RECAPITULATION.

Circuit Superior Court of Law and Chancery-Number of Suits, &c., in each Circuit, 31st August, 1878.

J, BELL BIGGER, Clerk of House of Delegates,

REMARKS OF CLERKS.

SUPREME COURT OF APPEALS, RICHMOND CITY.

NOTE NO. 1.-The number of causes pending includes all causes on the office docket, as well as the causes matured and on the court docket-the number on the court docket being 257.

SECOND CIRCUIT.

Greensville.

NOTE NO. 2.-The prosecution pending has been on the docket since 1871. The prisoner was found to be insane, and sent to the Eastern Lunatic Asylum, and has since made his escape, and is still at large. One of the chancery causes has been on the docket for nearly 40 years, but it is now nearly settled.

THIRD CIRCUIT..

Mecklenburg.

NOTE NO. 3.-Under head of suits in equity. Final decrees not included with interlocutory decrees.

FOURTH CIRCUIT.

NOTE NO. 4.-There were 14 prosecutions commenced and certified to the county court under the statute.

The regular fall term, commencing on the 18th October, 1877, was not held, but a special term, commencing October 23d, 1877, was held instead.

Franklin.

NOTE NO. 5.-The 31 prosecutions reported as changes of venue to other courts are indictments found by grand jury and remanded to the county court for trial.

FIFTH CIRCUIT.

Appomattox.

NOTE NO. 6.-Under heading of "Actions at Law." This includes 10 suits commenced and dismissed at rules.

SEVENTH CIRCUIT.

Henrico.

NOTE No. 7.-Under the head of "Prosecutions" I have included writs of error.

EIGHTH CIRCUIT.

York.

NOTE NO. 8.-Under the head of "Actions at Law," number commenced are the new suits; number pending are those left on docket. Under head of "Suits in equity," the number commenced are new suits; number pending, still on docket; final decrees, ended suits.

NINTH CIRCUIT.

Northumberland.

NOTE NO. 9.--Law: In cases commenced one confession of judgment is included, and in cases decided are included one confession of judgment, one case dismissed at rules, and one attachment. This report includes all cases brought to September rules; will appear in report for year ending the last day of August, 1879.

Equity: In interlocutory decrees include all kinds of orders. In number commenced is one case dismissed at rules.

Gloucester.

NOTE NO. 10.-Under head of "Prosecutions," the three pending are appeal cases from county court. The seven commenced were certified to county court. Under head of "Suits in equity," the twenty-five final decrees includes dismissions. Under head of "Actions at law," the fifty-three decided includes dismissions, but not judgments confessed in office. The twenty-four pending are on court docket.

King William.

NOTE NO. 11.-Four days included in the special terms of the court were occupied in the trial of Thomas D. Gregg's testacy or intestacy. I have not embraced eight indictments found by the grand jury in this court, because they were certified to the county court for trial, and I did not consider them as embraced in the heading of "Prosecutions."

Essex.

NOTE NO. 12.-Law: Among those decided are all judgments in court office, judgments confirmed, judgments confessed in the clerk's office, and orders of court disposing of garnishee summonses where these were on judgments and dismission at rules in the clerk's office.

Chancery: Among interlocutory decrees are all orders making new parties, allowing amended bills to be filed, and allowing decrees to be entered in causes in vacation.

Final decrees embrace all orders striking cases from docket, and two ex parte orders, one for assignment of widow's dower, and the other authorizing a guardian to pay money due by his ward.

Prosecutions: Among those commenced, four were for felonies-one a scire facias on a criminal recognizance. In one of the felonies the accused was remanded to a justice, who discharged him; the others were felonies, and for misdemeanors, which were certified to the county court. The above-named scire facias was quashed by the court. Among those decided, also two rules against grand jurors, and one rule against petit juror discharged.

THIRTEENTH CIRCUIT.

Augusta.

NOTE NO. 13.-"Pending causes" (law and chancery) include all cases on the docket at June term, 1878, and all brought after, up to September 1st following. During the year seven chancery cases, which had been previously dismissed, were reinstated on the docket.

"Suits decided" include all judgments confessed, non-suits, and dismissals in court and at rules, but does not include judgments on forthcoming bonds, suggestions, sci. fa., or other motions (of each of which there are a large number) than motions authorized by sec. 6, chap. 163. On the law side I was unable to get the figures to prove exactly, because of some cases having appeared twice on the docket-judgment being obtained at one term vs. one defendant, and at the next term vs. the other defendant; but the report corresponds with the court docket. "Prosecutions commenced" are indictments made in circuit court, and certified to county court for trial.

"Interlocutory decrees" include all orders in chancery order book not final. A large number of rules, &c., which were dismissed from the docket, are not included in this report.

Rockbridge.

NOTE NO. 14.-The thirteen prosecutions commenced and removed to other courts were indictments found by the grand jury and certified to the county court of Rockbridge under the law. The prosecution marked as “decided,” was on writ of error from the county court, which prevailed, and the cause was remanded to the county court for trial.

FOURTEENTH CIRCUIT.

Roanoke.

NOTE NO. 15.-The number of actions at law commenced includes one writ of scire facias, and the number decided includes one notice of motion under section 6 of chapter 163 of Code, and also judgments confessed in the office, non-suits and dismissions in court and at rules. The number of interlocutory decrees does not

include orders granting leave to defendants to file answers. The prosecutions commenced comprise indictments certified to the county court for trial.

Floyd.

NOTE No. 16.—Under head of "Prosecutions," the seven commenced were certified to county court.

SIXTEENTH CIRCUIT.

Washington.

NOTE NO. 17.-Most of the suits in equity now-a-days are brought to enforce judgment liens, and as a consequence they are necessarily retained on the docket a number of years, and hence so few are reported as ended.

EIGHTEENTH CIRCUIT.

Shenandoah.

NOTE NO. 18.-The three prosecutions commenced in this court were certified to and tried by the county court. Intermediate term ended September 10th, 1878, and this report goes to the end of said term.

CITY AND COUNTIES FROM WHICH NO REPORTS HAVE BEEN

City of Lynchburg.

RECEIVED.

Counties of Mathews, Pulaski, Tazewell, Wise, and Buchanan.