chanical department; for a suitable chemical laboratory and for a -boarding hall.

The insane asylum is a beautiful building on the avenue leading from Las Vegas to the Hot Springs. Its history and present condition may be stated as follows:

The board of directors organized January 31, 1890, the directors then being Hon. L. Bradford Prince, ex officio member, William A. Vincent, Lorenzo Lopez, Russell Marcy, Joseph B. Watrous, and Benigno Romero, electing Hon. William A. Vincent, president; Hon. Lorenzo Lopez, vice-president, and Don Benigno Romero, secretary and treasurer. Subsequently Mr. Watrous resigned and Carl W. Wildenstein took his place April 13, 1891; Judge Vincent resigned and Hon. E. V. Long took his place June 20, 1891; Mr. Marcy left the Territory and Dr. Emmett C. Chapman succeeded him July 18, 1892.

Owing to the lack of means with which to build the directors could do little during 1890 except to inform themselves as far as possible of the methods employed in other institutions. Early in 1891 the legislature authorized the issue of $25,000 of Territorial bonds, the proceeds of which were to be used towards the construction of the asylum, and the board then advertised for plans and specifications. Sixteen plans were submitted by various architects, and after careful consideration the plans submitted by Messrs. Kirchner & Kirchner, architects of Denver and St. Louis, were, on April 13, 1891, adopted by the directors, and at the same meeting it was determined to advertise for bids for the construction of the building.

Messrs. Hill & Cavanaugh being the lowest bidders, the contract was awarded to them, and by slight change in material the cost was reduced to $34,250. The contractors proceeded with reasonable expedition, and on March 1, 1892, delivered the building to the directors, fully completed.

The board selected C. C. Gordon, M. D., of Las Vegas, medical superintendent, April 11, 1892, and after consulting with him, it was deemed advisable to make further provisions for the violent insane, and accordingly six additional cells have been constructed, which are now com pleted, to provide for such patients. The total cost of these cells is $490. They are secure, well ventilated, and comfortable.

The building is four stories high, including basement, is constructed of native white sandstone and trimmed with red stone of the same quality, with tin roof, and one large and two small towers. It contains fifty-seven rooms, including two large sun rooms, and is sufficient to accommodate one hundred patients. The board adopted the cottage plan of construction, and the building completed is one of a series which may, as public need requires, be erected. The grounds are well and securely fenced. The legislative assembly of 1889 provided that the asylum should be constructed on grounds to be conveyed to the Territory by Benigno Romero, and accordingly Mr. Romero selected and conveyed a tract of 5 acres about 1 mile from Las Vegas, on the boulevard leading to the Hot Springs, on which grounds the building is constructed.

Since the completion of the building the board has purchased all necessary furniture, and has increased the water supply and the facilities for extinguishing fire. It is proposed to open the asylum on November 1, and it could have been opened as early as August 1 but for the absence of funds with which to conduct it.

The total amount of money received has been $42,150, being $25,244 from proceeds of bonds and $16,906 from taxes. The total cost of the

building, fencing, well, etc., has been $38,378, and of furniture $1,572. The asylum is insured for $27,000.

The school for the deaf and dumb at Santa Fe, while in its infancy, has become a gratifying success under the charge of Mr. Lars M. Larson, himself a deaf mute. During the year 8 pupils were boarded and instructed at the school, and one graduated after passing the whole course of study. Mr. Larson reported that there are 35 deaf and dumb children in the Territory and 30 blind ones, so that increased accommodations will have to be provided by the next legislature.

PENITENTIARY. "

The Territorial penitentiary at Santa Fe was never in better condition than at present. The board of commissioners consists of J. W. Dwyer, chairman; N. B. Laughlin, secretary; Thomas D. Burns, Justo R. Armijo, Ambrosio Pino, J. R. De Mier, and A. L. Branch. During the year Messrs. Burns and De Mier resigned, and Thomas McQuiston and Howard H. Betts were appointed in their places. Col. J. F. Chavez resigned as superintendent on November 2, 1891, and J. R. De Mier was elected to his place May 2, 1892. During the interim Col. E. H. Bergman was acting superintendent.

Since I took charge I have been ably assisted by Mr. P. J. Barber, who has been connected with the prison for five years, filling all positions from guard to his present position as assistant superintendent. With my experience gained as an officer in the southern Illinois penitentiary and Mr. Barber's long experience here, I can truly say we have a model institution. The buildings are being put in thorough repair; the yard around the boiler house is being turned into lawn, and will be planted with shrubbery this fall. We will this month begin the erection of a brick wall 20 feet high around the grounds, and lumber is ordered for the erection of a large two-story brick building, which we hope to have completed by January 1, if the weather permits. The inmates are well fed and clothed. No sickness prevails, except in one or two chronic cases. The discipline is good, and, with a good, efficient set of officers, everything moves in perfect unison.

PUBLIC BUILDINGS.

The penitentiary, agricultural college, university, school of mines, and insane asylum have been referred to under appropriate heads. The palace is used substantially as reported last year; the governor's ancient reception room, and the historical rooms being visited by hundreds of

tourists. It is certainly the most interesting, as it is the most historic, public building in the United States.

On the evening of May 12 a great calamity occurred in the burning of the capitol building. It was discovered at about 8 o'clock, when a small flame was seen in one of the domes, and shortly afterward a similar fire appeared in the other dome. Subsequent investigation showed that it was undoubtedly the work of an incendiary, as the two points at which the flames first appeared were separated by a substantial brick partition. Owing to an entire lack of water pressure on the capitol grounds, although the service was excellent in other parts of the city, it was impossible even to retard the progress of the flames, and in a short time the combustible portion of the building was destroyed. Most of the furniture and all of the documents, archives, etc., were saved.

The building was one of great beauty as well as utility. It would be difficult to suggest any respect in which it could be improved, and its decoration was in exquisite taste, both within and without. The loss is a sad one, especially as the commission in charge, for want of funds, had not secured insurance. Nothing has yet been done as to its restoration, as an appropriation will be necessary; but the grounds, with their beautiful stone fences and shade trees, are uninjured, and the foundation of the building is intact; and these, together with the large amount of stone and other material procured from the ruins, will tend to lessen the cost of the restoration to a very considerable extent.

MILITARY POSTS.

In my last report I referred to the withdrawal of troops from Fort Union and Fort Marcy (Santa Fe), and urged their restoration to the latter post. The reasons making this almost necessary, from a civil point of view, appeared to me very strong. After stating the facts and urging some action on the subject by letter, I proceeded to Washington to lay the facts before the proper authorities, and the result was the reoccupation of the post, by order of the President, in December last. I can not properly speak of this subject without expressing the obligations of our people to the President and the Secretary of the Interior for their ready appreciation of the necessities of the situation and their prompt action in bringing about the return of the troops at a time when the highest military authorities were opposed to it from an army standpoint. Since that time the position of Secretary of War has been filled by a gentlemen very familiar with New Mexico and her needs, who is disposed to increase the force at this post rather than to reduce it.

The other posts-at Fort Wingate, Fort Bayard, and Fort Stantonremain practically unchanged from their condition a year ago.

RAILROADS.

No completed railroad has been added during this year to the mileage reported in 1891. The total length then existing was 1,445.45 miles. The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad is building an extensive system of short roads into the coal region south of Cerrillos, the junction with the main line being at Waldo Station. These will aggregate more than 70 miles in length when completed.

The railroad described in my last report, which is to be erected southerly from Deming into Mexico, has not yet been constructed, the work having been delayed by differences among the.capitalists interested.

The contemplated extension of the Santa Fe Southern Railroad from Santa Fe to Cerrillos has also been postponed to a more "convenient season."

The two projects which are attracting most attention at present are the Denver and El Paso Short Line and a road from Durango through San Juan County, in a southeasterly direction, to connect with the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad at Albuquerque, Bernalillo, or Algodones: The latter is essential to the advancement of San Juan County, whose products require an outlet, and will open a very interesting country in the vicinity of Jemez.

The most important enterprise awaiting realization is officially known as the Denver and El Paso Independent Railroad.

Under the above name a company was organized recently in Denver, under the laws of Colorado, with main offices in that city, to build a standard-gauge railroad from Trinidad, Colo., via Las Vegas and White Oaks, to El Paso, Tex., with branches and with telegraph and telephone lines. They have completed a thorough preliminary survey to White Oaks, with all maps and profiles and estimates of cost of construction and equipment.

According to a recent report, the language of which I quote, it is designed among other things

To connect the whole Colorado and Rocky Mountain system of roads with Texas and Old Mexico lines at El Paso, beginning at Trinidad, by the shortest and cheapest line to build and operate and maintain that can ever be located and built through New Mexico.

To own and operate on a large scale, by the organization of a fuel company in connection with the railroad company, coal mines for the supply of the rapidly increasing demand for coke and coal in Texas and Old Mexico.

The line runs over a pass in the Raton Range that affords us a much lower grade than that of the Santa Fe road, and without a tunnel, from Trinidad to El Paso, while the Santa Fe has a 2,000-foot tunnel in the Raton Mountains over that range. The line is unusually direct, and especially so for a mountain country. It runs parallel to the ranges, and as it runs very near their base it will always command the traffic of the mountains and the valleys, and these localities furnish nine-tenths of the business, the coal, the timber, farming, and the water supply.

The survey made by Col. McCricket shows the distance between Trinidad to Las Vegas to be 154 miles, with suggested changes reducing the distance to 147 miles. The average cost per mile for roadway is estimated at $13,066.

Mr. Horace Ropes made the survey from Las Vegas to a point 6 miles south of White Oaks, which carries the line out of the mountains into open ground. His latest estimate shows an average cost per mile for roadway and equipment in A 1 style to be $16,000 and the distance 167 miles.

The distance from White Oaks to El Paso as previously surveyed is 144 miles, over a very easy and inexpensive line. The road will pass through great coal beds on the Maxwell Grant and near White Oaks and immense tracts of timber in Mora and Lincoln counties.

There are extensive marble beds of various kinds on the line and within easy handling distance in the White Oaks country. Situated almost immediately on the surveyed line are white and black marble beds, and near Tularosa, which is on the line some distance below White Oaks, are beautiful oölitic marbles, and, I might add, valuable red granite ledges. There is also a large ledge of a beautiful blue and white mottled marble in the vicinity of Nogal.

The immense "dunes" or banks of gypsum, covering an area of 300 square miles at least, and 30 to 40 feet high above general level, lie directly along the line of the road. These banks are in finely comminuted state, pure and cheap to handle, and could be loaded on cars by steam, for $2 per car.

The great soda beds are in close proximity to the line in the vicinity of Tularosa. They are 4 miles long and a mile wide.

In addition to these resources the country to be opened is rich in gold and silver, lead, copper, and iron and the road would pass a vast

section covered with cattle ranches. The Taos and Pecos valleys wll be reached, and altogether it may truly be said that few if any unoccupied portions of country can be found containing so many elements of profit to a railroad.

EDUCATION.

PUBLIC SCHOOLS.

The progress of public education during the past year is extremely gratifying and has exceeded the most sanguine hopes.

The new laws of the last legislature only became operative in a practical way during the past school year, but everywhere there is a great advance in all respects. Scores of schoolhouses are being built, many being beautiful buildings of stone or brick. The grade of teachers has been elevated in all quarters. Financial responsibility is being enforced, so that the people have the full benefit of the taxes they pay.

The statistics which are appended do not represent this general improvement to any fair extent, as they were made up on October 1, 1891, when the schools had not yet been organized in many places. So far as they go, however, they are much more accurate than those previ ously reported.

The following extracts from the report of Hon. Amado Chaves, superintendent of public instruction, made December, 1891, will give some idea of the condition of educational affairs; but great advances have been made since that time:

The last legislative assembly of the Territory passed a law establishing a commonschool system and creating the office of superintendent of public instruction. This law was approved on the 12th day of February, 1891, and went into effect immediately thereafter. By the provisions of this law a Territorial board of education was created, consisting of the governor of the Territory, the superintendent of public instruction, the presidents of the university, of the agricultural college, and of St. Michael College. Prior to that time there had been no system to govern our common schools, if common schools we had, and the money collected for school purposes was simply used in various ways, in most of the counties, without being of any benefit to the children throughout the Territory. It is now very gratifying indeed to me to be able to report that a change for the better is already apparent. The law has not been in operation long enough to show its effects fully, but great progress is being made in every one of the counties. A number of new and substantial schoolhouses have been erected, better teachers have been employed, and the adoption of a uniform series of books has improved the work, also reducing the expenses considerably. In several of the counties, bonds have been issued and sold for the erection of new schoolhouses.

No opposition has been encountered in any part of the Territory in the matter of introducing English-speaking teachers in districts where heretofore Spanish alone had been taught. In this connection, I have to say that it is very pleasing to me to be able to state from personal observation that the greatest interest is being shown, in the Spanish-speaking counties, in behalf of the new law, which requires that the English language shall be taught in all the common schools of the Territory.

Under the provisions of the present law no person can teach in this Territory without being in lawful possession of a proper certificate. Such a certificate is issued only to persons who have passed a satisfactory examination before a board of examiners composed of the county superintendent and of two leading citizens of each county, selected and appointed by the district judge. The result of this provision has been that every one of the common schools of this Territory is now taught by a competent teacher well versed in the English language and in many cases in both English and Spanish.

The progress that is being made by the native children is satisfactory in the highest degree, and it is apparent that before many more years there will be no longer a necessity for interpreters in our courts or legislatures. Educational interest is on the increase in all parts of the Territory and, by improving the advantages which the new law gives us, a good business education is within the reach of all classes, the rich and the poor alike.