws with great consideration, and made a new arrangement of them by an unexpectedly large and satisfactory majority, to take up the subject again before the new law has even gone into operation, and at a short session, when the little time at their disposal is plainly insufficient for a careful examination of it, would be a proceeding manifestly at variance with the plainest rules of discretion, and only to be justified by the intervention of some very great change in the political situation of the country. 3. Resolved, That since the passage of the law of the last session of congress, which has not yet gone into operation, no change has occur. red in the political situation of the country.of a nature to affect the action of the government upon the subject, except the assembling, and acts of the South Carolina convention, by which that state threatens to secede from the union, unless the protecting policy be immediately abandoned; and that these proceed ings, far from affording a sufficient motive for new legislation on the subject at the present moment, would form of themselves a strong objection to it; that no moment could well be imagined less favourable for a cool and dispassionate examination of any general subject, than one in which it should be accidentally embarrassed by a particular incident of a novel, dangerous and irritating character, and that a prudent, firm and patriotic government would on no account expose the great interests of the people to the risk which they would run, by being debated and decided upon in the midst of civil commotions. 4. Resolved, That the bill now reported by the committee of ways and means, is not merely an injudicious and impolitic attempt to legis. late, under circumstances unfavourable to a calm and cool consideration of the subject, but wears upon the face of it the aspect of submission, and that it grants substantially what South Carolina demands; that, taking into view, in connexion with its tenor and objects, the manner in which it has been brought forward, and pressed upon the consideration of congress, it amounts to nothing less than a proposal to sacrifice, and that in a precipitate manner, inconsistent with our ideas of national honour and dignity, the rights and prosperity of twenty-three of the states to the menaces of one. 5. Resolved, That while we cannot for a moment anticipate the possibility of the passage into a law of a bill of this description, in a congress, which, within a few months, has, by a large majority, pledged itself to the policy which it is now proposed to abolish, we yet deem it our duty formally to protest against the adoption of the measure proposed, as subversive of the best interests of the country, derogatory to the national honour, and involving a gross and palpable abuse of power in the government. 6. Resolved, That whilst the people of this commonwealth, in the Bills in circulation Debts due from directors Debts due from stockholders Debts due from all others 928,235 06 742,597 80 7,521,013 67 403,696 52 273,934 13 293,564 11 79,862 33 213,794, 41 41,385 70 41 132 25 4,025 3,272 COMMON SCHOOLS.-The whole number of public schools in the state of Rhode Island is 323. This is an average of about ten schools to each town in the state. The whole number of scholars taught in these public schools is 17,034. This is an average of about 53 scholars to each school. The average time these schools are continued in each year is three months. These schools are all supported without laying any state tax upon the people. LEGISLATION-AGENTS AND FACTORS.-Every person in whose name any merchandise shall be shipped, shall be deemed the true owner thereof, so far as to entitle the consignee to a lien thereon, for any money advanced or negotiable note given by such consignee, for the use of the person in whose name such shipment shall be made; provided that such consignee shall not have previous notice, that such person is not the actual owner thereof. Any person intrusted with any goods for the purpose of sale, or any bill of lading, or any warrant or order for the delivery of goods, shall be deemed to be the true owner of the goods, so far as to give the same validity to his contracts for the sale or disposition of the same, or for the deposit or pledge thereof, as if such contracts had been so made by the bona fide owner; provided that the person so contracted with shall not have notice that the person so intrusted is not the actual aud bona fide owner. Any person who shall accept or take any such goods or documents, in deposit or pledge from any such agent, as security for any antecedent debt or demand, shall not acquire thereby any right to such goods, &c. other than was possessed by such agent at the time of the deposit or pledge. The last section of the act provides that if any such agent or factor shall deposit or pledge any goods or any such document as is before mentioned, which shall have been intrusted or consigned to his care or management, with any person as a security for any money or other property borrowed by such agent or factor, and shall apply the proceeds thereof to his own use, with intent to defraud the owner thereof, he shall, on conviction on indictment before the supreme court, be fined not exceeding $1000, and be imprisoned for a period not exceeding the two candidates having the highest number of the votes given at such election so ordered shall be declared duly elected; and if only one of the candidates shall have such plurality, then he shall be de clared duly elected, and another election shall be ordered. CONVEYANCES.-So much of the act regulating conveyances of real estate as requires the judge, justice, mayor, or notary public, without this state, when taking an acknowledgment of deeds of real estate, situate within this state, to certify the same under his seal, is repealed OF. FEMALES, IMPRISONMENT All original writs issued against any female, founded on contract not under seal, shall be writs of summons and not writs of arrest; and no execution shall issue against the body of any female in this state on any judgment founded on contract not under seal, where the debt or dama. ges recovered do not exceed $50. But this act is not to affect the remedy on any contract which now exists. LOTTERIES.-No person shall transact business as a vender of domestic lottery tickets, without first obtaining a yearly license there. for from the town-council. For a license to sell in Providence the applicant is required to pay $100; but in the other towns of the state, a less sum is required. If any per son shall sell any domestic lottery ticket or part of any such ticket without license, he shall forfeit $100. The act also empowers town-councils, upon request of the applicant, to include in the same license, authority to sell foreign and domestic lottery tickets, and to transact business as a money broker. MILITIA An act was passed to re-organize the militia. OATHS.-If any person shall administer to any person in this state any oath, affirmation or obligation in the nature of an oath, not authorized by law, or shall knowingly permit any such oath, &c. to be administered to him, he shall forfeit $100 for the first offence; upon conviction for a second offence, the party convicted shall, in addition to this penalty, be forever disqualified for holding any office of honour or profit under this state. QUARANTINE. The governor was authorized to employ one or more vessels for the purpose of aiding in enforcing the laws in relation to quarantine; such vessels to be under his directions, and the officers and crews to be removable at his pleasure. He was also empowered to provide a suitable hospital, for such persons not citizens of this state, as may be attacked by the Asiatic cholera. The several boards of health are authorized to enact such rules as they may deem expedient, to pre vent any person or persons, from infected places, from entering the town or city where such rules and regulations shall be made, and shall affix such penalties for the breach of such rules as to them shall seem necessary, not exceeding $100. At the session of 1833, theRhode. Island legislature in acting upon an anti-masonic memorial praying that "the masonic corporations should be cited to appear and show cause why their charters should not be declared void," passed a resolution calling upon masonic bodies, to appear at the next session, and show cause why the prayer of the petitioners should not be granted; or, in other words, to show cause why they should not be called upon to defend their charters." TAXATION.-1833. Town taxes Expense of roads and bridges CONNECTICUT. |