Appendix. (continued 2)

4. No elector who is not possessed of and assessed for ratable property in his own right to the amount of one hundred and fifty dollars, or who shall have neglected or refused to pay any tax assessed upon him in any town, city or district for one year preceding the town, city, ward or district meeting at which he shall offer to vote, shall be entitled to vote on any question of taxation, or the expenditure of any public moneys in such town, city or district, until the same be paid.

5. In the city of Providence and other cities no person shall be eligible to the office of mayor, alderman or common councilman, who is not taxed or who shall have neglected or refused to pay his tax, as provided in the preceding section.

6. The voting for all officers chosen by the people, except town or city officers, shall be by ballot; that is to say, by depositing a written or printed ticket in the ballot box, without the name of the voter written thereon. Town or city officers shall be chosen by ballot, on the demand of any two persons entitled to vote for the same.

7. There shall be a strict registration of all qualified voters in the towns and cities of the state; and no person shall be permitted to vote whose name has not been entered upon the list of voters before the polls are opened.

8. The General Assembly shall pass all necessary laws for the prevention of fraudulent voting by persons not having an actual permanent residence or home in the state, or otherwise disqualified according to this constitution; for the careful registration of all voters, previously to the time of voting; for the prevention of frauds upon the ballot box; for the preservation of the purity of elections; and for the safe keeping and accurate counting of the votes; to the end that the will of the people may be freely and fully expressed, truly ascertained and effectually exerted, without intimidation, suppression or unnecessary delay.

9. The electors shall be exempted from arrest on days of election and one day before and one day after the same, except in cases of treason, felony or breach of the peace.

10. No person shall be eligible to any office by the votes of the people who does not possess the qualifications of an elector.

ARTICLE III. OF THE DISTRIBUTION OF POWERS.

1. The powers of the government shall be distributed into three departments, the legislative, the executive and the judicial.

2. No person or persons connected with one of these departments shall exercise any of the powers belonging to either of the others, except in cases herein directed or permitted.

ARTICLE IV. OF THE LEGISLATIVE DEPARTMENT.

1. The legislative power shall be vested in two distinct houses, the one to be called the house of representatives, the other the senate, and both together the General Assembly. The concurrent votes of the two houses shall be necessary to the enactment of laws; and the style of their laws shall be—Be it enacted by the General Assembly as follows.

2. No member of the General Assembly shall be eligible to any civil office under the authority of the state during the term for which he shall have been elected.

3. If any representative or senator in the General Assembly of this state shall be appointed to any office under the government of the United States, and shall accept the same after his election as such senator or representative, his seat shall thereby become vacant.

4. Any person who holds an office under the government of the United States may be elected a member of the General Assembly and may hold his seat therein if at the time of taking his seat he shall have resigned said office, and shall declare the same on oath or affirmation, if required.

5. No member of the General Assembly shall take any fees, be of counsel, or act as advocate in any case pending before either branch of the General Assembly, under penalty of forfeiting his seat upon due proof thereof.

6. Each house shall judge of the election and qualifications of its members; and a majority of all the members of each house, whom the towns and senatorial districts are entitled to elect, shall constitute a quorum to do business; but a smaller number may adjourn from day to day, and may compel the attendance of absent members in such manner and under such penalties as each house may have previously prescribed.

7. Each house may determine the rules of its proceedings, punish its members for disorderly behavior, and, with the concurrence of two-thirds of the members elected, expel a member; but not a second time for the same cause.

8. Each house shall keep a journal of its proceedings, and publish the same when required by one-fifth of its members. The yeas and nays of the members of either house shall, at the desire of any five members present, be entered on the journal.

9. Neither house shall, without the consent of the other, adjourn for more than two days, nor to any other place than that at which the General Assembly is holding its session.

10. The senators and representatives shall in all cases of civil process be privileged from arrest during the session of the General Assembly, and for two days before the commencement and two days after the termination of any session thereof. For any speech in debate in either house no member shall be called in question in any other place.

11. The civil and military officers heretofore elected in grand committee shall hereafter be elected annually by the General Assembly in joint committee, composed of the two houses of the General Assembly, excepting as is otherwise provided in this constitution, and excepting the captains and subalterns of the militia who shall be elected by the ballots of the members composing their respective companies, in such manner as the General Assembly may prescribe; and such officers so elected shall be approved of and commissioned by the governor, who shall determine their rank, and if said companies shall neglect or refuse to make such elections after being duly notified, then the governor shall appoint suitable persons to fill such offices.

12. Every bill and every resolution requiring the concurrence of the two houses (votes of adjournment accepted) which shall have passed both houses of the General Assembly, shall be presented to the governor for his revision. If he approve of it he shall sign and transmit the same to the secretary of state, but if not he shall return it to the house in which it shall have originated, with his objections thereto which shall be entered at large on their journal. The house shall then proceed to reconsider the bill; and if after such reconsideration that house shall pass it by a majority of all the members elected, it shall be sent with the objections to the other house which shall also reconsider it; and if approved by that house by a majority of all the members elected it shall become a law. If the bill shall not be returned by the governor within forty-eight hours (Sundays excepted) after it shall have been presented to him, the same shall become a law, in like manner as if he had signed it, unless the General Assembly by their adjournment prevent its return, in which case it shall not be a law.

13. There shall be two sessions of the General Assembly in every year; one session to be held at Newport, on the first Tuesday of June, for the organization of the government, the election of officers, and for other business; and one other session on the first Tuesday of January, to be held at Providence, in the first year after the adoption of this constitution and in every second year thereafter. In the intermediate years the January session shall be forever hereafter held in the counties of Washington, Kent, or Bristol, as the General Assembly may determine before their adjournment in June.

ARTICLE V. OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

1. The house of representatives shall consist of members chosen by the electors in the several towns and cities in their respective town and ward meetings annually. 2. The towns and cities shall severally be entitled to elect members according to the apportionment which follows, viz: Newport to elect five; Warwick, four; Smithfield, five; Cumberland, North Providence and Scituate, three; Portsmouth, Westerly, New Shoreham, North Kingstown, South Kingstown, East Greenwich, Glocester, West Greenwich, Coventry, Exeter, Bristol, Tiverton, Little Compton, Warren, Richmond, Cranston, Charlestown, Hopkinton, Johnston, Foster and Burrillville to elect two; and Jamestown, Middletown and Barrington to elect one. 3. In the city of Providence there shall be six representative districts, which shall be the six wards of said city. And the electors resident in said districts for the term of three months next preceding the election at which they offer to vote, shall be entitled to elect two representatives for each district.

4. The General Assembly in case of great inequality in the population of the wards of the city of Providence, may cause the boundaries of the six representative districts therein to be so altered as to include in each district as nearly as may be, an equal number of inhabitants.

5. The house of representatives shall have authority to elect their own speaker, clerks and other officers. The oath of office shall be administered to the speaker by the secretary of state, or, in his absence, by the attorney-general.

6. Whenever the seat of a member of the house of representatives shall be vacated by death, resignation, or otherwise, the vacancy may be filled by a new election.

ARTICLE VI. OF THE SENATE.

1. The state shall be divided into twelve senatorial districts; and each district shall be entitled to one senator, who shall be annually chosen by the electors in his district.

2. The first, second and third representative districts in the city of Providence shall constitute the first senatorial district; the fourth, fifth and sixth representative districts in said city the second district; the town of Smithfield the third district; the towns of North Providence and Cumberland the fourth district; the towns of Scituate, Glocester, Burrillville and Johnston the fifth district; the towns of Warwick and Cranston the sixth district; the towns of East Greenwich, West Greenwich, Coventry and Foster the seventh district; the towns of Newport, Jamestown and New Shoreham the eighth district; the towns of Portsmouth, Middletown, Tiverton and Little Compton the ninth district; the towns of North Kingstown and South Kingstown the tenth district; the towns of Westerly, Charlestown, Exeter, Richmond and Hopkinton the eleventh district; the towns of Bristol, Warren and Barrington the twelfth district.

3. The lieutenant-governor, shall be by virtue of his office, president of the senate; and shall have a right, in case of an equal division to vote in the same, and also to vote in joint committe of the two houses.

4. When the government shall be administered by the lieutenant-governor, or he shall be unable to attend as president of the senate, the senate shall elect one of their own members president of the same.

5. Vacancies in the senate occasioned by death, resignation or otherwise, may be filled by a new election.

6. The secretary of state shall be, by virtue of his office, secretary of the senate.

ARTICLE VII. OF IMPEACHMENTS.

1. The house of representatives shall have the sole power of impeachment.

2. All impeachments shall be tried by the senate; and when sitting for that purpose they shall be on oath or affirmation. No person shall be convicted except by vote of two-thirds of the members elected. When the governor is impeached the chief-justice of the supreme court shall preside, with a casting vote in all preliminary questions.

3. The governor and all other executive and judicial officers shall be liable to impeachment, but judgments in such cases shall not extend further than removal from office. The party convicted shall nevertheless be liable to indictment, trial and punishment, according to law.

ARTICLE VIII. OF THE EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT.

1. The chief executive power of this state, shall be vested in a governor who shall be chosen by the electors, and shall hold his office for one year and until his successor be duly qualified.

2. No person holding any office or place under the United States, this state, any other of the United States, or any foreign power, shall exercise the office of governor.

3. He shall take care that the laws are faithfully executed.

4. He shall be commander-in-chief of the military and naval forces of the state, except when called into the actual service of the United States; but he shall not march nor convey any of the citizens out of the state without their consent, or that of the General Assembly, unless it shall become necessary in order to march or transport them from one part of the state to another, for the defence thereof.

5. He shall appoint all civil and military officers whose appointment is not by this constitution, or shall not, by law, be otherwise provided for.

6. He shall from time to time inform the General Assembly of the condition of the state, and recommend to their consideration such measures as he may deem expedient.

7. He may require from any military officer or any officer in the executive department, information upon any subject relating to the duties of his office.

8. He shall have power to remit forfeitures and penalties, and to grant reprieves, commutation of punishments and pardons after conviction, except in cases of impeachment.

9. The governor shall at stated times receive for his services a compensation, which shall not be increased nor diminished during his continuance in office.

10. There shall be elected in the same manner as is provided for the election of governor, a lieutenant-governor, who shall continue in office for the same term of time. Whenever the office of governor shall become vacant by death, resignation, removal from office or otherwise, the lieutenant-governor shall exercise the office of governor until another governor shall be duly qualified.

11. Whenever the offices of governor and lieutenant-governor shall both become vacant by death, resignation, removal from office, or otherwise, the president of the senate shall exercise the office of governor until a governor be duly qualified; and should such vacancies occur during a recess of the General Assembly, and there be no president of the senate, the secretary of state shall by proclamation convene the senate, that a president may be chosen to exercise the office of governor.

12. Whenever the lieutenant-governor or president of the senate shall exercise the office of governor, he shall receive the compensation of governor only; and his duties as president of the senate shall cease while he shall continue to act as governor; and the senate shall fill the vacancy by an election from their own body.

13. In case of a disagreement between the two houses of the General Assembly respecting the time or place of adjournment, the person exercising the office of governor may adjourn them to such time or place as he shall think proper; provided, that the time of adjournment shall not be extended beyond the first day of the next stated session.

14. The person exercising the office of governor may, in cases of special necessity convene the General Assembly at any town or city in this state, at any other time than herein before provided. And, in case of danger from the prevalence of epidemic or contagious diseases, or from other circumstances in the place in which the General Assembly are next to meet, he may by proclamation convene the Assembly at any other place within the state.

15. A secretary of state, a general treasurer and an attorney-general shall also be chosen annually, in the same manner and for the same time as is herein provided respecting the governor. The duties of these offices shall be the same as are now or may hereafter be prescribed by law. Should there be a failure to choose either of them, or should a vacancy occur in either of their offices, the General Assembly shall fill the place by an election in joint committee.

16. The electors in each county shall, at the annual elections, vote for an inhabitant of the county to be sheriff of said county for one year and until a successor be duly qualified. In case no person shall have a majority of the electoral votes of his county for sheriff, the General Assembly, in joint committee, shall elect a sheriff from the two candidates, who shall have the greatest number of votes in such county.

17. All commissions shall be in the name of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, sealed with the seal of the state, and attested by the secretary.

ARTICLE IX. GENERAL PROVISIONS.

1. This constitution shall be the supreme law of the state, and all laws contrary to or inconsistent with the same which may be passed by the General Assembly shall be null and void.

2. The General Assembly shall pass all necessary laws for carrying this constitution into effect.

3. The judges of all the courts, and all other officers, both civil and military, shall be bound by oath or affirmation to the due observance of this constitution and of the constitution of the United States.

4. No jurisdiction shall hereafter be entertained by the General Assembly in cases of insolvency, divorce, sale of real estate of minors, or appeal from judicial decisions, nor in any other matters appertaining to the jurisdiction of judges and courts of law. But the General Assembly shall confer upon the courts of the state all necessary powers for affording relief in the cases herein named; and the General Assembly shall exercise all other jurisdiction and authority which they have heretofore entertained, and which is not prohibited by, or repugnant to this constitution.

5. The General Assembly shall from time to time cause estimates to be made of the ratable property of the state, in order to the equitable apportionment of state taxes.

6. Whenever a direct tax is laid by the state, one-sixth part thereof shall be assessed on the polls of the qualified electors, provided that the tax on a poll shall never exceed the sum of fifty cents, and that all persons who actually perform military duty, or duty in the fire department, shall be exempted from said poll tax.

7. The General Assembly shall have no power hereafter to incur state debts to an amount exceeding the sum of fifty thousand dollars, except in time of war, or in case of invasion, without the express consent of the people. Every proposition for such increase shall be submitted to the electors at the next annual election, or on some day to be set apart for that purpose, and shall not be farther entertained by the General Assembly, unless it receive the votes of a majority of all the persons voting. This section shall not be construed to refer to any money that now is, or hereafter may be, deposited with this state by the general government.

8. The assent of two-thirds of the members elected to each house of the General Assembly shall be requisite to every bill appropriating the public moneys, or property for local or private purposes; or for creating, continuing, altering or renewing any body politic or corporate, banking corporations excepted.

9. Hereafter when any bill creating, continuing, altering or renewing any banking corporation, authorized to issue its promissory notes for circulation shall pass the two houses of the General Assembly, instead of being sent to the governor, it shall be referred to the electors for their consideration at the next annual election, or on some day to be set apart for that purpose, with printed tickets, containing the question, shall said bill (with a brief description thereof) be approved, or not; and if a majority of the electors voting shall vote to approve said bill it shall become a law, otherwise not.

10. All grants of incorporation shall be subject to future acts of the General Assembly, in amendment or repeal thereof, or in any wise affecting the same, and this provision shall be inserted in all acts of incorporation hereafter granted.

11. The General Assembly shall exercise as heretofore a visitorial power over corporations. Three bank commissioners shall be chosen at the June session for one year, to carry out the powers of the General Assembly in this respect. And commissioners for the visitation of other corporations, as the General Assembly may deem expedient, shall be chosen at the June session for the same term of office.

12. No city council or other government in any city shall have power to vote any tax upon the inhabitants thereof, excepting the amount necessary to meet the ordinary public expenses in the same, without first submitting the question of an additional tax or taxes to the electors of said city; and a majority of all who vote shall determine the question. But no elector shall be entitled to vote in any city upon any question of taxation thus submitted, unless he shall be qualified by the possession in his own right of ratable property to the amount of one hundred and fifty dollars, and shall have been assessed thereon to pay a city tax, and shall have paid the same as provided in section fourth of Article II. Nothing in that article shall be construed as to prevent any elector from voting for town officers, and in the city of Providence and other cities for mayor, aldermen, and members of the common council.

13. The General Assembly shall not pass any law nor cause any act or thing to be done in any way to disturb any of the owners or occupants of land in any territory now under the jurisdiction of any other state or states, the jurisdiction whereof may be ceded to, or decreed to belong to this state; and the inhabitants of such territory shall continue in the full, quiet and undisturbed enjoyment of their titles to the same, without interference in any way on the part of this state.

ARTICLE X. OF ELECTIONS.

1. The election of the governor, lieutenant-governor, secretary of state, general treasurer, attorney-general, and also of senators and representatives to the General Assembly, and of sheriffs of the counties, shall be held on the third Wednesday of April, annually.

2. The names of the persons voted for as governor, lieutenant-governor, secretary of state, general treasurer, attorney-general and sheriffs of the respective counties, shall be put upon one ticket; and the tickets shall be deposited by the electors in a box by themselves. The names of the persons voted for as senators and as representatives shall be put upon separate tickets, and the tickets shall be deposited in separate boxes. The polls for all the officers named in this section shall be opened at the same time.

3. All the votes given for governor, lieutenant-governor, secretary of state, general treasurer, attorney-general, sheriffs, and also for senators shall remain in the ballot boxes till the polls be closed. These votes shall then, in open town and ward meetings, and in the presence of at least ten qualified voters, be taken out and sealed up in separate envelopes by the moderators and town clerks and by the wardens and ward clerks, who shall certify the same and forthwith deliver or send them to the secretary of state, whose duty it shall be securely to keep the same, and to deliver the votes for state officers and sheriffs to the speaker of the house of representatives after the house shall be organized at the June session of the General Assembly. The votes last named shall, without delay, be opened, counted and declared in such manner as the house of representatives shall direct, and the oath of office shall be administered to the persons who shall be declared to be elected by the speaker of the house of representatives, and in the presence of the house; provided that the sheriffs may take their engagement before a senator, judge or justice of the peace. The votes for senators shall be counted by the governor and secretary of state within seven days from the day of election; and the governor shall give certificates to the senators who are elected.

4. The boxes containing the votes for representatives to the General Assembly in the several towns shall not be opened till the polls for representatives are declared to be closed. The votes shall then be counted by the moderator and clerk, who shall announce the result and give certificates to the persons elected. If there be no election, or not an election of the whole number of representatives to which the town is entitled, the polls for representatives may be reopened, and the like proceedings shall be had until an election shall take place; provided, however, that an adjournment of the election may be made to a time not exceeding seven days from the first meeting.

5. In the city of Providence and other cities, the polls for representatives shall be kept open during the whole time of voting for the day; and the votes in the several wards shall be sealed up at the close of the meeting by the wardens and ward clerks, in the presence of at least ten qualified electors, and delivered to the city clerks. The mayor and aldermen of said city or cities shall proceed to count said votes within two days from the day of election; and if no election, or an election of only a portion of the representatives whom the representative districts are entitled to elect shall have taken place, the mayor and aldermen shall order a new election, to be held not more than ten days from the day of the first election; and so on till the election of representatives shall be completed. Certificates of election shall be furnished to the persons chosen by the city clerks.

6. If there be no choice of a senator or senators at the annual election, the governor shall issue his warrant to the town and ward clerks of the several towns and cities in the senatorial district or districts that may have failed to elect, requiring them to open town or ward meetings for another election, on a day not more than fifteen days beyond the time of counting the votes for senators. If, on the second trial there shall be no choice of a senator or senators the governor shall certify the result to the speaker of the house of representatives; and] the house of representatives, and as many senators as shall have been chosen, shall forthwith elect, in joint committee, a senator or senators from the two candidates who may receive the highest number of votes in each district.

7. If there be no choice of governor at the annual election, the speaker of the house of representatives shall issue his warrant to the clerks of the several towns and cities requiring them to notify town and ward meetings for another election, on a day to be named by him, not more than thirty nor less than twenty days beyond the time of receiving the report of the committee of the house of representatives, who shall count the votes for governor. If, on this second trial there shall be no choice of a governor, the two houses of the General Assembly, shall, at their next session, in joint committee elect a governor from the two candidates having the highest number of votes, to hold his office for the remainder of the political year, and until his successor be duly qualified.

8. If there be no choice of governor and lieutenant-governor at the annual election, the same proceedings for the choice of a lieutenant-governor shall be had as are directed in the preceding section; provided that the second trial for the election of governor and lieutenant-governor shall be on the same day; and also provided, that if the governor shall be chosen at the annual election and the lieutenant-governor shall not be chosen, then the last named officer shall be elected in joint committee of the two houses from the two candidates having the highest number of votes, without a further appeal to the electors. The lieutenant-governor, elected as is provided in this section, shall hold his office as is provided in the preceding section respecting the governor.

9. All town, city and ward meetings for the choice of representatives, justices of the peace, sheriffs, senators, state officers, representatives to Congress and electors of president and vice-president, shall be notified by the town, city and ward clerks at least seven days before the same are held.

10. In all elections held by the people under this constitution, a majority of all the electors voting shall be necessary to the choice of the person or persons voted for.

11. The oath or affirmation to be taken by all the officers named in this article shall be the following: You, being elected to the place of governor, lieutenant-governor, secretary of state, general treasurer, attorney-general, or to the places of senators or representatives, or to the office of sheriff or justice of the peace, do solemnly swear, or severally solemnly swear, or affirm, that you will be true and faithful to the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, and that you will support the constitution thereof; that you will support the constitution of the United States, and that you will faithfully and impartially discharge the duties of your aforesaid office to the best of your abilities and understanding—So help you God! or, this affirmation you make and give upon the peril of the penalty of perjury.

ARTICLE XI. OF THE JUDICIARY.

1. The judicial power of this state shall be vested in one supreme court, and in such other courts inferior to the supreme court as the legislature may, from time to time, ordain and establish; and the jurisdiction of the supreme and of all other courts, may, from time to time be regulated by the General Assembly.

2. Chancery powers may be conferred on the supreme court; but no other court exercising chancery powers shall be established in this State, except as is now provided by law.

3. The justices of the supreme court shall be elected in joint committee of the two houses, to hold their offices for one year, and until their places be declared vacant by a resolution to that effect, which shall be voted for by a majority of all the members elected to the house in which it may originate, and be concurred in by the same vote of the other house, without revision by the governor. Such resolution shall not be entertained at any other than the annual session for the election of public officers; and in default of the passage thereof at the said session, the judge or judges shall hold his or their place or places for another year. But a judge of any court shall be removable from office, if upon impeachment, he shall be found guilty of any official misdemeanor.

4. In case of vacancy by the death, resignation, refusal, or inability to serve, or removal from the state of a judge of any court, his place may be filled by the joint committee until the next annual election; when, if elected, he shall hold his office as herein provided.

5. The justices of the supreme court shall receive a compensation, which shall not be diminished during their continuance in office.

6. The judges of the courts inferior to the supreme court shall be annually elected in joint committee of the two houses, except as herein provided.

7. There shall be annually elected by each town and by the several wards in the city of Providence, a sufficient number of justices of the peace or wardens resident therein with such jurisdiction as the General Assembly may prescribe. And said justices or wardens, (except in the towns of New Shoreham and Jamestown) shall be commissioned by the governor.

8. The General Assembly may provide that justices of the peace who are not re-elected, may hold their offices for a time not exceeding ten days beyond the day of the annual election of these officers.

9. The courts of probate in this state, except the supreme court, shall remain as at present established by law, until the General Assembly shall otherwise prescribe.

ARTICLE XII. OF EDUCATION.

1. All moneys which now are, or may hereafter be appropriated by the authority of the state to public education, shall be securely invested, and remain a perpetual fund for the maintenance of free schools in this state; and the General Assembly are prohibited from diverting said moneys or fund from this use, and from borrowing, appropriating or using the same or any part thereof for any other purpose, or under any pretence whatsoever. But the income derived from said moneys or fund, shall be annually paid over by the general treasurer to the towns and cities of the state, for the support of said schools in equitable proportions; provided, however, that a portion of said income may, in the discretion of the General Assembly, be added to the principal of said fund.

2. The several towns and cities shall faithfully devote their portions of said annual distribution to the support of free schools; and in default thereof shall forfeit their shares of the same to the increase of the fund.

3. All charitable donations for the support of free schools and other purposes of public education, shall be received by the General Assembly and invested, and applied agreeably to the terms prescribed by the donors, provided the same be not inconsistent with the constitution, or with sound public policy; in which case the donation shall not be received.

ARTICLE XIII. AMENDMENTS.

The General Assembly may propose amendments to this constitution by the vote of a majority of all the members elected to each house. Such propositions shall be published in the newspapers of the state; and printed copies of said propositions shall be sent by the secretary of state, with the names of all the members who shall have voted thereon, with the yeas and nays, to all the town and city clerks in the state; and the said propositions shall be by said clerks inserted in the notices by them issued for warning the next annual town and ward meetings in April; and the town and ward clerks shall read said propositions to the electors when thus assembled, with the names of all the representatives and senators who shall have voted thereon, with the yeas and nays, before the election of representatives and senators shall be had. If a majority of all the members elected at said annual meetings, present in each house, shall approve any proposition thus made, the same shall be published as before provided and then sent to the electors in the mode provided in the act of approval; and if then approved by a majority of the electors who shall vote in town and ward meetings to be specially convened for that purpose, it shall become apart of the constitution of the state.

ARTICLE XIV. OF THE ADOPTION OF THE CONSTITUTION.

1. This constitution shall be submitted to the people for their adoption or rejection, on Monday, the 27th day of December next, and on the two succeeding days; and all persons voting are requested to deposit in the ballot-boxes printed or written tickets in the following form: I am an American citizen, of the age of twenty-one years, and have my permanent residence or home in this state. I am (or not) qualified to vote under the existing laws of this state. I vote for (or against) the constitution formed by the convention of the people, assembled at Providence, and which was proposed to the people by said convention, on the 18th day of November, 1841.

2. Every voter is requested to write his name on the face of his ticket; and every person entitled to vote as aforesaid, who from sickness or other causes may be unable to attend and vote in the town or ward meetings, assembled for voting upon said constitution on the days aforesaid, is requested to write his name upon a ticket, and to obtain the signature upon the back of the same of a person who has given his vote as a witness thereto. And the moderator or clerk of any town or ward meeting convened for the purpose aforesaid, shall receive such vote on either of the three days next succeeding the three days before named for voting on said constitution.

3. The citizens of the several towns in this state, and of the several wards in the city of Providence, are requested to hold town and ward meetings on the days appointed and for the purpose aforesaid; and also to choose in each town and ward a moderator and clerk to conduct said meetings and receive the votes.

4. The moderators and clerks are required to receive and carefully to keep the votes of all persons qualified to vote as aforesaid, and to make registers of all the persons voting; which, together with the tickets given in by the voters shall be sealed up and returned by said moderators and clerks, with certificates signed and sealed by them, to the clerks of the convention of the people, to be by them safely deposited and kept, and laid before said convention to be counted and declared at their next adjourned meeting on the 12th day of January, 1842.

5. This constitution, except so much thereof as relates to the election of the officers named in the sixth section of this article, shall, if adopted, go into operation on the first Tuesday in May, in the year one thousand eight hundred and forty-two.

6. So much of the constitution as relates to the election of officers named in this section, shall go into operation on the Monday before the third Wednesday of April next preceding. The first election under this constitution of governor, lieutenant-governor, secretary of state, general treasurer and attorney-general, of senators and representatives, of sheriffs for the several counties, and of justices of the peace for the several towns and the wards of the city of Providence, shall take place on the Monday aforesaid.

7. The electors of the several towns and wards are authorized to assemble on the day aforesaid, without being notified as is provided in section ninth of Article X., and without the registration required in section seventh of Article II., and to choose moderators and clerks, and proceed in the election of the officers named in the preceding section.

8. The votes given in at the first election for representatives to the General Assembly and for justices of the peace, shall be counted by the moderators and clerks of the towns and wards chosen as aforesaid; and certificates of election shall be furnished by them to the representatives and justices of the peace elected.

9. Said moderators and clerks shall seal up, certify, and transmit to the house of representatives all the votes that may be given in at said first election for governor and state officers, and for senators and sheriffs; and the votes shall be counted as the house of representatives may direct.

10. The speaker of the house of representatives shall, at the first session of the same, qualify himself to administer the oath of office to the members of the house and to other officers, by taking and subscribing the same oath in presence of the house.

11. The first session of the General Assembly shall be held in the city of Providence, on the first Tuesday of May, in the year one thousand eight hundred and forty-two, with such adjournments as may be necessary; but all other sessions shall be held as is provided in Article IV. of this Constitution.

12. If any of the representatives whom the towns or districts are entitled to choose, at the first annual election aforesaid, shall not be then elected, or if their places shall become vacant during the year, the same proceedings may be had to complete the election, or to supply vacancies as are directed concerning elections in the preceding sections of this article.

13. If there shall be no election of governor or lieutenant-governor, or of both of these officers, or of a senator or senators at the first annual election, the house of representatives and as many senators as are chosen, shall forthwith elect, in joint committee, a governor or lieutenant-governor, or both, or a senator or senators, to hold their offices for the remainder of the political year, and, in the case of the two officers first named, until their successors shall be duly qualified.

14. If the number of the justices of the peace determined by the several towns and wards on the day of the first annual election shall not be then chosen, or if vacancies shall occur, the same proceedings shall be had as are provided for in this article in the case of a non-election of representatives and senators, or of vacancies in their offices. The justices of the peace thus elected shall hold office for the remainder of the political year, or until the second annual election of justices of the peace to be held on such day as may be prescribed by the General Assembly.

15. The justices of the peace elected in pursuance of the provisions of this article may be engaged by the persons acting as moderators of the town and ward meetings as herein provided; and said justices after obtaining their certificates of election, may discharge the duties of their office for a time not exceeding twenty days, without a commission from the governor.

16. Nothing contained in this article, inconsistent with any of the provisions of other articles of the constitution shall continue in force for a longer period than the first political year under the same.

17. The present government shall exercise all the powers with which it is now clothed, until the said first Tuesday in May, one thousand eight hundred and forty-two, and until their successors under this constitution shall be duly elected and qualified.

18. All civil, judicial and military officers now elected, or who shall hereafter be elected by the General Assembly or other competent authority, before the said first Tuesday of May, shall hold their offices and may exercise their powers until that time.

19. All laws and statutes, public and private, now in force and not repugnant to this constitution, shall continue in force until they expire by their own limitation, or are repealed by the General Assembly. All contracts, judgments, actions, and rights of action, shall be as valid as if this constitution had not been made. All debts contracted, and engagements entered into before the adoption of this constitution, shall be as valid against the state as if this constitution had not been made.

20. The supreme court established by this constitution shall have the same jurisdiction as the supreme judicial court at present established; and shall have jurisdiction of all causes which may be appealed to or pending in the same; and shall be held in the same times and places in each county as the present supreme judicial court until the General Assembly shall otherwise prescribe.

21. The citizens of the town of New Shoreham shall be hereafter exempted from military duty and the duty of serving as jurors in the courts of this state. The citizens of the town of Jamestown shall be forever hereafter exempted from military field duty.

22. The General Assembly shall, at their first session after the adoption of this constitution, propose to the electors the question, whether the word “white,” in the first line of the first section of Article II. of the constitution shall be stricken out. The question shall be voted upon at the succeeding annual election; and if a majority of the electors voting shall vote to strike out the word aforesaid, it shall be stricken from the constitution; otherwise not. If the word aforesaid shall be stricken out, section third of Article II. shall cease to be a part of the constitution.

23. The president, vice-president and secretaries shall certify and sign this constitution, and cause the same to be published.

Done in convention at Providence, on the eighteenth day of November, in the year one thousand eight hundred and forty-one, and of American Independence the sixty-sixth.

JOSEPH JOSLIN, President of the Convention. WAGER WEEDEN, SAMUEL H. WALES, } Vice Presidents.

Attest:

William H. Smith, John S. Harris } Secretaries.

The State Seal.

The coat of arms of the State is familiar to every citizen, for it is impressed on public documents and meets the eye on monuments and in newspapers. Its simplicity and its significance, as well as its correct heraldry render it superior to that of any of the other states; and the words by which it is described in our statute book, have a singular force and beauty. “There shall continue to be one seal for the public use of the State; the form of an anchor shall be engraven thereon, and the motto thereof shall be the word Hope.”

This has been the seal of the State ever since the adoption of the charter, in May, 1664. Previous to that time the seal consisted of an anchor only, on a shield, without the motto “Hope.” At the first meeting of the General Assembly under the “parliamentary patent,” in 1647, it was “ordered that the seal of the province shall be an anchor,” and on the margin of the original manuscript, now preserved in the office of the secretary of state, is simply an anchor upon a shield, drawn by the pen of the writer.

But this was not the first seal the State may claim to have possessed. At a meeting of the Newport Colony at Portsmouth, in 1641, six years before the establishment of the anchor as the seal, it was “ordered, that a manual seale shall be provided for the State, and that the signett or engraving thereof, shall be a sheaf of arrows bound up, and on the liass or band, this motto: Amor omnia vincit.”

The seal of the anchor with the motto “Hope,” was surrounded by a circle, in which was inscribed the words Colonie of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, and several impressions of it may be found among the old records of the State. This seal Andros broke, at the time of his usurpation in 1686–7. But after his expulsion, and on the reorganization of the General Assembly, 1689–90, a new seal was ordered, precisely like the old seal, except that the words “Colonie of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations” were omitted; nor did these words ever again form a part of the seal until this year, (1875), when they were restored by an act of the General Assembly, in January last, and the date 1636 added. Of course the word “Colonie” was altered to the word “State.”

No impression of the Newport seal—the sheaf of arrows; nor of the seal under the parliamentary patent—the anchor alone—exists among the archives of the State. Perhaps some of the antiquarian readers of the Journal may know where such impressions may be found. And perhaps also some one may know why the anchor originally came to be chosen as the device of the seal. Was this the “bearing” of the shield of the family of Roger Williams, or of any of the families who accompanied him? Did the idea arise from the depressing circumstances of the time? If so, why was the word HOPE not added until seventeen years afterwards, and in comparatively prosperous times? Was there any reason why the legend “Colonie of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations” was omitted after the expulsion of Andros? Whence came the cable now surrounding the shank, and thus converting the anchor into a “foul anchor”? And whence the rock and the waves, with light-house and ship in the distance, as is now frequently seen? And how came the shield altered into unmeaning scroll-work? Is there any more authority for these changes than the ill-informed fancy of the seal-engravers from time to time?

Note.—For this excellent dissertation on the seal of Rhode Island, I am indebted to my friend, the Hon. T. P. Shepard.

Governors of Rhode Island.

The State originally consisted of four towns: Providence, settled in 1636; Portsmouth, in 1638; Newport, in 1639; and Warwick, in 1642. Each town was governed independently until 1647. Providence and Warwick had no executive head till 1647.

PORTSMOUTH.

JUDGES.

William Coddington,March 7, 1638 to April 30. 1639.

William Hutchinson,April 30, 1639 to March 12, 1640.

NEWPORT.

JUDGE.

William Coddington,April 28, 1639 to March 12, 1640.

PORTSMOUTH AND NEWPORT.[B]

GOVERNOR.

William Coddington,March 12, 1640 to May 19, 1647.

In 1647 the four towns were united under a charter or patent, granted in 1643, by Parliament.

PRESIDENTS UNDER THE PATENT.

John Coggeshall,May, 1647 to May, 1648.

William Coddington,May, 1648 to May, 1649.

John Smith,May, 1649 to May, 1650.

Nicholas Easton,May, 1650 to Aug., 1651.

In 1651 a separation occurred between the towns of Providence and Warwick on the one side, and Portsmouth and Newport on the other.

PROVIDENCE AND WARWICK.

PRESIDENTS.

Samuel Gorton,Oct., 1651 to May, 1652.

John Smith,May, 1652 to May, 1653.

Gregory Dexter,May, 1653 to May, 1654.

PORTSMOUTH AND NEWPORT.

PRESIDENT.

John Sandford, SeniorMay, 1653 to May, 1654.

In 1654 the union of the four towns was reëstablished.

PRESIDENTS.

Nicholas Easton,May, 1654 to Sept. 12, 1654.

Roger Williams,Sept., 1654 to May, 1657.

Benedict Arnold,May, 1657 to May, 1660.

William Brenton,May, 1660 to May, 1662.

Benedict Arnold,May, 1662 to Nov. 25, 1663.

ROYAL CHARTER.

GOVERNORS.

Benedict Arnold,Nov., 1663 to May, 1666.

William Brenton,May, 1666 to May, 1669.

Benedict Arnold,May, 1669 to May, 1672.

Nicholas Easton,May, 1672 to May, 1674.

William Coddington,May, 1674 to May, 1676.

Walter Clarke,May, 1676 to May, 1677.

Benedict Arnold,1677 to June 20, 1678. Died.

William Coddington,Aug. 28, 1678 to Nov. 1, 1678. Died.

John Cranston,Nov., 1678 to March 12, 1680. Died.

Peleg Sandford,March 16, 1680 to May, 1683.

William Coddington, Jr.,May, 1683 to May, 1685.

Henry Bull,May, 1685 to May, 1686.

Walter Clarke,[C]May, 1686 to June 29, 1686.

Henry Bull,Feb. 27, to May 7, 1690.

John Easton,May, 1690 to May, 1695.

Caleb Carr,May, 1695 to Dec. 17, 1695. Died.

Walter Clarke,Jan., 1696 to March, 1698.

Samuel Cranston,May, 1698 to April 26, 1727. Died.

Joseph Jenckes,May, 1727 to May, 1732.

William Wanton,May, 1732 to Dec., 1733. Died.

John Wanton,May, 1734 to July 5, 1740. Died.

Richard Ward,July 15, 1740 to May, 1743.

William Greene,May, 1743 to May, 1745.

Gideon Wanton,May, 1745 to May, 1746.

William Greene,May, 1746 to May, 1747.

Gideon Wanton,May, 1747 to May, 1748.

William Greene,May, 1748 to May, 1755.

Stephen Hopkins,May, 1755 to May, 1757.

William Greene, May, 1757 to Feb. 22, 1758. Died.

Stephen Hopkins,March 14, 1758 to May, 1762.

Samuel Ward,May, 1762 to May, 1763.

Stephen Hopkins,May, 1763 to May, 1765.

Samuel Ward,May, 1765 to May, 1767.

Stephen Hopkins,May, 1767 to May, 1768.

Josias Lyndon,May, 1768 to May, 1769.

Joseph Wanton,1769 to Nov. 7, 1775. Deposed.

Nicholas Cooke,Nov., 1775 to May, 1778.

William Greene,May, 1778 to 1786.

John Collins,May, 1786 to 1790.

Arthur Fenner,[D]1790 to 1805. Died.

James Fenner,May, 1807 to 1811.

William Jones,May, 1811 to 1817.

Nehemiah R. Knight,[E]May, 1817 to Jan. 9, 1821.

William C. Gibbs,May, 1821 to 1824.

James Fenner,May, 1824 to 1831.

Lemuel H. Arnold,1831 to 1833.

John Brown Francis,1833 to 1838.

William Sprague,[F]1838 to 1839.

Samuel Ward King,1840 to 1843.

UNDER THE CONSTITUTION.

(Adopted in 1842.)

James Fenner1843 to 1845.

Charles Jackson1845 to 1846.

Byron Diman1846 to 1847.

Elisha Harris1847 to 1849.

Henry B. Anthony,1849 to 1851.

Philip Allen,[G]1851 to 1853.

William Warner Hoppin,1854 to 1857.

Elisha Dyer1857 to 1859.

Thomas G. Turner,1859 to 1860.

William Sprague,1860 to March 3, 1863. Resigned.

William C. Cozzens,[H]March 3, 1863 to May, 1863.

James Y. Smith,1863 to 1866.

Ambrose E. Burnside,1866 to 1869.

Seth Padelford,1869 to 1873.

Henry Howard1873 to 1875.

Henry Lippitt,1875 to ——

Deputy Governors.

William Brenton,March 12, 1640 to May 10, 1647.

From 1647 to 1663 the colony governed by a president, with four assistants.

William Brenton,1663 to 1666.

Nicholas Easton,1666 to 1669.

John Clarke,1669 to 1670.

Nicholas Easton,1670 to 1671.

John Clarke,1671 to 1672.

John Cranston,1672 to 1673.

William Coddington,1673 to 1674.

John Easton,1674 to 1676.

John Cranston,1676 to 1678.

James Barker,1678 to 1679.

Walter Clarke,1679 to 1686.

John Coggeshall,May to June, 1686.

(Charter suspended, 1686 to 1690.)

John Coggeshall,1690.

John Greene,1690 to 1700.

Walter Clarke,1700 to 1714. Died.

Henry Tew,1714 to 1715.

Joseph Jencks,1715 to 1721.

John Wanton,1721 to 1722.

Joseph Jencks,1722 to 1727.

Jonathan Nicholls,May to August, 1727. Died.

Thomas Frye,1727 to 1729.

John Wanton,1729 to 1734.

George Hassard,1734 to 1738. Died.

Daniel Abbott,1738 to 1740.

Richard Ward,May to July, 1740.

William Greene,1740 to 1743.

Joseph Whipple,1743 to 1745.

William Robinson,1745 to 1746.

Joseph Whipple,1746 to 1747.

William Robinson,1747 to 1748.

William Ellery,1748 to 1750.

Robert Haszard,1750 to 1751.

Joseph Whipple,1751 to 1753.

Jonathan Nichols,1753 to 1754.

John Gardner,1754 to 1755.

Jonathan Nichols,1755 to 1756.

John Gardner,1756 to 1764.

Joseph Wanton, Jr.,1764 to 1765.

Elisha Brown,1765 to 1767.

Joseph Wanton, Jr.,1767 to 1768.

Nicholas Cooke,1768 to 1769.

Darius Sessions,1769 to 1775.

Nicholas Cooke,May to November, 1775.

William Bradford,1775 to 1778.

Jabez Bowen,1778 to 1780.

William West,1780 to 1781.

Jabez Bowen,1781 to 1786.

Daniel Owen,1786 to 1790.

Samuel J. Potter,1790 to 1799.

The title was now changed to lieutenant-governor.

LIEUTENANT-GOVERNORS.

Samuel J. Potter,Feb., 1799 to May, 1799.

George Brown,1799 to 1800.

Samuel J. Potter,1800 to 1803.

Paul Mumford,1803 to 1806.

Isaac Wilbour,1806 to 1807.

Constant Taber,1807 to 1808.

Simeon Martin,1808 to 1810.

Isaac Wilbour,1810 to 1811.

Simeon Martin,1811 to 1816.

Jeremiah Thurston,1816 to 1817.

Edward Wilcox,1817 to 1821.

Caleb Earle,1821 to 1824.

Charles Collins,1824 to 1833.

Jeffrey Hazard,1833 to 1835.

George Engs,1835 to 1836.

Jeffrey Hazard,1836 to 1837.

Benjamin B. Thurston,1837 to 1838.

Joseph Childs,1838 to 1840.

Byron Diman,1840 to 1842.

Nathaniel Bullock,1842 to 1843.

Byron Diman,1843 to 1846.

Elisha Harris,[I]1846 to 1847.

Edward W. Lawton,1847 to 1849.

Thomas Whipple,1849 to 1851.

William Beach Lawrence,1851 to 1852.

Samuel G. Arnold,1852 to 1853.

Francis M. Dimond,1853 to 1854.

John J. Reynolds,1854 to 1855.

Anderson C. Rose,1855 to 1856.

Nicholas Brown,1856 to 1857.

Thomas G. Turner,1857 to 1859.

Isaac Saunders,1859 to 1860.

J. Russell Bullock,1860 to 1861.

Samuel G. Arnold,1861 to 1863.

Seth Padelford,1863 to 1865.

Duncan C. Pell,1865 to 1866.

William Greene,1866 to 1868.

Pardon W. Stevens,1868 to 1872.

Charles R. Cutler,1872 to 1873.

Charles C. Van Zandt[I]1873 to 1875.

Henry T. Sisson,[I]1875 to ——

MEMBERS OF THE Continental Congress From Rhode Island.

Jonathan Arnold,1782 to 1783.

Peleg Arnold,1787 to 1789.

John Collins,1778 to 1782.

Ezekiel Cornell,1780 to 1782.

William Ellery,1776 to 1784.

Jonathan J. Hazard,1787 to 1789.

Stephen Hopkins,1774 to 1779.

David Howell,1782 to 1784.

James Manning,Feb., 1786.

Henry Marchant,Feb., 1777 to 1784.

Nathan Miller,Feb., 1786.

Daniel Mowry,1780 to 1781.

James M. Varnum,1780, ’81, ’86.

Samuel Ward,1774 to 1775.

John Gardner,1788 to 1789.

William Bradford,[J]Oct., 1776.

John Brown,[J]1785.

George Champlin,[J]1785 to 1786.

Paul Mumford,[J]1785.

Peter Phillips,[J]1785.

Sylvester Gardner,[J]1787.

Thomas Holden,[J]1788 to 1789.

Towns in Rhode Island,

DATE OF INCORPORATION, ETC.

Counties and Towns. Date of Incorporation. From what Taken, Original Names, Changes of Boundaries

Bristol Co. Feb’y 17, 1746–47. Incorporated with same county limits as at present. Originally the county consisted of two towns, Bristol and Warren. Afterwards, June, 1770, Warren was divided, and the Town of Barrington was incorporated.

Barrington. June 16, 1770. Taken from Warren, which see.

Bristol. Jan’y 27, 1746–47. Five towns received from Massachusetts this date. A portion of Bristol annexed to Warren, May 30, 1873.

Warren. Jan’y 27, 1746–47. See Bristol. The territory of the Town of Warren, when admitted to the State, included the Town of Barrington, and a portion of the towns of Swanzey and Rehoboth, in Massachusetts. In 1770 Warren was divided, and one of the original names (Barrington) was given to the new town.

Kent Co. June 15, 1750. Taken from Providence County. Incorporated with the same county limits as at present, and same towns.

Coventry. August 21, 1741. Taken from Warwick.

East Greenwich. October 31, 1677. Incorporated as the Town of East Greenwich. Name changed to Dedford, June 23, 1686. The original name restored in 1689. The town divided in 1741.

West Greenwich. April 6, 1741. Taken from East Greenwich, which see.

Warwick. Original town. First settled January, 1642–43. Named from Earl of Warwick, who signed the Patent of Providence Plantations, March 14, 1643. The first action of the inhabitants as a town was August 8, 1647. Indian name, Shawomet.

Newport Co. June 22, 1703. Originally incorporated as Rhode Island County, June 16, 1729, incorporated as Newport County, and included Newport, Portsmouth, Jamestown and New Shoreham.

Fall River. October 6, 1856. Taken from Tiverton. Ceded to Massachusetts in the settlement of the boundary question. March 1, 1862. See Pawtucket and East Providence.

Jamestown. November 4, 1678. Named in honor of King James. Indian name Quononoqutt (Conanicut).

Little Compton. Jan’y 27, 1746–47. One of the five towns received from Massachusetts. Annexed to Newport County February 17, 1746–47. Indian name, Seaconnet.

Middletown. June 16, 1743. Town in the “middle” of the island. Taken from Newport.

Newport. Original town. Settled in 1639. Line between Newport and Portsmouth established September 14, 1640. Incorporated as a city June 1, 1784. City charter given up March 27, 1787. City incorporated the second time at the May session, 1853, and the charter accepted May 20, 1853.

New Shoreham. November 6, 1672. Admitted to Colony as Block Island, May 4, 1664. When incorporated in 1672, name changed to New Shoreham “as signes of our unity and likeness to many parts of our native country.” Indian name Mannasses or Manisses.

Portsmouth. Original town. Settled in 1638. Indian name Pocasset “At a quarter meeting of the first of ye 5th month 1639, it is agreed upon to call this town Portsmouth.” At the “Generall Courte” at “Nieuport” 12th of 1st month, 1640, the name of Portsmouth was confirmed.

Tiverton. Jan’y 27, 1746–47. One of the five towns received this date from Massachusetts. See Bristol, Warren, &c. Indian name Pocasset. Annexed to Newport County, February 17, 1746–47.

Providence Co. June 22, 1703 Originally incorporated as the County of Providence Plantations, and included the present territory of Providence, Kent and Washington counties, excepting the present towns of Cumberland, Pawtucket and East Providence. The name was changed to Providence County June 16, 1729. See Kent and Washington counties.

Burrillville. October 29, 1806. Taken from Glocester. The town was first authorized to meet to elect officers, Nov. 17, 1806. Named from Hon. James Burrill.

Cranston. June 14, 1754. Taken from Providence. Probably named from Samuel Cranston, who was Governor of Rhode Island from March, 1698, to April 26, 1727, when he died. A portion re-united to Providence, June 10, 1868, and March 28, 1873.

Cumberland. Jan’y 27, 1746–47 One of the five towns received this date. See Tiverton, Bristol, &c. Until incorporated in Rhode Island it was known as Attleboro Gore. Named from Cumberland, England. Annexed to Providence County, February 17, 1746–47. A portion of Cumberland was incorporated as the Town of Woonsocket, January 31, 1867.

East Providence. March 1, 1862. |The westerly part of Rehoboth, Massachusetts, was incorporated as Seekonk, February 26, 1812. The westerly part of Seekonk was annexed to Rhode Island, incorporated as a town, and named East Providence in the settlement of the boundary question in 1862. See Pawtucket and Fall River.

Foster. August 24, 1781. Taken from Scituate. Named probably from Hon. Theodore Foster.

Glocester. Feb’y 20, 1730–31. Taken from Providence. At this date an act was passed “for erecting and incorporating the outlands of the Town of Providence into three towns.” These towns were Scituate, Glocester and Smithfield.

Johnston. March 6, 1759. Taken from Providence, and named in honor of Augustus Johnston, Esq., the attorney-general of the Colony at that time.

Lincoln. March 8, 1871. Taken from Smithfield, and named in honor of Abraham Lincoln, late President of the United States.

North Providence June 13, 1765 Taken from Providence. A small portion reunited to Providence June 29, 1767, and March 28, 1873. The town was divided March 27, 1874, a portion was annexed to the City of Providence and a portion to the Town of Pawtucket. The act went into effect May 1, 1874.

North Smithfield March 8, 1871 Taken from Smithfield, and incorporated as the Town of Slater. Name changed to North Smithfield, March 24, 1871.

Pawtucket March 1, 1862 Name of Indian origin. Part of Seekonk, Mass., was incorporated as the Town of Pawtucket, March 1, 1828. The whole Town of Pawtucket except a small portion lying easterly of Seven Mile River was annexed to Rhode Island, with East Providence, which see. A portion of the Town of North Providence annexed to Pawtucket, May 1, 1874.

Providence Original town Settled in 1636. Named Providence by Roger Williams, “in gratitude to his supreme deliverer.” Originally comprised the whole county. City incorporated in 1832. Portions of the Town of Cranston were re-annexed to Providence June 10, 1768, and March 28, 1873. Portions of North Providence were re-annexed June 29, 1767, March 28, 1873, and May 1, 1874.

Scituate Feb’y 20, 1730–31 Taken from Providence. See Glocester.

Smithfield Feb’y 20, 1730–31 Taken from Providence. See Glocester. The town was divided March 8, 1871, a portion being annexed to Woonsocket, and the remainder divided into three towns. See Lincoln and North Smithfield.

Woonsocket Jan’y 31, 1867 Name of Indian origin. Taken from Cumberland. A portion of Smithfield was annexed to Woonsocket March 8, 1871.

Washington Co. June 16, 1729 Originally called the “Narragansett country.” Named King’s Province, March 20, 1654. Boundaries established May 21, 1669. Incorporated June, 1729, as King’s County, with three towns and same territory as at present. Name changed to Washington County, October 29, 1781.

Charlestown August 22, 1738 Taken from Westerly.

Exeter March 8, 1742–43 Taken from North Kingstown.

Hopkinton March 19, 1757 Taken from Westerly.

North Kingstown October 28, 1674 First settlement, 1641. Incorporated in 1674, under the name of King’s Towne, as the seventh town in the Colony. Incorporation reaffirmed in 1679. Name changed to Rochester June 23, 1686. Name restored in 1689; see East Greenwich. Kingstown, divided into North and South Kingstown, February, 1722. The act provided that North Kingstown should be the oldest town.

South Kingstown Feb’y 26, 1722–23 See North Kingstown. Pettiquamscut settled January 20, 1657–58.

Richmond August 18, 1747 Taken from Charlestown.

Westerly May 14, 1669 Original name Misquamicut. Incorporated in May, 1669, under the name of Westerly, as the fifth town in the Colony. Name of Westerly changed to Haversham, June 23, 1686, but soon restored.

Note.—In several cases the exact date of the passage of the act of incorporation of towns cannot be ascertained. In such cases the date of the meeting of the General Assembly at which the act was passed is given.

Total Population of Rhode Island,

From 1708 to 1875.

Towns and Divisions of the State Settled or Incorpa’td. 1708. 1730. 1748. 1755. 1774. 1776.

Barrington, 1770 — — — — 601 538

Bristol, 1747 — — 1,069 1,080 1,209 1,067

Warren, 1747 — — 680 925 979 1,005

Bristol Co., 1747 — — 1,749 2,005 2,789 2,610

Coventry, 1741 — — 792 1,178 2,023 2,300

East Greenwich, 1677 240 1,223 1,044 1,167 1,663 1,664

West Greenwich, 1741 — — 766 1,246 1,764 1,653

Warwick, 1643 480 1,178 1,782 1,911 2,438 2,376

Kent Co., 1750 720 2,401 4,384 5,502 7,888 7,993

Fall River, 1856 — — — — — —

Jamestown, 1678 206 321 420 517 563 322

Little Compton, 1747 — — 1,152 1,170 1,232 1,302

Middletown, 1743 — — 680 778 881 860

Newport, 1639 2,203 4,640 6,508 6,753 9,209 5,299

New Shoreham, 1672 208 290 300 378 575 478

Portsmouth, 1638 628 813 992 1,363 1,512 1,347

Tiverton, 1747 — — 1,040 1,325 1,956 2,091

Newport Co., 1703 3,245 6,064 11,092 12,284 15,928 11,699

Burrillville, 1806 — — — — — —

Cranston, 1754 — — — 1,460 1,861 1,701

Cumberland, 1747 — — 806 1,083 1,756 1,686

East Providence, 1862 — — — — — —

Foster, 1781 — — — — — —

Glocester, 1731 — — 1,202 1,511 2,945 2,832

Johnston, 1759 — — — — 1,031 1,022

North Providence, 1765 — — — — 830 813

Pawtucket, 1862 — — — — — —

Scituate, 1731 — — 1,232 1,813 3,601 3,289

Smithfield, 1731 — — 450 1,921 2,888 2,781

Towns, Prov. Co., 1703 — — 3,690 7,788 14,912 14,124

Providence City, 1636 1,446 3,916 3,452 3,159 4,321 4,355

Charlestown, 1738 — — 1,002 1,130 1,821 1,835

Exeter, 1743 — — 1,174 1,404 1,864 1,982

Hopkinton, 1757 — — — — 1,808 1,845

North Kingstown, 1674 1,200 2,105 1,935 2,109 2,472 2,761

South Kingstown, 1723 — 1,523 1,978 1,913 2,835 2,779

Richmond, 1747 — — 508 829 1,257 1,204

Westerly, 1669 570 1,926 1,809 2,291 1,812 1,824

Washington Co., 1729 1,770 5,554 8,406 9,676 13,869 14,230

Whole State, 1636 7,181 17,935 32,773 40,414 59,707 55,011

Note.The permission to use these valuable tables I owe to Hon. J. M. Addeman, Secretary of State.

Towns and Divisions of the State 1782. 1790. 1800. 1810. 1820. 1830.

Barrington, 534 683 650 60 634 612

Bristol, 1,032 1,406 1,678 2,693 3,197 3,034

Warren, 905 1,122 1,473 1,775 1,806 1,800

Bristol Co., 2,471 3,211 3,801 5,072 5,637 5,446

Coventry, 2,107 2,447 2,423 2,928 3,139 3,851

East Greenwich, 1,609 1,824 1,775 1,530 1,519 1,591

West Greenwich, 1,698 2,054 1,757 1,619 1,927 1,817

Warwick 2,112 2,493 2,532 3,757 3,643 5,529

Kent Co., 7,526 8,848 8,487 9,834 10,228 12,788

Fall River, — — — — — —

Jamestown, 345 507 501 504 448 415

Little Compton, 1,341 1,542 1,577 1,553 1,580 1,378

Middletown, 674 840 913 976 949 915

Newport, 5,530 6,716 6,739 7,907 7,319 8,010

New Shoreham, 478 682 714 722 955 1,185

Portsmouth, 1,350 1,560 1,684 1,795 1,645 1,727

Tiverton, 1,959 2,453 2,717 2,837 2,875 2,905

Newport Co., 11,677 14,300 14,845 16,294 15,771 16,535

Burrillville, — — — 1,834 2,164 2,196

Cranston, 1,589 1,877 1,644 2,161 2,274 2,652

Cumberland, 1,548 1,964 2,056 2,210 2,653 3,675

East Providence, — — — — — —

Foster, 1,763 2,268 2,457 2,613 2,900 2,672

Glocester, 2,791 4,025 4,009 2,310 2,504 2,521

Johnston, 996 1,320 1,364 1,516 1,542 2,115

North Providence, 698 1,071 1,067 1,758 2,420 3,503

Pawtucket, — — — — — —

Scituate, 1,628 2,315 2,523 2,568 2,834 3,993

Smithfield, 2,217 3,171 3,120 3,828 4,678 6,857

Towns, Prov. Co., 13,230 18,011 18,240 20,798 23,969 30,184

Providence City, 4,310 6,380 7,614 10,071 11,767 16,836

Charlestown, 1,523 2,022 1,454 1,174 1,160 1,284

Exeter, 2,058 2,495 2,476 2,256 2,581 2,383

Hopkinton, 1,735 2,462 2,276 1,774 1,821 1,777

North Kingstown, 2,328 2,907 2,794 2,957 3,007 3,036

South Kingstown, 2,675 4,131 3,438 3,560 3,723 3,663

Richmond, 1,094 1,760 1,368 1,330 1,423 1,363

Westerly, 1,720 2,298 2,329 1,911 1,972 1,915

Washington Co., 13,133 18,075 16,135 14,962 15,687 15,421

Whole State, 52,347 68,825 69,122 77,031 83,059 97,210

Towns and Divisions of the State 1840. 1850. 1860. 1865. 1870. 1875.

Barrington, 549 795 1,000 1,028 1,111 1,185

Bristol, 3,490 4,616 5,271 4,649 5,302 5,829

Warren, 2,437 3,103 2,636 2,792 3,008 4,005

Bristol Co., 6,476 8,514 8,907 8,469 9,421 11,019

Coventry, 3,433 3,620 4,247 3,995 4,349 4,580

East Greenwich, 1,509 2,358 2,882 2,400 2,660 3,120

West Greenwich, 1,415 1,350 1,258 1,228 1,133 1,034

Warwick, 6,726 7,740 8,916 7,696 10,453 11,614

Kent Co., 13,083 15,068 17,303 15,319 18,595 20,348

Fall River, — — 3,337 — — —

Jamestown, 365 358 400 349 378 488

Little Compton, 1,327 1,462 1,304 1,197 1,166 1,156

Middletown, 891 830 1,012 1,019 971 1,074

New Shoreham, 1,069 1,262 1,320 1,308 1,113 1,147

Portsmouth, 1,706 1,833 2,048 2,153 2,003 1,893

Tiverton, 3,183 4,699 1,927 1,973 1,898 2,101

Towns, Newport Co., 8,541 10,444 11,388 7,999 7,529 7,859

Newport City, 8,333 9,563 10,508 12,688 12,521 14,028

Burrillville, 1,982 3,538 4,140 4,861 4,674 5,249

Cranston, 2,901 4,311 7,500 9,177 4,822 5,688

Cumberland, 5,225 6,661 8,339 8,216 3,882 5,673

East Providence, — — — 2,172 2,668 4,336

Foster, 2,181 1,932 1,935 1,873 1,630 1,543

Glocester, 2,304 2,872 2,427 2,286 2,385 2,098

Johnston, 2,477 2,937 3,440 3,436 4,192 4,999

Lincoln, — — — — 7,889 11,565

North Providence, 4,207 7,680 11,818 14,553 20,495 1,303

North Smithfield, — — — — 3,052 2,797

Pawtucket, — — — 5,000 6,619 18,464

Scituate, 4,090 4,582 4,251 3,538 3,846 4,101

Smithfield, 9,534 11,500 13,283 12,315 2,605 2,857

Woonsocket, — — — — 11,527 13,576

Towns, Prov. Co., 34,901 46,013 57,133 67,427 80,286 84,249

Providence City, 23,172 41,513 50,666 54,595 68,904 100,675

Charlestown, 923 994 981 1,134 1,119 1,054

Exeter, 1,776 1,634 1,741 1,498 1,462 1,355

Hopkinton, 1,726 2,477 2,738 2,512 2,682 2,760

North Kingstown, 2,909 2,971 3,104 3,166 3,568 3,505

South Kingstown, 3,717 3,807 4,717 4,513 4,493 4,240

Richmond, 1,361 1,784 1,964 1,830 2,064 1,739

Westerly, 1,912 2,763 3,470 3,815 4,709 5,408

Washington Co., 14,324 16,430 18,715 18,468 20,097 20,061

Whole State, 108,830 147,545 174,620 184,965 217,353 258,239

State Valuation.

Valuation of the several towns and cities in the State as returned by the town and city clerks to the Secretary of State, October, 1875.

Town or City. Real Estate. Personal Estate. Total. Rate of Tax on each $100.[K]

Barrington, $985,505 $509,300 $1,494,805 $0.55

Bristol, 3,210,700 1,900,400 5,111,100 .78

Warren, 2,052,950 2,115,150 4,168,100 .64

Bristol County, $6,249,155 $4,524,850 10,774,005

Coventry, $2,616,300 $1,437,100 $4,053,400 .40

East Greenwich, 1,465,402 372,550 1,837,952 .50

West Greenwich, 362,030 143,140 505,170 .90

Warwick, 7,577,500 2,840,900 10,418,400 .50

Kent County, $12,021,232 $4,793,690 $16,814,922

Jamestown, $785,300 $273,400 $1,058,700 .50

Little Compton, 830,950 435,600 1,266,550 .50

Middletown, 1,596,000 398,200 1,994,200 .60

Newport, 20,831,000 8,040,200 28,871,200 .77

New Shoreham, 287,384 45,304 332,688 2.25

Portsmouth, 1,556,400 674,500 2,230,900 .58

Tiverton, 1,262,913 484,285 1,747,198 .60

Newport County, $27,149,947 $10,351,489 $37,501,436

Burrillville, $1,853,600 $896,800 $2,750,400 .74

Cranston, 5,864,550 934,200 6,798,750 .50

Cumberland, 3,671,250 2,084,050 5,755,300 .65

East Providence, 4,565,700 817,800 5,383,500 .70

Foster, 535,300 148,900 684,200 .94

Glocester, 824,555 450,550 1,275,105 .80

Johnston, 3,686,600 784,900 3,871,500 .80

Lincoln, 5,474,350 1,732,800 7,207,150 .80

North Providence, 803,705 199,500 1,003,205 .80

North Smithfield, 1,270,550 966,400 2,236,950 .70

Pawtucket, 12,648,774 3,603,656 16,252,430 1.25

Providence, 82,862,900 39,091,800 121,954,700 1.45

Scituate, 1,571,300 776,600 2,347,900 .85

Smithfield, 1,366,600 728,900 2,095,500 .85

Woonsocket, 6,979,900 2,533,370 9,513,270 1.20

Providence Co., $133,379,634 $55,750,226 $189,129,860

Charlestown, $612,800 $88,450 $701,250 .70

Exeter, 546,860 123,580 670,440 .50

Hopkinton, 1,326,850 438,450 1,765,300 .65

North Kingstown, 1,869,905 969,630 2,839,535 .52

South Kingstown, 3,002,490 1,458,610 4,461,100 .60

Richmond, 1,006,800 257,400 1,264,200 .65

Westerly, 3,113,800 1,379,175 4,492,975 .60

Washington Co., $11,479,505 $4,715,295 $16,194,800

Whole State, $190,279,473 $80,135,550 $270,415,023

The Corliss Engine

AT THE INTERNATIONAL EXPOSITION.

This engine was furnished by George H. Corliss, of Providence, Rhode Island, and was especially designed for supplying motive power at the International Exposition of 1876. This engine is of fourteen hundred horse-power, but is capable of doing the work of twenty-five hundred horses if necessary. With its appurtenances it weighs over seven hundred tons, and furnishes power to all the machinery in the building. Miles of shafting lead away from it along the aisles from end to end. Of these are eight main lines of shafting, four on each side of the central transept where the engine stands, extending lengthwise. Seven have a speed of one hundred and twenty revolutions, and one a speed of two hundred and forty revolutions a minute. A line of shafting is also provided for carrying power into the pump annex, and counter shafts are introduced into the aisles at different points. The power is transmitted by the spur-gear fly-wheel, thirty feet in diameter, weighing fifty-six tons; the jack-wheel ten feet in diameter on the main shafting, which being run under the floors to the pulleys, the power is transmitted thence to the eight main lines of shafting above the floor, aggregating more than a mile in length, from which the machinery of the Exposition derives its power. The engine makes thirty-six revolutions per minute, and for driving them there are twenty Corliss boilers capable of developing fourteen hundred horse-power, and of standing a pressure of one hundred pounds to the square inch. The platform on which the engine stands is breast high. From this, on either side, a long iron staircase mounts to the top of the A frames, where narrow walks with brass railings lead about among the moving masses aloft in the air. It is five times a man’s height from the platform to the top of the walking-beam.

It is a tamed monster with unresistable power. To see a man walk calmly around among the great beams and cranks is a sight to make one shiver. He caresses a polished crank of steel that would crush him to bits if he should stop in its path. He pats the ends of the beams as they fly up and down past him, and touches the joints with his oiler. Aside from the fact that the engine is one of the largest of its kind, it is so unique in construction and form that it is all new to beholders. It is a model of simplicity and picturesqueness.