subjecting him to the control of themselves, and to be placed at the mercy of their own passions. He had of fended against no law, recognised in the code of any civilized nation, and was taken away without any legal process or pretence of authority. At the time of the commission of this offence, and until the passage of the law of 6th April, 1827, by which similar offences were made felony, and punishable by imprisonment in the state prison not exceeding fourteen years, it amounted only to a misdemeanor. Three of the agents in the transaction were subjected to trial soon after its occurrence, and promptly met the retributions of the law, at a court of oyer and terminer held in January, 1827, and were sentenced to imprisonment in the county gaol for different periods; the term of one of which is yet unexpired. From this statement, it will be perceived what progress has been made under the act; and, so far as the testimony warrants, the nature of the transaction. DANIEL MOSELEY. Onondaga, Dec. 25, 1828. COMMON SCHOOL FUND. THIS FUND CONSISTS OF THE FOLLOWING ITEMS: Bonds and mortgages for school fund lands sold, -280,000 00 70,446 24 Money in the treasury, being balance of receipts from the capital, To this fund also belong all the unappropriated lands owned by the state on the 1st of January, 1823, and yet remaining unsold. $1,684,628 80 THE REVENUE FROM THIS FUND IS ESTIMATED AS FOLLOWS: Interest on the loan of 1786, court, Dividend on Merchants' bank stock, Probable receipts on account of debts for fees of the clerks of the supreme Manhattan do. Middle District do. 1,000 00 11,500 00 3,500 00 3,000 00 $105,200 00 The following table also shows the progress of the common school system in this state: A comparative View of the returns of Common Schools, from 1816 to 1828, inclusive. COMMON SCHOOLS.-Our system of common school instruction is based upon the principle that the state, or the school fund, will pay only a share of the expense; and that the towns, by an assessment upon property, shall pay at least an equal share. In addition to this, and in order to enjoy the benefits of the public money, the inhabitants of the districts are required to tax themselves to the erection of a school house, and furnishing it with necessary fuel and appendages. In order to ascertain more fully the practical operation of the system, an additional column was annexed to the forms for school reports, which accompanied the revised statute, requiring trustees to return the amount paid annually for teachers' wages, over and above the sum received from the state treasury, and from the town tax. The returns which have been received are from various towns in 51 counties; and the sum thus ascertained, compared with the amount of public money paid to the same districts, affords a very fair test for ascertaining the proportion paid by the inhabitants of the districts for tuition. Taking these returns as a test, and it appears that $336,643 have been paid for teachers' wages, besides the $232,343 of public money apportioned to the districts; making a total amount paid the last year for tuition, in the common school districts of the state, of $568,986. Returns have been received of the condition of the common schools, from the commissioners of every town and city in the state. In former years it was not unusual to have 15 or 20 towns delinquent. It is gratifying to notice this evidence of increased attention and punctuality on the part of those, who are charged with the execution of the statute: And when it is considered that there are at least 46, 000 officers of common schools in the towns and districts, the fidelity with which the public money is applied and accounted for, and the faithfulness with which the system is carried into effect, are creditable to the character of our population. FOR 1827. MILITIA OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK.-Abstract of the annual report of N. F. Beck, adjutant-general, made to the legislature: Infantry and Riflemen-29 divisions, 61 brigades, 258 regiments, 2,013 companies, 116,614 privates Total, 144,839. Artillery-4 divisions, 9 brigades, 29 regiments, 168 companies, 8,537 privates-Total, 1,880. Cavalry-3 divisions, 7 brigades, 18 regiments, 100 companies, 4,669 privates-Total, 5,667. Horse Artillery-3 brigades, 6 regiments, 32 companies, 1225 privates -Total, 1,604. Companies attached, &c.-21 companies, 1,084 privates-Total, 1,456. 5,667 1,604 9,880 144,839 1,456 163,446 "L for loans 6,700 6,700 Money in the treasury Stock in N Y. State bank 16,212 Do. in Albany Insurance Co. 10,000 Loans to individuals 16,212 6,000 9,070 183,248 19,070 102,643 21,074 FOR 1828. Infantry and Riflemen-31 divisions, 63 brigades, 274 regiments, 2,164 companies, 122,853 privates Total commissioned and non-commissioned officers, musicians and privates, 152,633. Artillery-4 divisions, 10 brigades, 22 regiments, 129 companies, 5,611 privates-Total commissioned and non-commissioned officers, privates and musicians, 10,763. Cavalry-3 divisions, 7 brigades, Public Stock The revenue was estimated at 16,574 The items of the common school fund have been already given. The balance in the treasury, Dec. 1st, 1826, amounted to Receipts during the year, ending Nov. 30th, $366,012 for Expenditures For the following items: 1827. 1828. 1,705,337 1,938,006 1,908,558 1,938,952 Revenue. Expenses. Revenue. Revenue. 317,745 82 472,905 72 155,159 90 1815 no state tax 952,476 52 642,790 42 do. 797,252 81 547,211 60 888 255,450 00 257,500 00 1827 no state tax 193,750 00 290,500 00 do. 159,550 001335,000 2,050 00j or diminu tion of state debt, for 11 years. 5* Total expenditure on canals, previous to and in 1827, was $10,341,149; in 1828, $234,483. Revenue from tolls Payments for water-powers and land 1827. 1828. $859,058 9838,412 "auction duty 290,290 223,687 130,658 138,128 2,463 93,207 399,275 424,010 399,230 392,142 220,593 186,135 271,448 231,147 During the year 1828, the works on the Oswego canal, with a trifling exception, were completed, and a good boat-navigation extended from the Erie canal to the harbour of Oswego. Owing to the extraordinary floods, and the prevalence of a fatal malady on the line of the canal, the completion of this work was delayed, beyond the expectation of the commissioners, until the month of December. The Oswego canal is 38 miles in length; one half the distance connected with the Oswego river by locks and dams, and the other half a slack water navigation on the river. Its structure consists of 22 bridges, 7 culverts, 1 aqueduct, 2 waste-wiers, 8 dams across the river, 13 locks of stone and 1 of stone and timber, with an aggregate lift of 123 feet. The sum of $505,115.37 has been already paid for the construction of this canal, which will be increased to $525,115 .37. The Cayuga and Seneca canal was completed on the 15th of November last, and the water admitted into every part of the line, from the foot of the Seneca lake to the Erie canal, at Montezuma. The little labour required to open the navigation throughout the whole line, it is believed, will be completed as early as the first of May. This canal is 20 miles and 24 chains in length, of which ten miles is an independent canal, and the remainder a slack water navigation. It has 7 locks, being 73 feet lockage, 19 bridges, 5 safety gates, 5 dams, 6 culverts, 17 miles of fence, 3 lock houses, and 1 collector's office. The amount appropriated for this work was $195, 000; but the entire expenditure will be about $211,000. The lateral canal from the Cayuga and Seneca canal to the village of East Cayuga, which is one mile and 68 chains in length, was put under contract early in May, 1829. It will require a further appropriation of $8,000. Statement of the amount of property which passed Utica on the Erie canal, during the years 1827 and 1828. Household furniture," Merchandise, 33,338 Wood, Tallow, The number of tons estimated for 1827, 194,091 1828, 214,110 66 Statement of Sales at Auction in the State of New York, from 1810 to 1829 inclusive, from returns made by the Auctioneers to the Comptroller's Office. * The returns of sales for 1814 having been mislaid at the Comptroller's office, the amounts are stated by estimating the average of the four preceding years in proportion to the duties paid, as ascertained. The amount of real estate sold in 1829, (included in the above not dutiable,) was $2.131,390.62. |