RHODE ISLAND HISTORICAL SOCIETY. This was, in order of time, the fourth society of this kind formed in the United States; those preceding it being the Massachusetts and the New York Historical Societies, and the Essex County (Mass.) Historical Society, since merged in the Essex Institute. The cabinet building in Providence was erected in 1844. It is a substantial building, in the Grecian style, situated on Waterman Street, facing the grounds of Brown University. Monthly meetings are held, except during the summer season. The Society has published five volumes of Collections, and eight annual discourses by its members, upon subjects mostly relating to Rhode Island history. Several volumes of an historical character have also been published by aid from the Association. The Library contains about 2,500 volumes, mostly of an historical and statistical character. It has ninety resident members. The corresponding and honorary members are numerous, both in this country and in Europe. OFFICERS. Albert G. Greene, President; Samuel G. Arnold, 1st Vice-President; George A. Brayton, 2d Vice-President; Henry T. Beckwith, Secretary; Welcome A. Greene, Treasurer; Rev. Edwin M. Stone, Librarian and Cabinet-Keeper, Northern District; B. B. Howland, Librarian and Cabinet-Keeper, Southern District. NEWPORT HISTORICAL SOCIETY, NEWPORT. The special object of this Society is to bring out facts relating to the island of Rhode Island, and to the southern portion of the State. The annual meeting was held March 18, 1857, at which the following officers were elected:- President, David King, M.D.; First Vice-President, A. H. Dumont, D.D.; Second VicePresident, Duncan C. Pell, Esq.; Corresponding Secretary, George C. Mason, Esq; Recording Secretary and Cabinet-Keeper, Benjamin B. Howland, Esq.; Treasurer, Nathan H. Gould, Esq.; Trustees, William S. Wetmore, William Gibbs, Henry Bedlow, William P. Sheffield, and J. Prescott Hall, Esqs. THE PROVIDENCE FRANKLIN SOCIETY. The Providence Franklin Society was instituted in 1823. It is an association of gentlemen of the city, devoted particularly to the study of the physical sciences. It has a large cabinet of natural history, which in some departments, especially mineralogy, is very valuable. It has also a library, mostly consisting of works on natural science, and books of reference. It has, in addition, a hall for meetings, a chemical laboratory, and a valuable philosophical apparatus. It usually holds weekly meetings, through the colder half of the year. Generally a lecture by a member is announced beforehand, which is sometimes a written essay, sometimes an exhibition of visible objects of interest, or of experiments. A part or all of the evening is very commonly occupied by informal voluntary contributions from members, or from visitors who may be present. The meetings are not strictly public, but members invite their friends, and any who are interested in the subjects to which the Society is devoted. The expenses of the Society are defrayed in part from a fund, left by one of its founders, William T. Grinnell, and mostly by an annual tax upon its members. The officers, elected annually, are a President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, and a Standing Committee of three members, a Librarian, and a Cabinet-keeper. The Cabinet is, moreover, divided into departments, each of which is under the special charge of a committee, who are also annually appointed. The leading officers of the Society for the year 1856 are, Charles W. Parsons, President; Stephen T. Olney, Vice-President; Charles N. Hoyt, Secretary (pro tempore), in place of Thomas P. Ives (resigned). RHODE ISLAND ART ASSOCIATION. The object of this Association, as stated in its Constitution, is to establish, in the city of Providence, a permanent Art Museum and Gallery of the Arts of Design, by exhibiting works of Art, obtained by loan, purchase, or otherwise, and investing the proceeds of the exhibitions in works of permanent value and interest to the Association, and to use all other appropriate means for cultivating and promoting the ornamental and useful arts. The society already possesses a large number of excellent and judiciously selected casts, plates, and drawings, adapted for this course of instruction. It also has a fund of some hundreds of dollars for further purchases of this character, which will be placed in the rooms of the Association as fast as bought. The society depends for its success upon private aid, and of this there is amply sufficient to put a school into operation in the course of the next few months. It is proposed to allow some of the scholars from the public schools to receive instruction from one teacher, provided the city or State will make an appropriation towards defraying his salary; if this be done, the School of Design will be able to extend its operations, and become a permanent educational institution. The officers for 1857-58 are as follows: - Marshall Woods, President; A. Caswell, E. Dyer, J. S. Pitman, Vice-Presidents; T. P. Shephard, Wm. Burney, Wm. W. Hoppin, Geo. C. Mason, W. Manton, Wm. S. Patten, Zachariah Allen, John Kingsbury, Thos. Robinson, T. A. Doyle, J. Y. Smith, Thos. Davis, John Gorham, Directors; J. B. Angell, Secretary; C. H. Parkhurst, Treasurer. RHODE ISLAND INSTITUTE OF INSTRUCTION. This association of teachers and friends of education was organized in January, 1845; and has for its object the improvement of public schools and other means of popular education in the State. The Executive Committee are authorized to appoint special committees, collect and disseminate information, call public meetings for lectures and discussions, circulate books, periodicals, and pamphlets on the subject of schools, school systems, and education generally, and perform such other acts as they may deem expedient, making their report to the Institute at its annual meeting. OFFICERS. Election of Officers in January. Professor S. S. Greene, President; Hon. Elisha R. Potter, Rev. A. A. Dumont, Rev. T. H. Vail, Rev. S. A. Crane, D.D., Hon. T. R. Hazard, Hon. Elisha Harris, Rev. Thomas Shepard, Rev. R. Allyn, Vice-Presidents; Z. Grover, Corresponding Secretary; A. W. Godding, Recording Secretary; C. T. Keith, Esq., Treasurer; W. Gammell, S. Patterson, Samuel Austin, Rev. C. C. Beaman, Thomas R. Hazzard, A. A. Gamwell, S. S. Greene, Rev. G. W. Quereau, Rev. G. A. Willard, Edward Gray, Jr., N. B. Cooke, John H. Willard, Rev. O. F. Otis, Dana P. Colburn, Rev. E. M. Stone, John Kingsbury, Rev. D. Leach, Rev. J. Boyden, Jr., E. H. Magill, and Thos, G. Potter, Executive Committee. THE RHODE ISLAND SCHOOLMASTER. This monthly magazine is published at Providence, on the 15th of each month. It is conducted by Wm. A. Mowry as editor, assisted by the following gentlemen as special contributors: John Kingsbury, LL.D., Commissioner of Public Schools, Prof. Robert Allyn, Prof. S. S. Greene, Prof. R. P. Dunn, Prof. J. B. Angell, Dana P. Colburn, Daniel Goodwin, Rev. T. H. Vail, and I. F. Cady. Its general aim is to promote the advancement of home and school education. Terms, $1 per annum. 11 VI. CONNECTICUT. Capitals, Hartford and New Haven.- Area, 4,750 square miles. - Population, 1850, 370,792. THE permanent School Fund in Connecticut amounts to a little more than two millions of dollars. The income of this is distributed to the various school districts in the State, in proportion to the number of scholars between 4 and 16 years of age. No district, however, can receive any of this money unless a school has been kept therein, "by a teacher or teachers duly qualified, for at least six months in the year, and visited twice during each season by the visitors of the town, nor until the district committee shall certify that the public money received the year previous has been faithfully applied and expended in paying for the services of such teacher or teachers, and for no other purpose whatever." Each town is obliged to raise annually, by taxation, a sum of money not less than one per cent on the grand list,* and pay the same into the treasury, for the benefit, support, and encouragement of common schools. There is also a fund, derived from the surplus revenue, of about $ 700,000, called "Town Deposit Fund," the income of which is chiefly devoted to schools. Each district is allowed by law to raise by tax any amount for schools, and is also allowed to charge each scholar a tuition bill, not exceed ing $1 per quarter. The general supervision of public schools in Connecticut is vested in a State Superintendent, who is also the Principal of the State Normal School at New Britain. It is his duty to collect information in regard to the condition of common schools from the School Visitors, and to make an annual report to the General Assembly, with plans and suggestions for the further improvement and better organization of the common school system, together with such other information as he may deem it expedient to communicate. He is required to hold conventions of teachers, or Teachers' Institutes, in the several counties in the State, for conducting which he may employ suitable teachers and lecturers, and draw upon the Comptroller for a sum not exceeding $120 for each Institute thus held. The compensation of the Superintendent is $3 a day, together with travelling expenses, clerk hire, stationery, &c. The School Visitors, one third of whom retire each year, are required to examine teachers, prescribe rules for the discipline and general management of the schools under their charge, to make returns of the number of persons between 4 and 16 years of age to the Comptroller, and to draw orders on * The "grand list," so called, on which all the taxes are levied in Connecticut, is made up thus: - To three per cent of the whole valuation are added ten dollars for each poll. Then one per cent on this "grand list" would be one per cent of three per cent of the valuation, or three tenths of a mill on a dollar, and one per cent of the product of the number of polis by ten. the town treasurer for school moneys. They are also directed to visit each school in their town at least twice during each season of schooling, and to report to the State Superintendent on or before the first day of October annually. The compensation for School Visitors is $1.25 for each day of service. The District Committees attend to the prudential concerns of the common schools, and report to the School Visitors annually. Superintendent of Common Schools. Hon. DAVID N. CAMP, New Britain. The following summary will show the general condition of Public Schools in Connecticut for the year 1856–57. |