Clerk of the House, 1,000 1,000 J. T. Sloan, The Governor is elected by the Senate and House of Representatives jointly, to serve for two years, and is not re-eligible until after the expiration of four years. In case of his death, or removal from office, the LieutenantGovernor acts as Governor. Legislature. Assembles at Columbia, on the fourth Monday in November, annually. Representatives (124 in number) are chosen for two years, on a mixed basis of population and taxation. Pay, $3 a day, and 10 cents for every mile of travel. The Senate consists of 45 members, who are elected for four years; one half chosen every second year. Pay of Senators the same as that of Representatives. JUDICIARY. The judges and chancellors are elected by joint ballot of both houses. They hold their commissions during good behavior, and receive a compensation which can neither be increased nor diminished during their continuance in office. Repeated attempts have been made to limit their tenure to 65 or 70 years, but without success. A judge or chancellor may order a special court, and a chancellor may hear cases, by consent, at chambers. Isaac W. Hayne, of Charleston, Attorney-General, 1,100 and fees. T. N. Dawkins, Solicitor for Northern Circuit, 66 Southern 900 and fees. 900 and fees. 1,500 M. L. Bonham, J. S G. Richardson, of Smithville, State Reporter, 1851, Law Court of Appeals, and Equity Court of Appeals. — The former, consisting of all the law judges, for hearing appeals from the courts of law, and the latter, of all the chancellors, for hearing appeals from the courts of equity, are held in Columbia on the first Monday in May and fourth Monday in November. These courts are also held in Charleston on the second Monday in January, for hearing and determining appeals for the Districts of Georgetown, Horry, Beaufort, Colleton, and Charleston. Clerks. — At Charleston, T. J. Gantt. At Columbia, A. Herbemont. Courts for the Correction of Errors, consisting of all the judges in law and equity, to try constitutional questions, or questions where the law and equity courts are divided, and which are referred thereto by either of the courts, are held at such times, during the sitting of the Court of Appeals, as the chancellors and judges may appoint. Courts of Common Pleas and General Sessions. These courts have original jurisdiction in all civil cases where legal rights are involved (except in matters of contract where the amount is $20 or under), and in all criminal cases affecting free white men; and appellate jurisdiction in all appeals from Magistrates' Courts, and in appeals from the Court of Ordinary in all cases except in matters of account. They are held in each and every district of the State twice in each year. The times of holding the court for Charleston District are the first Monday in May, to sit six weeks, and the fourth Monday in October, to sit four weeks. Daniel Horlbeck, Clerk for Charleston District. Courts of Equity take cognizance of all matters belonging to a court of equity, as contradistinguished from a court of law. A term is held by one chancellor, annually, in each district, except Charleston District, where two terms are held; viz. on the first Monday in February, to sit six weeks, and on the second Monday in June, to sit four weeks. City Court of Charleston.— An inferior court of limited jurisdiction both in civil and criminal causes. William Rice, Recorder. Ordinary's Court. Each district has its own Ordinary. The principal duties of the Ordinary are to grant letters of administration; probate of wills; examine executors and administrators' accounts, &c. His office is the proper depository of wills and other papers relative to the administration of estates. An appeal lies from his determination, in matters of account, to the Court of Equity, and, in all other cases, to the Court of Common Pleas. M. T. Mendenhall, Ordinary for Charleston District. Magistrates' Courts have exclusive jurisdiction in matters of contract of and under twenty dollars. Court of Magistrates and Freeholders, for the trial of slaves and free persons of color for criminal offences. FINANCES. Total receipts during the year ending September 30th, 1853, . Balance, October 1, 1852, Total means, 381,430.90 276,674.40 658,105.30 Six per cent. stock and five per cent. sterling bonds, fire loan, Amount of absolute debt, . Annual interest thereon, $170,237.71 1,743.367.93 $1,913,605.64 101,463.26 The State has a contingent debt of $1,051,422.09, being the amount of surplus revenue received from the United States. There is also a temporary indebtedness to the Indians, Free Schools, and the Bank, of $229,588.02. With all this indebtedness, there is still a balance in favor of the State, of productive property owned by the State, of $2,310,052.74. State Bank. The profits of the bank for the year ending September 30, 1853, were, deducting $29,075.90 to meet doubtful and bad debts, $330,000. From this amount there has been paid $52,093.56, for interest on the debt in Europe; also the interest on the 6 per cents (fire loan), amounting to $48,869.44; and the sum of $229,037 was transferred to the sinking fund. The aggregate funds of the bank on the 1st of October, 1853, were, Issues,. Due Treasury,. $2,568,928.12 $7,919.932.49 Due Treasury for Sinking Fund, redemption of 5 & 6 per cent. stock, 740,189.26 $2,864,116.01 Property of the State, September 30, 1853. Bank of the State of South Carolina, for capital, for sinking fund, for the current fund, 969,226.26 317,587.44 1,342,300.00 9,381.12 2,057.66 $5,504,668.49 The taxes for the year 1953 were as follows:-Upon 378,307 slaves, $226,984.20; on 2,929 free negroes, $5,858; on merchandise, $20,426.44; on faculties, professions, &c., $8,884.62; on town lots, 57,588.08; on $ 17,145,320 acres of land, valued at $ 10,207,591, $40,830.35; arrears, &c., $1,204.18. Total, $ 361,775.87. Free Schools. - Number of schools in 1849, 1,023; number of teachers, 1,019; number of scholars, 9,122. The Legislature appropriates $ 75,000 annually to free schools. Governor Manning, in his message of November 28, 1853, says, that "under the present mode of applying it, that liberality is really the profusion of the prodigal, rather than the judicious generosity, which confers real benefit." He recommended "the establishment of a Board of Education and the appointment of a Commissioner of Public Instruction, whose duty it shall be to gather facts with regard to this State, and thoroughly inform himself upon the systems of such other governments as educate their people best, and report the result of his labors to the Board, who together shall digest a plan, to be submitted to you for ratification or rejection." State Lunatic Asylum, Columbia. -J. W. Parker, Superintendent. The number of patients, Nov. 5, 1851, was 127. Received during the year, 46; whole number, 173. Discharged during the year, cured, 30; and 8 died; leaving in the Asylum, November 5, 1852, 135, of whom 72 were males and 63 were females; of the 135, 73 were paupers, and 62 pay patients; January 1st, 1835, there were in the asylum 51 patients, received since, 545, in all, 596, of whom 260 have been discharged, cured, 70 have been removed, and 12 died. The receipts during the year were $ 28.539.28; the expenditures, $23,894.48. XV. GEORGIA. Government for the Year 1855. HERSCHEL V. JOHNSON, of Milledgeville, Governor (term of office Salary. $3,000 1,600 1,600 1,600 1,600 Commissioner of Deaf and Dumb. 500 Secretary of the Senate, Speaker of House of Rep., $8 a day. State Printer. 500 The pay of members of the Legislature is $5 a day. The Legislature meets biennially. The last Legislature met in November, 1853. The judges of the Supreme Court are elected for six years (one every two years) by the General Assembly, and are removable upon address of two thirds of each house. All causes shall be determined at the first term; and in case the plaintiff is not ready for trial, unless he be prevented "by some providential cause," the judgment of the court below shall be affirmed. Judges of the Superior Court are elected for four years, by the people of the district over which they preside, with jurisdiction exclusive in criminal cases, and in land cases, and concurrent in all other civil cases. Justices of the inferior courts are elected by the people, for four years. Justices of the peace are elected by the people in districts. Each county elects an "ordinary," who holds office for four years, and has the ordinary jurisdiction of a judge of probate, and is paid by fees. The State is divided into thirteen circuits, with a judge and solicitor for each. The salaries of the judges are $1,800 each. The Attorney-General is the solicitor for the Middle Circuit. Jno. T. Shewmake, of Waynesboro, Attorney-General, $250 and perquisites. G. T. Howard, of Chatham Co., Judge of Court of Oyer and Ter miner, Savannah, Wm. T. Gould, of Richmond Co., Judge of Court of Oyer and Ter miner, Augusta, FINANCES. $1,000 1,000 The public debt of the State consists of bonds issued for the construction of the Western and Atlantic Railway. Its aggregate amount may be stated at $2,801,972, the greater portion of which, $ 1,756,472, is in federal bonds payable at the treasury, and the rest in sterling bonds. The semiannual dividends of interest, as well as the principal of the sterling bonds, are payable in London. The debt is redeemable from 1863 to 1874. The annual interest on the debt is $168,118. The Sinking Fund amounts to $166,500. The annual receipts into the Treasury for all purposes average nearly $700,000, and the annual expenditures, exclusive of debts and schools, are about $ 320,000. The chief sources of income are the general tax, $375,000; a special tax on bank and railroad stocks $25,000; and the income from the State road, $300,000. The principal items of expenditure are, the pay of the Legislature, biennially, about $50,000; of the civil establishment, including the judiciary, annually, $50,000; Deaf and Dumb and Lunatic Asylum, about $30,000; printing, miscellaneous, and contingent, annually, $ 20,000. The items of interest on, and reduction of, the public debt are additional. The receipts for the year ending Sept. 30, 1853, were $922,140.16; the disbursements, $ 900,534.50; balance, $ 21,605.66. |