David L. Morril, Isaac Hill, ent. upon office June 1836 John Page, 1839 Henry Hubbard, 1842 John H. Steele, 1844 do. 1846 Anthony Colby, elected 1824 do. 1827 do. 1828 Benjamin Pierce, do. 1829 do. 1830 Matthew Harvey, do. do. do. ABSTRACT OF THE CONSTITUTION. A constitution was established in 1784; and, in 1792, this constitution was altered and amended by a convention of delegates held at Concord, and is now in force. Every male inhabitant twenty-one years old, excepting paupers and persons excused from paying taxes at their own request, may vote. Representatives shall have resided for the last two years in the state; shall have an estate valued at £100 (at the rate of six shillings eight pence the ounce of silver), one-half thereof to be freehold within their district; and shall be inhabitants of their district. Every town of one hundred and fifty rateable polls, twenty-one years old, may choose one representative; and every three hundred such polls additional shall entitle the town to another representative. There shall be twelve senators who must be thirty years old, inhabitants of the state for seven years, and seized of a freehold of £200 value within the state. Senatorial districts, twelve in number, shall be set off according to the "proportion of public taxes paid by the said districts." In case of vacancy in a senatorial district, one of the two candidates having most votes in the district shall be chosen by the legislature on joint ballot. The General Court, thus constituted, meets, and the official year begins, on the first Wednesday of June. Five councillors, thirty years old, seven years resident in the state, possessed of an estate of £500, of which £300 shall be freehold, shall be chosen by the people, and vacancies supplied as in the Senate. The governor convenes the council, and their resolutions and advice are recorded in a public record, and signed by those agreeing thereto. The governor shall have the qualifications of a councillor, except his estate, which shall be £300, one-half freehold. If there be no choice of governor by the people, one of the two highest candidates shall be chosen by the General Court, on joint ballot. He may veto a bill; but two-thirds of both houses may pass it again in spite of his veto. With the assistance of the council, he shall nominate and appoint all judicial officers, the attorney-general, solicitors, sheriffs, and registers of probate. The governor and council shall have a negative on each other, both in nominations and appointments. County treasurers and registers shall be elected by the counties. All judicial officers shall hold office during good behavior, or until seventy years of * There are also classed towns and towns allowed by special act to send representatives. age, removable upon address of both houses of the legislature. Justices of the peace are appointed for five years, with jurisdiction in cases below £4. Clerks of courts shall be appointed by the courts. Permanent and honorable salaries shall be established for the justices of the supreme court. Elections of governor, executive council, senate, and house of representatives, shall be held annually in the month (2d Tuesday) of March; and a majority of votes shall elect. Every seven years, at the first annual meeting for the choice of senators, the people shall vote for or against amending the constitution; and if a majority of the votes be in favor thereof, the General Court shall call a convention; and if their amendments be approved by two-thirds of the votes, when submitted to the people, they shall be adopted. JARED W. WILLIAMS, of Lancaster, 1st District, 2d do. 3d 4th 5th GOVERNMENT, For the year ending on the first Wednesday of June, 1848. do. do. do. of Concord, of Henniker, Counties. Rockingham and part Governor, Executive Council. Hillsborough and part of Merrimack. Cheshire and Sullivan, Grafton and Coos, School Commissioner. Pres. of the Senate, $2.50 per day. Clerk of the Senate, Fees. Salary. $1,000 800 Fees. 600 1,200 400 Councillors. John Kelley, of Exeter. Samuel Jones, of Bradford. Joel Parker, The Superior Court of Judicature consists of a chief justice and two associate justices, who hold one term annually in each of the ten counties of the state, for the hearing and determining of questions of law, and petitions for divorce. This court is also vested with chancery powers. Charles F. Gove, The judges of the Superior Court of Judicature are, ex officio, judges of the Court of Common Pleas. This court, before whom all actions for the recovery of debts and the enforcement of contracts, and all jury trials, are brought, consists of one of the justices of the Superior Court, or one of the justices of the Circuit Court of Common Pleas and of two county judges, who are generally appointed from among the yeomanry, whose principal duty it is to attend to the ordinary business of the county, its roads, expenses, &c. Terms are held semi-annually, in cach of the counties. Counties. Rockingham, Strafford, Belknap, Carroll, Merrimack, Hillsborough, JUDICIARY. Cheshire, Sullivan, Grafton, Coos, of Nashville, Judges of the Court of Common Pleas. Justices. Residence. Nottingham, Sutton, Concord, Westmoreland, Cornish, Lyme, $1,200 1,200 Salary. $334 167 142 142 245 Registers. James H. Shapley, Jeremiah Elkins, Obed Hall, Calvin Ainsworth, 276 Samuel N. Pattee, 225 175 275 Geo. F. Starkweather, 100 George A. Cossit, Banks. There are twenty banks in the state, with an aggregate capital actually paid in of $1,890,000. They have $144,018.31 of specie in their vaults, and their real estate is worth $44,327.28. The amount of deposits is $386,606.97; and of circulation, $512,071. State Prison. Samuel G. Berry, Warden, salary $800; William Berry, Deputy Warden; Rev. Eleazer Smith, Chaplain; William Prescott, M.D., Physician. Whole number of convicts in prison, May 31, 1846, 74. Received since, 14. Whole number, 88. There have been discharged during the year, by expiration of sentence, 11; by remission of sentence, 13; by order of court, 1; by commitment to insane hospital, 1; by death, 1;-27. Leaving in prison, May 31, 1847, 61. Of those remaining in prison, 60 are males, and 1 is a female; 58 are whites and 3 colored. Of 111 convicts that have left the prison during the last four years, but one has been recommitted here; and only one, so far as is known, to the prison of any other state or country. The expenditures for the year were $6,130.53; receipts, $5,305.75; leaving a balance against the prison of $824.78. New Hampshire Asylum for the Insane, Concord.- Andrew McFarland, Superintendent. Since the opening of the asylum, there have been admitted, to May 31, 1847, 455 patients; 151 have been cured, and 100 now remain in the institution. The whole receipts of the institution for the year were $10,218.60, and the expenditures for the same period were $10,211.58. Salary. $462 233 183 183 345 383 300 225 380 125 III. VERMONT. Fort Dummer, in the south-east part of Vermont, was built in 1724; and Bennington, the oldest town in the state, was chartered in 1749, by Benning Wentworth, governor of New Hampshire. The territory of Vermont was originally claimed both by New Hampshire and New York: and its political condition was, for a considerable time, unsettled; but the people, preferring to have a separate government, formed a constitution in 1777, under which a government was organized in March, 1788; and in 1791, Vermont was admitted into the Union. GOVERNORS. 1778 C. P. Van Ness, 1790 Samuel C. Crafts, 1797 1807 1808 Charles Paine, 1809 John Mattocks, 1813 William Slade, 1815 Horace Eaton, 1820 Thomas Chittenden, elected do. Thomas Chittenden, Isaac Tichenor, Israel Smith, Isaac Tichenor, Jonas Galusha, Martin Chittenden, Jonas Galusha, Richard Skinner, do. do. do. do. do. do. do. do. Wm. A. Palmer, Silas H. Jenison, elected 1823 do. 1826 do. 1828 do. 1831 do. 1835 do. 1841 do. 1843 do. 1844 do. 1846 ABSTRACT OF THE CONSTITUTION. The first constitution of this state was formed in 1777; the one now in operation was adopted on the 4th of July, 1793. Every man 21 years old, resident in the state for the last year, of a quiet and peaceable behavior, may vote, on taking the oath. Representatives (one from each town) shall be persons most noted for wisdom and virtue, resident for the two last years in the state, and one year in the town, and chosen annually, on the first Tuesday of September. Two-thirds of the members elected are required to form a quorum when a state tax is voted. The senators, 30 years of age, and 30 in number, are chosen by a plurality of votes every year, in counties, one from each county, and the remainder according to the population. The governor shall have been a resident of the state for the last four years, and shall be chosen annually by a majority of votes; and, if there be no choice, one of the three highest candidates is chosen by the general assembly, by joint ballot. The lieutenant-governor and treasurer are chosen in the same manner. The councillors (12 in number) are chosen annually, by general ticket, and by a plurality of votes. The governor and council shall appoint to offices which are not otherwise filled, and fill vacancies; and they may grant pardons for all crimes, excepting treason and murder, in which they may grant reprieves until the end of the next session of the general assembly; and excepting, also, impeachments, which can be reversed only by act of the assembly. The governor presides in the council, and has a casting vote only. He may veto a bill; but two-thirds of both Houses may pass it again, in spite of his veto. He is allowed a secretary of civil and military affairs, appointed and removable by himself, and paid by the state. Judges of the supreme, county, and probate courts, sheriffs, and justices of the peace, shall be elected by the general assembly, in joint ballot. Slavery shall be prohibited. Imprisonment for debt shall be permitted only in case of fraud. Deeds of land shall be recorded in the office of the town-clerk, and for want thereof, of the county clerk. Perpetuities shall be prohibited. Every alien of good character, coming to settle in the state, and swearing alle |