The Northern Railroad extends from the upper end of the St. Lawrence to the foot of Lake Champlain, from which continue several lines southerly to the city of New York, and easterly through the New England States. The Central, with the Hudson River Railroad, extends from Lake Erie to New York, running through the central and eastern portions of the State, occupying the southern slope of Lake Ontario and the valleys of the Mohawk and the Hudson. Three branch lines extend from the western division, southeasterly, and connect with the New York and Erie Railroad. A tributary road is extended from Lake Ontario, south, through the valley of the Oswego River, and connects with the main line near the center of the State. tributary extends from the head of the St. Lawrence River, southerly, along the eastAnother ern slopes of Lake Ontario to the main line at the sources of the Mohawk. A third tributary extends up the Hudson River valley to Lake Champlain, by two lines, and thence through Vermont to Upper Canada, connecting with the northern line at the north end of Lake Champlain. The New York and Erie Railroad extends from Lake Erie to the city of New York, through the southern tier of counties, occupying so much of the valleys of the Alleghany, Susquehanna, and Delaware, as run east and west. Three tributary roads extend from the Niagara River through the central and western portions of the State, and enter the main line on its western section. Two of the tributary roads from the bituminous and anthracite coal fields of Pennsylvania, enter it on the south. The following table furnishes the length of each of these water and railroad lines:LENGTH OF NAVIGATION ON THE ATLANTIC AND LAKE COAST, BY THE LAKES, RIVERS, AND CANALS, AND THE LENGTH OF COMPLETED RAILROAD LINES IN THE STATE OF NEW YORK. 1ST.-LENGTH OF COAST LINES. Total length of lake navigation ... 206 3D.-LENGTH OF NAVIGABLE RIVERS. Hudson, from New York to Waterford ... Total length of navigable rivers.. 155 90 | 245 Erie.... Chenango... 4TH.-LENGTH OF CANALS. Miles. Black River-Rome to Highfalls, (completed 33 miles.)... Black River-Improvement to Carthage. Oneida Lake.... Oneida River Improvement. Oswego... Cayuga and Seneca.. Crooked Lake It will be observed that every portion of the State is penetrated by these railroad and navigable water lines, except a section lying at the sources of the Delaware, Susquehanna, and Mohawk, and another section at the sources of several small streams emptying into the St. Lawrence, Hudson, and Mohawk. The lengths of these lines are as follows: Of coast navigation on the Atlantic and great lakes... Of navigable rivers and minor lakes.... Of canals and improved water channels, including those in progress.. Of railroads completed.... Of railroads in progress Making a total length of ....... ....miles. 745 451 997 2,432 1,000 5,625 This gives an average of nearly three miles square for each mile in length of railroad and water lines within the State. BROOKLYN CITY RAILROADS. Eight cars were put upon the new city railroad tracks in Brooklyn, on the 1st of July, 1854, and run over all the routes as far as completed. Runs were made on the Sand-street, Myrtle Avenue, Fulton Avenue, and Court-street routes; and with the exception of some trifling defects at the curves, everything was found to work remarkably well. Brooklyn now has railroads running all over the city, for the accommodation of its sensible and intelligent citizens. THE RAILROADS OF CONNECTICUT IN 1853-54. We have received the first Annual Report of the General Railway Commissioners of this State, made to the Legislature in pursuance of the requirements of an act passed in 1853. The return embraces the operations of the roads for the year 1853-4. The duties of the Commission are to visit each road as often as expedient; to inspect the furniture, rolling stock, buildings, &c.; to inquire whether roads are managed according to law and with safety and convenience to the public. We copy below, in a tabular form, an abstract of the leading facts, showing the result of the year's operation. These tabular statements are of great value to those who wish to compare the operations of the different roads of the States; and we hope that the Legislatures of each State in the Union will have collected and made public all such facts as have any bearing upon the present or prospective value of the different roads. The following is the table: The total number of miles of railway in operation in the State is 553 miles. The above table gives the whole length of the road owned by the different corporations, some portions of which are in other States. The number of miles of road in process of construction is 136 miles; and the whole number of miles in operation and in construction located in the State of Connecticut is 644 miles. One person has been killed for every 104,602 miles run by trains; one person has been killed for every 67,132 miles run by passenger trains; one person has been killed for every 160,124 passengers carried in the cars; one person has been killed for every 4,732,000 passengers carried one mile; and only one passenger killed out of 94,640,000 passengers carried one mile. THE QUICK PASSAGES OF THE COLLINS STEAMERS. The quickest passage on record is that of the Baltic, Capt. Comstock, which arrived at the port of New York, July 8, 1854, in nine days and twelve hours. The following table will show a comparison of the quickest passages made by the Collins line for the last three years :— The Savannah Georgian says:--"Virginia has for years borne the reproach of charging more exorbitant rates of fare on her railroads than the States either north or south of her. The traveler passing through Georgia pays not more than three cents per mile; in north and south Carolina about the same. Reaching the Old Dominion, he encounters a tariff of four or five cents. Beyond that State he again finds himself where three cents or less per mile will pay his passage. But it seems, high as has been the charge on the Virginia roads hitherto, the public are to be called upon to suffer a still further imposition in traveling through that State. From the Richmond Enquirer we learn that the fare on the Richmond and Petersburg road, hitherto five cents per mile, is hereafter to be six--just double the rate at which our Georgia roads are declaring their handsome dividends. Those of our readers who know something about railroad management, will not be surprised to learn that the road above named pays poorly. If its sapient president and directors would press the figure a little further, and carry up their charge to ten cents, it would probably pay nothing. True policy, both as regards the interests of the public and of these corporations themselves, suggest that they should rather do a large business at moderate charges, than do little at exorbitant rates." PROGRESS OF LOCOMOTION BY STEAM. In August, 1814, Mr. Niles, the indefatigable editor of the Weekly Register, made an elaborate calculation to show that the grand route from Buffalo, in New York, to New Orleans, a distance of 2,744 miles, might be performed in a steamboat of 500 tons, except between Michigan and the Illinois river, where there was a small obstruction, (since removed,) in thirty-two days and eight hours for the voyage down, and in forty-six days for the passage up! The route from Washington, by way of New York city, Buffalo, Chicago and St. Louis, to New Orleans, a distance of nearly 3,000 miles, can now be traversed in less than eight days! And the return trip does not require ten hours' longer time. If our venerable predecessor of 1814 could now revisit the earth, what would be his astonishment at the improvement of steam power! Statistics of Population, etc. STATISTICS OF POPULATION, &c. THE CENUS LEGISLATION OF THE UNITED STATES, FROM 1790 TO 1850. PERIOD OF CENSUS ENUMERATIONS-CENSUS TAKERS-INFORMATION COLLECTED COMPENSATION TIME OF TAKING THE CENSUS AND OF MAKING RETURNS. The census enumerations of 1790, 1800, 1810, and 1820, have reference to August; those of 1830, 1840, 1850, to June. The returns of the assistants were to be made to the marshals within nine months from the time of commencement, in the first three censuses; within six months in the fourth and fifth; within nine months in the sixth and seventh. Marshals' returns to be made in first census by 1st September, 1791; in second, by 1st September, 1801; in third, (by an amendment,) by 1st March, 1811; in fourth, by 1st April, 1821; in fifth, by 1st February, 1831; in sixth, before 1st December, 1840; in seventh, before 1st November, 1850. time of taking Vermont was five months from April; and the period of making South In the first census, the Carolina returns was extended to 1st March, 1792. Rhode Island was subsequently included in the census act. In the third census the period of taking was subsequently changed to five months, and the time of returning extended, to assistant marshals, to first Monday of June, and to marshals, of July, 1811. In the fourth census, the time of returning by marshals was extended to 1st September, 1821. time of returning of assistants was changed to 1st June, and to marshals to 1st of In fifth census, the August, 1831. In sixth census, enumeration ordered to be closed in five months-assistants to return by 1st November, and marshals by December, 1840; time of return to certain marshals extended to 1st May and 1st June, 1841, also to 1st December and to 1st January, 1842, though persons were to be taken only who were residents on 1st June, 1840. In 1840, Montgomery county, Maryland, was, by act, taken anew. In 1850, returns were made to the Secretary of the Interior before November, 1850; but, at his discretion, everything except population of Territories may be omitted, and the Secretary may extend the time to Territories; and if no marshals are provided, the President may appoint some suitable person, &c. BY WHOM THE CENSUS HAS BEEN TAKEN. The duty of taking the census, in all the different enumerations, has been intrusted to the marshals of the United States, and to assistants appointed under them, to the secretaries, and in some instances to the governors of Territories, and in extraordinary cases, it has been provided that the officers of the army might be called in. Assistants were always to be assigned each to a certain civil division, or to divisions with natural boundaries, which divisions, in 1850, were not to include, when practicable, more than 20,000 persons. The first census was taken under authority of the President; the others, as far as the sixth, inclusive, under the Secretary of State; the seventh under the Secretary of the Interior, and the blanks for it were prepared by the Census Board, consisting of the Secretary of State, the Postmaster, and AttorneyGeneral, and a secretary, and organized with the privilege of asking one hundred questions. WHO SHALL BE RETURNED. The general principles regulating all the census enumerations before 1850 are as follows: Every person whose usual place of abode shall be in any family on the said first day of June, &c., shall be returned as of such family; and the name of every person who shall be an inhabitant of any district or Territory, without a settled place of residence, shall be inserted in the column of the schedule which is allotted to the heads of families, in the division where he or she shall be on the said first day of June; and every person occasionally absent at the time of enumeration, as belonging to the place in which he or she usually resides in the United States. COMPENSATION ALLOWED FOR TAKING THE CENSUS. The marshals have received, in each enumeration to the sixth, inclusive, a fixed eum, varying with the extent of the State and at each decade, from $100 to $500. For the census of 1850 they were paid $1 per 1,000 persons, if over one million per |