REPORT ON THE POOR AND INSANE IN RHODE-ISLAND MADE TO THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY AT ITS JANUARY SESSION, 1851. BY THOMAS R. HAZARD. PRINTED BY ORDER OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY' PROVIDENCE: JOSEPH KNOW LES, STATE PRINTER. 185L tWst % INDEX. Page. Report, -------- 9 Queries addressed to Town Councils, - 9 Asylum for the poor of the town of Newport, - 10 Statistics of the poor of do do - - 10 Replies to queries from do do - 12 Asylum for the poor of the town of Portsmouth, - 13 Statistics of do do do - - 13 Replies to queries from do do 13 Asylum for the poor of the town of Middletown, - 14 Coggeshall Joshua, letter in reply to queries, - - 14 Asylum for the poor for the town of Little-Compton, 15 Statistics of do do do do - - 15 Wilber Otis, letter in reply to queries, 16 Poor of the town of New-Shoreham, - - - - 16 Sheffield George G. letter relating to the poor, - 16 Replies to queries received from New-Shoreham, - - 17 Poor of the town of Jamestown, - 17 Carr George C. letter in answer to queries, - - 18 Poor of the town of Tiverton, - - - - 19 Statistics of the poor of do 19 Sheffield William P. letter in reply to queries, - - 20 Poor of the town of Bristol, 21 Statistics of the poor of Bristol, - - - - 21 Bullock N. letter received in answer to queries, - - 22 Poor "of the town of Warren, ----- 23 Statistics of the poor of Warren, - - - - 23 Replies received in answer to queries, 23 Collins Haile, letter from, relative to the 'Campbell fund,' 24 Poor of the town of Barrington, - - 25 Poor of the city of Providence, - - - - - 25 Statistics of the poor of Providence, 25 Burgess Thomas M. letter received in answer to queries, 28 Dexter donation for the poor of the city of Providence, 29 Tillinghast do do do do 30 587 Asylum for the poor of the town of North-Providence, 30 Statistics of the poor of do do do 30 Wilkinson D. letter in answer to queries, - - 31 Asylum for the poor of the town of Smithfield, - 32 Statistics of the poor of do do 32 BurTum Thomas, letter in answer to queries, - 32 Asylum for the poor of the town of Cumberland, - 34 Statistics of do do do - 34 Brown Fenner, letter received in answer to queries, - 35 Poor of the town of Burrillville, 36 Statistics of the poor of do 36 Hawkes L. letter received in answer to queries, - 36 Poor of the town of Glocester, - - - - - 37 Statistics of the poor of do - - - - - 37 Hawkins John, letter received in reply to queries, - 37 Poor of the town of Foster, ----- 38 Statistics of the poor of Foster, - 38 Howard Gardiner, letter received in answer to queries, 39 Asylum for the poor of the town of Scituate, - - 39 Statistics of do do do - - 40 Lapham Benedict, letter from in answer to queries, - 40 Poor of the town of Johnston, 42 Statistics of the poor of Johnston, - - - - 43 Reply received to queries from Johnston, 43 Asylum of the poor of the town of Cranston, - 44 Statistics of the poor of Cranston, 44 Congdon Daniel, letter received in reply to queries, - 44 Asylum for the poor of the town of Warwick, - 46 Statistics of do do do - 46 Wood John I. letter received from in reply to queries, 46 Asylum for the poor of the town of East-Greenwich, 4S Statistics of do do do do - 48 Tillinghast Joseph I. letter received in answer to queries, 48 Poor of the town of Coventry, - - - - 49 Statistics of the poor of Coventry, - - - - 51 Whipple Thomas, letter from - 52 Tarbox Anthony, letter from in answer to queries, - 52 Poor of the town of West-Greenwich, 53 Statistics of the poor of West-Greenwich, 53 Hoxie Benjamin R. reply received in answer to queries, 53 Poor of the town of North-Kingstown, 54 Statistics of the poor of North-Kingstown, - 54 Waite B. A. letter received in reply to queries, - - 55 Poor of the town of South-Kingstown, - - - 56 Statistics of the poor of South-Kingstown, - - 56 Potter E. R. reply received in answer to queries, - - 57 Poor of the town of Charlestown, - - -57 Statistics of the poor of Charlestown, - - 57 Hoxie Gideon, letter received in reply to queries, - 58 Poor of the town of Westerly, - - - - - 58 Statistics of the poor of Westerly, 59 Cross Geo. D. letter received in answer to queries. - 59 Poor of the town of Hopkinton, - - - - 61 Babcock Elnathan W. letter received in answer to queries, 61 Poor of the town of Richmond, 62 Tanner Elias. letter received in answer to queries, - 62 Poor of the town of Exeter, ----- 62 Statistics of the poor of Exeter, - - - - 63 Greene Isaac, letter received from in answer to queries, 63 Table of the cost of maintaining the poor in 15 asylums, 64 Table shewing the cost of maintaining the poor in 16 towns that have no asylums, - - - 65 Table of insane persons at the charge of the towns, in Butler Hospital, 65 Recapitulation of pauper statistics, - - - 66 Butler Hospital for the Insane, 66 Derivation of funds for establishment of Butler Hospital, 67 Brown Nicholas, the late, bequest from, - - 67 Butler Cyrus, the late, donation from, - - 67 Duncan Alexander, donation from, - - - 67 Ray Dr. superintendent of Butler Hospital, - 67 Statistics of Butler Hospital, 67 Forms blank for admission of patients into the B. Hospital, 68 Laws, rules, &c. of Warwick asylum for the poor, - 69 Bill of fare for Newport asylum, - - 72 Reed William H. keeper of the Newport asylum, - 73 Donations or legacies for the poor, - - - 73 Insane persons in Rhode-Island, 74 Idiotic and imbecile persons in Rhode-Island, - - 76 Blind persons in Rhode-Island, ■? - -77 8 Deaf mutes in the state of Rhode-Island, - - 78 State appropriation for the deaf and dumb and the blind, 79 Weld Lewis, letter from superintendent American asylum, 79 Howe S. G. letter from superintendent Perkins Institution, 82 Caswell Oliver, well educated deaf and dumb and blind boy, 81 State appropriation for the relief of the indigent insane, 82 Wade Willard, confined or chained thirty-three years, 83 Dyer Elisha, Jr. - - - - - 84 Taylor Otis, 84 Anthony Gov. dispenser of the fund for the indigent insane, 85 Methods of keeping the public poor, - - 85 Keepers of asylums, - - - - 89 Extracts from rules and regulations of Portsmouth asylum, 91 The insane, ----- 95 Armstrong — , suffering case of insanity, - - 97 Gibbs Rebecca, suffering case of insanity, - 97 Dix Dorothea L. - - - - - 100 Jenkins Anne A. - 100 Whitman William, the amiable insane man, - 101 Albro Caroline, statement of, - - - 102 Fales William R. the Portsmouth cripple, - - 103 Idiotic, deaf and dumb, and blind, - - 105 Tendency of insanity and other infirmities to pauperism, 106 Proposed laws and amendments of laws, - 106 Acts of Assembly relating to pauperism, - . 107 Freebody Andrew, extract from the will of the late, 109 Appendix, - - - - - 113 Narragansett Indians, - - - - 113 King Tom, the last Narragansett chief, - - 113 Potter's Early History of the Narragansetts, - 113 Updike's History of the Narragansett Church. - 113 Smith John, founder of Jamestown, - - 114 Powhattan, the Indian chief, - - - 114 Pocahontas, the Indian princess, - - 114 Potter Elisha R. letter from, - - - 114 Potter Elisha R. report of committee on Indian affairs, 115 Act of distribution, - - - 119 REPORT. To the General Assembly of the State of Rhode-Island and Providence Plantations. The undersigned respectfully asks leave to report, that since his appointment by the Governor, under a resolu- tion of the legislature, to enquire into the condition of the public poor and the insane, in the State of Rhode-Island ; he has visited all the towns, with the exception of New Shore- ham, and has personally inspected the Asylums for the poor ; recording the names of all the inmates, together with such other items as he thought might be useful, either for pre- sent purposes or for future reference. He has also addressed copies of the following circular to the highest authorities of each town ; and as the replies received in answer to the que- ries throw much light on the subject of inquiry, he has thought it best to incorporate them substantially in this report, under the heads of the several towns to which they apply. (The following is a copy of the circular.) To the President of the Town Council, of the town of 1st Query. Has your town an Asylum for its pauper poor ; if so, how much land is attached thereto — what is the value of said land — and what is the cost or value of the whole es- tablishment, including buildings. 2nd. What is the money value of its annual products. 3rd. What salary is paid for the superintendence of the Asylum. 4th. What amount is usually appropriated by the town, for the maintenance of the poor, in addition to the products of the Asylum. 5th. If your town does not own an Asylum, what method is pursued in contracting for the maintenance (if your poor. 6th. What security for their good treatment does the town require of those who keep their paupers. 2 10 7th. What supervision is exercised by the town over the keepers of the poor. 8th. What is the annual sum paid by the town for the support of its poor. 9th. What is the average number of paupers in summer, also the number in winter, as near as may be. 10th. Has any fund or legacy been given for the benefit of the poor in your town — if so, what is its amount and who are made its trustees by the giver. 11th. What provision is made by the town for the educa- tion of its pauper children. 12th. What provision is made by the town for medical attendance of the poor. 13th. Are the public poor furnished with Bibles ; and what opportunities or facilities are provided to enable them to unite with their wealthier brethren in worshiping their Creator agreeably to the usages of the different sects of Christ- ians. NEWPORT. On the 5th of last seventh month, I visited the Newport Asylum and noted the following statistics. This Asylum is pleasantly situated on an Island containing about 80 acres. The building is large and substantial — is well arranged and furnished, and its affairs appear to be well conducted. -/ !i * 6 so 2lp Where Born. t u Cause of Poverty, and remarks. £ S a5 u Where Born. qjO ._ = Cause of Poverty, and remarks. 1 03 £«« 3 33 1 & I. 65 6 M Intemperance. S G 50 1 S Ill health. B L, 75 4 M Intemperance, (colored) S T 72 20 S Paralytic. J E 30 30 s Imbecility of mind. IV F 55 3 M Intemperance. E H 18 16 4 males. S Immorality. 4 female.. 6 children under 12 years of age. 14 total. 20 The following letter was received in answer to queries i Fall River, Dec. 12, 1850. Herewith, I forward to you answers to your several inter- rogatories. The delay in furnishing them, has been occasion- ed partly by my absence from home and partly by the dif- ficulties attending the arrival at the facts inquired about. Yours very respectfully, W. P. SHEFFIELD. To T. R. Hazard. To your first question, I answer — The town of Tiverton has a farm and buildings sufficiently capacious to accommo- date their poor. The farm contains one hundred and thirty acres. It is worth six thousand dollars. 2d. — It is difficult to fix the exact income, as it must ne- cessarily vary with the price of the products. It produces two hundred bushels of corn, two hundred bushels of oats, two hundred bushels of potatoes, with other culinary vegetables sufficient for the consumption of the family, (say) in all, not including stock or hay, $500. 3d. — The salary of the keeper is $200 and board of his family. 6th and 7th. — Two persons are annully chosen by the town to oversee and superintend the establishment, with full au- thority to direct in the management of the farm and to con- trol the keeper in all things incident to his duties. 8th. — In addition to the products of the farm and the salary of the keeper, the town pays such orders as are drawn in fa- vor of the keeper for the contingent expenses of the Asy- lum by the town council, who are the overseers of the poor, and such orders as are drawn in favor of persons who are able to obtain a partial support for themselves. Those orders during the last year, amounted to $286 41-100. 9th. — The average number of our paupers is, fifteen in sum- mer, eighteen in winter. 10th. — No fund or legacy has been given to the poor of our town. 11th. — Our pauper children have access to the district school, the same as other children in the district, 21 12th.— The town employs a physician at a fixed salary to attend on the poor. 13th. — I think that the poor are not furnished with Bibles. There is a Congregational Church in the neighborhood, and the poor can attend whenever they choose to do so. BRISTOL. The Asylum of this town is conveniently situated on the road ; is substantially built, and well arranged, and appears to be well conducted. On the 2nd day, 9th month last, the date of my visit, it contained the following pauper inmates. o 3 < « s" i Where Born. S i— ■ 2 Cause of Poverty, and remarks. 1 y's w's J D A E 66 75 1 5 Bristol M M Intemperance. it D C 54 29 [Portsmouth S Insane, caused by a fall when J W S 70 50 15 Bristol 12 " S s young. Insane, (partially.) it a G W P s S B 84 66 65 9 15 10 (( a a M S s Intemperance. Improvidence. Distress of mind & lameness. M C 50 1 a s Insane. B T 85 2 a M Old Age. P H ^3 2 a s Immorality, (colored) 6 males. 5 females. 4 children under 12 years of ago, 15 total. The following letter has been received in reply to queries. Bristol, Oct. 16th, 1850. In reply to your circular of the 27th ult., I submit the fol- lowing answer, viz : — That Bristol has provided an Asylum for her paupers, say 30 acres of land, purchased by the town about thirty years since, for $2500, and have erected a spacious dwelling house and other fixtures proper for a farm and the accommodation 22 of the inmates, at an expense of $3500. This estate would now bring probably, $5000. As to its annual products, as they are mostly consumed by the inmates and the Overseer's family, it is impossible to estimate them with precision ; per- haps they might average, one year with another, $700. The superintendent receives a salary of $200 besides the board of himself and family. There has been an appropriation by the town of $500 year- ly, (or about that sum,) for the support of the Asylum and for repairs on the buildings, exclusive of the above expenses. We pay out, also, to pensioners, who are partially supported by the town, but reside among their connexions, who assist these pensioners themselves in their support, about $400 per annum. These two appropriations are respectively $500 and $400 ; but sometimes these amounts will be exceeded, and at other times the appropriations will not be wholly absorbed by the expenditure. The average however, will not vary much from the sums named. The supervision of paupers at the Asylum is committed to a board of Commissioners, one of whom visits the Asylum at least once a week. Usually we have from 12 to 15 paupers in the establish- ment and about an equal number of pensioners out of it. In winter our pensioners are increased by the allowance of bread and fuel only. No legacy has ever been given for the support or the assis- tance of our paupers. There is a school house at which a good school is kept the year round, located on the Asylum farfa, where our pauper children have the same opportunity to acquire a useful education as other children in the vicinity. A physician has always been engaged to attend on the sick at the Asylum, whenever the superintendent deemed it necessa- ry. There is no want of Bibles or tracts, or other religious books, at the Asylum ; all are supplied who will read. The inmates have full liberty to attend public worship in the vil- lage on Sundays, when and wherever they choose : and be- sides, there is preaching occasionally at the Asylum for the benefit of invalids. Respectfully your;, &c, N. BULLOCK. To T. R. Hazard. 23 WARREN. The Asylum of this town is comfortable in appearance, and well arranged — it is, however, illy situated for public inspec- tion, being far from the road. On the 2d of 9th month last, the date of my visit, it contained the following pauper inmates. 03 g o o "3 a OJ o 5 Where Born. Sec Cause of Poverty, and remarks. § < y's W'.S M C 8-1 4 Providence M Ill health & loss of husband. W J l J3 12 N. York. M Old age. (colored.) A B 50 Warren S Imbecility of mind. E M 45 10 Mass. M Insane, (was then chained and had been most of the time for 4 years or more. ) B C 45 10 Warren M Insane, (was then chained and had been most of the time for 4 years or more. ) W B 33 6 a S Insane, (chained at times) R B 74 20 u M " (for 30 years.) R C 76 5 u S Imbecility of mind. E C 70 11 a M Insane. H B 53 9 a S Cripple. J M 36 10 it S L U 71 16 a M Ill health. P L 13 it S Orphan. s s 79 a M Ill health. 5 males. 9 females. 14 total. The following reply was received to queries. 1st. This town has an Asylum. The buildings are worth 70 acres of land, $4000. Its annual products are worth, (say) $1000. The keeper's salary is $200. There is drawn for the support of the poor annually, from the town treasury. 9th. Average number of our paupers is 14 in summer and 17 in winter. 10th. A fund of $5500, called the Campbell fund, is held in trust, by John T. Child, George W. Case, and Seth Peck, for indigent children. 2d. 3d. 4th. 24 12th. Overseers of the poor, are chosen annually accord- ing to law, who are also by vote of the town, made " ex-offi- a*o" Commissioners of the Asylum, whose duty is to super- vise all matters relating to the Asylum and support of the poor. Since the reading of this report to the General Assembly, the following letter and explanation of the objects and origin of the Cambell Fund, has been handed to me for insertion. Warren, Jan, 28th, 1851. Enclosed you will find a short history of the life and char- acter of Nicholas Cambell, together with the origin of the fund, (called the Cambell fund) from which you can extract such portions as you may deem proper to be published in your report. Respectfully yours, &c, HAILE COLLINS. To T. R. Hazard. Nicholas Cambell came to this country from Malta, before the Revolutionary war, and died in this town. The follow- ing is an extract from his will : " Lastly, my will is that the residue of my estate, of whatsoever nature and description, after paying the aforesaid legacies, shall be by executors placed in some public funds, the interest whereof to be ap- propriated to the schooling of indigent children, both male and female, of the town of Warren, and for other charitable purposes. My will furthermore is, that the interest of the aforesaid fund be managed and applied by my executors, and at the de- cease of either of them, it is my design that another be chosen by the survivors, and in like manner, should any de- cline the management of this fund, those whosoever, may choose others to keep the number good, and continue in this way forever. And I hereby appoint Wm. Carr, Allen Sloan, and Seth Peck, executors to this my last will and testament." Signed, NICHOLAS + CAMBELL. Dated, November 1, 1821. Proved, September 7, 1829. Amount of fund, — one hundred shares, stock in Warren Bank, valued at $5500. Fifty children are kept constantly at sohool, and of a class who are too young to attend the town public schools. These are furnished with books, which we are authorized to furnish under that clause of the will, " other charitable purposes." Signed, JOHN T. CHILD. Warren, Jan. 27, 1851. BARRINGTON. Visited this town, but could hear of no poor or poor house in it. I find, however, by the reply that I have received to the circular, that the treasury of Barrington is taxed annually, to the extent of $50, for the support of one pauper, only. PROVIDENCE. Visited the Dexter Asylum, in this city, 9th month 3d. It is a fine and substantial building, and is apparently well arranged and conducted. The following list of its inmates, was kindly furnished me by its superintendent, (Mr. Chapin,) a day or two after my visit to the institution. ■» 1 Time at o .1 _, o -,; £ Asylum. Where .§!* Cause of Poverty, and remarks. ■2 g w Born. U 33 3 £ ^ | Y'S M'sp's m d20 1J22 Ireland s Immorality. h f52 1 421 s Partially insane. e g20 1 10 17 Ireland s Intemperate. c s 56 3 2 8 " m j Blind. E S 25 6 11 li s j R W 50 13 3 s J In sane for many years. M S 37 7 7 27 Ireland s ! Intemperate. S S 68 7 3|25 s Lame and sickly. J F 38 11 10 1 s Palsy and friendless. M M 17 5 10 Ireland s Intemperate. C T 36 2 >4 11 " M ! P B 55 ■20 s Feeble and friendless. M W 26 2 1 Ireland s Immoral. M M # 5 16 » Mother in Asylum. * Infem ts. 2G S G la 1 12 Ireland H A 63 4 10 3 M B 42 1 22 Ireland M R 23 4 u A C 35 2 27 n I D 28 2 7 " S K 23 12 « M K # 12 " M S 34 16 " A S 3 10 « L B lb 1) R G 26 5 Ireland R G # 5 « B C 30 5 a T C # 5 a R L 22 3 4 1.1 J H 8 2 5 27 Ireland i E E 4 1 11 28 C S 7 il 22 a S B G 1 7 17 " s c 6 5 8 A C 4 2 27 M D C» 2 7 L T 60 10 5 P S 70 11 7 5 B W 52 1 10 4 A G 30 7 1 Ireland H C 28 5 6 8 E C # 7 21 G B 2 1 4 21 C L 3 2 9 4 M G 52 6 7 4 M C 20 7 24 Ireland M C # (< M P 20 3 21 A P * V J SI) 4 7 6 M S 9 10 Ireland U F 52 10 9 10 M C 36 1 13 Ireland H H 20 1 10 J M 30 2 12 V II 32 1 7 2:; Ireland M R 93 1 3 IS M L 74 1 9 4 J E 25 1 !1 28 Unprincipled. Partially insane, (feeble) Blind. Partially insane, (sickly) Intemperate. Infant with her. Mother in the Asylum. Deserted by husband, child with her. Deserted by father. Sickness and immorality. Friendless, infant with her. Mother in asylum. Intemperate, infant with her. Deserted by father. Bad character. Desert, by parents, (at school ) it a a Intemperate parents. " Mother in asylum. " Intemperate mother. " Old age and lame. Sickly and bad husband. Deserted by husband. Partially insane. Immor. 2 children with her. Mother in asylum. Deserted by parents. Bad mother. Intemperate and lame. Deserted by husband. Mother in asylum. jPartially ins. infant with her. [Mother in asylum. jOld age and lame. Deserted by father. 'Partially insane and lame. Intemperate. Deserted by husband. Intemperate. Old age and friendless. Partially insane and sickly. Bad husband and sickly. 27 25 * 55 54 29 3! 36 79 24 77 # (5:5 18 72 80 57 47 (31 1 6 35 35 72 37 86 45 80 |60 30 66 159 56 32 28 55 16 50 72 61 38 20 20 i7322 93 7 68 4 ! 5122 !60i22 Ireland m Ireland Ireland !2 15 1 28 lo 27 20 ] 18; England 26'Ireland 141 11 261 21 25 Ireland 26 24 21 England lOIreland 7 4 25 ID 4 10 2S 4 Ireland 11 23 18 23 6 27 4 281 28' Ireland i France Mother in asylum. Intemperate ; infant with her. Mother in asylum. Imbecility of mind. Sick husband and poor health Deformed and friendless. Loss of the use of her limbs. Sickly and friendless. Old age. Immoral. Old age. Mother in asylum. Intemperance. Partially insane. [Intemperance. Old age. Intemperance. Intemperate and simple. a Imbecility of mind. Partially insane. ilnsane. Intemperate and lame. Imbecility and club foot. Intemperate. Intemperate and deaf. Intemperate. Partially insane, intemperate. Intemperate and Palsy. Deaf, Dumb, and friendless. Intemeprate and lame. Broken back. Intemperate. Sickly. Partially insane, and fits. Insane. Intemperate. Deaf, dumb and deformed. Insane. 28 F E 22 3 2 4 Portugal s Insane. M P 56 11 20 s Intemperate. G M 5.5 1 11 Ireland M " G M 48 2 2 H) " M " E C 38 L3 " S " D F 19 2 10 11 s Clubfoot and intemperate. H W 38 7 s Intemperate. J C i(> 5 s " W T ID 3 6 24 Ireland Intemperate parents, (at sch'l) V K 9 1] 2 " Mother in asylum, " M D 8 I!) 11 n <( a a W 9 11 Orphan, " G T 7 1 2 Intemperate parents, " D T 6 1 2 it a it A D 7 8 4 Ireland Orphan, " M P 5 2 5 29 " Intemperate parents, i l J H 4 1 7 28 a Intemperate mother, " P P 5 11 " Orphan, " J L 12 5 England Orphan and lame, " T E 4 1 11 20 Mother in Asylum, " J T 7 1 L5 Ireland Intemperate parents, " P C 7 2 27 a Mother in Asylum, " T C 9 2 27 a U it ii W G 8 3 3 li Intemperate parents, " P F 12 20 Dishonest, " a s 6 L6 Ireland Deserted by Father, " M C 5 11 a " by Parents, " W T 3 9 it a a a D S 2 16 11 by Father, " 51 women. 41 men. 28 boys. 16 gi rls. 136 total in Dexter Asylum. Children attending school, 2S. The following letter was received in reply to queries. City of Providence, Mayor's Office, Dec. 11, 1850. I reply to the interrogatories proposed by you, as follows: 1st. The city owns the Dexter Asylum, with farm of about 40 acres. The farm was given on condition that it should be retained for the use of the poor. Its actual value 29 'is therefore, only that of 40 acres of good farming land with buildings. 2d. This question cannot be answered accurately, because the farming is not carried on so much for profit, as to add to the comfort of the inmates of the Asylum. That part of the produce which is wanted for their use, is so used ; and about as much is derived from sales, as is required to pay for the hired labor, manure, &c, used on the farm. 3d. The superintendent of the Asylum is paid by the city, $600 and the board of himself and family. 4th. See answer to 8th. 5th and 6th, no answer required. 7th. A member of the Board of Commissioners visits the Asylum every week. The Mayor occasionally visits the But- ler Hospital. 8th. The city pays for support of Insane poor, at Butler Hospital, $4,693 59 For support of poor at Dexter Asylum, from Dexter Donation, $4,394 15 From city treasury, 2.452 26 6.846 41 For out-door relief, from Tillinghast Donation, 0.014 00 From city treasury, 7.726 51 7.740 51 For expense of poor persons sick at city Hospital, 1.226 72 $20,507 23 The last year as made up by accounts. The present year, I hope it may be 1500 or $2000 less, as there has been much less sickness. 9th. About 180 in summer and 230 in winter, are wholly supported at the Asylum. The out-door relief, is given un- der varied circumstances, to a large number of people ; but not exceeding one fourth part the expense of support in any case. 10th. The Dexter Donation which yielded last year an income of $4,394 15 The Tillinghast Donation, 14 00 $4,408 15 The Dexter Donation property, was bequeathed to the town of Providence, by Ebenezer Knight Dexter ; and the 30 Tillinghast Donation was also bequeathed to said town by Lydia Tillinghast ; both especially devised for the use and relief of the poor. 11th. Instruction is daily given in a school at the Asylum. 12th. Physicians attend the inmates of the Asylum and Hospital occasionally; out-door medical attendance is paid for, but most of the poor are attended by the physicians em- ployed by the Dispensary, or by those who are prompted by their own benevolence. The liberal conduct of the physi- cians of this city towards the poor is worthy of much praise, 13th. The Asylum is well furnished with Bibles at the city's expense. Public worship by an ordained clergyman, is^ held on Sundays. I remain respectfully yours, THOS. M. BURGESS, Mayor. To T. E. Hazard, Com'r. NORTH PROYIDENCE. The Asylum for the poor of this town, is comfortable in appearance, but not very conveniently situated for the inspec- tion of the public. The following is a list of its inmates on the 3d of 9th month last, the date of my visit to that institu j tion. ^ « a •0 M < "4 £ H<3 Where Born. 3 — < £ t> r.i i 0Q Cause of Poverty, and remarks. s y's w's M B A H 45 4 6 'N. Providence s 9 Intemperance. Insane. L F 90 4 Cumberland M Old age. R F 70 4Glocester M C B Oil L2 N. Providence M Intemperance. W J 60 12 u S (< R S 50 2 " S " S A to 12 " s " S J 15 2 " M " M 3 37 2 England M a males. 4 females. 5 children under 12 years of age- 15 total. 31 The following letter was received in reply to queries. North Providence, Nov. 22d, 1850. Upon my return home last evening from a journey, I found your two letters upon my table, and I hasten to reply. 1st. We have a farm with suitable buildings, and all in good repair, containing 64 acres. Original cost, $3600, and now valued at $5200. 2d. There was sold for the year ending April 1st, 1850, of the products of the farm, $545 67 over and above what was consumed by the poor. 3d. The salary of our superintendent is $300 per year. 4th. The town makes no regular appropriation for the support of the poor. The cost for the year ending April 1st, 1850, was about $1200, and this amount was exclusive of the keeper's salary. Situated so near Providence, we have a great many transient paupers, (mostly foreigners,) and I think from what little experience I have had, that nearly one half of our pauper expenses arises from that class. 7th. Our town at its annual meeting in June, appoint a Board of Commissioners, consisting of three ; one of whom is overseer of the poor. 9th. The average is not far from 25 regular paupers, the year round. 1 1th. The children from the Asylum attend the district school. 12th. A physician is annually appointed to attend upon the sick, and is paid by the town. 13. Bibles are furnished for the poor, and those who con- duct themselves properly are allowed to attend religious meetings. I have above answered your questions, as far as I can from the documents in my possession. If there is any other infor- mation you wish, I shall be happy to communicate it, if in my power. I regret that I was not at home when your let- ters arrived, and trust that the foregoing information will be received by you in time for your report. Yours, &c, D. WILKINSON, To T. R. Hazard. 32 SMITHFIELD. The Asylum for the poor of this town is situated on a well improved and productive farm, and appears to be well arranged and conducted. The following is a list of its pau- per inmates 9th mo. 3d, 1850, that being the date of my visit. .5 g o ,2 Where Born. If Cause of Poverty, and remarks. o S < '£< ^x 1 y's w's s r b70 2 Smithfield M Deserted by husband. a t27 6 u JI Intemperate husband ; five children with her. T B 37 20 ti M Blind. E B 37 20 It M Three children with her. F S 43 10 a s Imbecile in mind. s w 87 9 1 S Old age. M A S8 10 " s u C H 35 3 Ireland RI Sickness. T P 10 4 Smithfield I RI Insane — husband intemper- ate — one child with her. p s 56 3 11 S Ill health. B B 60 16 RI Intemperate husband. a c70 2 Ireland RI Old age. S A 8816 Smithfield S Ill health. H S so' 10 a RI Intemperance. D B 50 3 " S t< E P 68 4 u M " J RI 70 6 a RI Old age. 6 males. 1 1 females. 1 1 children under 12 years of age. 28 Total. The following is the reply received to queries : — Smithfield, 11th mo. 21, 1850. Respected Friend — Thomas li. Hazard, I herewith send thee such answers to the queries con- tained in thy circular, as I am at present able to give : should I hereafter discover any important error, I will send thee a correction. Respectfully thy friend, THOS. BUFFUM. 33 Answer to query 1st. — We have a town Asylum for our pauper poor, with about one hundred and fifty acres of land attached thereto ; the whole establishment, I believe, has cost about $8,500. 2d. — I should think that the value of its products was about six hundred dollars. There is not, to my knowledge, any ac- count kept of the value of the different articles produced on the farm. 3d. — I believe that the superintendent of the Asylum is paid four hundred dollars a year and himself and family boarded. 4th. — There is no specific appropriation made for the sup- port of the poor : a committee appointed by the town council, whose duty it is occasionally to visit the Asylum, draw on the town treasurer for such sums as they may think necessary for the proper and comfortable accommodation of all the in- mates of the Asylum. 6th. — The town requires no security for the good treat- ment of their paupers, of the keeper. 7th. — The Overseer of the Poor, with a committee, occa- sionally visit the Asylum to see that the paupers there are properly taken care of. 8th. — The annual cost of supporting the poor at the Asy- lum, with the amount paid by the Overseer of the Poor to assist families who are not at the Asylum, with the salary of the superintendent, the interest on the cost of the Asylum, with two hundred dollars a year that we are now paying to the Butler Hospital, for the support of two insane paupers, I should think must be something more than two thousand dollars. 9th. The average number of paupers through the year, is believed to be from twenty to twenty-five. 10th. — No fund or legacy has been given for the benefit of the poor in our town. 1 1th. — No provision is made for the education of pauper children other than to attend the district schools. 12th. — The superintendent of the Asylum, I believe, is authorized to call a physician whenever he may deem it ne- cessary, at the expense of the town, to visit any of the in- 5 34 mates, and the Overseer of the Poor calls a physician to at- tend those who are not at the Asylum, whenever he may think that they require medical aid. 13th. — No particular provision is made by the town for supplying the poor with Bibles, or any facilities for attending public religious worship. CUMBERLAND. The Asylum for the poor of this town is well and pleasant- ly situated on the road, and appears to be well arranged and conducted. The following were a list of its pauper inmates 4th of 9th month, the date of my visit. «e 3 o ®,3 Where Born. — < o Cause of Poverty, and remarks. ,2 a il £< SoS a £ < y's \Y S s W B 17 L0 Cumberland s Intemperate parents. F B 25 25 a s Imbecility of mind. W B 65 7 a M Intemperate. J s 65 4 Glocester M Insane for 25 years. P F 48 9 Cumberland S Imbecility of mind. S A 40 Conn. Idiotic, (colored) L B 34 12 Cumberland s " D D 82 3 u M Intemperance. P C ::; N. H. M u C W 65 1 Ireland M 111 health. P N 40 20 Cumberland s Idiotic. G D 74|19 « S " M C S7 8 a s B B 4815 53| a s Intemperate parents. S M 32 " s Intemperance. H S 68 OS " s Intemperate parents. 1 2 males. 4 females. 4 children under 12 years of age. 20 Total. The following letter was received, in answer to queries. Cumberland Hill, Nov. 5th, 1850. Agreeably to your request, I will endeavor to give you, as far ns is in my power, the information you desire. as 1st. Our town has an Asylum for its pauper poor, with 144 acres of land attached, valued at $7000 : and the value of the whole establishment including buildings and personal property, is estimated at $13,000. 2d. The money value of its annual products, is $1000. 3d. $300 is the salary of the superintendent. 4th. The sum of $2000 is annually appropriated for the poor, besides the products of the farm. 9th. The average number of our poor, is 30 in summer, and 40 in winter. 10th. No legacy has been given for the poor of our town. 11th. No provision is made for the education of the pauper children, separate from the public school. A public school is established near the Asylum, where the pauper children at- tend, and enjoy the same privileges as other children in the district. 12th. A regular physician is employed to attend the sick, when necessary. 13th. The poor are furnished with Bibles, and always have the privilege of attending public worship. Occasion- ally services are held at the Asylum, by ministers of the Episcopal, Baptist, and Methodist churches. The children attend the Sabbath school. I furthermore state, that the overseer of the poor is the superintendent of the whole establishment, and makes it his duty to visit the Asylum weekly, to ascertain the condition of the poor, and oftener when necessary. I would farther say, that some of the transient paupers are supported away from the Asylum, and that the $2000 men- tioned in answer to the 4th query, includes their support, and also the wages of extra help at the Asylum, and the salary of the superintendent. Yours, respectfully, FENNER BROWN, Overseer of Poor. To T. R. Hazard. BURRILVILLE. Visited the poor of this town, 4th of 9th month ; they seemed pretty comfortable. The following list comprised their number at the date of my visit. 36 .9 a ^ Where Born. o ^.a Cause of Poverty, and remarks. 72 9 fcc <5 S y's w's E P F E 88 78 7 6 Burrillville M M Intemperance. u M H 59 12 Mass. M A Y D I 51 15 2 4 N. Provid'ce Providence M M Intemperance. Loss of husband ; 3 children with her. 2 males. 3 females. 3 children. 8 Total. Reply received to queries. 5th. The town contracts to have the poor maintained by the year. 6th. A bond is required with security to keep them in a christian-like manner. 7th. Supervision over the keeper is exercised by an over- seer. 8th. From 500 to $600 is the annual cost to the town, for the support of their poor. 9th. The average number of public poor is from 7 to 10 in summer, from 10 to 12 in winter. 10th. The town treasurer is the trustee of a fund of $1000, the interest of which, ($60) is for the benefit of the poor. 11th. Same provision is made for the education of pau- per children as is for others. 12th. A regular physician is employed by the year to at- tend our poor. 13th. Such of our paupers as are able, can attend at the several meetings held in the town, though no particular pro- vision is made in that respect. Yours respectfully, L. HAWKES. To T. R. Hazard. 37 GLOCESTER. Visited the poor of this town, 4th of 9th month, 1850 ; they appeared to be comfortably situated. The following table comprises a list of all I saw. I understood the keeper to say that he received $408 a year, for keeping them ; but that they were to be removed in a few days, to the house of another man, who Was to have $312 per year, only. o c5 < O J Where Born. o S CI. Cause of Poverty, and remarks. § r'B w's N C D B E K G T M V A A 79 50 72 45 70 20 9 6 2 10 •20 7 Glocester C( a u M S England M Old age. 4 males. 6 females. 9 children. 19 Total. The following replies were received to queries : — 5th. Our poor are put out by a committee appointed by the town to one person and place, who receives eight hundred and sixty dollars for taking all who are on the town and who may apply for assistance, and to pay Doctors' bills and all other expenses. 6th. The town takes a bond with good and sufficient se- curity for the good treatment of the poor. 7th. The overseer exercises a general superintendence over what concerns the poor. 8th. The amount paid for the support of our paupers, va- ries from six hundred to thirteen hundred dollars. 9th. The number of our poor is twenty-two in summer and thirty-six in winter. 10th. No fund has been provided for our poor by gift or legacy. 44 11th. The overseer of the poor is directed to see that the children are sent to school. 13th. The poor have access to Bibles in the house where they are kept, and liberty to attend public worship whenever they may please to go. The above answers are as near as can be obtained. CRANSTON. The Asylum is pleasantly situated on the public road, is conveniently arranged, and appears to be pretty well conduct- ed. The following list comprised its pauper inmates at the date of my visit, 8th month 28th, 1850, at which time I be- lieve, it had just passed into the care of a new superinten- dent, which will probably account for some slight appearance of confusion in the establishment. ■a a o oi ° -3 3 £• Where Born. if Cause of Poverty, and remarks. o> a o &< rt io 1 £ < x's \v s m c43 | 1 Cranston M Intemperate husband. (4 chil- dren with her. c p:54 a S Imbecility of mind, (colored) a p51 7 u s III health. B G 71 3 a M Intemperate. C S 25 2 a S Fits. p s 50 11 a s Insane for 12 or 15 years. A W 17 10 ic s Deaf and dumb, (a cripple) colored. T J 10 2 a s Intemperate father. 4 males. 4 females. 4 children. 12 Total. The following letter was received in reply to queries : — Cranston, Oct. 12, 1850. Having received a request from you, that I should send you a statement of the management of the public poor and insane in our town, I take the earliest opportunity to comply with your request. 45 1st. We have an Asylum for our pauper poor. There are sixty-seven acres of land attached to it, worth two thousand five hundred dollars ; the buildings are worth one thousand dollars — total value, three thousand five hundred dollars. 2d. The value of its annual products is four hundred dol- lars. 3d. The keeper is paid one hundred and eighty-five dol- lars per year for himself and wife ; the Overseer of the Poor is paid forty dollars per year ; extra help, thirty-five dollars — whole amount, two hundred and sixty dollars. 4th. The amount appropriated annually by the town for the support of its poor, in addition to the products of the Asylum, is about fifteen hundred dollars. 5th. The treatment of the poor is left discretionary with the Overseer of the Poor, who is required to give bond and make oath for the faithful discharge of his duty. There is no other supervision exercised by the town over the keeper of the poor. 9th. The average number of our paupers is about fourteen in summer and sixteen in winter. There has not been any fund or legacy given to our town for the benefit of the poor. A physician is engaged by the overseer to attend at the Asylum whenever occasion re- quires. There is no particular provision made by the town for the education of its pauper children, although they are sent to school by the overseer both summer and winter, to a free school in the district where they reside. Our public poor are not furnished with Bibles, neither is there any provision made by the town to enable them to unite with their wealthier brethren in worshiping their creator agreeably to the usages of the different sects of Christians. From your friend, &c. DANIEL CONGDON, President of Town Council. To T. R. Hazard. WARWICK. The Asylum for the poor of this town, is pleasantly and conveniently situated on the main road — is well arranged for 46 the comfort of the poor, and appears to be well conducted. The following table shows a list of its pauper inmates, on the 28th of last 8th month, the date of my visit. £ o 6 < la 1 i- y's = Pi w's Where Born. 3 •*£ S bo is Cause of poverty, and remarks. V G 20 •21) Warwick. s Can hear but not speak,( born on town.) W G 86 3 a m Old age. A C 46 1 a m Lameness. D W 48 4 England; Consumption. L P H B A M 17 62 11 4 Warwick. s s M Weakly and an orphan. Insane, (partially.) Intemperate. 4 males. 3 females 4 children under 12 years of age, (2 of them colored.) 11 Total. The following letter was received in answer to queries. Warwick, Nov. 6th, 1850. I received a communication from you some time since, requesting me to procure answers to the several questions com- municated relating to the management of our public poor. The following answers are as near the facts as I can obtain them. 1st. The town of Warwick has owned an Asylum for about 12 years. There are about 30 acres of land attached to it, which is probably worth about $1400, and the value of the whole establishment is about $3800. 2d. The money value of its average annual products, is probably about $150. The land is not of the best quality, and heretofore has not been made to produce what it should ; but we are now getting it under a better state of cultivation, and hope to get better crops in future. 3d. The salary paid for superintendence of the Asylum, is $225 a year, for the man and his wife. 4th. The amount annually appropriated by the town for the maintenance of its poor, in addition to the products of the 47 Asylum, is about $612. This amount includes the salary of the superintendent and his wife. 6th. The town requires the keeper to strictly conform to the printed rules and regulations of the Asylum, which con- tain his duty and also that of each pauper ; and the Council is particular not to contract with any person for keeper, unless they are fully satisfied that both the man and his wife will treat the poor well. 7th. The Council meet at the Asylum every three months to examine into the affairs of the Asylum, and the treatment of the poor. The superintendent makes all the purchases of clothing and provisions for the poor and presents his bill every month to the Council for examination. 8th. The annual sum paid by the town for the support of the poor, is about $612. This includes the salary of the keepers. 9th. The average number of paupers is 14. I have no means to ascertain the difference between winter and sum- mer, but probably there are from 4 to 6 more in the winter than in the summer. There is a book kept at the Asylum, and it is the duty of the keeper to enter the name and the day of the month when each pauper comes to the Asylum and when they leave. In addition to the above, the town have two insane patients at the Butler Hospital. 10th. No legacy has been left for the Benefit of the poor in our town. 11th. There is a district school house within a few rods of the Asylum, where all the pauper children are sent to school. 12th. A physician attends on the sick at the Asylum, when called for by the keeper or overseer of the poor, but the town makes no special contract for medical attendance on the poor. 13th. The paupers have access to the Bible, and occasion- ally different ministers visit the Asylum and hold meetings ; but the town is deficient in this respect. Allow me to say that I think that our public poor are as well cared for, as in any other town in the State. Our Asy- lum is large and convenient, and the poor are comfortably 48 clothed and fed, and are kept neat and clean in their persons. The keeper is not restricted in making his purchases, wheth- er of food or clothing, or of anything necessary to make the poor comfortable. By the statement made, it costs 84 3-4 cents per week, for each pauper — this is the average cost from April 1, 1841, to April 1, 1850, excluding the interest on the cost of the estab- lishment. Yours aespectfully, JOHN I. WOOD, Pres. of Town Council To T. R. Hazard. EAST GREENWICH. The Asylum for the poor of this town, is a substantial and commodious building, well situated on the road ; is well fur- nished and apparently well conducted. The following is a list of its inmates, on the 28th of last Sth month, the date of my visit. rA o bo Whore born. o o to Cause of Poverty, and remarks. s y's w's E S 62 1 E. Greenwich M Insane. G F 11 10 It S Idiotic. A F ill) 13 a M Old age & loss of property. H S 63 H s 51 a M M Rheumatism. G P ,75 b w 46 M M Loss of property. Blind, and sick husband. a wj42 Cranston M Insane and confined to grated room. 5 males. 3 fen iales 8 Total. The following reply was received to queries. East Greenwich, Oct. 8th, 1850. I received yours for the Town Council here, some days since, and have deferred answering, to obtain the best infor- mation I could of our Committee, and through them I have replied to most of your queries. 49 It is about two years since, that we built an Asylum and purchased land. The cost includes two cows, one horse and wagon, and farming utensils — and a part of our expenses in- cludes purchase of manure and improvements made on the land, &c. We had hoped that our expenses would have diminished the present year, but now I think that we shall have an in- crease of inmates to balance. Yery truly yours, JOS. I. TILLINGHAST, Pres. of Town Court. 1st. We have an Asylum for our poor, with 17 acres of land attached. $1300 was paid for the land — the whole value including buildings, $4000. 2d. The money value of its products for 1849, was about 335 dollars. 3d. For superintending the Asylum, we pay for a man and his wife, $200 and board. 4th. The amount appropriated by the town for the sup- port of its poor for 1849, was about $418. 7th. A Committee of three persons have the general su- pervision of the Asylum. 9th. The average number of our paupers is about 10 — say 6 in summer to 13 in winter. 10th. No legacy or fund has been given to the poor of our town. 11th. Pauper children attend our free schools. 12th. A physician is employed by the year to attend on the poor when needed. 13th. Our public poor have Bibles, Testaments and tracts furnished, and are situated within a short distance from our village, where they may worship according as they may choose. COVENTRY. Visited the poor of this town, on the 5th of 9th month last, and found them in the most deplorable condition imagin- able. The house in which they were huddled, was old and dilapidated — and the furniture was absolutely unfit for the use of the most degraded of savages. This, I understood the keeper to say, that the town was j;o furnish. The mattresses 7 50 and bed clothing were filthy and ragged. Not a sheet nor a pillow case was to be seen, and I afterwards understood that the town did not deem such articles necessary, and therefore were not in the practice of furnishing them. The chairs were all more or less broken or worn out, and there was but one in the house that had both back and bottom. A poor helpless, palsied female, who had not stood for years, was braced in the skeleton of one of these, by its being stuffed with rags. An insane woman who had been recently remov- ed by the town from the Butler Hospital, was ordered from her filthy lair, (where she was confined by the corner of a bedstead being pushed against the door,) in a tone of voice such as keepers of wild beasts use in colloquy with Tigers. At the stern summons, she came forth and stood silent and motionless, to be gazed at — a caricature of dispair clothed in filth and rags. No sign, look or token, indicated that she noticed ought that was said, until at her keeper's bidding, she quietly retired to her den. I happened to visit this house when the poor inmates were engaged at what was intended for dinner. A few hours before I had witnessed the poor in the town of Scituate, partaking of a plentiful breakfast of good and wholesome food. This, perhaps, rendered the ap- pearance of the repast before me, the more striking. On the the table I now beheld, a dish of unripe, watery potatoes, was all the food to be seen, or that was visible in the house, save a mouthful of indian bread which a woman held in her hand. The supply of these miserable potatoes was evidently scanty, as they were soon all devoured, and the children lin- gered about the table evidently hungry still. As I was about leaving the premises, I observed two of these children going towards a pond with sticks in their hands. Supposing that they were going to fish, I was curious to inspect their tackle, and called them to me. I found that their poles were taken from a pile of brush near by, and that their lines were made of short strips of worn and faded cotton cloth tied together. They had no hooks of any description, and I question wheth- er even a pin could be found in the poor-house for that pur- pose. This was a trifling incident to be sure, but associated as it was with the desolateness of every thing around me, I 51 do not remember of ever having witnessed one that impressed me with a more heart sickening sense of utter and helpless destitution. I would gladly have been spared the pain of this narration, especially as the friends of humanity in the town of Coven- try, have recently succeeded in their efforts to induce their fellow townsmen to take decided steps to do away most of the abuses it discloses. But it should be remembred that these abuses grow in a great measure out of the system of venduing the poor, which, though now abandoned in Coven- try, is still adhered to by many other towns in the State ; and whose paupers may be consigned by the next chance fall of the auctioneer's hammer, to the same wretched fate that those in Coventry have just been rescued from. And it seems but fair to infer that if these disclosures have tended to awaken the people of Coventry to a proper sense of the injustice of venduing their poor to the lowest bidder, and to the necessity of its abandonment, that their perusal may also incite the cit- izens of other towns who still practice the same system, to abandon it also. The following were a list of the pauper in- mates at the date of my visit. o d 3 ■5 o a P Where Born. o cr. Cause of Poverty, and remarks. ri g M £-H §0Q 3 rH < t's ws % M M 65 1 Warwick m Insane, intern, husband. J 9 70 2 E. Greenwich M Intemperate. H S 46 27 Coventry S Palsy, always confined to bed or chair. s c 70 9 a s- Deaf and dumb. B W 50 3 S. Kingstown M Insane, confined to a small room. a j|34 5 Conn. S Intemperate husband, 2 children with her. l j 30 2 Coventry g Idiotic and blind. l j 30 20 « s Insane. S K 25 3 N. Kingstown 1 male. S females. 7 children under 12 years of age. 16 Total. 52 The following communications were received in answer to queries. Coventry, Dec. 13th, 1850. Respected Friend : — Your letter of the 18th of November, was duly received ; I delayed answering it until after our town meeting, which was held on the 11th inst., hoping I should then be able to inform you that we had made arrange- ments for purchasing a farm suitable for an Asylum for our poor. The next week after I saw you at East Greenwich, I visited our poor house, and the next day attended our Town Council, and informed them of the situation of our poor. It was decided to call a town meeting immediately, which was held on the 11th inst. I am now very happy to inform you that the citizens of this town then decided to purchase a farm for the reception of the poor, with only three dissenting votes. A Committee was appointed and fully empowered to purchase a farm, to repair and build what might be necesary for the accommodation and comfort of our poor ; to purchase stock, farming tools, furniture, and every thing necessary for keeping house. It is said that the darkest time in the night is just before day, and I have but little doubt that the miserable condition in which you found our poor, has tended much to assist us in bringing about the happy change in our system of keeping them. Enclosed you will find the answers to the questions you sent me. Yery respectfully, THOMAS WHIPPLE. To T. R. Hazard. Coventry, Dec. 13, 1850. The following is in reply to certain questions propounded to the town of Coventry, by Thomas R. Hazard : — 1st. Has the town an Asylum ? I answer, no. 2d, 3d and 4th, are answered by the first. 5th. Our town hires a man to take all the paupers who come upon the town for a year. 6th. A bond with sureties. 7th. We have had a committee appointed to visit the keeper occasionally. 53 8th. The sum paid the keeper is $594, and for the better- ments in clothing and for medical attendance. 9th. I cannot tell, but suppose the average for the year, may be about twelve. 10th. No. 11th. They have been sent to school when children are paupers of the town, but it has been the business of the Over- seers of the Poor to find good places, and bind them out. 12th. A physician is appointed and paid by the town. 13th. No provisions are made. ANTHONY TARBOX, Council Clerk. WEST GREENWICH. Visited the poor in this town, the 5th of 9th month. They seemed to be well situated and appeared to be comfortable and contented. The following is a list of all I saw : — -a 1 ft 3 o y's > o H w's Where Bom. © c u Cause of Poverty, and remarks. E S 87 11 W. Greenwich M Old age. A Z 7G 11 tt S u H G 71 7 a M Blind. S M 71 8 Cranston M Insane (partially) deserted by husband. S G 65 1»» W. Greenwich S Imbecility of mind. A W 63 12 a M Blind. J W 43 2 a M Intemperance. 3 males. 5 females. 1 boy 12 years old. 9 total. The following are the replies received to queries : — 5th. Our poor are put out on contract, one year at a time, to some responsible person to keep. 6th. For their good treatment, bonds in double the amount paid, with good security, are required. 7th. Supervision is exercised by a committee who visit once a month, and oftener if they think proper. 54 8th. The cost to the town for the support of their poor, is from $250 to $500. 9th. The number of paupers is from six to eight in sum- mer, six to ten in winter. 10th. No fund or legacy has been given for the use of th e poor of our town. 11th. The pauper children are sent to public school at the town's expense. 12th. The keeper is bound in his contract to furnish all medical aid. 13th. The poor are kept near a meeting house where they can attend at pleasure, and have Bibles to read at their leisure. Signed, BENJAMIN R. HOXIE, President. NORTH KINGSTOWN. Visited the poor of this town, 8th month 29th. To all appearance they were very comfortably situated and cared for. The following list comprises all of the pauper inmates of the house I visited, including two (marked thus*) who were put out to board. o .« £ ci £ ® Where Born. _ «5 Cause of Poverty, and remarks. 1 £ < y's w's § J s \\r> 16 N. Kingstown M Intemperance. G H si 8 a M a T C 59 8 a s a w w 74 40 it s Insane, perfectly harmless, will not hurt an insect. A A 18 2 1 Smithfield s Intemperate parents. E W 82 il N. Shoreham M Lost husband and old age. N H 85 *0 N. Kingstown s Imbecility of mind. J N 50 2 u s Intemperance. S H 15 l 5 a s Orphan, born on town. *AC SO 4 " M Insane, (partially.) *s c 75 5 s " caused by sickness. 6 males. 5 females. 1 child. 12 Total. 55 The following reply was reoeirad in answer to queries : — North Kingstown, Nov. 4, 1850. Your circular, dated September 27th, is received. Feeling a deep interest in the welfare of the poor, particularly the in- sane, I take great pleasure in answering the questions pro- pounded. In answer to your first question, our town has no Asylum that they own. 5th. The town appropriates a certain sum, and then ap- points a keeper who furnishes the house, provisions, &c. 6th. The town requires the keeper to give bonds to pro- vide comfortable board, clothing, &c. 7th. The town council are required to visit the poor by one of their number once a month, and report their condition to the council. 8th. The sum annually paid by the town for the sup- port of its poor, is about six hundred dollars. 9th. The number of paupers in summer is from nine to ten, in winter, from twelve to fifteen. 10th. There has been no fund or legacy ever given for the benefit of the poor in this town, to my knowledge. 11th. There is no particular provision made for the edu- catian of pauper children, it is seldom that there are any of a suitable age to go to school. 12th. Previous to this year, the town has employed a physician. This year it is the place of the keeper to employ one at his own expense, his pay being a little more than usual. 13th. I cannot say how well the paupers are furnished with Bibles : the town does not furnish any : the keeper being a professing Christian, may supply them. Their facilities for attending public worship are not very good. At the suggestion of the town council, it was voted at the town meeting last April, to maintain the insane poor separate from the sane. This was not accomplished without effort, which was mainly put forth by the members of the council. We now have one or two at the Butler Hospital, and one in a private family, in this town, which is a very good place. I think that we are the only country town in the State that 56 support its insane separate from its sane poor, and I hope, for the honor of the town, that they will never be kept to- gether again. Respectfully yours, A. B. WAITE, President of Town Council. To T. R. Hazard. SOUTH KINGSTOWN. Visited the poor of this town, the 30th of 7th month. They appeared to be kindly treated, but were too much crowded and disturbed by the ravings of several insane inmates, — one of whom was a boarder from a neighboring town. The fol- lowing was a list of all those in the house, (with the excep- tion of two from Jamestown, before mentioned,) and also of several marked thus,* who are partially assisted, or boarded out by the keeper. o a O to "3 iz Where bora. 5 is. Cause of Poverty, and remarks. 1 2 6 H fcDlS <« Y RS ix S I w 45 20 S. Kingstown s Insane,hereditary (color'd) H C 37 20 " M Imbecility of mind, (color- ed) child with her. F S 22 22 (C S Idiotic. W T 68 1 it s Intemperance. A C GO 6 a s Insane 6 to 7 yrs. (colored) E H 45 13 it s Infirm in intellect, speech- less, but can hear. E C 84 2 " M Old age, (colored.) w s 40 24 (I s Idiotic, intempr. parents. S C 66 4 tl s Insane, confined at times. J R 45 4 It s Insane 12 years. M B 45 20 N. Kingstown s Intemperance. J E 45 7 S. Kingstown s Idiotic, intempr. parents. C N # M G 26 :m 2 s Cripple, (very intelligent.) Insane 4 years. S N 68 4 S. Kingstown M Lame, (colored) father of 21 children. 1 S 45 7 <( s Imbecility of mind. R W 38 10 " s Insane. # W A ."»n 1 " M " intempr. husband. *s c l.i 6 « M Intemperance. *B G ;n 2 << M Lame. *W G 65 2 K M Old age. *G 'B 71 4 " M Intemperance. 57 11 males. 11 females. 1 child. 23 Total. The following are replies received to queriies. 1st. The town has no Asylum. 5th. A salary is annually fixed by the town, and then the keeper of the poor is elected by ballot, if required. 6th. To insure the good treatment of the poor, a bond is required with good security. 7th. The keeper of the poor is subject to the supervision of the Town Council, who visit the poor once a quarter. 8th. The sum paid by the town for the maintenance of its poor, is $600 to the keeper, and $25 to the physician, annually. 9th. The average number of our paupers, is about 16 in summer, and 20 in winter. 10th. No fund or legacy has been given to the poor. 11th. No especial provision is made by the town for the education of the pauper children : they are now placed quite near a district school house. But few children are on the town. 12. A physician is paid $25 per annum for attendance. 13th. Bibles and Testaments are furnished the poor ; no church within 2 1-2 miles. Occasional meetings are held at the district school house. E. R. POTTER. CHARLESTOWN. Visited this town, 6th of 9th month ; saw but two of the poor. They were put out in families to board individually. The following is a list of all that I could see or hear of. a . o 1 o £ ti£ \ w n •§EH Where Bom. •2 a 1 i Cause of Poverty, and remarks. *3 a i H^ «ce a Ph < y's \Y S S ! D H 63 Charlestown s Cripple from infancy. G R 60 10 it s Intemperance. J H 60 10 <( M '•' and palsy. D K 80 1") a s A L 80 3 u M Intemperance. boy IS t: Blind. 58 5 males. 1 female. 6 Total. The following reply was received to queries. Charlestown, Oct. 18th, 1850. I herewith transmit the following answers to your queries, which I received on the 8th ult. 1st. We have no Asylum in this town. 2d. The paupers are put out individually, that is, the town contracts with their friends for their support. 3d. They are under the care of the overseers. 4th. The number of paupers at present, is seven, and we know not how many there will be in the winter, but we sup- pose about the same as in summer. 5th. The expense of our paupers annually, is about $350. If they are sick, a doctor is employed, and their funeral ex- penses are paid by the town, gratis. There has never been any fund or legacy given for the benefit of our poor. The pauper children have the same opportunity to attend school, as others in the town. The poor are not furnished with any Bibles by the town ; they have the same opportunities to go to God's house, as their wealthier brethren, &c. Signed by request of the Town Council of Charlestown. GIDEON HOXSIE, Jr., Coun. Clerk. To T. R. Hazard. WESTERLY. The poor of this town are boarded out with different fam- ilies, a few in a place. I visited two of these families, 6th of 9th month, at which time there were the following persons placed with them by the town. They appeared to be toler- ably comfortable. 59 s "3 a r® ai "3 a £ o Where Born. o "P s 8 Cause of Poverty, and remarks. 3 y's w's M W B R 43 30 14 Westerly s S Cripple from birth, (creeps only.) Imbecility of mind and body. J c 66 4 a m Sick. J B 88 6 u m Old age. P B 75 4 Conn. s Insane — in poor health. 2 males. 3 females. 5 Total. The following letter Was received in reply to queries. Westerly, Oct. 2d, 1850. I have before me your communication directed to the Pres- ident of the Town Council, and as I am probably more fa- miliar with many of the facts referred to in your interrogatories, I take the liberty to reply, and answer them as fully as I am able to do. Your first four questions may be answered by saying that we have no Asylum for our poor. 5th. Our town for the last four years, has appointed an overseer of the poor, who has put them to different places — where they could be made comfortable, and pay a sum that might be agreed upon for the year, or in proportion for a longer or shorter time ; the overseer looking to their treat- ment, as the case may be. The answer to the 5th, may suf- fice for the 6th and 7th. 8th. As our poor are put out individually, and as we can- not know how many there may be, we cannot of course tell the cost until the end of the year, when the facts are report- ed by the overseer to the freemen of the town. The average cost for support of the poor for the last four years, has been about $600 per year. 9th. As far as my experience goes, the average number of paupers does not vary either in winter or summer, for the reason, that all persons who are able to do any thing, we assist sufficiently to enable them to support themselves. At our last annual report, there were ten persons supported by 60 the town entirely, and an equal number that had temporary' aid. 10th. There has no fund or legacy been given to the poor of our town. 11th. There has been no provision made for the educa- tion of the pauper children, and there has been none on the town for the last four years. 12th. The overseer takes care that the proper medical aid is furnished at the expense of the town. 13th. There has been no particular arrangement made in regard to furnishing the poor with Bibles, nor in regard to religious worship ; but all are permitted to go who desire to do so, and are able ; and they have their choice as regards the place of worship or denomination. In explanation of the reason why it is so, that by reason of furnishing temporary aid to those who can assist to maintain themselves, there are none on the town except those who are advanced in life, or are decreped, or incompetent to take care of themselves, and would not be much if any benefited by any facilities that could be furnished them for religious wor- ship. I have endeavored to keep our poor with their connex- ions as much as possible, where they can be made comfort- able ; consequently, three of our poor are out of the town. I have in two instances, sent insane persons to the Butler Hos- pital, and the result in both cases has been beneficial, both having been discharged as recovered. Any aid that I can render you in the very laudable object you are engaged in, will be cheerfully accorded. I will take this opportunity to say, that for the last four years, the freemen of this town have made several attempts to procure a suitable tract of land for the erection of an Asy- lum ; and I think the reason why their efforts have not been consummated, is the difficulty of procuring a suitable place. 1 hope, however, that when we have the result of your labors before us, that we shall have increased inducements to con- summate our enterprise — which, in my view, is very desira- ble, both for the comfort of the poor, and for the honor and interest of the town. Respectfully yours, GEORGE D. CROSS. To T. R. HAZARd. 61 N. B. Perhaps I ought to advise you that I am now over- seer of the poor, and have been for the last four years/end- ins: next June. HOPKINTON. The poor of this town, as I understood, are put out, an in- dividual at a place. At the date of my visit, 6th of 9th month, I could hear of only eight on the town ; viz: — four males and four females, two of them colored persons. The following is a reply received to queries. Hopkinton, Oct. 11th, 1850. Your circular, making enquiries in regard to keeping the poor of this town, was duly received, and in reply I will answer your thirteen questions according to the best of my ability. Your first four questions all relate to a town farm, or an Asylum for the poor — in answer, we have none ; but the sub- ject has been agitated and meets with great opposition. 5th. Our poor are let to the lowest, the town reserving the right to accept the bid or not. 6th. The town takes no security for the good treatment of its poor, other than the well known character of the bid- ders. 7th. A supervision is excercised over the keepers of our poor, by the overseers of the poor. 8th. The annual cost of supporting our poor is about $1000. 9th. The average number of our paupers is about 10 in summer, and about 20 in the winter. 10th. No fund or legacy has been given the poor of our town. 11th. No provision is made by the town, for the educa- tion of pauper children. 12th. The poor have good attendance in sickness, provid- ed by the overseer of the poor, and the best of medical aid. 13th. The poor have no Bibles furnished them at the ex- pense of the town, but can attend religious worship, if they are able to walk two or three miles. Respectfully yours, ELNATHAN W. BABCOCK, Pros, of Town Coun. To T. R. Hazard. 62 RICHMOND. Visited this town 5th of 9th month, but could hear of no poor on the town. The following reply was received in an- swer to queries. Richmond, Oct. 26th, 1850. I acknowledge the receipt of your communication request- ing information respecting our poor and insane, and will now answer your queries in order. 1st, 2d, 3d. We have no Asylum. 4th. The cost of supporting our poor is $100 per annum. 5th. When we had any poor, they were let once a year to the lowest bidder, in the month of June ; and such as come on the town after that time, were provided for by the overseer of the poor, until the end of the year. 6th. If not well treated, our poor are subject to be remov- ed by the overseer of the poor to a better place, upon com- plaint ; and otherwise looked after and furnished with clothes and other necessaries. 9th. We have had but one pauper for the last two or three years. 10th. No fund or legacy has been left to the poor of our town. 11th. Our pauper children have generally been bound out, conditioned to be sent to school four months in each year. 12th. The overseers of the poor see to the wants of the poor, as regards medical aid. 13th. Our poor are generally let one in a place, and go into families who share with them the privileges they themselves enjoy, with regard to religious worship and the reading of the Bible. We have but one person now chargeable to the town ; he is insane and has been at the Butler Hospital, for the last two or three years. Previous to that he was sent to Boston, but received little or no benefit. Respectfully yours, ELIAS TANNER. EXETER. Visited the poor of this town, 5th of 9th month ; they ap- peared to be pretty comfortable. The following is a list of them. 63 © O « "3 £ ° •5H Where Born. >*4 Cause of Poverty, and remarks. "3 a §0 H^ S r® •«l y's w's § m w76 cS Exeter s h s50 5 « s Insane, (cause) disoppointed affection — child with her s p50 10 Cumberland M 8 years old. f s57 9 Exeter S Insane, (partially) F A 42 8 a M Accidental injury. W R 57 8 ti M Fits. R M 50 5 " S Imbecility of mind. 2 males. 5 females. 1 child. 8 Total. Reply received to queries. Exeter, Jan. 15th, 1851. I received yours of the 18th but very recently, and imme- diately applied to the proper sources to get the information you desire, and have just obtained correct information as fol- lows. 1st. Our town has no Asylum. Our paupers are all put out together, to him or those who will keep them for the least sum of money, one year. In answer to question 6th. The person or persons who agree to keep the poor, are required to give bonds to the town, in a sum double the amount they agree to keep them for, conditioned that they shall be well cared for. 7th. One of the overseers of the poor of said town, is ap- pointed supervisory committee to see that they are treated according to the conditions of said bond. 8th. The sum paid annually, averages from 300 to $500. 9th. Average number in summer, from 8 to 10, in winter, from 10 to 15. 10th. No fund or legacy has ever been given for said pau- pers, as I can learn. 11th. Pauper children have access to our public schools, as other children. 64 12th. The person or persons taking the paupers are obli- ged to furnish them with medical attendance, when necessary. 13th. There is a house for public worship within less than one mile from where the poor are now kept, and frequent meet- ings at other places near by. Yours, ISAAC GREENE. To T. R. Hazard. Table showing the cost of maintaining the poor in fifteen Asylums in Rhode-Island. I 3 II ^S o Pi O. Mis < -n ■s «S 3 , O B . 2 3 oc j>, .2 eS ^ 5 1 I'lll DOLLS. BOLLS. DOLLS. DOLLS. Cumberland Smithfield Cranston* E.Greenwich Scituate N.Providence Warwick Middletown Bristol Warren / L. Compton Newport Providence Tiverton Portsmouth Totals, Average cost 300 400! 185J 200 200J 300 225! I 200 200 200 325 600 200 ( 200 1,000 600 400 335 851 545 150 700 1,000 550 1,000 500 7,63] 13,000 8,500 3,500 4,000 4.952 5,200 3,800 fl,000 6,000 8,000 4,000 15,000 205jf40,000 16| 6,000 15 5,000 500(127,952 780 510 210 240 297 312 228 60 360 480 240 900 2,400 360 300 7,677 2,000 f],000 1,500 418 383 1,200 612 400 500 350 500 2,750 6,846 286 30 18,775 2,780,79 1,51068 1,01067 658 65 GS061 1,51260 84060 460 57 S60 830 740 3,650 9.246 45|20 64614057 3302200 25,7521 for each individual per annum, $51.50. *Since this report has been read to the General Assembly I have received a note from the President of the Council of the town of Cranston saying that he omitted to state in his former letter that more than $700 of the sum appropriated by the town for the support of its poor is expended in administering out door re- lief to about 18 indigent persons. I have therefore altered the statistics of that town to correspond with this statement. tXot definitely stated in answers. 65 Table showing the cost of maintaining the poor in 16 towns that have not Asylums, (Richmond not included in the addition.) Towns. o g o is DLS.ICTS. Mode of keeping tlie Poor. Hopkinton Olocester Jamestown Burrillville N. Kingstown Barrington Charlestown West Greenwich Coventry Foster Westerly Exeter New Shoreham S. Kingstown Johnston Richmond 171|$7,798| Put to person who will keep them for the lowest sum. Put to person who will keep them for the lowest sum. Boarded out by contract. Put to person who will keep them for the lowest sum. Boarded out by contract. Put to person who will keep them for the lowest sum. Put to person who will keep them for the lowest sum. Boarded out by contract. Put to person who will keep them for the lowest sum. Put to person who will keep them for the lowest sum. Boarded out by contarct. it u Put to person who will keep them for the lowest sum. Average cost for each individual per annum, $45,60. * Estimated number. I Estimated from tables before receipt of answers to circular. The following table shows the initials and ages of all the patients that were supported by the several towns of the State of Rhode-Island at the Butler Hospital at the date of 7th mo. 5th, 1850, and also of all those that were supported 9 66 at that institution by the city of Providence 9th mo. 3d, 1850. Where from. jz -j Where from. c5 Is g ~ c3 < Providence R A 40 Providence A C 48 co S3 « G '30 " M C 33 © on © © tO O* CO t~ O CO u E P 34 a R G 54 GO O C5 CO O O o_ u J) S 53 a M H 57 tfS ti J W 32 u II H 3S /-^ "« u E B 50 it j b54 <*: «s « M C 28 it e c35 f S . . 33 a a G C H C 17 62 a e c63 e c 45 }5 per e sick, loor re Rhode u a \V F B F 55 48 u a BI 0^3 c d22 z u H G 31 li M D 41 BH 8 E 5 '•If a P G 64 n M F 58 < it a It D G S L J N 29 52 67 a u u E G A M MM C 38 40 22 < Providei he State, 'oor, cost owns, 'rovidenc "Mtiithhel Cranston public, ( ,'ost to th a F P 34 it E MC,30 O S s c s bt &4\ o i-s TOAVNS. 1 §0 V'S ill Towns. S "3 a o to <_ g fee Newport E S 11 TDS Coventry M A SWA « B J 80 G T tt ERS w s a N M 50 M M W.Greenwich A H 30 CDH a R F 46 J F a M C 50 J C « P E ."in MWS a SDC Middletown E E 43 A S a A L 44 J B Tiverton J S N 55 E. Greenwich P O 70 s o a S T 40 J T a G M 49 MM it M L 37 WM Warwick E S V.) Portsmouth SEH 35 JEH a E F 18 s c LittleCompton HPS -in L P a F S 21 T S a a A B ■n J B a s c 54 J W Bristol WC 73 S H " HAL 44 A L Warren A G DGF (it F G 63 B G Hopkinton S B 61 P G (( ERG 25 B G u HK "53 A K Glocester A G 50 M G a AW 32 S W u C K 67 B K it R B 49 M B It A A 51 M A a A B 51 Z B Cranston J P 83 S P Westerly A G 35 E G a A F 40 A F a E C 26 M C it WB 32 L B a M T 51 PST Providence WF 50 S. Kingstown M G 39 M B a D W 82 a A G 37 M B it J S G ■2 1 CEN Exeter E A 51 P A a STK 34 GMB it A A 72 J M a WNT 30 T T a J S 75 CAB 11 CFH 22 TGH tt WFD 50 J S T « S B 4.-5 C( A H 45 N H But. Hospital M D 32 Richmond G A 47 I « B S 71 it BBT 37 RCJ a C F 31 N. Kingstown A MB 51 BPB a T W 47 tt P S 55 a MW 12 tl MAG 33 J P it s s 45 it CGC 39 N C it WF 20 Coventry RAW 40 J wj it L P 26 « A C B C it H S GD tt A G 40 J G tt F G 63 (< L S 31 W S it F S 19 75 But. Hospital E S 39 a E S 50 u J J 19 u T S 39 it s w 63 it JW 70 it W T 32 ti M T 45 it H S 50 ti C K 28 it S B 32 it D G 57 it L H 27 ! it E F 32 a F N 10 t: A T 31 tt M C 34 a C M 27 tt E B 01 a J D 29 tt AW 42 ! it J W 21 it M D 24 n M B 2(5 tt S B 51 tt WP 20 tt H L 55 it E L 5S it A A 30 it G C 1? it M L 36 ti A B 32 But. Hospital. Johnston N. Providence Burrillville Scituate Foster Cumberland Smithfield J B J S A M B S D G J A J B Z B C A J C J W J 74 females. 66 males. Total, 140 28 pauper males at Butler Hospital. 30 " females " 34 " males at Town Asylums. 51 " females " " 143 Total. Pauper insane, 142 All others, 140 40 37 22 49 s b'32 mg23 37 49 70 17 36 32 L H S W G DS G S s s J A R A B F N H B R H W H S B E T A MH Grand total, 282 insane persons now in Rhode-Island. 76 List of idiotic and imbecile persons in Rhode-Island, exclu- sive of paupers, with their ages and initials of persons with whom they reside, as per census returns, 1850, oi i -■ i CO >4 Towns. S v's Towns. 1 S 6 Glocester L S IS N S Foster WFH IS HH « B 15 H B « c s 36 HH N. Shoreham N L IS S L a D B 48 V B u P W 40 C W a L H 27 S H a M W 32 C W Cranston C W 01 B W a G G 50 CEC a HW 27 J W Coventry T J 35 R J a EMP 13 DWJ Warren W B 22 M B it T T 35 P T N. Providence WD 50 tt MAS S TS Warwick CES 21 A L Providence J M 34 WFH Burrillville L P 39 O J tt E H 21 B H « M B 50 a J R 18 A K Tiverton S B 5 WB N. Kingstown E C 30 WNC a c c23 D C « W G 19 R G it E H 16 J H (< RW 15 JWA « J D 6 A D it C A 57 SDA it G B IS GDB it A C 18 J s tt S G 40 J G a SFH 1-1 T H tt P F 50 M F L. Compton P B 70 P s a E F 45 M F Smithfield D L 45 E L a r s72 M F tt A L 41 E L u WW 41 *F Bristol S C 23 MAC a s w 40 a a JE S 17 JWS tt AW 20 It it s s 51 M C u L W 10 a a S L 10 J L a N W 10 a a GSZB 19 JLB tt JGW 6 it Hopkinton H C 72 WGG tt N H 60 a A N 9 S N Richmond T L 53 MTK a J K 48 A K Portsmouth G M 11 B M it RSG 21 J G u C B 50 W M a D B 19 WB E. Greenwich HCG 15 JCG Westerly F T 62 J T tt S BB in L B a J C 68 s c it CHM 3 B M Cumberland E W 9 ASW Scituate N F 45 J W a M T ^r, L T Exeter SEE L2 L C it L B 11 J S Foster Z J 38 E J " F B 29 J s <( F P 50 B P a MFT 23 G T tt Z C 42 J P Charlestown E C 71 H C tt Z B 48 WSB a SEB 3 C B tt .TBS 15 c s *Fa Newport inily. J L 32 L L 77 47 males. 35 females. 82 Total. 30 pauper males at Asylums. 24 " females " 54 paupers. 82 all others. 136 Total number of Idiots and imbecile persons in R. Island. The following is a list of blind persons in the State of Rhode-Island, exclusive of paupers, and the initials of the per- sons with whom they reside, as per census, 1850. to > ji m .'£•£ Towns. .2 6 bB o* Towns. a> g to o ^ £ t's gfl § 93 v's $3 Warren s c30 L C Newport MCA 27 E T a s c 27 L C tt P E 73 GWE u EACE 23 M E a S W 79 GWL N. Providence WE 55 J W Foster T JB 45 TJB Tiverton A M 51 T S u A B 79 TJB n D M 10 M M N. Kingstown J B SO N. Shoreham F L GO a C N 39 a SF S 56 J S a V G 86 CLP tt D D 7(3 Smithfield D T 46 H S Coventry R M n CME 13 A E n J G 39 j w a J L 38 Glocester JCK 50 AK a S N 61 JMP tt M D 4 C G n A V 6S EWB S. Kingstown AHK 15 WK a E G 54 Exeter E S 57 E S a L S 74 A H « RBC 10 E S Hopkinton E R 25 Charlestown WH 17; t j it R B 83 P B Bristol WRG 35 RSG tt J L 7b u B M 32 J M it J B ss " N M 77 A M Cumberland A C 17 W C Newport G W 20 PWW Providence W F 16 J F it GDC 4 WEC a H Y 81 WHP it E P 42 J S a M B L2 a CBC 13 SAC a C HC 36 # *4tli ward 78 29 males. 19 females. 48 Total, exclusive of paupers, 6 pauper males. 6 " females. 60 Total blind persons now in the State of Rhode-Island. List of the deaf Mute in the State of Rhode-Island, exclu- sive of paupers with the initials of persons they are residing with, from census returns of 1850. S i-s .2 . 1 £■£ Towns. i a 8) o"S Towns. o g ll| "3 3 rH YS SS S 7-rjp Warren ABB J B N. Shoreham H D 37 JGD Johnston M D 9 J D (< R D 44 H D N. Providence c S 23 GLW Coventry c c 9 A C u S F •26 HNR Glocester GWW 16 J W Warwick MET 3C) W T a A S 29 w s a J B 26 GWB S. Kingstown C K 36 B K Burrillville 65 S S Scituate A H 6 AH it B AS 30 E A Foster n w64 S J Portsmouth ES 46 S S Cranston C P 51 it M S 18 s s « I G 50 S L a swc| 40 LWC Newport E L 46 .ifiL K A S 61 c c u J L 44JGL Exeter D C 52 JDL a A L3S JGL it 1 A G 61 A G a E H 26 P H a WD 59 A G a B S 89 J T N. Kingstown j J R 22 S R n H S 20 S S u T D 60 R T it G C u G C a S D62 EWS a RAC 37 G C Smithfield CHS 19 JWS Cumberland A S 36 w s it WD 36 J D <( WF S 8 w s it D M 25 D M « FWC 5 R S it C M 22 D M L. Compton MEW 6 EW a M M 15 D M Providence L S 62 § Charlestown E T 28 JWT a H B 51 Hopkinton W S is L S Westerly M L 25 c s Jamestown *o C 17 P c it F L 21 c s Tiverton JWD 15 WRD a GHS 62 W B « S M M J M it M B 31 TBK N. Shoreham a 4 *ND N D 1= Blin d. t 50 40 in - JGD JGD anc. a t Colored. $3d wai G G d. 11 C PG 79 34 males, exclusive of paupers. 25 females, " " 4 male paupers. 1 female " 64 Total Deaf and Dumb, in the State. [The number of paupers in the foregoing tables of Insane, Idiotic, Blind and Deaf and Dumb is taken from the tables under the heads of the respective towns in this report.] STATE APPROPRIATION FOR THE EDUCATION OF THE DEAF AND DUMB, AND THE BLIND. At its winter Session in 1845, the Legislature of Rhode Island, appropriated the annual sum of $1500, (if called for) for the education of the Deaf and Dumb, and the Blind, pro- viding that not more than $100 should be paid for the bene- fit of any one pupil per annum. Believing that it would be generally interesting, both to the members of the General Assembly, and the people of the State, to know what good, if any, had resulted from this philanthropic act, — I have taken the liberty to address a note of inquiry to Mr. Weld, the superintendent of the American Asylum for the Deaf and Dumb, at Hartford, and also one to Dr. Howe, the superin- tendent of the Perkins Institution for the Blind, in Boston — these being the two institutions in reference to which, more particularly, the appropriation was made. As the education of Idiots seems to be attracting a good deal of attention of late, several institutions having been established recently for this object in Europe, and in this country, I included in my note to Dr. Howe, inquiries on that subject, also — having un- derstood that an experimental institution for the education of Idiots had been lately commenced in Boston or its vicinity, under his auspices. The following are copies of the replies I have received. American Asylum, Dec. 17th, 1850. I am happy to furnish the information you desire respect- ing the beneficiaries of Rhode-Island, who have been or are now pupils of this institution. You must allow me, how- ever, to be as short as possible, as I am particularly busy at this season of the year. 80 NAMES. RESIDENCE. AGE. ADMISSION. DISMISSION. a s Portsmouth, 25 y'rs, May 1845, May 1847. P s u 20 u (C (( » « M E S it 14 « (( If u a F L Hopkinton, 26 it M a April 30, 1846. J B Warwick, 20 « Aug. 1845, April 29, 1847. CHS Glocester, 15 a May 1846, April 24, 1850 PAW Johnston, 8 it May 1846, Now here. J W D Tiverton, 13 u May 1847, a (< S W T Glocester, 11 it May 1847, a ct MET Warwick, 10 a May 1847, a it M M Smithfield, 13 n May 1848, a a S G G Hopkinton, 11 it July 1849, it a G G Westerly, 10 C( May 1850, cc tt As to the progress made by these persons whilst under in- struction, or are now making, I would say, (premising, how- ever, that the given ages were those to which the pupils had attained when first admitted as beneficiaries,) that the first two made very good improvement, considering their ages ; and that they were removed by their friends much against their own and our wishes at the end of two years. The third was less promising, and did not learn so well ; but probably might have been made a tolerable scholar, had she remained five or six years. A. — (the first named) is respectably married to a deaf man, in this State, and both she and her husband sustain unexceptionable characters, and are industrious and in com- fortable circumstances. P. — (the second named) is a smart, active, upright, good young man ; getting a good living and laying up some proper- ty", as I believe — and with good prospects of usefulness and happiness. M. — (the third named) I suppose is with her family friends, but I know little of her future prospects. F. L. — is a woman of good character, now living in Hart- ford, and supporting herself well by her needle. She had been a pupil here for several years before she became a bene- ficiary, and most of the time since has beed employed in the domestic service of the Asylum. 81 I. B. — is a mechanic ; was supported two or three years by his father, and one and a half by the State. I have heard of his being industrious and successful in his business since he left us, and that he has lately married. His standing as a scholar was pretty good, and I think that there is good reason to expect that he will do well in life. C. H. S. — was with us four years ; his attainments were re- spectable. He was ingenious at his trade and in other ways, and I have lately received a letter from him, which is respect- ably composed, and in which he expresses a desire to be use- fully employed, as he has been a portion of the time since he left us — but complains that his health has obliged him to leave one or two good situations. He has some peculiarities of termperament, and requires judicious management — which I should think his father was capable of exercising. I there- fore hope that he may yet do well. The remaining seven on the list are now with us, and with one exception, are doing well ; the exception is , a boy of weak intellect, and it is doubtful whether he will be able to make much improvement. The others are bright, promising children ; destined, we trust, to finish their course here reputably, and to become fitted for usefulness and hap- piness in life. I am glad that you propose to speak of the indigent Deaf and Dumb in your report. I think that there must be a num- ber of suitable age for instruction, who have hitherto been overlooked. I recollect the general object of your appoint- ment, as I was present when it was made, and cannot doubt that you have procured a mass of most valuable information, the publication of which I trust will do great good. I am very respectfully your friend, LEWIS WELD. To T. R. Hazard. Perkins Institution and Massachusetts Asylum ) for the Blind. — Boston, Dec 27, 1850. > Many of the inquiries in your note may be answered by reference to the enclosed report, more satisfactorily perhaps, than in a brief note. 11 82 The experimental school for Idiots has been thus far satis- factory. In eight out of ten cases, the improvement is very marked and decisive. Their filthy habits are corrected — they observe the laws of decency — they can feed themselves, dress themselves, and do many things which they could not do before. They are gradually acquiring the use of speech, and some can read and count. The most we can expect to do is to correct all unseemly and vicious habits ; to make them observant of decency ; to strengthen the body and give activity and dexterity to the limbs, and to train them to simple manual labor. We take pupils from without the state at various prices, — from $150 to $500 per annum, according to their condition and the pecuniary ability of their parents. We are obliged to seek other means than the allowance from the State, for the support of the Institution. It is probable that after this year, we shall receive pupils from other States, at $150 per annum. In our institution for the Blind, there are now seven pupils from Rhode-Island, upon our list of State beneficiaries, for whom the State pays $100 each, per annum, and their friends agree to pay $50 in addition, per annum. Their names are w. h. of Bristol, aged 17. o. c. of Jamestown, " 20. c. c. of Newport, " 13. e. e. of Warren, " 22. a. k. of S. Kingstown, " 14. j. h. g. of Newport, " 13. m. d. of " « 13. They are all doing very well. I really wish that you would make us a visit, and examine these young persons ; you would find them bright and intelligent, as well versed in com- mon school studies, as youth in your best schools ; con- siderably proficient in music, and expert at handicraft work. One of them you know, Oliver Caswell, deaf as well as blind. He is not with us this term. If I can give you any further information, please command me. Very faithfully yours, S. G. HOWE. To T. R. Hazard. 83 STATE APPROPRIATION FOR THE RELIEF OF INSANE PERSONS. At its last Winter Session, the General Assembly appropri- ated the annual sum of $1000 for the relief of those insane persons in Rhode-Island, whose pecuniary resources were not sufficient without further aid, to enable their friends to place them at the " Butler Hospital ;" provision being made in the Act, that not more than $50 per annum, should be granted for the maintenance of any one patient. It must be highly gratifying to your best feelings to know that your charitable appropriation has already been productive of much good. The statistics under the head of " Butler Hospital," contain- ed in this report, show that there were recently 12 recipients of this bounty, in that institution ; and I am informed by the Governor of the State, who, by law, is made the dispen- ser of this fund, that he has granted in all, certificates for the relief of eighteen applicants. I know that there have been some families relieved by this timely charity of the State — who would themselves have much rather gone down with their afflicted relatives to the tomb, than to have been com- pelled to have consigned them to the horrors and degrada- tions which have become associated with the name of a poor house ; and through which terrible ordeal most of the towns in the State compel all to pass, however deserving they may be, before they even permit their friends to ask for public aid, to enable them to place their helpless and afflicted rela- tives at a Hospital founded by charitable funds, contributed especially for the benefit of the poor. Among other cases of suffering, which the bounty of the State has contributed to relieve, I am acquainted with one of a peculiar and most distressing character. It is that of a native of the town of Glocester, by the name of Willard Wade, who is now about sixty-three years of age. I have been informed that when young, this man was apprehended and about to be tried for the crime of having fired some building ; but it being manifest that he was de- ranged in intellect, he was delivered into the care of his rela- tives, upon his father giving bonds to the town, that he should not in future be suffered to go at large. From that time forward, he was kept in custody by the family until his 84 father's death ; who left by will, some rather unproductive looking property in the higher parts of Glocester, to a young man (who I believe had married a relative of the testa- tor) upon condition that he should support and look after his insane son, during his natural life. My attention was first directed to this case by Elisha Dyer, Jr., a benevolent and well known citizen of Providence, who, in two written com- munications of different periods addressed to me, detailed some of the facts and expressed much sympathy for the suf- ferer, and an earnest desire that he might be relieved. Un- der the kind direction and aid of Mr. Dyer, and of his friend in Glocester, Otis Sayles, who accompanied me, I visited Willard Wade, on the 27th of last 7th month. We found him about four miles from Chepachet, in an up hill direction, locked into an out-house some six or eight feet square ; into which, after some difficulty, we succeeded in obtaining en- trance. The room was as comfortless and filthy as could be imagined, and did not appear as if it had been cleansed for years. The apology for a bed was completely rotten and saturated with ordure. In this room, or in one similar to it, I was credibly informed, this poor man had been imprisoned for thirty-three years — nearly thirty of which he had been chained by the leg ; which limb then bore unmistakable marks of the iron that had lacerated the flesh ; the latter being much discolored and seemingly united in one solid mass with the bones and sinews. And yet, strange to say, I was forci- bly struck with the remarkable benignant and good humored expression of the sufferer's countenance. Both his looks and words breathed, as it were, the very milk of human kindness. Although he conversed freely and tolerably rationally, still he uttered no complaint. Neither did he exhibit any indication of suffering — unless as such might have been interpreted a sigh, which seemed unconsciously to escape from his lips, as he dropped, (after standing sometime,) heavily into his seat. My attention was directed to his feet, which were thrust into the lower extremities of what appeared to have been a pair of old boots. Upon being asked, (and not before,) he drew forth a foot, — one of the toes was entirely rotted off; the re- maining four, were black and matterated, as was also the ex- 85 tremity of his foot for some inches adjoining. This was caused, as I was told, by his feet having been frozen, I think the previous winter. No time was lost in seeking the keep- er of the poor maniac, who readily consented to remove the sufferer to the Butler Hospital, and to contribute all that he could afford (as he said) towards his maintenance in that insti- tution. With the aid of funds received from Governor An- thony, in behalf of the State, he was immediately removed to the Hospital, where I have frequently seen him since. He now appears entirely well ; his dreadful wounds being healed. He always recognizes me — has something cheerful to say — • makes inquiries about things in the south part of the State — ■ and, in compliment as I suppose, to what he deems to be a sectarian peculiarity in my character, converses with me in the plain language. METHODS OF KEEPING THE PUBLIC POOR. By referring to the communications received from the au- thorities of the different towns in the State, in answer to the queries proposed — it will be seen that four different modes are pursued by the towns in maintaining their poor. 1st. By venduing them to the lowest bidder. 2d. By contracting for their maintenance, with an indi- vidual, or individuals, through the agency of a committee or otherwise. 3d. By placing all the poor in one Asylum, owned by the town. 4th. By placing all such in an Asylum as are bereft of home and friends, and administering out-door relief to such as have. The cruelty and injustice of the first mentioned of these systems — that of venduing the poor, and compelling them to live with the man who will take them off the town for the least sum — is so obvious, that it seems almost insulting to the understanding, to attempt to prove it wrong. We are all more or less, creatures of habit. By becoming familiar with the most hideous objects, they lose in our eyes, half their de- 86 formity. And this tendency in our nature is, perhaps, all that can be offered in palliation of this wretched system. When stripped of all disguise, selling the poor to the lowest bidder, is simply offering a reward for the most cruel and avaricious man that can be found to abuse them. Without making con- tinual sacrifices from year to year, it is impossible under such a system, that a conscientous man should long continue to be their care-taker. Supposing that by accident or otherwise, a humane man should become their purchaser — he would feel it to be his duty not only to lodge and feed them well, but likewise to clothe them well. As the annual sale draws near, the avaricious eye of an unprincipled townsman has in- ventoried their apparel. With scarcely the addition of a patch it can be made, in his estimation, to cover the nakedness of his intended victims another whole year. His bidding in town meeting is graduated accordingly, against that of their present keeper, whose conscience would compel him to keep the clothing of the poor constantly good — and thus, unless he is both able and willing to submit to annual sacrifices, he must surrender the poor into the hands of one who buys them to obtain a reward by their oppression. But, say the advocates of the system, (perhaps,) we allow none but good men to bid them off — we appoint committees to visit the poor, and we take bonds of their keeper that they shall be well treated. This may all sound very well to an inexperi- enced ear — but really it is but adding the sin of mockery to the still more heinous sin of oppressing and selling the poor. Bad men are not unfrequently good politicians. Such often hold the balance of power in small towns ; and who, espe- cially when party spirit runs high, let me ask, is to throw themselves between such men and their prey, should they re- solve to purchase the poor themselves — or confer them on a partisan of dubious politics but of undisputed depravity. The very man, in all probability, through whose influence the poor have thus been sold to secure a wavering vote, becomes both the surety and overseer of their keeper. This system is mainly practised in agricultural towns — and let me ask, is there a man in any one of these, who aspires to the name of a farmer, who would in any contingency, offer his cattle at 87 auction to be kept by the lowest bidder, and depend 'solely for their good treatment on such security as is taken for that of their pauper poor ? Would he not ridicule such a proposi- tion ? Would not the strong common sense that seems na- tive to our] soil, instinctively teach him, that no bonds nor supervision could compel a dishonest man to fulfil such a con- tract; to his own injury. There would be a cheat somewhere. Bog hay would be substituted for English; or .the straw f r on which it was contracted thatthe cattle should lie, would be given them for provender. It is high time that this'miserable system of venduing the poor, revolting alike to common hu- manity and to every precept of the christian religion, was abolished in our land. Out of it have grown some of the most dreadful abuses that have ever been perpetrated by man on his fellow man. Through it, numberless open as well as secret and unheard of cruelties have been inflicted on poor, feeble, helpless, down-trodden, broken-spirited fellow mor- tals — placed by their afflictions and misfortunes beyond the pale of our civil, legal, social, and religious institutions; de- livered over to be tormented, by the most cruel of their spe- cies, with no friend on earth to appeal to — with none to com- plain to, save the righteous God in Heaven, who has promised that he will hear the cry of the poor and needy, and fearfully avenge their wrongs. Doubtlessly there are instances (and I have seen such) where the poor have been and are now made comfortable under this system — but such instances form ex- ceptions rather than make a general rule. The method adopted by some towns of contracting with individuals to keep their poor — making their comfort the first and prominent object, is far less objectionable than that of venduing ; and when carried out in good faith and in a liber- al spirit, is perhaps quite as good a system as that adopted by towns that own Asylums, where all the poor are compelled to go without distinction. To separate an old person from a home that they have long been accustomed to, be it ever so homely, is very much like tearing an old tree from the ground, be it ever so poor, in which it has grown. Though you con- vey the one to a more splendid house, and transplant the other into a more genial soil, they will both, in all probabili- 88 ty, soon wither and die. It is cruel when the few grains of sand are running low in life's glass, to rend an old man from the discomforts, (if you please) of a home, around which are entwined the cherished remembrances of his childhood's days, and send him away to die. Better leave him to breathe his last sigh where his first breath was drawn — to look for the last time on the sun from the window, through which he first gazed on its beams. The 4th named system, adopted by some towns, viz : to own an Asylum to which all persons who are destitute of a home and friends are sent, and to administer out-door relief to such as have, is probably the most humane and christian- like plan that in the present state of society, can be pursued. It is urged by some, against this plan, that, by adopting it, the public is liable to be subjected to imposition. To meet this it might be said, that other plans subject the poor to impositions, which they are quite as unable to bear as the public. It is a maxim I believe, in law, that it is better that nine guilty persons should escape, than that one innocent per- son should be condemned. This is a sound, christian-like maxim, and one that will apply as well in our relations with the poor, as with criminals — nay, far more so, for in most cases of imposition practised by the poor on the public, the agents of the public are a party to them, in some degree. They sometimes designedly connive at what they know to be imposition, to save trouble or to silence importunity — or they designedly betray their trust to gratify friendly feelings, or minister to some of the thousand little hidden and indis- crible ramifications of selfishness, that pervade the social fabric. No individual or community was ever yet made poor by the practice of a liberal, discriminating charity — carried out in good faith — void of any selfish motives lurking at heart, and found- ed solely on love to God and his creatures. Look where we will, we shall find that those communities that are the most forward in promoting good and liberal things, are ever the most prosperous, even in pecuniary affairs — and by far the most blessed in other respects. They are twice blessed — in blessing others, they are blessed themselves. They give unto the poor, and it is returned unto them again ; good measure pressed down, shaken together and running over. 89 I feel great confidence in recommending this mixed plan of granting relief to their poor, to every town in the State which has not yet adopted it. In building an Asylum, I would re- commend that it should be placed on a public road, and on good land if it is to be procured — such as is suited to garden and fruit culture, that the inmates of the house should not be obliged to go far to their work, and expose themselves to the vicissitudes of the weather, far from any shelter. Being situated on a road renders the house easy of access to the public, and brings its affairs more or less before the people who pass it — this operates as a safeguard in some measure for the good treatment of the poor. Besides these advantages, the passing and little incidents that occur on the road tend not a little to dissipate the tedious*ness that often connects it- self with the monotonous life the old and decrepid are forced to lead. There may be counter advantages in some instances, that would render a situation off the road, and perhaps near the water, preferable ; but I believe that such will not often occur. Every citizen of the town should take an interest in their Asylum and occasionally visit it — which they will not be liable to do so often if it be located in a place difficult of access, as they would if situated on a road that they neces- sarily pass in attending to their daily concerns. KEEPERS OF ASYLUMS. However essential it may be for the comfort of the poor, that good buildings with convenient arrangements, furniture, &c, should be provided for their accommodation — still all these things are secondary to that of the character and dispo- sition of their keeper. On that appointment will their well or ill being mainly depend. If he be a kind, considerate, conscientious man, the mechanical conveniences of the home of the poor will be made to contribute to the utmost of their capacity, to their comfort. But if he be a hasty, brutal and ignorant man, all these conveniences will be of no avail. The sufferer on the rack experienced, formerly but little mo- dification of misery, whether his tortures were inflicted un- 12 90 der the eye of Royalty, in the splendid halls of the Inquisi- tion, or were perpetrated by its sattelites, in its gloomy dun- geons beneath. From circumstances which have come to my knowledge, I am satisfied that the keeper of an Asylum may establish as complete a despotism in his little domain, as exists on earth — and that such things have been done, among us. It is sometimes made too much of an object in hiring the keeper for an Asylum, to procure a good laborer for the farm, rather than a good care-taker for the poor. And I fear that there are instances where keepers are allowed to under- stand that the more labor they can get performed by the poor, the better satisfaction they will give their employers. It seems no more than just that such of the poor as are able to work, should be employed in labor according to their ability ; but if inconsiderate young men are placed over them and en- couraged to over work the poor, great oppression may be caused by it. When the spirit is broken, as in the case of most of the elderly inmates of poor houses, labor is hard to perform, and it is unreasonable to require as much service of such, as of laborers of the same apparent physical ability, who work for hire. In visiting the poor houses it was my lot to arrive at some of them late in the day, and I have observed in some instan- ces that old men, who had been engaged in labor, had retired early to bed and seemed worried and fatigued. However amiable he may be in character, it is scarcely possible that a young man should be a proper keeper of the poor. Buoyant with joyful expectancy and full of the vigor and health of youth, himself, — he cannot rightly estimate or make due al- lowances for the infirmities of old age. He cannot realize the change that comes over the spirit of man as he advances in life, even when attended by every outward blessing, much less when old age comes on, accompanied by all the priva- tions of poverty and want. He has not yet felt that the arm of man is unnerved for toil when his spirit becomes weary of the world. I would prefer that the keeper of an Asylum should not be less than 50 years of age — of a gentle and considerate, but of a firm disposition ; and that his wife should be of the 91 same character. His mind should have been expanded by reading, or by a general intercourse with mankind — and he should have a good knowledge of human nature. EXTRACTS FROM RULES AND REGULATIONS OF PORTSMOUTH ASYLUM. To show that there is a necessity of some State supervis- ion over the public poor in Rhode-Island, I have thought best to present for your consideration, the following extracts from the Rules of the Portsmouth Asylum. Rule 14th. No one of the poor shall go off the farm with- out permission from the Commissioners or Keepers — every one who obtains their permission, shall return in good order, at the appointed time ; if any one is suspected of bringing strong liquors or stolen property into the said Asylum, or on the farm, the keeper shall search such persons, and if found guilty, shall be punished as the Commissioners, or any one of them, may direct. 16th. In all cases of solitary confinement for criminal conduct, the person shall be debarred from seeing or convers- ing with any person, except the Commissioners, the Keeper, or the persons employed to supply their wants, and their food shall consist of bread and water ; and shall be kept in con- finement as long as the Commissioners, or any one of them, may direct. 18th. If any person maintained in the Asylum, shall wil- fully deface walls, or break the windows of the house, or in- jure any of the premises ; or shall disturb the house by con- versing loud, or shall quarrel, abuse, or strike any of the fam- ily ; or shall behave disrespectfully towards any of those having the care and charge of the house ; or shall drink to excess, or be guilty of theft or embezzlement, or shall profane- ly curse and swear, or be guilty of lying, shall be put into the dark room and there kept as long as the Commissioners or any one of them may direct. 20th. If any person capable of working, shall refuse or neglect to work, or shall be idle and will not perform the task for him or her prescribed, or is allotted ; or shall spoil or 92 waste any thing delivered to him or her, or shall violate any of the orders of the keeper or keepers, shall be punished as the Commissioners or any one of them may direct. I believe that it was a maxim of some ancient sage or phy- losopher — that, that government toas the best, which gave equal protection to its citizens, without distinction of persons. If I understand the theory of our own republican institu- tions, they are sought to be based on this maxim. Our laws are not intended to be framed in reference to persons, but to things. It supposes the administrators of the law, to be deaf and blind to all but the facts relating to the subject before them. Under the same circumstances the same judge- ment is to be meted to the rich and the poor, the little and the great. It is a maxim of our laws that the punishment shall not exceed the offence. The Constitution of our country declares " that cruel and unusual punishments shall not be inflicted." Now admitting the extremity of poverty to be a crime — in the name and in behalf of the pauper poor of the State, in all seriousness, I respectfully ask you as conservators of the rights and privileges of the people of Rhode-Island, to define what the punishment of that crime shall be. It seems that there is one town, at least, in the State, who, in virtue of authority delegated by you to them to provide for the care of their own poor, have decided poverty to be a crime of so deep a dye, that any one found guilty of the of- fence within its jurisdiction, shall no longer be deemed worthy to partake of the inestimable privileges of an American citi- zen. Henceforth, such persons are taken from under the protection of the institutions of their country, and compelled to submit to laws made especially for their government, and of so severe a character, that for offences so venial as not to entitle them to be reckoned even as misdemeanors in na- tional or state jurisprudence, they are condemned to under- go punishments that would be deemed unusually severe for our State courts to impose for the commission of most fla- grant crimes. The operation of these arbitrary laws are ren- dered still more galling from the fact, that their administra- tion is solely entrusted to one person, from whose decision 93 there is no appeal, and who is empowered to act totally irre- sponsible to any other authority ; neither is he obligated to render any account of his acts to any earthly tribunal whatever. You will observe that in one short section of the laws passed by the town of Portsmouth for the government of their Asylum for the poor, there are thirteen offences enumerated, for the commission of any one of which, it is made the imperative duty of the commissioner to sentence the criminal to solitary imprisonment in a dungeon, there to be kept on bread and water during his pleasure. So com- pletely are all the safeguards that have been reared for the protection of the rights and liberties of American citizens, annulled in this unmitigated despotism, that the keeper of the Asylum frequently becomes in his own person, accuser, wit- ness, and executioner of the law. When it is considered that this Asylum is insulated from public inspection, that a great part of its inmates for many years past, have been in- sane and idiotic, and most of the remainder, old and decrepid persons, it will require neither testimony nor argument to convince men acquainted with human nature, that the poor of this town must have been subjected to great wrongs. — Neither could such men fail to perceive, that in case the keep- er of the Asylum should happen to be a man of a tyrannical and ferocious character, that he would be likely soon to usurp all the powers of the despotism, and administer as well as ex- ecute the laws himself. That such a man might be guilty of the greatest enormities in a community over which he could exert so despotic a power, there can be no doubt. It will be observed that one offence thought worthy of solitary confine- ment during pleasure, is lying. By one of the rules it is made the duty of a commissioner or of the keeper to read the laws to the inmates of the Asylum once a month. It is to be presumed that if any person in the establishment should ven- ture to make any demonstration of complaining of his or her treatment, that in reading the 18th section of the laws already quoted, a significant glance by the keeper to the rebellious pauper and thence toward the dark hole, would convey a hint sufficient to prevent any exposures. It seems to have become an established maxim with some people that all of the public 94 poor are liars, and with such the keeper's word would doubt- less be sufficient to convict any pauper of being guilty of that offence, and consequently a complaint entered to the visiting commissioner would most likely result in the complainant being sentenced to the dungeon for his temerity. Let no one suppose that this is an idle sketch of fancy, and that these laws are never executed. In a community, where a majority can be found to enact such laws, depend upon it individuals will be found to execute them ; and that such have been found, not only to execute, but even to abuse them, I have not the least doubt. Turn not lightly from the contempla- tion of these outrages because the poor only are liable to suffer by them ; we know not who may be poor. We know not but that our mothers, our wives, our sisters, our daughters, may yet become the inmates of a poor house ; what then if, through the operation of such laws as these, they become subjected to a ruffian's lawless will ; what if a widowed wife, or a gray haired mother, at some future day, rendered des- perate by oppression, (which is said to make a wise man mad,) should, for daring to complain, be cast into a dungeon and there fed on bread and water, with only a plank to lie upon for days and nights together. And yet would not this be a fit retribution for those who, knowing of such things and having the power to remedy them, refused to do so ? Why, it was precisely wrongs like these, that once capped the climax of human forbearance and drove a nation mad — that made all France to rise in mass and with gigantic fury, hurl from his throne their monarch to the grave, raze the fabric of the Bastile and tear its dungeons from the ground. The Bastile, once a word of fear throughout the world ; its very name had power to chill the heart and make the blood to pause in terror ; and yet, the victims of tyranny confined within its cells, suffered none the more for the celebrity of their prison-house. The dungeon of Portsmouth has scarcely been heard of beyond the^boundaries of that town, and yet its victims suffer none the less. The bread and the water of the captive in the Bastile was probably as sweet as that given to the eeble old j woman or the broken spirited old man in the 95 dungeon of Portsmouth ; the stone seat of the one, was no harder than that of the other ; the darkness all the same. — What then conferred such terror on the name of the Bastile ? It certainly was not the stone and mortar of which it was builded as other prisons are. No, it was that in its dungeons lay the victims of a tyrants will ; there, condemned to suffer at his caprice, without trial and without law. It was this, and not the prison itself, that nerved with hate the nations arm, and fired that fierce volcanic burst of frenzy that del- uged France with blood. THE INSANE. By reference to the statistics accompanying this report, it will be seen that besides 58 patients in the Butler Hospital at their charge, the towns maintain in all 85 insane paupers at their several Asylums and poor-houses. Of these I find noted in my memorandum book the following names of persons, who, as far as my very limited knowledge of the character of insanity will permit me to judge, are fit subjects for hospital treatment. East Greenwich. — Abigail Williams,* aged 42 years, con- fined in a grated room ; a well looking woman and conversed quite coherently. Warren. — Ellen Mason and Betsey Chase, each aged about 42 years, chained near each other to the floor and had been most of the time for 4 years or more ; both were well looking women and both conversed coherently. Foster. — Eliza Hale, about 40 years of age, a poor suffering object, insane in mind and affected with a most distressing- spasmodic affection in her throat — also, Hazard Wilcox, of the same town, 46 years of age, a well looking man, then chained and had been for the last seven years. *Since this report has been read I have been informed by the present sheriff of Kent county, Mr. Bateman, that this woman was removed sometime after my visit to the Greenwich Asylum, and placed in a private family, where she received kind treatment — under which, she has completely recovered her reason, and is now well and at liberty. 96 Glocester. — Mary Valet, 72 years of age. Asenath An- drews, of the same town, 45 years of age ; insanity caused by loss of property. Coventry. — Betsey Whitman, 50 years of age, confined in a small filthy room. Lydia Jourdan, (also of Coventry) about 30 years of age. Bristol. — David Cornell, 54 years of age, a most pitiful ob- ject. Mary B. Cornell,* of same town, 50 years of age. Portsmouth. — Mary Slocum, aged 60 years, has been chained for many years ; also a colored man has been brought to this Asylum since I visited it, and is now chained there, as I am informed. Jamestown. — Mary Weeden, aged 70, with the keeper of the poor in South Kingstown, who informed me that he was obliged to lock her out of her room days, or she would not sleep nights, nor allow others in the house to do so, on ac- count of the noise she made — was very clamorous when I saw her. South Kingstown. — Sally Cory, aged 66, confined to her room at times, has been insane about 4 years and is very boisterous. One other young woman in same town, who has since my visit been sent to the butler Hospital. The above mentioned 16 cases are all that I know of at the Asylums or poor houses of the State that I should feel warranted in recommending being sent to a Hospital ; al- though, as I have before said, I do not by any means feel that I am competent to judge correctly on the subject. Most of the cases of insanity in our Asylums for the poor are of long standing and are probably incurable. Where such as these are under the care of kind and considerate keepers, it seemed to me that they were as well situated as they could be if placed in a large institution, where they would necessarily be subjected to more restraint, and where congenial occupation could not be so readily furnished them as at an Asylum where there were but few insane persons residing. But then, there is this difference in favor of the hospitals : in such an institu- tion the insane are always insured uniform and kind treatment — whereas, in a town Asylum a change of keepers may sub- *Sincc deceased, as I am informed. 97 ject the poor maniac to the most brutal treatment, and it will matter but little to him whether this is the effect of malice or of the ignorance of his care-taker. I do not mean that these remarks should be understood to apply to cases of recent insanity — all such, I am decidedly of opinion, should be placed at once under Hospital treatment. And so should all those cases of longer standing, that cannot be controlled at town Asylums without resorting to chains, to close cofmement, or to personal abuses. In the absence of a Hospital for the insane, there seemed to be some semblance of an apology for the dreadful treatment which such persons have heretofore been subjected to in our State — but we no longer have that excuse ; and I hope and trust that the day is near at hand, when such abuses will be classed among the most flagrant crimes that are commited on earth — and when communities who sanction them, will be placed without the pale of civil society. Already has there been great progress made in this direction. It is but a very few years since, that men and women, innocent of crime, were chained in dens and caves, and cells, and there left for years together ; shut from the light of day, without clothes or fire to shield or warm them. Astonishing as it may seem, I am credibly in- formed, that a small building that formerly stood in the high- way, in the town of Jamestown, has latly been removed, in which an insane man by the name of Armstrong had been confined for nearly twenty years, the year round without fire. But what renders this still more astonishing and almost pass- ing belief, is, that the building was elevated on posts some feet from the ground, and the floor made of slats, with spaces be- tween them, after the manner of a corn crib — that the excre- ments of the prisoner might be allowed to pass, and thereby prevent the necessity of cleansing his house. He died sud- denly ; and in preparing his corpse for the grave, many splin- ters of wood and straws were found imbeded in his flesh, where they had probably been forced by painful writhings on his prison floor. I lately saw a poor woman at the Newport Asylum, by the name of Rebecca Gibbs, who had once known better days, but had lost her reason in consequence of disappointed affec- 13 98 lion, about 30 years since ; from which time she had been a charge to the town. This poor creature was, as it were, com- pletely folded up ; her lower limbs being drawn up closely to her breast, so that her knees and chin nearly or quite meet. From this position they are never relaxed. I was told by a Commissioner of the poor, who accompanied me, that this re- volting deformity was solely occasioned by the poor creature having in years past, been shut up for several winters in a cell, without fire, and without clothes, (for the last, as is common with maniacs, she tore from her limbs,) where she endeavored to screen herself as much as possible from the se- verity of the cold, by placing her body and limbs in as com- pact a form as she was able to, and that thus the sinews and muscles had contracted and adapted themselves to the posi- tion in which her limbs had been mechanically forced by the extremity of the weather. But very different from this, indeed, appears to be the treatment which the insane receive in this Asylum, at the present day. I believe that I visited it at a time quite un- expected by the superintendent, and by all concerned in its management ; and although there were then 26 insane pau- pers in the Institution, I found them all at liberty, save one old man ; who, I was told by the Commissioner, was only temporally confined in his room for some misdemeanor, and would be released the next day, which I have no doubt was done. Taking into consideration that these were nearly or quite all old cases of insanity, I was forcibly struck with the strong evidence it exhibited in favor of the judicious treat- ment of the insane inmates of that Asylum, and felt almost convinced that there was no real necessity for the use of chains and prisons, in the treatment of the insane. And I am most decidedly of the opinion that if such means are to be used, they should only be applied under the skilful and humane direction of men who have made the proper treat- ment of subjects of this dreadful malady the study and busi- ness of their lives. If men of inexperience, or of uncultivated or depraved minds, are allowed to imprison, or qhain their fellow crea- 99 tures at their pleasure or caprice, it matters not what may be the pretext, great abuses will inevitably occur. It is but a few days since, that, in answer to inquiries I made with regard to the condition of a colored man, I have before alluded to, who was taken lately from the Butler Hos- pital and placed at the Asylum of the town of Portsmouth ; that I understood the President of the Council of that town to say, — that this man was very well, but that on account of a habit he had of going to the closet and helping himself to bread and butter, he was then chained, it not being thought safe that he should use a knife, as he did in cutting the bread, &c. Still more recently, I understood the overseer of the poor of the same town to say, that this colored man was peaceable and inoffensive, but that he got in the way of the people engaged in the domestic concerns of the poor house, and that he was therefore chained to keep him away. For the relief of such cases as this, I am satisfied that there is the most urgent need of some State legislation. In vain will ever be all appeals to the humanity of a community, the ma- jority of which sanction and defend such abuses. For some years great efforts have occasionally been made by the more humane portion of the people of the town of Portsmouth, to relieve their insane poor, but without effect. They have not only been uniformly out voted in their town meetings, but it has been too evident that their exertions in behalf of the poor maniacs have only tended to rivit more firmly their chains. However divided on other subjects, all parties seem there to unite under the banner of oppression. It was on one of these occasions, when the question of relieving the insane poor was under discussion, that I heard a former Com- missioner of the poor, in a town meeting in Portsmouth, de- clare in a loud and boasting voice, that he had himself once severely flogged an insane person at their Assylum ; and to all appearances, the shamless avowal of his brutish exploit, excited the approbation rather than the disgust of the major- ity of the assembly. It was at this time that the most stren- uous efforts were put forth for the relief of a young man by the name of Dennis, who had been brought from Providence, (where he had been at work at his calling, which was that of 100 a carpenter,) a raving maniac, and not only chained at the Portsmouth Asylum, but absolutely baled, as it were, in sack- cloth. I remember, whilst he lay in this situation, putting an apple beside him, which he eat after the manner of a brute, by gnawing it as well as he could as it rolled about on the floor. The relations of this young man were among the most respectable and influential men in the town, and they made every exertion to procure his being sent to a curative Hospital. But it was all in vain. The god of Mammon was too strong for the angel of Mercy. It was some weeks or months after the failure of this effort to relieve poor Dennis, that I visited the Portsmouth Asylum in company with that inestimable friend of humanity, Dorothea L. Dix, and the late lamented Anna A. Jenkins. Death was then about to relieve the sufferer. The strong man lay prostrate and powerless in its grasp. Life's contest with its all conquoring foe, was near- ly over — I heard the fearful death-rattle in his throat — and I thought as I looked upon a Commissioner of the poor, then present, who had been active in opposing the removal of the dying man to a Hospital — that happy would it be for him, if, when the same pale messenger was sent to summon his spirit into the presence of a merciful but just God, that he might then be allowed to free himself from the guilt of the blood of his fellow creature, by the plea of ignorance. By the statistics contained in the report, it may be seen that the average time that ten of the insane paupers now at their Asylum, have been maintained by the town of Newport, is more than 25 years — thus showing that the town has been put to a charge for the support of ten persons only, of proba- bly not less than $12,000. Now, there can be but little doubt that a large proportion of these cases would have early recov- ered, had the subjects of them been sent to a good curative Hospital in the very earliest stages of their malady. Thus, besides the incalculable benefits resulting to the cause of hu- manity by restoring the patients to their friends and society, the public would have been relieved from a great part of the expenses of maintaining them ; and the restored persons would have themselves, been enabled to contribute by their labor to the productive property of the community, and not 101 improbably, in some instances, saved their families^or relations from coming to want and thus be thrown a burden on public charity. By recurring to the letter received from the overseer of the poor of the town of Westerly, it will be seen that he has adopted the humane plan of sending insane patients of that town to the Butler Hospital, and that two patients placed there by him, were both shortly restored to health. It will also be seen, by recurring to the letter received from the President of the Council of the town of North Kingston, that the people of that town have humanely decided hence- forth to keep their insane seperate from their sane poor. With the exception of the city of Providence, I do not know that any other towns than these two have adopted this laudable plan, unless it may be the town of Richmond, which, at the time of my visit, had no public poor, excepting an insane patient at the Butler Hospital. In alluding to North Kingstown, I was reminded of a most interesting case of insanity, brought to my notice in that town. It was that of an old man of about 74 years of age, by the name of William Whitman, who has been one of the public poor of North Kingstown for about 40 years. I was told by the keeper of their poor, (himself evidently a kind hearted man,) that this old man is so per- fectly harmless that he avoids, on all occasions, killing or hurting even the smallest insects, and that when at work in the field, he will carefully remove with his hand, the little bugs, worms, &c, that are in the way of his hoe, and put them one side, lest he should hurt them. I have thought it was a pity that many of our greatest, and what some might call best men, could not be visited with a degree of this most amiable species of insanity. And for one, I am free to de- clare, that, far rather would I, that the Almighty should dis- pense such an affliction as that to a child of mine, than that He should permit it to be cursed with hardness of heart, and a lack of sympathy with suffering, wherever it may exist. As a final argument to add to others, to prove to you that there does exist a necessity for some State legislation, not only to provide for the better care of the insane poor, but al- so to protect the sane poor from being abused by the insane, 5 u ill lay before you a statement, in nearly the same words 102 in which it was related to me in the presence of a substan- tial witness, on the 30th of last 9th month, by Caroline Albro, an inmate of the Portsmouth Asylum. I believe that the character of this poor woman for truth and veracity, will compare favorably with the best in the land ; and if uncom- plaining, quiet resignation to the Divine will, and meek and patient endurance of suffering under the most afflictive dis- pensations, is to obtain a reward hereafter — she will doubtless receive a large share. After stating that some years ago she saw the (then) keep- er strike old Thomas Durfee, an insane man of 80 years of age, a full blow with his fist on the side of his bald head, which staggered him — because he happened to be in the way ; and at another time, seeing old Hannah Lawton, a poor old crippled woman, lying on the floor unable to rise, without help ; having been, as she told her, knocked down by the keeper — and a few more trifling incidents of a similar character, Mrs. Albro proceeded to state — " that about six years ago, Mary Slocum, (an insane woman) struck my wrist with a fire hook, and shattered my wrist bone and knocked out my finger joint. I have suffered every thing with it ; I do now suffer much at times. Mary Slocum used frequently to strike the people here — and once struck me on the side of my head with her fist and hurt me considerably, but I soon got over it. Mary was once jamming a child, about a year old, against a chair. I was afraid that she would kill it, and took it up ; whereupon Mary seized a chair and struck me on the shoulder with it — on the same arm that she had before broken. My shoulder is still very lame in consequence of the blow — it is now nearly two years ago, since it was done. Mary came up one morning, where Miss Browning lay sick, and beat and hurt her considerably. Miss Browning died about six weeks or two months after this. I have suffered much for fear of the insane, and sometimes cannot sleep, for fear of being attacked by them. Last winter, I was in my room, which opens into the sitting room, where we usually sit, and I heard Mary Slocum attack Mrs. Cornell, an old wo- man of about 86 years of age. She beat her with a broom stick on the head, back, and arm, and bruised her arm badly 103 and hurt the bone — so that she could never after that, dress or undress herself. She used to groan and complain much of her arm — she died about two weeks after the beating. She had (previously) been subject to spells of short breath, and seemed to fail fast after being beaten. I was told by them, who were at the house before I came, and who are now dead and gone, that Mary used to beat them and hurt them much. Mary S locum once struck me at the table, on my hand with a knife, so as to make it bleed." On the same morning and after old Mrs. Cornell was so badly beaten, it so happened that I was at the Portsmouth Asylum, and I have no hesitation in saying that I believe her death was hastened by the beating she had received. Her arm was bound up and she appeared wild with excitement and fright and complained bitterly to me. This Mary Slo- cum was then chained, and I could liken the position she oc- cupied in that helpless family to nothing better than that of a wolf which a shepherd should keep chained in a fold and which was occasionally let loose to worry and devour the sheep, thus keeping them in a constant state of terror. The occasion of my visit to the Portsmouth Asylum at that time was to execute a commission which I had received from some excellent ladies in Philadelphia, to remove from the Asylum and place at board for life in a private family, at their expense, William R. Fales, one of the most remarkable and interesting young men with whom I was ever acquainted. For many years this young man had been afflicted with a rheumatic complaint to such a degree as not to be able to lie in any other position than on his side, neither could he turn or move himself in bed without assistance. His limbs were wrenched and distorted in the most shocking manner, and there was apparently scarcely a particle of flesh on them. He was in almost constant pain, which a great part of the time was excruciating ; yet through all his suffering his faith in the mercy and goodness of God never forsook him. To the last moment of his life his countenance retained a highly in- tellectual and almost heavenly expression. Whilst lying in this state he managed to write with a pencil many letters and some essays, which since his death have been arranged and 104 published by one of his female friends in Philadelphia, and altogether form an exceedingly interesting and instructive memoir. The sentiments expressed in some of his essays bear a striking resemblance to those of Fenelon, and seem to be breathed forth in the same gentle spirit. His mind was of the finest mould and of the highest order, and nothing but health and education was wanting to have rendered him one of the first of men. He was removed from the Asylum about a year since and placed in a family where he received every necessary attention, but at the expiration of about seven months he was visited with a complicated disease, of which he died, aged about 30 years. Gifted with an exceedingly sensitive mind and of a delicate physical organization, both rendered more keenly susceptible by a most painful malady, it may well be conceived how his sufferings must have been increased by the constant apprehension of being attacked, in his helpless and perfectly defenceless condition, by the insane. He used sometimes whilst at the poor house touchingly to re- mark to me that he passed many long and weary nights with- out sleep on account of excessive pain, and that when his pain abated he was sometimes kept awake by the ravings and bab- bling of an insane woman who occupied an adjoining room. By extracts from the late census, kindly furnished by the Marshal of this District, which I have incorporated in this re- port, it will be seen that the whole number of insane persons in this State, exclusive of paupers, are one hundred and forty in number, including fifteen at the Butler Hospital belonging to other parts. It is however, most probable, that there are an -equal or greater number than the last mentioned, at lunatic institutions without onr limits, that properly belong to this State. It will therefore appear by the census, and the returns from the poor houses and asylums, as I have collected them, that there were two hundred and eighty-three insane per- sons in all, within the borders of our State. This number, however, I think too small. I have myself detected some errors in the census returns and I fear that there are many others. By examining the tables that I have constructed from these returns, the members of the General Assembly can probably decide whether they are correct as far as their 105 respective towns that they individually represent, are con- cerned. I have heard that in some countries the most appalling out- rages have been committed under the plea of insanity, by relations and guardians, who, under the pretence that their wards were insane, have from sinister motive, immured them in prisons or dungeons until they really became so. But it is hardly possible that such abuses can occur in this country, and I know not that any legislation on that point is necessary. However this may be, I feel that it is a subject too delicate and intricate for me to approach. An able paper treating on the legal relations of the insane, was published in the Month- ly Law Reporter of September, 1850. It is from the pen of Dr. Ray, Superintendent of the Butler Hospital ; and is a sub- ject which he is qualified by both talent and experience to handle with a masters pen. IDIOTIC, DEAF AND DUMB, AND BLIND. Although the objects of my appointment does not embrace subjects of inquiry, that come under these heads, save so far as they are subjects of pauperism, I thought that as the statistics of the whole could be readily obtained with a very trifling additional expense, I would embody them in this report. By the returns of the late census, it appears that there are exclusive of paupers, 82 Idiotic and Imbecile persons in the State, which, added to the 54 pauper Imbeciles, as exhib- ited in the statements of my returns from the poor houses and Asylums, makes the total number in the State, 136 per- sons in all. By the same respective returns, it appears that there are 48 Blind persons in the State, exclusive of paupers — making a total with the addition of 12 paupers, of 60 persons in all, exclusive of 7 pupils at the Perkins Institution. By the same returns, there appears to be in the State, 59 Deaf mutes, exclusive of paupers — making a total, with the addition of 5 paupers, of 64 persons in all, exclusive of 6 pu- pils at the American Asylum for the Deaf and Dumb. 14 106 By these returns it appears that the relative number of In- sane paupers and all other Insane persons in the State, are as about — 1 pauper to 1 of all others. Idiotic, 1 " " H " Blind, 1 " " 4 Deaf and Dumb, 1 " " 13 " If these results are sufficiently conclusive to establish a general rule, it appears that the tendency of the terrible mal- ady of Insanity to pauperism, is 13 times greater than that of Deafness — 4 times greater than that of Blindness, and 50 per cent greater than that of Idiocy ; an interesting fact, if really proved to be so. PROPOSED LAWS AND AMENDMENTS. I will now respectfully present for your consideration, out- lines of such enactments as in the progress of my investiga- tions, it has occurred to me might be beneficial to the great cause of humanity, and redound to the honor and eventually to the interest of our State. 1st. That corporal punishment, and all imprisonment or confinemement in dark rooms, or in dungeons, be totally pro- hibited at Asylums for the poor, in Rhode-Island, by Statute law. 2d. That no pauper shall be closely confined or imprison- ed for a longer period than five days, for any one offence, un- der the authority of a town law, or of the regulations of an Asylum for the poor ; and that in all cases of close confine- ment, it shall be required of the Commissioner or officers of the Asylums or poor houses, to report the same to the Town Council or corresponding municipal authority as often as once in three months — stating the name of the pauper or paupers, together with their offence and the period of their confine- ment. 3d. That the use of chains in Asylums for the poor, or bonds intended to confine the limbs, be positively prohibited ; excepting in instances where they may be absolutely neces- sary to effect the removal of an insane person to a curative Hospital, or to transfer a pauper, charged with the commis- sion of crime, to the officers of the State. 107 4th. That after the passage of this Act, all persons who may become insane and chargeable to the public shall be placed at the Butler Hospital, provided they may be received there at a rate not exceeding that which is now charged by that Institution for the maintenance and treatment of Insane paupers. 5th. That the sum of fifteen dollars per quarter, for a year, be appropriated out of the State Treasury, towards the pay- ment of the maintenance of each insane pauper who may be placed at the Butler Hospital after the passage of this Act, and who shall have become insane after the first day of this present year.* 6th. That the annual sum already appropriated by law for the education of the Deaf and Blind be increased to the sum of $2000 per annum ; and that henceforth the provisions of the Act in all its specifications, be extended so as to include such idiotic pupils as may be placed at institutions now es- [*Since reading the Report, the following Acts have been passed by the Legislature.] AN ACT regulating the custody of Insane Paupers. It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows: — All persons who may become insane after the passage of this Act, and charge- able to the public, may be placed in the Butler Hospital, provided they may be re- ceived there at a rate not exceeding that which is now charged by that Institution, for the maintenance and treatment of insane paupers ; and the sum of fifteen dollars per quarter of a year, is hereby appropriated out of the State Treasury, to- wards the support and maintenance of each insane pauper who may be placed at the Butler Hospital, and who shall have become chargeable to any town in this State, since the thirty-first day of December, A. D. 1850. True copy — Witness, CHRIS. E. ROBBINS, Secy. AN ACT regulating the Confinement and Discipline of the Poor. It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows : — Section 1. Corporal punishment, and confinement in dark rooms or in dun- geons, are prohibited at Asylums and houses for the poor, in this State. Sec. 2. No pauper shall hereafter be closely confined at any such Asylum or poor house, for a longer period than five days for any one offence ; and in all cases of close confinement, it shall be the duty of the Commissioners and officers of Asylums and poor houses, to report the same to the Town or City Council, as of- ten as once in three months ; stating the name of the pauper, together with the offence and period of his confinement. Sec. 3. The use of Chains in Asylums for the poor and in poor houses, or of any other bonds intended to confine the limbs of paupers, is hereby abolished and forever prohibited in this State, — excepting in such instances as they may be ne- cessary to effect the removal of insane persons to a curative Hospital ; or to take 108 tablished, or that may be established, for the education or im- provement of Idiots, as the Commissioner appointed by law to dispense the fund may approve. 7th. That to the duties of the Commissioner of public schools be added those of Commissioner of the Poor, which shall be to inquire into and investigate all complaints that may be brought to his notice relative to the treatment and condi- tion of the poor, and to see that the State laws, relating to the public poor, are properly regarded; and in case of any abuses, to report them to the Legislature, either as they may occur as near as may be, or in an annual report, which he shall be re- quired to make by law, to the General Assembly. 8th. All Trustees or dispensers of funds, or legacies, or property of any kind given for the benefit of poor persons, shall be required by law to make an annual report to the Commissioner of the Poor, stating the manner and mode by which they have discharged or complied with the require- ments of their trust ; and the Commissioner shall procure, and cause to be filed in his office, copies of all wills or deeds, or instruments, conveying or bequeathing any property or le- gacies, and see that the true intention of the donors are car- ried out and complied with in good faith — and include a gen- eral statement of the same in the annual report. As a com- and retain in custody, by the officers of the law, a pauper charged with the com- mission of crime — and all insane paupers now chained, or who cannot be restrain- ed without the use of bonds, may be removed to the Butler Hospital, in conformi- ty to the provisions of an Act entitled an " An Act regulating the confinement and discipline of Insane persons." True copy — Witness, CHRIS. E. ROBBINS, Sec'y. AN ACT In amendment of an Act, entitled an Act to provide for the education of the indigent Blind and indigent Deaf Mutes in this State. It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows : — Section 1. The Act of which this is an amendment, is so far altered as that the sum of Two Thousand Dollars, instead of Fifteen Hundred Dollars, shall be annually appropriated ; and the provisions of said Act shall be extended to, and include such Idiot and Imbecile pupils, as may be placed at Institutions now es- tablished, or that may be established for the education and improvement of Idiots, as the Commissioner* appointed by law to distribute the fund, shall approve. Sec. 2. So much of the Act of which this is an amendment, as is inconsistent herewith, is hereby repealed. True copy — Witness, CHRIS. E. BOBBINS, Sec'y. [*Byron Diman is the present Commissioner.] 109 pensation for the increased service incurred, one hundred dol- lars per annum shall be added by law, to the present salary of said Commissioner. It appears to me that the enactment and enforcing of these laws would place our poor on as favorable a footing as is prac- ticable in the present state of things, and that in a very short time their good effects would be very perceptible. By plac- ing all new cases of insanity at the Butler Hospital, it is most probable that a large proportion of the patients would recover and be restored to their families. In a few years the old and incurable cases now at the town Asylums, will have dropped into their graves ; and thus the sane paupers will be left their sole occupants, greatly to their own relief, and that of their care-takers. Through the greater elevation and expansion of mind which must enevitably flow from the more liberal education which the present rising generations are increasingly favored to partake of over those that have come forward before them, a higher standard of morality will infuse itself into society, and relatives will be less seldom consigned to the care of the public by their kinsmen, than has been the case heretofore ; and thus in all probability tend much to decrease the number of the pauper poor. These joined to the constantly decreasing use of ardent spirits in our country — that most prolific source of poverty and crime, will soon cause, it is to be hoped, our poor houses to be but sparsely peopled. If it is practicable to improve the condition of the Idiotic youth, by education, there seems no good reason why that helpless class of our fellow creatures should not be permitted to partake of its benefits in common with the Deaf and Dumb, and Blind, or any other classes. It would seem a poor excuse to debar a fellow mortal from partaking of the light of the sun, because his sight is by nature dim. There has been placed in my hands, what purports to be a copy of the last will and testament of Andrew Freebody, de- ceased, lately of the town of Westerly, in the State of Rhode- Island, in which I find the following item : " I give and devise to Peleg Potter of Jamestown, the farm on which he now lives, situated in the said town of James- 110 town, with all the privileges and appurtenances thereof, to him and his heirs, forever, in consideration of he or they pay- ing into the hands of the overseers of the poor of said town, for the. time being, the sum of thirty dollars annually, to be in trust in the hands of the said overseers, and by them pru- dently applied as a surplus assistant for the comfortable sup- port and maintenance of all real objects of pity, not only those, in the alms house, or that have become chargeable to said town, but wherever they may be found in the said town of Jamestown, whom the said overseers shall deem objects of charity." Two other items of this will devise similar bequests to the towns of Newport and Middletown, to be likewise used as a surplus assistant for the use of " real objects of pity" in those towns. A complaint has been made to me by a citizen of the town of Jamestown, that in many instances this legacy has been diverted from the objects it was intended it should be applied to by the testator, and paid directly into the town treasury. To substantiate this charge, the complainant has furnished me with what purports to be copies from the town records of the town of Jamestown, signed by " Edward Hull, Town Treasurer." These purport to be copies for receipts of money paid to the town treasurer of Jamestown. The first reads as follows — Jamestown, April 18th, 1838. By cash received of Charles H. Eldred, it being a donation from Andrew Freebody's will to this town for one year, $30. Under the date of April 17, 1839, is a similar receipt for the same individual and for the same sum. And under date of April 20th, 1841, is still another of the same tenor, for the same individual and sum. Under date of April 10th, 1842 — by cash received of An- drew F. Potter, the same being the yearly bequest of Andrew Freebody-$30. And under the several dates of April 2d, 1843, of April 2d, 1844, and March 31, 1845, are what purport to to be three other receipts for the same sum of $30 per year, received from Andrew F. Potter. I have taken some pains to investigate the affair, and find it admitted on all hands by people of the town of Jamestown, Ill that the bequest of Andrew Freebody has been perverted from the true intention of the doner in several instances ; and I have thought it best to lay the matter thus before you, that you may take such measures as you may think best with re- gard to what has already occurred, to prevent such abuses of trusts in future. It seems to me that there is no species of property that should be held more sacred in the eye of the law, than bequests made for the use of the poor and helpless. It is cruel and un- manly in the last degree, to rob such of the little pittance be- stowed on them by a benefactor now dead and gone. Apart from this, the interests of the public require that trusts like these should be most faithfully and inviolably executed agree- ably to the wishes of the doner — otherwise, although the dead cannot take back what they have fruitlessly bestowed, the liv- ing testator, anticipating the same rssults, will no longer give. Respectfully submitted by THOMAS R. HAZARD, Commissioner. Portsmouth, R. I. 1st mo. 22d, 1851. APENDIX. NARRAGANSETT INDIANS. The descendants of these former lords of our soil, in the progress of civilization, have become so nearly allied to pau- perism, that I deemed they might with propriety be named in this report. I therefore took the liberty to address a note of inquiry relative to their condition, to E. R. Potter, who from the proximity of his residence and official connexion with the tribe, I suppose might be as well qualified as any other person in the state, to furnish correct informaiion concerning them. The reply to my communication came to hand too late to in- corporate it in my report, before reading it to the General As- sembly, but in accordance with a resolution of your body, I now insert it, together with accompanying documents. Of this once powerful tribe, I believe that there is not a pure blooded Indian now left in our state. I remember when young hearing old people relate, that they knew the last queen of the race — and that they sometimes visited her. On these oc- casions she always conversed with them through an interpre- ter, although she understood the English language. She ever refused to the last to converse in that tongue, saying that she would never adopt the language of the conquerers of her peo- ple. I have also seen the arm chair which answered for the throne of the last Indian chief, King Tom. This chair I believe is now in the possession of some family in South Kingstown. A house that he built and resided in, is yet standing in Charlestown.* Our forefathers, when driven into the wilderness by persecution, were kindly received and nour- ished by the ancestors of the Narragansett tribe. They were then few and weak, the Indians many and strong. The con- dition of their descendants is now most emphatically reversed ; the one has become numerous as the sands of the sea shore — *For many interesting incidents connected with the history of these people, I would refer the reader to Potter's Early History of Narragansett, and Updike's History of the Narragansett Church. 15 114 the other few and feeble. Let us then remember the former kindness of their ancestors to ours, and cherish the remnant of the tribe that yet remains. Let us protect the little property they still possess, from trespass and plunder. Let us furnish means for the education of their children, and shield their old and decrepid from penury and want. It is true the aborigines of our whole country seem to be a doomed race — that Provi- dence seems to have ordained that they are eventually to be- come extinct. Every where they appear to be melting away before the progress of civilization. But whatever may be their destiny, I believe that it was never the will of the Almighty that His children should aid in their destruction. To this ef- fect, the annals of the Indian race perhaps afford a parable second in beauty only to those that fell from the lips of the Savior of Men. John Smith, the founder of Jamestown, was captured and condemned to death by Powhattan, chief of a powerful tribe of Indians in Virginia. The tomahawk was already raised by the executioner for the destruction of the prisoner — when Pocahontas, the youthful daughter of the Indian king, sprang between the upraised weapon and the object of her father's justice, and with her person shielded the white man from the fatal blow, until by her entreaties she prevailed upon her parent to spare the life of his enemy. Who is there that knows aught of the feelings of a father's heart — savage though he may be — that will not acknowledge that such rebellion as this is far more endearing in a child, than the most ready compliance with a parent's will. And even so although our Heavenly Father may employ the chil- dren of darkness and disobedience in executing His inscruta- ble judgments on earth, I believe that he never sends forth His own true children on other than missions of love. Kingston, Jan. 26, 1851. Dear Sir — In answer to your enquiry respecting the Nar- ragansett Indian Tribe, I would refer you to a report upon the subject, attached hereto, and made at the January session of the General Assembly, x\. D. 1839. By the report of a committee in January A. D. 1833, it ap- pears that there were then one hundred and ninety-nine of the 115 tribe residing in Charlestown, and fifty or more supposed to be absent. Very few of these were of full blood. Their tribe property consisted of their cedar swamp, of about 646 acres, Fort Neck, containing 19 acres, and Watchaug, containing SO acres. Besides this, individual members of the tribe own large tracts according to their usages, confirmed to them by law, and which they cannot sell except by permission of the Legislature. Many years ago a considerable portion of the Indians emi- grated to New- York, and joined the Brothertown Indians. From there many of them have since gone to the Green Bay settlement in Wisconsin. Since the temperance reform, the condition of the Indians in Charlestown has very much improved. Since October 1838, the State has annually supported a school among them ; and since the year 1840, a commissioner has been annually appointed, whose services are paid by the State, to watch over their interests. Very respectfully, yours, E. R. POTTER. Thomas R. Hazard. INDIAN AFFAIRS. The Committee to whom was referred the joint vote of the two Houses, passed June, A. D. 1836, and the several petitions and papers before the two Houses, relating to the affairs of the tribe of Narragansett Indians, report — That they have several times appointed a time and place, and notified a meeting of the committee ; but unfavorable cir- cumstances prevented the meeting taking place. The complaints made by the members of the tribe may be reduced to a few heads. First — trespasses committed upon their lands hy white peo- ple, and the difficulty of ascertaining the title to their lands. The title of the tribe to the lands they hold, rests upon their ancient and undisputed possession, and upon an agreement (see Act of 1713) made with them by a Committee of the General Assembly, appointed October, 1708, in pursuance of which, the then Indian Sachem, Ninigret, by deed, March 28th, 1709, quit claim to the colony, all Indian lands what- ever : except a tract bounded as follows : — " Beginning where 116 the brook that Joseph Davill's mills standeth, and runs into the great salt pond — and so from said brook, on a straight line notherly, to Pesquamscut pond and by the brook that runs out of said pond, into Paucatuck River, so along by Paucatuck River, westward, until it comes to Benjamin Burdick's bridge; and from thence southerly, towards Wequapoge, until it meets the grand road — and so along by said road eastward, until it come near to Christopher Champlin's now dwelling house ; and from thence south, to the great pond of salt water — and so along by the pond side to the first mentioned bound, as it is drawn out upon the draught of the vacant lands." The land thus reserved has been repeatedly confirmed to the Indians by Acts of Assembly ; and of course all of it now belongs to them, except what has been legally sold out of it. Whenever the Sachems or a Committee sold land, they generally sold by survey. There have generally been in ex- istence, laws prohibiting sales of Indian lands. But it is be- lieved that from August 1759, to June 1763 — and from Au- gust 1763, to September 1770, there were no restrictions in force, and large quantities of their lands were sold. Besides, considerable tracts have been, at different times, sold in pur- suance of special Acts of the Assembly ; (see schedule, Oct., 1768.) The records of the Assembly show that the Indians have been continually complaining of the encroachments of the white people upon them. By the report of a Committee made 1790, it appears that their lines were, at that time, re- surveyed. The present Act for preventing trespasses on Indian lands by white people, is of no effect ; as it requires actions therefor, to be commenced in the name of the " Treasurer of the tribe," and there is now no such officer. That a great deal of imposition is practised upon the tribe, by carrying off their wood, or pretending to buy it of those who have no right to sell it, cannot be doubted. It can only be prevented by a law with severe penalties. Another source of difficulty, is, there not being guided by any certain rules regulating the descent of property, and the right of membership of the tribe. These things have gen- erally been governed by custom — explained in case of doubt, by the authoritv of their council. 117 The only legislative action, having reference to the right of membership, is contained in " an Act for regulating the affairs of the Narragensett tribe of Indians, in this State," passed February 7th, 1792 ; which regulates the right of vot- ing for the Council. " It is further voted and resolved— that all the males of said tribe, of twenty-one years of age, shall and may meet together at the school house, their accustomed place of meeting, on the last Tuesday in March, A. D. 1792, and annually and every year on that day, for the purpose of electing their Council, who shall be chosen by a majority of votes, and that in such meeting, and all others, and upon all occasions, every male person of twenty-one years, born of an Indian woman belonging to said tribe, or begotten by an In- dian man belonging thereto, of any other than a Negro wo- man, shall be entitled to a vote." At what time the Indian Council was established, does not appear. It was probably a notion of their own, in imitation of their white neighbors. It was in existence as far back as October, 1770. The Committee do not know of any Act providing for or regulating the appointment of a Treasurer of the tribe. In June, 1792, Enoch Crandall was recommended to the Assem- bly by the tribe for that office, and was appointed. Treas- urers were afterwards appointed by special Acts of the As- sembly, for no definite period of time — probably until they became too poor to need one. By the Act last mentioned of February 7th, 1792, a Com- mittee was appointed to draft rules for the regulation of the tribe. This Committee was increased in number and vested with additional powers, by resolutions passed in May and June, 1792 ; and in December of the same year, adopted a set of rules, which, together with several alterations made in them by subsequent Committees, we have appended hereto. These regulations relate principally to the making of leases, and support of the poor. But one of them, No. 3, introdu- ces among the Indians the Statute rules of descent, thus vir- tually doing away with any rules derived from their old cus- toms and usages. But since the discontinuance of the office of Treasurer, who acted generally as a sort of overseer of the 14 DAY USE RETURN TO DESK FROM WHICH BORROWED LOAN DEPT. This book is due on the last date stamped below, or on the date to which renewed. Renewals only: Tel. No. 642-3405 Renewals may be made 4 days prior to date due. Renewed books are subject to immediate recall. fflG2 1 3 71 5 a EFCTUD JAN2 2 74-BPtt JRN3 W^» 3 76 APR i 2 1986 ** c * JO/v - v '%g LD^l A— 50m " '71 General Library ( P2001 810 ) 476-A-32 Univeis g r ^g ,ifornia GENERAL LIBRARY -U.C. BERKELEY Bootnisioi I