CENSUS (Lat. censere, to reckon). An official reckoning or enumeration of the habitants and wealth of a. country.
Tire census of the United States is taken every tenth year, in accordance with the pro visions of the constitution ; and many of the states have made provisions for a similar de cennial reckoning at intervening periods. U. S. Const. art. 1, 2; 1 Story, If. S. Laws, 73, 722, 751; 2 id. 1134, 1139, 1169, 1194; 3 id. 1776; 4 Sharswood, U. S. Laws, 2179. CENT (Lat. centum, one hundred). A coin of the United States, weighing seventy two grains, and composed of eighty-eight per' centum of copper and twelve of nickel. Act of Feb. 21, 1857, sect. 4. See 11 U. S. Stat. at Large, 163, 164.
Previous to the act of congress just cited, the cent was compueed wholly of copper. By the act of April 2, 1792, Stat. at Large, vol. 1, p. 248, the weight of the cent was fixed at eleven penny wsights, or 264 grains ; the half-cent in proportion.
Afterwards, namely, on the 14th of January, 1793, it was reduced to 208 grains; the half-cent in pro portion. 1 U. S. Stat. at Large, 299. In 1796 (Jan. 26), by the proclamation of President Wash ington, who was empowered by law to do so, act of March 3, 1795, sect. 8, 1 U. S. Stat. at Large, 440, the cent was reduced in weight to 168 grains; the half-cent in proportion. It remained at this weight until the passage of the act of Feb. 21, 1857. The same act directs that the coinage of half-cents shall cease. The first issue of cents from the na tional mint was in 1793, and has been continued every year since, except 1815. But in 1791 and 1792 some experimental pieces were struck, among which were the so-called Washington cents of those years, now so much sought for by collectors of colas.