POPULATION OF OHIO AT DIFFERENT PERIODS.
InPopulation.FromIncrease.1790, about3,0001790 to 1800,42,3651800, about45,3651800 to 1810,185,3951810, about230,7601810 to 1820,350,6741820, about581,4341820 to 1830,356,4691830, about937,9031830 to 1835,437,0971835,estimated1,375,000
Rivers.—The streams which flow into the Ohio river, are the Mahoninga branch of the Beaver, Little Beaver, Muskingum, Hockhocking, Scioto, Little Miami, and Great Miami. Those which flow from the northward into lake Erie, are the Maumee, Portage, Sandusky, Huron, Cuyahoga, Grand, and Ashtabula. Hence the State is divided into two unequal inclined planes, the longest of which slopes towards the Ohio, and the shortest towards the lake. The head waters of the Muskingum, Scioto and Miami, interlock with those of the Cuyahoga, Sandusky, and Maumee, so as to render the construction of canals not only practicable, but comparatively easy. All the large streams are now navigable for boats during the spring season.
Internal Improvements.—These consist of canals, rail-roads, turnpike roads, and the National road, now under the supervision of, and owned by, the State. The canalling is managed by a Board of Commissioners. The State canals were projected about 1823, and, considering the youthful character of the State, its want of funds and other circumstances, they are, undoubtedly, the greatest works ever executed in America.
TheOhio and Erie Canalconnects lake Erie with the Ohio river. It commences at Cleaveland, at the mouth of the Cuyahoga, passes along that river and its tributaries, to the summit level, from thence to the waters of the Muskingum, and to the border of Muskingumcounty; from thence it strikes across the country past Newark, in Licking county, and strikes the Scioto, down the valley of which it proceeds to its mouth, at Portsmouth. The principal places on the canal are Akron, New Portage, Massillon, Bolivar, New Philadelphia, Coshocton, Newark, Bloomfield, Circleville, Chillicothe, Piketon, and Portsmouth. It was commenced on the 4th of July, 1825, and completed in 1832; and, together with the Miami canal to Dayton, cost about $5,500,000, and has greatly enriched the State and the people. Private property along its line has risen from five to ten fold.
LENGTH OF OHIO AND ERIE CANAL.
Miles.Main trunk from Cleaveland to Portsmouth,310Navigable feeder from main trunk to Columbus,11Navigable feeder from main trunk to Granville,6Muskingum side cut, from the Muskingum river at Dresden,3Navigable feeder from the Tuscarawas river,3Navigable feeder from the Walhonding river,1Total length of Ohio canal and branches,334
TheMiami Canalcommences at Cincinnati, and, passing through the towns of Reading, Hamilton, Middletown, Franklin, and Miamisburg, terminates at Dayton, 65 miles. It has been navigated from Dayton to the head of Main street, Cincinnati, since the spring of 1829. An extension of the work is now in progress, to be carried along the vallies of St. Mary's and Au Glaise rivers, and unitewith the Wabash and Erie canal, at Defiance; distance from Cincinnati about 190 miles.
An act passed the Ohio legislature in 1834, for continuing the Wabash and Erie canal, (now constructing in Indiana, by that State,) from the western boundary of Ohio, to the Maumee bay. Operations have been suspended by the boundary dispute with Michigan.
TheMahoning and Beaver Canalhas already been noticed, under the head of Western Pennsylvania. It is proposed to carry it from Akron, on the Portage summit, along the valley of the Mahoning river, to Newcastle, on the Beaver division of the Pennsylvania canal. Distance in Ohio, 77 miles. The work is in progress.
TheSandy Creek and Little Beaver Canalis in progress by a chartered company. It commences near the town of Bolivar, on the Ohio and Erie canal, in Tuscarawas county, and passes along near the line of Stark and Carroll counties to the Little Beaver in Columbiana county, and from thence to the Ohio river.
TheMad River and Sandusky Rail-Roadwill extend from Dayton, on the Miami canal, to Sandusky, through Springfield, Urbanna, Bellefontaine, Upper Sandusky, Tiffin, and down the valley of the Sandusky river to lake Erie. The route is remarkably favorable for locomotive power. Length 153 miles; estimated cost, $11,000 per mile. The work was commenced in September, 1835.
TheErie and Ohio Rail-Roadis intended to be constructed from Ashtabula on the lake, through Warren to Wellsville, on the Ohio river, a distance of 90 miles. Other rail-roads are in contemplation in this State, the most important of which is theGreat Western Rail-Road, from Boston, by Worcester, Springfield, and Stockbridge, through New York, by Albany, Utica and Buffalo, along the summit ridge, dividing the northern from the southern waters, through Pennsylvania, Ohio, to intersect the Wabash and Erie canal at La Fayette, in Indiana. From thence provision is already made for it to pass to the eastern boundary of Illinois, from which, a company has been recently chartered to construct it across the State of Illinois by Danville, Shelbyville, Hillsborough, to Alton on the Mississippi. It must be some untoward circumstance that shall prevent this splendid work from being completed the whole length before 1850.
The project of a rail-road from Cincinnati, to Charleston in South Carolina, has been entered upon with great spirit in the South, and in all the States more directly concerned in the enterprise. It will, undoubtedly, be carried into effect.
The State of Ohio has incorporated a number of turnpike companies, some of which have gone into operation. The first is near the north-eastern corner of the State, from Pierpont, through Monroe and Salem townships to the mouth of Conneant creek, 16miles long. The second is the Trumbull and Ashtabula turnpike, leading from Warren to Ashtabula, 48 miles. The third is from the town of Wooster, through Medina, to Cleaveland, 51 miles. The fourth is from Columbus to Sandusky, 106 miles, now in the course of construction. Another from Cincinnati, through Lebanon and Columbus, to Wooster, has been commenced on the McAdamized plan, but is not completed. A McAdam turnpike from Cincinnati to Chillicothe is in progress. The National road, constructed by the general government, and transferred to the State, passes from Wheeling, through Columbus to the Indiana line.
Manufactures.—The principal factory for woollen goods is at Steubenville. A number of cotton factories are in the towns along the Ohio river. Furnaces for smelting iron ore are in operation in the counties bordering on the Ohio, near the mouth of the Scioto. Glass is manufactured in several towns. Considerable salt is made on the Muskingum below Zanesville, on the Scioto, and on Yellow creek above Steubenville. About half a million of bushels were made in the State in 1830.
Cincinnati rivals Pittsburg in the number, variety and extent of its manufacturing operations.
In every town and village through the State, mechanics' shops are established for the manufacture of all articles of ordinary use.
Cities and Towns.—To enter upon minute descriptions, or even name all these, would much exceed the bounds of this work.
Cincinnatiis the great commercial emporium of the State. It is pleasantly situated on the right or northern bank of the Ohio river, about equidistant from Pittsburg and its mouth, in N. lat. 39° 06', and W. lon. from Washington city 7° 25'.
Directly fronting the city to the south, and on the opposite side of the Ohio river, are the flourishing manufacturing towns of Newport and Covington, which are separated by the Licking river, of Kentucky, which enters the Ohio directly opposite the Cincinnati landing.
The wharf arrangements are the most convenient, for lading and unlading goods at all stages of the water, to be found on our western rivers. The town site is beautifully situated on the first and second banks of the river—the former of which is above ordinary high water, and the latter gently rises sixty or seventy feet higher, and spreads out into a semicircular plain, surrounded with elevated bluffs.
Cincinnati was founded in 1789, but did not grow rapidly till about 1808. The progressive increase of population will appear from the following table:
1810,2,3201813,4,0001819,10,0001824,12,0161826,16,2301830,26,5151835,estimated31,000
Add the adjoining towns of Covington and Newport, whose interests are identified, and the aggregate population will equal 35,000; and, in all reasonable probability, in 1850, these towns, with Cincinnati, will number 100,000 active, educated, and enterprising citizens. In 1826, according to the Picture of Cincinnati, by B. Drake, Esq. and E. D. Mansfield, Esq., the manufacturing industry alone, according to an accurate statistical examination, amounted to 1,800,000 dollars. At that time there were not more than fifteen steam engines employed in manufactures in the city. At the close of 1835, there were more than fifty in successful operation, besides four or five in Newport and Covington. "More than 100 steam engines, about 240 cotton gins, upwards of 20 sugar-mills, and 22 steamboats—many of them of the largest size—have been built or manufactured in Cincinnati, during the year 1835."[10]Hence the productive industry of Cincinnati, Covington and Newport, for 1835, may be estimated at 5,000,000 of dollars. By a laborious investigation, at the close of 1826, by the same writer, the exports of that year were about 1,000,000 of dollars in value. A similar inquiry induced him to place the exports of 1832 at 4,000,000. The estimate for 1835, is 6,000,000.
To enumerate all the public and private edifices deserving notice, would extend this article to too great a length. The court house, four market houses, banks, college, Catholic Athenæum, two medical colleges, Mechanics' Institute, two museums, hospital and Lunatics' Asylum, Woodward high school, ten or twelve large edifices for free schools, hotels, and between twenty-five and thirty houses for public worship, some of which are elegant, deserve notice. The type foundry and printing-press manufactory, is one of the most extensive in the United States. Here is machinery, lately invented, for casting printer's types, exceeding, perhaps, anything in the world. Printing, and the manufacture of books, are extensively carried on in this city. Here are six large bookstores, several binderies, twelve or fifteen printing-offices, from which are issued ten weekly, four triweekly, four daily, four monthly, and one quarterly publications. Two medical publications, of a highly respectable character, are issued. The Western Monthly Magazine is too well known to need special notice here. The Cincinnati Mirror is a respectable literary periodical. The Presbyterians, Baptists, Methodists, Roman Catholics, and, perhaps, other sects, have each their weekly paper, respectable in size and character. During four months, in 1831, there were issued from the Cincinnati press, 86,000 volumes, of which 20,300 were original works. In the sameperiod, the periodical press issued 243,200 printed sheets. The business has increased greatly since that time.
The "College of Professional Teachers," is an institution formed at the convention of teachers, held in this city, in October, 1832. Its objects are tounitethe professional instructers of youth throughout the Western country in the cause in which they are engaged, and to elevate the character of the profession. Their meetings are held on the first Monday in October annually. Lectures are given, discussions held, reports made, and a respectable volume of transactions published annually. There is no doubt that much good will result to the cause of education in the West, from this annual convocation.
Law School.—An institution of this character has been organized, under the management of Hon. J. C. Wright, and other gentlemen of the bar.
OfMedical Schoolsthere are two, at the heads of which are gentlemen of high character and attainments in their profession.
TheMechanics' Instituteis designed for the diffusion of scientific knowledge among the mechanics and citizens generally, by means of popular lectures and mutual instruction. TheCincinnati Lyceumwas formed for the purpose of useful instruction and entertainment, by means of popular lectures and debates. TheAcademic Instituteis designed to aid the cause of education, and elevate the profession,amongst the teachers in Cincinnati. Its meetings are monthly. TheAthenæumis an institution under the management of Roman Catholic Priests. The college edifice is a splendid and permanent building, of great capacity. TheWoodward High Schoolwas founded by the late William Woodward. The fund yields an income of about $2000 annually. It is conducted by four professors, and has about one hundred and twenty students. The corporation has established a system of free schools, designed to extend the benefits of primary education to all classes, and ten or twelve large edifices have been erected for the purpose. I regret the want of documents to give particulars of this liberal and praiseworthy enterprise, which reflects much honor upon the city and its honorable corporation. In 1833, there were twenty public schools for males and females, and two thousand pupils. Many excellent private schools and seminaries, some of deserved celebrity, are sustained by individual enterprise.
Columbus, the political capital of the State, and nearly in the centre of the State, is a beautiful city, on the east bank of the Scioto river. In 1812, it was covered with a dense forest, when it was selected by the legislature for the permanent seat of government. The public buildings are a state house, a court house for the Supreme Court, a building for the public offices, a market house, &c., all of brick. The State penitentiary is here, forwhich a new substantial building is constructing, and an Asylum for the deaf and dumb, sustained by legislative aid.
Chillicothe, Cleaveland, Zanesville, Steubenville, Circleville and many others, are large and flourishing towns.
Education.—Charters for eight or ten colleges and collegiate institutions have been granted. Congress has granted 92,800 acres of public land to this State, for colleges and academies. One township, (23,040 acres,) and a very valuable one, has been given to the Miami University, at Oxford. Two townships of land, (46,080 acres,) though of inferior quality, have been given to the Ohio University. Academies have been established in most of the principal towns. A common school system has been established by the legislature. Each township has been divided into school districts. Taxes are levied to the amount of three fourths of a mill upon the dollar of taxable property in the State, which, with the interest accruing from the different school funds already noticed, are applied towards the expenses of tuition. Five school examiners are appointed in each county, by the Court of Common Pleas, who are to examine teachers. The governor, in his recent Message, speaks of the common school system as languishing in proportion to other improvements.
Form of Government.—The legislative authority is vested in a Senate and House ofRepresentatives; both of which, collectively, are styled the General Assembly. The members of both branches are chosen by counties, or by districts composed of counties, according to population. The representatives are chosen annually; the senators biennially. The General Assembly has the sole power of enacting laws; the signature or assent of the governor not being necessary in any case whatever. The judiciary system comprises three grades of courts:—the Supreme Court, Courts of Common Pleas, and Justices' Courts. The justices of the peace are chosen triennially, by the people. The executive authority is vested in a governor, who is elected biennially, and must be thirty years of age, and have resided in the State at least four years. He is commander-in-chief of all the militia, and commissions all officers in the State, both civil and military. Each free, white, male citizen of the United States, of twenty-one years of age, and a resident of the State one year preceding an election, is entitled to a vote in all elections.
The following shows the professions, occupations, and nativity of the members of the legislature of Ohio, during the present winter, (1835-6,) and is about a proportionate estimate for other Western States:—
The members of the Ohio legislature, as to their occupations and professions, are:—farmers, 53; lawyers, 17; merchants, 13; doctors, 5; printers, 3; surveyors, 2; millers, 2; masons, 2; carpenters, 2; painter, 1;watch-maker, 1; blacksmith, 1; house joiner, 1.
Their nativity is as follows:—Ohio, 7; Pennsylvania, 30; Virginia, 22; New England States, 17; Maryland, 8; New York, 7; New Jersey, 4; Kentucky, 3; Delaware, 2; North Carolina, 1; Ireland, 5; England, 1; Germany, 1.
The youngest member in the Senate, is 33 years of age, and the oldest 56. In the House, the youngest 26; oldest 67. Under the Constitution, a senator must be 30; and a member of the House, 26.
Antiquities.—Much has been said about the antiquities of Ohio,—the fortifications, artificial mounds, and military works, supposed to indicate a race of civilized people, as the possessors of the country, anterior to the Indian nations. At Marietta, Circleville, Paint Creek, and some other places, are, doubtless, antiquities, that exhibited, upon their first discovery, strong marks of a military purpose. I have no doubt, however, that credulity and enthusiasm have greatly exaggerated many appearances in the West, and magnified them into works of vast enterprise and labor. Mounds of earth are found in every country on the globe, of all forms and sizes; and why should they not exist in the western valley? Mr. Flint states that he has seen a horse shoe dug up at the depth of thirty-five feet below the surface, with nails in it, and much eroded by rust. He mentions also a sword, which issaidto be preserved as a curiosity, but which he had not seen, found enclosed in the wood of the roots of a tree, which could not have been less than five hundred years old! Those who delight especially in the marvellous, may consult the "Description of the Antiquities discovered in the State of Ohio, and other Western States, by Caleb Atwater, Esq."
History.—The first permanent settlement of Ohio, was made at Marietta, on the 7th day of April, 1788, by 47 persons from Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut. This was the nucleus around which has grown up the populous State of Ohio. Amongst the most active promoters of this colony, were those called then "The Ohio Company." The next settlement was that of Symmes' purchase, made at Columbia, six miles above Cincinnati, in Nov. 1789, by Major Stiles and twenty-five others, under the direction of Judge Symmes. A colony of French emigrants settled at Gallipolis in 1791. In 1796 settlements were made by New England emigrants at Cleaveland and Conneant, on the southern shore of lake Erie. The intermediate country gradually filled up by emigration from various parts of the United States. Some slight diversity exists, in different sections of the State, in manners, customs, and feelings, amongst the people, in accordance with the States or countries from which they or their fathers emigrated. These shades of character will become blended, and the nextgeneration will beOhians, or, to use their own native cognomen,Buckeyes.
In Sept., 1790, the first territorial legislature convened at Cincinnati. The governor having exercised his right ofvetoin relation to the removal of a county seat, an unhappy collision followed, and, upon framing the State Constitution, in Nov., 1802, the convention prevented the governor of the State from ever exercising thenegativepower upon acts of the legislature.
DATE OF ORGANIZATION OF SOME OF THE OLDEST COUNTIES.
Washington,July 27th,1788Hamilton,Jan. 2d,1790Adams,July 10th,1797Jefferson,July 29th,1797Ross,August 20th,1798Trumbull,July 10th,1800Clermont,December 6th,1800Belmont,September 7th,1801
These were all organized under the territorial government.
Indiana.
Length 240, breadth 150 miles. Between 37° 48' N. latitude, and 7° 45' and 11° W. longitude. Bounded north by the State of Michigan and lake Michigan, east by Ohio, south by the Ohio river, which separates it from Kentucky, and west by Illinois. It contains about 37,000 square miles, equal to 23,680,000 acres.
It is naturally subdivided into the hilly portion, bordering on the Ohio; the level, timbered portion, extending across the middle of the State; the Wabash country, on that river; and the northern portion bordering on the State of Michigan and the lake. The two last portions include nearly all the prairie country.
For civil purposes, this State has been divided into counties, and those subdivided into townships.
Table.Counties.Date of Formation.Square Miles.Population 1830.Seats of Justice.Bearing and distance from Indianoopolis.Allen,18237201,000Fort Wayne,Bartholomew,18215885,800Columbus,Boon,1830400622Lebanon,Carroll,18284501,614DelphiCass,18294601,154Logansport,Clark,180240010,719Charlestown,Clay,18253601,616Bowling Green,Clinton,18304501,423Frankfurt,Crawford,18183503,184Fredonia,Daviess,18164604,512Washington,Dearborn,180244814,573Lawrenceburgh,Decatur,18214005,854Greensburgh,Delaware,18274002,372Muncietown,Dubois,18174201,774Jasper,Elkhart,1830576935Goshen,Fayette,18182009,112Connersville,Floyd,18192006,363New Albany,Fountain,18254007,644Covington,Franklin,181040010,199Brookville,Gibson,18134505,417Princeton,Grant,1831415—Marion,Greene,18215404,250Bloomfield,Hamilton,18234001,705Noblesville,Hancock,18283401,569Greenfield,Harrison,180847010,288Corydon,Hendricks,18234203,967Danville,Henry,18214406,498Newcastle,Huntington,1832400——Jackson,18155004,894Brownstown,Jefferson,180940011,465Madison,Jennings,18164003,950Vernon,Johnson,18223004,130Franklin,Knox,18025406,557Vincennes,La Porte,1832420—La Porte,Lagrange,1832380—Mongoquinon,Lawrence,18184609,237Bedford,Madison,18234202,442Andersontown,Marion,18214407,181Indianopolis,Martin,18183402,010Mount Pleasant,Miami,1832330—Miamisport,Monroe,18185606,578Bloomington,Montgomery,18225007,376Crawfordsville,Morgan,18215305,579Martinsville,Orange,18153787,909Paoli,Owen,18183804,060Spencer,Parke,18214507,534Rockville,Perry18144003,378Rome,Pike,18164302,464Petersburgh,Posey,18145006,883Mount Vernon,Putnam,18214908,195Greencastle,Randolph,18184403,912Winchester,Ripley,18184003,957Versailles,Rush,18214009,918Rushville,Scott,18172003,097Lexington,Shelby,18214306,294Selbyville,Spencer,18184003,187Rockport,St. Joseph,1830740287South Bend,Sullivan,18164304,696Merom,Switzerland,18143007,111Vevay,Tippecanoe,18265007,161La Fayette,Union,18212247,957Liberty,Vanderburgh,18182252,610Evansville,Vermillion,18232805,706Newport,Vigo,18184005,737Terre Haute,Wabash,1832380——Warren,18283502,854Williamsport,Warrick,18134122,973Boonville,Washington,181355013,072Salem,Wayne,181042023,344Centerville,
The total population in 1830, was 341,582. The estimated population in the message of Gov. Noble to the legislature, December, 1835, was 600,000.
The counties in which the population has not been given in the foregoing table, have been formed since 1830. Probably other new counties, along the waters of the Wabash and Kankakee, have been formed recently, of whichno intelligence has been had by the author. The counties in the northern portion of the State have increased the most in population since 1830.
For electing representatives to Congress, the State is divided into seven electoral districts.
For judicial purposes, it is divided into eight circuits, in each of which there is a circuit judge, who, together with two associates in each county, holds the circuit courts.
POPULATION AT DIFFERENT PERIODS.
Population.Increase.In 1800, (excludingIllinois,)2,641From 1800 to 1810,21,879In 1810,24,520From 1810 to 1820,122,658In 1820,147,178From 1820 to 1825,74,822In 1825,222,000From 1825 to 1830,119,582In 1830,341,582From 1830 to 1835,119,582In 1835, (estmate,)600,000
In 1825, the number of voters was 36,977, and the number of paupers 217!
Face of the Country, &c.—The counties bordering on the Ohio river are hilly;—sometimes abrupt, precipitous, stony, occasionally degenerating into knobs and ravines. Commencing at the mouth of White river on the Wabash, and following up that stream on its east fork, and thence along the Muskakituck, through Jennings and Ripley counties to Lawrenceville, and you leave the rough and hilly portion of Indiana, to the right. Much of the country we have denominated hilly is rich, fertile land, even to the summits of the hills. On all the streams are strips of rich alluvionof exhaustless fertility. The interior, on the two White rivers and tributaries, is moderately undulating, tolerably rich soil, and much of it heavily timbered with oaks of various species, poplar, beech, sugar tree, walnuts, hickory, elm, and other varieties common to the West. There is much level, table land, between the streams. Along the Wabash, below Terre Haute, is an undulating surface, diversified with forest and prairie, with a soil of middling quality, interspersed with some very rich tracts. Along the Wabash and its tributaries above Terre Haute, the land in general is first rate,—a large proportion forest, interspersed with beautiful prairies. The timber consists of oaks of various species, poplar, ash, walnut, cherry, elm, sugar tree, buckeye, hickory, some beech, sassafras, lime, honey locust, with some cotton wood, sycamore, hackberry and mulberry on the bottom lands. The undergrowth is spice bush, hazel, plum, crab apple, hawthorn and vines. Along the northern part of the State are extensive prairies and tracts of barrens, with groves of various kinds of timber and skirts of burr oak. Towards lake Michigan, and along the Kankakee and St. Joseph rivers, are lakes, swamps and marshes.
Rivers.—The Ohio meanders along the southeastern and southern parts of the State for 350 miles. The east and west forks of White river, and their tributaries, water the interior counties for 100 miles in extent. They areboth navigable streams for flat boats during the spring and autumn floods. The Wabash river has several heads, which interlock with the waters of the St. Joseph and St. Mary's, which form the Maumee of lake Erie. It runs a south-westwardly course across the State to Warren county,—thence southwardly to Vigo county, where it becomes the boundary between Indiana and Illinois, along which it meanders to the Ohio, which it enters 12 miles above Shawneetown. The St. Joseph of lake Michigan, already noticed under the State of Michigan, makes a curve into Elkhart and St. Joseph counties, forming what is called theSouth Bend. The Kankakee, which is the longest branch of Illinois river, rises in Indiana, near the South Bend. Some of its head waters interlock with those of Tippecanoe, a prominent tributary of the Wabash.
SKETCH OF EACH COUNTY.
The following sketch of each county,—its streams, surface, soil, and minerals,—has been made and collated with much labor, from an excellent Gazetteer of this State, published in 1833, by Douglass and Maguire of Indianopolis,—from personal observation of many of the older counties,—and from an extensive correspondence.
Allen.—Streams; St. Joseph's and St. Mary's, which form the Maumee of lake Erie, navigable for small keel boats,—and numerouscreeks; generally heavily timbered; soil, clay,—sandy on the rivers.
Bartholomew.—Streams; Driftwood, Clifty, Flat Rock, and Salt Creeks,—all mill streams. Surface, level; soil, a rich loam, mixed with sand and gravel; the western part hilly, with clay soil. Minerals; limestone, coal, iron ore, red ochre.
Boon.—Watered by the tributaries of Raccoon and Sugar Creeks. Surface, level,—soil rich.
Carroll.—Streams; Wabash river, Deer, Rock, and branches of Wildcat creeks. Considerable timber,—some prairies, of which Deer prairie is the largest and most beautiful. Considerable quantities of limestone on the surface; a remarkable spring near Delphi,—the water reddish.
Cass.—Streams are Wabash and Eel rivers, which unite at Logansport,—the head of steamboat navigation of the Wabash, and termination of the W. and E. canal. Surface, generally level, rolling towards the rivers with abrupt bluffs; soil, near the rivers, a mixture of loam and sand; at a distance from them, flat and clayey. Large proportion, forest land,—some prairies.
Clark.—Silver and Fourteen Mile creeks furnish excellent mill sites. Ohio river on the south. Surface, rolling and hilly; soil, loam, mixed with sand. Minerals; limestone, gypsum, water lime, marble, salt, iron ore, copperas, alum.
Clay.—Eel river and tributaries. Surface moderatelyundulating; soil various, chiefly clay and loam, and a mixture of sand, in places; timber predominates,—some prairies.
Clinton.—Watered by the South, Middle, and Kilmore's Forks of Wildcat creek. Surface, moderately undulating, or level: Twelve Mile prairie extends from S. W. to N. E. 12 miles, and is three fourths of a mile wide. The remainder timbered land. Soil, a rich sandy loam, and exceedingly fertile.
Crawford.—Waters; the Ohio and Blue rivers,—plenty of water power, and excellent springs. Surface, hilly and broken; in places, tolerably productive; in others, soil thin and rocky. A timbered region, and abundance of limestone.
Daviess.—Streams; Forks of White river, with its tributaries, Smother's, Prairie, Veal, Aikman's and Sugar creeks. Level bottoms on the rivers—sometimes inundated; undulating on the high grounds. Soil on the West Fork, sandy; much timber,—an extensive tract of sugar tree; some prairies. The county destitute of rock near the surface; plenty of lime and sandstone in the bed of West Fork of White river, at the rapids. Plenty of coal.
Dearborn.—Watered by the Great Miami, Whitewater, Laughery, Hogan's and Tanner's creeks. Surface, hilly and broken, with rich, level, bottom lands, on the Miami. Soil,one fourth first rate, one fourth second rate,—remainder inferior. A timbered region.
Decatur.—Flat Rock, Clifty, and Sand creeks, are all good mill streams. Surface, generally level,—some parts undulating; soil, loam, with a substratum of clay; well adapted to grain—timbered. Minerals; limestone, some iron ore and coal.
Delaware.—Streams; Missisinawa, and West Fork of White river; surface tolerably level; soil, loam, mixed with sand. Minerals; some limestone, and granite bowlders scattered over the surface.
Dubois.—Streams; East Fork of White river, Patoka and Anderson creeks. Surface rolling,—some parts hilly and broken,—some level tracts; soil rich and sandy loam near the streams. Minerals; sand rock and coal.
Elkhart.—Watered by St. Joseph of lake Michigan, Elkhart and tributaries. Surface, generally level,—a portion undulating; soil various, but generally rich; forest and prairie, both wet and dry.
Fayette.—Watered by the West Fork of Whitewater, and a small lake in the north. Surface, undulating; soil, on the high ground, clayey, and a mixture of sand,—on the bottom lands, a rich, sandy loam. Limestone found in masses and quarries.
Floyd.—Watered by the Ohio river, Silver creek, and some head branches of Big and Little Indian creeks. Surface various,—a range of knobs,—east of these knobs, it isgently undulating; soil inferior. Minerals; shale, soft sandstone, limestone, freestone, iron ore, and some traces of coal. A boiling spring, from which is emitted an inflammable gas.
Fountain.—Watered by the Wabash river, and Coal and Shawnee creeks, with numerous mill sites. Surface, gently undulating; soil, a black loam, mixed with sand, and very rich. Minerals; coal, and some sandstone.
Franklin.—Watered by the East and West Forks of Whitewater. Surface, on the eastern part level,—western, rolling; soil, in the central and northern parts, a black loam,—in the south-west, thin and clayey.
Gibson.—Watered by the Wabash, White, and Patoka rivers. Surface, rolling and timbered; soil, generally a sandy loam, and productive.
Grant.—Watered by the Missisinawa and tributaries. Surface level,—generally heavily timbered; soil, clay and loam on the table lands,—sandy on the river bottoms.
Green.—Watered by White and Eel rivers, and Richland creek; soil, on the rivers a rich loam,—on the bluffs, sandy,—east side, hilly,—west side, level. White river is navigable. Minerals; lime and sandstone, coal, and some iron ore.
Hamilton.—The streams are White river, and Cicero, Coal, Stoney, and Fall creeks. Generally forest,—some few prairies; soil, inplaces, clay,—more generally, a sandy loam. Minerals; lime, and some soft sand rock.
Hancock.—Watered by Blue river, Sugar and Brandywine creeks, with excellent mill sites, and well supplied with springs. Surface, either level or gently undulating; soil, a rich loam, mixed with sand,—heavily timbered.
Harrison.—Watered by Big and Little Indian, and Buck creeks, and Blue river. Surface various,—some parts hilly and broken,—some parts undulating,—some parts level; soil, in the low grounds, a rich loam,—on the high grounds, calcareous and gravelly. A large tract of "barrens" in the west. Minerals; a quarry and several caves of black flint, salt licks, limestone.
Hendricks.—The waters are White Lick, and branches of Eel river, with good mill sites. Surface, gently rolling, and timbered with the varieties of the Wabash country; soil, a mixture of clay, loam and sand.
Henry.—Watered by Blue river, Flat Rock and Fall creeks. Surface, in some places, broken,—in most parts, level; soil, a mixture of sand with loam and clay. Plenty of springs and mill sites. Mostly timbered, but several tracts of prairie.
Huntington.—The streams are Salamania, Little river, and Wabash. Surface, on the rivers, level,—back, gently undulating; soil, loam and clay, with a slight mixture of sand.Several tracts of prairie, but generally forest land.
Jackson.—Watered by Indian, Driftwood, White, Muscatatack, and Gum creeks. Surface, rolling and in places hilly; soil, clay and loam, mixed with sand. In the forks of the creeks, sand predominates. On the west and north-west, inclined to clay.
Jefferson.—Watered by the Ohio river, Indian, Kentucky and Big creeks. Surface various; along the river and creeks, low alluvion; soil, loam mixed with sand. The bottoms are bounded by precipitous bluffs, with towering cliffs of limestone. The table lands are undulating, and the soil inclined to clay. Timber various. Abounds with limestone, masses of freestone, and scattered granite bowlders.
Johnson.—Watered on the eastern side by Blue river, and Sugar and Young's creeks,—on the western side by Indian, Crooked, and Stott's creeks. Surface, gently undulating; soil, a rich, black, sandy loam; timbered. Minerals; masses of freestone, and scattered granite bowlders.
Jennings.—Watered by Graham's Fork, and the North Fork of the Muscatatack. Surface, in some parts level, some parts very hilly; soil, calcareous, rich and productive; timber of all varieties; abounds with limestone.
Knox.—The Wabash on the west side,—White river south,—the West Fork of White river east,—and Maria and Duchain creeks,interior. Surface undulating; soil, somewhat various,—a rich loam in places,—sandy in other places;—some tracts of prairie, but timber predominates.
Lagrange.—Watered by Pigeon and Crooked rivers. Surface, gently rolling; northern part extensive prairies; southern portion chiefly forest; soil, loam and sand.
La Porte.—Watered by the Kankakee, Galena, and Trail creek, at the mouth of which is Michigan city, and a harbor for lake Michigan commerce. Surface, gently undulating; abounds with large, rich prairies, with groves of timber, and lakes of clear water interspersed; soil, a sandy loam, rich and productive.
Lawrence.—Watered by Salt, Indian, Guthrie's, Beaver, and Leatherwood creeks, and excellent springs. Surface, generally hilly,—some level lands;—soil, on the water courses, sandy,—back from the streams, loam and clay. Abounds with limestone.
Madison.—The West Fork of White river is navigable. The other streams are Killbuck, Pipe, Lick and Fall creeks. Surface, generally level, with some broken land near the streams; timbered, with a wet prairie, 7 miles long and three fourths of a mile wide; soil, sand, mixed with clay and loam,—productive. Minerals; lime and freestone, marble that polishes well, and some traces of iron ore.
Marion.—West Fork of White river passes through it, on which is situatedIndianopolis, the capital of the State. Fall creek is anexcellent mill stream. Surface, chiefly level forest land; soil, a deep black loam, with a mixture of sand. Large granite bowlders are scattered over the surface.
Martin.—The East Fork of White river passes through it, and receives Lost river from the left, and Indian and Flint creeks from the right. Surface, on the east side of White river, broken and hilly; soil, clay and loam; on the west side, level, or gently undulating, with portions of barrens and prairie land; soil, clay and loam, mixed with sand. Minerals; coal in large quantities, lime, sand and freestone.
Miami.—The Wabash and Eel rivers pass through it, and the Missisinawa comes from the east, and enters the Wabash about the centre of the county. The Wabash and Erie canal passes through it. Surface, gently undulating and beautiful,—chiefly forest, and interspersed with small prairies; soil, the richest in the State, of loam, clay and sand intermixed.
Monroe.—Streams; Salt, Clear, Indian, Raccoon, Richland, and Bean-blossom creeks,—pure springs. Surface, hilly and undulating; soil, second rate. Minerals; limestone rock, salt licks, with manufactories of salt.
Montgomery.—The heads of Shawnee and Coal creeks in the north-west,—Sugar creek in the centre,—and Big Raccoon on the southeastern part. Surface, gently undulating; the northern portion prairie, interspersed withgroves, with a rich soil of black loam, mixed with sand,—the middle and southern portions timbered. Excellent quarries of rock in the middle,—granite bowlders in the northern parts.
Morgan.—White river, which is navigable. The mill streams are White Lick, Sycamore, Highland, and Lamb's creeks on the west side, and Crooked, Stott's, Clear, and Indian creeks on the east side. Surface, generally rolling,—some parts hilly; soil, calcareous and clayey,—on the bottoms, a rich sandy loam. Minerals; limestone, and some iron ore.
Orange.—Streams; Lost river, French Lick, and Patoka. Surface, hilly and broken,—limestone rock,—springs of water, of which Half-moon and French Lick are curiosities. On the alluvial bottoms, the soil is loamy,—on the hills, calcareous, and inclined to clay. Excellent stones for grit, equal to the Turkey oil stones, are found in this county.
Owen.—Watered by the West Fork of White river, with its tributaries, Raccoon, Indian, Mill, Rattlesnake, and Fish creeks. The falls of Eel river furnish the best water power in the State. Surface rolling; soil, in some places a dark loam,—in others clayey and calcareous. Minerals; immense bodies of lime rock, and some iron ore.
Parke.—Watered by the Big and Little Raccoon, and Sugar creeks, (with excellent mill sites,) all of which enter the Wabash onits western side. Surface, generally level,—some beautiful prairies, but mostly forest land; soil, a loam mixed with sand and rich. Minerals; lime and sandstone, coal and iron ore.
Perry.—Watered by the Ohio river, with Anderson's, Bear, Poison, and Oil creeks interior. Some level land, with a rich, sandy loam, on the streams,—all the high lands very broken; hilly, with a clayey, sterile soil. Minerals; immense bodies of limestone, grindstone quarries, iron ore and coal.
Pike.—Has White river on the north, and Patoka creek through the centre. Surface all forest land and undulating; soil, eastern part clay and sand,—western, a rich, dark loam, mixed with sand,—some swampy land. Minerals, limestone and coal.
Posey.—In the forks of the Ohio and Wabash, with Big, Mill, and McFadden's creeks interior, and good springs. Surface, rolling, and all forest land; soil, a sandy loam, and produces well. Minerals; sand, and limestone and coal.
Putnam.—Has Raccoon creek, and Eel river, with abundant water privileges, and fine springs. Surface, gently undulating; soil, in places calcareous and clayey,—in other places a rich loam; limestone.
Randolph.—Watercourses, the West Fork of White river and Missisinawa and their tributaries, which furnish good mill sites. Surface, either level or gently undulating; soil, a rich loam,—in some places marshy;a small quantity of limestone, with granite bowlders.
Ripley.—Watered by Laughery and Graham's creek. Surface level, forest land; soil clay,—in some parts inclines to sand,—with limestone abundant.
Rush.—The streams are Big and Little Blue rivers, Big and Little Flat Rock, with excellent water power. Surface, moderately rolling, and heavily timbered; soil, loam on clay, with a slight mixture of sand.
Scott.—Watered by tributaries of the Muscatatack. Surface rolling,—some flat lands inclining to marsh; soil, clay. Minerals; limestone, iron ore, salt, sulphur, and copperas.
Shelby.—Watered by Big and Little Blue rivers, Brandywine, and Sugar creeks, with good mill sites,—all heads of the East Fork of White river. Surface, generally level with forest land; soil, clay mixed with loam.
Spencer.—Ohio river, Anderson's, Little Pigeon, and Sandy creeks. Surface tolerably level, and forest land; soil, clay mixed with loam. Minerals; coal, and lime and sand rock.
St. Joseph.—St. Joseph's river, Kankakee, and Bobango, with some small creeks. Extensive marshes on the Kankakee, and near the South Bend of the St. Joseph. These marshes are of vegetable formation. Surface, in some parts level,—in others gently undulating; soil, a loam,—in some places sand. The north-west part chiefly prairies andbarrens, including the large and fertile prairies of Portage and Terre Coupe. The north-eastern, barrens,—the south-eastern, forest. Minerals are granite bowlders, and bog iron ore.
Sullivan.—Has the Wabash river on its western side, and Turman's, Busseron, and Turtle creeks interior. Surface rolling,—some prairies, but generally forest land,—some poor barrens; soil, loam and sand;—lime and sand rock and coal.
Switzerland.—The Ohio east and south,—Indian, Plum, Bryant's, Turtle, and Grant's creeks interior. Surface various,—bottom lands level, and rich,—then a range of precipitous bluffs, with cliffs of limestone,—the table land rolling with a calcareous and clayey soil. At Vevay are extensive vineyards.
Tippecanoe.—Watered by the Wabash river, and Wildcat, Wea, Burnett's, and Mill Branch creeks. The Wabash affords navigation, and the other streams excellent mill sites. Surface gently undulating, with extensive level tracts, and consists of one half prairie, one eighth barrens, and the remainder heavy forest land. The prairie soil is a rich, black loam,—the barrens cold, wet clay,—the forest a very rich loam and sand.
Union.—Streams; the East Fork of White river and its tributaries, Hanna's, Richland, and Silver creeks, all of which furnish excellent mill sites. Surface, moderately rolling; soil, a dark loam.
Vanderburgh.—Watered by the Ohio, and Great Pigeon creek. Surface, high, dry, rolling land, with good timber, and well watered; soil, clay and sand, of inferior quality. Minerals; lime and sandstone, salines, and a mineral spring.
Vermillion.—A long, narrow county, between the Wabash river and the State of Illinois. The streams are Wabash, Big and Little Vermillion, and their tributaries. Surface high, rolling land, with abrupt bluffs near the streams; a good proportion of prairie and timber; soil, rich, sandy loam, and very productive. Minerals; freestone and limestone, and large coal banks.
Vigo.—The Wabash passes through it—navigable. The mill streams are Prairie, Honey, Otter, and Sugar creeks, but their waters fail in a dry season. Surface level, or gently undulating, with forest and prairies; soil, rich loam and sand,—first rate. Minerals; gray limestone, freestone, and inexhaustible beds of coal.
Wabash.—The Wabash river, and W. and E. canal, pass through it, as does the Missisinawa, Eel, Bluegrass, and Salamania. Surface,—wide, rich bottoms on the streams,—bluffs and ravines adjoining,—table lands further back, either dry and rolling, or flat and wet, and abound with willow swamps. Limestone rock abundant, and many excellent springs of pure water.
Warren.—The Wabash on the S. E. border for thirty miles, and navigated by steamboats; interior streams, Rock, Redwood, and Big and Little Pine creeks, all of which afford good mill sites. Some pine and cedar timber. Surface generally level, with broken land on the bluffs of creeks; some forest, but the largest proportion prairie; soil, a rich and very fertile loam. Minerals; lime and excellent freestone for building purposes,—coal,—iron,—lead and copper,—with several old "diggings" and furnaces, where both copper and lead ore have been smelted in early times.
Warrick.—Watered by the Ohio river, Big and Little Pigeon, and Cypress. Surface, rolling and hilly; soil, a sandy loam on clay. Minerals; quarries of freestone, some limestone, and inexhaustible beds of coal.
Washington.—Streams; Muscatatack on the north, Rush, Twin, Highland, Delany's, Elk, Bear, and Sinking creeks, and the heads of Blue and Lost rivers, with mill sites. Surface, diversified from gentle undulations, to lofty and precipitous hills; soil, in part, second rate, with much of inferior quality. Substratum of limestone, caves, hollows, and sink holes.
Wayne.—Streams, East and West Forks of Whitewater, with excellent water power for machinery. Surface, moderately hilly; heavy forest land; soil, a rich loam; substratum, clay. Minerals; generally, limestone, and excellent for buildings.
Form of Government.—This differs very little from that of Ohio. The Constitution provides that an enumeration be made every five years of all free white male inhabitants, above the age of twenty-one years; and the representation of both houses of the General Assembly is apportioned by such enumeration, in such ratio that the number of representatives shall never be less than 36, nor exceed 100, and the number of senators not exceeding one half, nor less than one third the number of representatives. Every free white male citizen, twenty-one years of age, who has resided in the State one year, is entitled to vote; "except such as shall be enlisted in the army of the U. S., or their allies." Elections are held annually, by ballot, on the first Monday in August. Senators, the governor, and lieutenant governor, hold their offices for three years. The judiciary is vested in a Supreme Court, in Circuit Courts, Probate Courts, and Justices of the peace. The Supreme Court consists of three judges, who are appointed by the governor, with the advice and consent of the senate, for the term of seven years, and have appellate jurisdiction. The Circuit Courts consist of a presiding judge in each judicial circuit, elected by joint ballot of both houses of the General Assembly, and two associate judges in each county, elected by the qualified voters in their respective counties, for a like term. The Probate Courts consist of one judge for each county, who iselected by the voters, for the same term. Justices of the peace are elected in each township, for the term of five years, and have jurisdiction in criminal cases throughout the county, but, in all civil cases, throughout the township.
Finances.—The Indiana Gazetteer, of 1833, estimates that the revenue for State purposes amounted to about $35,000 annually, and, for county purposes, to about half that sum. The aggregate receipts for 1835, according to the governor's message, of Dec. 1835, amounted to $107,714; expenditures for the same time, $103,901.
Sales of canal lands for the same period, $175,740. The canal commissioners have borrowed $605,257, for canal purposes, on a part of which they obtained two per cent. premium, and, on another part, as high as seven per cent.; and have also borrowed $450,000 bank capital, for which they received four and a half per cent. premium. Three per cent. on all sales of U. S. lands within the State, is paid by the general government into the State treasury, to be expended in making roads. The receipts from this source, in 1835, amounted to $24,398. Sales and rents of saline lands, produced an income of $4,636. The proceeds of certain lands, donated by the general government towards the construction of a road from the Ohio river to lake Michigan, amounted to $33,030.
Internal Improvements.—This State has entered with great spirit upon a system of internal improvements. It consists of canalling, improving river navigation, rail-roads, and common turnpike roads.
Wabash and Erie Canal.—This work will extend from La Fayette, on the Wabash river, up the valley of that stream, to the Maumee and to the boundary of Ohio; distance, 105 miles. The cost of construction has been estimated at $1,081,970, and lands to the amount of 355,200 acres, have been appropriated by the general government, the proceeds of which will be sufficient to complete the canal to Fort Wayne. The middle division, 32 miles, was completed in July, 1835, and the remainder is in active progress. Its whole distance, through a part of Ohio to Maumee bay, at the west end of lake Erie, will be 187 miles.
TheWhitewater Canal, 76 miles in length, along the western branch of Whitewater, is intended to pass through Connorsville, Brookville, Somerset, and other towns, to Lawrenceburgh, on the Ohio river.
Provision is made to improve the navigation of the Wabash river, in conjunction with Illinois, where it constitutes the boundary line, and, by this State alone, further up.
Rail-Roads.—From Evansville, on the Ohio, to La Fayette on the Wabash, 175 miles; from La Fayette to Michigan city, 90 miles; forming a line from the Ohio river to lakeMichigan, 265 miles in length:—From Madison, on the Ohio, to Indianopolis, the seat of government, 85 miles; and several others were projected two years since. But at the session of the legislature of 1835-6, a bill was passed to borrow, in such instalments as should be needed,ten millionsof dollars; and a system of internal improvements, including canals, rail-roads, and the improvement of river navigation, was marked out. In a few years, this State will be prominent in this species of enterprise.