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VERMONT

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Originally appearing in Volume V27, Page 1029 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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VERMONT , a See also:

North See also:Atlantic See also:state of the See also:United States of See also:America, and one of the New ,See also:England See also:group, lying between See also:latitude 42° 44 and 45° 0' 43" N., and between longitudes 3° 35' and 5° 29' E. from See also:Washington. It is bounded N. by the See also:Canadian See also:province of See also:Quebec, E. by the See also:Connecticut See also:river, which separates it from New See also:Hampshire, S. by See also:Massachusetts, and W. by New See also:York and See also:Lake See also:Champlain, which separates it in See also:part from New York. Its See also:total See also:area is 9564 sq. m., and of this 440 sq. m. is See also:water See also:surface. Surface.—Vermont is a portion of the See also:plateau-like New England upland, broken by See also:mountain ranges, individual mountains and high hills, rising above the See also:general upland surface, and by deep narro,v valleys, cut below that surface. The mean See also:elevation of the ssvir. 33state above the See also:sea is about moo ft. Extremes range from Io6 ft. at Maquam on the N.E. See also:shore of Lake Champlain (96 ft.) to 4364 ft. at the See also:summit of See also:Mount See also:Mansfield, about 25 M. E. of that lake. The most prominent feature of the surface is the See also:Green Mountains, which extend nearly N. and S. through the state a little W. of the See also:middle. From the Massachusetts border N. for two-thirds the length of the state the range is only slightly broken, but farther N. it is cut deep by the valleys of the Winooski and Lamoille See also:rivers. The See also:crest See also:line is generally more than 2000 ft. high, considerable areas are above 2500 ft., and the following summits exceed 4000 ft.: Mount Mansfield, 4364 ft.; Killington See also:Peak, 4241 ft.; See also:Camel's Hump, 4088 ft.; Mount See also:Lincoln, 4078 ft.; and See also:Jay Peak, 4018 ft. See also:West of the Green Mountains the Taconic Mountains See also:form a nearly parallel (but distinct) range, extending from New York and Massachusetts N. nearly to the centre of Vermont; and a See also:series of broken uplifts, known as the Red Sandrock Mountains, extend farther N. along the shore of Lake Champlain.

The Taconic Mountains rise in very irregular masses to 1500-2000 ft., and reach their maximum elevation in Mount See also:

Equinox at 3816 ft. The Red Sandrock Mountains are similar to one another in form and structure, generally rounded on the N. and E., but with some rugged escarpments facing the lake; their highest point is Snake Mountain (1271 ft.) in See also:Addison See also:county. There are no mountain ranges in the state E. of the Green Mountains, but distributed along the entire E. border are a number of tall and See also:oval or conical shaped masses known as the Granitic Mountains, and between these and the Green Mountains the See also:country is largely occupied by high hills and deeply carved valleys. Mount Ascutney, one of the Granitic Mountains, rises abruptly from the See also:floor of the Connecticut Valley to a height of 3320 ft. The least broken See also:section of Vermont is on the somewhat See also:gentle slope of the Green Mountains in the N.W. and on See also:Grand Isle, North See also:Hero See also:Island, and Isle La Motte in Lake Champlain. The forms of Vermont's mountains, even to the highest summits, were to a See also:great extent rounded by glaciation, but as the rocks vary much in texture and are often steeply inclined, stream erosion has cut valleys deep and narrow, often See also:mere See also:gorges. Where the Green Mountain range is unbroken, in the S. two-thirds of the state, it forms a water-parting between the streams which flow W. or N.W. into Lake Champlain or the See also:Hudson river and those flowing S.E. into the Connecticut river; but farther N. the line separating the Hudson-Champlain See also:basin - from the Connecticut basin runs among the Granitic Mountains; and extending 25 m. S. from the Canadian border is a small area that is drained N. into Lake Memphremagog, the See also:waters of which, like those of Lake Champlain, are tributary to the St See also:Lawrence river. North of Massachusetts the Connecticut river is wholly within New Hampshire—Vermont's eastern boundary is See also:low-water See also:mark on the W. See also:bank of the Connecticut river. The largest and only navigable rivers of Vermont are among those flowing into Lake Champlain: the Missisquoi, the Lamoille, the Winooski and See also:Otter See also:Creek. The See also:Batten Kill is the See also:principal river flowing into the Hudson. The See also:Deerfield, West, See also:Williams, See also:White, Passumpsic and Nulhegan rivers are the largest of the many streams which are tributary to the Connecticut.

The See also:

Black, See also:Barton and See also:Clyde rivers flow into Lake Memphremagog. Vermont's rivers are generally See also:swift, and in many places they are made very picturesque by their clear and sparkling waters, rapids, falls, gorges and wooded See also:banks. Lake Champlain, which lies beautifully in the valley between the Green and Adirondack mountains, belongs mostly to Vermont. The state has a shore line upon it of 15o m. or more, and in its N. portion are numerous islands which are attractive resorts during the summer See also:season. On the N. border of the state is Lake Memphremagog with islands, a rugged prominence known as See also:Owl's See also:Head on its W. border, Jay Peak, farther back, and a beautiful farming country to the eastward. There are also a large number of small lakes and ponds lying wholly within the state. Of these Lake Bomoseen in See also:Rutland county and See also:Willoughby Lake in See also:Orleans county are the largest. Willoughby Lake is about 6 m. See also:long by 1–i 2 m. wide, and its situation between two rugged mountains makes a See also:scene of great natural beauty. All the lakes of the state were formed by glaciation. See also:Fauna.—The most See also:common See also:wild animals are See also:deer, rabbits, squirrels, raccoons, skunks, woodchucks and muskrats. There are some porcupines, red foxes, minks and See also:martens, but the See also:moose, See also:wolf and See also:lynx are practically See also:extinct. The ruffed See also:grouse (or " See also:partridge ") is the most common of See also:game birds, but See also:woodcock, ducks and geese are quite common.

Prominent among a great variety of See also:

song-birds and insectivorous birds are the See also:robin, See also:blue See also:bird, See also:cat bird, sparrows, meadow-See also:lark, bobolink, thrushes, chickadee, wrens, See also:brown thrasher, See also:gold See also:finch, See also:cedar See also:wax-wing, flycatchers, nuthatches, flicker (See also:golden-winged See also:woodpecker), downy and hairy woodpeckers, See also:rose-breasted See also:grosbeak, See also:Baltimore See also:oriole, See also:barn-See also:swallow, See also:chimney swift, See also:purple See also:martin, purple finch (See also:linnet), vireos and several See also:species of warblers. Birds of- See also:prey comprise several species of See also:hawks and owls, and a few eagles. A few See also:sturgeon are taken in Lake Champlain. The lakes, ponds and streams afford some of the best See also:trout fishing in the country, and many of them also abound in pickerel, See also:pike, See also:perch, black See also:bass and See also:land-locked See also:salmon. "There is a state See also:fish and game See also:commissioner, and the state has a fish II hatchery at See also:Roxbury and a See also:forest and game See also:farm at See also:Sharon. There are Federal hatcheries at Swanton (for pike perch and yellow perch) and at See also:Holden (for trout). See also:Flora.—Vermont (vent mont), the Green Mountain State, was so named from the See also:evergreen forests of its mountains, whose principal trees are spruce and See also:fir on the upper slopes and white See also:pine and See also:hemlock on the See also:lower. Among See also:deciduous trees the state is noted for its See also:sugar maples; See also:birch and See also:beech are common on the hills, and oaks, See also:elm, See also:hickory, ash, See also:poplar, basswood, See also:willow, See also:chestnut and butternut on the less elevated areas. Among indigenous See also:fruit-bearing trees, shrubs, vines and See also:plants are the See also:plum, See also:cherry, See also:grape, See also:blackberry, See also:raspberry, See also:cranberry and See also:strawberry. A few of the medicinal plants are See also:ginseng, See also:pleurisy See also:root, snake root, See also:blood root, blue See also:flag and marshmallow. See also:Orchids are very prominent among a great variety of flowering plants. Along the shore of Lake Champlain are a few species of maritime plants that remain from the See also:time when portions of western Vermont were covered by the sea, and on the upper slopes of some of the higher mountains are a few Alpine species; these, however, are much less numerous on the Green Mountains of Vermont than on the White Mountains of New Hampshire.

The state's See also:

lumber See also:trade was important until 189o, when the white pine was nearly exhausted, although there were still spruce and hemlock. See also:Climate.—The state usually has long and severe winters and cool summers, but sudden changes of temperature are common at all seasons. The mean temperature for See also:January, the coldest See also:month, is only 17° F.; for the three See also:winter months it is 19° F., and for the five months from See also:November to See also:March inclusive it is 24.3° F. For See also:July, the warmest month, the mean temperature is 68° F.; for the entire See also:year it is 43° F. Extremes of temperature have ranged from -36° F. at See also:Woodstock, See also:Windsor county, in See also:February 1896 to 97° F. at See also:Cornwall, Addison county, in See also:June 1901. The eastern section of the state is colder than the western, and the central or most mountainous section is still colder; for example, the mean See also:annual temperature of See also:Burlington, on Lake Champlain, is 46° F., while that of See also:Saint Johnsbury, a little farther S. and near the E. border, is only 42 ° F., and that of See also:Northfield, still farther S. but in the middle section, is only 41° F. The mean annual precipitation for the entire state is about 38.5 in.; more See also:rain falls in summer than in any other season, and more falls in the See also:southern section than in the See also:northern. The See also:average annual fall of See also:snow throughout the state is about 90 in., but at See also:Jacksonville near the S. border it often exceeds See also:Ito in. More snow falls in February than in any other month. In the Connecticut and Hudson-Champlain valleys the winds See also:blow mostly from either the N. or the S., but in several of the smaller valleys the prevailing winds are from the N.W. See also:Soil.—The soil is for the most part glacial See also:drift, composed of See also:clay, See also:sand and See also:gravel, and varying greatly in See also:depth. On the higher elevations it is generally stony and sterile, but in the valleys and on many of the lower hills, where it consists largely of clay and sand, it is quite productive.

The best soils are in the west section, where See also:

limestone See also:clays or See also:shell marls are common. Forests.--Vermont was heavily forested with white pine, spruce and hemlock, and, in the southern part of the state and along the shore of Lake Champlain, with some hard See also:woods. The white pine had been much cut off by 1890 and it is no longer commercially important. The woodland area of the state in 1900 was estimated to be 3900 sq. m., about 43 % of the land area of the state. See also:Fisheries.—Lake Champlain furnishes the only commerical fishing grounds in Vermont, with the exceptions of small catches of white fish in Lake Bomoseen, Lake St See also:Catherine in Rutland county and Lake Memphremagog. The total catch in 1895 was 208,139 lb, valued at $716o, and in 1902 was 528,682 lb, valued at $37,669. The See also:capital invested in fisheries in 1902 was $9417, and the number of men employed, 145. The most valuable fish taken was See also:wall-eyed pike, and the catch of this fish and of pickerel from Lake Champlain in 1902 exceeded in value that from any other See also:body of fresh water in the United States excepting Lake See also:Huron and Lake See also:Erie. The wall-eyed pike taken in 1902 were valued at $16,915 (210,936 lb) ; white fish, $5777 (80,191 lb) ; pickerel, $4144 (51,711 lb) ; yellow perch, $2575 (43,917 lb) ; sturgeon, $2051 (15,590 ib), and suckers, $1854 (37,375 lb) ; other varieties taken in smaller quantities included See also:smelt, See also:sun-fish and eels. See also:Agriculture.—Vermont is largely an agricultural state: in 1900, out of a total of 134,933 perscns engaged in gainful occupations, 49,82o were engaged in agriculture, 36,18o in manufacturing and See also:mechanical pursuits, 23,028 in domestic and See also:personal service, 18,889 in trade and transportation, and 7016 in professional service; and of a total land area of 9124 sq. m., 7382 sq. m. (4,724,400 acres) were included in farms. The percentage of improved farm land; as in See also:Maine, New York and See also:Pennsylvania, increased from 1850 until 1890 and decreased after 189o; and in 1900 out of a total acreage of 4,724,400 acres only 2,126,624 acres (45%) were improved.

Of the 33,104 farms in the state in 1900, 25,982 were farmed by their owners, 1373 by part owners, 314 by owners and tenants, 2424 by See also:

cash tenants, '396 by See also:share tenants, and 615 by managers; 637 farms had mor. than 500 acres, 3431 were between 26o and 500 acres, 5512 between 175 and 26o acres, 10,215 between See also:ion and 175 acres, 6513 between 5o and too acres, 3511between 20 and 50 acres, and 3285 less than 20 acres; and See also:dairy produce was the principal source of income of more than one-See also:half of these (16,700), live stock the principal source of income of 7323 farms, and See also:hay and See also:grain of 2519 farms. The general sterility of the soil except along rivers and the bases of hills has made intensive cultivation always necessary, and the competition of new and See also:rich western farm lands has made the agriculture of Vermont develop further toward specialization in dairying and raising live stock. In 1910 there were 495,000 neat See also:cattle (285,000 milch cows), 94,000 horses (average value, $106), 229,000 See also:sheep and 95,000 See also:swine. The horses of Vermont have been famous in the development of See also:American racing See also:stocks; the See also:Morgan stock is best known, and other famous Vermont strains are Messenger and Black See also:Hawk. Hay and See also:forage are the most important crops, and Vermont See also:grasses for grazing have been favourably known since the See also:close of the 18th See also:century. In 1909 on 879,000 acres a See also:crop of hay (excluding forage) was raised' valued at $16,155,000. The cereals are relatively unimportant. The largest cereal crop is oats, of which, in 1909, 2,608,000 bushels (valued at $1,304,000) were produced on 81,000 acres. Mines and Quarries.—The principal See also:mineral resource of Vermont is its See also:building and monumental See also:stone, including See also:marble and See also:granite and a small amount of limestone. The value of the total amount of stone produced in 1908 in Vermont was $7,152,624. Vermont marble is the best and most plentiful in the United States. It has been quarried since 1785; marble monuments were first manufactured about 1808; and at See also:South See also:Dorset in 1818 marble seems first to have been sawed in blocks, the earlier method having been chiselling.

It is found generally throughout the western part of the state. The principal See also:

supply is in West Rutland, See also:Proctor and Pittsford; this, the " Rutland marble," is a duller, less lustrous white, and of a greater durability than the See also:Carrara marble, and is used largely for monuments and statuary. There are other large quarries at Dorset and See also:East Dorset, See also:Bennington county; the finest See also:marbles from this region are the white, slightly marked with See also:pale brown and with greenish lines; they are commonly used for building, the Harvard Medical School and the See also:office of the U.S. See also:Senate being examples. At Rutland, Proctor and Dorset many darker shades are found, including " See also:moss vein, " See also:olive green and various shades of blue, green, yellow and See also:pink, which are used for ornamental purposes. There are important quarries in See also:Franklin county (at Swanton), the stone being a dark Chazy limestone, in which pink and red (" See also:jasper," " 1 onnaise " and ` royal red ") marbles of See also:Cambrian See also:age are found. At Monkton, Addison county, there is a See also:quarry from which other red marbles are taken; and at Roxbury, Washington county, a See also:fine See also:serpentine, called " green marble," or verde See also:antique, is quarried. On Isle La Motte, Grand Isle county, there are marble quarries, the characteristic See also:colours of the marble being " See also:Fisk black " and " Fisk See also:grey." The output of marble in 1908 was valued at $4,679,960 (out of a total of $7,733,920 for the entire See also:production of, marble in the United States). Only less important and only less See also:early to be established in Vermont was the See also:quarrying of granite, which began in 1812, but which has been See also:developed chiefly since 188o, largely by means of the building of " granite railroads " which connect each quarry with a See also:main railway line—a means of transportation as important as the logging See also:rail-ways of the Western states and of See also:Canada. The largest granite quarries are near See also:Barre, Washington county, a See also:city which owes its importance to the quarries. The Barre granites, like those of See also:Woodbury and See also:Calais (also in Washington county) and part of those of South Ryegate, See also:Kirby and See also:Newark (See also:Caledonia county), are of the See also:biotite type ; they are grey, except the stone from Newark, which is pinkish. Of the See also:quartz-See also:monzonite type are the whitish granites of See also:Bethel and See also:Rochester (Windsor county) and See also:Randolph See also:Orange county), the See also:light grey of Dummerston (See also:Windham county), and the darker greys of See also:Cabot (Washington county), See also:Derby (Orleans county), Hardwick and Groton (Caledonia county). and Topsham (Orange county).

The olive green See also:

syenite found on Mount Ascutney, near the Connecticut river, in Windsor county, is a hornblendeaugite. Other important granite quarries are near See also:Williamstown, Dummerston, See also:Berlin and Woodbury. The total value of the output of granite in the state in 1908 was $2,451,933. In 1908 the output of limestone was valued at $20,731 ; there are limestone quarries in Washington and Orange counties and on Isle La Motte. See also:Slate-quarrying and cutting is carried on in the south-western part of the state, in Rutland county; there are important quarries at See also:Fair Haven, Poultney, See also:Castleton, See also:Wells and Pawlet. In Washing-ton county there are quarries near Northfield. The See also:industry began about 184o, though one quarry had been opened as early as 1805. There are two green varieties, called in the trade " sea-green " and " unfading green, " the former being used for a cheap roofing slate; and there are purplish varieties. In 1908,the value of slate produced was $1,710,491 (out of a total production for the United States of $6,316,817). Manufactures.—The first important industry of the state was " rafting " lumber from Vermont through Lake Champlain and the See also:Richelieu and St Lawrence rivers to Quebec. Burlington became a great lumber See also:market for a trade moving in the direction of See also:Boston after the Richelieu river was blocked to See also:navigation and railway transportation began, and in 1882 Burlington was the third lumber centre in the United States. Mountain streams furnish important water-See also:power, and the typical factory of Vermont has long been a sawmill run by a water-See also:wheel.

The value of sawmill products in 1905 was $5,888,441, and of planing-See also:

mill products $3,080,117. Closely connected with the manufacture of lumber is the making of See also:paper and See also:wood pulp, centralized at See also:Bellows Falls, with water-power on the Connecticut river and with the raw materials near; the product was valued in 1905 at $3,831,448. Dairy See also:industries have rapidly increased in value: in 1905 the value of See also:butter and See also:cheese was $6,416,44, more than any other single industry under the See also:census See also:classification. If a less arbitrary classification be followed the principal manufacturing industries would be stone manufacture and textiles. The first marble quarry was opened in Dorset in 1785 and a second at See also:Middlebury in 1805; and the first granite was quarried in 1812. Barre is the centre of the granite business, and the region about Rutland, especially Proctor, is the principal seat of the marble industry. The product of stone manufactures in 1905 was $9,570,436. Vermont wAs almost the last of the New England states to develop textile manufactures, though the manufacture of woollen goods was begun in 1824. The greatest development was between 1900 and 19o5; the total value of textiles in the former year was $5,407,217 (woollen goods, $2,572,646; See also:hosiery and knit goods, $1,834,685; See also:cotton goods, $999,886) and in the latter was 7,773,612 (woollen goods, $4,698,405; hosiery and knit goods, $1,988,685; and cotton goods, $1,086,522). Other important manufactures are: See also:flour and grist mill products, foundry and See also:machine-See also:shop products, See also:furniture, patent medicines and compounds, roofing materials, and scales and balances, manufactured especially at St Johnsbury. Transportation and See also:Commerce.—Railway transportation is supplied to Vermont by parallel lines See also:crossing diagonally every part of the state at about equal intervals and See also:running in general in a N.W. and S.E. direction, and by lines running N. and S. respectively along the eastern and western See also:borders of the state. The railway See also:map of the state thus has roughly the See also:appearance of a gridiron.

The principal See also:

railways are: the lines operated by the Boston & Maine See also:system, extending along the eastern border from See also:Brattleboro through Bellows Falls, and St Johnsbury to the Canada boundary (Vermont Valley, See also:Sullivan County, and Connecticut & Passumpsic Rivers railways), with a line, the St Johnsbury & Lake Champlain railway, extending across the northern part of the state from Lunenburg to Maguam See also:Bay; the Central Vermont railway (Grand See also:Trunk system) which crosses the state diagonally from S.E. to N .W., connecting Burlington, See also:Montpelier and St Albans and affording connexion to the north with See also:Montreal and to the south over trackage shared with the Boston & Maine, with the New See also:London Northern which is leased by this road, and the Rutland railway (New York Central system) extending along the western edge of the state and connecting Rutland with Burlington to the north and with Bellows Falls and Bennington to the south. These railways provide outlets for through See also:freight and passenger See also:traffic southward to Boston and New York, and to the north to St Johns and Montreal. The southern part of the state was early opened to railways, the Sullivan County railway (operated by the Boston & Maine) having been opened in 1849; and in 185o the state had 290 M. of railway ; in 1870, 614 M.; in 1890, 991.42 M.; and on the Ist of January 1909, 1093.43 M. Water communication is afforded by Lake Champlain to the south, for seven months of the year, by way of the Champlain See also:canal, via See also:Whitehall, New York, to See also:Troy and the Hudson river and the Atlantic See also:coast, and to the north by way of the Richelieu river and the Chambly canal to the St Lawrence. The commerce of the lake consists principally of See also:coal, wood pulp and building material, besides general merchandise. The only river with traffic of commercial importance is Otter Creek, flowing northwards into the southern part of Lake Champlain and having a navigable length of 8 m. to See also:Vergennes, with a depth to this point of 8 ft. at low water. The commerce on Lake Champlain is carried on chiefly through Burlington, the See also:port of entry for the Vermont customs See also:district. The See also:tonnage of the commerce of this port amounted, according to the reports of the United States See also:army See also:engineers, to 107,421 tons in 1904 and to 249,174 tons in 1908, of which in the latter year nearly 8o% was lumber. See also:Population.—The population of Vermont in 1890 was 332,422; in 1900, 343,641; and in 191o, 355,956.1 Of the total population in 1900, 298, 077 were native whites, 44,747 were See also:foreign-See also:born, 826 were negroes and 39 were See also:Chinese. Of the inhabitants born in the United States, 19,974 were natives of New York, 9675 were natives of New Hampshire and 9111 were natives of Massachusetts. Of the foreign=born, 14,924 were See also:French Canadians, ro,616 were See also:English Canadians and 7453 were Irish. Of the total population, I17,344 were of foreign parentage (i.e. either one or both i According to previous censuses, the population was as follows: (1790) 85,425; (1800) 154,465; (181o) 217,895; (1820) 235,981; (1830) 280,652; (1840) 291,948; (1850) 314,120; (186o) 315,098; (1870) 330,551; (188o) 332,286.

The increase between 185o and lone was remarkably small.parents were foreign-born) and 27,226 were of French Canadian and 20,228 of Irish parentage, both on the See also:

father's and on the See also:mother's See also:side. Of 147,223 communicants of all churches in 1906, the largest number, 82,272, were See also:Roman Catholics, 22,109 were Congregationalists, 17,471 Methodist Episcopalians, 8450 See also:Baptists, 1501 See also:Free Baptists and 5278 See also:Protestant Episcopalians. The principal cities are Burlington, Rutland, Barre, Montpelier (the capital) and St Albans. See also:Administration.—Vermont has been governed under the constitution of 1777, that of 1786 and that of 1793, with twenty-eight amendments, of which the first was adopted in 1828, the second to thirteenth in 1836, the fourteenth to twenty-third in 185o, the twenty-See also:fourth, twenty-fifth and twenty-See also:sixth in 187o, and the twenty-seventh and twenty-eighth in 1883. The administrative See also:officers of the state are a See also:governor, a See also:lieutenant-governor, a secretary of state, a state treasurer, and an auditor of accounts, elected by popular See also:vote, and an inspector of See also:finance, a commissioner of taxes, a See also:superintendent of See also:education, a fish and game commissioner, three railroad commissioners, and various boards and commissions, of whom some are elected by the General See also:Assembly and some are appointed by the governor with the See also:advice and consent of the Senate. All elections and appointments are biennial. The governor has limited See also:powers of See also:appointment and See also:pardon and a See also:veto power which may be over-ridden by a See also:majority vote in each See also:house. The legislative See also:department consists of a senate of 30 members, apportioned among the counties according to population, but with the proviso that each county must have at least one senator, and a House of Representatives of 245 members, one from each township. Since 1870 elections and legislative sessions have been biennial. The powers of the two houses are equal except that See also:revenue See also:measures must originate in the House of Representatives. The judiciary is composed of a supreme See also:court of seven members, a court of See also:chancery, a county court in each county, a See also:probate court in each probate district, and justices of the See also:peace. The See also:judges of the supreme court are elected biennially by the General Assembly, and all the other judicial officers are elected by the See also:people.

Sessions of the supreme court are held in each county once a year in addition to the general session which meets at some central See also:

place selected by the judges. The court of chancery is held by the judges of the supreme court, the county by a supreme court See also:judge with the aid of two associates elected by the people of the county. For the administration of See also:local affairs the state is divided into 14 counties and 245 townships. There is no See also:special See also:board of commissioners or supervisors as in most of the other states, the county authority being the assistant judges of the county court. The assistant judges, the See also:sheriff and the state's See also:attorney are elected annually by popular vote. The county treasurer is elected by the assistant judges. The more important township officials are a See also:moderator, a board of selectmen, a clerk, a treasurer and a superintendent of See also:schools. Any community containing See also:thirty or more houses may, with the approval of the selectmen of the See also:town, receive a See also:separate See also:village organization. Their officials are a clerk, five trustees, a See also:collector of taxes and a treasurer. All citizens of the United States residing in Vermont are citizens of the state. The right of See also:suffrage is confined by the constitution to adult male citizens who have resided in the state for one year. See also:Women have the right to vote in all elections See also:relating to schools and school officers in cities, towns and graded school districts, and also the right to be elected to any local school position or to the office of township clerk.

The See also:

original method of revising the constitution was adopted from Pennsylvania (see See also:History), and it was retained long after Pennsylvania had abandoned it. Thirteen censors chosen septennially were empowered to suggest amendments and to See also:call a See also:convention to pass upon them. The censors, being elected on a general See also:ticket, were always more progressive than the convention, which was chosen on the principle of equal township See also:representation. In spite of the repeated recommendations of the censors, the convention refused to abolish the collegiate executive and the unicameral legislative system until 1836. Propositions to establish the judiciary on a more permanent See also:tenure were also voted down in 1814, 1822, 1857 and 187o, and the state still elects its judges for two years' terms. On its own See also:suggestion, the See also:council of censors was abolished in 187o and the See also:present method of amending the constitution was adopted. Every tenth year, beginning in 188o, the Senate is authorized to propose amendments, which proposals, if concurred in by the majority of the members of the House of Representatives, are published in the principal See also:newspapers of the state. If they are again approved by a majority of each house in the next General Assembly, they are submitted finally to a See also:direct popular vote, a majority of the votes See also:cast being decisive. See also:Miscellaneous See also:Laws.—A married woman may hold her separate See also:property, carry on business, See also:sue and be sued the same as if she were single, except that in conveying or mortgaging her real See also:estate she must be joined by her See also:husband. A widow has a See also:dower See also:interest in one-third of her husband's real estate unless barred by a See also:jointure or an agreement. A widower is in any See also:case entitled by See also:courtesy to one-third of his wife's real estate, and he may choose between his rights by courtesy and the provisions of his wife's will. Where there is no issue and the deceased See also:dies intestate the surviving See also:spouse is entitled to the whole estate, both real and personal, if it does not exceed $2o00, and if it exceeds that sum the survivor is entitled to $2000 and one-half of the See also:remainder; if there are no kindred, the whole of the estate goes to the surviving spouse.

The causes for a See also:

divorce are See also:adultery, See also:sentence to confinement in the state See also:prison for three years or more and actual confinement at the time of the suit, intolerable severity, wilful See also:desertion for three consecutive years or See also:absence for seven years without being heard from, or wanton and cruel refusal or neglect of the husband to provide a suitable See also:maintenance for his wife. The See also:plaintiff must have resided in the state for at least the year preceding the application, and if the cause accrued in some other state or country before the parties lived together in Vermont and while neither party lived there, the plaintiff must have been a See also:resident at least for two years preceding the See also:action. When a divorce is granted, the See also:defendant is not permitted to marry other than the plaintiff for three years, unless the plaintiff dies. The See also:homestead of a householder or head of a See also:family to the value of $50o is, so long as it continues to be used as the See also:home-See also:stead, exempt from See also:levy or See also:attachment other than upon causes existing at the time it was acquired and for taxes. If the owner is a married See also:man, he cannot sell or See also:mortgage it, except for the See also:purchase See also:money, unless his wife joins him in the See also:execution. Education.—The public-school system is under the supervision of a state superintendent of education, elected biennially by the General Assembly, and local schools are under See also:union superintendents and in a few cases under town superintendents. The district system was displaced in 1893 by a township system. The revenues for educational purposes are derived mainly from a state tax of 8% on the general See also:list, from local taxes, and from the interest on the permanent school fund, which (including the money paid to Vermont by the United States See also:government when a portion of the See also:treasury surplus was distributed among the states in 1837) amounted in 1908 to $1,120,218. The schools are open to all See also:children between the ages of 5 and 20, and attendance for twenty-six See also:weeks in each year is made compulsory for those who are between the ages of 8 and 15. The average number of weeks in the " legal schools " (about 95% of the public schools) was 32 weeks in 1907-1908. The See also:chief institutions for higher instruction are the university of Vermont and State Agricultural See also:College (1800, 1865), a land-See also:grant college at Burlington, Middlebury College (1800) at Middlebury, See also:Norwich University (1819) at Northfield, and the state normal schools at Randolph (1867), See also:Johnson (1867) and Castleton (1868). Charitable and Penal Institutions.—The charitable and penal institutions of the state are controlled by separate boards of See also:directors, but all are subject to the general supervision of a board of visitors composed of the governor, lieutenant-governor and See also:speaker of the House of Representatives, and a woman appointed by the governor.

There are a state prison at Windsor (1808), a house of correction at Rutland (1878), an See also:

industrial school at Vergennes (1866), and hospitals for the insane at Brattleboro (1836) and See also:Waterbury (1891). Biennial appropriations are made for the support of the See also:deaf and dumb, the See also:blind and See also:imbecile children at various institutions in Massachusetts and Connecticut. Finance.—The chief See also:sources of revenue for the state are a See also:corporation tax, a See also:collateral See also:inheritance tax (1904) and a See also:licence tax. There is no general property tax except a special levy of 8 % on the general list for school purposes and 5 % for the construction of roads. For the year ending on the 3oth of June 1908 the total receipts were $1,822,390, the expenditures were $1,871,166. The state is practically free from See also:debt, the only See also:obligation of this See also:character being $135,500 in 6% bonds, payable in 191o, which were issued in behalf of the Agricultural College. The banking institutions are supervised by an inspector of finance, who reports annually to the General Assembly. There were no banks in the state until 1806, when a state bank (controlled by the state) was established which was finally closed up in 1845, although as early as 1812 a See also:law was passed to close it. The first private state bank was opened in 1817 ; an See also:act of 1831 provided for a safety fund guaranteeing bank circulations and derived from a 41% tax on capital stock and a to°o tax on profits; but this law was modified in 1842, the tax being removed from banks giving specie guarantees; and a free banking act was passed in 1851. Owing to the high See also:rate of See also:taxation on deposits, a considerable part of the savings of the people is sent into other states. History.—See also:Samuel de Champlain, as governor of Quebec, entered what is now Vermont in July 16o9 in an expedition against the See also:Iroquois, and thus laid the basis for the French claim. In 1665 the French built a fort on Isle la Motte.

The first English See also:

settlement was probably made at Chimney Point, in Addison township, in 1690 by a party from See also:Albany. The first permanent white settlement was established by Massachusetts at Fort Dummer (near the present Dummer, in the south-eastern part of the present town of Brattleboro) in 1724. Similar outposts were located during the next few years at Sartwell's Fort and See also:Bridgman's Fort in the township of See also:Vernon (Windham county) and at Fort See also:Hill in the township of Putney (N. of Brattleboro, in Windham county). The territory in which these settlements had been made was involved in the boundary dispute between Massachusetts and New Hampshire, which was settled in 1741 by a decision of the See also:king in council favourable to New Hampshire (q.v.). The See also:extension of the southern boundary line by this decision due westward until it met His See also:Majesty's other governments gave rise, however, to a controversy with New York. New Hampshire claimed that her territory extended as far to the west as those of Massachusetts and Connecticut, whereas New York, under the See also:charter of 1664, claimed eastward to the Connecticut river. New York See also:pro-tested against the Bennington grant in 1749, but the question did not become serious until the chief obstacle to settlement was removed by the See also:conquest of Canada in 176o-61. From 1761 to 1763 Governor See also:John See also:Wentworth of New Hampshire issued ro8 grants, and settlements were established in Brattleboro, Putney, See also:Westminster, See also:Halifax, See also:Marlborough, See also:Wilmington, New Fane, See also:Rockingham, See also:Townshend, Vernon (Hinsdale) and Dummerston (all in Windham county, except Vernon, which is in See also:Cheshire county). A privy council See also:decree recognizing the claims of New York was issued on the loth of July 1764, and the settlers were soon afterwards ordered to surrender their See also:patents and repurchase the land from the proper authorities at Albany. Under the leadership of Ethan See also:Allen, See also:Seth See also:Warner and Remember See also:Baker (1737-1775), they refused obedience and took up arms in See also:defence of their rights. About the close of 1771 See also:Colonel Allen organized a See also:regular military force among the inhabitants of the district W. of the mountains, which came to be known as the Green Mountain Boys. The trouble was °soon complicated by the conflict with the mother country.

On the 13th of March 1775, a See also:

riot occurred at Westminster between the people of See also:Cumberland county and the royal authorities, in which two of the people were killed. The Green Mountain Boys, with some help from Connecticut, captured Fort See also:Ticonderoga on the loth of May 1775, and took part in the Canadian expedition of 1775 under See also:Montgomery and See also:Schuyler. Within the state itself battles were fought at Hubbardton on the 7th of July and Bennington on the 16th of See also:August 1777. The representatives of the towns assembled in convention at Dorset and Westminster in 1776 (See also:Jan. 16-17, July 24-25, See also:September 25-28, See also:October 30), and on the 15th of January 1777 adopted a See also:declaration of See also:independence, assumed the name New Connecticut and appointed Dr See also:Jonas See also:Fay (1737-1818), See also:Thomas Chittenden (1730-1797), Hemon Allen (1740-1788), Dr See also:Reuben See also:Jones and See also:Jacob Bayley a See also:committee to submit their proceedings to the See also:Continental See also:Congress. The chief adviser of the committee in See also:Philadelphia was Dr Thomas See also:Young, a prominent physician, who had helped to draft the Pennsylvania constitution of 1776. Young advised them to call their state Vermont, and he also sent through them a circular See also:letter, dated the 11th of See also:April 1777, urging the people to adopt a state constitution on the Pennsylvania See also:model. The advice was followed. A convention met at Windsor (July 2-8, 1777), and drafted a document which contained almost all of the important provisions of the constitution of Pennsylvania, such as a unicameral legislature, a plural executive and a council of censors, which was not abolished until 1870. One important variation, however, was a clause in the See also:bill of rights providing for the abolition of See also:slavery, Vermont being the first state in America to take such action. The first legislature of the state met at Windsor in March 1778, and voted to admit sixteen towns east of the Connecticut river which were dissatisfied with the See also:rule of New Hampshire. As a result, New York and New Hampshire formed a See also:secret agreement to See also:divide the state between them-selves, the mountains to be the line of See also:division.

In this crisis the See also:

British government through General See also:Sir See also:Frederick See also:Haldimand offered to recognize Vermont as a separate province and to give her very liberal terms provided she would See also:desert the other states. IO29 1884-1886 i886-1888 1888-1890 1890-1892 1892-1894 1894-1896 1896-1898 . 1898-1900 1900-1902 1902-1904 1904-1906 1906–1908 1908—1910 1910 Ethan Allen (q.v.) and some of the other leaders seemed inclined to accept these overtures, but for various reasons, the chief of which was the general success of the American cause, the See also:scheme was soon abandoned. The difficulties with New Hampshire were adjusted in 1782, the west bank of the Connecticut being accepted as the final boundary, but New York refused to abandon her claims until 1790. In the meantime, Vermont continued as an See also:independent state without any recognition from Congress until its See also:admission into the Union on the 4th of March 1791. The legislature wandered about from town to town until r8o8, when the capital was permanently located at Montpelier. In presidential See also:campaigns the state has been Federalist, 1792-1800; Democratic-Republican, 1804-1820; See also:Adams-Republican, 1824-1828; See also:Anti-Masonic, 1832; Whig, 1836-1852; and Republican since 1856. During the See also:War of 1812 Vermont troops took part in the battles of Chippewa, See also:Lundy's See also:Lane, Lake Erie and Plattsburgh; but the only engagement in the state itself was the defence of Fort Cassin (at the mouth of Otter Creek in the N.W. corner of the present Addison county) in 1813. On the 19th of October 1864 a small See also:band of Confederate soldiers under Lieutenant B. H. Young crossed the frontier from Canada and raided the town of St Albans. A few of the inhabitants were wounded and one was killed and about $200,000 was taken from the vaults, of the local banks.

St Albans was also the headquarters of an attempted Fenian invasion of Canada in 187o. Since 1815 a considerable proportion of the native stock has migrated to the W., but the loss has been partially offset by an influx of French Canadians. The See also:

wool-growing industry has been almost entirely destroyed by the competition of See also:Australia and the West, and the people are now engaged mainly in dairy-farming, timbering, granite- and marble-quarrying, and in keeping summer boarders. See also:GOVERNORS Thomas Chittenden . . 1778–1789 See also:Moses See also:Robinson . 1789–1790 Thomas Chittenden,l Federalist . 1790–1797 See also:Paul Brigham, acting-governor, Federalist 1797 See also:Isaac Tichenor, Federalist . 1797–180'7 See also:Israel See also:Smith, Democratic-Republican . 1807–1808 Isaac Tichenor, Federalist . 18o8–18o9 Jonas Galusha, Democratic-Republican . . 18o9–1813 Martin Chittenden, Federalist . 1813–1815 Jonas Galusha, Democratic-Republican .

. 1815-1820 See also:

Richard See also:Skinner, „ . 182o–1823 See also:Cornelius P. See also:Van Ness, „ . 1823–1826 See also:Ezra See also:Butler, Adams-Clay . 1826-1828 Samuel C. Crafts, Adams-Clay. . 1828-1831 See also:William A. See also:Palmer, Anti-Masonic See also:Fusion. . 1831–1835 See also:Silas H. Jennison,' acting-governor, Whig . 1835–1836 Silas H. Jennison, Whig i836–1841 See also:Charles See also:Paine, .

1841–1843 John Mattocks, . 1843-1844 William See also:

Slade, . 1844-1846 See also:Horace See also:Eaton, „ . 1846–1848 See also:Carlos Coolidge, „ . 1848–185o Charles K. Williams, „ . 1850–1852 See also:Erastus See also:Fairbanks, „ . ,852–1853 John S. Robinson, , 1853–11854 See also:Stephen Royce, Republican . 1854–1856 See also:Ryland See also:Fletcher, „ . 1856-1858 Hiland See also:Hall, „ . 1858-1860 Erastus Fairbanks, „ r86o–1861 Frederick Holbrook, „ .

1861–1863 J. See also:

Gregory Smith, „ . 1863-1865 Paul Dillingham, . 1865-1867 John B. See also:Page, . 1867–1869 See also:Peter T. See also:Washburn,' Republican 1869–1870 See also:George W. Hendee, acting-governor, Republican 187o John W. See also:Stewart, Republican 1870–1872 See also:Julius Convers, 1872–1874 Asahel See also:Peck, „ 1874-1876 Horace Fairbanks, „ 1876–1878 Redfield Proctor, „ 1878–188o Roswell See also:Farnham, „ 188o–1882 John L. Barstow, „ 1882–1884 Died in office on the 25th of August 1797; succeeded by the lieutenant-governor. 2 As there was no governor elected by the people, Jennison as lieutenant-governor elect acted as governor. ' Died in office on the 7th of February 187o: succeeded by the lieutenant-governor.

Samuel . Pilrsree, Republican Ebenezer J. Ormsbee, William P. Dillingham, See also:

Carroll S. Page, See also:Levi K. See also:Fuller, See also:Urban A. Woodbury, See also:Josiah Grout, See also:Edward C. Smith, William W. Stickney, John G. McCullough, Charles J. See also:Bell, Fletcher D. Proctor, George H.

Prouty, John A. See also:

Mead, For the government of the state see The Revised Laws of Vermont (Rutland, 1881); the Vermont Legislative See also:Directory, published biennially at Montpelier; the biennial reports of the secretary of state, the auditor, the treasurer, the commissioner of state taxes, the superintendent of education, the supervisors of the insane, &c., and the annual reports of the inspector of finance. See also L. H. Meader, The Council of Censors (See also:Providence, 1899) ; F. A. Wood, The History of Taxation in Vermont (New York, 1894), and G. G. See also:Bush, History of Education in Vermont (Washington, 1900). For a general bibliography of Vermont history see M. D. See also:Gilman, Bibliography of Vermont (Burlington, 1897).

The See also:

standard authorities for the See also:period before 1791 are: Ira Allen, Natural and See also:Political History of the State of Vermont (London, 1898) ; B. H. Hall, History of Eastern Vermont to the Close of the Eighteenth Century (2 vols., New York, 1858, 2nd ed., Albany, '865); and Hiland Hall, History of Vermont from its See also:Discovery to its Admission into the Union in 1791 (Albany, 1868). A more See also:recent See also:book, based almost entirely on these three, but containing a few sketchy supplementary chapters. is R. E. Robinson, Vermont (Boston, 1892) in the " American Commonwealths " Series. See also Records of the Council of Safety and Governor and Council of Vermont (8 vols., Montpelier, 1873–188o); Vermont See also:Historical Society, Collections (2 vols., Montpelier, 1870–1871); Proceedings (1 vol., Montpelier, 1898); and See also:Report of the Regents of the University of New York on the Boundaries of the State of New York (2 vols., Albany, 1874–1884).

End of Article: VERMONT

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VERMOREL, AUGUSTE JEAN MARIE (1841-1871)