firmed at the peace of 1783. The United States purchased the territory in 1819, and paid the Spanish government in spoilation claims! After the usual territorial probation, Florida was admitted into the Union in 1845.

THE WESTERN STATES.

THE states comprised under this caption are those of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan and Wisconsin on the north of the Ohio and east of the Mississippi rivers; Kentucky south of the Ohio, and the states of Missouri and Iowa on the west of the Mississippi. The immense territories westward of these will be described hereafter. The whole region is included in the great basins of the St. Lawrence, Ohio, Mississippi and the Missouri, and together occupy an area of 399,395 square miles, or 255,612,819 acres, all of which, excepting 48,709,283 acres, have been surveyed and partially settled. The population of these vast regions, which, in 1790, was only 73,077, had increased, in 1840, to 4,131,370, and the census of 1850, made it 6,379,801 souls.

If we except a few isolated elevations, the whole extent of the Western States presents a series of plains inclining only in the direction of the great lakes and rivers which form the chief features of this prolific country. No continuous chain or any hill approaching the semblance of a mountain, interrupts the vision, and the far horizon alone arrests the powers of sight. Along the rivers, indeed, some few ragged bluffs occasionally occur, but so limited is their extent and so nall their occupancy, that they are lost in the universality of the pervading characteristics of the whole, and can only claim a notice in a minute topographical description of the locality in which they exist.

The soil of these prairies is infinite in variety, of great depth, and fertile beyond description. Naturally they are clothed with a strong sward, bearing a tall, coarse grass, and in some places extensive tracts are covered with forests of oak, pine, walnut and other valuable trees. Here are found some

of the most lovely landscapes, and for miles and miles, a varied scenery of natural growth, with all the diversity of gently swelling hill and dale-here trees grouped or standing singly alone; and there arranged in long avenues, as though planted by human hands, with strips of open prairie intervening. Sometimes the " openings" are dotted with numerous clear lakes and form scenes of enchanting beauty. "Tis in these regions the bison roams, and here the red hunter formerly delighted to pursue his game amid the primeval developments of nature.

But the most important features of this country are the giant rivers which, with a thousand branches, penetrate to every portion of the land, and lead off the surplus waters to the vast central trunk which traverses it from north to south. Without these and those vast lakes which lie on the north, the whole region must forever have remained an impenetrable wilderness. These are now the great avenues of commerce, and have contributed more than all the artificial constructions of man to develope the teeming wealth of the regions watered by their courses. Craft of every description, from

the primitive flat bottom boat to the magnificent steamboat, the acmé of mechanical skill, bear upon their bosoms the staples and productions of every land, endowing with riches the whole country, and adding daily to the necessities and luxuries of the thriving people who by their presence and perseverance have caused the wilderness to smile and the nakedness of the earth to be clothed in perennial harvests.

Nor is all the wealth of this prolific region in the surface. In the bowels of the earth unbounded supplies of the most valuable minerals exist. Lead, iron, coal and lime are here imbedded, and by the untiring industry of man are made to contribute to his convenience and use. Salt, too, is found in abundance in all the states.

Here, then, we have a country rich in the produce of the mines-rich in the great staples of agriculture-prolific beyond comprehension, and supplied with every accommodation for the transportation of man and merchandize, and of an extent equalled by few of the great empires of either ancient or modern times. The prospects of such a country, how grand! and its destiny, how mighty! Its progress from a wilderness to a garden has been rapid. Untrod by man within a century, it now maintains its millions, and exports a surplus to feed the starving nations of Europe. Unscathed by slavery, it is the home of the freeman, and its lands are tilled by unshackled hands, and in this we discover the great secret of its prosperity.

THE STATE OF OHIO.

THIS flourishing and populous state is the most easterly of the western division of the Union, and is bounded north by the State of Michigan and Lake Erie; east by Pennsylvania; south-east and south by the Ohio River, which separates it from Virginia and Kentucky; and west by the State of Indiana. It lies between the latitudes of 38° 34′ and 42° N., and between the longitudes of 80° 35′ and 84° 57′ W. In length it is 230 miles, and in mean breadth, 210 miles. Its area is 39,628 square miles, or 25,361,593

acres.

The northern parts of the state bordering on Lake Erie, and the interior, are generally level, and in some places wet and marshy. The eastern and south-eastern parts, near the Ohio River, are very uneven, often rising in abrupt and broken hills-this section, however, cannot properly be termed mountainous. On the margin of the Ohio and several of its tributaries, are strips of alluvial of great fertility. The valleys of the Sciota and the Great and Little Miami, are the most extensive sections of level, rich, and fertile lands in the state. In a state of nature, Ohio was, with the exception of some central prairies, covered with a dense forest, to which the fertility of the soil gave a stupendous development. The most extensive prairies are found on the head waters of the Muskingum and Sciota; also near the sources of the Miami River, and the north-western parts of the state. The forest trees most abundant are the oak of several species, black and white walnut, hickory, maple of different kinds, ash of various species, beech, birch and poplar, sycamore, linden, chestnut, locust, elm, buck-eye, with numerous others. The agricultural productions are wheat, rye, Indian

corn, oats, buckwheat, barley, potatoes, and all kinds of garden vegetables. Considerable attention has been of late paid to the cultivation of hemp and tobacco. The raising of horses, sheep, cattle, and swine, for exportation, engages the attention of a large proportion of the farmers. The amount of agricultural products of this state, including provisions, flour, wheat, etc., annually sent to other states of the Union, and exported to foreign countries, is greater than from any part of the United States, and Ohio may emphatically be termed an agricultural state.

The principal rivers in Ohio, besides the great and beautiful river which gives its name to the state, and forms part of its eastern and its entire southern boundary, are the Mahoning, Beaver, Muskingum, Hock hocking, Sciota, and Little and Great Miama, which flow south into the Ohio River. Those which flow northward into Lake Erie, are the Maumee, Portage, Sandusky, Huron, Cuyahoga, Grand and Ashtabula. Lake Erie forms the northern boundary of the state for 160 miles, and is navigable for the largest class of vessels.

The climate of Ohio is one of the most healthy in the United States. Free from extremes of heat or cold, it is peculiarly well adapted to agricul ture. The southern parts are generally warmer than on the Atlantic in the same latitude, while the tracts in the more northerly districts are in winter somewhat colder. The new settlers in the marshy and low locations and near stagnant waters, are liable to fevers and fluxes of various types, and require acclimatizing before they can enjoy health. These, however, are only exceptions to the general salubrity of the state. Nine tenths of the surface of the state are susceptible of agricultural improvement. The river bottoms are highly fertile, and the rich level uplands of the interior are unsurpassed as farming lands. Fine prairies, interspersed with groyes of timber, sometimes marshy, but more frequently dry and elevated, occupy a considerable area. The southeastern and eastern parts are hilly, but the lands are by no means poor even on the hills, and the slopes are always excellent. On the whole, Ohio may be considered as one of the most productive countries of the world.

The most important and useful minerals are abundant. Coal, iron, salt and limestone, the two first in the northeast chiefly, are found in most parts of the state; and marble and freestone, when adapted for architectural purposes, and gypsum, are of frequent occurrence. Chalybeate springs, useful for medicinal purposes, are numerous. The forests produce black walnut, various species of oak, hickory, sugar maple, beech, birch, poplar, ash, syca more, pawpaw, buckeye, cherry, dogwood, elm, hornbeam, and many other timbers valuable for cabinet work, building, and other purposes. The country abounds in game of every sort.

In 1850, Ohio had a population of 1,980,408 souls, or one inhabitant to about every thirteen acres; and its distribution to the several counties was in the following proportions:

The number of dwelling-houses in the state in 1850 was 336,098, or one awelling to every 5.9 persons; and the families numbered 348,523, or 5.7 to each family. The deaths in 1849–50 amounted to 28,949, or one in 68.4 of the whole people.

Mining, though not a principal occupation in Ohio, is nevertheless an extensive one; and in the development of its mineral resources the state has been eminently progressive. The principal minerals produced are iron, bituminous coal, and salt, but it has abundance of others, of which the future will take advantage. The production of pig iron in 1850 amounted to 52,658 tons, of iron castings to 37,399 tons, and of wrought iron to 14,416 tons; in 1840 the production was 35,236 tons cast iron, and 7,466 tons wrought iron and the capital, etc., at both periods as follows:

The agricultural capacities of Ohio are surpassed by those of no other state. It is decidedly the finest wheat country in the world, and for grazing and cattle and sheep feeding it has scarcely an equal. The cereal crops in millions of bushels may be estimated-wheat at 15, oats at 22, Indian corn at 63, and the crops of buckwheat and rye each at two million bushels. Barley is rarely produced, and may be said to be unknown to Ohio agriculture. Hemp and flax, tobacco, potatoes are valuable crops, and are grown in considerable quantities. Live stock consists of 513,625 horses, 2,180 mules, 1,103,811 cattle, 3,812,707 sheep, and 1,672,178 hogs, valued at $33,269,135. The wool, pork, beef, and other animal products from this state are of a very superior quality; the slaughter of hogs for packing in Cincinnati and some other towns is immense. The forest, orchard, and garden contribute also materially to the general wealth. In 1850 there were 143,887 farms under cultivation.

The manufacturing industry of Ohio permeates almost every branch of the mechanic arts. Machinery is made on an extensive scale; hardware of all kinds is manufactured, and metal workers generally form a numerous class. In the manufacture of woollen goods 130 factories are employed, and a capital of $870,220 invested; the quantity of wool consumed in 1850 was 1,657,726 lbs., and the value of all raw material, fuel, etc., was $578,423; the hands employed numbered 1,201, and the products were 1,374,087 yards of cloth and 65,000 pounds of yarn, together valued at $1,111,037. There were at the same period eight cotton factories in the state, with an aggregate capital amounting to $279,000; cotton consumed 4,270 bales, which with fuel, etc., was valued at $227,060; hands employed 401; products 280,000 yards sheeting, and 433,000 pounds of yarn and thread, valued at $394,790. The capital invested in the woollen manufactures in 1840 was $537,985, and in those of cotton goods $113,500. Silk, flax and mixed goods are also made to some extent, and a large capital is employed in the leather trade. Distilleries, flouring mills, paper mills, etc., are established in most of the counties. The number of productive establishments, manufacturing to the value of $500 and upwards annually, in 1850, was 10,550, of which number nearly one-sixth were located in Hamilton county.

The direct foreign commerce of Ohio is comparatively small; but it has nevertheless a considerable trade with Canada. The value of the exports in the year ending 30th June, 1850, amounted to $217,632, and of the imports to $582,504. The coastwise trade of Ohio on the lakes, and its trade