Jay County, Indiana - The whole text, 1881 (part 5 of 11)

The great extent of her canals and railroads, render Ohio in this respect a rival to New York. A good deal of timber is sawn and cut in this State; and this, with flour, corn, hemp, flax, cattle beef, pork, tobacco, hams, and spirits are the principal exports industry * amonS the western States in manufacturing Education, etc. - The State board of examiners, composed of three members appointed by the State commissioner, examine teachers and grant certificates. Almost all the districts containing cities or towns have district superintendents. Township boards consist of one member from each sub-district in the township, leachers are examined by boards of examiners Each county has a board of three cxaminei-s appointed bv she probate judge; but most city boards are allowed to appoint their own examiners. Certificates granted by such boards arc valid from six months to three years, according to the experience and qualification of the applicant, within the county where granted. Contracts with teachers are made by the school boards in the city or town districts; and m township districts, by local directors. State certificates are granted to teachers by the State board of examiners men. i.med. Ihe school fund consists of the irreducible school fund that is, sections of land reserved for schools, most of which have been sold the proceeds forming the fund mentioned, the interest of which only is used ; the State tax and local ta\- These are distributed, the first to the parts of the State entitled to the respective sections of the lands mentioned, pro rata by enumeration ; the second to counties, pro rata by enumeration ; and the last by local authorities according to the wants of the schools, besides township boards, there are in most cities and town separate district hoards of education. The last fund mentioned is raised by the board of educatiou certifying to the county auditor the necessary levy, and it is then collected as other taxes

TNDIANA, tho sixth State admitted into the Union, lies between 1 latitude 37deg. SOmin. and «deg. 50min. north It is bounded on the north by Lake Michigan and tho State of Michigan ; CMt by Ohio ; south by Kentucky, from which it is separated by the Ohio River; and west by Illinois, from which it is partly separated by tho Wabash River. Its greatest length from north to south is 27S miles, and about 144 miles in width. It has 33 809 square miles, or 21,637,760 acres. The surface is generally level or undulating ; there arc, however, some extensive hilly tracts in different parts. The chief elevations in the State are the bluffs which skirt the Ohio; and these, and the country immediately north of them, are densely wooded. The central and northern parts consist chiefly of level prairies, interspersed with small lakes and swamps. Among the interesting natural features of the State are the fads of Eel river, in Owen county, Lost River, in Orange county, a stream fifty feet wide, which sinks many feet under the surface of the earth, and rises at a distance of about eleven miles - and Wyandot Cave, in Crawford county, five miles from Leavenworth. This cave, near Blue River, 400 feet above the water consists of Old and New Caves, the former beinn- known as Epsom-Salts Cave. So far as explored it is 22 miles "one-. 300 feet wide at its greatest width, and 246 feet at its greatest hei'"-ht.

History, Government, and Finances. - Indiana ofWinally constituted a part of New France, and subsequently of the Northwest Territory In 1702 a party of French Canadians descended the Wabash and established several posts on its banks, and anion" others Tincennes. The Indians inhabiting the country at that tune3 either from internal feuds or inability, made little opposition to the strangers ; and at an early period the settlers amalgamated with the savages, and subsisted more by the chase than by regular industry. They have left no record of their simple annals'; is heard of them. The treaty of cession, however, confirmed the settlers in their possessions. The treaty of 1TS3 included Indiana in the United States. In 1788 an Indian war broke out, which caused great distress at Vincennes. In 1791 General "Wilkinson attacked the Indians at the mouth of the Tippecanoe, and the subsequent victories of General Wayne scattered a dangerous confederacy and forced the tribes to succumb. On May 7, 1S00, Ohio was erected into a separate territory, while the country west and north was included in the new government of Indiana. In 1805 Michigan was divided off, and in 1S09 Illinois, leaving Indiana with its present boundaries. In 1S11 the general government took decisive measures against the Indians, who, filled with blind enthusiasm by the eloquence of Tecumseh, a leader of the Shawnees, had committed great depredations. A force of regulars and militia was assembled at Vincenues, and on November 6 of the same year the governor of the State appeared before Prophetstown or Tippecanoe on the Wabash, and demanded the return of the property the Indians had taken. After a consultation, it was agreed that hostilities should not begin until next morning; but in violation of this armistice, the soldiers were attacked before daybreak by a large body of savages. The ensuing combat was short but severe, and ended in a victory for the whites. In a short time the Indians sued for peace, but the war with England gave a new impetus to Indian hostility. The savages were again beaten, and on the conclusion of peace in 1815, finally ceased to trouble the settlers. On December 11, 1816. the State was admitted into the Union. In 1S51 a new constitution was adopted. Indiana furnished 195,147 men during the late war. In 1S63 the State was twice invaded by small forces of the enemj'. On the night of June 16 a body of confederate cavalry crossed the Ohio Eiver at Flint Rock, near Leavenworth, by fording it. They were driven back by the militia, after plundering the stores and frightening the citizens. The second invasion was by a force under General Morgan.

The constitution of Indiana of 1S51 superseded that of 1816. The general assembly consists of a senate of 50 members elected for four years, one-half every second year, and a house of representatives of 100 members elected for two' years. The legislature meets every two years. The governor and lieutenant-governor are elected for four years. The secretary of state, the treasurer, the auditor, and the school superintendent are elected for two years. Indiana is represented in Congress by two senators and 13 representatives, a"d ufls. therefore 15 votes in the electoral college.

The judicial power is vested in a supreme, a circuit, and a superior court. The supreme court consists of five judges, who are elected by the people for a term of six years. The State is divided into five supreme judicial districts and 3S circuit districts. The circuit judges are elected by the people for a term of six years. A superior court of three judrres elected for four years may be established in any county containing a city of 40,000 inhabitants. Justices of the peace are elected in each township for four years. The system of granting divorces in Indiana, which had attracted wide attention on account of its elasticity, was amended in 1873 and made somewhat more, stringent. The causesof divorce nnderthc new law are: 1, adultery; 2,impoteney, existing at the time of the marriage; 3, abandonment for two years; 4, cruel and inhuman treatment of either party by the other ; 5, habitual drunkenness of either party, or the failure of the husband to make reasonable provisions for the family; 6, the failure of the husband to make reasonable provisions for' his family for a period of two years; 7, the conviction of either party, subsequent to the marriage in any country, of an infamous crime.

Geology and Mineralogy. - The geology of Indiana is the same as that of the other prairie States, consisting mostly of alluvial deposits. Coal is extremely abundant, about one-fifth of the area of the State containing beds which are capable, it is estimated, of yielding 50,000,000 bushels to the acre. The great deposits lie in the southern portion, and extend into Illinois. Besides coal, Indiana contains gold, silver, copper, iron, zinc gypsum, marbles, limestone, and sandstones. '

Climate and Soil. - The climate differs little from that of Ohio and Illinois; but Indiana is somewhat less subject to the extremes of heat and cold than the latter State.

The soil is generally good, and in some portions very fertile The best lands are found in the river-bottoms, where the soil is very deep and productive. The country between the rivers is somewhat elevated, and not so luxuriantly fertile, but there is hardly any part of the State which fails amply to repay the labors of the husbandman. Next to the Ohio, the principal river is the Wabash. It rises in the northeast., and, flowino- first west and afterwards south, in the lower part of its course" divides this State from Illinois, and falls into the Ohio, after a course of 480 miles, the greater part of which is navigable. It has several tributaries, including the White and the East Fork, which also are navigable for a considerable distance. The other principal rivers are the St. Joseph, which falls into Lake Michigan, and the Kankakee, an affluent of the Illinois. The Mauniee is formed by the St. Joseph's and St. Mary's, in the northeastern part of Indiana and passes off into Ohio. The Kankakee drains the northwestern portion of the State. The Upper St. Joseph's makes a bend into Indiana from Michigan, to which, after a course of about 30 miles, it. returns. The Tippecanoe, Mississinewa, White « ater, Flat Rock, ami Blue Rivers are the next largest streams after those mentioned.

Products, Commerce, and Manufactures. - Indiana yields large quantities of Indian corn, wheat, oats, rye, Irish potatoes, fruit, butter, live-stock, grapes, and tobacco. Agriculture is the leading pursuit, and corn and wheat the staple products.

Indiana has little foreign commerce, but its domestic trade is immense, and increasing with the most astonishing strides. The abundance of water-power and coal in Indiana gFve it excellent advantages for manufacturing.

Education, etc. - The State superintendent of public instruction is elected by the people for two years. The State board of education consists of the official mentioned, the governor, president of the State university, president of the normal school, and the superintendent of common schools of the three largest cities in the State. There are ninety-two counties, each one of which has a commissioner. They meet once every three vears, in June, and appoint school examiners for their several counties, and perform the functions of county superintendents. The school examiners examine teachers, and give certificates for six, twelve, and eighteen months, or two years, according to the qualifications of the applicant. All examinations must he public. Provision is made for separate schools for colored children. The school-fund of Indiana is about sS,.',Oi.i,Oi.io, and is derived from various sources.

Indianapolis is the capital and chief city of Indiana, and a highly prosperous place. Other important cities are Evansville, Fort Wayne, and New Albany. The decennial population of Indiana, from 1810, is as follows :

Michigan

MICHIGAN, the Indian for "Great Water," the thirteenth State admitted under the Federal Constitution, is situated between latitude 40deg. 45min. and 4Sdeg. north, and longitude 82deg. 25min. and 90deg. 34min. west from Greenwich. It consists of two peninsulas, bounded north by Lake Superior, which separates it from Canada; east by the Straits of St. Mary, Lake Huron, St. Clair River, Lake St. Clair, the Detroit River, and Lake Erie; south by Ohio and Indiana; and west by Lake Michigan and the Menomonee and Montreal Rivers, separating it from Minnesota. The land area of the State is 56,243 square miles, and the area of waters within the State limits is estimated at 36,324 square miles. The southern peninsula of Michigan has generally a level or rolling surface, and in some parts is broken and hilly. The eastern portion for a distance from five to twentvfive miles from the shore is almost a dead level; but westward the land rises into an irregular ridge, in some part of wliich it attains a height of from 600 to 700 feet above the sea. The hilly portion of the southern area of the State, branches off from the main ridge in different directions through the adjoining counties. The ridge of laud before spoken of, again takes its rise near the mouth of Ausable River, and stretches on for many miles along and beyond the coast. This forms the highlands of Ausable. The northern peninsula is much diversified by mountains, hills, valleys, and plains. The eastern part of this division of the State is undulating and picturesque, but the central is hilly and composed of table-land. The shores of Lake Superior are composed of sandstone rock, which, in many places is worn by the action of the wind and waves into grotesque shapes resembling castles, temples, arches, etc., forming the celebrated Pictured Rocks. These Tictured Rocks extend along the shore for about twelve miles, and rise from 200 to 300 feet above the water. Sometimes cascades shoot over the precipice, so that a vessel may sail between the descending waters and the natural wall of rock.

History, Government and Finances. - Michigan was first settled by the French, near Detroit, in the latter half of the seventeenth century ; but like other French colonies, it made slow progress. The peace of 1763 brought it, with the other French possessions in North America, under the dominion of Great Britain, where it remained until the breaking out of the American Revolution, when it came into the hands of the United States. On the expulsion of the French, the celebrated Indian chief,

Michigan And Wisconsin

Pontiac, seized the occasion to drive the whites out of the country by a general uprising and simultaneous attacks on all the forts of the English on the lakes. Mackinaw was taken by stratagem, and the garrison mercilessly scalped. Detroit was besieged for some months by Pontiac with six hundred men, but it held out till the Indian allies, becoming weary of the siege, retired, and left Pontiac no choice but to make peace. The British did not surrender Detroit to the United States until 1796. In 1805 Michigan was formed into a separate government, it having been up to that time a part of the Northwest Territory. During the war with Great Britain in 1812 it became the scene of some stirring events. Lying next to Canada, it was invaded at the beginning of the war, and Detroit, its capital, surrendered August 15, 1S12, by General Hull, under circumstances which led to his displacement from his command, and conviction by court-martial. Fort Mackinaw had previously been taken by the enemy. January 22, 1813, at Frenchtown, a party of American prisoners of war were cruelly massacred. General Harrison soon after drove the enemy out of the territory, and carried the war into Canada. In May, 1835, a convention at Detroit framed a constitution, by which Michigan claimed a strip of territory also claimed by Ohio. For a time a conflict seemed inevitable, but in June, 1836, Congress passed an act admitting Michigan into the Union upon condition that she relinquished her claim to the disputed territory, in lieu of which the region known as "the upper peninsula" was given to her. These conditions were accepted in December, 1836, and in January, 1837, Michigan was admitted into the Union.

The governor and lieutenant-governor of Michigan are each elected by the people for two years; the former receiving a salary of $1,000 per annum. The senate consistsof thirty-two members, and the house of representatives of one hundred, both elected by popular vote for two years. The legislature meets every two years, on the first Wednesday in January. Michigan sends nine representatives to Congress and casts eleven electoral votes.

The judiciary consists of a supreme court, presided over by one chief and three associate justices, elected for eightyears, and other inferior courts.

Climate and Soil. - Notwithstanding the severity of the climate in Michigan, it is moderated by its proximity to the lakes; yet the temperature of the northern peninsula is quite rigorous. The temperature of Southern Michigan is milder than that of the same parallel in the eastern States.

The soil is various, but there is a great deal of good land, especially in the south. The northern peninsula is favorable to winter grains ; while the southern produces maize, as well as the grains, abundantly. The soil in the middle and south of the lower peninsula is generally fertile, mostly free from stone, and of a deep, dark, sandy loam, often mingled with clay and gravel.

Geology and Mineralogy. - The southern peninsula is exclusively secondary in its formation, and the northern peninsula, bordering on Lake Superior, is primitive, but the portions bordering on Lake Michigan and Green Bay are secondary. Primitive boulders, or "lost rocks," of enormous size, are found on the coast of Huron, especially north of Saginaw Bay. Here granite masses " exist, weighing from one to a hundred tons. Michigan, in its northern peninsula, has probably the richest copper mines in the world, the Lake Superior copper regions having gained a worldwide reputation. Iron and gypsum abound in ditt'erent parts of the State. Of late years the number of Lake Superior mining companies has rapidly increased. Though the mineral resources of the State are not fully developed, yet silver, lead, peat, limestone, marl and coal are found in moderate quantities; the last, however, in abundance, within one hundred miles of Detroit. The mining regions of Lake Superior are visited every summer by large numbers of tourists. .

Products, Commerce, and Manufactures. - The staple products are wheat, Indian corn, oats, potatoes, hay, butter, maple sugar, wool, and live stock; and rye, buckwheat, beans, peas, barley, fruit, beeswax, cheese and honey are raised in large quantities. Michigan raises considerable tobacco, some sweet potatoes, hops, flax, silk, wine, grass-seeds, and molasses. Agriculture is the leading pursuit, as in all the western States.

Michigan, being surrounded by inland seas, is favorably situated for internal trade, and trade with British America. Wheat and other grains, flour, pork, wool, lumber, and copper are among the principal articles of export. Some valuable manufactures have been established, in which many millions of capital are invested.

Education, etc. - The school system of Michigan is based upon that of Prussia. Ample provision is made for primary schools ; and by the grouping of several of these, union schools are formed, designed as preparatory to the State university, which is a nearly free institution. A county superintendent of common schools is elected in each county for two years, whose duty it is, among other things, to examine candidates for the position of teacher, and grant certificates for his county. The State Superintendent of public instruction may grant certificates effectual throughout the State. A board of township school inspectors is elected annually, the township clerk bein«? ex-officio clerk of the board, with power to divide the township into districts. Each school district has a board elected by its voters, consisting of a moderator, a director, and an assessor; one being elected annually for three years.

The State Prison is located at Jackson. The Asylum for the Deaf, Dumb and Blind, is at Flint; and the Michigan Insane Asylum is at Kalamazoo. There is a Reform School at Lansing, to which convicts under sixteen are sent.

According to the census of 1870, the total population was 1.184,- 059, of which 11,849 were colored ; 4,976 Indians, 1 Japanese, and 1 Chinese.

Detroit, on the strait which connects Lake St. Clair with Lake Michigan, is the principal city of Michigan. Other leading towns are Lansing, the capital, Kalamazoo, Adrian and Jackson.

WISCONSIN, the seventeenth State admitted under the Federal Constitution, is situated between latitude 42deg. 30min. and 47deg. north, and longitude STdeg. 30min. and 92deg. 30min. west, and is bounded north by the British possessions ; east by Michigan; south, by Illinois; and west by Iowa and Minnesota. It has an area of 53,924 square miles, or 34.511,360 acres. "Wisconsin may be described generally as an elevated rolling prairie, from 600 to 1,200 feet above the level of the sea. It has no mountains properly so called ; the whole surface may, with few exceptions, be considered one vast plain, varied only by the cliffs bordering the rivers and lakes, and the moderate undulations called " rolling." The greatest depression in the State is the surface of Lake Michigan, which is 57S feet above the sea.

History, Government, and Finances. - Wisconsin was visited at a very early period by the French missionaries and discoverers, and a settlement made by the French in the latter part of the seventeenth century. The countiy remained under the dominion of France until 1763, when it was surrendered to Great Britain. During this time Green Bay, Li Pointe, St. Nicholas (now Prairie duChien), and other places were occupied; the Mississippi River was explored by Marquette in 1763, and a war was waged against the Ontagamie and Fox Indians, to secure the right of way through Lake Winnebago. The navigation of the upper lakes was begun in 1679, when tbeGritfin made atrip from the Niagara Kiver to Green Bay, and was lost on her return voyage. Canadian laws governed the territory, and the British maintained their possession with a military force at Green Bay until 1796, when the Americans obtained the possession, and extended the provisions of the ordinance for the government of the Northwest Territory over the whole region. In 1809, Wisconsin was included in the Territory of Illinois, and so continued until 1818, when Illinois became a State, and Wisconsin, then little better than a wilderness, was attached to Michigan for all purposes of government. Public attention was strongly directed towards this region in 1827, by discoveries of lead on the Upper Mississippi, and in 1832 by the Indian troubles known as the Black Hawk war. So many emigrants had settled here, that in 1S36 a separate territorial government was organized, which continued until its admission into the Union in 1S48.

By the constitution adopted February 18, 1848, the legislative power is vested in a senate of 33 membeis, one-half elected annually for two years, and an assembly of 100 members elected annually. The legislature sits at Madison on the first Wednesday in January. The executive power is vested in a governor and lieutenant governor elected for two years. Wisconsin sends eight del egates to Congress, and casts ten electoral votes.

The judicial power is vested in a supreme court, 13 circuit courts, courts of probate, and justices of the peace. The supreme court consists of a chief and two associate justices. It has in general only appellate jurisdiction. Two terms are held annually at Madison. The circuit courts have general original jurisdiction in civil and criminal matters, and appellate jurisdiction over all inferior courts. Both they and the Supreme court issue writs of habeas corpus , mandamus, injunction, <pio warranto, and certio- rari. O'udges of the supreme and circuit courts are elected by the people for six years. By a recent law, not applicable to those then in office, the salaries "of the former were increased from $4,000 to $5,000 a year, and of the latter from §2.500 to $3,000. A circuit court must be held at least twice a year in each county. A judge of probate is elected by the people in each county for four years ; justices of the peace are elected liy the people for two years in the several cities, towns, and villages.

Geology and Mineralogy. - Limestone underlies most of the southern part of the State - the cliff limestone in the mineral districts, and the cliff elsewhere. The northern part is composed of primitive rocks, for the most part of granite, slate and sandstone. Resting upon the edges of the strata of primary rocks, the Potsdam limestone is found forming a belt on almost every side, from ten to sixty miles in breadth.

Lead ore is the most important mineral product of the State, found chiefly ia the counties of Grant, Lafayette, and Iowa; it is mostly the sulphuret (galena), though the carbonate (called white mineral), often occurs. Iron ores are found in great quantities and of easy access at Iron Ridge in Dodge county, at Ironton in Sauk county, and in the Penokee iron range in Ashland county, near Lake Superior. A great bed of magnetic iron ore lies south of Lake Superior, near Tyler's fork of the Bad Kiver, in strata of metamorphic slate. Beautiful varieties are found in the northern part of Wisconsin, of which the prevailing color is light pink, traversed by veins or seams of deep red. Others are blue and dove-colored, beautifully veined, and susceptible of a fine polish.

Climate and Soil. - The climate, though severe, and the winters long, is more regular, and more free from those frequent and unhealthy changes that prevail farther south. The lakes, too, exert a mitigating influence, the temperature being six and onehalf degrees higher on the lake than on the Mississippi side. The country south of the middle is a fine agriculture region, particularly that back of Kenosha. The best agricultural section is that east of the Pekatonica, which has more prairie land. The agricultural capabilities of the northern part of the State, around the head-waters of the Black and Chippewa rivers, and the sources of the rivers emptying into Lake Superior, are small, the surface in part being covered with drift and boulders, and partly with ponds and marshes.

Wisconsin enjoys abundant facilities for internal trade with the lake and Eastern trade through those great inland seas which bound her on the north and east, and with almost every part of the valley of the Mississippi by means of the river of that name and its numerous tributaries. The exports of the State at large consist mainly of wheat, Indian corn, oats, flour, lumber, pork, beef, lard, butter, lead, bricks, &c.

Education, etc. - The superintendent of public instruction holds office for two years. There are sixty-four county and twentvseven city superintendents who administer the school laws in their respective jurisdictions. Teachers are examined by the county and city superintendents, who give certificates valid for one year. State certificates, given by the State superintendent, whose board of examiners (three members) has examined the applicant, entitle the holder to teach anywhere in the State. The school-fund consists of the proceeds of sales of school lands - two sections of land in each township given by the United States government. Half of the proceeds of the swamp lands which were given to the State by the Federal government as a drainage fund, is made a normal school fund. Additional funds are raised by taxation. Among the educational establishments are the Wisconsin University, with law and medical departments, at Madison; Eacine College, at Eacine ; and many others throughout the State. . There is an institution for the blind at Janesville, and one for the deal and dumb at Delaware; an insane hospital at Madison. The State Prison is located at Waupun.

The most populous city of Wisconsin, and one of the largest in the Western States is Milwaukee. Its position on Lake Michigan gives it splendid facilities for trade, and it is the largest primary

MINNESOTA, the nineteenth State admitted into the Union, is situated between latitude 43deg. iSOmin. and 49def. north and longitude SOdeg. 29min. and 97deg. 5min., and has an area of 83,500 square miles, or 53,440,000 acres. It is bounded north by British America; east by Lake Superior and Wisconsin ; south by Iowa; and west by Dakota. Though there are no mountains in Minnesota, it is the most elevated track of land between the Gulf of Mexico and tho Arctic Ocean, and from its central heights seuds its waters to every point of the compass, but for the most part to the north and south. The face of the country in general presents the aspect of an undulating plain.

History, Government, and Finances. - Minnesota was first visited by two traders in the year 1654, who, on their return to Montreal two years afterwards, gave such glowing descriptions of the country as to induce not only traders and trappers, but Jesuit missionaries, to visit the country. AVe are indebted to the latter for the first printed records of Minnesota. It was not before 1812 that the United States had any authority within the limits of Minnesota. In 1837 a small tract of country between the St. Croix and Mississippi was ceded by the Indians to the United States, and lumbering operations commenced upon the St. Croix. The territory of Minnesota was established bv an act of Congress passed March 3, 1849. It embraced nearly twice the area of the present State, its western limits extending to the Missouri and White Earth rivers. Up to this period the country was occupied almost entirely by Indians; but a small civilized population of whites and half-breeds had grown up around the trading-posts and mission stations, amounting, in 1849, to 4,857 souls. In 1851 the Sioux Indians ceded to the United States all their lands in the country west of the Mississippi to the Big Sioux River. The population increased so rapidly after this, that in 1857 application was made for admission into the Union, and an act authorizing the formation of a State government passed Oongress February 20, 1857, and the State was admitted on May 11, 1858.

The present constitution of Minnesota was adopted October 13, 1857, and the State government was organized May 22, 1858. The legislature consists of 41 senators elected for two years, and 100 representatives elected for one year. Minnesota sends three representatives to Congress and casts five electoral votes.

The judiciary comprises a chief justice and two associates forming the supreme court, nine district courts, and a judge of probate and justices of the peace in each county. The judges of the supreme court are elected for seven years, and the others for two years.

Geology and Mineralogy. - Minnesota, east of the Red River of the North, is mostly covered with drift, lying on crystalline and metamorphic rocks, which occasionally protrude to the surface in the valleys of the rivers and on the shores of the lakes. In the southeast the lower magnesian limestone crops out in the valleys of the Mississippi and St. Peter's rivers. On the shores of Lake Superior are "alterations of metamorphic schists, slates and sandstones, with volcanic grits and other bedded traps and porphyries, intersected by numerous basaltic and greenstone dykes, with occasional deposits of red clay, marls, and drift." Copper has been found, but in most instances it is not " in place," but appears to have been carried tbitber by the drift and boulders. The indications are equally unfavorable of their being large deposits of coal. Lead has been found in small quantities.

Climate and Soil. - The climate of this State is severe, especially in the northern part. The winters are cold, but clear and dry, and the fall of snow is light ; the summers are warm, with breezy nights, during which occur most of the rains ; and the purity of the air and the salubrity of its climate recommend it for the residence of invalids, especially those having any pulmonary affection. The soil is fertile, two-thirds of the surface Tieing well adapted to the cultivation of all the cereals and roots of the temperate zone. It is composed generally of a dark, calcareous loam, abounding in organic and saline ingredients, and is retentive of moisture.

The land of Minnesota is about equally divided between oakopening and prairies, the whole well watered by numerous navigable streams. In the eastern section on the head-waters of the Mississippi, the St. Croix, and the Eum River, are extensive pine and hard-wood forests, apparently inexhaustible for centuries; while from the mouth of the Crow Wing River an extensive forest of hard-wood timber, fifty miles in width, extends southeasterly into the country, watered by the Blue Earth River, a tributary of the Minnesota River, emptying into it 150 miles above its mouth. This timber will prove highly valuable as settlements extend over the naked prairies of the central and western portions of the State.

Products and Commerce. - The chief products of Minnesota are wheat and oats, in the yield and quality of which it excels most other States; corn, of which it is less productive; potatoes, turnips, and other field roots, dairy products, wool, cattle, hides, furs from the northwest, pine lumber, and cranberries from the northeast, and ginseng from the central forests. Lumber is the principal article of export. Minnesota has the advantage of two outlets for her products; one by way of the Mississippi to every portion of the Mississippi valley, and the other by way of Lake Superior, with the Lake States, and with the East.

Education, etc. - The State superintendent of public schools is appointed by the governor with the consent of the senate for two years. He examines teachers, and is general custodian of the school interests of the State. County superintendents are appointed by the county commissioners one for each county. The board of education consists of six directors, elected by city, town, or village. Each board elects a superintendent for one year. Each sub-district is a school district, the officers of which form a board of trustees who employ teachers and supervise the details of schools. The school fund consists of the proceeds of the sale of school lands invested in State and United States bonds. It is distributed in proportion to the number of children between five and twenty-one years. Additional funds are raised by local taxation. Each district forfeits its funds unless it keep three months in the year. The superintendent of public instruction, the principal of the University of Minnesota, and the secretary of state form a board of commissioners, who select the text-books used in the State.

Among the public institutions of this State are a penitentiary at Stillwater; an asylum for the deaf and dumb at Faribault, and a historical society at St. Paul.

IOWA, the sixteenth State admitted into the Union, is situated between latitude 40deg. 20rain. and 43d eg. 30min. north, and longitude 90deg. 12min. and 9Gdeg. 53min. west, and is bounded north by Minnesota, east by the Mississippi, which separates it from Wisconsin and Illinois, south by Missouri and in part by Des Moines River, and west by the Missouri and Big Sioux Rivers, which separate it from Nebraska and Dakota. It has an area of 55,045 square miles. The surface of Iowa is generally composed of rolling prairies, having nothing within its limits which approaches a mountain in elevation. The highest ground in the State is a plateau in the northwest called "Ooteau des Prairies," which enters the State from Minnesota. A small portion in the northeast, on the Mississippi, is rugged and rocky, and Table Mound, a conical elevation with a flat summit, is about 500 feet high.

History and Government. - Iowa derives its name from the river so called, and was originally a part of the vast territory included in Louisiana. The first settlement of whites -within the present limits of the State was made by Julien Dubuque, a Canadian Frenchman, who, in 1788, obtained a grant of a large tract, including the present city of Dubuque and the rich mineral lands in its vicinity. In 1803 Louisiana was ceded to the United States, and in 1805 the whole territory was divided into the two governments of Orleans and Louisiana. In 1812 the name of the latter was changed to Missouri, and until 1821 included all the country north of the present State of Louisiana. In 1834 Iowa was placed under the jurisdiction of Michigan, and in 1837 under that of Wisconsin. It was not until 1833 that any steps "were taken towards its further settlement. In the spring of that year several companies of Americans from Illinois and other States settled in the vicinity of Burlington, and at a later period settlements were made at other points along the Mississippi. On June 12, 1838, Iowa was made a separate territory; and on July 4, ensuing, the new government was formally installed at Burlington. Under its territorial organization Iowa included all the country north of Missouri, between the Mississippi and the Missouri, and to the British line, and consequently the greater part of the present State of Minnesota, and the whole of Dakota territory. In 1839 the government removed to Iowa city. In 1844 a State constitution was formed, and a petition sent to Congress for admission into the Union. This was not granted on account of the constitutional limits assumed ; and by an act of March 3, 1845, Congress defined the boundaries that would be acceptable. The next year the proposed boundaries were approved bv a convention assembled for the purpose, and on December 28, 1846, Iowa was admitted into the Union.

The executive consists of a governor and lieutenant-governor, elected by the people every two years. These appoint the other executive officers. The legislature consists of a senate, elected for four years, half biennially, and a house of representatives, elected biennially. The legislature meets every two years.

The judicial power is vested in a supreme court, district courts, and such other courts, inferior to the supreme court, as the legislature may establish. The supreme court, with appellate jurisdiction only in chancery cases, consists of four judges elected by the people for six years, one every second year, and the one having the shortest time to serve is chief justice. Iowa sends nine representatives to Congress, and casts eleven electoral votes.

Geology and Mineralogy. - Recent geological surveys show that the extent of the coal area in Iowa has been underestimated, and that vast beds underlie every portion of the State. The existence of vast quantities of peat is also proven, and extensive lead deposits have been found. Limestone is found in various parts of the State, and a large quarry of beautiful marble is worked in Marshall county. Marble also exists in Johnson and other counties. Beds of gypsum of excellent quality have been discovered; and a superior quality of Potter's clay is abundant in many sections, also good brick clay. Iron ore has been found, but not in richness exceeding forty per cent.

Climate and Soil. - The climate of Iowa is moderate, and highly favorable for agricultural purposes. The winters, however, are severe from the prevalence of north and northwest winds which sweep over the level prairies without obstruction. In regard to salubrity, Iowa is classed among the most healthful countries of the world, a fact to be attributed to the excellent drainage furnished by its rolling surface.

The soil is generally excellent, and no State has a less amount of inferior land. The valleys of the Red Cedar, Iowa, and Des Moines, as high as latitude 42deg. 30min. north, present a body of arable land that belongs only to the most fertile upland plains. North of this the lands are of an inferior character, and the lower grounds are either wet and marshy, or filled with numerous ponds, and entirely destitute of timber.

Products and Commerce. - The chief industry of the State is agriculture, and vast quantities of wheat, corn, oats, rye, barley, etc., are produced.

Iowa has not much foreign trade, but is very favorably located for internal traffic, washed as it is by the Missouri on the west, and Mississippi on the east, and its interior traversed by the Des Moines, Iowa, Cedar, and other rivers. The principal articles of export are grain, flour, lead, pork, and live-stock.

Education, etc. - Iowa has no state board of education. The State superintendent of public instruction holds office for two years. Each county has a superintendent who is elected by the people for two years. The school fund amounts to $3,000,000, and certain public lands.

There is a State prison at Fort Madison, on the Mississippi, and two State insane asylums, one at Mount Pleasant and the other at Independence. At Council Bluffs and at Iowa City there is a deaf and dumb asylum, and an institution for the blind at Hinton.

Dubuque is the chief commercial city of Iowa, and one of the largest on the upper Mississippi. Other leading towns are Des Moines, the capital, Davenport, Burlington, and Iveokuk.

Illinois

ILLINOIS, the eighth State admitted into the Union, extends from 36deg. 56min. to 42deg. 30min. north latitude, and 87deg. 35min. to 91deg. 40min. west longitude. It is bounded on the north by "Wisconsin; east, by Lake Michigan and Indiana; south, by Missouri and Kentucky, from which it is separated by the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers; and west by Missouri and Iowa, from which it is separated by the Mississippi River. It has an area of 55,410 square miles. 'Hie State is generally level, having few hills and no mountains. The lowest portion is but 340 feet, and the highest only S00 feet above the gulf of Mexico. It is nearly covered by fertile prairies; while river- bottoms, with a soil of vegetable mould forty feet in depth, have produced heavy crops of maize for many successive years without manuring.

History and Government. - The first settlements in this State were made by the French, and were the result of the enterprise of La Salle. He set out from Canada in 1679, aud crossing the lakes descended the Illinois river. He was pleased with the country, and, returning to Canada left the Chevalier de Tony in command of a small fort he had built. In 1682 he returned to Illinois with a colony of Canadians, and founded Kaskaskia. Cahokia, and other towns. Disputes arose between England and France on the subject of boundaries, and these ultimately led to the war which virtually ended with the capture of Quebec. At the peace of 17S3, which closed the American Revolution, Illinois was yielded to the United States ; and by the ordinance of July 13, 1787, the whole of the public domain north of the Ohio River was erected into the Northwest Territory under one government. In 1800 Ohio was made a separate territory, and a further severance was made in 1S05, when the territory of Michigan was formed, and again in 1809, when Indiana was divided off. The territory of Illinois at this time included the present States of Illinois and "Wisconsin and a part of Minnesota. The settlements of the territories had been greatly impeded by Indian hostilities. The prominent event during the troubles with the savages being the massacre near Fort Chicago, August, 1812. In the year 181S, December 3, Illinois, with its present boundaries, was admitted into the Union. In 1831, the Sac and other Indian tribes began to be troublesome, and in 1832 the Black Hawk war broke out, which terminated in a permanent peace. In 1830, the Mormons settled at Nauvoo, and were from the first disliked by their neighboi*s. On June 27, 1844, Brothers Joseph and Hiram Smith, the first of whom was the founder of Mormonism, were arrested, and, while confined in Carthage jail, were set upon and murdered by the mob. This affair was followed soon after by a general exodus of the Mormons, who numbered about 2,000, towards Utah.

The government of this State is founded on the revised constitution of 1S70; in this instrument the system of "minority representation" in the election of members of the house of representatives was incorporated. The legislature consists of a senate elected for four years, and a house of representatives elected for two years. The governor and lieutenant-governor are elected for four years. All the executive officers, excepting the treasurer, are elected for four years ; the treasurer holds office two years. The legislature meets the first Monday in January after the biennial election of members. Illinois sends nineteen representatives to Congress, and casts twenty-one electoral votes.

The judicial powers are lodged in a supreme court, circuit courts, and county courts, justices of the peace, police magistrates, and certain special courts. The supreme court is composed of seven judges chosen in separate districts for nine years. The State is divided into circuits, presided over by a single judge elected for six years. The judges of the county courts are elected, one in each count}1-, for four years. Cook county, in which Chicago is situated, forms a separate circuit with four judges, and has a superior court and a criminal court.

Geology and Mineralogy. - The whole State is of limestone formation, with rich lead deposits in the northwest, and a large portion of the great bituminous coal formation lying in this and the adjoining States. In 1867, extensive beds of coal, equal to the best anthracite for smelting purposes, were dicovered. Inexhaustible coal-beds underlie the soil in many counties. In 1S68, the yield from the mines in operation was about 2,000,000 tons. Lead, iron, copper, coal, salt and lime are the chief minerals. Copper is found in various localities. The salt springs near Shawneetown yield sixty pounds of table-salt from 160 gallons of water. Other salt springs, and sulphureous and chalybeate mineral waters are found in many places. Large quantities of iron are found, and many manufactories in that metal exist in the State.

Climate and Soil. - The climate is mild, with an average of 77deg. Fahrenheit in summer, and 33Jdeg. in winter, but ranging from 20deg. below to lOOdeg. above zero ; it is also healthy, except in swamp-lands or river-bottoms, which are subject to fever and ague and bilious diseases. The soil in some of the river bottoms is twenty-five feet in depth, and the soil of the upland prairies is almost as fertile. The State may be generally described as extremely fertile and productive - the soil, of course varying in different localities. In some portions of the State forty bushels of wheat and one hundred bushels of corn to the acre are frequently produced. The State is well watered ; next to the Mississippi and Ohio, the chief rivers are the Illinois, its tributary, the Sangamon, the Kaskaskia, Great "Wabash, and Rock River."

Products, Commerce, and Manufactures. - All the grains, fruits, and roots of temperate regions grow luxuriently; and in none of the Western States is corn raised in more abundance. Wheat yields a good and sure crop, especially on the banks of the Illinois and in the north. Indian corn is a great staple, and hundreds of farmers grow nothing else. Its average yield is 50 bushels an acre, and sometimes the produce amounts to 75 or even 100 bushels. Oats, barley, buckwheat, common and sweet potatoes, turnips, rye, tobacco, cotton, hemp, flax, the castor-bean, and all other crops common in the middle States are raised. Hemp is indigenous, and succeeds well everywhere. Tobacco is good ; and cotton is grown both for exportation and home use. Fruits of various kinds are very abundant, and the climate of the south is favorable to the growth of the vine.

The facilities of Illinois for commerce are great. She can communicate with the Northern and Eastern States by way of the lakes, and the Mississippi valley by way of the rivers Mississippi, Missouri, aud Ohio. The State contains more miles of railroad than any other State in the Union. Chicago is perhaps the greatest grain and lumber market in the world. Grain, cattle, butter, cheese, and other agricultural products form the chief articles of export; and sugar, tea, coffee, wines, woolen cloths, and other manufactured goods are the chief imports. Illinois has made considerable progress in manufactures, especially of iron and wool.

Education, etc. - The board of education is composed of fifteen members, and the county superintendents, who are elected, are required to visit every school in their several counties once a year. There are three township trustees in each county, whose offices are elective. The total income for school purposes in 1872 was $7,500,122.

The chief city of Illinois, and the commercial metropolis of the Northwest, is Chicago. It is situated on Lake Michigan, is connected by canal with the Illinois River, and thence with the Mississippi, aud is the center of about twenty-five lines of railway. It is a handsome city, though the greater portion was burned down in the great fire of October 9, 1871. Other important cities are Springfield, the capital, Peoria, Quincy, Galena, and Alton.

Missouri

MISSOURI, the eleventh State admitted into the Union, is situated between latitude 36deg. 30mm. and 40deg. 30min. north, and longitude S9deg. 2min. and 95deg. 52min. west, and is bounded on the north by Iowa, east by the Mississippi River, south by Arkansas, and west by Nebraska, "Kansas, and Indian Territory. It has an area of 65,350 square miles. No part of this State can be called mountainous, though its southwest portion has some elevated land. The country in the southeast is a morass, forming a portion of the great Arkansas swamp; the rest of the surface consists principally of rolling prairies continuous with those of Illinois, Indiana and Ohio. It is watered by the two largest rivers of the American continent, which, notwithstanding itsmternal situation, afford it facilities for communicating with the most distant countries; the Mississippi has a course of 550 miles along its eastern boundary, and the Missouri intersects the State near its centre, and joins the Mississippi within its limits. There are numerous tributaries of the above rivers, which are navigable to some distance; as the Osage, Gasconade, Grand River, Chariton, and Merrimac.

History and Government. - In legal proceedings, the region now known as Missouri, was included by the French and Spanish in the Illinois country, but popularly and historically it was denominated Upper Louisiana. The two States of Arkansas and Iowa and the territories of Kansas and Nebraska were portions of the same grand division. Situated in the central part of the valley, the advancement of Missouri was not so rapid as those of the lower districts, but at so early a period as 1720 its lead mines had attracted attention. Its oldest town, St. Genevieve, was founded, and in 1764 St. Louis. In 1763 the jurisdiction of the country went from France to Spain and England, the Mississippi Kiver forming the line of division between their respective apportionments. All her northern possessions had been wrested from France. Many Canadian French emigrated by wav-of the lakes during the contest, and going South, settled in Upper and Lower Louisiana, giving the first impetus to the permanent settlement of Missouri, and a thriving river trade sprang up between the two sections. In 1775 St. Louis, originally a depot for the fur-trade, had increased in population to 800, and St. Genevieve contained 4G0 inhabitants. At this time the American revolution was commencing, and Spain siding with the English colonists, fought against England. In Lower Louisiana and Florida the arms of Spain were successful. In 1780 St. Louis was attacked by a body of English and Indians, from Michilimackinac and the southern extremity of Lake Michigan. The general peace of 1783 terminated hostilities. Spain retained her previous possessions, and received, in addition, the whole of Florida, of which she had been deprived twenty years before; and the eastern bank of the Mississippi River, including all the Illinois country, was ceded to the Uuited States. A controversy respecting the navigation of the Mississippi River was ended by treaty in 1795, by which Spain granted to the United States free navigation of the great river. Spain did not observe the treaty, and it is probable that war was averted only by the retrocession of the country to France in 1800. France sold it to the United States in 1803. The territory purchased was divided into the "territory of Orleans" and the " district of Louisiana," the latter of which was erected into the territory of Louisiana in 1805, St. Louis becoming the seat of government. In 1812, on the admission of the present State of Louisiana into the Union, the name of the territory was altered to Missouri, and its government was made representative. Treaties with the Indians gradually extended the boundaries of the territory on the west. In 1817 the assembly applied to Congress for permission to frame a State constitution preliminary to admission into the Union, and the great struggle to prevent the extension of slavery into newly admitted States now commenced. In Congress a stormy and acrimonious debate arose on the subject. The celebrated compromise, known in our annals as the "Missouri Compromise," by which it was determined that Missouri should be admitted into the Union as a slaveholding State, but that slavery should never be introduced into any State thereafter formed from the lands lying to the north of latitude 36deg. 30min. The State constitution was framed by a convention of forty delegates, which assembled at St. Louis on July 19, 1820, and the State was admitted into the Union August 10, 1821. Missouri sided with the South during the war, and was one of the chief battle-fields in the early campaigns.

The governor and lieutenant-governor are elected by the people. The legislature consists of a senate and house of representatives. The judicial powers are lodged in a supreme court, circuit courts, and various inferior tribunals.

Geology and Mineralogy. - In 1871 an official geological survey of the State was made, the results of which indicate that limestone and sandstone predominate, and furnish some valuable marbles and other building materials. In those parts where the soil is the least fertile, mineral products are abundant. Great quantities of iron ore and coal exist throughout the Missouri valley; and lead, antimony, zinc, manganese, cobalt, arsenic, plumbago, nitre, salt, jasper, and marble are found elsewhere. The great mineral district of Missouri extends over about 3,000 square . miles to the southwest of St. Louis. This region is principally celebrated for its lead mines. Potosi may be considered its centre. The ore is the galena or sulphuret of lead, and is found in detached masses, yielding from sixty to eighty-five per cent, of metal. Copper, tin, gold, and silver are found in some places, but the precious metals are not in sufficient quantities to pay for their working.

Climate and Soil. - The climate is variable. In winter the thermometer reaches zero, and the rivers are frozen over with ice of great thickness, capable of bearing heavily-laden vehicles. The summers are very hot, but the air is dry and pure. Bilious and remittent fevers prevail on the river bottoms in the fall of the year. The soil is generally good, but the most fertile parts are in the river bottoms, which are a rich alluvion, sometimes mixed with sand, and in the country north of the Missouri River, exept in the east, where the soil is sandy. The soil varies more south of the Missouri, but much of it is fertile.

Products, Commerce, and Manufactures. - Agriculture is the most important industry. The agricultural staples consist of hemp, flax, tobacco, and corn. Common and sweet potatoes, turnips, garden vegetables, and artificial grasses are plentiful. Cotton is cultivated in the south, but not to any great extent.

The center of the internal trade of the Mississippi and its tributaries is St. Louis, and beef, pork, tallow, hides, and live stock constitute, together with lead, furs, buffalo hides and tongues, lumber, and maize, the principle articles of export.

Missouri has manufactories of cotton and woolen goods, flour and grist mills, iron foundries, stone, soap and candle manufactories, machine shops, etc.

Education, etc. - The supervision of public instruction is vested by the constitution in a board of education, consisting of a superintendent of public schools, elected by the people for four years, and the secretary of State and attorney-general. A State university, " with departments for instruction in teaching, in agriculture, and in natural science," is made a part of the free public school system of the State. Each county in the State elects a county superintendent.

The State University has a normal department; the central normal school is located at Sedalia, and St. Louis has a city normal school. The University of Missouri is located at Columbia, and there are many of the higher educational institutions throughout the State. There is an asylum for the deaf and dumb at Fulton. At St. Louis there is a blind asylum, also a Catholic asylum for the deaf and dumb. Missouri has a school of mines and metallurgy.

St. Louis, the chief city of Missouri, is also one of the most important in the United States. It is situated on the Mississippi, eighteen miles below its confluence with the Missouri, and is a stately and well-built city. It is one of the leading manufacturing cities in the Union. Jefferson City, the capital, is on the Missouri River.

Arkansas

ARKANSAS, the twelfth State admitted into the Union, lies between 33deg. and 36deg. 30min. north latitude, and 89deg. 45min. and 9<kleg. 40min. west longitude, and is bounded on the north by Missouri, east by the Mississippi Tviver, which separates it from Tennessee and Mississippi ; south by Louisiana and Texas ; and west by Texas and Indian Territory. It has an area of 52,- 198 square miles, or 33,406,720 acres. Although the State has no seacoast, it has several navigable streams. Besides the Arkansas, the principal rivers are the White River, the St. Francis, "Washita, and Red River, all affluents of the Mississippi. The Ozark Mountains, beginning near Little Rock, and stretching away in a northwestern direction, seldom attain a height of more than 1,500 or 2,000 feet. The eastern part of the State, lying on the Mississippi, is low and flat, densely wooded, and swampy at intervals. The surface gradually rises on proceeding westward, and near the center of the State the country is hilly, and the forests are interspersed with prairie land. These hills run westward till they end in the Ozark Mountains. Beyond is an elevated plain, which increases in altitude until it terminates in the Rocky Mountains. In the northeastern part of the State the valley of the St. Francis River is an unbroken swamp. Rising into the higher couutry, the soil is comparatively dry, and well wooded with oak, hickory, etc.

"History and Government. - Originally. Arkansas was a part of the territory purchased from the French under the administration of Thomas Jefferson, in 1803, for the purpose of commanding the mouth of the Mississippi River. It continued to be a part of Louisiana territory until 1812, when Louisiana was admitted as a sovereign State. The rest was organized as Missouri territory, which name it held until 1821, when Missouri was admitted into the Union, and Arkansas was formed into a territory with its present name. It remained a territory until June, 1836, when a constitution was framed at Little Rock, and Arkansas became an independent State. During the early part of the late war Arkansas was disturbed by guerrilla warfare, but in 1863 the advent of the Union army drove out the Confederate troops and the guerrillas, which left most of the State free from the depredations of the latter. The State passed an ordinance of secession on May 6, 1861, and was restored to the Union in 1868.

The government is founded on the revised constitution of 1868. The governor is elected by popular vote, and receives a salary of $5,000. The legislature meets on the first Monday in January,

Arkansas And Kansas

(odd year), and the State elections are held on the first Monday in November. The legislature is composed of a senate and house of representatives; the former elected for four years, and the latter for two years. The judiciary consists of a supreme court, and circuit courts. Arkansas is entitled to four congressional representatives, and six electoral votes.

Geology and Mineralogy. - An abundance of anthracite, cannel, and bituminous coal exists along the banks of the Arkansas Kiver, on both sides, from a point just above Little Kock to the western limit of the State. A good quality of iron ore exists in the Ozark Mountains. Zinc is abundant; lead ore, sometimes bearing silver, exists in different parts ; manganese is abundant. In the°vicinity of the hot-springs in the Washita valley there is an extensive bed of excellent oil-stone. Excellent salt is produced from the springs near Washita, and elsewhere.

Climate and Soil. - In the northern and western parts of the State the climate is similar to that of the northwestern States, and the southern and eastern part is analigous to the climate of Louisiana. Tho temperature at Little Kock, the capital, usually ranges from lodeg. to 99deg. Fahrenheit, and averages 62deg. C6min., although the mercury has been known to fall as low as Sdeg. The State is generally considered healthy.

The soil varies. The river-bottoms are composed of black alluvium deposited from the higher lands by the floods of untold centuries, and are extremely fertile. Large portions of the uplands, especially in the northern part of the State, produce fair crops of the cereals, and excellent apples, and are well suited to grazing, which is carried on to considerable extent.

Products and Commerce. - The chief agricultural products are Indian corn, cotton, and live-stock. The river-bottoms are well adapted to the growth of cotton. Large quantities of tobacco, wool, peas, wheat, oats, Irish and sweet potatoes, beans, fruit, garden vegetables, rice, beeswax, butter, hay, etc., are raised. Flax, wax, maple-sugar, honey and wine are produced.

Arkansas receives her foreign merchandise through New Orleans ; this city is also the principal market for her exports, which consist principally of cotton, wool, maize, hides and lumber. Along the Mississippi and Arkansas rivers and other navigable streams, a profitable domestic commerce is carried on. The rivers of this State are navigable for over 1,000 miles into the interior.

Education, etc. - The superintendent of public instruction is elected by the people every four years. The State superintendent and the several circuit superintendents form a board of education. A circuit superintendent of public instruction is appointed by the governor every four years for each judicial district. A district trustee is elected every year in each school district, and he is the executive officer within his district. The circuit superintendents examine teachers, and grant certificates of three grades. The first are good for two years in the judicial district, the second are valid one year in the county for which they are issued, and the third are valid in the county six months. In 1S71 the establishment of the Arkansas Industrial University, with a normal department, was provided for. At Fayetteville, Washington county, there is an Agricultural College. St John's College, situated at Little Kock, was founded in 1857 ; and there is a Deaf and Dumb Asylum at the same place.

KANSAS, the twentv-first State admitted into the Union, lies between latitude "37deg. and 40deg. north, and longitude 94deg. 40min. and lOOdeg. 40min. west, and is bounded on the north by Nebraska, east by Missouri ; south by Indian Territory; and west by Colorado. Its average width is 185 miles, and its length is 550 miles. It has an area of 81,318 square miles. The surface is nearly uniform, and is known as rolling prairie. The State has no mountains or other high elevations. The riveis, excepting some of the lesser tributaries, follow tlie slope of the country, and have a southeast course ; they are the Missouri, the Kaw or Kansas Kiver, the Arkansas Kiver, and the Osage.

included in the Missouri, Arkansas, and Indian Territories, and was separated from the last in May, 1854, and erected into a separate territory, not, however, until after a fierce struggle had occurred in the National Council on the subject of repealing the Missouri compromise, which was an act passed by Congress forbidding slavery north of 36deg. 30min. north latitude. A large majority in tho Senate favored the repeal, and the House voted for it. A tide of emigration now began to flow from the North and South into Kansas. Those from tho North were opposed to slavery, and those from the South determined to introduce it. The opposing elements first clashed in the election of members of the first legislature. The polls were forcibly seized by the proslavery party, and large parties of Missourians openly came oyer and voted. The legislature illegally elected by the pro-slavery partv passed a "black code." The party, assisted by "Border Ruffians," and supported by the Federal administration, endeavored to drive out the anti-slavery or free-State men. A bitter struggle followed, which culminated in actual war. Ossawattomie, Black Jack, aDd other places became scenes of action, and Lawrence was sacked and burned. The struggle terminated with a victory for the free-State party. It was finally admitted as a State on January 29th, 1861. In the late war, Kansas sent 19,- 5S4 soldiers to the Union army.

The executive officers of the State are a governor, lieutenantgovernor, secretary of state, auditor, treasurer, superintendent of public instruction, and attorney- general, all of whom are chosen for two years. The legislature is composed of senators, chosen for two years, and representatives, chosen for two years, and meets biennially on the second Tuesday in January. The judicial power is vested' in a supreme court, district courts, a probate court in each county, consisting of one judge elected for two years ; and justices of the peace elected in each township for two years.

Climate and Soil. - The climate is mild, the winters being short, and the fall of snow light. The river-bottoms afford pasturage for stock during the winter. Although the summers are warm, they are not oppressive; the hottest day is followed by a cool evening. The soil is excellent, and probably no State in the Union can show better. The richest soil is found in the bottomlands of the Missouri and Kansas rivers.

Geology and Mineralogy. - Iron, tin, and gypsum exist in large quantities. The coal formation is extensive and rich. One vein, with an average thickness of six feet, extends over and area of 17,000 square miles; and others ranging from one to five feet in thickness. Inexhaustible beds of gypsum, ranging from fifteen to one hundred feet in thickness, exist in the central and western portions of the State. Coal underlies a large portion of Kansas. Kich deposits of lead exist, and traces of petroleum have been found. The salt springs of Kansas are very valuable. They exist over a tract sixty miles in extent, in the extreme southern part of the State. The ground is entirely covered by the salt, and can be shoveled up in large quantities. It is very pure, and lit for use in its original state. When taken from the surface, it soon reappears, and in a few days the saline deposits form a hard crust.

Products and Commerce. - As a wheat-growing country, Kansas ranks foremost; her limestone soil is well suited to its culture. Tho chief products are corn, rye, wheat, oats, buckwheat, potatoes, hemp and cotton. A large portion of the State is well suited to the raising of sheep, and wool-growing has become an important branch of industry. Stock-raising is carried on very

Education, etc. - General educational interests are under the supervision of a State superintendent of public instruction, and there is a superintendent in each county. The board of education consists of the State superintendent, the chancellor of the State university, the president of the State agricultural college, and the principals of the State normal schools at Emporia and Leavenworth. A prominent duty of the board is to issue diplomas to such teachers as pass the examination. The school fund consists of the annual income derived from the interest and rents of the perpetual school fund, proceeds of donated lands, and an annual tax of one mill upon the dollar valuation of all taxable property in the State.

Indian Territory A Nd South Carolina

TNDIAN TERRITORY lies between 33deg. 35rain. and 37deg. 1 north latitude, and 94deg. 20min. and 103deg. west longitude ; and is bounded on the east by Missouri and Arkansas; north by Kansas and Colorado ; west by New Mexico and Texas ; and south by Texas. It contains about 70,000 square miles.

Indian Territory originally was a part of the great Louisiana purchase, but is now composed of a tract of country which has been set apart by the United States government for various Indian tribes moved thither from east of the Mississippi. The Territory has been very imperfectly explored, so that it is not possible to sneak precisely of any of its geographical or climatic features. With the exception of a limited extent of mountainous country in the south, the surface of the territory is quite level, and the soil in general sandy and dry, though many portions furnish good grazing to vast herds of Buffalo, and strips of wood land and fertile valleys are found along the streams. The northwest portion is described as a dreary waste of "bare rocks, gravel and sand," destitute of all vegetation, except a few stunted shrubs.

The United States have adopted the policy of settling the various Indian tribes in this region, as far as" practicable upon separate reservations, where they may be free from the encroachments of the whites, and under' the general superintendence and protection of the government. The greater part of the inhabitants, have thus at various periods, been removed from different parts of the Union, but some are indigenous to the territory. Some tribes, as the Kiowas and Comanches, are still in a wild state, while others, as the Cherokccs, Choctaws, and Creeks, are well advanced in civilization. The capital of the Cherokees nation is Tahlequah ; of the Cliickasaws, Tishemingo; of the Choctaws, Armstrong Academy; of the Creeks, Okmulkee; of the Seminoles, We-wo-ka.

Many of the Indians have made considerable social and industrial progress. They live in villages, and have churches and schools, and in some cases presses and newspapers. They carry on agriculture with some degree of skill, and raise corn, vegetables, cotton, etc., enough for their own use. They also keep considerable numbers of horses and cattle, and manufacture their own clothing. The little trade they carry on is down the river with New Orleans.

South Carolina

SOUTH CAROLINA, one of the original thirteen States, lies between 32deg. and 35deg. lOmin. north latitude, and 78deg. 35min. and 83deg. 19min. west longitude; and is bounded on the north and northeast by North Carolina; southeast, by the Atlantic Ocean; and southwest, by Georgia, from which it is separated by the Savannah River. It has an area of 34,000 square miles, or 21,760,000 acres. The surface varies; but its changes are, for the most part, gradual. The whole coast is broken into a number of low islands, and is flat, sandy and alluvial. It continues so for nearly 100 miles inland, where a range of small and sterile sand-hills stretches across the State northeast to southwest. This tract is succeeded by a picturesque country of hills and valleys ; and further west the country continues to rise till, at the border of the State, it terminates in a table-land, some peaks of which are estimated to rise to more than 4,300 feet above the level of the Atlantic. The chief rivers are the Savannah, Santee, and Pedee, but all of them are shallow at their mouths ; further inland, the river navigation is much better than on the coast.

History and Government. - For many years after its settlement, South Carolina was under the same government as North Carolina. In 1715 it had a separate legislature ; in 1729 it became a royal colony. In 1670 a colony was planted at Beaufort, but the next year it removed to the banks of the Ashley River, where the colonists founded old Charleston. In 1GS0 the colony removed to Oyster Point, at the confluence of Ashley and Cooper rivers, where the present city of Charleston was founded. On the settlement of South Carolina, the distinguished philosopher John Locke framed a system of government for the colonists, which was composed of aristocratic and feudal elements. It established three classes of nobility - barons, caziques, .and landgraves - the first possessing 12,000' acres of land, the second 24,000, and the third 48,000, which was to remain inalienable in thenfamilies. This plan was not suited to the condition of the people, and produced anarchy and discord. At this time, however, disputes on matters of religion was the principal disturbing cause. The Episcopalians were in a majority, and excluding Dissenters from the legislature, the Church of England was established.

Trouble resulted, and although England repealed the odious law, tranquillity was not restored ; and a short time afterwards fin 1729) the king purchased the right of the proprietaries, and the colony became a royal government. The colony now began to increase in population, many seeking it as an asylum from persecution. The French Protestants, when the edict of Nantes was revoked, and the Dutch, when expelled from New York, besides many others, settled in the colony. At the end of the seventeenth century, rice was introduced, and ever since the State has derived great wealth from its cultivation. The wars of the French, Spaniards, and Indians for the extermination of the settlers retarded the progress of the country between 1700 and 1763, the time of the general peace. The thirteen years preceding the Revolution were peaceful and prosperous. During the war the State suffered much both from the British and Indians, and the tory interest among themselves. Many important battles were fought on the soil of South Carolina, and much individual valor was displayed. Marion, Surapter, and Lee were distinguished for their bravery and patriotism. In 177C Charleston was unsuccessfully besieged, but in 1780 it fell into the bands of the British. The following are the engagements that took place in South Carolina in then* order of time :

The people of South Carolina have always been imbued with the doctrine of State lights, and previous to tlie late war they several times went so far as to threaten separation from the Union. The first gun fired in defence of their principles was touched off in this State. At thirty minutes past four o'clock on Friday morning, April 12. 1861, the howitzer battery on James' Island discharged a shell at Fort Sumpter, thus beginning the lierce struggle between the North and the South. The State had previously (December 10, 1860) passed an ordinance of secession. The State was re-admitted into the Union by the Omnibus bill, June 25th, 1868.

The government is founded on the revised constitution of 1S6S, which provides that slavery shall never exist in the State; that every citizen owes paramount allegiance to the United States; that the State shall ever remain a member of the American Union ; no property qualification shall be necessary to eligibility to office; distinction on account of race or color shall be prohibited, and all citizens shall enjoy all common, public, legal, and political privileges; no debt contracted by the State in behalf of the rebellion shall ever be paid. The governor and lieutenant-governor are elected for two years. An atheist is not eligible to either office. The comptroller-general, treasurer, and secretary of state hold office four years. The general assembly is composed of a house of 124 members, elected for two years, and a senate composed of 31 members, one from each county, except Charleston, which has two, elected for four years. The judicial power is vested in a supreme court, consisting of one chief justice and two associates, chosen by a joint vote of both houses for six years; two circuits, viz., a court of common pleas and a court of general sessions, with criminal jurisdiction only; probate courts; and justices of the peace. The circuit judges hold office four years, and are also elected by the legislature. The probate judges are elected, one inj each county, for two years. South Carolina sends five representatives to Congress, and casts seven electoral votes.

Geology and Mineralogy. - The State is about equally divided between primitive and alluvial formations, the former extending along the coasls for about 80 to 100 miles inland, while the latter occupies the remainder. The primitive portion affords abundance of marble, granite and other building material, mica slate, soapstone, porcelain clay, and limestone. Gold is found in considerable quantities, and lead and iron of excellent quality ; but there is no coal.

Climate and Soil. - In the lower parts of the country the winters are very mild, and snow does not lie long on the ground. Hurricanes and heavy periodical rains occur there; the summer is extremely hot, and pestilential fevers and other diseases are then generated. The northern and western part of the State, on the contrary, is very health}'; frost and snow occur annually, from Novomber to January. The changes of temperature are, however, everywhere very sudden; and at Charleston the thermometer has been known to vary 46deg. in a day. The soil is generally extremely fertile, especially in those tracts lying along the courses of the rivers. Much of it consists of a swampy land, applied to the culture of cotton and rice; more of the latter being produced in South Carolina than in any of the other States. The low, sandy islands along the coast, though apparently of very

South Carolina And Georgia

Products, Commerce and Manufactures. - The swamps on the banks of the rivers are well adapted for hemp, corn and indigo. The culture of wheat, barley, oats, aud Indian corn was, until lately, much neglected ; and large quantities were annually imported." Tobacco is now more generally cultivated than indigo, which was formerly nest in importance to cotton and rice; the sugar-cane is chiefly confined to the district of Beaufort in the south.

The coastwise trade is extensive, employing a large tonnage. Steamship lines run between Charleston and points north and south. Ohatleston communicates directly by railroad with Memphis, ou the Mississippi River, thus affording facilities for the transportation of the products of the State to the Mississippi valley, the Ohio valley, and the Atlantic coast. Cotton, rice, maize, lumber, and naval stores are extensively exported.

Education, etc. - The State superintendent of education is elected by the people for four years, and he, ex-ojficio, with the county school commissioners, constitute the State board of education. A county commissioner holds office two years, and he, with two others appointed by him, form a county board of examiners who examine teachers, and grant certificates valid one year in the county where given. Every township is a school district, and each district has a board of trustees appointed for two years by the county board of school examiners.

According to the census of 1S70 the total population of South Carolina was 705,606; of which 415, S14 were colored, 124 Indians, and 1 Chinese.

Charleston, the largest city in the State, and one of the most flourishing in the South, and Columbia, the capital, are the principal cities.

Georgia

GEORGIA, one oE the original thirteen States, lies between latitude 30deg. 22mm. and 35deg. north, and longitude 81deg. and S5deg. 30min. west ; and is bounded on the north by Tennessee and part of North Carolina; northeast and east by South Carolina and the Atlantic ; south by Florida ; and west by Alabama. It has an area of 58,000 square miles, or 37,120,000 acres. Along the coast of Georgia lies a range of low, flat, sandy islands. The mainland, for about fifty miles towards tbe interim1, is perfectly level ; and, for several miles from the shore, consists of a salt marsh of recent alluvion ; the whole of the flat country is intersected by swamps, which are estimated to constitute one-tenth part of the whole State. Beyond the swamps which line the coast, occurs an extensive range of pine barrens, similar to those of South Carolina. At the extremity of the low country there is a barren sandy tract of greater elevation, which extends north as far as the river falls, and is generally regarded as dividing the upper from the lower country. Farther north the surface becomes gradually more hilly and broken, and tbe northern extremity of the State comprises some of the most southern ridges of the Appalachian mountain chain, which here rise to about 1,500 feet above the level of the Atlantic. There are only three harbors on the coast capable of receiving vessels exceeding 100 tons burden, viz., those formed by the mouths of the rivers Savannah, Altamaha, and St. Mary's. The first of these is navigable by large ships as far as the city of Savannah, seventeen miles from its mouth.

History and Government. - Georgia was the last settled of the original thirteen States. It was named in honor of George II., who, in 1732, granted a charter for establishing the "Colony of Georgia." General Oglethorpe made the first settlement at Tamacraw Bluff, now Savannah, in 1733. and soon after many Germans and Highlanders came over; the former founding Ebenezer, on the Savannah River, a few miles above Savannah, aud the latter Darien. Tbe lands were held by military tenure. The country was often visited by the Spaniards of Florida, with whom the young colony were involved in some severe contests. In 1752 Georgia became a royal colony. In the Revolutionary War Georgia took an active part, and entered with warmth into the contest, and during parts of 1778, 1779, and 1780, was in the hands of the British troops. Savannah was ta'.. i in December, 1778, and the combined American and French forces were repulsed in an attempt to retake it. After tbe -war the State was troubled by the incursions of the Creek Indians on her frontiers. In 1790 a treaty writh the Creeks established the boundaries of the State. In 1838 the Cherokees were removed from the State to the I ndian Territory, and Georgia became possessed of the long-wished-for Indian reservation, considered as among the best lands in the State. This State passed an ordinance of secession January 19, 1861, and was restored to the Union by the Omnibus bill, June 25th, 18(i8. Georgia suffered severely during the war.

The basis of the government is the revised constitution of 1877, which ordains that there shall be neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime, that the social status of the citizens shall never be the subject of legislation ; that there shall be no imprisonment for debt, and declares that every citizen owes paramount allegiance to the constitution and government of the United States. The governor is elected for four years. The general assembly consists of a senate and house of representatives. The secretary of state, comptroller-general, treasurer, and surveyor-general are elected by the general assembly. All male citizens, twenty-one years of age, except idiots, insane persons, and criminals, are eutitled to vote.

The judiciary is composed of a supreme court, superior courts, courts of ordinary, and justices of the peace. Georgia sends nine representatives to Congress, and casts eleven electoral votes.

Geology and Mineralogy. - Both the primary and tertiary geological formations are found in Georgia, and an angle of cretaceous formation underlies the tertiary in a small section of the State. At one period Georgia was regarded as the gold State, but the discovery of the rich California mines caused the quantity of the precious metal in this State to be looked upon as insignificant. Besides gold, silver, iron, copper, lead, manganese, tetanium, graphite, antimony, and zinc are found in Georgia; also granite, marble, gypsum, limestone, coal, sienite, marl, burrstone, soapstone, asbestos, slate, shale, tripoli, fluor-spar, barytes, tourmaline, arragouite, kaolin, epidote, porcelain clay, ruby, opal, augite, cyanite, emerald, prase, cornelians, chalcedony, agate, jasper, amethyst, precious garnets, schorl, zircon, rose quartz, and beryl. Diamonds are also found. In the southeast counties near the sea, fossils exist on a large scale.

Climate and Soil. - The northern parts are very healthy, the winters mild ; frost and snow frequently occur, but are not severe or of long continuance. In the low country the usual tropical diseases are prevalent in summer. Hurricanes and thunderstorms frequently occur iu the autumn, at which season the cultivators with their families generally remove either to the islands or the most northern districts of tbe State. In tbe low region the thermometer usually ranges during the summer from 76deg. to 90deg. Fahrenheit; but it has been known to stand as high as 102deg. Fahrenheit. As the elevation of the northern part of the State is estimated at from 1,200 to 1,500 feet above the level of tbe islands on the coast, a difference of more than seven degrees is estimated to exist between the mean temperature of the two extreme points.

The soil is generally very productive. In the low country and the islands, it consists of a light gray sand, gradually becoming darker and more gravelly towards the interior. Farther north it is a black loam mixed with red earth, called the mulatto soil; this is succeeded in the more remote districts by a rich black mold of great fertility.

Products, Commerce and Manufactures. - The principal agricultural products are cotton, wheat, and other grains, maize, tobacco, the sugar-cane, indigo, and rice. The coast islands were formerly covered with extensive pine barrens; but they now yield large quantities of sea-Mand cotton, which is not only far superior to that grown on the mainland, but is, in fact, superior to, and fetches a higher price than any other description of cotton to be found in the market. "Wheat and other corn are grown chiefly in the central parts along the bottoms of the rivers, aud on the the slopes of the hills. The proportion of productive land is much greater in tbe hilly country than in tbe plains. The tops of the hills are mostly crowned with forests, composed chiefly of the pine, palmetto, oak, ash, cypress, hickory, black walnut, mulberry, and cedar trees.

Georgia has woolen, cotton, and other manufactories already established and in a flourishing condition, and she possesses ample facilities for manufactures of every kind in the abundance of her water-power, fuel, railroads, aud navigable streams, and the proximity of tbe raw material to the manufacturing centres.

Education, etc. - The State board of education is composed of the governor, secretary of state, comptroller-general, attorneygeneral, and tbe State school commissioner. There is a county school commissioner in each county, who holds office two years. Each militia district chooses one member of the county board, which board, consisting of from three to twenty members, elects its own president and secretary, who is also county school com- missioner. The last-mentioned official examines teachers before the board of education. Teachers' certificates are valid one, two, or three years. Provision is made for ambulatory schools in sparsely-populated districts. Important educational establishments are numerous all over the State. There is an asylum for the deaf and dumb at Cave Spring, and one for the blind at Macon. A State Lunatic asylum is located near Milledgeville, and the State Penitentiary is situated in the same place.

There are several populous and flourishing cities in the State, the chief of which is Savannah. The others are Augusta, the seat of flourishing manufactures; Atlanta, the capital; Macon and Columbus, also a manufacturing center. There are many small but prosperous towns in Georgia, which is more uniformly settled than any other Southern State.

Florida

T^LORLDA, the fourteenth State admitted into the Union, lies X between latitude 24deg. and 30deg. north, and longitude 80deg. and 87deg. 45min. west; and is bounded on the north by Alabama and Georgia ; east by the Atlantic ; south by the channel of Florida ; and west by the gulf of Mexico and a part of Alabama. It has an area of 59,248 square miles. The Gulf Stream, which sets from the Gulf of Mexico round the south and southeast coasts, has in the course of ages worn away the land, and formed the low sandy islands known as the "Florida Keys," separated from the mainland by a navigable channel, which, however, is both difficult and dangerous. There are some good harbors, the best of which are those of Pensacola and Tampa on the west, and of St. Augustine and St. Mary's on the. east coast. Floi-ida is naturally divided into two different zones, about the twenty-eighth degree of latitude. The surface of the portion north of this parallel is more elevated, broken, and wooded, than that on its south side, which is generally level and marshy, and may be termed the true palmtree section of the United States. The center rises into hills of no great elevation, which slope gradually towards the gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic, and northwest towards the body of the continent; but towards the south the whole surface becomes a dead, flat, and, in great part, indurated plain, terminating at the extreme point of the peninsula in heaps of sharp rocks, partially covered with shrubby pines. The chief rivers are the St. John's, Appalachicola, Suwanee, St. Mark's, and Conecuh.

History and Government. - Florida, which, derives its name from the extraordinary richness of its vegetation, was discovered by Cabot in 1496, and was visited by Ponce de Leon in 1512. Though, comparatively, recently admitted into the Union, the romance attending the early history of Florida invests it with an interest not attached to any other State. One's pity is excited by the sad fate of Narvaez, who, dreaming of golden, conquests in the interior, and of perhaps founding a new empire exceeding in splendor that of the Montezumas, advanced inland with several hundred men, and was never again heard of. After a desperate struggle the natives were at last subdued by De Soto about the year 1540. About 1562 a war broke out between the French and Spanish settlers for the mastery of the territory, in which the Spaniards proved victorious. Beyond a war between the Spaniards and the English, who were settled in Georgia and South Carolina, which ended in the defeat of the Spaniards, comparatively little is known of the history of Florida from the time of its settlement up to 17G3, when it was ceded to Great Britain. The difficulties of the Revolution caused the emigration of large numbers of colonists of English proclivities from the Southern States, who gave a decided impetus to the then existing state of things in Florida. Had this progress continued, it is probable that the horrors of the bloodiest and most desolating Indian war that the United States has known would have been avoided. But, unhappily, after the country had been occupied by the English for twenty years, it was, in 1783, reconquered by Spain, which event caused a general exodus of the English population.

Florida was ceded to the United States in 1821. But the turbulence of the savages who, owing to the weakness of the Spanish government, had made the peninsula their home long after the extirpation of their race from the adjoining States, added to the uncertainty which attached to land titles, long acted as a bar to immigration ; and a considerable time elapsed prior to any marked movement of population into the newly-acquired territory. In 1835 the sanguinary Seminole war broke out. Under their chief, Osceola, the Indians, though insignificant in point of numbers, made a gallant struggle, and during seven years defied subjugation. The swampy nature of the country aided them greatly. Peace being established in 1842, the Indians were transferred (in 1S46) beyond the Mississippi. Colonization now rapidly took place, and on March 3d, 1845, the State was admitted into the Union. Florida passed an ordinance of secession on January 10th, 1S61. The State was readmitted into the Union by the Omnibus bill, and her senators took their seats at the end of June, 1S68.

The revised constitution of 186S is the foundation of the present government. The governor and lieutenant-governor is elected for four years. The governor is assisted by a cabinet of administrative officers, consisting of a secretary of state, attorney -general, comptroller, treasurer, surveyor-general, superintendent of public instruction, adjutant-general and commissioner of immigration. These officers are appointed by the governor and confirmed by the senate, and hold office the same time as the governor, or until their successor shall be qualified. The governor is required to appoint in each county, with the consent of senate, an assessor of taxes and collector of revenue, a county treasurer, county surveyor, superintendent of common schools, and five county commissioners, each of whom shall hold office for two years. Such officers are subject to removal by the governor, but only for willful neglect of duty, a violation of the criminal laws of the State, or for incompetency. The governor and cabinet constitute a board of commissioners of State institutions, with supervision of all matters connected therewith. The judicial power is vested in a supreme court, circuit courts, county courts, and justices of the peace. All judges are appointed by the governor and confirmed by the senate; justices of the peace are also appointed by the governor. A State attorney in each judicial district is appointed by the governor with the consent of the senate; also in each county a sheriff and clerk of the circuit court, who shall also be clerk of the county court and board of county commissioners, recorder, and ex-officio auditor of the county, each of whom shall hold office for four years. The legislature, consisting of 24 senators elected^for four years, and 53 representatives chosen for two years, meets on the Tuesday after the first Monday in January.

Climate and Soil. - The climate of the northern part, though hot, is good, the air being always elastic and pure. The winters are so mild that it is never necessary to house cattle. In the south snow never falls, and frost, although it sometimes occurs, is rare. During summer the heat is very oppressive, and fevers are prevalent.

The whole peninsula appears to rest upon a base of shell-limestone of comparatively recent formation, and different degrees of hardness. The soil on the banks of the rivers is often very fertile. In the northern part of eastern and in western Florida there are many finely variegated and fertile tracts, and the country is in some places richly wooded. The most valuable district of the State is a tract of about 150 miles in length by 30 in breadth in "West Florida, nearly in the center of which is Tallahassee, the capital. There are some very extensive swamps and savannahs, particularly the swamp of Okefonoco, half in Florida, and half in Georgia.

Products, Commerce, and Manufactures. - The chief agricultural products are rice, Indian corn, tobacco, indigo, cotton, and hemp; the olive, vine, lime, shaddock, and other tropical fruits are successfully cultivated, and in some of the maritime districts the sugar-cane and coffee. Pineapples, oranges, lemons, limes, and cocoauuts grow in this State. Much tine timber, besides pitch, tar, and turpentine, are obtained from the forests; the coasts and rivers produce a great variety of fish and testacece.

Florida has but little foreign commerce, and its domestic commerce is confined to the export of its own products : cotton, rice, lumber, and fruits. The fisheries are valuable, and fish are exported to Cuba.