{i ngage socde varstay,! oy, 0 Shey i” ; if Bech of ‘b uy Mh ‘i tee ff i sani 4a Hee a Uy aTnanS He ‘ Ye is i i AIEEE Hii? mest ae ff (ht) 4 ‘th y he ie ii oti be lt fone ) uy “ ; righ (it steer, y a yi Haas Wai Ley thos eee) a i eg Pee a te S28 le fy ‘f ri] Peep! 36 ch ‘si Gant CME Pak Tetod! inser DAC diy i gaara) ! 2 ly," 4ag' See Era ite yi ve P. ; “ie if} { i Hi : ean eh ; ( . 4 ib Hone fi he tt , Nh i, nt 9 Regs hi vied! tre Heeb ihe Se wy i Pa ier x ' *S fh Sigs 725 Ps Mt tp ea pee, Sr, Ot - Wm me é‘ swe . hee = ¢ oa we >= ~ -—~—~ ro a eeu « .- lan © ~~ ee el re SA Po eae ee, she i} ' + °% e a i if bi * 3 it ; : ; OL LRP paged erst fama es 645 ntmntan * » . ‘ : % hed rs ) , *. b : Sst sy Tit wl fans "hea i te : pepe ates oi ae ’ * +h ia ee ’ i 4a Setianied Mi) Hee So tiatttas ee) i its ay re PF ti af) faatk eeeey i “tags ed t. ryt lerph Ys ", ; ; ty . 7 tay ry fh a Yen ese?) t nbssee 4u ‘5 . als ' } d f ; ¥ ces WET a praia ¢ Ye) ays De ae elite se a yt ba FAAS poaraat Pino 4 : rank AAA totes, Me rity ’ lth ed , +s) ory eS WAY iy MAMMOTH BOOK STORE. KEEN & LER, Wholesale Booksellers & Stationers, No.148 DAKE STREET, CHICAGO, ILLINOIS. Strangers visiting Chicago are invited to call and examine the immense of all descriptions, kept at KEEN & LEE’S STORE, occupying a building 150 feet deep, and fom ~* © “ge Their Stock, in quantity and ~~» ialed. School Books, f° ‘ ‘001 Books, Medical Books, xs, Law Books, Fine English Stationery, Uongre.. .. apers, Record Books, Stationery for County Officers, Miscellaneous Books for Libraries. DISTRICT SCHOOLS Will do well to send their orders to us and have them filled at the WHOLESALE PRICEs. TOWN AND COUNTY LIBRARIES Supplied at a liberal discount from the Retail Prices. wee All the Books recommended by our STATE SUPERINTENDENT, kept constantly on hand. CoOouUNnN TRY MERCHTAN TS Supplied on liberal terms. KEEN & LES, Wholesale Booksellers & Publishers, No. 148 Lake Street, Chicago, Lilinois. UNIVERSITY LIBRARY UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN The person charging this material is responsible for its renewal or return to the library on or before the due date. The minimum fee for a lost item is $125.00, $300.00 for bound journals. | Theft, mutilation, and underlining of books are reasons for disciplinary action and may result in dismissal from S i) the University. Please note: self-stick notes may result in torn pages and lift some inks. Renew via the Telephone Center at 217-333-8400, 866-262-1510 (toll-free) or circlib @ illinois.edu. Renew online by choosing the My Account option at: http://www.library.illinois.edu/catalog/ MAMMOTH BOOK STORE, KEEN & LEE, Wholesale Booksellers & Stationers, WNo.1485° GTA BE STREET, CHICAGO, ILLINOIS. Strangers visiting Chicago are invited to call and examine the immense of all descriptions, kept at KEEN & LEE’S STORK, occupying a building 150 feet deep, and fom ~* » ‘igh. Their Stock, in quantity and ~~ ialed. School Books, é } ‘001 Books, Medical Books, ! as, Law Books, Fine English Stationery, Uongrc.. .. apers, Record Books, Stationery for County Officers, Miscellaneous Books for Libraries. DISTRICT SCHOOLS Will do well to send their orders to us and have them filled at the WHOLESALE PRICEs. TOWN AND COUNTY LIBRARIES Supplied at a liberal discount from the Retail Prices. ere ne All the Books recommended by our STATE SUPERINTENDENT, kept constantly on hand. CcCouUnNTRYT MERCHANTS Supplied on liberal terms. KEEN & LEE, Wholesale Booksellers & Publishers, No. 148 Lake Street, Chicago, Illinois. PURPLES’ EDITION Th .LINOIS inclu prior to and s ch Law the d ig it an indis - saving them Ch DRE. NO. 148 LAKE STREET, CHICAGO, ILLINOIS. ~ i - Va fj : eS ‘ -- 7 on ee pi ? ie ME ayy yy Rey ay Ry Ray yy Ry RyRy Ray yy ayy ey) Ry Rye Ne Ne Ry Rey ey Ry Ry RyRy Nay yyy yay My ey a_i May yey TO BOOK-BUYERS EVERYWHERE. DLL LLD DAD DMP Wow, KEEN & LEE, PUBLISHERS, IMPORTERS, AND Whalesale Book-Dealers, No. 148 LAKE STREET, CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, Call the attention of all Book-buyers to their most extensive and unrivalled Assortment of LAW, MEDICAL, THEOLOGICAL, MISCELLANEOUS, AND SCHOOL BOOKS, FE . TICE ME Which they offer at the lowest prices, and on the best terms. Their facilities enable them to furnish all kinds of Stock in their line at publishers’ lowest prices. SCHOOL-BOOKS, And orders are filled promptly. In addition to their stock of Books b a Complete Stock of Will always be kept on hand. Special attention is paid to orders, and Booksellers may rely on the same attention in this respect as though they were present to make their purchases themselves. ; Particular attention is given to the Department of ; % PR Py Ry ay yy Ra i Raye Ry yy PY RY MYA yyy BA : NCY AND STAPLE ieee Nar : : a oa aii we a; . ae - * = a —_— ——— Rin i ta 4 « dire vein a r+ eke) bars ity fo pho aGe ON Je i ; pe A es 47 Sere Tp ‘ it) :* i; wh hy Ape A e : Lad g Pert. ad Sy ih 5 Pp, eA tee ot yt Hii mM Hy ili 1 I) ‘fh jeri jt Wisse A: GAORm AS Ee Ww. Ags EIN, 1820. PE DEN OVS a5 2.7 IS; ITs HISTORY, GEOGRAPHY, STATISTICS, CONSTITUTION, LAWS, GOVERNMENT, FINANCES, CLIMATE, SOIL, PLANTS, ANIMALS, STATE OF HEALTH, PRAIRIES, AGRICULTURE, CATTLE-BREEDING, ORCHARDING, CULTIVATION OF THE GRAPE, TIMBER-GROWING, MARKET-PRICES, LANDS AND LAND-PRICES, GEOLOGY, MINING, COMMERCE, BANKS, RAILROADS, PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS, NEWSPAPERS, ETC., ETC. BY FRED. GERHARD. WITH A PRAIRIE AND WOOD MAP, A GEOLOGICAL MAP, A POPULATION MAP, AND OTHER ILLUSTRATIONS. CHICAGO, ILL.: KEEN AND LEE. PHILADELPHIA: CHARLES DESILVER, 1857. Entered, according to the Act of Congress, in the year 1857, by KEEN & LEE, in the Clerk’s Office of the District Court of the United States for the Northern District of Llinois. STEREOTYPED BY J. FAGAN, PHILADELPHIA. Mrdhicuten TO THE BRAVE AND INDUSTRIOUS CITIZENS OF ILLINOIS, AND TO ALL THOSE WHO INTEND TO BUILD A HOME THERE, MAY THE FLOURISHING AND FERTILE Bee ke ee a opr Aw Ly UNFOLD, FROM YEAR TO YEAR, MORE AND MORE GLORIOUSLY; AND MAY VIRTUE, WEALTH, AND HAPPINESS, FOR EVER HAVE THEIR ABODE WITHIN HER BORDERS. CONTENTS. PREFACE SEEDER ETE E EOS ETE TEE EES CETTE OOH EEEEESE PESSOS SO SED OSES OSESOSE OE FOOSOE ES SOR OHEFSOESE SOOO OE OSS OESEEEEE EEE EHE SEES INTRODUCTION .. 000000 veo eecescccccccccsccsecaces seesceee sseeecccccoecee ercesnce $eoreeeceesensecesocscsesese : HISTORY... scocaveniccseses sactverve eiksestbed save es selestecsse @ ccsoscceseose os coveee cvcce sven ese sosvenccecstecceccescess CONSTITUTION ......csceeee cocceveses Waanscesoey suases atacussnencecesscccacocsecscuaade eeceve cccsenceccccceseees GO VBE MEIN D— PODIGEA BR Bvesvawevd etese'deeossclece decnasctetentansvecncs sce See adecelessenaeeedickgtadenves BUN AMGHS asus acadezeeuveccddicasedsvececeses PRscenecasencess auddanaias coapdcatee aiscbacice TiS Hh LARIAT SCTE Gays e wacsnccar'cane cpr verdepanciaasedeveeshscceeewsads cakes vat danene nae anes gnaw unieaya 4 ade EXECUTION OF DEEDS AND MORTGAGES....cceseee ad RensesecGassecckecepamsacesardrunenevdcests GAT Ce ACEO WED MENTS conscecsnccesvescesicdosccousacabass¥csnce cause cauusoatcceduiccestegten PAGE vor 10 18 seeee 138 aneee 164 seine 166 eaves 168 ences 172 ia RECORDING OF DEEDS AND MORTGAGES .......ccccesccccccccscccce oenkxedes sovucseenenee Raacunlewies 174 WHILUS OND ERMA), EASUA UE scene ca pet iat adaons tewadeae stevsasvanesdeeeesGexecy Sababe seeatpeckans wandae dpdecs 175 THE PROBATE AND RECORDING OF WILLS ......c00cccccceee nbeaved PARTS hesnetes Saskeahesucnde BW TITER TO) NBAl; uePAGE, BY UNHERITANOE (5) FOO ROOSTER EES E ESE SES OE OEHE HES OED SES OEE OED LIMITATION FOR THE RECOVERY OF REAL BESTATE......000ccconcccecoscvsndconcsec'sns ccesesvasees avees 180 doses 184 Ate 186 shape 188 Sines «189 Saues 189 fesse 191 seses 193 oases 194 6 CONTENTS. : PAGE AGRICUL DUI sccsvessvourseessntsesslecseacsthtecienrsive tecetsdasacerapices Saas sau isteenerekesnuus seat sutaanten teres 289 AMOUNT OF BUSHELS RAISED PER ACRE ..c.scccsesecsceees iis aepebeussesdninasnceres sebase 290 PROLTTS OF | FARMING cccceuccvcaveatsccposen canst dvesepetaviccupes iscsecose usvecpashsetans erence 293 SSOLL Saavon sccevccsastsscas sue tessnerscarsnuataspide ede clebeseawesisecess Seeder acaccenahensccnsoasdsaanaetlieeu minh yyass ncoens'avaxes Cigeieanen 444 HINTS TO IMMIGRANTS ........... Civesecenese ovoncses eeseeeeeee success nvesevsccccenssscceses Rsncvessbiisas 445 ° PREFACE. * In presenting this book to the Public, it seems proper to me, to make a brief, but candid and respectful, mention of the motives which have induced me to write it, as well as the means I adopted to collect and secure, in a reliable form, the large amount of material and truthful information that will be found to make up its contents. Having for a long while past endeavored. in seeking to aid and direct the great mass of the emigration from Europe, to find and to point out what seemed the best way to the advancement of their welfare, my attention was early given to the remarkable developments which haye been, and are still, made in the Western States. While thus employed, I made myself fully acquainted with the prevalent literature of the West, and became a close observer of ‘the progress of events” in the new States. Through this employ- ment, and by such observations, my judgment, I trust, has been rightly ma- tured, so that I may freely utter my own convictions, as entitled to some weight, that Illinois is, if really not the most attractive, at least one of those States which offer the amplest guarantees for the rapid thriving and ultimate success and welfare of those who may seek to establish for themselves a ‘¢ Home in the West.” After having thus sedulously made myself acquainted with the character of the West in general, and especially still more carefully studied everything relating to Illinois, I resolved upon the preparation of this work; and, for the purpose of facilitating my labors, I made a personal visit through the State, in the fall of the year 1855, and examined things with my own eyes. It has not, however, been my object to write a merely pleasing and saleable book, without the strictest regard to the authenticity and truthfulness of its statements. Well knowing the aptitude of even the most honest observer and candid writer, while travelling through a State in order to gain a more inti- mate knowledge of it, to be filled with false first-impressions, misapprehen- sions, and monotonous judgments, I have not, therefore, solely relied upon my own personal observations and experience; but sought, in all that I have (7) 8 PREFACE. written, to base it substantially upon the testimony of many other persuns, such as farmers, merchants, physicians, clergymen, &c., who have been long residents of the State, and whose personal experience is of much weight. In the course of my journey through the State, I accordingly made it one of my principal aims to cultivate the acquaintance of such persons, and to pro- cure their impartial statements and opinions as to the existing state of things in Illinois. Among numerous others, who have very much favored me in this respect, I feel myself under particular obligations to Governor J. A. Marrs- son, Lieutenant-Governor G. Ka@rner, and Francis A. Horrmann, Esq. In making my further acknowledgments, it is but an act of justice to mention the following-named gentlemen, through whose kind letters and valuable written communications I have been enabled to make up a great part of the matter of this book, viz. : — F. J. Arenz, Esq., Arenzville, Cass co. I. A. Arenz, Esq., Beardstown, Cass co. 8. A. Armstrong, Esq., Morris, Grundy co. I. Atkinson, Esq., Pekin. Edgar Babcock, Esq., Metamora, Woodford co. R. G. Bailey, Esq., Mt. Carroll, Carroll co, Wm. M. Bean, Esq., Metropolis, Massac co. Edw. Bebb, Esq., Fountaindale, Winnebago co. L. M. Beels, Esq., Belvidere, Boone co. A. Berlin, Esq., Granville, Putnam co. Jas. Biddlecom, Esq., Waukegan, Lake co. Chs. Biel, Esq., Somonauk, De Kalb co. Dr. Fred. Bock, Waterloo, Monroe co. D. Bonar, Esq., Cambridge, Henry co. A. K. Bosworth, Esq., Greenup, Cumberland co. G. W. Bowyer, Esq., Pontiac, Livingston co. Rey. C. A. Brauer, Addison, Du Page oo. Fred. Brendel, M.D., Peoria. A. B. Briscoe, Esq., Marshall, Clark co. James N. Brown, Esq., late President of the State Agricultural Society Island Grove, Sangamon co. F. Bumann, Esq., Bunkerhill, Macoupin co. Geo. Bunsen, Esq., Belleville. Ph. Burk, Esq., Hardin, Calhoun co. Z. Cadley, Esq., Knoxville, Knox co. Wm. Eddy, Esq., Hennepin, Putnam co. W. D. Edwards, Esq., Lacon, Marshall co. John McElvain, Esq., McLeansboro, Hamilton co. . N. D. Elwood, Esq., Joliet. Theo. Engelmann, Esq., Belleville. Steph. Feussner, Hsq., St. Clair co. Edw. Forcht, Esq., Concord. Henry Funk, Esq., Stout’s Grove, McLean co. Hi. W. Good, Esq., Vandalia, Fayette co. R. 8. Graham, Esq., Carmi, White co. John McGraw, Esq., Clinton, De Witt co. J. G. Hall, Esq., Shawneetown, Gallatin co. Edson Harkness, Esq., Southport, Peoria co, Wm. I. Haskell, Esq., Canton, Fulton co. Jul. Heinrich, Esq., Peru. . John Hertel, Esq., Rock Island. G. F. Hilgard, jr., Esq., Belleville. John Hinton, Esq., Taylorville, Christian co, C. Hofmann, M.D., Pekin. F. A. Hoffmann, M.D., Beardstown. Mich. Hogle, Esq., Middleport, Iroquois co. Rey. F. W. Holls, Centreville, St. Clair co. Rev. Hoppe, Belleville. Jos, C. Howell, Esq., Carlinville, Macoupin co. James §. Johnston, Esq., Mt. Carmel, Wabash Thos. H. Campbell, Esq., Auditor of the State, Springfield. J, J. Cole, Esq., Oswego, Kendall co. A. Collins, Esq., Hadley, Will co, Dan. Converse, Esq., Waterloo, Monroe co, T. R. Courtney, Esq., Ottawa, La Salle co. F. E. Cummings, Esq., Lincoln, Logan co. C. Dairly, Esq., Caledonia, Pulaski co. F. 8. Day, Esq., Peru. Rosw. Dow, Esq., Sycamore, De Kalb co. M. M. Dudley Esq., Naperville, Du Page co. co. I. 8. Irwin, Esq., Mt. Sterling, Brown co. M. Kleinhenz, Esq., Henry, Marshall co. E. M. Lamb, Esq., Woodstock, McHenry co. J. A. M. Laurie, Esq., Urbana, Champaign co, Wm. Leighton, Esq., Winchester, Scott co. L. B. Leisenbee, Esq., Thebes, Alexander co. Geo. W. Lowder, Esq., Jerseyville, Jersey co. Jas. G. Madden, Esq., Monmouth, Warren co, Jas, 8. Martin, Esq., Salem, Marion co. N. W. Matheny, Esq , Springfield. PREFACE. W. L. Mayr, Esq., Albion, Edwards co. Henry Menke, Esq., Beardstown. Chas. Molitor, Esq., Springbay, Woodford co. Henry T. Mudd, Esq., Pittsfield, Pike co. Chrs. W. Murtteldt, Esq., Oregon, Ogle co. Messrs. Casp. & Hy. Oertley, Princeville, Peo- ria co. W. W. Oglesby, Esq., Decatur, Macon co. J. N. Onstot, Esq., Havana, Macon co. James F, Oulton, Esq., Monticello, Pratt co. 8. G. Paddock, Esq., Princeton, Bureau co, J.N. Pearce, Esq., Vienna, Johnson co. James M, Perry, Esq., Kankakee. John W. Pyatt, Esq., Pinkneyville, Perry co. John Ranney, Esq., Keithsburgh, Mercer co. S. W. Raymond, Esq., Ottawa. Jos. Reinhard, Esq., Granville, Putnam eo, C. Reuske, Esq., Petersburg, Menard co. Const. Rilliet, Esq., Highland, Madison co, B. Roberts, Esq., Shelbyville, Shelby co, Wm. Ross, Esq., Pittsfield, Pike co. Benj. Sammons, Esq., Hillsboro, Montgomery C0. T. Sears, Esq., Oregon, Ogle co. Rev. A. Selle, Crete, Will oo. A. Shaw, Esq., Lawrenceville, Lawrence co. J.C. Short, Esq., Danville, Vermillion co. James G. Soulard, Esq., Maple Lawn, Jo Da- viess co. Thos. MeSoy, Esq., Ewington, Effingham co Rey. 8. Spies, Mascoutah, St. Clair co. Dan. Stahl, M. D., Quincy. I. Trautham, Esq., Macomb, McDonough co. John Trousdale, Esq., Fairfield, Wayne co. J. B. Turner, Esq., Elizabethtown, Hardin co. Isaac Underhill, Esq., Peoria. Pet. Unzicker, Esq., Groveland, Tazewell co. A. Vetterhceffer, Esq., Washington, Tazewell co. P. H. Walker, Esq., Rushville, Schuyler co. R. A. Warfield, Esq., Raleigh, Saline co. Dr. Welsch, Mascoutah. Alb. Weinberger, Esq., Whitefield township, Marshall co. F. Wenzel, M.D., Belleville. John H. White, Esq., Marion, Williamson co. Jas. Wightman, Esq., Carlyle, Clinton co. J. Winn, Esq. Toulon, Stark co. Dr. J. G. Zeller, Springbay, Woodford co. . I am, also, under particular obligations to Dr. Frep. Brenpet, of Peoria, for the drawings and delineations, which he had the kindness to furnish me, and which will be found appended to this book. They consist of three maps, viz.:— ‘1. A Prairie and Wood Map. 2. A Geological Map. 3. A Population Map. These maps, I am confident, the reader will find to form a very excellent and yaluable supplement to the work. The literary resources of which I made use, are— Brown’s JZistory of Illinois. Ford’s History of Lilinois. Reynold’s My own Times. Reynold’s Pioneer History of Illinois. Reynold’s Sketches. Peck’s Gazetteer of Lilinots. Illinois in 1837. Curtiss’ Western Portraiture. Hall, The West. Drown’s Records of Peoria. Campbell’s Glance at Iilinois. Transactions of the Illinois State Agricultural Society. Revised Statutes of Illinois. F. A. Hoffmann’s Commercial Reports, &c. &c. 10 PREFACE. —together with many newspapers, printed in the State, which the publishers had the kindness to send regularly to me.* It was a part of my original intention to append to this work a complete Gazetteer of the whole State; but, for the want of room, I am compelled, very much to my regret, to desist from doing so. The very valuable material which I had collected for this purpose, and which I have now in my posses- sion, I will, however, reserve, and prepare for the publication of a Gazetteer at some future period. May this book meet a kind approbation, and benevolent criticism, and prove as welcome and useful to the citizens of Illinois as to new settlers. ‘ THE AUTHOR. New York, December the 25th, 1856, ~ ee eve ee a eae * It being my intention to follow up, in future editions of this work, the progressive history and development of Hlinois, and as I consider its newspapers as furnishing the best resources for this purpose, the publishers of newspapers in Illinois will greatly oblige me by sending me their papers regularly. If directed, “Gerhard’s German Reporter, New York,” they will cer- tainly come to my hands. IN THE PLACE OF AN L Ni Rs OnDaU.C TT ON . “ Tue brilliant destiny of Illinois is now fairly beginning to unfold, and to be read in the speed with which she is bounding forward upon the highway to prosperity and greatness. arth holds not, upon all its broad surface, a more fertile and favored land than this, our own beautiful Prairie State. What a mighty aggregation of natural advantages do we behold within her borders! In the very centre. of the great Mississippi Valley, and in the heart of the Confederacy, she is embraced by magnificent lakes and rivers. With a soil of unsurpassed richness, resting upon a bed of coal sufficient to “keep the hearthstone of the world bright for a thousand centuries”; with a climate genial and healthful; with a level contour of surface, inviting the construction of great works of internal improvement; abounding in mineral resources ; destined to be the crossing for the grand lines of oceanic intercommunication, connecting the extreme sections of the Union— those lines which must become the highways of nations, over which willspass the products of every clime, and a great moving human tide, in one unceasing flow ; — blessed with all these advantages, nothing is wanting further to constitute the elements of physical greatness. We have an ample guarantee, in the character of her population, that her unbounded natural resources will receive (11) 12 INTRODUCTION. a speedy development. The heavy debt, from the contemplation of which so many shrank back appalled, now presses no more heavily upon her energies, than the curtain of morning mist that rests upon the bosom of her prairies. Her whole population are excited to unwonted activity by the brilliancy of the future; and, from every quarter, emigrants throng to her fertile plains. Inhabited by an honorable people, who kept her escutcheon free from the deep stain of repudiation, in the terrible ordeal of temptation through which she passed — inhabited by a generous people, who, although weighed down with onerous burdens, cheerfully submitted to additional taxation, to provide asylums for the stricken and unfortunate — inhabited by a brave people, whose valor upon the field has illuminated some of the brightest pages of the Republic’s history, and heard of wherever the “ birds of fame have flown.” (From an Oration, delivered by Ropert Butt, Esq., at Fairfield, Illinois.) ILLINOIS AS IT IS. HISTORY. CHAPTER I. Tue State oF ILLINOIS was, originally, a part of Florida, and be- longed to Spain, and was so laid down upon the old Spanish map of North America. The Spaniards, led on by the daring Fernando de Soto, were the first Europeans who had discovered the Mississippi ; they had erected the standard of Spain on its shores in the year 1541, and, according to the views at that time prevailing, had thus esta- blished the titlé of their country to the whole of that vast region watered by its tributary streams, so that thenceforth the State of Illinois became a Spanish colony, and its native inhabitants vassals of the Spanish crown. But, although the Spaniards claimed the State by right of possession, its settlement was never eutered upon by them, but was first carried into effect by the French. At the very time that the Spaniards under Fernando de Soto were exploring Florida and the valley of the Mississippi, several attempts were made on the part of the French by two enterprising adventurers, Cartier and Roberval, to plant settlements on the banks of the St. Lawrence; but these enterprises proving abortive, nothing effectual was done by the French to colonize North America, until the year 1603, when certain merchants at Rouen having formed themselves into a company for this purpose, Champlain, a man of untiring energy and great intrepidity, who had been charged with the direction of their enterprise, succeeded in establishing the first permanent French settlement upon the North American Continent. As early as 1608, he laid the foundation of Quebee, and, in the following year, explored the region occupied by the Indian Nations of Northern New York. 2 (18) 14 2 ee eae ae By a charter from Louis XIII, granted to him in the year 1627, he obtained a patent of New France, embracing the whole basin of the St. Lawrence and Canada, and entered upon its government in the year 1632. Perceiving that the climate of New France would offer but little encouragement to immigration, he thought, that the settle- ment of the new country could not be more effectually promoted than by establishing missions, to call upon religion to aid him in the exe- cution of his designs, and to enter into a close alliance with the native Indians. No sooner, indeed, had the French established their au- thority in Canada, than numbers of Jesuit missionaries resorted thither, and commenced preaching the gospel to the untutored sa- vages, and forming alliances, in the name of their king, with the numerous savage tribes that inhabited the ‘‘ Far West.” In August, 1665, Father Claude Allouez set out to travel among the Indians, visited the Chippeways, entered their councils, displaying before the wondering savages pictures of hell and of the last judgment, and lighted the Catholic torch at the council fires of more than twenty nations, whom he claimed for his country and his king. In his endeavors to extend the influence of France he was assisted by various missionaries employed for that purpose; among others by James Marquette, who labored’ incessantly for the cause of his Re- deemer and his country, travelling far and wide, exposed to the incle- mencies of the season, often subsisting on no other food than the unwholesome moss which he gathered from the rocks, and sleeping beneath the skies.on the open ground, without the comfort of a fire. Whilst he was preparing to leave St. Mary’s, the outlet of Lake Superior, where he then was, in order to explore the Mississippi, Louis XIV. and his minister Colbert having formed a plan for the extension of the dominion -of France in North America, Nicholas Perot appeared at St. Mary’s as their agent, and convoked a universal congress of the Indian nations at that place. The remotest Indian nations, from the St. Lawrence, the Mississippi, and the Red River being assembled in council, in the presence of brilliantly-clad officers from the veteran French armies, it was announced to the amazed savages by Allouez, who acted as interpreter, that they had been placed under the protection of Louis XIV., king of France; and thereupon ‘‘a cross of cedar was raised, and the whole company, bowing HISTORY. 15 before this emblem of Christianity, chanted to its glory a hymn of the seventh century ;” after which a cedar column, with the arms of the Bourbons engraved on it, being planted by the side of the cross, the faith and the rule of I’rance were supposed to be permanently estab- lished upon the Continent. In 1673 James Marquette, with five 'renchmen as companions and two Indians for guides, reached the great “father of waters,” on which they embarked ‘“ with a joy that could not be expressed,” and hoisting the sails of their bark canoes, floated down the majestic river, “ over broad clear sandbars,” and glided past islets swelling from its bosom with tufts of massive thickness, between the “broad plains of Illinois and Iowa, all garlanded with majestic forests and chequered with illimitable prairies and island groves.” After descending the Mississippi for about sixty leagues, they discovered an Indian trail, and unhesitatingly left their canoes to follow it. After walking for some six miles, they came to an Indian village, whence four men im- mediately advanced to meet them, offering the pipe of peace, their calumets “ brilliant with many colored plumes,” and speaking to them in language which Marquette understood: ‘ We are Illinois ;” that is, “we are men.” ‘“ How beautiful is the sun, O Frenchman, when thou comest to us! our whole village awaits thee, thou shalt enter in peace all our dwellings.’’? After staying with that hospitable people for a while, James Marquette and his companions further descended the Mississippi River until they were satisfied of its flowing into the Gulf of Mexico, when they returned, and having reached the 39th degree of North Latitude, entered the Lllinois River and followed it to its source. The tribe of Illinois Indians, which occupied its banks, invited Marquette to remain and reside among them. But expressing a desire to continue his travels, he was conducted by one of the chiefs and several warriors to Chicago, in the vicinity of which place he re- mained to preach the gospel to the Miamis, whilst his companions returned to Quebec to announce their discoveries. Two years after- wards Marquette entered the little river in the State of Michigan, called by his name, and erecting on its bank a rude altar, said mass after the rites of the Catholic Church; and being left alone at his own request, “he kneeled down by its side, and offering to the Mightiest solemn thanks and supplications, fell asleep to wake no 16 . HISTORY. more. The light breeze from the lake sighed his requiem, and the Algonquin nation became his mourners.” The fame of Marquette induced others to follow in his wake; and among these was Robert Cavalier de la Salle. In 1667, when the attention of Europe was directed to New France, he resorted thither, and first established himself as a fur-trader at La Chine, being in habits of daily intercourse with the warriors of the Iroquois, the Five Nations of Northern New York. Hearing from them the most glow- ing accounts of the Far West, he resolved to annex the same to France, and to establish a close connection between the valley of the Mississippi and New France by a line of military posts, and for that purpose repaired to France, where he sought and obtained an interview with Colbert, then the prime minister of Louis XIV. Colbert lis- tened with delight to the gigantic schemes of La Salle, and a paper having been obtained from the king commissioning La Salle to ex- plore the valley of the Mississippi, he arrived with a number of me- chanics, and military stores and merchandise for the Indian trade, at Fort Frontenac, in the year 1678. In the fall of that year a boat of ten tons, the first that ever entered the Niagara River, conveyed part of his company to the Niagara Cataract. He immediately estab- lished a trading-house in its vicinity, and laid the keel of a vessel of sixty tons, called the Griffin, which in the summer of 1679 was launched on the Upper Niagara, being the first vessel that ever rode on the waters of Lake Erie. The roar of its artillery reverberated from shore to shore, arousing the savages in their forests and making them come forward in their swift canoes and look with astonished curiosity upon it. He sailed across the lake and cast anchor on the 27th of August in Green Bay, where he exchanged his goods at an immense profit for a rich cargo of furs, which he shipped in the Griffin to Niagara River to be disposed of, in order that he might make a remittance to his creditors.. He next entered the river St. Joseph, on the banks of which he erected a small fort, known as the fort of the Miamies; and after waiting for a long time to hear tidings of the Griffin, being weary of delay, he resolved to explore the interior of Illinois. He left ten men as the garrison of his little fortress, and descended the Illinois as far as Lake Peoria, where he met large par- ties of Llinois Indians, who, desirous of obtaining axes and firearms, HISTORY. 17 offered him the calumet and assented to an alliance. They received him and his companions with great joy, and when they learned, that colonies were to be established in their neighborhood, the happiness of these simple-minded savages was complete. They offered to con- duct him to the Mississippi. But after building a fort a little above where Peoria now stands, which fort he named Créve Coeur, La Salle, destitute of almost every means required to prosecute his voyage, and ruined in fortune by the loss of the Griffin, set out on foot for Canada to procuro aid, taking but three men to accompany him. and leaving the rest to guard the fort, the command of which he entrusted to Tonti, with directions to fortify Rock Fort, a cliff on the Illinois River, rising to a great height above its banks. During the absence of La Salle, a large body of warriors of the Iroquois or the five Indian Na- tions of Northern New York, excited to hostilities by the enemies of La Salle, forced Tonti to abandon the construction of the fort and to seek refuge in the country of the Miamies. When la Salle after- wards returned, with a supply of men and stores, he found the fort entirely deserted, and thereupon visited Green Bay, recommenced trade and established friendly intercourse with the natives, found Tonti and his companions, left Chicago on the 4th of January, 1682, and having built a spacious barge on the Illinois River, descended the Mississippi to the sea. La Salle saw at once the unparalleled resources of this vast valley, and his exultation knew no bounds, when he planted the arms of France on the shores of the Gulf of Mexico. Claiming the country for France, in honor of Louis XIV., under whose patronage its discovery was achieved, he called it Louisiana. Having descended the Mississippi to the sea and informed himself about everything he wanted, he returned. On ascending the river a part of the company left behind settled at Kaskaskia and Cahokia, and their vicinity, being afterwards joined by other emigrants from Canada. La Salle himself returned to France by way of Canada, and haying given a most glowing description of his discoveries to the king, was entrusted with the command of another expedition, fitted out by the king himself for the purpose of effecting the settlement of Louisiana; but having inadvertently passed the mouth of the Mis- sissippi, was obliged by his companions, who were unwilling to return, to land in Texas, where he founded the first settlement, and after ras B 18 HISTORY. suffering innumerable privations with his party, every one of his ships being wrecked, and his colony diminished from.250 to 50 persons, he resolved to leave 20 men at the fort, and to go with the residue to Canada in search of supplies. .Whilst on his way thither, he was treacherously murdered on the 17th of March, 1687, by two of his own men, who, stung to madness by disappointment in their expecta- tions of boundless wealth, resorted to assassination as the means, by which to avenge themselves upon the person of their generous com- mander. Thus perished miserably La Salle, no doubt the founder of the French dominion in the Mississippi valley, who by his courage, his vast comprehension, his restless energy, and untiring efforts to promote the interest of his country, has secured to his name an im- mortality of renown. Two years after his death war was declared between France and England; but though the French and English colonists devastated and plundered each other’s frontiers, the military occupation of Illi- nois was continued without interruption. Public documents of the year 1696 mention a fort named St. Louis, and the wish of Louis XIV. to preserve it in good condition. The actual settlement of Ilinois, however, advanved but slowly. Gravier succeeded Allouez - at the Jesuit mission of Kaskaskia, “the village of the Immaculate Conception.” Sebastian Rasles joined him in the year 1693 as fellow- laborer. He investigated the principles of the Illinois language and established its principal rules, and preached the gospel, though sur- rounded by perils and oppesed by Indian sorcerers. After the recall of Gravier and the decease of several of the missionaries, Gabriel Marest joined the mission, and for some time administered its affairs. ‘Our life,” said Marest, “is passed in wading through marshes, where we plunge sometimes to the girdle, over boundless prairies, and in rambling through thick woods and forests, in climbing over hills, in oaddling the canoe across lakes and rivers to catch a poor savage, who flies from us, and whom we can neither tame by teachings nor caresses.” At the request of the Peorias, Marest established a mission among them. He was aided by Marmet, whose fervid eloquence, according to the testimony of Marest himself, made him the soul of the mission. — His pupils at early dawn attended church neatly dressed in large deer HISTORY. 19 skins, or in robes made of several. After receiving lessons they chanted canticles. Mass was then said in presence of the French and the converts, the women on one side and the men on the other. After prayer the missiofiaries visited the sick and administered medicine. In the afternoon they instructed in the catechism both young and old, every one of whom had to answer their questions. In the evening all assembled at church for instruction, to offer prayers to the Most High, and to chant .the hymns of the Church. On Sundays and festivals, as also after vespers, the people were edified with’an eloquent sermon. After sunset, parties would meet in each other’s cabins to spend the night in reciting the chaplet in alternate choirs, and in singing psalms, which were frequently homilies, with the words set to familiar tunes. Saturday and Sunday were the days appointed for confession and com- munion, every convert confessing once in a fortnight. Many of the Indians were converted, and their daughters married to the French ‘emigrants, according to the rites of the Catholic Church. In 1699 Lemoine de Ibberville was appointed Governor of Lou- isiana, and arriving with a French colony at the mouth of the Mis- sissippi, built a fort twelve miles west of Pensacola River. From that time the Territory of Lllinois was included in and became part of Louisiana. A line of fortified posts now existed between the Gulf of St. Lawrence and the Gulf of Mexico. Jealous of the growth of French power in America, the English planned an expedition for the reduction of Canada, and fitted out a fleet of fifteen ships of war and forty transports, with seven veteran regiments from Marlborough’s army on board, under the command of Sir Hoveden Walker. The news of the intended expedition soon reached Quebec, the fortifications of which were immediately strengthened, and the Indian nations of the Far West, including the Illinois, summoned for its defence. Whilst the Indian warriors were assembling at Quebec and Montreal, the fleet, which, on the 25th of June, 1711, had arrived in Boston, took in supplies of stores, and the colonial forees which were to par- ticipate in the expedition, and sailed for the St. Lawrence. As it ascended the river, the fleet became enveloped in a dense fog, the Admiral proceeding too incautiously, eight of the vessels suffered ship- wreck, and nearly a thousand men were drowned. Ata council of 20 . HISTORY. war it was resolved to return; and thus this expedition, undertaken at great expense, ended in ignominious failure. Peace being at length concluded between France and Kagland, Lou- isianaand Canada were confirmed to the former: Obliged by the sanguinary and expensive wars in which he was involved, to withhold from Louisiana the usual supplies of money and men, and notwith- standing determined to prevent his enemies from taking possession of the same, the King of France, on the 14th of September, 1712, granted Louisiana, including also the State of Illinois and its territory of Wisconsin, to Anthony Crozat, whose character and abilities were sure pledges, that he would make the colony prosper under his direc- tion, and put an end to the dissensions between the provincial autho- rities. Admitted into partnership with Crozat, De La Motte Catilla was appointed Governor of Louisiana under the royal grant, and en- tered accordingly upon its government. Agriculture being neglected by the settlers, large sums were expended for provisions by Crozat, who, at the end of five years, finding his disbursements to exceed his receipts by about 125,000 livres, and being unwilling to incur further loss, surrendered his grant to the Crown, two years after the death of Louis XIV. A trading company, known as the Western Company, divided into 200,000 shares of 500 livres each, was fornied, and the grant surrendered by Crozat conferred upon it. The capital.of the Company was composed of State Securities, then selling at a discount of 78 per cent. John Law, a Scotchman by birth, a gambler and banker by trade, a daring speculator throughout, and at that time a favorite of the French Regent, because, by establishing a bank which flooded the country with paper money to the amount of 1,000,000,000 livres, and enabled its unscrupulous founder to pay the interest on the public debt with its worthless issues, he had for a moment succeeded in arresting the national bankruptcy, paid also the whole of the in- terest due on this part of the public debt; in consequence whereof a sudden rise in its value took place to par, and John Law was entrusted hy the Duke of Orleans, who governed the State in the name of Louis XV _, then a minor, with the direction of the affairs of the said West- ern, now called the Company of the Indies, the number of whose shares were immediately increased by him to a very large amount. Varrying on his system of colonization and trading with the utmost HISTORY. | 91 prodigality, John Law in 1720, when at the height of his fortune, built at a cost of several millions of livres, Fort Chartres, in the vicinity of Kaskaskia, and near the centre of the French settlements in Illinois. At length, however, his downfall, which cool reflecting men from the beginning had seen to be inevitable, took place. No sooner had more notes been issued, than the natural state of the busi- ness of the country could call for, and the specie been driven out of circulation by a superabundance of paper money, for the redemption of which nothing whatever of value had been pledged, than the bank exploded with a great crash. John Law, but a short time before the most influential person in the State, escaped with difficulty being torn to pieces by the excited populace, and died at. Venice in the most wretched poverty in 1729. The failure of the master spirit, who through his bank had so libe- rally supplied the India Company with the funds required to carry on their business, resulted of course in the dissolution of the said com- pany. Louisiana being retroceded to the Crown in the year 1730, its interests were again the care of government; Louis XV. and his minister, Cardinal Fleury, being very anxious to promote its pros- perity. Louisiana at that time included the entire valley of the Mis- sissippi and its tributary streams; all the countries west of the Alle- ghany mountains, with the head-springs of the Alleghany, the Monongahela, the Kanawha, the Tennessee, the Cumberland, and the Ohio, were claimed by Frenchmen as forming part of it. The French incessantly labored to extend their power and authority through the valley of the Ohio, and built forts intended to control the Indians. Having induced the Shawnee nation to place themselves under the protection of Louis XV., they erected a fort on the north bank of the Ohio, in the State of Illinois, in the vicinity of the Shawnees. Dis- pleased with the threatening aspect of this stronghold, the savages devised the following ingenious stratagem for its capture. A number of Indians, each of whom was covered with a bear skin and walked on all fours, appeared at daybreak on the opposite side of the river. Supposing them to be bears, the greater part of the garrison crossed the river and went in pursuit of them, whilst the remainder went to the bank of the river to witness the sport. Meanwhile the Indian warriors rushed forth from their hiding places in the woods near by, * Wd he HISTORY. entered it without opposition, and having thus possessed themselves of the fort, surprised and massacred the French on their return. The French afterwards built another fort near that fatal spot, which, in commemoration of this disaster, they called Fort Massacre. It was occupied by the French until about 1750, when it was aban- doned, and is now, like most of the ancient forts in America, but a heap of ruins. On the 18th of May, 1756, another war broke out between France and England, of which war, since it resulted in the cession of Canada aud the countries east of the Mississippi, L[linois included, to the English Crown, we shall state the general facts. A British trading company having, previous to the declaration of war, encroached upon French territory, the French took the alarm, built the Fort Du Quesne on the site of the present city of Pittsburgh, and dispersed a party of British workmen engaged in building a fort on the Ohio. Having received information of these open acts of hostility, the Legislature of Virginia despatched, in the year 1754, a military force under the command of Col. Washington, afterwards the illustrious President of the United States, to the scene of action. A party was sent from Fort Du Quesne to surprise him, but was itself surprised by Col. Washington, and every man taken prisoner. After this action Col. Washington was assailed in a fort previously erected by him, by a much superior force of French and Indians, and, after a gallant resistance, obliged to surrender the fort and to retreat to Virginia. In the summer of the following year Gen. Braddock, at the head of 2500 British veterans, and a body of Virginia militia, marched against Fort Du Quesne. Whilst proceeding through the woods in careless security, the troops were suddenly saluted with a tremendous fire of musketry from all sides, by an invisible foe. The panic at once became general. The American militia fought and died like soldiers, but the British veterans fled in the utmost confusion, notwithstanding the efforts of their officers, and especially of Col. Washington, who, during the whole action, displayed the most heroic bravery and admi- rable presence of mind, and was the only mounted officer who es- eaped unhurt; though four balls pierced his coat, and two horses were shot under him, he remained unwoundad, his life being evidently preserved by Providence, which destined him to play, ata later period, HISTORY. 23 so noble and prominent a part in the history of the country which hails him as her founder. Such was the terror which struck the army, that they left all the artillery, ammunition and baggage to the enemy, and never stopped in their flight until they reached Fort Cumberland. In this action the British loss amounted to 700 killed, while the French foree opposed to them was but 400, all told. Two subsequent expeditions undertaken against the French proving equally abortive, the campaign of 1755 ended in the disgrace of the British arms. In the year 1756 war was again declared between France and Great Britain. Whilst the British army was lying idle at Albany, the French, under the command of the vigilant and brave Marquis De Montcalm, captured Fort Oswego and conducted the whole garrison, 1400 men, as prisoners of war to Canada. Lord Loudon opened the campaign of 1757 by proceeding with 12,000 men to attack Louisburg, but finding the fortress in a formi- dable state of defence, concluded it to be the better part of valor to postpone the attack to some more convenient opportunity. His de- parture leaving the State of New York exposed to an attack, the vigi- lant Montealm invaded the State, laid siege to Fort William Henry, and compelled its garrison, numbering 3000 men, to surrender at discretion. “Thus,” as the English historian Smollet. very justly observes, ‘ended the’ third campaign, where, with an evident superi- ority of numbers and resources, we abandoned our allies, exposed our people, and relinquished a large tract of country, to the shame and disgrace of the British name.’’ The English opened the campaign of 1758 with the prodigious force of 50,000 men, one half of whom were regular troops, under the command of Gen. Abercrombie. Their fleets cruised at the same time along the American coast, and prevented any reinforcements whatso- ever from reaching the hands of the French in America. Gen. Aber- crombie, at the head of 17,000 troops, attacked Ticonderoga, but was ‘repulsed. ‘The expedition against Fort Du Quesne was more success- ful. All reinforcements, either from [Trance or from Canada, having been intercepted, the garrison, entirely destitute of provisions as well as materials of war, found themselves obliged to abandon the fort without a struggle, at the approach of Col. Washington: and after setting it on fire, proceeded in boats down the river. ‘The forts of 24 : ‘HISTORY. Niagara, Ticonderoga and Crown Point, attacked by superior numbers, were also abandoned by the French. About this time another pow- erful army, under the command of the young and gallant Wolfe, arrived from England in America, to aid Gen. Abercrombie in the reduction of Canada. The cause of the French had now become hopeless ; their numbers were too small, and their communication with France being cut off, all their valor and bravery could afford them no chance of success in a struggle against such fearful odds, but would only contribute to their destruction. Louisburg was taken, and although the victorious career of Gen. Wolfe was momentarily checked by his defeat at the Falls of Montmorency, where, in an attack upon the French, he lost 500 men, the subsequent battle fought by him upon the plains of Abraham, on the 15th day of September, 1759, against the French and Indian forces under the command of the Mar- quis De Montcalm, in which both the contending Generals were killed, the one in the moment of his victory, the other in the moment of his defeat, broke forever the French power in North America. Quebec surrendered, and with Quebee all Canada. When the news of this eventful battle reached England, so much were the people of that country astonished at their own success, that a day of most solemn thanksgiving was appointed by royal proclama- tion throughout the British empire, and the General, whose defeat at Montmorency had made all Great Britain grumble, and who on the fields of Abraham had only done his duty, was now: extolled to the skies as the greatest hero the world had ever seen, Xe. &c. In the conquest of the country the English had not conquered the hearts of the native Indians. Pontiac, the great Indian chief, appre- hended danger from the English, from whose arrogant and insolent behaviour he had reason to infer, that they were much inclined to expel him and his people from the country of their fathers altogether. “When the French came hither,” said a Chippeway chief, ‘“ they came and kissed us: they called us children, and we found them fathers: we lived like children in the same lodge.”” The French, in fact, had lived with the Indians, had assisted in their councils, smoked the calumet with them, had made them presents, and evinced much anxiety on their behalf. “On the other hand,” said Pontiac, “the English neglected all those circumstances, which made the neighhor- HISTORY. 25 hood of the French agreeable, and which might have made their own at least tolerable. The conduct of the French never gave rise to sus- picion, the conduct of the English never gave rest to it.’’ Pontiac, who clearly discerned that the British usurpations would ter- minate in the total extinction of his race, began to excite the Indians with the story of their wrongs, and to dream dreams, in which he pre- tended to have interviews with the Great Spirit, during one of which the Great Spirit had asked him: “‘ Why do you suffer these dogs in red clothing to enter your country and take the land I give you? Drive them from it, and when you are in distress I will help you.” Having thus roused the savage multitude to bloody vengeance, he concerted a plan to secure the co-operation of the savage tribes along the English frontier for more than a thousand miles, and having com- pleted his arrangements, made in the month of May, 1768, a simul- taneous attack upon each of the twelve British forts between Green Bay and Pittsburgh. Nine of them were immediately captured, with- out the slightest previous suspicion on the part of the British that the Indians had any hostile intentions. Ingenious artifices were used by the savages to effect the capture of the forts. Thus the Ottowas, before committing their assault upon Fort Mackinaw, arranged a great game of ball, to which the British officers were invited. While en- gaged in play, the Indians managed to throw the ball once or twice over the pickets, and were suffered to procure it from within the for- tress. Suddenly the ball was again thrown into the fort, and all the Indians rushed after it. The troops were butchered and scalped, and the fort destroyed. Peace was at length concluded between France and England, and a treaty to that effect signed at Paris on the 10th of February, 1763; in virtue of which France ceded to England Nova Scotia, the whole of Canada and its dependencies, and all that portion of Louisiana east of the Mississippi, together with the French posts and settlements on the Ohio. The State of Lllinois was included in the above cession, and therefore, after the 10th of February, 1763, became part of the British empire. News having been received in America of peace being restored, Pontiac soon relaxed in his efforts, the tomahawk was buried, and the war-whoop no longer resounded through the thickets of the forests. Unable to bear the sight of the red-coats, Pontiac 3 26 HISTORY. left the country and repaired to Illinois, where he was assassinated by a Peoria Indian. His nation, the Ottowas, and the Pottawatomies © and Chippeways, determined to avenge the death of their revered leader, commenced a war upon the Peorias and their confederates, the Kaskaskias and Cahokias, in which these tribes were nearly exter- minated. At the time this State was ceded to England, the French portion of the population amounted to about 3000 souls. They resided along the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers, and their largest towns were Kas- kaskia and Cahokia, of which the former contained about 100, and the latter about 50 families. Other small villages were in their vicinity, and one at Peoria, on the Illinois River. Prairie Du Rocher contained 14 families, and Prairie Du Pont, a short distance from Cahokia, about as many. Another considerable settlement was in and about Fort Chartres; but the whole did not exceed 3000 individuals. The French settlements were laid out by common consent on the same plan or system. The blocks were about three hundred feet square, and each block contained four lots. The streets were rather narrow, but always at right angles. Lots in the old times were enclosed by cedar posts or pickets, planted about two feet in the ground and extending five feet above. These pickets were placed touching each other, the whole forming a light and safe paling around each proprietor’s lot. The upper ends of the pickets were sharpened, so that it was rather diffi- cult to get over the fence. A neat gate was generally made in the fence opposite to the door of the house, and the whole concern was kept clean and neat. Hach village had a tract of land for common fields, containing seve- ral thousand acres, which was surrounded by a common fence, each family possessing a separate and well-defined portion of the land ex- clusively for itself. Besides this, a common, which contained fre- quently several thousand acres, and in which each villager had a joint, instead of a separate interest, was appended to every village for wood and pasturage. Hach proprietor of land was bound to make and keep in repair the fences on his land. The French in those days mostly sowed spring wheat. Sometimes wheat was sowed late in the fall. Indian corn was not so much culti- vated as wheat, or used as much by the inhabitants. A species of HISTORY. oT Indian or hominy corn was raised for the voyagers, which was an article of commerce. The French did not use Indian corn meal for bread to any great extent, but raised it for stock and to fatten hogs. Their farming implements were neither well made nor of the pro- per kind. Their ploughs had not much iron about them. A small piece of iron was on the front part, covering the wood. ‘They had no coulter, and had a large wooden mould-board. The handles were short and almost perpendicular, the beam was nearly straight, resting on an axle supported by two small wheels, the wheels low, and the beam so fixed on the axle with a chain or rope of raw hide, that the plough could be placed deep or shallow in the ground. Horses were seldom used for ploughing, oxen being preferred. The carts of the French, like the ploughs, were constructed without iron. When the Americans under Gen. Clarke came to the country, they called these earts “‘ barefooted carts,’ because they had no iron on the wheels. The French houses were generally one story high, and made of wood. A few of them were of stone. There was not a single brick house in the country for one hundred or more years from its first settlement. These houses were formed of large posts or timbers, the posts being three or four feet apart in many of them. In others the posts were closer together, and the intervals filled up with a mortar made of com- mon clay and cut straw. The mortar filled up the cracks, so that the wall was even and regular. The whole wall, outside and inside, was usually whitewashed with fine lime, so that these houses pre- sented a clean, neat appearance. The other class of houses having the posts further apart, the spaces were filled up with puncheons. The posts were grooved for the puncheons to fit in. These houses were used for stables, barns, &c. &. The covering of the houses, stables, &c., was generally of straw, or long grass cut in the prairie. All the houses had porticoes around them, the posts of which were generally of cedar or mulberry. A garden was assigned to each house. The doors were plain batton work, of walnut usually. The windows were generally glazed, and the sash opened and shut on hinges. Close by the houses were neat clean wells, nicely walled with stone, having a windlass fixed in them, so that water was convenient and clean. Hats in those times were very little used. The capot, made of white blanket, was the universal dress for the laboring class of people. 28 HISTORY. The capot was a kind of cap, attached at the cape, and raised in cold weather over the head. Coarse blue stuff was used by the working- men for pantaloons in summer, and buckskin or cloth in the winter. Moccasins made from the skins of cattle were used instead of boots. The females generally wore the deer skin moccasins. Both sexes kept always on hand something tasty and neat for the church and ball-room. The French in those days turned their attention to the Indian trade and to hunting, in a great measure, for support. Game was then plenty; buffalo, and other wild animals, were found in the prairies between Kaskaskia and Vincennes, sufficient to supply the inhabitants with animal food. The Indians called the Kaskaskia, Raccoon River, from the number of those animals living about it. A great many of the inhabitants were expert voyagers and hunters, and a hardy and energetic race of men, who could not be terrified by hardships or perils, and who often performed their laborious service without any- thing to eat, for days together. The women spun, wove, and made the garments, and carefully attended to their household affairs. Both sexes spent their leisure time in lively conversation, in dancing, or other amusements, according to the customs of their nation ; which, as true Frenchmen, even at so great a distance from their native country, they had not been able to renounce. The State of Illinois, although ceded in 1763, continued in the possession of France until 1765, when Captain Stirling, sent by Gen. Gage, then commander-in-chief of the British forces in America, to take possession of the territory, arrived, and assumed its government in the name of His Britannic Majesty. He established his head- quarters at Fort Chartres, and issued a royal proclamation, granting to the Roman Catholic subjects of His Majesty the free and undis- turbed exercise of their religion, according to the rites of the Roman Catholic Church, as it had already been granted to the Canadians. Captain Stirling was succeeded by Major Farmer, and the latter superseded by Col. Reed, in 1766. Col. Reed remained also but a short time, and was succeeded by Lieutenant-Colonel Wilkins, who arrived at Kaskaskia, on the 5th of September, 1768. Ever since the occupation of the territory by the British, the administration of justice had been: in the hands of the military commandant, which HISTORY. 29 caused no little annoyance to the public, and occasioned frequent complaints. A Civil Court, consisting of seven judges, was after- wards established, but trial by jury being refused, it did not become popular. Many of the French inhabitants, finding the British rule insupportable, emigrated to Louisiana. The war of 1756 had increased the public debt of Great Britain to an alarming magnitude, and various expedients were proposed for the payment of its interest and the liquidation of its principal. To raise part of the money necessary for this purpose, the British Parliament claimed the right and power of taxing the American Colonies, although they were entirely without representation in the Parliament, and Great Britain had not even the slightest claim upon their gratitude, since nothing whatever had been demanded by the proud and inde- pendent American Colonists, or granted and provided by the nig- gardly hand of the British Government, to promote the settlement and welfare of the Colonies. The American people, too intelligent not to understand their rights, denied, repeatedly, the existence of any legal power on the part of Parliament to tax the Colonies; but Parliament not only established it as a fundamental principle, “that Great Britain had a right to tax America,” authorizing the imposition of duties upon tea, glass, paper, &c., but also passed a bill for quartering troops upon the Colonists, another for depriving them of trial by jury, and another for transporting persons charged with «offences, beyond the high seas, for trial, and various others of a similar despotic nature. Such acts of tyranny and oppression would not be endured by a generous people, and met, therefore, with the most decided resistance on the part of the American people, which led to the outbreak of hostilities in 1775, inaugurating the glorious American Revolution, and causing the last ligaments that bound the descendants of England to the land of their fathers, to be severed for ever. About the time of the commencement of the Revolutionary War, or rather, before, the American Colonists had extended their settle- ments west of the Alleghanies, and occupied Kentucky. Of the first settlers, who repaired thither to seek a new home, the most con- spicuous were Daniel Boone, who arrived there in 1769, and George Rogers Clarke, who came thither from Virginia, in 1775. The popu- lation of Illinois was then about the same as at the time of its cession 83 * 380 HISTORY. to England, a majority of it consisting of French and Catholics. Kaskaskia, Cahokia, Saint Vincennes, in Indiana, Detroit and Macki- naw, were garrisoned by English troops. Preparing themselves for the approaching struggle, in which they were to be so ignominiously defeated, the British, by promises and gifts, had pacified the savages, and made them their allies, by repre- senting to them the Americans as bent upon their extermination, supplied them with arms and ammunition, and paid them liberally in advance for the scalps they were to bring in. Immediately upon the commencement of hostilities, the savages attacked the frontier settlements and burnt them to the ground, causing the forests to re- sound with the heart-rending shrieks of helpless women and children, who fell beneath the murderous tomahawk and scalping-knife of an enemy that knew no quarter. Clarke, tracing the incitement of the Indian ravages to the British settlements at Kaskaskia, Detroit, and Vincennes, his heart dilating with joy at the idea of annexing to his country a territory, the splendid resources of which he had found, on examination, to be un- rivalled any where, conceived the plan of carrying the war into Illi- nois. He hastened to Williamsburgh, then the capital of Virginia, sought and obtained an interview with the Governor, was promised a bounty of 800 acres for every person who should enlist, furnished with £1200 by the Governor, and authorized to raise seven companies of militia; and, in order that the enterprise might be kept secret, was publicly instructed to proceed to Kentucky for its defence; being thus ‘clothed with all the authority he could wish,” he set off on the 4th of February, 1778, to make haughty Britain feel the power of the American arms. After reviewing his little band of four companies, equipped in the simplest manner, he commenced his march across the country, passed over the Ohio some distance above Fort Massacre, and continued to advance by the nearest route against the ancient French village of Kaskaskia. Whilst on his march, he fell in with a party of hunters, who communicated to him, that the town had no regular garrison; that the inhabitants, who entertained most horrid apprehensions of the Virginians, had not even the slightest suspicion of an attack being contemplated ; so that, if they could reach the town without being discovered, they could not fil to render themselves HISTORY. 31 masters of it. Resolved to profit by this intelligence, Clarke, after an arduous march of several days, when his provisions were now quite exhausted, arrived with his party near Kaskaskia. They entered a farm-house about a mile’s distance from the village, where they learned, that though the militia had been called out the day before, they had been since dismissed, as no cause of alarm existed, and everything was apparently tranquil and quiet. Clarke immediately divided his detachment into several small parties, assigning to each a place of attack, and causing notice to be given to the inhabitants that whoso- ever of them should dare to appear in the streets, would be instantly shot down. Everything turned out as well as could be wished; both the town and the fort were taken, and the British Governor, together with his British troops, were made prisoners of war. Resolving to make good use of the dread, in which the Virginians were regarded, Col. Clarke at once posted guards at every avenue of the town, so as to prevent all transmission.of intelligence from without, disarmed the inhabitants in the short space of two hours, and ordered his troops to patrol the town in_every direction during the night, making the most horrible uproar, and whooping after the most approved Indian fashion. On the next day the troops were withdrawn and placed in different positions about the town, and the inhabitants were strictly forbidden to have any intercourse, either between themselves, or with the sol- diers. Several Kaskaskians, who had congregated and conversed with each other, were arrested and put in irons, without being allowed to utter a single word in their defence. The whole town was at once overspread with terror, and neither mercy nor compassion any longer expected. At last, the priest, and several of the most influential citizens ofthe village, were granted an audience by Col. Clarke. Addressing Col. Clarke in a low and submissive voice, the priest, in the name of the inhabitants, begged permission for them all “ to as- semble once more in the church to take final leave of each other, as they expected to be separated never to meet again on earth.” ‘This being granted, the priest, feeling his drooping spirits revive, made an attempt at some further conversation, but was rudely interrupted by Col. Clarke, who told him that he had no time to listen any further to him. The whole town then went to church, remaining there for a long time, after which the same deputation waited again upon Col. 32 HISTORY. Clarke to express their thanks for the indulgence they had received ; also to solicit him not to separate their families, and to allow them some clothes and provisions for their further support; and also to as- sure him that they would have long ago declared themselves in fayor of the Americans, had they dared so to do in the presence of their British rulers. Regarding it as useless to terrify the people any more, Clarke, throwing aside all disguise, told the people, who stood in utter amazement, not knowing whether to trust their ears, that he had none, save the most friendly intentions towards them, that the king of France, having united his arms with those of America, he, Clarke, expected the war shortly to cease, and that he was glad to be con- vinced of their being friendly to the American cause, notwithstanding the prejudices excited against the latter by British officers “ And now,” continued he, “‘to prove my sincerity, you will please inform your fellow-citizens that they are at liberty to go wherever they please, and that their friends in confinement shall immediately be released.” The joy of the village seniors on hearing, and of the inhabitants, at the communication of the speech of Col. Clarke, was,immense, so as to baffle all attempts at description. Suffice it to say, that the church was instantly filled, and devout thanks were offered to the Most High for the miraculous manner, in which he had subdued the minds of their savage conquerors. Nor did the gratitude of the people to Col. Clarke display itself in mere words; for, when Col. Clarke resolved to capture, if possible, in the same way, Cahokia, which yet remained in the hands of the enemy, several Kaskaskians offered to aid him in the enterprise, assuring him that the Cahokians were their relations and friends, and would, at their request, be ready to join his cause. Accepting their services, Col. Clarke despatched them in company with a party of his own troops, to Cahokia, which they reached be- fore the surrender of Kaskaskia was even known there. The gar- rison of the British Fort at Cahokia was at once compelled to sur- render at discretion; the Indian force near Cahokia was dispersed, and the inhabitants, easily persuaded by their Kaskaskian friends, a few days afterwards took the oath of allegiance to the American Re- public. Thus, the State of Illinois, in territory larger than the whole of Great Britain, was annexed to the Republic by the energy of a single man, at the head of but four companies of militia, who, for HISTORY, 83 this purpose, had marched and transported their provisions and am- munition for one thousand three hundred miles, by land and water, through a wild and inhospitable region, inhabited by the allies and mercenaries of England. Having with a handful of trusty followers penetrated itt the heart of a hostile country, Col. Clarke, considering his situation rather deli- cate, since he had no prospect of being speedily relieved or reinforced in case of need, and being: aware that the position he now occupied would be unsafe as long as Fort Vincennes, which impeded his com- munication with Virginia, was in the hands of the British, determined to reduce this fort. Asa preliminary step, wishing to conciliate to himself the favors of the Lllinoisians, he organized courts, held by French judges elected by the people, with a right of appeal to himself— which courts became very popular and aided essentially in increasing his influence ; and further, besides instructing his soldiers to speak of the troops at Kaskaskia as a detachment only from the main body, stationed somewhere at the Ohio, he caused the rumor to be circulated, that reinforcements were hourly expected to arrive. The warm attachment of the Kaskaskians to him rendered these measures of precaution superfluous, for when Col. Clarke prepared in earnest for an expedition against Fort Vincennes, Mr. Gibault, the Roman Cath- olic priest at Kaskaskia, offered, if it met with his approbation, to take the whole business on himself, assuring him “that he had no doubt of being able to bring that place over to the American interest without the trouble of sending a military force against it.” The offer being accepted, the priest set off for Vincennes. On his arrival he explained the object of his mission to the inhabitants, who, two days afterwards, threw off their allegiance to the British king, and in a solemn assembly at their church, proclaimed their political union with the Commonwealth of Virginia, The American flag being hoisted, and a Provisory Commandant elected, the priest returned to Kas- kaskia with the agreeable intelligence, that Vincennes had gone over to the Americans. On hearing this, Col. Clarke appointed Leonard Helm commandant at Vincennes, and agent for Indian affairs in the department of the Wabash. He also sent a detajled report of his campaign to the Legislature of Virginia, urging the same to appoint a civil commandant to take charge of the political affairs of the region C 34 HISTORY. which had now submitted to his arms: whereupon in October, 1778, the said Legislature passed an act to establish ‘‘as the county of Illi- nois,” all that part of Virginia west of Ohio, surpassing in its dimen- sions the whole of Great Britain, and appointed Col. John Todd Civil Commandant and Lieutenant Colonel of the said county. Having established a garrison at Kaskaskia and another at Cahokia, as also a military post at the Falls of the Ohio, on the site of Louis- ville, the present great commercial emporium of Kentucky, Ool. Clarke exerted himself to the utmost to bring about a good under- standing between the Indians and Americans, and being perfectly well acquainted with the Indian character, with the most consummate skill (indicating also a deep knowledge of human nature) induced them to abandon the British cause, and to conclude treaties of peace and of alliance with him. On the 29th of January, much to the dissatisfaction of Col. Clarke, intelligence was received at Kaskaskia, that Gov. Hamilton, of Detroit, had subjected Fort Vincennes once more to British sway, and that, but for the lateness of the season, he would have marched against Kaskaskia; that he contemplated, however, at any rate, apenigg early in the spring a grand campaign against Kaskaskia. At the time Gov. Hamilton had arrived with a considerable force before Vincennes, Capt. Helm and one soldier, by the name of Henry, constituted the whole of its garrison. No sooner had Gov. Hamilton approached within speaking distance of the fort, than Capt. Helm, standing with a lighted match by the side of a well-charged cannon, then placed in the open gateway, halloed out at the top of his voice, “ Halt!’ Gov. Hamilton immediately halted, and on seeing the cannon in the gateway, peremptorily demanded the surrender of the place. Uttering a frightful oath, Capt. Helm exclaimed, “No man enters here until I know the terms.” Hamilton at once replied, ‘“ You shall have the honors of war,’’ whereupon Helm surrendered the fort, and the whole garrison, to the unspeakable mortification of the war- like British, consisting of one officer and one private, marched out with the honors of war. On hearing this, and on being further informed, that Gov. Ham- ilton had then only eighty men at Vincennes, and was impatiently awaiting the arrival of about 700 Indian auxiliaries, Col. Clarke, who | HISTORY. 35 on this occasion remarks in his journal, “I knew, that if I did not take him, he would take me,”’ at once resolved to carry the war into Africa. Having fitted out a large Mississippi boat as a galley, he put six pieces and forty-six men, under the command of Capt. John Rogers, on board of it, and ordered the men to ascend the Ohio and enter the Wabash as far as the White River, where they were to await further instructions. He then raised, with the utmost dispatch, two companies of militia in Kaskaskia and Cahokia, which, his own force included, amounted to about 170 men, and before eight days had elapsed, was on his way to Vincennes. After a most toilsome march through woods, and over marshy, swampy prairies, he and his men came in sight of Fort Vincennes, and advanced within fifty yards of it. Col. Clarke, notwithstanding his galley, laden with ammunition and military stores, had not yet arrived, ordered his men to open a fire _of musketry upon the British soldiers at their guns, which was done with such effect, that Gov. Hamilton found it impossible to keep them at their cannon, which, moreover, from their elevated position, had done no damage to the Americans. ‘The rest of the tale is soon told. Gov. Hamilton, who’ knew what kind of an enemy he had to fight, finding all further resistance useless, surrendered the fort on the 24th of February, and the whole garrison, consisting of 79 men, and thir- teen pieces of cannon, and half a million of dollars’ worth of military goods and stores, fell into the hands of the victors, who for the second time, on the ramparts of the fort, destined to remain American, un- furled the star-spangled banner, the ensign of freedom, to the breeze. Col. Clarke appointed Capt. Helm once more commandant of the fort, and embarking on his galley, which had now come up, returned to Kaskaskia. Such was the renown Col. Clarke had acquired by this successful expedition, and the rapid conquest of the territories between the Mis- sissippi and Ohio, that Buckongahelas, the head warrior of the Dela- wares, on a day in which he happened to meet Col. Clarke in council, ‘thanked the Great Spirit for having brought together two such great warriors as Buckongahelas and Col. Clarke !” The surrender of Cornwallis with his whole army on the 19th of October, 1781, to the Americans, spreading terror and consternation throughout Great Britain, a treaty of peace was signed between Hng- 36 HISTORY. land and the United Colonies, in virtue of which the independence of the latter was fully recognised, and all the land east of the Mis- sissippi, and south of Lakes Ontario, Erie, Huron, Superior, and the Lake of the Woods, including therefore Illinois, was ceded to the Americans. That portion of the western lands which constituted what was then called the ‘Northwestern Territory,’’ including the present States of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan and Wisconsin, was claimed wholly by the State of Virginia, and in part by New York, Massachusetts and Connecticut; but in consideration of the all-important object, to secure harmony among the States of the Con- federacy, which were then without any special bond of union, the peo- ple of the States, which claimed to have a title to the said ‘“ North- western Territory,’ moved by a noble spirit of patriotism, ceded all their right and title to the Federal Government. Soon after these cessions had been made, Congress, in the summer of 1787, passed an ordinance ‘for the government of the territory of the United States north-west of the River Ohio.”” A governor was appointed by Con- gress for three years, and a secretary for four. A Court, consisting of three judges, was organized, and the governor and judges autho- rized to adopt and publish such laws of the original States as were necessary and best suited to the circumstances of the territory. As soon as there should be 5000 free male inhabitants of full age in any district, they were authorized to elect representatives for two years to a General Assembly. The Governor, Legislative Council, consisting of five members appointed by Congress, and a House of Representa- tives, could make any laws, provided they were not contrary to the ordinance of Congress. The Legislature were also authorized to elect by joint ballot a delegate to Congress. Arthur St. Clair, an officer of the Revolutionary army, who had served with some distinction, was appointed the first Governor and Commander-in-chief of the Territory. The white population of the Territory was but small: that of Ili- nois had remained stationary. Struck with the fertility of the soil of Illinois, several of the soldiers of Col. Clarke settled in that country. They were the earliest American settlers in Illinois. They lived mostly in stations, or block-house forts, which they had been com- pelled to erect for their protection, since the Indians committed great HISTORY. 87 depredations on the habitations ofthe new settlers. The general con- struction of these block-house forts was about this: The lowest order of these forts was a single house, strongly built, a story and a half or two stories high. The lower story was provided with port-holes to shoot through, and also with substantial puncheon doors, three or four inches thick, with strong bars, to prevent the Indians from entering. The second story projected over the first three or four feet, and had holes in the floor, outside the lower story, to shoot down at the Indians attempting to enter. Another higher grade of pioneer fortifications was made thus: Four large, strong block-houses, fashioned as above, were erected at the four corners of a square lot of ground, as large as the necessities of the people required. The intervals between these block-houses were filled up with large timbers, placed deep in the ground, and extending twelve or fifteen feet above the surface. Within these stockades were cabins built for the families to reside in. A well of water, ora spring, was generally found to be necessary in these forts. In perilous times the horses were admitted into the forts for safe keeping. Generally there were two strong gates to these garrisons, with bars in proportion, to secure the doors against the savagés. Port-holes were cut in the stockade at about seven feet high, and platforms raised to stand on when shooting. The timber in the vicinity of these forts was carefully cleared off, so as to afford no hiding-places to the Indians. In the mornings it was often dangerous to open the gates and walk out. The Indians frequently attacked the milking parties and others first going out of the fort. Sentinels were kept up all night in dangerous times. Emigrants from the remotest parts of the Union and of Europe would come together in these forts. Many were the quarrels, which such a mixed state of society would naturally lead to. The property of one man was often so contiguous to that of another as to excite strong temptations in the mind of the latter to annex it to his own; nor does it appear, that the women were an exception to this rule. Whenever a violation of the sixth commandment took place, in which case, owing to the extremely limited space, detection was sure to fol- low, the grave old ladies would put on their spectacles and hypocriti- a 88 HISTORY. cally exclaim: “Oh the sins of the world! It is no wonder we havé an Indian war upon us!” : The customs of these early American settlers were much on the French model, extremely gay, polite, and merry. In personal appearance these pioneers were rough and unrefined, yet were they kind, social, and generous. ‘They were brave, energetic, and hospitable, and ready to share with their neighbors or newly- arrived strangers their last loaf. Their habits and manners were plain, simple, and unostentatious. Their dwellings were log cabins of the simplest structure, their furni- ture, utensils and dress were also as simple and economical as possible. For clothing, dressed deer-skins were extensively used, for hunting- shirts, pants, leggins and moccasins; the red skin of the prairie wolf or fox was converted into the hat or cap. Dressed skins of the buffalo, bear and elk furnished the covering of their beds. Wooden vessels were used instead of bowls. A gourd formed the drinking-cup. Every man carried his knife in his girdle, while the whole family had often to use the solitary remaining one. If a family chanced to have.a few pewter dishes, knives and forks, it was in advance of the neighbors. 7 ‘The American settlers were hunters and stock-growers, raising, be sides a small amount of wheat, chiefly corn, which was beaten for bread in the mortar, and ground on a grater, or in a hand mill. Many of these settlers observed the Sabbath with an austerity that would have become a Puritan. To the French, on the other hand, the Sabbath always had been and still was a day of hilarity and pleasure. They would strictly attend mass in the morning and practise their devotions in the church ; and in the afternoon would assemble in parties at private houses for gay social intercourse, when cards, dances, and various sports, made the time pass. Intemperance, either in eating or drinking, was never witnessed among them. CHAPTER II. Tux Indians had not been included in the treaty of peace signed between Great Britain and America. Several tribes, therefore, wrought upon by British gold, continued their hostilities as before, and between 1783 and 1790 nearly 2000 men, women and children in Kentucky alone had been killed or carried away into captivity. All peaceable remonstrances on the part of the United States government having been in vain, it became incumbent upon the latter to pacify the In- dians by force of arms. Gen. Harmar was accordingly despatched with a body of militia, amounting to 1433 men, into the country of the Miamies, but imprudently dividing his forces, he was attacked and defeated in detail by Little Turtle, the renowned warrior-chief of the Miamies, and obliged to return with a loss of 200 men. In the subsequent year, 1791, a new force of 2000 soldiers and a large body of militia were raised, and the previous Governor, Arthur St. Clair, though from physical debility altogether disqualified for service, appointed commander of it. Gen. St. Clair commenced his march, and having reached with part of his troops a tributary stream of the Wabash, encamped, intending to entrench himself and to await the arrival of the remainder of his troops. Penetrating his design, Little Turtle, at the head of about 1500 warriors, assailed the camp about midnight. The militia gave way, and the Indians rushed after them, spreading terror everywhere. The greatest confusion at once ensued throughout the whole camp. Gen. St. Clair being unable to walk, was borne upon a litter into the hottest of the engagement, and exerted himself to the utmost to restore order, but seeing all his efforts to be in vain, he ordered a retreat, which immediately degen- erated into a precipitate flight. Such was the panic, which had seized the army, that they abandoned their entire artillery train and baggage to the Indians, threw away their arms, and could not be brought to a stand before they reached Fort Jefferson. The Americans lost nearly , (39) 40 HISTORY. one half of their whole force engaged, or about 600 men, the Indians only 58. This disastrous defeat rendered it necessary, that the American Government should prosecute the war with the utmost vigor, in order to retrieve the credit of its arms. Negotiations were at first attempted, but failed, the savages being too much elated with their victory to think of peace. A new and still larger force was therefore raised, and its command entrusted to Gen. Wayne, famed for the gallant manner, in which he stormed Stony Point during the Revolutionary war, “where, after wading through a deep morass and surmounting a double row of abattis, and forcing his way up to the strong works on the summit of the hill amid a shower of shells and shot of every kind, being struck on the head by a musket-ball, he fell, and immediately rising on one knee, he exclaimed: ‘March on and carry me into the fort; if the wound be mortal, I will die at the head of the column!’ ” With such a leader the event of the expedition could hardly be doubt- ful. His offers of peace being rejected, Gen. Wayne advanced on the 15th of August, 1794, to Roche Debout, where he erected a small fort, which he called Fort Deposit. Five days afterwards he marched against the enemy and discovered them, about 2000 strong, in a posi- tion dificult of attack, their front protected by trees overthrown by a tornado, their right flank covered by thickets, and their left resting on the river Miami. As he was forming his army in order of battle, a brisk fire was opened upon his advance-guard from a thicket of under- wood. He immediately ordered the “front line of legionary infantry to rouse the Indians out of their thickets with the bayonet, and when up to deliver a tremendous fire on their backs, followed by a brisk charge, so as not to give them time to load again.” So furious was the onset of the troops, and so irresistible their bayonet charge, that the Indians were completely routed before any of the other corps could have come up. The American loss was 107, while that of the Indians was far greater. Gen. Wayne was not remiss in following up this victory, laying waste whole villages and cornfields, for a distance of fifty miles around. The destruction of their cabins and cornfields at last broke down the savage obstinacy of the Indians, and they sued for peace, which was promptly granted, and mutually concluded on the 7th of August, 1795. With the termination of this bloody war HISTORY. 41 the lives and property of the settlers were secured to them, and a new impulse was given to immigration, which began to pour slowly in. In 1803, a new territory, known as the territory of Indiana, which embraced the whole of the North-western Territory, with the excep- tion of the present State of Ohio, was formed, and William H. Har- rison, since President of the United States, appointed its first Governor. Illinois remained a part of the new territory until 1809, when it was erected into an independent territory, and Ninian Edwards appointed its first Governor. Peace had been made, and the white man had permanently es- tablished himself in the region, once a favorite hunting-ground of the Indian. No effort of the latter to recover the heritage of his fathers could have prevailed against the superior will and dis- cipline of the former. Despair filled the minds even of the boldest of the Indian race, and the indefatigable and enterprising Little Turtle himself, who had beaten the foreign intruder,in many a bloody en- gagement, becoming satisfied of the impossibility of making the Ohio the boundary-line between the red and white man, relaxed in his efforts, and at last acquiesced in the rule of the white man. But when he ceased to battle for the rights of his people, a hero arose among the Indians, no doubt the most gifted and exalted of his race, who, collecting the nearly exhausted strength of his people for a last and desperate struggle, placed himself at their head, and fought fore- most in their ranks, until his untimely death on the field of battle forever sealed the doom of his unhappy race. -The name of this extraordinary man, | with whom we will next oc- . eupy ourselves, is Tecumseh. He was ‘a patriot, and the love of his country rendered him an irreconcilable enemy of the white man, upon whom, he was heard to. €eclare, he could never look without feeling the flesh crawl upon his bones. His penetrating mind foresaw the total extinction of his race, the cause of which he traced, with uner- ring certainty, to the white immigration. He studied the subject as a statesman, and having satisfied himself that justice was on the side of his countrymen, with his heart oppressed by grief and inflamed with implacable vengeance, he tasked his mighty brain to find means lo avert from his people the tide which threatened to engulf them. Upon the great work contemplated by him, Tecumseh entered in 4* 42. HISTORY. the year 1805 or 1806, when he had attained his 38th year. As a preliminary step, he sought to improve the morals of his people, whom the intercourse with the whites had only debased, and with this view caused their original manners and customs to be re-estab- lished, and the use of ardent spirits, and the intercourse with the whites to be strictly forbidden. Being aware of the superstitious character of his race, he communicated his plan to his brother, the prophet, who immediately entered into his designs. At first, he began by dreaming dreams and seeing visions; afterwards he became an in- spired prophet, commissioned by the Great Spirit to decide over life and death, and to restore to the Indians their lands and original happy condition. The fame of the prophet soon penetrated to the frozen shores of the Lakes, and far away beyond the Mississippi, and pil- grims from the remotest tribes hastened to see him. Tecumseh him- self, seemed to believe, and mingling with the pilgrims, won their hearts by his address, and through them diffused a knowledge of his plan among the most distant Indian nations. He himself travelled far and wide, and by his brilliant eloquence, soon persuaded his coun- trymen to join his cause. It is related, that whilst among the Creeks in Alabama, he visited a chief called the Big Warrior, explained to him the object of his call, and perceiving that the Big Warrior wanted to keep aloof from fighting, told him that he knew the reason of his so declining to fight was his disbelief in the Great Spirit’s having sent him, but that he would conclusively prove his divine mis- sion, by shaking down to the ground every house in his village by stamping with his foot on the earth, the moment he should have ar- rived at Detroit. He thereupon left him. The Big Warrior and his people anxiously watched the arrival of the day, on which they sup- posed, Tecumseh would reach Detroit. Tht anxiously looked-for day came, and with it a mighty earthquake, which levelled with the ground every house in Tuckhabatchee, the village of the chief. It was afterwards ascertained, that this earthquake had happened on the very day, on which Tecumseh arrived at Detroit, as he threatened it would. It was the famous earthquake of New Madrid, on the Mississippi. In the meantime, whilst laboring day and night in his great work, he had three different interviews with Gen. Harrison, during which he proposed to become even an ally of the Americans, provided they HISTORY. 43 5 would deliver up the lands lately purchased, and never make another treaty without the consent of all the tribes. Gen. Harrison promised to refer the matter to the President, although, said he, he will not be very likely to listen to the proposition made; whereupon Tecumseh declared, that the Great Spirit would determine the matter, and he and Harrison would be obliged to fight it out. The Governor then proposed to him, that, in the event of a war, he should do his best to put an end to the cruel mode of warfare as carried on by his country- men, to which Tecumseh at once assented, being perhaps, the only Indian, who scrupulously kept his word in this respect. On the 27th of July, 1811, he again visited Gen. Harrison, at the head of about 400 warriors, probably with a view of impressing the whites with an idea of his strength. Several murders had previously been committed in Illinois by the Indians, and Gen. Harrison, notified of these occurrences, was rather in a bad humor, when he met Te- cumseh at their fourth conference. Tecumseh, whose manner and behaviour were always very respectful, and on this occasion most re- markably polite and dignified, openly declared to Gen. Harrison, ‘that, after much trouble, he had united all the western tribes under his lead and placed. them under his direction; that, in so doing, he had merely imitated the example set by the United States themselves, and claimed to have the same right to do this; that the murders spoken of ought to be forgiven, since the Indians had suffered similar injuries at the hands of the whites; and lastly, that the Indians were going to reoccupy, in autumn, their ancient hunting-ground, at Tippe- canoe, which the Americans were then about surveying.’ The Governor replied, “that the President would put his warriors in pet- ticoats sooner than give up the country he had fairly acquired, or to suffer his people to be murdered with impunity.’’ Whereupon, Tecumseh left him, and shortly afterwards resumed his travels among his countrymen. In the meantime, his brother, the prophet, collected around him- self in Tippecanoe, the restless and daring spirits of every tribe, haranguing them daily, and protecting them, by a hundred charms, from the weapons of the white man, encouraging, rather than con- trolling, their lawless desires. Several murders were committed, and one of Goy. Harrison’s own soldiers fired upon by the Indians. The -~ 44 HISTORY. Indians apparently intending hostilities, Gov. Harrison, with a force of nearly 1,000 men, proceeded to their village to restore peace, if necessary, by force of arms. He found their town, Tippecanoe, for- tified with great care, and on the 6th of September, 1811, encamped at the distance of a mile from it. The prophet had taught his fol- lowers to believe, that the village was wholly impregnable, and that in the coming contest the Great Spirit would strike the eyes of the Americans with blindness, and would make their bullets fall harmless at the Indian’s feet. Hncouraged by these assurances of their holy prophet, the savages, early on the morning of the 7th of September, sallied forth from their town, and attacked the camp of Gov. Harrison, with an apparent determination to conquer or to die. They encountered a desperate resistance, but believing themselves fated to conquer, continued the battle until daylight, when they were in their turn charged by the troops with the bayonet, and after a bloody conflict, driven intoa swamp. ‘The Indians lost 38 killed, be- sides a great many wounded; the Americans 60 killed and 120 wounded. The town of the prophet was burnt, the corn in its vicinity destroyed, and the savages compelled to sue for peace. The exaspe- rated Indians abused and nearly killed the prophet, whose claims to magic power were forever destroyed. When Tecumseh returned and heard of this disastrous battle, which had been fought against his most positive orders, and saw his people dispersed, overpowered by indignation, and losing for a moment his wonted self-control, he reproached his brother in the most bitter terms, seized him by the hair, and came very near taking his life. His anger and disappointment we may readily understand, since, by striking the western Indians with terror, the battle of Tippecanoe resulted in postponing, if not wholly frustrating, the execution of the vast undertaking — to which he had devoted the best years of his noble manhood — of uniting all the Indian nations in a powerful con- federacy, which he was to direct and govern. After an interview with the Indian agent, during which he blamed Gen. Harrison for having made war upon his people during his absence, he departed to Canada to fight under the banners of the British,—not because he either loved or respected them, for this was impossible to him, who hated every white man without distinction, and only too well understood the HISTORY. 45 policy pursued by Great Britain towards his people,— but because, after the battle of Tippecanoe, he could expect no success in his un- dertaking against the Americans, unless by making the British inter- ested in them. The opportunity, which Tecumseh had so anxiously awaited, of avenging the injuries of his people upon the Americans, at last pre- sented itself. Ever since the close of the revolutionary war, the most illiberal policy was pursued towards the United States by Great Britain; desirous of repressing the growth of the republic, which already at that time threatened to become her great commercial rival, she violated every commercial and maritime right of the nation, and filled the measure of her arrogance by searching the American vessels on the high seas, impressing such as were unable to prove on the spot, that they were Americans, into her public service. Ignominious out- rages and atrocious injuries were thus inflicted by Great Britain upon the American people, until the latter, unless indeed willing to be con- sidered as her subjects, if not her slaves, found themselves compelled to declare war against her. A force of several regiments of regulars and militia was immediately raised, and placed at the disposal of Gen. Hull, who, on the 12th of July, 1812, crossed the Canadian frontier, and issued a proclamation to the inhabitants, exhorting them to join his standard; but either from want of courage or lack of judgment, after ‘‘an inglorious occupation of less than a month,’’ withdrew his forces from the Canadian territory. Sir Isaac Brock was then Governor of Upper Canada, and com- mander of the British forces, which were then but small. They were afterwards considerably increased. Apprised at an early day of the declaration of war by Congress, he transmitted the intelligence at once to his outposts, and “ere the tardy and blundering movements of the American secretary had begun, his legions were in the field.’ Having. collected a foree of 300 English troops and 600 Indians, he arrived at Fort Mackinaw before the declaration of war was even known there, and compelled its small garrison of 58 men to surrender. About that time Capt. Brush, at the head of a company. of volun- teers, reached the river Raisin with supplies for the army of Gen. Hull. As he did not dare to proceed any further, the country around being infested with savages, Major Van Horn with 150 men was sent 46 HISTORY. to escort him to head-quarters. He was attacked near Brownstown, by a large body of British regulars and Indians, and defeated, with a loss of 19 killed; whereupon Lieut. Col. Miller, with 500 regulars and 200 militia, was despatched to the relief of Capt. Brush. Though Col. Miller advanced with great caution, he fell into an ambuscade, being unexpectedly attacked by a party of British regulars, and In- disns, commanded by Tecumseh in person. The battle raged with great fury ; a bayonet charge, however, executed with great spirit by the Americans, drove back the British, whilst the. Indians under Tecumseh maintained their ground, fighting with the most desperate valor. Unwilling, that their Indian allies should excel them in bra- very, the British returned to the charge, continuing the combat for two hours, after which they beat a hasty retreat. The loss in killed and wounded amounted to about 100 men on either side. Lieut. Col. Miller, while in Brownstown, making preparations to pursue his march, received orders to return immediately to head-quarters. Gen. Hull, in order to secure himself a regular supply of provisions, and at the same time to keep open his eommunication with the Ohio, had fixed his camp at Detroit. The vigilant Sir Isaac Brock, perceiving the isolated and perilous position of Gen. Hull, appeared on the 15th of August, 1812, before Detroit, with about 1000 men, both regulars and Indians, and.summoned Gen. Hull to surrender. To the aston- ishment and indignation of the whole garrison, who, equal as they were in numerical force to the British, confidently expected to repel the latter with great slaughter, in case they should dare an attack, Gen. Hull, whom no doubt old age had rendered imbecile, ordered his troops to stack their arms, and surrendered, not only his own pre- cious person, but also the place, the Territory of Michigan, and all of the northwestern army under his command, to the British under Sir Isaac Brock, on the 16th of August, 1812. A provisional govern- ment having been established in Detroit under Col. Proctor, Sir Isaac Brock returned to Niagara, and in the second invasion of Canada by the Americans, was slain at the battle of Queenstown. The fall of Detroit was not the only reverse the American arms were destined to sustain, before they should vindicate the cause of their country by splendid victories. Other forts, more remote, and, owing to the utter incomnetence of Gen. Hull. but miserably provided for, HISTORY. 47 had to be abandoned to the British, and at the very time of the fall of Detroit, Chicago was the theatre of barbarous cruelties and a savage massacre, in which its garrison was nearly exterminated. Chicago was then but a small fort, which the United States government had erected in 1804, in order “to supply the Indians’ wants and to con- trol the Indians’ policy.” Sixty men, under the command of Capt. Heald, constituted the whole of its garrison. Gen. Hull, who, 4s commander of the Northwestern army, was also entrusted with the defence of the forts of the Northwestern Territory, despatched a friendly Indian to Chicago with such orders as could only emanate from such a man, directing Capt. Heald to evacuate the fort, and to distribute all of the United States property, arms and ammunition included, among the neighboring Indians, and repair to Fort Wayne. This Indian arrived on the 7th of August, and urged Capt. Heald to evacuate the fort without a moment’s delay, before the Pottawatomies, a numerous and warlike tribe, through whose country they had to pass, could receive intelligence, aud collect a force sufficient to harass him on his march. Capt. Heald neglected to follow this prudent advice, so that at the time he read the order of evacuation to his troops, the Indians were already apprised of his intentions. Several of the officers of Capt. Heald, considering his project as little short of madness, remonstrated against it, urging Capt. Heald to remain in the fort, and to strengthen it as well as possible; but in obedience to the order of Gen. Hull, Capt. Heald insisted upon marching out. Although the Indians of the adjacent villages had already become troublesome, and manifested symptoms of hostility, so infatuated was Capt. Heald, as to hold, on the 12th of August, a council with them, in which he requested them to escort him to Fort Wayne, promising large rewards on their arri- val thither, in addition to the goods, ammunition and provisions they were to receive, in pursuance of the absurd order of Gen. Hull. On the next day Capt. Heald distributed the goods in the factory store among the Indians, but being struck with the folly of delivering to them arms and ammunition, which they might use against the Ameri- cans, or liquor, which might arouse their savage temper, emptied the liquor into the stream flowing near by, and destroyed of arms and ammunition whatever was not required for immediate use. Notwith- 48 HISTORY. standing all the precautions which had been taken, the Indians per- ceived what had been going on, and on the following day, when again meeting Capt. Heald in council, reproached him in the severest terms for having violated his promises. After the council had adjourned, Black Partridge, one of their chiefs, repaired to Capt. Heald, and de- livered to him a medal, given him by the Americans as a token of friendship, assigning as the reason for so doing, that he could no longer restrain his warriors, and would not wear a token of peace when com- pelled to act as an enemy. Information was also received from ano- ther Indian chief, that the Pottawatomies, who had promised to pro- tect the troops, could not be trusted. Notwithstanding these repeated warnings, Capt. Heald, at the head of his garrison, marched out of the fort on the morning of the 15th, with. the families and baggage of the soldiers, and the invalids, being followed in the rear by about 500 Pottawatomies, who were to escort the troops to Fort Wayne. Whilst the soldiers pursued their march, the Potta- watomies suddenly left the road, and turning the flank of the troops, poured in a yolley of musketry upon them. The treacherous plot of the Indians could no longer be mistaken. The battle at once became general; the Americans fought with the greatest gallantry, till two- thirds of their number were slain; the remainder, 27 in all, surren- dered, after stipulating for the safety of their families and themselves. In the hurry of the moment, the wounded prisoners were not thought of; therefore the Indians, considering them as excluded from the stipulation, tomahawked and butchered them with the most savage ferocity, during the following night, when they had returned with their captives to their camp, near the fort. . HISTORY. 99 totally defeated ; this, however, did not prevent them from plundering the towns of their enemies. At last, Gov. Boggs called out the militia, with strict orders to expel the Mormons from the State, at the point of bayonet, if necessary. The Mormons were speedily sur- rounded, and forced to surrender; all- were dismissed, upon giving promise to leave the State, with the exception of their leaders, who were arrested and committed to prison, but managed to escape beyond the boundaries of the State, before they could be brought to trial. The whole body of the Mormons removed to Illinois in the years 1839 and 1840, being kindly received as sufferers in the cause of their religion, and permitted to settle at a place on the banks of the Mississippi, in the upper part of the county of Hancock, where they soon built a city. To this they gave the name of Nauvoo; it was scattered over some six square miles, part of it being built upon the flat skirting the river side, but the greater part upon the bluffs east of the river, on the brow of which, commanding a view of the coun- try for 20 miles around, in Illinois and Iowa, towered the great tem- ple of the Mormons. The whig and democratic parties being each of them anxious to conciliate the Mormons to their interests, the latter experienced no difficulty in obtaining from the Legislature charters incorporating Nauvoo under the government of a Mayor, four Aldermen, and nine Councillors, with powers to pass ordinances, provided the same were not repugnant to the Constitution of the United States or Illinois, and incorporating also the militia of Nauvoo into a military legion, called “The Nauvoo Legion,” entirely independent of the State militia, and accountable only to the Governor: besides incorporating a great tavern, to be called ‘The Nauvoo House,” in which the prophet and his heirs were to possess a suite of rooms forever. Under these charters, a city government, and the Nauvoo Legion, were promptly organized, Joe Smith being at once elected’ Mayor, and next to the Governor in the command of the Legion. In the autumn of the year 1841, the Governor of Missouri made a demand on Gov. Carlin, to deliver up to him Joe Smith, and several other Mormons, as fugitives from justice. Gov. Carlin issued an executive warrant to this effect, which writ, however, was returned ‘without being served. Another such warrant having been issued by 100 HISTORY. him, Joe Smith was arrested and carried before Judge Douglass, who discharged him upon the ground, that the writ, having been once. returned before its execution, was “ functus officio.’’ Goy. Carlin issued another writ in 1842. Joe Smith was arrested again, but discharged by his own municipal court by a writ of habeas corpus; the common council of Nauvoo, of which he himself was. the presiding member, having passed an ordinance empowering the mu- nicipal court of Nauvoo to have jurisdiction in all cases of arrests made in the city, by any process whatever; notwithstanding the charter granted to the municipal court jurisdiction only in cases of arrests for breach of some ordinance. Early in the year 1842, while the contest for Governor was going on, Adam W. Snyder having been chosen as the democratic candidate, and Joseph Duncan, the former governor, as the whig candidate, Joe Smith issued a proclamation to the saints, exhorting them to vote for Mr. Snyder, and declaring Judge Douglass to be a master spirit. Having hitherto derived considerable support from the Mormon vote, the whig party, at the appearance of this proclamation, which clearly indicated, that they could no longer count upon their former friends, were greatly irritated against the Mormons, their papers abounding with recitals of the atrocities and enormities perpetrated at Nauvoo. They also charged with awful wickedness, the democrats for having admitted such fiends as the Mormons into their ranks, although, by this time, the Mormons had rendered themselves extremely odious to the great body of the people, it being believed, that the Mormons looked upon Illinois as the land promised them by the Lord; their Legion being intended for no other purpose, it was said, than to take possession of the State, whenever it should become strong enough. The excitement throughout the State in regard to the Mormons, soon reached a pitch, which made it evident, that a violent struggle, and perhaps bloodshed, was about to.take place. Adam W. Snyder, the democratic candidate, having died previous to the election, Thomas Ford, one of the Judges of the Supreme Court, at that time engaged in holding a Circuit Court on Fox river, was nominated candidate for Governor in his stead. He was elected “Governor by a large majority; at the time he assumed the reins of , government, he found the State laboring under the excitement of the HISTORY. 101 Mormon question. Her finances were in a ruinous condition; the treasury was utterly bankrupt, not containing enough money to pay postage on the usual letters; indebted, moreover, for the customary expenses of government, in the sum of $313,000; whilst the annual revenues provided for the payment of the expenses of government, amounted to but one-third of this sum. The currency of the State was annihilated, in consequence of which no taxes could be paid or collected; a debt of about $14,000,000 had been contracted for car- rying out the internal improvement system; and the State, by bor- rowing beyond her means, had lost her credit. The people were in- debted to the merchants: these again to the foreign merchants, or to the banks, and the banks to everybody; and none were able to pay. The confusion of public affairs was, in general, such as to make many despair of the possibility of devising a system of policy, which could relieve the State from the calamities, under which she was then suffer- ing. Many of the whigs were in favor of repudiating the entire State debt, believing this course of proceeding to be acceptable to the great body of the people, and therefore well calculated to increase the power of their party, then smarting under the effects of the defeats they had repeatedly sustained in elections. The two leading organs of the whig party, the Sangamon Journal and the Alton Telegraph, openly contended, that the debt never could nor would be paid, and that everybody ought to acquiesce in this, as a matter of stern neces- sity, which admitted of no further discussion, and forbade all attempts to charm it away. The great majority, however, of the politicians of the two great parties, observed an ominous silence on the subject, none of them being willing to advocate a measure, which, with a tax- hating people, might have proved in the highest degree injurious to their interests, by destroying their hardly-acquired popularity; so that, but for the energetic action of the Governor in the premises, who boldly took the lead, denouncing with manly firmness all refusals to pay the public debt, [linois would probably have been made a repudiating State. The property owned by the State consisted of 42,000 acres, pur- chased under the internal improvement system ; 210,000 acres, granted by the United States under the distribution law of 1841; 280,467 acres of canal lands, besides 3,491 town lots in various towns on the 9 * 102 HISTORY. canal; the work done on the canal and railroads, with a large quan- tity of railroad iron, and the stock in the banks. These were the only resources left, applicable to the liquidation of the whole debt, for the payment of which heavy taxation could not then be resorted to, since it would result in depopulating the country; so that the debt would never be paid. During the summer of 1842, Justin Butterfield, a distinguished lawyer of Chicago, had several conversations on the subject of the canal with Arthur Bronson, a wealthy New York capitalist, interested in the State stocks of Illinois, and Mr. Michael Ryan: both of whom were acquainted with, and possessed the confidence of capitalists in HKurope and America. In consequence of forcible representations on the part of Mr. Butterfield, a plan was devised and adopted by these capitalists and their friends, to the effect, that the owners of canal bonds should advance $1,600,000, the sum reported by the chief engi- neer to be necessary to complete the canal, to secure which new loan, and provide also for the ultimate payment of the entire canal debt, the State was to convey the canal property to them in trust, and im- pose a tax sufficient to pay a portion of the interest on the whole debt. The success of this plan could only have been ensured by the adop- tion of the right course of policy in regard to the banks, by far the most important subject, that was deliberated upon by the Legislature at their session of 1842; since there were at stake about $3,100,000 worth of State stocks, upon the value of which the completion of the canal depended. The people clamored for some mode of liquidating the bank debts, many of them being in favor of repealing their char- ters, and appointing commissioners to take charge of their effects, to pay their debts, and collect whatever was due them; whilst by far the greater part of the people declared themselves in favor of 2 com- promise, by which the State would be paid for its stock, and the banks bring their affairs to a close at once. The State Bank held $1,750,000 of State bonds, and $294,000 in Auditor’s warrants, together with scrip, amounting in the aggregate to $2,100,000, which it agreed to disgorge at once. The Illinois Bank, at Shawneetown, was willing to deliver at once $500,000, of which $469,998 were in Auditor’s war- rants; and to pay the residue on a short credit. Those, who advo- cated the repeal of the bank charters, suggesting, that their effects be HISTORY. 103 placed in the hands of commissioners appointed for that purpose, did not consider that, like all public officers managing money matters, these commissioners would have set their ingenuity at work to devise means, by which to obtain for themselves whatever of the effects would have come in their hands, so that neither creditors nor stockholders would ever have got anything; nor did they consider, that, though the Legislature might repeal, the banks were at liberty to contest their right so to do, involving the case in endless litigation, the result of which might even have been a decision in their favor; whilst, in the meantime, they would not have been at a loss how to remove their assets to a place of safety, beyond the reach of their creditors. They also paid no regard to the fact, that a government, which, yielding to the excitement of the moment, hesitates not to adopt such extreme and violent measures as cannot be justified in point of law, is caleu- lated to excite such distrust in the minds of capitalists as to render them unwilling to subscribe to its stock, or expend their money for the improvements, which it authorizes. On the side of a compromise, it was argued, that the bonds held by the banks could not be suffered to be sold; for the sale of so great an amount of bonds, in addition to those already in the market, would not only still further depreciate their value, but, by impressing people with a belief that the State had wilfully assisted in depressing their value, in order to purchase its own bonds at the largest possible discount, would make them consider, that a State, which felt no repugnance to thus acting like a vulgar swin- dler, was certainly very far from entertaining any intention to pay a single cent on the public debt. These reasons prevailing with the people, a majority of them de- clared themselves in favor of a compromise; accordingly, a bill of compromise with the State Bank was introduced into the House of Representatives, and passed by a vote of 107 to 4. It was at once agreed to by the bank, and Mr. Clernand, the chairman of the finance committee of the Lower House, became its principal advocate. As there existed an old feud between Mr. Clernand and Lyman Trum- bull, Secretary of State, the latter threatened, that he would take good care, that the bill should be so altered in the Senate, which body had yet to vote on it, that ‘the framers, in the House, should not know their own bantling, when it came back to them.” Qn hearing 104 HISTORY. - this, the Governor, being of opinion, that the Secretary of State ought to be the confidential adviser and helper of the executive, immediately removed Trumbull from his office. The bill was then passed by a large majority, and approved by the council of revision; and a similar one was passed in regard to the Illinois Bank, at Shawneetown; by which two bills a debt of $2,500,000 was liquidated, and the domestic treasury at once relieved. | The Legislature, at this session, also enacted laws for the sale of State lands and property, for the negotiation of the loan of $1,600,000, which had been proposed to complete the Illinois and Michigan Canal, for the redemption of interest bonds mortgaged to McAlister and Stebbins, and for the reception of the distributive share of the State in the proceeds of the sales of the public lands; by which laws the State debt was reduced to $8,000,000. This reduction could not fail to have a highly beneficial influence upon the condition of the State. Auditor’s warrants, which had sold at 50 per cent., at once rose to 90 per cent.; State bonds, which had been selling at 14 cents on the dollar, now-sold for 40, the banks paid out their specie, and the cur- rency of the State was restored to a good condition in less than three months. The negotiation of the canal loan having been already commenced in the year 1842 by Justin Butterfield and Michael Ryan, the latter gentleman, who had been an engineer on the canal himself, and was in possession of much valuable information concerning its progress and statistics, was appointed, with Col. Charles Oakley, agent to bring this business to a conclusion. They proceeded to New York, and wrote a series of articles for the New York newspapers, in which the real condition of the State was truthfully described. Confidence was at once restored among business men and capitalists; and David Lea- vitt, the distinguished president of the American Exchange Bank, in New York, which held $250,000 of canal bonds, assisted in calling a meeting of the American bondholders, at which it was resolved, that the American creditors should subscribe for their proportion of the loan. Confident of success, Messrs. Oakley and Ryan proceeded to Hurope, and had interviews with Baring, Brothers & Co., of London, Hope & Co., of Amsterdam, and Magniac, Jardine & Co., all creditors of the State, and among the wealthiest capitalists in Hurope. These gentlemen declared themselves in favor of the loan, but wanted to - HISTORY. 105 ' receive guaranties as to the value of the canal lands, as a security for _ the money and the ultimate payment of the canal debt ($5,000,000), and to be assured as to the willingness of the people to submit to higher taxation, if necessary. A provisional arrangement was then entered into, during the summer of 1843, in pursuance of which Messrs. Abbott Lawrence, Thomas W. Ward, and William Sturges, of Boston, were directed to appoint two competent persons in America to inquire into the value of the canal lands: $400,000 were promised to be subscribed at once, provided the Governor would pledge himself to urge the necessity of an increased taxation, at the next session of the Legislature ;: whereupon Messrs. Oakley and Ryan returned, in November, 1843. The choice of the Boston committee fell upon Gov. John Davis, of Massachusetts, and William H. Swift, an emi- nent engineer and Captain in the U.S. Army. Having examined the canal and canal lands, and satisfied themselves as to the truth of the representations of Messrs. Oakley and Ryan, Gov. Davis and Capt. Swift issued a circular, strongly recommending the loan. Senator Ryan, and afterwards Col. Oakley, returned to London to complete the necessary arrangements for the loan; but the foreign bondholders refusing to meddle any further with it, until the Legislature and the people of the State should have manifested some public regard to their obligations, and made some efforts to pay the interest on the public debt, they were obliged to return without having accomplished anything. In the fall of 1844, a letter was addressed through the public news- papers to Gov. Thomas Ford, by that faction of the people hostile to increased taxation, in which that measure was bitterly denounced. Although Gov. Ford knew very well, that to advocate increased taxa- tion might render him utterly odious to a tax-hating people, he came up to the question with great resolution and self-devotion to the wel- fare of his country, publishing an answer to the above letter through the newspapers, which, remarkable as it was for its sound common sense and sagacious views, and the noble spirit of patriotism animating every line of it, not only entirely refuted the arguments set up by the opposite party, but also in due time, when its contents had become known in the Eastern States and London, by convincing the public creditors, that not every man in Illinois was of necessity a hair-brained, 106 HISTORY. rabid demagogue, produced so favorable a change in their minds, as to make them not only at once agree to complete the arrangements for the loan, but also subscribe for a much larger amount, than they had originally intended. Mr. Leavitt, a gentleman of the highest standing and credit in the financial world, and a very able financier, _ who, by his successful exertions in the arrangement of the loan, to which he himself had very liberally subscribed, had rendered the most essential services to the State, hurried to Lllinois, accompanied by Col. Oakley and Gov. Davis. They arrived at Springfield about the mid- dle of February, 1845, during the session of the Legislature. Gov. Davis and Mr. Leavitt submitted the proposition of the public cre- ditors, which was at once communicated to both houses, through the executive. It passed the House by a considerable. majority, but was defeated in the Senate, owing to the spirit of hostility engendered in that body by the Hx-Secretary of State and his friends, who, it is probable, from motives of personal resentmént, had arrayed themselves in opposition to it. But the friends of the bill procured a reconsi- deration of the vote, and by dexterously removing and striking out of the canal bill whatever related to, or had the semblance of a public tax, having silenced much of the opposition, secured the concurrence of the Senate in the bill so introduced, and of the House in the bill so amended. Laws were passed perfecting the canal arrangement; two trustees were elected by the bondholders, and one by the Gover- nor: the board was organized, the work on the canal let out to con- tractors, and the money required for carrying it on was obtained. The Legislature, at this session of 1845, also fixed the rate of in- terest on money, at six per cent.; which measure had become neces- sary, owing to the conduct of a great part of the merchants of the State, who, in the time of bank suspension, having a large stock of goods on hand, in consequence of which competition amongst them, in their retail business, was considerably increased, had found them- selves obliged to encourage people to buy on credit, crediting almost any one to the whole amount of his property, and in case he was unable to pay, taking his notes at 12 per cent. interest; so that a ma- jority of the people were soon indebted beyond their means, and com-’ pelled to pay a ruinous rate of interest to save themselves from being sued for their debts. HISTORY. 107 On reviewing again its financial condition, it will be found, that the affairs of the State had been administered with such distinguished skill and integrity by Gov. Thomas Ford, that in December, 1846, when his term of office expired, the domestic debt of the treasury had been reduced from $313,000 to $31,000, Auditor’s warrants were at par, the banks had been liquidated in a just and honorable manner, their notes had been banished from circulation, and been replaced by coin currency and the notes of solvent banks of other States, the peo- ple had paid their debts, and eight millions of the public debt had been paid, redeemed, or otherwise provided for: and the State itself, which but a short time before had been in a most ruinous condition, discredited throughout the world, had yet been able to borrow the further sum of $1,600,000 for the completion of the work on the canal. Confidence in the prospects of the State was at once revived, and the tide of emigration once more directed to Illinois, the popu- lation of which in 1845, according to the census of that year, amounted to 662,150 souls, and was rapidly increasing. CHAPTER VI. HAVING, in the last chapter, brought down the civil history of the State to the end of the year 1846, we now prosecute again the history of the State as connected with the Mormons. ‘This people had settled in Hancock county, and in the year 1842 had increased their numbers to nearly 20,000 souls. The warrant of Gov. Carlin for the arrest of Joe Smith, their prophet, as a fugitive from justice in Missouri, which had not been executed, and was still impending at the time Gov. Ford came into office, had been annulled and rendered void of effect by the writ of habeas corpus, made out by Judge Pope, of the Fed- eral Court, who belonged to the whig party ;. in consequence of which proceeding the prophet had been discharged. But an accusation being vamped up in Missouri against Joe Smith, for having attempted the murder of the Governor of Missouri, on the 5th of J une, 1843, another demand was made by the Missourian governor for the arrest of the prophet, and a warrant accordingly issued by Gov. Thomas Ford; in pursuance of which Joe Smith was arrested while absent from Nauvoo, on a visit to Rock river. The Missourian agent started with the holy prophet in his safe keeping, on his way to Missouri; but on the road was waylaid by a number of armed Mormons, who captured the whole party, and conducted their sacred prophet in tri- umph back to Nauvoo, the Zion of the modern age. The prophet was immediately taken before the Municipal Court, the members of which, being his intimate friends, did not fail to discharge him. About that time, an election for Congress was to take place in the Mormon district. The whigs expected, that the essential services they had rendered to the Mormons, by procuring the discharge of their prophet, would secure them the support of the Mormon vote for their own candidate, Cyrus Walker, but they were outgeneraled by: the democrats, who terrified the saints with the prospect of the militia being sent against them, in case they voted for the whig candidate ; (108 ) HISTORY. 109 which was, without doubt, the cause of the vision of Hiram Smith, patriarch in the Mormon Church, and brother of the prophet; in which God had revealed to him, that the Mormons must support Mr. Hoge, the democratic candidate. This vision, after the prophet him- self had attested it to be a genuine one, decided the contest in favor of Mr. Hoge, who, having received 3000 votes in Nauvoo, was elected to Congress by 800 majority. Awful was the consternation of the whigs at this unexpected defeat: they again gave vent to their anger and boiling rage through the newspapers, which now, as formerly, teemed with accounts of the enormities and atrocities committed at Nauvoo; charging the democrats, who could consent to receive the votes of such miscreants, with horrible wickedness, well worthy of the fire of eternal damnation. No further demand having been made by the Missourians for deli- vering up the prophet, the latter, together with his saints, continued in their usual course of arrogance and insolence. They published ordinances proclaiming, that no person in Nauvoo should be arrested on a foreign writ, without the approval of the Mayor, endorsed on the same; and that any person attempting to serve any foreign writ with- out any such approval, would be imprisoned for life. They also con- ceived the absurd idea of petitioning Congress to establish a separate territorial government for them in Nauvoo, thus rendering it morally certain, that they contemplated to erect an “imperium in imperio.” Nay, to fill the measure of their arrogance, Joe Smith, in the spring of 1844, was announced by them as a candidate for the Presidency of the United States, and 3000 missionaries were despatched in every direction, to electioneer for their prophet, and to reveal the “ fullness of the gospel” to the astonished multitude. The ridicule, with which these devoted missionaries were overwhelmed by all sensible men, was but the just reward of this crowning piece of Mormon folly. About this time, the prophet instituted a new and select order of the priesthood, who were to be his nobility, and the defenders of his throne. . He also instituted an order called the Danite Band, who were to be his chosen body-guard. He then caused himself to be anointed priest and king, claiming to descend, in direct line, from Joseph, the son of Jacob, and prescribing the form of the oath of allegiance to himself which every one of his followers was to take. 10 110 HISTORY. He also instituted a female order, called “Spiritual Wives ;” revealing this doctrine, that no woman could be “sealed up to eternal life,’ except by selecting a Mormon elder, with whom she was to share at least once her bed; and that any man was allowed to have one wife, and yet, at the same time, in a mystical, spiritual way, might enjoy the possession of many others; the truth of which doctrines he de- monstrated, by referring to the examples of Abraham, Jacob, David, and Solomon, the favorites of God; and was one of the first to illus- trate their practical working, by seducing a number of women, and endeavoring to make the wife of William Law, one of his most talented disciples, his spiritual mistress. Such corrupt despotism could not be endured. William Law, an eloquent preacher, and five other leaders of the Mormons, resolved to set at naught the authority of the prophet, by establishing a newspaper in Nauvoo, intended to enlighten their brethren on their real condition, for which daring offence they were immediately tried by the Common Council, and having been abundantly convicted of innumerable crimes and misde- meanors, were ejected from the Mormon Church; their press, by order of the prophet, was scattered to the four winds. The expelled Mormons retired to Carthage, the county seat of Hancock county, and took out warrants against the Mayor and members of the Com- mon Council, and others, who had been engaged in the outrage; these were, however, immediately taken before the Municipal Court, on a writ of habeas corpus, and discharged; upon which the seceding Mormons despatched a committee to the Governor, requesting him to call out the militia to assist them in arresting the offenders and bring- ing them to punishment. That high-handed proceeding, on the part of the prophet and his saints, by which the liberty of the press, one of the most sacred rights of a republican people, had been so rudely assailed, produced an immense excitement among a people already so much embittered against the Mormons, on account of their practice of voting in a body, so that none could aspire to the honors and offices of the county without the consent and approbation of the Mormons, who constituted the balance of power; as also on account of their apparent determination to establish a separate government, independent of the State; and, lastly, on account of their numerous robberies and petty larcenies. The militia of the county having been called out by HISTORY. 111 the constables, to serve as a ‘‘ posse comitatus,” to assist in the exe- cution of the process, the Governor, who, on receiving the complaints of the rejected Mormons, had resolved to visit in person that section of the country, in order to inquire, on the spot, into the particulars of the whole affair, arriving at Carthage on the 21st of June, 1844, found a large military force assembled, which was hourly increasing. Having placed the whole force then assembled at Carthage under the command of their proper officers, he called them together, explaining to them what he could do and was willing to do, and exhorting them to keep strict order and discipline, and not to violate the authority of the laws: to all these charges they cheerfully assented. Having received these assurances, the Governor despatched a force of ten men, with the constable, to Nauvoo, to make the necessary arrests, and escort the prisoners to head-quarters: to the culprits protection was to be extended, in case they should voluntarily submit. In the meantime, Joe Smith, as Lieutenant-General of the Nauvoo Legion, had declared martial law in the city; the Mormons in the neighborhood of Nauvoo had marched to his assistance, the Legion had assembled under arms, and the city seemed one great military camp, all avenues to which were strictly guarded and watched. Upon the arrival of the constable and guard, the Mayor and Common Council at once agreed to surrender, and to proceed to Carthage early on the morning of the next day; but the constable and guard, who belonged to a faction of daring, violent spirits, who had secretly con- spired to bring matters with the Mormons to extremities, made no effort to arrest them, nor would he stay one minute beyond the time allotted him, but immediately returned with the report, that the ac- cused had fled, and could not be found. Gov. Thomas Ford, who was soon informed of this base conduct of the constable and guard, reflecting that the season had just become suitable for the harvest, a delay of two weeks in the gathering of which might produce a general famine, and considering, also, that the ter- rible freshets at that time liable in all the rivers of the western coun- try (one of which, the Mississippi, had risen several feet higher than was known before, overflowing the whole American bottom from eight to twenty feet deep, washing away houses, fences, and cattle, and_ nearly ruining the time-honored village of Kaskaskia; the other _rivers, in proportion to the dimensions of their beds, causing as much damage as the Mississippi), would render all efforts to procure provi- sions, in case an expedition should be undertaken, totally unavailing, resolved to postpone the general calling out of the militia, giving, in the meantime, another opportunity to the accused to surrender. He therefore made a demand upon the officers of the Mormon Legion to surrender the arms, with which the Legion, at the time of their incorporation, had been furnished by the State, and required, that the prophet-mayor of Nauvoo, together with his brother Hiram, and other conspicuous Mormon leaders, be delivered up. The arms, consisting of 3 pieces of cannon and 220 stand of small arms, were immediately given up, and on the 24th day of June, the illustrious prophet and his brother, together with those of his associates, who had been sum- moned by the warrant, entered Carthage, surrendering themselves as prisoners to the constable, on an indictment of riot. Having given such pledges as the justice of the peace deemed necessary, that they would appear at court to answer the charge, they were all of them re- leased, save the prophet and his brother, who were detained on a charge of treason. There being no witnesses present at the time, the justice of the peace postponed the examination, meanwhile commit- ting the illustrious prisoners for safe keeping to the county jail, a massive stone building. The Governor then despatched a company of militia, under the command of Capt. Singleton, to Nauvoo, to guard the town and take command of the Legion. The force assembled at Carthage consisted of about 1200 men, some 500 more being stationed at Warsaw. Nearly all of those, who resided in Hancock county were clamorous for marching into Nauyoo, pleading, that this measure was indispensable, to strike terror into the Mormons, and to seize some apparatus supposed to be there for the manufacture of bogus coin, together with the counterfeit money itself. The Governor yielding to their entreaties, the 27th of June was ap- pointed for the march, and Golden’s Point, near the Mississippi, about equi-distant from Nauvoo and Warsaw, designated as the place of ren- dezvous. Whilst preparations were making for the expedition, the Governor learned, that a plan had been set on foot by some of his own party, to fire, under the cover of night, upon the troops, on the day of their arrival in Nauvoo, accusing the Mormons of the deed: 112 HISTORY. HISTORY. 113 for which they were to be massacred. by the troops. Justly incensed ° at the barbarity of this plan, which would have cost the lives of thou- sands of inoffensive women and children, that a city like Nauvoo, then numbering 15,000 inhabitants, must necessarily contain ; and irritated at the absurdity of the idea of taking the field against 3000 well- armed men, with a force of but 1700, scantily provisioned for two days, Gov. Ford, at a council of officers, convened on the morning of the 27th of June, strongly urged them to desist from their sanguinary designs; but seeing, that a majority of the council were even more anxious than before to march into Nauvoo, being fearful, lest a collision might take place, he ordered the troops to be disbanded, both at Car- thage and Warsaw, with the exception of three companies, two of which were appointed to guard the jail, while with the third he pro- posed to march to Nauvoo himself, to intimidate the Mormons, and search for the bogus coin and the apparatus for manufacturing it, about which the officers were so much troubled. Having left Gen. Deming in command of Carthage, and entrusted to two companies, under the command of Capt. R. F. Smith, of the Carthage Grays, the keeping of the jail, they promising to discharge their duty strictly according to law, Gov. Ford proceeded to Nauvoo, accompanied by Col. Buckmaster and Capt. Dunn’s company of dragoons. Whilst on his march, having been notified, that an attack upon the jail was medi- tated, he ordered, that the baggage-wagons return to Carthage, and hurried with the utmost speed to Nauvoo, where he immediately con- voked an assembly of the citizens, to whom he stated, in what particular the laws had been violated by their leaders; also the excitement and hatred prevailing everywhere against them, and the causes of it, call- ing on them to keep the public peace; after which, having received a unanimous vote from the Mormons, that they would abide the laws and strictly observe their provisions, he returned on the evening of the same day, with the utmost despatch, to Carthage. He had scarcely proceeded two miles, when he was met by a Mormon, who told him, that the Smiths had been assassinated in jail early in the morning of that day. Anticipating the worst consequences from such a treach. erous act, which was only too well calculated to rouse the fanatical, revengeful spirit of the Mormons, making them determined to wage a war of extérmination, the Governor, in order to prepare for any © 10* H 114 . HISTORY. emergency, lost no time in getting to Warsaw, where he found the people in the highest state of excitement, owing to some ridiculous and exaggerated reports, that he and his party had been furiously assailed by the Mormon Legion, and unless assistance was rendered in two days, would be cut up without mercy; which rumors had been circulated by the anti-Mormén party, to influence the public to take vengeance upon the Mormons. Such was the agitation of the public mind, that knowing himself to be distrusted by the anti-Mormon ultraists, both ef the democratic and whig party, and finding his influ- ence and command to be at an end, the Governor made application to the United States for 500 men of the regular army, which being re- fused, he made the best arrangements, that circumstances permitted, for the pacification and defence of the country. He also studiously inquired into the details of the assassination of the Smiths, and was informed, that the order to disband had reached the Warsaw force whilst on their march to Golden Point; when some two hundred of them, having disguised themselves by blackening their faces with powder and mud, hastened immediately to Carthage, where, of the two companies of. the Carthage Grays appointed to guard the jail, but one remained, the other having disbanded and: returned home. ~ Havy- ing entered into communication with the remaining company, and made an arrangement, that the guard should fire at them with blank cartridges, when they stormed the jail, the conspirators rushed on to. the assault, jumped over the fence, were fired upon by the guard, which, according to agreement, made no attempt to resist, and entered the prison, making their way at once to the room, where the prisoners, with two of their friends, who voluntarily bore them company, were confined. When the door was burst open, shots were immediately exchanged between the conspirators: and the company in the room; Hiram Smith was instantly killed, and the prophet, who, after shoot- ing down three of his assailants, with a six-barrelled pistol given him by his friends, had jumped out of the window, stunning himself so severely in his fall as to be unable to pursue his flight, was despatched by the conspirators below with four balls through his body. Thus fell Joe Smith, the holy prophet of the Mormons; the most daring impostor in modern times, and by many of the Puritanic stock believed to have been the very incarnation of Satan. ‘Totally ignorant HISTORY. 115 of almost every fact in science, as well as in law, he made up in con- structiveness and natural cunning, whatever in him was wanting of instruction. The animal nature largely preponderating in the man, he had not the genius to’ form any vast and comprehensive plans for the future ; but whatever he did, was merely intended for present con- venience, and gratification of his beastly lusts and desires. He was possessed of some qualities, which would have eminently fitted him for the stage, being always able to change his external appearance and- conduct according to circumstances; at times affecting the deepest humiliation for his sins, suffering the most unspeakable tortures, as if burning already in the terrible fire of eternal damnation, and calling for the prayers-of the: brethren in his behalf, with a fearful, soul- stirring energy, and heart-rending earnestness; then again being ex- ceedingly soft and gentle in his behavior; then again, loud and furious as ‘a highway robber,” “swearing like a pirate and drinking like a sailor.’ He bore in his profile a strong resemblance to that of a boar; he was full six feet high, and endowed with a frame of uncom- mon vigor, to the superior strength of which he was no doubt much indebted for the influence he exercised over an ignorant people. Those of his followers, who aided and supported him in the administration of his government, were mostly unprincipled and bankrupt, but talented men, who claimed to have a right to teach to, or impose upon mankind a new religion, which might afford them a living, or some cheap glory. This class of men constituted the leaders, whilst their deluded followers were principally .men of a weak and unstable character; this made them easily subject to the power of designing machinators; and of a dreamy and wandering dispo- sition, and a ready belief in wonderful and supernatural matters. Many of the Mormons were notorious rogues; but the greater part of them were pitiable victims of a religious imposture, sincere and fanatical in their faith. When the news of the death of their revered leaders reached the Mormons at Nauvoo, they were so stupefied by it as to remain quiet, much to the astonishment of every one. Many of them at first re- fused to believe the dire intelligence; others published revelations, that the prophet, in imitation of the Saviour, was to rise from the dead; and many maintained, by solemn oath, that they had seen him 116 HISTORY. at the head of a celestial army, coursing the air on a magnificent white steed. After the holy prophet had thus met with an untimely fate, Sidney Rigdon, who had been a member of the first presidency of the Church, composed of Joe and Hiram Smith and the twelve apostles, claimed the government of the Church, alleging a will of the prophet in his favor. Perhaps he might have succeeded in his pretensions, had he not, unfortunately, published a revelation imparted him from heaven, directing the Mormons to abandon the holy city of Nauvoo, and to remove to Pittsburgh; which at once destroyed his influence with the Mormons, who now confided the government of the Church to the twelve apostles, with Brigham Young, a cunning rascal, at their head. Another election for members of Congress and for the Legislature, was to take place in August, 1844, and a presidential election was pending throughout the nation. The contest was carried on by the various parties with the most fierce and determined spirit, and as the Mormons participated in this contest, it being feared, that they would, as usual, cast their votes as a unit, thereby compelling every office- seeker to court the favors of that despised people, the hatred of the people against the Mormons soon rose to a terrible pitch of excitement ; to allay this the Governor strongly recommended the Mormons not to vote. Buta dexterous politician went to their city a few days before the election,.and by artful representations and liberal promises of the support of the democratic party, induced the Mormons, who were foolish enough to believe him authorized to make such assurances, to vote the whole democratic ticket. This vote of the Mormons, the whig leaders, and many democrats desirous of making political capi- tal, laid to the Governor’s charge; which made the anti-Mormon ultraists more than ever determined to expel this body. In the fall of 1844, the leaders of the anti-Mormons sent printed circulars to all the militia captains:in Hancock and the neighboring counties of Missouri, inviting them to be present at a great wolf-hunt in Hancock. Arrangements were made for assembling several thou- sand men, provisioned for six days, the anti-Mormon press simulta-_ neously renewing their crusade against the Mormons, whom they charged with the most horrible murders, thefts, rapes, and Eo of every kind. A we HISTORY. 117 a . In this state of affairs, the Governor applied to the chief officers of the State militia, who, uniting their exertions with his own, succeeded in raising a force of 500 volunteers, under command of Brigadier- General Hardin ; with these the Governor proceeded to Hancock. He arrived in Hancock county on the 25th of October. The conspirators dispersed at his approach, and their leaders fled to Missouri. During his stay in the county, the Governor found out, that his officers and men were so much infected with anti-Mormon prejudices as to make it utterly impossible for him to control them. Determined to make the assassins of the Smiths, for whose protection in jail he had pledged his word, which had been so shamefully violated, feel the utmost rigor of the law, the Governor prepared to cross with a small force to Mis- souri, at Churchville, to seize three anti-Mormon leaders, accused of that murder;. but had the mortification to see, that one of his own officers frustrated his design, by advising all against joining the expe- dition, and arranging privately the terms of surrender for the accused, whereupon two of them came forth and delivered themselves up. They were tried before Judge Young, in the summer of 1845, but although the Governor, being resolved to make the offenders pay the utmost penalty of the law, employed the most able lawyers in their prosecution, such was the influence of party faction, that the accused were all acquitted. At the next term, the leading. Mormons were tried for the destruction of the heretical press, but the Mormons hav- ing, in their turn, impanelled a jury favorable to them, these accused were also acquitted. The result of these trials made it evident, thet no one could be convicted of any crime in Hancock; which for a time rendered it impossible to administer the criminal law in that unhappy county, unless, indeed, by force of arms; so that, while the early French settlers seemed to have verified the assertion, that a virtucus and con- tented péople do not only not require the paternal care of any kind of government, but are most happy without such, the people in Han- cock county, on the other hand, seemed to establish the fact, that a corrupt and lawless people are fit objects to be ruled over by the iron hand of a despot, whose government is peremptorily demanded by their happiness and welfare. During the course of the summer and fall of 1845, the hatred be- “bween the Mormons and anti-Mormons reached a higher degree of é Ban 7B & 11D: HISTORY. intensity, than ever before. . The anti-Mormons, as usual, loaded their papers with startling descriptions of the awful wickedness and enor- nities of Nauvoo, loudly complaining of the thefts and robberies of the Mormons, and calling upon the people to.rise and exterminate the miscreants. About this time, the deputy marshal went to Nauvoo to arrest some of the twelve apostles, against whom a suit had been commenced in the United States Circuit Court, on a note giyen in Ohio. He was threatened and abused for attempting to serve a process of law, and in a public assembly of the Mormons, after san- guinary addresses had been delivered by their leaders, it was unani- mously resolved and agreed, that no process ine be served in Nauvoo. | Not long after this, in the fall of 1845, the anti-Mormons of Lima and Green Plains held a meeting to plan a scheme for the expulsion of the Mormons. They agreed between themselves, that several of their own number should fire at the meeting-house, taking good care not. to hurt-any one. This was done, the house was fired at without any one being hurt, wheréupon the-anti-Mormons immediately broke up their meeting, and travelling over the country in eyery direction, spread the rumor, that the Mormons had commenced the work of death and extermination. Such intelligence was sure to gather a mob in a county like Hancock, many of the inhabitants of which had acquired’a reputation for their desperate character, being always ready to indulge in their. love of free fights, whenever a suitable occasion presented itself. A mob of anti-Mormons soon assembled at Lima, and proceeded to the settlements of some very poor Mormons in their neighborhood, threatening them with fire and sword, if they did not leave at once. The Mormons refusing to remove, the mob burnt down their houses, or rather hovels, compelling their wretched inmates to fly, in a state of utter destitution, to Nauvoo. ‘Terrible was the wrath of the saints at Nauvoo, when they saw their brethren arrive in so pitiful a condition. The sheriff of the county, Jacob B. Back- instos, whom the Mormons had just succeeded in electing, immedi- ately proceeded to Nauvoo, where he raised a posse of several hundred . Mormons, with which he scoured the. country, driving everything before him, occupied Carthage, and established a permanent Mormon garrison there. Afraid to be dealt with by the same measure, with HISTORY. . ? ae which they had accommodated the Mormons, the anti-Mormons fled everywhere before the sheriff; some to Iowa and Missouri, others to the neighboring counties in Illinois. The anti-Mormons having left, by their flight, the sheriff and his Mormon friends undisputed masters of the country, the Mormons, whose houses had been burnt, sallied forth in their turn, destroying the habitations of their adversaries, laying waste the country with fire ard sword, and plundering and car- rying off, ‘whatever admitted of any transportation. Upon receiving intelligence of these proceedings, the Governor hastened to Jackson- ville; where, in a conference with Gen. Hardin, Major Warren, Judge Douglass, and Attorney-General McDougall, it was agreed, that these gentlemen should proceed to Hancock with whatever forces had been raised, to restore order in that distracted county. Having raised about 400. volunteers, Gen. Hardin lost no time in getting to Carthage, where he dispersed the Mormon garrison and put an end to the ravages of the Mormons, recalling the anti-Mormons, and prohibiting the as- semblage of parties above four in number, either of Mormons or antt- Mormons. | . 3 The twelve apostles and the other leaders of the Mormons, satisfied by this time, that it would not do for the Mormons to remain any longer in the State, made arrangements with their enemies, through the intervention, of the Governor and Gen. Hardin, for the unmo- lested removal of ‘their people in the spring of 1846. The force of Gen. Hardin was diminished to 100 men, and Major W. B. Warren appointed their commander; he managed this force with such effi- ciency and skill as to render both parties afraid to set the laws at defiance during the winter. | In the meantime, the Mormons made the most enormous efforts for removal ;. all the houses in Nauvoo, not even excepting the temple, having been converted into workshops, so that before spring more than 12,000 wagons were in readiness for removing their families and effects. By the middle of May, about 16,000 Mormons had crossed the Mississippi on their march to California, leaving but a thousand of their number behind in Nauvoo, such as, having no money, or property which they might convert into money, were without the means of removing. | During the same month, the President called for four regiments of 120 HISTORY. volunteers from Illinois for the Mexican war; this was no sooner known in Illinois, than nine regiments, numbering 8370 men, an- swered the call, though only four of them, amounting to 3720 men, could be taken. These regiments, as well as their officers, were every- _ where foremost in the American ranks, and distinguished themselves by their matchless valor in the bloodiest battles fought throughout the eampaign. Gen. Hardin, at the battle of Buena Vista, attacked and routed a body of Mexican infantry and lancers five times the number of his own, deciding, by his gallant charge, the victory for the Ame- ricans, which was won at the expense of his own life and that of many of his bravest men. At the same battle, Lieutenant-Colonel Weath- erford, with his men, during the whole day stood the fire of the Mexi- can artillery, without being allowed to.advance near-enough to return it. Warren, Trail, Bissel, and Morrison, distinguished themselves by their intrepid valor at the same battle; Shields, Baker, Harris, and Coffey, are illustrious names, indissolubly connected with the glorious capture of Vera Cruz, and the not less famous storming of Cerro Gordo. In this latter -action, when, after the valiant Gen. Shields had been placed. hors du combat, the command of his force, consisting of two Illinois and one New York: regiment, devolved upon Col. Baker, this officer with his men stormed with unheard-of prowess.the last stronghold of the Mexicans, sweeping everything before them, and scattering the Mexican forces to the four winds. Such, indeed, was the intrepid valor and daring courage exhibited by the Lllinoisian volunteers during the Mexican war, that their deeds will live in the memory of their countrymen until those latest times, when the very name of America shall have been forgotten. After this slight digression, due to the memory of the Hlinoisian heroes in the Mexican war, we return again to the Mormons. Al- though after June, 1846, but few of that people remained behind, their enemies, fearing, that enough of them had been left to control the elections, commenced again harassing and annoying them, until they had extorted the promise from the Mormon leaders, that their — people should not vote at the next election. When this election, however, came off (August, 1846), the Mormons, without exception, voted the democratic ticket, which act’ terribly enraged the people against them. An outbreak of hostilities being looked for as una. ‘i HISTORY. 121 voidable, whilst both parties were collecting’ their forces, the trustees of Nauvoo, belonging to the number of the new citizens, who had pur- chased the houses and property of the Mormons, who had removed, applied to the Governor for a force to protect them. A force of militia was raised, and Mayor Parker appointed their commander ; but the abuse heaped upon this officer by the whig party, rendered it im- possible. for him to assist them effectually. As this force was about to march into the city, information reached the Governor, that the new citizens of Nauvoo were divided in two parties, one of which ‘was friendly to the Mormons, whilst the other, being hostile to them, had been threatened with death by them, if they did not join in the de- fence of the city. The*Governor lost no.time, but sent. M. Brayman, Esq., a distinguished citizen of Springfield, to Nauvoo, with strict orders, forbidding the Mormons to force the new citizens to join them against their will. Mr. Brayman went to Nauvoo, where it was agreed between him and the Mormons, that the -latter should leave the State in two months, their arms to remain in custody of the State during the meantime, which treaty was agreed to by Gen. Singleton, Col. Chittenden, and others, on the part of the anti-Mormon forces, and Mayor Parker and some Mormon leaders, on the other side. But when the treaty was submitted to the anti-Mormon forces for ratifi- cation, it was rejected by them, whereupon Gen. Singleton and Col. Chittenden immediately retired from the command, which was at once assumed by Thomas 8. Brockman, an ignorant, rough and uncouth Campbellite preacher, who was bitterly opposed to the Mormons, on account of their immoral practices; although he fully equalled, if he did not eclipse. them in these, having been defaulter to a large amount, while collector of taxes, and having committed various other rogueries. With a force of 800 men, and five cannon, belonging to. the State, he proceeded to Nauvoo, where an engagement in the suburbs was fought between his troops aud about 150 Mormons, together with some of the new citizens, as their allies; in which, owing to the very safe distance at which both parties kept from each other, but one man was killed, and some three or four wounded on either side, although the battle raged with unabated fury the whole day, 9000 cannon-balls and an infinite number of bullets being fired on each side. 11 7 | 122 HISTORY. After this sanguinary battle, through the intervention of an anti- Mormon committee from Quincy, the remaining Mormons at last agreed to remove from the State. In the midst of the sickly season they were hurried in the boats and thrown upon the Iowa shore, with- out shelter or provisions; in consequence whereof, great numbers of them miserably perished. The new citizens, who had joined the Mormons in their defence of the city, were many of them ducked — and ‘ baptized” in the river, and the rest of them driven, at the point of the bayonet, across the river, by the horde of armed scoundrels under the command of the villanous Campbellite preacher, the pro- fessed servant of the meek and lowly Jesus. . Some of the new citizens returned several times to look after their property, but were brutally driven off each time. A reaction now took place, however, in the minds of the people, in favor of the op- pressed; which the Governor no sooner perceived, than he started with about 200 men, raised in Springfield, to. Hancock, in order to reinstate sixty families of the unfortunate new citizens in their homes, which had been unmercifully plundered in the meantime. Having succeeded in this, and having made diligent, but unsuccessful: search, for the five pieces of cannon belonging to the State, he disbanded the principal part of his force, leaving Major Jackson and Capt. Connelly, with a force of 50 men, to stay in the county until the 15th of De- cember, 1846, by which time the cold of winter was expected to put an end to the anti-Mormon disturbances; which expectation was realized. ‘ bk : Pee Eads: While this bloody war was waged in Hancock county, between the followers of the prophet and their adversaries, an equally violent rebellion, though upon a smaller scale, broke out in the county of Massac, on the Ohio, the ancient settlement of horse-thieves, robbers, and counterfeiters, who.had again become so numerous and well or- ganized as to set the laws at defiance, by committing horrible murders and depredations. The honest portion of the people formed them- selves into companies of regulators, and were about to order the rogues from the country, when the Jatter, in the election for county officers, which came off in August, 1846, voted all. one way, thereby causing the election of a sheriff and other officers, who at once arrayed HISTORY. 123 themselves in open hostility to the regulators, allowing some of the rogues, who had already been arrested, to escape from jail; where- fore, they were ordered by the regulators to leave the country at once. In this state of things, the Governor issued an‘ order to Brigadier- General John T. Davis, to examine into the disturbances and the causes thereof, calling out the militia, if order could not be restored by peaceable means. Gen. Davis proceeded to Massac, assembling the parties and. settling their differences, as he supposed; he had, however, no sooner left the county, than new disturbances broke out, many of the regulators coming, this time,.as far as from Kentucky, expelling the sheriff, with other officers, and some of the rogues; and summarily punishing every one, whether rogue or honest man, who dared to interfere with their violent proceedings. ate Judge Scates, at the Circuit Court, not long afterwards held in Massae county, strongly urged the grand jury to inquire into the out- rageous conduct of the regulators, whereupon indictments were found and warrants issued against.a number of them, who were arrested by the sheriff and committed to jail. The regulators assembled from Kentucky and the neighboring counties of Illinois, threatening to lynch Judge Scates, if he ever returned to hold a court, and liberating their friends confined in the jail, expelling the sheriff and his friends from the country. The sheriff went to the Governor, then at Nauvoo, to apply to him for aid and protection. But the Governor, whose term of office was about to expire, refused to meddle with the affair, contenting himself with charging Dr. William J. Gibbs to call out the militia for the protection of the sheriff and other county officers, and _the honest portion of the community. The militia, however, refused to turn out, and the regulators exercising uncontested sway over the. county, caught a number of suspicious characters and tried them by committee, whipping and tarring and feathering those, who had been convicted, and taking many of them away as prisoners, of whom several were afterwards reported to “have gone to Arkansas: by which was understood, that they had been drowned in the Ohio, and left to swim: with the current of that river in the direction of Ar-’ kansas. On the 23d of December, 1846, a convention of regulators 124 : a HISTORY. from the counties of Johnson, Massac, and Pope, assembled at (Gol- . conda, ordering the sheriff and the clerk of the county court of Massae, together with many other citizens, to leave the country within thirty days. The sheriff and many others accordingly left the country, remaining absent all winter. ‘This was the last act of vio- lence on the part of the regulators; the disturbances afterwards gradually passing away, being destined, like everything else, to come to an end. CHAPTER VII. THE term of office of Governor Thomas Ford, under whose admin- istration, as already mentioned, the condition of the State had been very materially ameliorated, having expired in December, 1846, Au- gustus C. French was elected Governor of the State of Lllinois; he assumed the reins of government the same month, delivering, on the 8th of December, 1846, an inaugural address to the Legislature, wherein he recommends, that all the available means of the State be brought into such a condition, that they might be applied to the final payment of her pubNe debt... Although during his administration the debt was not further reduced, but even considerably enlarged, it was while he was Governor, that Illinois entered, with gigantic strides, upon the road of industry and prosperity, recovering entirely from her sunken position, rapidly increasing in population, and so wonderfully developing her immense resources, that in point of wealth, industry, and enterprise, Illinois now acknowledgedly ranks oné of the first States of the Union; her debt is larger than before; but when we consider her population, nearly trebled, and her resources, in so short a time increased a hundred fold, it no longer excites the slightest apprehension in the mind of any sensible man intending to make [Ili- nois his future home, aware, as he must be, that Illinois, having suc- cessfully opposed and combatted the hideous monster of repudiation, is just now reaping the reward due to the restless energy, activity, and intelligence of her citizens, enjoying the very highest standing and credit throughout. the civilized world: whereas, but a few years since, she was discredited in every portion of the globe. In the years 1846 and 1847, a movement was made for bringing together a large mass meeting, to deliberate upon the interests of the Western States; and this. resulted in the assembling of the. great “ Harbor and River Convention,” held at Chicago in the first week 11* (125 ) 126 HISTORY. of July, 1847, which was a most important event in the history of Illinois, and had a very beneficial effect upon its destiny. The attention of the citizens of Illinois having, for several years been turned to the necessity of revising the State Constitution, on August 31, 1847, a convention held for that purpose adopted the pre- sent constitution, which was ratified by the people, March 7, 1848, and went into operation on the Ist of April ensuing. Under the new constitution, Governor Augustus 0. French was re-elected Governor of Illinois for the next four years, commencing with January, 1849. Upon comparing the old constitution, adopted in 1818, with the new one, it will be found that the latter is much more complete, having received many additions, besides several alterations, of which the fol- lowing are the most important: In the first place, while the old constitution, as will fully appear on reference to its third and fourth articles, made the appointment of most of the State officers, including even the Judges of the Supreme Court and inferior Courts, chiefly u..“~dent updn the General As- sembly, the new constitution renders the sie officers, including the said Judges, eligible by the people, those only excepted, the right of whose appointment is vested in the Governor, as from the following parallel provisions of the new constitution, in whose fourth and fifth articles they are contained, will be circumstantially seen, to wit: The Governor (in whom, by virtue of Section 1 of Article IV., the executive power of the State is vested, and who, according to Section 2 and 3 of Article IV. is to be elected once in four years, on the Tuesday next after the first Monday of November, and to enter upon the duties of his office on the second Monday of January succeeding — the first election of Governor, under the new constitution, having been held on the Tuesday next after the first Monday in November, 1848), by virtue of the 12th Section of the same Article, shall nominate, and by and with the advice and consent of the Senate (a majority of all the Senators concurring), appoint all officers, whose offices are established by the constitution, or which may be created by law, and whose appointments are not otherwise. provided for; and no such officer shall be appointed or elected by the General Assembly. According to the 14th Section of the same Article (IV.), a Lieu tenant-Governor shall be chosen at every election of Governor, in the HISTORY. 127 same manner, continue in office for the same time, and possess the same qualifications; and shall, by virtue of his office, be Speaker of the Senate, have a right, when in committee of the whole, to debate and vote on all subjects, give the casting vote when the Senate are equally divided, and administer the government, whenever the Gover- nor is unable to attend to his duties. | According to the 22d Section of the same Article (IV.), there shall be elected by the qualified electors of this State, at the same time with the election for Governor, a Secretary of State, whose term of office shall be the same as that of the Governor, who shall keep a fair register of the official acts of the Governor, and, when required, shall lay the same, and all papers, minutes, and vouchers, relative thereto, before either branch of the General Assembly, and shall per- form such other duties as shall be assigned him by law; and shall receive a salary of eight hundred dollars per annum, and no more, except fees: Provided, that if the office of Secretary of State should be vacated by death, resignation, or otherwise, it shall be the duty of the Governor to appoint another, who shall hold his office until an- other Secretary shall be elected and qualified. The 23d Section of the same Article (IV.) ordains, that there shall be chosen, by the qualified electors throughout the State, an Auditor of Publie Accounts, who shall hold his office for the term of four years, and until his successor is qualified, and whose duties shall be regulated by law, and who shall receive a salary, exclusive of clerk hire, of one thousand dollars per annum for his services, and no more. The 24th Section of the same Article (1V.) provides, that there shall be elected, by the qualified electors throughout the State, a State Treasurer, who shall hold his office for two years, and until his suc- cessor is qualified, whose duties may be regulated by law, and who shall receive a salary of eight hundred dollars per annum, and no more. Regarding the Judiciary Department, Sections 2 and 3 of Article V. provide, that the Supreme Court shall consist of three judges, two of whom shall form a quorum, whose concurrence shall in all cases be necessary, and that the State shall be divided into three grand dis- tricts, as nearly equal as may be, and the qualified electors of each division shall elect one of the said judges for the term of nine years; PON SOS ee ee a 128 HISTORY. another of the said judges to be elected for six, and the third for three years. The 7th Section of the same Article (V.) provides, that the State shall be divided into nine judicial districts, in each of which one Cir- cuit Judge shall be elected by the qualified electors thereof; he shall hold his office for the term of six years, and until his successor shall be commissioned and qualified. The 13th Section of the same Article (V.) ordains, that the first election for Justices of the Supreme Court, and Judges of the Circuit Court, should be held on the first Monday of September, 1848. The 14th Section, that the second election for one Judge of the Supreme Court, should be held on the first Monday of June, 1852, and every three years thereafter an election for one Justice of the Supreme Court. The 15th Section, that on the first Monday of June, 1853, and every sixth year thereafter, an election shall be held for Judges of the Circuit Courts: Provided, that whenever an additional circuit is created, provision may be made to hold the second election of such additional judge at the regular elections herein provided. The 17th Section, that one County Judge shall be elected by the qualified voters of each county, who shall hold his office for four years, and until his successor is elected and qualified. The 21st Section provides, that the Clerks of the Supreme and Cir- cuit Courts, and State Attorneys, shall be elected at the first special election for judges, and the second election for Clerks of the Supreme Court on the first Monday of June, 1855, and every sixth year there- after: the second election for Clerks of the Circuit Courts, and State Attorneys, shall be held on the Tuesday next after the first Monday of November, 1852, and every fourth year thereafter. The 23d Section provides, that the election of all officers, and the filling of all vacancies that may occur by death, resignation, or re- moval, not otherwise directed or provided for by the constitution, shall be made in such a manner as the General Assembly shall direct: Pro- vided, that no such officers shall be elected by the General Assembly. The 27th Section, that there shall be elected, in each county in this State, in such districts as the General Assembly may direct, by the qualified electors thereof, a competent number of Justices of the ‘7OLI1aVO @ilVi& ‘araldOK1UdS i ina Seno sh | Mais ofankcumys be iN cae bats witiethe ssqaonvs ») a ‘wo wei A + : “ X me . ; 4 : 4 fe Y et arco . is S ee. Bree ee Agaecay™ + jou ib’ acta By sotudeiaaaaiiie a ek ne sa aes aie: ae ae 2 cans patie : ee oc “as ee vat a é eth tks} bev arcabiiend th . 7 ia Bip dap yore oily ak tine ‘oth RN * * ; m4 » yrs ste = vr § iviaings Seid sath b his Seriks pet ys ” G 33 og ; : bisix wre ede 4 rae | go sine ' hate: a - iy bincoatees ‘oh 7 ‘mika NP aes ee , a | traiptet, we eR meee tga pert paneer bite a ee ee learn I: a 7 “ oo gee owed eri Setheneng wasted he ‘oh, seis roe au ch Skt Bo} jdt Aviniegh ap ioartnevecar spews igi WO oo De agama aE aah yr) eee SAR Sept PSRs -Sreis weeds € a th th bride Meta mae, / ao dey oR haa: wine: aogier ho “ahd lH ron wm | aeliamerge yw ccna ot same sist ‘sm tusnlyeieti-d abt boty a . -. ¥ £3 ae HISTORY. 129 Peace, who shall hold their offices for the term of four years, and until their successors shall have been elected and qualified; and they shall perform such duties, receive such compensation, and exercise such jurisdiction as may be prescribed by law. The 28th Section, that there shall be elected, in each of the judi- cial circuits of the State, by the qualified electors thereof, one State’s Attorney, who shall hold office for the term of four years, and until his successor shall be commissioned and qualified ; who shall perform such duties, and receive such compensation, as may be prescribed by law: Provided, that the General Assembly may hereafter provide by law for the election, by the qualified voters of each county in the State, of one County Attorney for each county, in lieu of the State’s Attorneys provided for in this Section; the term of office, duties, and compensation of which County Attorneys shall be regulated by law. And the 29th Section of the same Article (V.) provides, that the qualified electors of each county shall elect a Clerk of the Circuit Court, who shall hold his office for the term of four years, and until his successor shall have been elected and qualified : who shal! perform such duties and receive such compensation as may be prescribed by law. The Clerks of the Supreme Court shall be elected in each divi- sion, by the qualified voters thereof, for the term of six years, and until their successors shall have been elected and qualified ; whose duties and compensation shall be provided by law. In the second place, the third Section of the second Article, which, according to the old constitution, read thus: “No person shall be a representative, who shall not have attained the age of twenty-one years, who shall not be a citizen of the United States, and an inha- bitant of this State ;”’ has been so far changed in the new constitution, that now an age of twenty five years, and in addition to a United _ States citizenship, a residence of three years within the limits of the State, are required of a person before he can be elected a representative. The above ordinance, thus altered, constitutes the third Section of the third Article in the present constitution. Thirdly, Section 6th, Article 2d, which, in the old constitution, was conceived in the following terms: “No person shall be a Senator, who has not arrived at the age of twenty-five years, who shall not be a citizen of the United States, and who shall not have resided one I 130 HISTORY. year in the county;” &c., has, in the new constitution, been so far altered, that at present an age of thirty years, a United States citizen- ship, a residence of five years in the State, and of one year within the electing county, are required to render a person eligible to the office of Senator. Thus altered, does the above law form the fourth Sec- tion of the third Article in the present constitution. Fourthly, the fifth Section of Article 2d, which, in the old consti- tution, was couched in the following language: ‘The number of rep- resentatives shall not be less than twenty-seven nor more than thirty- six, until the number of inhabitants within this State shall amount to 100,000; and the number of Senators shall never be less than one-third, nor more than one-half of the number of representatives ;” has thus been amended in the present constitution, the sixth Section of the third Article of which it forms, that the Senate is to consist of twenty-five, and the House of Representatives of seventy-five members, until the population of the State shall amount to one mil- lion. The population already exceeding this number, an additional amendment of the constitution will no doubt shortly become necessary. Fifthly, the third Section of the third Article, which, in the old constitution, is thus expressed: ‘The Governor shall be at least thirty years of age, and have been a citizen of the United States thirty years, and resided for two years within the limits of this State ;”” has thus been amended in the present constitution, the fourth Section of the fourth Article of which it forms, that a candidate for the office of Governor must have attained his thirty-fifth year, and been ten years a resident of the State, and fourteen years a citizen of the United States. Sixthly, the eighteenth Section of the second Article of the old constitution, fixing, by law, the yearly salary of the Governor at one thousand dollars, has been made the fifth Section of the fourth Article of the present constitution; granting the Governor an annual income of fifteen hundred dollars. Lastly, the nineteenth Section of the third Article of the old con- stitution, which, determining by law the veto power on the part of the executive, has the following provisions in the old constitution: “ The Governor for the time being, and the Judges of the Supreme Court, or a majority of them, together with the Governor, shall be and are HISTORY. 131 hereby constituted a Council, to revise all bills about to be passed into laws by the General Assembly ; and for that purpose shall assemble themselves from time to time, when the General Assembly shall be convened ; for which service, nevertheless, they shall not receive any salary or consideration, under any pretence whatever; and all bills, which have passed the Senate and House of Representatives, shall, before they become laws, be presented to the said Council, for their revisal and consideration ; and if, upon such revisal and consideration, it should appear improper to the said Council, or a majority of them, that the bill should become a law of this State, they shall return the same, together with their objections thereto, in writing, to the Senate or House of Representatives (in whichever the same shall have ori- ginated), who shall enter the objections set down by the Council at large in their minutes, and proceed to reconsider the said bill. But if, after such reconsideration, the Senate or House of Representatives shall, notwithstanding the said objections, agree to pass the same by a majority of the whole number of members elected, it shall, together with the said objections, be sent to the other branch of the General Assembly, where it shall also be reconsidered, and if approved by a majority of all the members elected, it shall become a law;” is thus shaped in the new constitution, the twenty-first section of the fourth Article of which it forms: “ Every bill, which shall have passed the Senate and House of Representatives, shall, before it becomes a law, be presented to the Governor: if he approve, he shall sign it, bat if not, he shall return it, with his objections, to the House in which it Shall have originated; and the said House shall enter the objections at large on their journal, and proceed to reconsider it. , If, after such reconsideration, a majority of the members elected shall agree to pass the bill, it shall be sent, together with the objections, to the other House, by which it shall likewise be reconsidered, and if approved by a majority of the members elected, it shall become a law, notwith- standing the objections of the Governor; but in all such cases, the votes of both Houses shall be determined by yeas and nays, to be en- tered on the journal of each House respectively.” Both constitutions, the old and the new one, here require the Go- vernor to return any bill presented to him within ten days (Sundays, and the days intervening between the adjournment and the re-assem- - 182 HISTORY. ¢ bling of the General Assembly, in case the latter should adjourn pre- vious to the expiration of the ten days, not being counted), otherwise the bill so presented shall become a law. In the new constitution, it will be observed, the Judges of the Supreme Court are excluded from sharing with the Governor in the privilege of exercising the veto power. These being the principal alterations in the old constitution of the State, we now turn again to her history. Here, it is worthy of special remark, that when the new constitution ‘was formed, in 1847, a clause was introduced in it by which, if ap- proved by the people, a special tax of two mills upon the dollar was levied, and was to be applied to extinguish the principal of the State © debt. The people, in 1848, voted upon this provision separately, and adopted it by ten thousand majority. This, so far as we know, is the first instance, in which the people of a State deliberately taxed them- selves, in order to pay an old and burthensome debt. It is a fine exhibition of the integrity of the citizens of Illinois, and has contri- buted much towards establishing the character and reputation she now enjoys in commercial circles, both in this country and in Europe. The Illinois and Michigan Canal, which, for so long a time, re- mained in an unfinished condition, and for which so many fruitless struggles were made, was at length completed and opened for navi- gation, in the spring of 1848. Connecting Lake Michigan, at Chi- cago, with La Salle, the head of navigation on the Illinois river, it forms an uninterrupted water communication between the Lakes and the Mississippi, being 100 miles long, navigable for boats of the largest class, and in every respect one of the finest canals in the Union. Upon inquiring, whether, besides the canal, other works of improve _ment had been proposed and carried out, we shall find, that since the’ State trusted to individual enterprise, what she herself, under the ‘‘internal improvement system,’ had failed to accomplish, railroads were projected, the rapid progress and completion of so many of which, within the short space of four years, must excite our just surprise. While, previous to February, 1852, there were but 95 miles of rail- road in operation throughout the whole State, within the following four years 2315 additional miles of railroad were completed and put Fd HISTORY. 1338 in operation, intersecting the State in every direction. The fact, that 2315 miles of railroad were completed in Illinois in four years, we leave as an achievement for future ages to emulate, and, if possible, excel. The best part of the whole affair is, that they are all doing a fine business, and as they were so cheaply built over the beautiful prairies of the State, there is hardly room for doubt, but that they will pay handsome dividends to their enterprising stockholders; the Galena Road has paid as high as twenty-one per cent. ina single year. Of these various railroads, the one called “Illinois Central Railroad,” being one of the most magnificent works in this or any other country, deserves particular notice. Its main track extends from Dunleith, a new town on the Mississippi, opposite Dubuque, Towa, directly through the heart of the State, to Cairo, at the mouth of the Ohio. At Cen- tralia, 112 miles north of Cairo, the Chicago branch leaves the main line, pursuing a direct course, a little east of the centre of the State, to Chicago. The distance from Chicago to Centralia is 251, and from Cairo to Dubuque 453 miles, making the total length of the road 704 miles. The road owes its rapid completion to the generous grant made, in 1850, by Congress, to the State of Illinois, of 2,595,000 acres of land to aid in its construction, and on the 10th of February, 1851, the Legislature gave a charter to the present company, granting it all the land given by Congress to the State, on condition, that the road should be completed by 1857, and that after it was finished, seven per cent. of its gross receipts should be paid into the treasury of the State. The lands belonging to the road are worth, and will sell for far more than the road has cest; part has already been sold; the quality of the residue, now in the market, justifies the assertion, that so good an opportunity for men in moderate circumstances to secure a farm and a competency, will not be likely to occur again for many years. Of the advantages bestowed by this great work upon the State, we need not speak. It runs through a country as rich in agricultural and mineral resources as any other sublunary region: it connects the Upper Mississippi and the Great Lakes with the Mississippi at Cairo, below which that majestic river is navigable for large steamers at all 12 134 HISTORY. seasons of the year; giving Chicago a perpetual communication with the Southern States. A single glance upon the map, and its relations to the prosperity of the entire State will at once be understood. The completion of the road will involve an expenditure of nearly twenty millions of dollars. In 1850, the national census returned the population at 851,470, an increase of about 80 per cent. since 1840, which, though less than that in previous decades, owing to the fact that emigrants had then just begun to locate in Wisconsin, Iowa, and Minnesota, a large por- tion of whom, it is known, went from Illinois, was yet a most rapid growth. In 1851, the General Assembly, by an Act approved February 17, authorized a geological survey of the. State, which is yet in progress, under the direction of J. G. Norwood, who, on the 5th of February, 1853, sent in a report, showing, how far he had succeeded in his labors, and establishing the fact, that large as the natural resources of the State of Lllinois were already then estimated to be, they were yet very far underrated. Mr. Norwood is still engaged on his work; no further account of the results of his investigations have been pub-. lished as yet. At the election in November of that year, the people ratified the General Banking Law, the professed object of which, at the time of its adoption, was to furnish a well-regulated and well-secured paper currency, thereby driving from among the people worthless foreign paper money, and equally worthless domestic issues. Governor Augustus C. French, who, in conformity with a plan of his, the adoption of which he earnestly urged upon the Legislature, to ascertain the true extent and condition of the State debt, by re-fund- ing the various bonds and scrips into one uniform transferable stock, reducing thereby the motley mass of forms, of which the debt con- sisted, into a clear and tangible shape — had, by an Act of the Gene- ral Assembly, passed February 28, 1847, been authorized to cause to be received from the holders, and cancelled, all the various kinds ‘of State indebtedness (canal alone excepted); and to substitute therefor an issue of certificates of stock, or stock-bonds of a character uniform and transferable; those issued on account of the principal debt, to be allowed to bear like interest with those originally surrendered up, and | HISTORY. 135 those issued for overdue interest, or interest in arrear, to be forbidden to draw interest for ten years, or until after A. D. 1857: delivered, on the 3d of January, 1855, when his term of office was about to ex- pire, to the eighteenth Assembly, a message, wherein, after reviewing the general condition of the State, and pointing out for correction some defects in the working of the General Banking Law, he pro- seeds to state, that the portion of the public debt required by law to be re-funded or exchanged for other and uniform securities, had been principally exchanged; that the small amount yet outstanding would soon be brought forward, which being done, the whole subject of the State debt would appear upon record in a shape easily to be under- stood by all. In the same message, he estimates the entire State debt at $16,724,177.41; the principal debt, exclusive of interest, of the canal, the affairs of which were, and, we presume, still are, managed by three trustees, acting for the stockholders and the State, amounting to five millions, which would be fully met and liquidated from the proceeds of the sales of land granted by Congress (alternate sections, five miles from each side of the canal), amounting to 230,000 acres, 70,000 of which had already been sold, up to the spring of 1851. Governor Augustus C. French retired from bis office, which he had filled for six consecutive years, universally esteemed for the prudent discretion, integrity, and distinguished ability, with which he had administered the affairs of the State. Joel A. Mattison was elected governor in his stead, and Gustavus Kerner, a German by birth, Lieutenant-Governor of the State, at the same time. Joel A. Mattison assumed the reins of govern- ment, delivering, on the 10th of January, 1853, his inaugural mes- sage to the Legislature, wherein he speaks thus: ‘Our public debt, that for a time seemed almost to be a burden sufficient to prevent immigration to our State, has increased in amount until it now (January, 1853) reaches the large sum, principal and interest, of $16,724,177.41; but while this amount has been increasing at the rate of six per cent. per annum, our State has increased at the rate of over ten per cent. for the past few years on her taxable property, continually developing our resources, and adding largely to our popu- lation. What seemed almost a burden twelve years ago, is now looked upon as requiring no great effort on the part of the people to 136 | HISTORY. fully pay without any increase of taxation.”” He estimates its probable amount on January 1, 1857, at $10,275,262.41, and thinks it pro- bable, that it would be entirely paid before 1865. These expectations of the Governor seem to be on the eve of being realized; for after pressing upon the Legislature the subject of improvement of the navigable rivers and lake harbors of the Western States by the Gene- ral Government, and wisely recommending the adoption of a system of education, whereby every child in the State might be furnished with an education, that would fit them for every station and condition of life, in a message placed before the Legislature on the Ist of Janu- ary, 1855, he estimates the entire State debt, inclusive of interest up to that date, at $17,944,652.89, whereupon he proceeds to speak thus: “‘ Besides paying enough to pay the entire interest upon the State debt each year, for the past two years, there has been paid and ap- plied upon the arrearage of interest, and the principal of the debt, the sum of $2,750,037.96, being the sum of $1,575;018.98 each year, over and above the accruing interest, making, in all, paid on principal and interest during the past two years, the sum of $3,951,037.96. During the next two years, I confidently expect, that the amount from all sources derived from the available assets of the State, and the revenue applicable to the liquidation of the State debt, will be in- creased at least twenty per cent., which will render the calculation certain, that the views entertained two years ago will be more than realized in ten years, and I might say still sooner, but prefer to give full time. The past two years have realized over $750,037.96 more than enough to meet the calculation, that the debt would be paid, all but $74,080.62, in eleven years. It will be perceived, that a large amount has been paid at this time, more than enough to meet the calculation referred to, during the past two years; and that the prin- cipal and the interest of the debt is being absorbed and cancelled each year, while the revenue is rapidly increasing, and swelling the means of the State to pay.” Before concluding, the fact appears still worthy of being iesabea that, from 1853 to the spring of 1855, an immense excitement pre- vailed throughout the State, concerning the temperance. question : which resulted in the repudiation, by 15,000 majority, of the Prohi- bitory Liquor Law, previously passed by the prentatey on February 12th, 1855. HISTORY. ) Y 187. The advancement of the State of Illinois for the last few years, is best shown by the startling increase of her population, returned, by the census of 1855, at 1,300,251 souls; the rapid development of her agricultural and mineral resources — the State having, in one sin- gle year, produced 170,000,000 bushels of corn, wheat,.and oats —an amount which no other State in the Union ever yielded in a year; her gigantic system of internal improvements, and the regard paid by her to thorough universal education, as well as the untiring energy, * enterprise, and intelligence of her citizens, warrant the belief we fondly indulge, that ere three lustres shall have rolled by, the State of Illinois, in point of population, business facilities, wealth and intel- ligence, will proudly assume her well-deserved position as the Empire State of the West. 12* CONSTITUTION OF THE STATE. 1 PREAMBLE. We, the people of the state of Dlinois—grateful to Almighty God for the civil, political, and religious liberty, which he hath so long permitted us to enjoy, and looking to him for a blessing upon our endeavors to secure and transmit the same unimpaired to succeeding generations —in order to form a more perfect government, establish justice, insure domestic tranquillity, pro- vide for the common defence, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this constitution for the state of Ilinois. ARTICLE I. — Boundaries. Src. 1. The boundaries and jurisdiction of the state shall be as follows, to wit: beginning at the mouth of the Wabash river; thence up the same, and with the line of Indiana, to the north-west corner of said state; thence east, with the line of the same state, to the middle of Lake Michigan; thence north, along the middle of said lake, to north latitude forty-two degrees and thirty minutes; thence west to the middle of the Mississippi river, and thence down, along the middle of that river, to its confluence with the Ohio river; and thence up the latter river, along its north-western shore, to the place of begin- ning: Provided, that this state shall exercise such jurisdiction upon the Ohio river as she is now entitled to, or such as may hereafter be agreed upon by this state and the state of Kentucky. Arricte Il.—Concerning the Distribution of the Powers of Government. Src. 1. The powers of the government cf the state of Illinois shall be di- vided into three distinct departments, and each of them be confided to a sepa- rate body of magistracy, to wit: those which are legislative, to one; those which are executive, to another; and those which are judicial, to another. 2. No person, or collection of persons, being one of these departments, shall exercise any power properly belonging to either of the others, except as here- inafter expressly directed or permitted, and all acts in contravention of this section shall be void. (188 ) CONSTITUTION. 139 Articie IIl.—Of the Legislative Department. Src. 1. The legislative authority of this state shall be vested in a general assembly, which shall consist of a senate and house of representatives, both to be elected by the people. 2. The first election for senators and representatives shall be held on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November, one thousand eight hundred and forty-eight; and thereafter, elections for members of the general assembly shall be held once in two years, on the Tuesday next after the first Monday in November, in each and every county, at such places therein as may be pro- vided by law. 3. No person shall be a representative who shall not have attained the age of twenty-five years; who shall not be a citizen of the United States, and three years an inhabitant of this state; who shall not have resided within the limits of the county or district in which he shall be chosen twelve months next preceding his election, if such county or district shall have been so long erected, but, if not, then within the limits of the county or counties, district or districts, out of which the same shall have been taken, unless he shall have been absent on the public business of the United States or of this state; and who, moreover, shall not have paid a state or county tax. 4. No person shall be a senator who shall not have attained the age of thirty years; who shall not be a citizen of the United States, five years an inhabitant of this state, and one year in the county or district in which he shall be cho- sen immediately preceding his election, if such county or district shall have been so long erected, but, if not, then within the limits of the county or coun- ties, district or districts, out of which the same shall have been taken, unless he shall have been absent on the public business of the United States or of this state, and shall not, moreover, have paid a state or county tax. 5. The senators at their first session, herein provided for, shall be divided by lot, as near as can be, into two classes. The seats of the first class shall be vacated at the expiration of the second year, and those of the second class at the expiration of the fourth year; so that one half thereof, as near as pos- sible, may be biennially chosen for ever thereafter. 6. The senate shall consist of twenty-five members, and the house of repre- sentatives shall consist of seventy-five members, until the population of the state shall amount to one million of souls, when five members may be added to the house, and five additional members for every five hundred thousand inhabitants thereafter, until the whole number of representatives shall amount to one hundred; after which the number shall be neither increased nor dimin- ished; to be apportioned among the several counties according to the number of white inhabitants. In all future apportionments, where more than one county shall be thrown into a representative district, all the representatives to which said counties may be entitled shail be elected by the entire district. 7. No person elected to the general assembly shall receive any civil appoint-. 140 CONSTITUTION. ment within this state, or to the senate of the United States, from the gover- nor, the governor and senate, or from the general assembly, during the term for which he shall have been elected; and all such appointments, and all votes given for any such member for any such office or appointment, shall be void; nor shall any member of the general assembly be interested, either directly or indirectly, in any contract with the state, or any county thereof, authorised by any law passed during the time for which he shall have been elected, or during one year after the expiration thereof. 8. In the year one thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, and every tenth year thereafter, an enumeration of all the inhabitants of this state shall be made in such manner as shall be directed by law; and in the year eighteen hundred and fifty, and every tenth year thereafter, the census taken by au- thority of the government of the United States, shall be adopted by the gene- ral assembly as the enumeration of this state; and the number of senators and representatives shall, at the first regular session holden after the returns herein provided for are made, be apportioned among the several counties or districts to be established by law, according to the number of white inha- bitants. 9. Senatorial and representative districts shall be composed of contiguous territory, bounded by county lines; and only one senator allowed to each sen- atorial, and not more than three representatives to any representative district: Provided, that cities and towns, containing the requisite population, may be erected into separate districts. 10. In forming senatorial and representative districts, counties containing a population of not more than one-fourth over the existing ratio, shall form separate districts, and the excess shall be given to the nearest county or coun- ties not having a senator or representative, as the case may be, which has the largest white population. 11. The first session of the general assembly shall commence on the first Monday of January, one thousand eight hundred and forty-nine; and for ever after the general assembly shall meet on the first Monday of January next ensuing the election of the members thereof, and at no other period, unless as provided by this constitution. 12. The senate and house of representatives, when assembled, shall each choose a speaker and other officers (the speaker of the senate excepted). Each house shall judge of the qualifications and election of its members, and sit upon its own adjournments. Two-thirds of each house shall constitute a quo- rum; but a smaller number may adjourn:from day to day, and compel the attendance of absent members. 13. Each house shall keep a journal of its proceedings, and publgh them. The yeas and nays of the members on any question shall, at the desire of any two of them, be entered on the journals. 14, Any two members.of either house shall have liberty to dissent and ~ CONSTITUTION. 141 protest against any act or resolution, which they may think injurious to the public, or to any individual, and have the reasons of their dissent entered on the journals. 15. Each house may determine the rules of its proceedings, punish its mem- bers for disorderly behavior, and, with the concurrence of two-thirds of all the members elected, expel a member, but not a second time for the same cause; and the reason for such expulsion shall be entered upon the journal, with the names of the members voting on the question. 16. When vacancies happen in either house, the governor, or the person exercising the powers of governor, shall issue writs of election to fill such vacancies. 17. Senators and representatives shall in all cases, except treason, felony, or breach of the peace, be privileged from arrest during the session of the general assembly, and in going to and returning from the same; and for any speech or debate in either house, they shall not be questioned in any other place. 18. Each house may punish by imprisonment, during its session, any per- son, not a member, who shall be guilty of disrespect to the house, by any dis- orderly or contemptuous behavior in their presence: Provided, such imprison- ment shall not, at any one time, exceed twenty-four hours. 19. The doors of each house, and of committees of the whole, shall be kept open, except in such cases as, in the opinion of the house, require secresy. Neither house shall, without the consent of the other, adjourn for more than two days, nor to any other place than that in which the two houses shall be sitting. 20. The style of the laws of this state shall be: ‘ Be it enacted by the people of the state of Lilinois, represented in the general assembly.” 21. Bills may originate in either house, but may be altered, amended, or rejected by the other; and on the final passage of all bills, the vote shall be by ayes and noes, and shall be entered on the journal; and no bill shall be- come a law without the concurrence of a majority of all the members elect in each house. _ 22, Bills making appropriations for the pay of the members and officers of the general assembly, and for the salaries of the officers of the government, shall not contain any provision on any other subject. 23. Every bill shall be read on three different days in each house, unless, in case of urgency, three-fourths of the house, where such bill is so depending, shall deem it expedient to dispense with this rule; and every bill, having passed both houses, shall be signed by the speakers of their respective houses; and no private or local law which may be passed by the general assembly, shall embrace more than one subject, and that shall be expressed in the title. And no public act of the general assembly shall take effect or be in force, until the expiration of sixty days from the end of the session at which the same * 142 ; CONSTITUTION. may be passed, unless, in case of emergency, the general assembly shall other- wise direct. 24. The sum of two dollars per day, for the first forty-two days’ Leena aue: and one dollar per day for each day’s attendance thereafter, and ten cents for each necessary mile’s travel, going to and returning from the seat of govern- ment, shall be allowed to the members of the general assembly, as a compen- sation for their services, and no more. The speaker of the house of repre- sentatives shall be allowed the sum of one dollar per day, in addition to his per diem as a member. 25. The per diem and mileage allowed to each member of the general assembly, shall be certified by the speakers of their respective houses, and entered on the journals, and published at the close of each session. 26. No money shall be drawn from the treasury, but in consequence of ap- propriations made by law; and an accurate statement of the receipts and expenditures of the public money shall be attached to, and published with, the laws at the rising of each session of the general assembly. And no person, who has been or may be a collector or holder of public moneys, shall be eligible to a seat in either house of the general assembly, nor be eligible to any office of profit or trust in this state, until such person shall have accounted for, and paid into the treasury, all sums for which he may be accountable. 27. The house of representatives shall have the sole power of impeaching; but a majority of all the members elected, must concur in an impeachment. All impeachments shall be tried by the senate; and when sitting for that pur- pose, the senators shall be upon oath, or affirmation, to do justice according to law.and evidence. No person shall be convicted without the concurrence of two-thirds of the senators elected. 28. The governor, and other civil officers under this state, ein be liable to impeachment for any mfsdemeanor in office; but judgment in such cases shall not extend further than to removal from office, and disqualification to hold any office of honor, profit, or trust, under this state. The party, whether con- victed or acquitted, shall, nevertheless, be liable to indictment, trial, judgment, and punishment, according to law. 29. No judge of any court of law or equity, secretary of state, attorney general, attorney for the state, recorder, clerk of any court of record, sheriff or collector, member of either house of Congress, or person holding one lucra~ tive office under the United States or of this state—provided, that appoint- ments in the militia, or justices of the peace, shall not be considered lucrative offices—shall have a seat in the general assembly; nor shall any person, holding any office of honor or profit under the government of the United States, hold any office of honor or profit under the authority of this state. 30. Every person who shall be chosen or appointed to any office of trust or profit shall, before entering upon the duties thereof, take an oath to support the constitution of the United States, and of this state, and also an oath of office. CONSTITUTION. ‘ 148 81. The general assembly shall have full power to exclude from the privilege of electing, or being elected, any person convicted of bribery, perjury, or other infamous crime. 82. The general assembly shall have no power to grant divorces, but may authorize the courts of justice to grant them for such causes as may be specified by law: Provided, that such laws be general and uniform in their operation. 33. The general assembly shall never grant or authorize extra compensation to any public officer, agent, servant, or contractor, after the service shall have been rendered, or the contract entered into. 34. The general assembly shall direct by law in what manner suits may be brought against the state. 385. The general assembly shall have no power to autharize lotteries for any purpose, nor to revive or extend the charter of the State bank, or the charter of any other bank heretofore existing in this state, and shall pass laws to pro- hibit the sale of lottery-tickets in this state. 386. The general assembly shall have no power to authorize, by private or special law, the sale of any lands or other real estate belonging in whole or in part to any individual or individuals. 87. Each general assembly shall provide for all the appropriations necessary for the ordinary and contingent expenses of the government until the adjourn- ment of the next regular session, the aggregate amount of which shall not be increased without a vote of two-thirds of each house, nor exceed the amount of revenue authorized by law to be raised in such time: Provided, the state may, to meet casual deficits or failures in revenues, contract debts, never to exceed in the aggregate, fifty thousand dollars; and the moneys thus borrowed shall be applied to the purpose for which they were obtained, or to repay the debt thus made, and to no other purpose; and no other debt, except for the purpose of repelling invasion, suppressing insurrection, or defending the state in war (for payment of which the faith of the state shall be pledged), shall be contracted, unless the law authorizing the same shall, at a general election, have been submitted to the people, and have received a majority of all the votes ‘ cast for members of the general assembly at such election. The general assembly shall provide for the publication of said law for three months, at least, before the vote of the people shall be taken upon the same; and provi- sion shall be made, at the time, for the payment of the interest annually, as it _ shall accrue, by a tax levied for the purpose, or from other sources of revenue ; which law, providing for the payment of such interest by such tax, shall be irrepealable until such debt be paid: And provided, further, that the law levy- ing the tax shall be submitted to the people with the law authorizing the debt to be contracted. 88. The credit of the state shall not, in any manner, be given to, or in aid of, any individual, association, or corporation. 144 CONSTITUTION. 89. The general assembly shall provide, by law, that the fuel and stationery furnished for the use of the state, the copying, printing, binding, and distri- buting the laws and journals, and all other printing ordered by the general assembly, shall be let, by contract, to the lowest responsible bidder; and that no member of the general assembly, or other officer of the state, shall be inte- rested, either directly or indirectly, in any such contract: Provided, that the general assembly may fix a maximum price. 40. Until there shall be a new apportionment of senators and representatives, the state shall be divided into senatorial and representative districts; and the senators and representatives shall be apportioned among the several districts as follows, viz:— Senatorial Districts. 1. The counties of Alexander, Union, Pulaski, J ohnson, Massac, Pope, and Hardin, shall constitute the first senatorial district, and shall be entitled to one senator. 2. The counties of Gallatin, Saline, Williamson, Franklin, and White, shall constitute the second senatorial district, and be entitled to one senator. 3. The counties of Jefferson, Wayne, Marion, and Hamilton, shall constitute the third senatorial district, and be entitled to one senator. 4, The counties of Washington, Perry, Randolph, and Jackson, shall consti- tute the fourth senatorial district, and be entitled to one senator. 5. The counties of St. Clair and Monroe, shall constitute the wai senatorial district, and be entitled to one senator. 6. The counties of Madison and Clinton, shall constitute the sixth senatorial district, and be entitled to one senator. 7. The counties of Christian, Shelby, Montgomery, Bond, and Fayette, shall constitute the seventh senatorial district, and be entitled to one senator. 8. The counties of Effingham, Jasper, Clay, Richland, Lawrence, Edwards, and Wabash, shall constitute the eighth senatorial district, and be entitled to one senator. 9. The counties of Edgar, Clark, and Crawford, shall constitute the ninth senatorial district, and be entitled to one senator. 10. The counties of Vermilion, Champaign, Piatt, Moultrie, Coles, and Cum- berland, shall constitute the tenth senatorial district, and be entitled to one senator. 11. The counties of Tazewell, McLean, Logan, De Witt, and Macon, shall - constitute the eleventh senatorial district, and be entitled to one senator. 12. The counties of Sangamon, Menard, and Mason, shall constitute the twelfth senatorial district, and be entitled to one senator. 18. The counties of Macoupin, Jersey, Greene, and Calhoun, shall constitute the thirteenth senatorial district, and be entitled to one senator. 14. The counties of Morgan, Scott, and Cass, shall constitute the fourteenth senatorial district, and be entitled to one senator. CONSTITUTION. 145 15. The counties of Adams and Pike shall constitute the fifteenth senatorial district, and be entitled to one senator. 16. The counties of McDonough, Schuyler, Brown, and Highland, shall con- stitute the sixteenth senatorial district, and be entitled to one senator. 17. The counties of Hancock and Henderson shall constitute the seventeenth senatorial district, and be entitled to one senator. 18. The counties of Fulton and Peoria shall constitute the eighteenth sena- torial district, and be entitled to one senator. 19. The counties of Rock Island, Henry, Mercer, Warren, Knox, and Stark, shall constitute the nineteenth senatorial district, and be entitled to one senator. 20. The counties of La Salle, Bureau, Putnam, Marshall, Woodford, Liv- ingston, and Grundy, shall constitute the twentieth senatorial district, and be entitled to one senator. 21. The counties of Du Page, Kendall, Will, and Iroquois, shall constitute the twenty-first senatorial district, and be entitled to one senator. 22. The counties of Ogle, Lee, De Kalb, and Kane, shall constitute the twenty-second senatorial district, and be entitled to one senator. 23. The counties of Jo Daviess, Stephenson, Carroll, and Whiteside, shall constitute the twenty-third senatorial district, and be entitled to one senator. 24. The counties of McHenry, Boone, and Winnebago, shall constitute the twenty-fourth senatorial district, and be entitled to one senator. 25. The counties of Cook and Lake shall constitute the twenty-fifth sena- torial district, and be entitled to one senator. Representative Districts. 1. The counties of Union, Alexander, and Pulaski, shall constitute the first representative district, and be entitled to one representative. 2. The counties of Massac, Pope, and Hardin, shall constitute the second representative district, and be entitled to one representative. 8. The counties of Gallatin and Saline shall constitute the third representa- tive district, and be entitled to one representative. 4. The counties of Johnson and Williamson shall constitute the fourth repre- sentative district, and be entitled to one representative. 5. The counties of Jackson and Franklin shall constitute the fifth repre- sentative district, and be entitled to one representative. 6. The counties of Marion, Jefferson, Wayne, and Hamilton, shall constitute the sixth representative district, and be entitled to three representatives: Pre- vided, that no county in said district shall have more than one of said repre-, sentatives, and the county from which a senator shall be selected, shall not bo entitled to a representative residing in said county. 7. The county of White shall constitute the seventh representative district, and be entitled to one representative. 13 K 146 CONSTITUTION. 8. The counties of Wabash and Edwards shall constitute the eighth repre- sentative district, and be entitled to one representative. 9. The counties of Lawrence and Richland shall constitute the ninth repre- sentative district, and be entitled to one representative. 10. The counties of Crawford and Jasper shall constitute the tenth repre- sentative district, and be entitled to one representative. 11. The county of Coles shall constitute the eleventh representative district, and be entitled to one representative. 12. The county of Clark shall constitute the twelfth representative district, and be entitled to one representative. | 13. The counties of Cumberland, Effingham, and Clay, shall constitute the thirteenth representative district, and be entitled to one representative. 14. The county of Fayette shall constitute the fourteenth representative district, and be entitled to one representative. 15. The counties of Montgomery, Bond, and Clinton, shall constitute the fifteenth representative district, and be entitled to two representatives. 16. The counties of Washington and Perry shall constitute the sixteenth representative district, and be entitled to one representative. 17. The county of Randolph shall constitute the seventeenth representative district, and be entitled to one representative. 18. The county of Monroe shall constitute the eighteenth representative district, and be entitled to one representative. 19. The county of St. Clair shall constitute the nineteenth representative district, and be entitled to two representatives. 20. The county of Madison shall constitute the twentieth representative district, and be entitled to two representatives. 21. The county of Macoupin shall constitute the twenty-first representative district, and be entitled to one representative. 22. The counties of Jersey and Greene shall constitute the twenty-second representative district, and be entitled to two representatives. 23. The county of Scott shall constitute the twenty-third representative district, and be entitled to one representative. 24, The county of Morgan shall constitute the imentyifourtl representative district, and be entitled to two representatives, 25. The counties of Cass and Menard shall constitute the twenty-fifth rep- resentative district, and be entitled to one representative. 26. The county of Sangamon shall constitute the twenty-sixth representative district, and be entitled to two representatives. 27. The counties of Mason and Logan shall constitute the twenty-seventh representative district, and be entitled to one representative. 28. The county of Tazewell shall constitute the twenty-eighth representative district, and be entitled to one representative. 29. The counties of McLean and De Witt shall constitute the twenty-ninth representative district, and be entitled to one representative. CONSTITUTION. 147 80. The county of Vermilion shall constitute the thirtieth representative dis- trict, and be entitled to one representative. 31. The county of Edgar shall constitute the thirty-first representative dis- trict, and be entitled to one representative. ’ 382. The counties of Champaign, Platt, Moultrie, and Macon, shall con- stitute the thirty-second representative district, and be entitled to one repre- sentative. é 33. The counties of Shelby and Christian shall constitute the thirty-third representative district, and be entitled to one representative. 34. The counties of Pike and Calhoun shall constitute the thirty-fourth representative district, and be entitled to two representatives. 85. The counties of Adams, Highland, and Brown, shall constitute the thir- ty-fifth representative district, and be entitled to three representatives. 86. The county of Schuyler shall constitute the thirty-sixth representative district, and be entitled to one representative. 87. The county of Hancock shall constitute the thirty-seventh representative district, and be entitled to two representatives. 88. The county of McDonough shall constitute the thirty-eighth representa- tive district, and be entitled to one representative. 89. The county of Fulton shall constitute the thirty-ninth representative district, and be entitled to two representatives. 40. The county of Peoria shall constitute the fortieth representative district, and be entitled to one representative. 41. The county of Knox shall constitute the forty-first representative district, and be entitled to one representative. 42. The counties of Mercer, Warren, and Henderson, shall constitute the forty-second representative district, and be entitled to two representatives. 43. The counties of Rock Island, Henry, and Stark, shall constitute the forty-third representative district, and be entitled to one representative. 44, The counties of Whiteside and Lee shall constitute the forty-fourth representative district, and be entitled to one representative. . 45, The counties of Carroll and Ogle shall constitute the forty-fifth repre- sentative district, and be entitled to one representative. 46. The counties of Jo Daviess and Stephenson shall constitute the forty- sixth representative district, and be entitled to two representatives. 47. The county of Winnebago shall constitute the forty-seventh representa- tive district, and be entitled to one representative. 48. The counties of Putnam, Marshall, and Woodford, shall constitute the forty-eighth representative district, and be entitled to one representative. 49 The counties of La Salle, Grundy, Livingston, and Bureau, shall con- stitute the forty-ninth representative district, and be entitled to two repre- sentatives. 50. The counties of Du Page, Kendall, Will, and Iroquois, shall censtitute the fiftieth representative district, and be entitled to three representatives. 148 CONSTITUTION. 51. The counties of Kane and De Kalb.shall constitute the fifty-first re sentative district, and be entitled to two representatives. 52. The counties of Boone and McHenry shall constitute the fifty-second representative district, and be entitled to two representatives. 53. The county of Lake shall constitute the fifty-third representative district, and be entitled to one representative. 54. The county of Cook shall constitute the fifty-fourth representative dis- trict, and be entitled to two representatives. Src. 41. Until the general assembly shall otherwise provide, the clerks of the county commissioners’ courts, in each of the aforesaid senatorial districts, and in such of the representative districts as may be composed of more than one county, shall meet at the county seat of the oldest county in said district, within thirty days next after any election for senator or representative therein, . for the purpose of comparing and canvassing the votes given at such election ; and the said clerks shall, in all other respects, conform to the laws on the sub- ject in force at the time of the adoption of this constitution. ARTICLE IV.—Of the Executive Department. Suc. 1. The executive power of the state shall be vested in a governor. 2. The first election of governor shall be held on Tuesday next after the first Monday in November, a. p. 1848; and the next election shall be held on Tuesday next after the first Monday of November, a. p. 1852; and thereafter an election for governor shall be held once in four years, on Tuesday next after the first Monday of November. The governor shall be chosen by the electors of the members of the general assembly, at the same places and in the same manner that they shall, respectively, vote for members thereof. The returns for every election of governor shall be sealed up, and transmitted to the seat of government, by the returning officers, directed to the speaker of the house of representatives, who shall open and publish them in the presence of a majority of the members of each house of the general assembly. The person having the highest number of votes shall be governor; but if two or more be equal and highest in votes, then one of them shall be chosen governor by joint ballot of both houses of the general assembly. Contested elections shall be determined by both houses of the general assembly, in such manner as shall be prescribed by law. 8. The first governor shall enter upon-the duties of his office on the second Monday of January, a. D. 1849, and shall hold his office until the second Mon- day of January, a. p.. 1853, and until his successor shall have been elected and qualified; and thereafter the governor shall hold his office for the term of four years, and until his successor shall have been elected and qualified ; but he shall not be eligible to such office more than four years in any term of eight years, nor.to any other office until after the expiration of the term for” which he was elected. CONSTITUTION. 149 4. No person, except a citizen of the United States, shall be eligible to the office of governor; nor shall any person be eligible to that office, who shall not have attained the age of thirty-five years, and been ten years a resident of this state, and fourteen years a citizen of the United States. 5. The governor shall reside at the seat of government, and receive a salary of fifteen hundred dollars per annum, which shall not be increased or dimi- nished ; and he shall not, during the time for which he shall have been elected, receive any emolument from the United States, or either of them. 6. Before he enters upon the duties of his office, he shall take the following oath or affirmation, to wit: ‘‘I do solemnly swear [or affirm], that I will faith- ' fully execute the duties appertaining to the office of governor of the state of Illinois; and will, to the best of my ability, preserve, protect, and defend the constitution of this state; and will, also, support the constitution of the United States.” 7. He shall, from tithe to time, give the general assembly information of the state of the government, and recommend to their consideration, such measures as he shall deem expedient. 8. The governor shall have power to grant reprieves, commutations, and pardons, after conviction, for all offences, except treason and cases of impeach- ment, upon such conditions and with such restrictions and limitations as he may think proper, subject to such regulations as may be provided by law, rela- tive to the manner of applying for pardons. Upon conviction for treason, he shall have power to suspend the execution of the sentence, until the case shall be reported to the general assembly at its next meeting, when the general assembly shall pardon the convict, commute the sentence, direct the execution thereof, or grant a further reprieve. He shall, biennially, communicate to the general assembly each case of reprieve, commutation, or pardon granted, stating the name of the convict, the crime for which he was convicted, the sentence and its date, and the date of commutation, pardon, or reprieve. 9. He may require information in writing from the officers in the executive department, upon any subject relating to the duties of their respective see and shall take care, that the laws be faithfully executed. 10. He may, on extraordinary occasions, convene the general assembly by proclamation, and shall state, in said proclamation, the purpose for which they are to convene; and the general assembly shall enter on no legislative busi- ness, except that for which they were specially called together. 11. He shall be commander-in-chief of the army and navy of this state, and of the militia, except when they shall be called into the service of the United States. 12. The governor shall nominate, and, by and with the advice and consent of the senate (a majority of all the senators concurring), appoint all officers whose offices are established by this constitution, or which may be created by is” 150 CONSTITUTION. ‘ law, and whose appointments are not otherwise provided for; and no such officer shall be appointed or elected by the general assembly. 13. In case of disagreement between the two houses with respect to the time of adjournment, the governor shall have power to adjourn the general assembly to such time as he thinks proper, provided it be not to a period be- yond the next constitutional meeting of the same. 14. A lieutenant-governor shall be chosen at every election of governor, in the same manner, continue in office for the same time, and possess the same qualifications. In voting for governor and lieutenant-governor, the electors shall distinguish whom they vote for as governor, and whom as lieutenant- governor. 15. The lieutenant-governor shall, by virtue of his office, be speaker of the senate, have a right, when in committee of the whole, to debate and vote on all subjects, and, whenever the senate are equally divided, to give the casting vote. 16. Whenever the government shall be administered by the lieutenant-goy- ernor, or he shall be unable to attend as speaker of the senate, the senators shall elect one of their own number as speaker for that occasion; and if, during the vacancy of the office of governor, the lieutenant-governor shall be impeached, removed from office, refuse to qualify, or resign, or die, or be absent from the state, the speaker of the senate shall, in like manner, admi- nister the government. 17. The lieutenant-governor, while he acts as speaker of the senate, shall receive for his services the same compensation which shall, for the same period, be allowed to the speaker of the house of representatives, and no more. 18. If the lieutenant governor shall be called upon to administer the govern- ment, and shall, while in such administration, resign, die, or be absent from the state, during the recess of the general assembly, it shall be the duty of the secretary of state, for the time being, to convene the senate for the purpose of choosing a speaker. 19. In case of the impeachment of the governor, his absence from the state, or inability to discharge the duties of his office, the powers, duties, and emolu- ments of the office shall devolve upon the lieutenant-governor; and in case of his death, resignation, or removal, then upon the speaker of the senate for the time being, until the governer, absent or impeached, shall return or be ac- quitted; or until the disqualification or inability shall cease; or until a new governor shall be elected and qualified. 20. In case of a vacancy in the office of governor, for any other cause than those herein enumerated, or in case of the death of the governor elect before he is qualified, the powers, duties, and emoluments of the office shall devolve upon the lieutenant-governor, or speaker of the senate, as above provided, until a new governor be elected and qualified. CONSTITUTION. * 51 21. Every bill which shall have passed the senate and house of representa- tives, shall, before it becomes a law, be presented to the governor; if he ap- prove, he shall sign it; but if not, he shall return it, with his objections, to the house in which it shall have originated; and the said house shall enter the objections at large on their journal, and proceed to reconsider it. If, after such reconsideration, a majority of the members elected shall agree to pass the bill, it shall be sent, together with the objections, to the other house, by which it shall likewise be reconsidered; and if approved by a majority of the members elected, it shall become a law, notwithstanding the objections of the governor; but in all such cases, the votes of both houses shall be determined by yeas and nays, to be entered on the journal of each house respectively. If any bill shall not be returned by the governor within ten days (Sundays ex- cepted) after it shall have been presented to him, the same shall be a law, in like manner as if he had signed it, unless the general assembly shall, by their adjournment, prevent its return, in which case the said bill shall be returned on the first day of the meeting of the general assembly, after the expiration of said ten days, or be a law. 22. There shall be elected by the qualified electors of this state, at the same time of the election for governor, a secretary of state, whose term of office shall be the same as that of the governor, who shall keep a fair register of the official acts of the governor, and, when required, shall lay the same, and all papers, minutes, and vouchers, relative thereto, before either branch of the general assembly, and shall perform such other duties as shall be assigned him by law, and shall receive a salary of eight hundred dollars per annum, and no more, except fees: Provided, that if the office of secretary of state should be vacated by death, resignation, or otherwise, it shall be the duty of the governor to appoint another, who shall hold his office until another secretary shall be elected and qualified. 23. There shall be chosen, by the qualified electors throughout the state, an auditor of public accounts, who shall hold his office for the term of four years, and until his successor is qualified, and whose duties shall be regulated by law, and who shall receive a salary, exclusive of clerk hire, of one thousand dollars per annum for his services, and no more. 24. There shall be elected, by the qualified electors throughout the state, a state treasurer, who shall hold his office for two years, and until his successor is qualified; whose duties may be regulated by law, and who shall receive a salary of eight hundred dollars per annum, and no more. 25. All grants and commissions shall be sealed with the great seal of state, signed by the governor or person administering the gov vehi and counter- signed by the secretary of state. 26. The governor and all other civil officers shall be liable to impeachment for misdemeanor in office, during their continuance in office, and for two years thereafter. . " . , j 152 * CONSTITUTION. ARTICLE V.—Of the Judiciary Department. Sxo. 1. The judicial power of this state shall be, and is hereby, vested in one supreme court, in circuit courts, in county courts, and in justices of the peace: Provided, that inferior local courts, of civil and criminal jurisdiction, may be established by the general assembly in the cities of this state, but such courts shall have a uniform organization and jurisdiction in such cities. 2. The supreme court shall consist of three judges, two of whom shall form a quorum; and the concurrence of two of “ats judges shall, in all cases, be necessary to a decision. 3. The state shall be divided into three grand divisions, as nearly equal as may be, and the qualified electors of each division shall elect one of the said judges for the term of nine years: Provided, that after the first election of such judges, the general assembly may have the power to provide by law for their election by the whole state, or by divisions, as they may deem most expedient. 4. The office of one of said judges shall be vacated, after the first election held under this article, in three years; of one, in six years; and of one, in nine years; to be decided by lot, so that one of said judges shall be elected once in every three years. The judge having the longest term to serve shall be the first chief-justice; after which, the judge having the oldest commission shall be chief-justice. 5. The supreme court may have original jurisdiction in cases relative to the revenue, in cases ef mandamus, habeas corpus, and in such cases of impeach- ment as may be by law directed to be tried before it, and shall have BPE Si jurisdiction in all other cases. 6. The supreme court shall hold one term annually in each of the aforesaid grand divisions, at such time and place, in each of said divisions, as may be provided for by law. 7. The state shall be divided into nine judicial districts; in each of which one circuit judge shall be elected by the qualified electors thereof, who shall hold his office for the term of six years, and until his successor shall be com- missioned and qualified: Provided, that the general assembly may increase the number of circuits to meet the future exigencies of the state. 8. There shall be two or more terms of the circuit court held, annually, in each county of this state, at such times as shall be provided by law; and said courts shall have jurisdiction in all cases at law and equity, and in all cases of appeals from all inferior courts. 9, All vacancies in the supreme and circuit courts shall be filled by election as aforesaid: Provided, however, that if the unexpired term does not exceed one year, such vacancy may be filled by executive appointment. 10. The judges of the supreme court shall receive a salary of twelve hun- dred dollars per annum, payable quarterly, and no more. The judges of the circuit courts shall receive a salary of one thousand dollars per annum, payable . J CONSTITUTION. 153 quarterly, and no more. The judges of the supreme and circuit courts shall not be eligible to any other office or public trust, of profit, in this state or the United States, during the term for which they are elected, nor for one year thereafter. All votes for either of them for any elective office (except that of judge of the supreme or circuit court), gi iven by the general assembly, or the people, shall be void. 11. No person shall be eligible to the office of judge of any court of this state, who is not a citizen of the United States, and who shall not’ have resided in this state five years next preceding his election, and who shall not, for two years next preceding his election, have resided in the division, circuit, or county, in which he shall be elected; nor shall any person be elected judge of the supreme court, who shall be, at the time of his election, under the age of thirty-five years; and no person shall be eligible to the office of judge of the circuit court until he shall have attained the age of thirty years. 12. For any reasonable cause, to be entered on the journals of each house, which shall not be sufficient ground for impeachment, both justices of the supreme court, and judges of the circuit court, shall be removed from office, on the vote of two-thirds of the members elected to each branch of the general assembly: Provided, always, that no member of either house of the general assembly shall be eligible to fill the vacancy occasioned by such removal: Pro- vided, also, that no removal shall be made unless the justice or judge complained of shall have been served with a copy of the complaint against him, and shall have an opportunity of being heard in his defence. 13. The first election for justices of the supreme court, and judges of the circuit courts, shall be held on the first Monday of September, 1848. 14. The second election for one justice of the supreme court shall be held on the first Monday of June, 1852; and every three years thereafter an election shall be held for one justice of the supreme court. ' 15, On the first Monday of June, 1855, and every sixth year thereafter, an election shall be held for judges of the circuit courts: Provided, whenever an additional circuit is created, such provision may be made as to hold the second election of such additional judge at the regular elections herein provided. 16. There shall be, in each county, a court, to be called a county court. 17. One county judge shall be elected by the qualified voters of each county, who shall hold his office for four years, and until his successor is elected and qualified. 18. The jurisdiction of said court shall sutaaa to all probate and such other jurisdiction as the general assembly may confer in civil cases, and such crimi- nal cases as may be prescribed by law, where the punishment is by fine only, not exceeding one hundred dollars. 19. The county judge, with such justices of the peace in each county as may be designated by law, shall hold terms for the transaction of county business, and shall perform such other duties as the general assembly shall prescribe: ¢ 154 CONSTITUTION. Provided, the general assembly may require, that two justices, to be chosen by the qualified electors of each county, shall sit with the county judge in all cases; and there shall be elected, quadrennially, in each county, a clerk of the county court, who shall be ez officio recorder, whose compensation shall be fees: Provided, the general assembly may, by law, make the clerk of the circuit court ex officio recorder, in lieu of the county clerk. 20. The general assembly shall provide for the compensation of the county judge. 21. The clerks of the supreme and circuit courts, and state’s attorneys, shall be elected at the first special election for judges. The second election for clerks of the supreme court shall be held on the first Monday of June, 1855, and every sixth year thereafter. The second election for clerks of the circuit courts, and state’s attorneys, shall be held on the Tuesday next after the first Monday of November, 1852, and every fourth year thereafter. 22. All judges and state’s attorneys shall be commissioned by the governor. 23. The election of all officers, and the filling of all vacancies that may hap- pen by death, resignation, or removal, not otherwise directed or provided for by this constitution, shall be made in such manner as the general assembly shall direct: Provided, that no such officer shall be elected by the general assembly. 24, The general assembly may authorize the judgments, decrees, and deci- sions, of any local, inferior court of record, of original civil or criminal juris- diction, established in a city, to be removed, for revision, directly into the supreme court. 25. County judges, clerks, sheriffs, and other county officers, for wilful neg- lect of duty, or misdemeanor in office, shall be liable to presentment or indict- ment by a grand jury, and trial by a petit jury; and, upon conviction, shall be removed from office. 26. All process, writs, and other proceedings, shall run in the name of “The people of the State of Illinois.” All prosecutions shall be carried on ‘Jn the name and by the authority of the people of the State of Jilinois,’’ and conclude, “Against the peace and dignity of the same.” 27. There shall be elected in each county in this state, in such districts as the general assembly may direct, by the qualified electors thereof, a competent number of justices of the peace, who shall hold their offices for the term of four years, and until their successors shall have been elected and qualified, and who shall perform such duties, receive such compensation, and exercise such juris- diction, as may be prescribed by law. 28. There shall be elected, in each of the judicial circuits of this state, by the qualified electors thereof, one state’s attorney, who shall hold his office for the term of four years, and until his svccessor shall be commissioned and qualified; who shall perform such duties and receive such compensation as may be prescribed by law: Provided, that the general assembly may hereafter CONSTITUTION. 155 provide by law for the election, by the qualified voters of each county in this state, of one county attorney for each county, in lieu of the state’s attorneys provided for in this section; the term of office, duties, and compensation of which county attorneys, shall be regulated by law. 29. The qualified electors of each county in this state shall elect a clerk of the circuit court, who shall hold his office for the term of four years, and until his successor shall have been elected and qualified, who shall perform such duties and receive such compensation as may be prescribed by law. The clerks of the supreme court shall be elected, in each division, by the qualified electors thereof, for the term of six years, and until their successors shall have been elected and qualified; whose duties and compensation shall be provided by law. 30. The first grand division, for the election of judges of the supreme court, shall consist of the counties of Alexander, Pulaski, Massac, Pope, Hardin, Gallatin, Saline, Williamson, Johnson, Union, Jackson, Randolph, Perry, Franklin, Hamilton, White, Wabash, Edwards, Wayne, Jefferson, Washington, Monroe, St. Clair, Clinton, Marion, Clay, Richland, Lawrence, Crawford, Jasper, Effingham, Fayette, Bond, Madison, Jersey, and Calhoun. The second grand division shall consist of the counties of Edgar, Coles, Moultrie, Shelby, Montgomery, Macoupin, Greene, Pike, Adams, Highland, Hancock, McDonough, Schuyler, Brown, Fulton, Mason, Cass, Morgan, Scott, Sangamon, Christian, Macon, Piatt, Champaign, Vermilion, De Witt, Logan, Menard, Cumberland, and Clark. The third grand division shall consist of the counties of Henderson, Warren, Knox, Peoria, Tazewell, Woodford, McLean, Livingston, Iroquois, Will, Grundy, Kendall, La Salle, Putnam, Marshall, Stark, Bureau, Henry, Mercer, Rock Island, Whiteside, Lee, Carroll, Jo Daviess, Stephenson, Winnebago, Ogle, De Kalb, Boone, Kane, McHenry, Lake, Cook, and Du Page. 31. The terms of the supreme court for the first division, shall be held at Mount Vernon, in Jefferson county; for the second division, at Springfield, in Sangamon county; for the third division, at Ottawa, in La Salle county; until some other place, in either division, is fixed by law. 32. Appeals and writs of error may be taken from the circuit court of any county to the supreme court held in the division which includes such county, or, with the consent of all the parties in the cause, to the supreme court in the next adjoining division. 33. The foregoing districts may, after the taking of each census by the state, be altered, if necessary, to equalize the said districts in population; but such alteration shall be made by adding to such district such adjacent county or counties as will make said district nearest equal in population: Provided, no such alteration shall affect the office of any judge then in office 156 CONSTITUTION. ArticLE VI.—On Elections and the Right of Suffrage. Sec. 1. In all elections, every white male citizen above the age of twenty-one years, having resided in the state one year next preceding any election, shall be entitled to vote at such election; and every white male inhabitant of the age aforesaid, who may be a resident of the state at the time of the adoption of this constitution, shall have the right of voting as aforesaid; but no such citizen or inhabitant shall be entitled to vote, except in the district or county in which he shall actually reside at the time of such election. 2. All votes shall be given by ballot. 3. Electors shall in all cases, except treason, felony, or breach of the peace, be privileged from arrest during their attendance at elections, and in going to and returning from the same. 4, No elector shall be obliged to do militia duty on the days of election, ex- cept in time of war or public danger. 5. No elector shall be deemed to have lost his residence in this state by reason of his absence on the business of the United States or of this state. 6. No soldier, seaman, or marine, in the army or navy of the United States, shall be deemed a resident of this state, in consequence of being stationed at any military or naval place within the state. 7. No person shall be elected or appointed to any office in this state, civil or military, who is not a citizen of the United States, and who shall not have resided in this state one year next before the election or appointment. 8. The general assembly shall have full power to pass laws excluding from the right of suffrage persons convicted of infamous crimes. 9. The general elections shall be held on the Tuesday next after the first Monday of November, biennially, until otherwise provided by law. ArticLtEe VII.—Of Counties. Sec. 1. No new county shall be formed or established by the general assem- bly, which will reduce the county or counties, or either of them, from which it shall be taken, to less contents than four hundred square miles; nor shall any county be formed of less contents; nor shall any line thereof pass within less than ten miles of any county seat of the county or counties proposed to be divided. 2. No county shall be divided, or have any part miitbenieierstcat without submitting the question to a vote of the people of the county, nor unless a majority of all the legal voters of the county voting on the question shall vote for the same. 8. All territory which has been, or may be stricken off, by legislative enact- ment, from any organized county or counties, for the purpose of forming a new county, and which shall remain unorganized after the period provided for such organization, shall be and remain a part of the county or counties from CONSTITUTION. 157 which it was originally taken, for all purposes of county and state government, until otherwise provided by law. 4, There shall be no territory stricken from any county unless a majority of the voters living in such territory shall petition for such division; and ino territory shall be added to any county without the consent of a majority of the - voters of the county to which it is proposed to be added. 5. No county seat shall be removed until the point to which it is proposed to be removed shall be fixed by law, and a majority of the voters of the county shail have voted in favor of its removal to such point. 6. The general assembly shall provide, by a general law, for a township organization, under which any county may organize whenever a majority of the voters of such county, at any general election, shall so determine; and whenever any county shall adopt a township organization, so much of this constitution as provides for the management of the fiscal concerns of the said county by the county court, may be dispensed with, and the affairs of said county may be transacted in such manner as the general assembly may provide. . 7. There shall be elected in each county in this state, by the qualified elect- ors thereof, a sheriff, who shall hold his office for the term of two years, and until his successor shall have been elected and qualified: Provided, no person shall be eligible to the said office more than once in four years. Articte VIII.—Militia. Sec. 1. The militia of the state of Illinois shall consist of all free male able- bodied persons (negroes, mulattoes, and Indians excepted), residents of the state, between the ages of eighteen and forty-five years, except such persons as now are or hereafter may be exempted by the laws of the United States or of this state, and shall be armed, equipped, and trained, as the general assem- bly may provide by law. ; | 2. No person or persons, conscientiously scrupulous of bearing arms, shall be compelled to do militia duty in time of peace, provided such person or per- sons shall pay an equivalent for such exemption. 3. Company, battalion, and regimental officers, staff officers excepted, shall be elected by the persons composing their several companies, battalions, and _ regiments. ) 4. Brigadier and major-generals shall be elected by the officers of their brigades and divisions, respectively. 5. All militia officers shall be commissioned by the governor, and may hold their commissions for such time as the legislature may provide. 6. The militia shall, in all cases, except treason, felony, or breach of the peace, be privileged from arrest during their attendance at musters and elec- tions of officers, and in going to and returning from the same. 14 158 CONSTITUTION. ArtTIcLE [X.—Of the Revenue. Src. 1. The general assembly may, whenever they shall deem it necessary, cause to be collected from all able-bodied, free white male inhabitants of this state, over the age of twenty-one years, and under the age of sixty years, who are entitled to the right of suffrage, a capitation tax of not less than fifty cents, nor more than one dollar each. . 2. The general assembly shall provide for levying a tax by valuation, so that every person and corporation shall pay a tax in proportion to the value of his or her property; such value to be ascertained by some person or persons to be elected or appointed in such manner as the general assembly shall direct, and not otherwise; but the general assembly shall have power to tax pedlars, auctioneers, brokers, hawkers, merchants, commission merchants, showmen, jugglers, inn-keepers, grocery-keepers, toll bridges and ferries, and persons using and exercising franchises and privileges, in such manner as they shall from time to time direct. 8. The property of the state and counties, both real and personal, and such other property as the general assembly may deem necessary for school, reli- gious, and charitable purposes, may be exempted from taxation. 4. Hereafter, no purchaser of any land or town lot, at any sale of lands or town lots for taxes due either to this state, or any county, or incorporated town or city within the same; or at any sale for taxes or levies authorized by the laws of this state, shall be entitled to a deed for the lands or town lot so purchased, until he or she shall have complied with the following conditions, to wit: Such purchaser shall serve, or cause to be served, a written notice of such purchase, on every person in possession of such land or town lot, three months before the expiration of the time of redemption on such sale; in which notice he shall state when he purchased the land or town lot, the description of the land or lot he has purchased, and when the time of redemption will expire. In like manner he shall serve on the person or persons in whose name or names such land or lot is taxed, a similar written notice, if such person or persons shall reside in the county where such land or lot shall be situated; and in the event that the person or persons in whose name or names the land or lot is taxed, do not reside in the county, such purchaser shall publish such notice in some newspaper printed in such county; and if no newspaper is printed in the county, then in the nearest newspaper that is published in this state to the county in which such lot or land is situated; which notice shall be inserted three times, the last time not less than three months before the time of redemption shall expire. Every such purchaser, by himself or agent, shall, before he shall be entitled to a deed, make an affidavit of his having complied with the conditions of this section, stating particularly the facts relied on as such compliance; which affidavit shall be delivered to the person authorized by law to exeéute such tax deed, and which shall by him be filed with the officer having custody of the records of lands and lots sold for taxes and entries CONSTITUTION. 159 of redemption, in the county where such land or lot shall lie, to be by such officer entered on the records of his office, and carefully preserved among the files of his office; and which record or affidavit shall be prima facie evidence that such notice has been given. Any person swearing falsely in such affidavit shall be deemed guilty of perjury, and punished accordingly. In case any person shall be compelled, under this section, to publish a notice in a news- paper, then, before any person, who may have a right to redeem such land or lot from tax sale, shall be permitted to redeem, he or she shall pay the officer or person who by law is authorized to receive such redemption-money, the printer’s fee for publishing such notice, and the expenses of swearing or affirming to the affidavit, and filing the same. 5. The corporate authorities of counties, townships, school districts, cities, towns, and villages, may be vested with power to assess and collect taxes for corporate purposes; such taxes to be uniform in respect to persons and pro- perty within the jurisdiction of the body imposing the same. And the general assembly shall require that all the property within the limits of municipal cor- porations, belonging to individuals, shall be taxed for the payment of debts contracted under authority of law. 6. The specification of the objects and subjects of taxation shall not deprive the general assembly of the power to require other objects or subjects to be taxed in such manner as may be consistent with the principles of taxation fixed in this constitution. ARTICLE X.— Corporations. Src. 1. Corporations, not possessing banking powers or privileges, may be formed under general laws, but shall not be created by special acts, except for municipal purposes, and in cases where, in the judgment of the general as- sembly, the objects of the corporation cannot be attained under general laws. 2. Dues from corporations, not possessing banking powers or privileges, shall be secured by such individual liabilities of the corporators, or other means, as may be prescribed by law. 8. No state bank shall hereafter be created, nor shall the state own or be liable for any stock in any corporation or joint stock association for banking purposes, tobe hereafter created. 4. The stockholders in every corporation or joint stock association, for bank- ing purposes, issuing bank notes, or any kind of paper credits to circulate as money, shall be individually responsible, to the amount of their respective share or shares of stock in any such corporation or association, for all its debts and liabilities of every kind. 5. No act of the general assembly, authorizing corporations or associations with banking powers, shall go into effect, or in any manner be in force, unless the same shall be submitted to the people at the general election next succeed- ing the passage of the same, and be approved by a majority of all the votes cast at ~uch election for and against such law. 160 CONSTITUTION. 6. The general assembly shall encourage internal improvements, by passing liberal general laws of incorporation for that purpose. ARTICLE XI.—Commons. All lands which have been granted, as a ‘‘common,” to the inhabitants of any town, hamlet, village, or corporation, by any person, body politic or cor- porate, or by any government having power to make such grant, shall for ever remain common to the inhabitants of such town, hamlet, village, or corporation ; but the said commons, or any of them, or any part thereof, may be divided, leased, or granted, in such manner as may hereafter be provided by law, on petition of a majority of the qualified voters interested in such commons, or any of them. ARTICLE XII.—Amendments to the Constitution. Sec. 1. Whenever two-thirds of all the members elected to each branch of the general assembly shall think it necessary to alter or amend this constitu- tion, they shall recommend to the electors at the next election of members of the general assembly, to vote for or against a convention; and if it shall appear that a majority of all the electors of the state voting for representatives have voted for a convention, the general assembly shall, at their next session, call a convention, to consist of as many members as the house of representatives at the time of making said call, to be chosen in the same manner, at the same place, and by the same electors, in the same districts that chose the members of the house of representatives; and which convention shall meet within three months after the said election, for the purpose of revising, altering, or amend- ing this constitution. 2. Any amendment or amendments to this constitution may be proposed in either branch of the general assembly; and if the same shall be agreed to by two-thirds of all the members elect in each of the two houses, such proposed amendment or amendments shali be referred to the next regular session of the general assembly, and shall be published at least three months previous to the time of holding the next election for members of the house of representatives ; and if, at the next regular session of the general assembly after said election, a majority of all the members elect, in each branch of the general assembly, shall agree to said amendment or amendments, then it shall be their duty to submit the same to the people at the next general election, for their adoption or rejection, in such manner as may be prescribed by law; and@if a majority of all the electors voting at such election for members of the house of repre- sentatives, shall vote for such amendment or amendments, the same shall become a part of the constitution. But the general assembly shall not have power to propose an amendment or amendments to more than one article of the constitution at the same session. , CONSTITUTION. 161 Articte XIII.—Declaration of Rights. That the general, great, and essential principles of liberty and free govern- ment may be recognised and unalterably established, we DECLARE :— Sec. 1. That all men are born equally free and independent, and have cer- tain inherent and indefeasible rights; among which are those of enjoying and defending life and liberty, and of acquiring, possessing, and protecting pro- perty and reputation, and of pursuing their own happiness. 2. That all power is inherent in the people, and all free governments are founded on their authority, and instituted for their peace, safety, and happi- ness, 8. That all men have a natural and indefeasible right to worship Almighty God according to the dictates of their own consciences; that no man can of right be compelled to attend, erect, or support any place of worship, or to maintain any ministry, against his consent; that no human authority can, in any case whatever, control or interfere with the rights of conscience; and that no preference shall ever be given by law to any religious establishments or modes of worship. _ 4. That no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office of public trust under this state. 5. That all elections shall be free and equal. 6. That the right of trial by jury shall remain inviolate; and shall extend to ~ all cases at law, without regard to the amount in controversy. 7. That the people shall be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and pos- sessions, from unreasonable searches and seizures: and that general warrants, whereby an officer may be commanded to search suspected places without evi- dence of the fact committed, or to seize any person or persons not named, whose offences are not particularly described and supported by evidence, are dangerous to liberty, and ought not to be granted. 8. That no freeman shall be imprisoned, or disseized of his freehold, liber- ties, or privileges, or outlawed or exiled, or in any manner deprived of his life, liberty, or property, but by the judgment of his peers, or the law of the land. 9. That in all criminal prosecutions, the accused hath a right to be heard by himself and counsel; to demand the nature and cause of the accusation against him; to meet the witnesses face to face; to have compulsory process to com- pel the attendance of witnesses in his favor; and in prosecutions by indictment or information, a speedy public trial by an impartial jury of the county or dis- trict wherein the offence shall have been committed, which county or district shall have been previously ascertained by law; and that he shall not be com- pelled to give evidence against himself. } 10. No person shall be held to answer for a criminal offence unless on the presentment or indictment of a grand jury, except in cases of impeachment, or in cases cognizable by justices of the peace, or arising in the army or navy, or in the militia when in actual service in time of war or public danger: Pro- 14* L 162 CONSTITUTION. vided, that justices of the peace shall try no person, except as a court of inquiry, for any offence punishable with imprisonment or death, or fine above one hun- dred dollars. 11. No person shall, for the same offence, be twice put in jeopardy of his life or limb; nor shall any man’s property be taken or applied to public use without the consent of his representatives in the general assembly, nor without _ just compensation being made to him. _ 12. Every person within this state ought to find a certain remedy in the laws for all injuries or wrongs which he may receive in his person, property, or character; he ought to obtain right and justice freely, and without being obliged to purchase it, completely and without denial, promptly and without delay, conformably to the laws. 13. That all persons shall be bailable by sufficient sureties, unless for capital offences where the proof is evident or the presumption great; and the privi- lege of the writ of habeas corpus shall not be suspended, unless, when in cases of rebellion or invasion, the public safety may require it. 14. All penalties shall be proportioned to the nature of the offence; the true design of all punishment being to reform, not to exterminate mankind. 15. No person shall be imprisoned for debt, unless upon refusal to deliver up his estate for the benefit of his creditors, in such manner as shall be prescribed . by law, or in cases where there is strong presumption of fraud. 16. There shall be neither slavery nor involuntary servitude in this state, except as a punishment for crime, whereof the party shall have been duly convicted. 17. No ex post facto law, nor any law impairing the obligation of contracts, shall ever be made: and no conviction shall work corruption of blood or for- feiture of estate. 18. That ho person shall be liable to be transported out of this state for any offence committed within the same. . 19. That a frequent recurrence to the fundamental principles of civil govern- ment is absolutely necessary to preserve the blessings of liberty. 20. The military shall be in strict subordination to the civil power. 21. That the people have aright to assemble together in a peaceable manner to consult for their common good, to instruct their representatives, and to apply to the general assembly for redress of grievances. 22. No soldier shall, in time of peace, be quartered in any house without the consent of the owner; nor in time of war, except in manner prescribed by law. 23. The printing-presses shall be free to every person who undertakes to examine the proceedings of the general assembly, or of any branch of govern- ment; and no law shall ever be made to restrain the right thereof. The free communication of thoughts and opinions is one of the invaluable rights of man; and every citizen may freely speak, write, and print, on any subject, being responsible for the abuse of that liberty. CONSTITUTION. 163 24. In prosecutions for the publication of papers investigating the official conduct of officers, or of men acting in a public capacity, or when the matter published is proper for public information, the truth thereof may be given in evidence; and in all indictments for libels, the jury shall have the right of determining both the law and the fact, under the direction of the court, as in other cases, 25. Any person who shall, after the adoption of this constitution, fight a duel, or send or accept a challenge for that purpose, or be aider or abettor in fighting a duel, shall be deprived of the right of holding any office of honor or profit in this state, and shall be punished otherwise, in such manner as is or may be prescribed by law. 26. That from and after the adoption of this constitution, every person who shall be elected or appointed to any office of profit, trust, or emolument, civil or military, legislative, executive, or judicial, under the government of this state, shall, before he enters upon the duties of his office, in addition to the oath prescribed in this constitution, take the following oath: “I do solemnly swear [or affirm, as the case may be] that I have not fought a duel, nor sent or accepted a challenge to fight a duel, the probable issue of which might have been the death of either party, nor been a second to either party, nor in any manner aided or assisted in such duel, nor been knowingly the bearer of such challenge or acceptance, since the adoption of the constitution; and that I will not be so engaged or concerned, directly or indirectly, in or about any such duel, during my continuance in office. So help me, God.” ARTICLE XIV.— Public Debt. ° There shall be annually assessed and collected, in the same manner as other state revenue may be assessed and collected, a tax of two mills upon each dol- lar’s worth of taxable property, in addition to all other taxes, to be applied as follows, to wit: The fund so created shall be kept separate, and shall annually, on the first day of January, be apportioned and paid over, pro rata, upon all such state indebtedness, other than the canal and school indebtedness, as may, for that purpose, be presented by the holders of the same, to be entered as credits upon, and, to that extent, in extinguishment of the principal of said indebtedness. GOVERNMENT JUDICIARY, AND FINANCES. GOVERNMENT. Joel A. Mattison (manufacturer), of Will county, Governor, and ex officio * Land Commissioner. Term ends, second Monday in January, 1857. Salary, $1500. Gustavus Koerner (lawyer), of St. Clair county, Lieutenant-Governor. Salary, $3 a day during session, and 10 cents a mile travel. . Alexander Starne (merchant), of Pike county, Secretary of State. Term ends, January, 1857. Salary, fees and $800.* Thomas H. Campbell (lawyer), of Springfield, Auditor. Term ends, Janu- ary, 1857. Salary, $1000.* John Moore (farmer), of Randolph’s Grove, Treasurer. Term ends, Janu- ary, 1857. Salary, $800.* Ninian W. Edwards, of Sangamon county, State Superintendent of poiaon Schools. Term ends, January, 1857. Salary, $1500. - J. G. Norwood, M. D., of Sangamon county, State Geologist. Moses K. Anderson, of Sangamon county, Adjutant-General. Thomas J. Turner, of Stephenson, Speaker of the House. Salary, $3 a day during the session. E. T. Bridges, of La Salle, Clerk. George T. Brown, of Madison, Secretary of Senate. The sessions of the Legislature are biennial. The nineteenth ses- sion commenced in January, 1855. JUDICIARY. SUPREME CovuRT. First Division.—Walter B. Scates, of Jefferson county, Chief Justice. Term ends, June, 1861. Salary, $1200. Noah Johnson, of Jefferson county, Clerk. Fees. Second Division.—Onias C. Skinner, of Quincy, Judge. Term ends, June, 1858. Salary, $1200. Wm. A. Turney, of Springfield, Clerk. Term ends, June, 1861. Fees. * Exclusive of clerk hire. (164 ) <—= JUDICIARY. 165 Third Division.—J. Deane Catton, of Ottawa, Judge. Term ends, June, 1864, Salary, $1200. Lorenzo Leland, of Ottawa, Clerk. Term ends, June, 1861. Fees. Ebenezer Peck, of Chicago, Reporter. This Court holds one session in each division of the State each year. The terms are: first division, at Mt. Vernon, Jefferson county, on the second Monday in November; second division, at Springfield, on the third Monday in December; third division, at Ottawa, La Salle county, on the first Monday in February. Crrcvurr Courts.* RESIDENCE. |SAL’RY.| PROS. ATTORNEY. RESIDENCE. | | | | | 4 | 1. |D. M. Woodson, |Greene co. $1000 |Cyrus Epley, Morgan co, $500 & fees. Sidney Breese, {St. Clair co. “ |Wm. H. Snyder, |St. Clair co. 4 3. |Wm. K. Parish, |Franklin co. « jJno. A. Logan, |Jackson co. 6 4, |Justin Harlan, /|Clarke oo. « \A. Kitchell, Richland co, $6 5. |P. H. Walker, Schuyler co. “« |Jno. 8. Bailey, {McDonough co. + 6. |J. W. Drury, Rock Islandco.| ‘* |Wm. TT. Miller, |Carroll co. £6 7. |Geo. Mainerre, |Cook co. «¢ {Daniel Mcllroy, |Cook co. fs 8. |David Davis, McLean co, se A. M. Williams, |Sangamon co, ee 9. |M. E. Hollister, |La Salle co. « |W. H. L. Wallace,|La Salle co. . 10. |J. I. Thompson, |Mercer co. « (Wm. C. Grudy, |Fulton co. “ 11. |S. W. Randall, | Will co. « 1S. W. Bowen, Will co. sé 12. |Edwin Beecher, |Wayne co, “ |J.8. Robinson, |White co. sf 13. |Isaac G. Wilson, |Kane co. “< |M. W. Boyce, Boone co. 14, |B. R. Sheldon, jJo Daviess co. « |W. Brown, Winnebago co. 6 15. |Jos. Sibley, Hancock co. « iC. A. Warren, j|Adams co. se 16, |Onslow Peters, |Peoria co. “¢ |E.G. Johnson, |Peoria co. a 17. |Chas. Emerson, |Macon co. “« 1G. Rust, Macon co. ve Cook County Common Pleas. —John M. Wilson, Judge. Term ends, 1857. Salary, $1000 and fees. Walter Kimball, Clerk. Recorder’s Court of the City of Chicago. —Robert 8. Wilson, Judge. Term ends, 1858. Salary, $2200 and fees. Daniel McIlroy, Prosecuting Attorney. Term ends, 1856. Salary, $500 and fees. Philip A. Hoyne, Clerk. Term ends, 1858. Fees. These Courts have concurrent jurisdiction in the county and city, respectively, with the Circuit Court and Common Pleas, in all civil cases, and in all criminal cases, except murder and treason. Hach county has a County Court, with jurisdiction to the same amount as Justices of the Peace, but their business is chiefly probate matters. * The term of office of the several judges ends in June. 1861; of the prosecuting attorneys, November, 1856, 166 FINANCES. FINANCES. The debt of the State, principal and interest, was, January 1, 1855, $13,994,615. During the two years ending November 30, 1854, there has been paid of the public debt, in addition to $1,200,000 paid on account of accruing interest, the sum of $2,750,058, making a total of $3,950,088 paid during this time, on account of the public debt. If the present rate of taxation is continued, and the present method of reducing the State debt followed, it will be eventually ex- tinguished in 1866. The receipts into the treasury for ordinary revenue for the two years ending November 380, 1854,¥ chiéiyifrom taxes, Were s.ciclic.cccny, pavteneey ovens $408,529 77 Add balance in the treasury, Dec. 1, 1852, ......... 146,372 36 $554,902 13 The expenditures for the same period, were: Ordinary OxPOnie jokendscs oss ects chas'caha aces sake nwiis $255,195 31 Special appropriations and expenditures,............ 269,720 85 Old warrants and miscellaneous, .......0. scssee sevececes 961 13 —— 525,877 29 Balance in ‘the treasury, Dee.1, 1854)... .c 0.15 wsccssccetrpeacoss ccsess $29,024 84 Amount of interest fund tax received for the same period, in- cluding DSlancG, WAiss.sccisientsanccaestear cai ses noms te uasnea tetra: tnekes 592,972 08 Amount of warrants issued for payment of interest cancelled,... 528,294 66 Amount received for liquidation of State debt, including balance, 963,708 37 Warrants for pro rata payments of State indebtedness cancelled, 544,555 50 The total assessed value of property in the State in 1852, was $149,294,805; in 1853, $225,159,633. Rate of taxation on each $100: in 1852, 604 cents; in 1853, 494 cents. During the two * The following letter of the State Treasurer to the Chicago Tribune, gives the total amount paid by the people into the treasury in 1855: TREASURER’S OFFICE, Springfield, Dec. 14, 1855. Editors of the Tribune :—Agreeably to your request, I send you the amount of payments into the treasury, from 1st January to 30th November, 1855, upon the assessment of 1854, alone, as follows: ReVeNUe PUTPOSCS;s+sseseresessssserererersecerenscerssessensessenseeessnseres sneneesnesessaseenseseesess $288,586 78 Shite MONEE TANI ERE )ooslecssshsus cola suervorebadereneeteeounibekughetioe tale ficou cas poscanee 478,753 56 [RtCLESL MUO smrccssceccesensustaresacsachaescscashcapsescasnveprerss asveateestcres tees adesccuccti cis teccobe 358,757 32 Titel TREE TOE RBC sccscevssnacticnivsoncnsudorsicscnuraucscidassavtanseowNePents-aesceseslaccces recues $1,126,077 56 Very respectfully, &., JoHN Moors, Treasurer of the State of Illinois. FINANCES. 167 years $280,894.06 were received from the sale of 80,126.04 acres of land belonging to the State, and 48,598.15 acres remained unsold, December 1, 1854. Amount of funds deyoted to Common Schools, December 10, 1854: Three per cent. on net proceeds of public lands (ex- Rpt OU REKAR ioe ne 5b sn ou ag Fenbeud Cidaen siiasnn Sawies $463,490 93 Surplus revenue from the United States, ............ 835,592 382 $799,083 25 There are, besides: The College Fund, being one-sixth of the three per URES NIUE Sea NBE dein ide ic beg eas cde onddaitnyndoivbas thes $92,682 1¢ The Seminary Fund, i. e. proceeds of sales of semi- Piniees TRITE A. aaa atevac elias cneectace kat ocdect annteagys «as 59,738 72 152,420 82 Making, devoted to purposes of education,......ssss recscssee coveenses $951,504 07 The whole of this sum has been borrowed or appropriated by the State, and devoted to pay the current expenses of the government. The State pays six percent. interest on the amount. The interest of the Common School Fund for 1853, was $57,090.25, which, except one-fourth of one per cent. ($2,378.76) paid to the Deaf and Dumb Asylum,.was divided among the several counties, in proportion to the number of white children under the age of 21. Besides this State fund, there are county and township funds. The value of the county funds is estimated at $50,000; of the township funds, $1,952,090.51; which would make a total principal of $2,953,594.58. The interest on the State fund is at 6 per cent.; on county and township funds, at 10 per cent.; total net proceeds of interest, $196,281.54. LAWS. LAND TITLES. The following are the provisions of the Revised Statutes concerning the regulation of estates and land: — Livery of seisin shall in no case be necessary for the conveyance of real property; but every deed, mortgage, or other conveyance in writing, signed and sealed by the party making the same (the maker or makers being of full age, sound mind, discovert, at large, and not in duress), shall be sufficient, without livery of seisin, for the giving, granting, selling, mortgaging, leasing, or otherwise conveying or transferring any lands, tenements, or hereditaments in this state, so as, to all intents and purposes, absolutely and fully to vest in every donee, grantee, bargainee, mortgagee, lessee, or purchaser, all such estate or estates as shall be specified in any such deed, mortgage, lease, or other conveyance. Nothing herein contained shall be so construed as to divest or defeat the older or better estate or right of any person or persons not a party to any such deed, mortgage, lease, or other conveyance. (R. 8. 10%, Sec. 1.) Every estate, feoffment, gift, grant, deed, mortgage, lease, release, or con- firmation of lands, tenements, rents, services, or hereditaments, made or had, or hereafter to be made or had, by any person or persons, being of full age, sound mind, discovert, at large, and not in duress, to any person or persons, and all recoveries, judgments, and executions had or made, or to be had or made, shall be good and effectual to him, her, or them, to whom it is or shall be made, had, or given, and to all others; to his, her, or their use, against the judgment-debtor, seller, feoffor, donor, grantor, mortgagor, lessor, releasor, or confirmer, and against his, her, or their heirs or heir claiming the same only as heir or heirs, and every of them,*and against all others having or claiming any title or interest in the same only to the use of the same judgment- debtor, seller, feoffor, donor, grantor, mortgagor, lessor, releasor, or confirmer, or his, her, or their said heirs, at the time of the judgment, execution, bar- gain, sale, mortgage, covenant, lease, release, gift, or grant made. (R.&., page 108, Sec. 2.) Where any person or persons stand or be seized, or at any time hereafter shall stand or be seized, of and in any messuages, lands, tenements, rents, Services, reversions, remainder, or other hereditaments, to the use, confidence, (168) LAWS. 169 or trust of any other person or persons, or of any body politic, by reason of any bargain, sale, feoffment, fine, recovery, covenant, contract, agreement, will, or otherwise, by any manner of means whatsoever; in every such case, all and every such person or persons and bodies politic that have, or hereafter shall have, any such use, confidence, or trust in fee simple, for terms of life, or for years, or otherwise,-or any use, confidence, or trust in remainder or reversion, shall from thenceforth stand-and be seized, deemed, and adjudged in lawful: seisin, estate, and possession of and in the same messuages, lands, tenements, rents, services, reversions, remainders, and hereditaments, with their appurtenances, to all intents, constructions, and purposes in law, of and in such like estates as they had or shall have in use, confidence, or trust of or in the same; and that the estate, right, title, and possession that was or shall be in such person or persons that was or hereafter shall be seized of any lands, tenements, or hereditaments to the use, confidence, or trust of any person or persons, or of any body politic, be from henceforth clearly deemed and adjudged to be in him, her, or them that have or hereafter shall have such use, confi- dence, or trust, after such quality, manner, form, and condition as they had before in or to the use, confidence, or trust that was or shall be in them. (R. S., p. 1038, Sec. 3.) P Any person claiming right or title to lands, tenements, or hereditaments, although he, she, or they may be out of possession, and notwithstanding there may be an adverse possession thereof, ‘may sell, convey and tranfer his or her interest in and to the same in as full and complete a manner as if he or she were in the actual possession of the lands and premises intended to be con- veyed, and the grantee or grantees shall have the same right of action for the recovery thereof, and shall in all respects derive the same benefits and advan- tages therefrom, as if the grantor or grantors had been in the actual possession at the time of executing the conveyance. (R. S., p. 103, Sec. 4.) No estate in joint tenancy in any lands, tenements, or hereditaments shall be held or claimed under any grant, devise, or conveyance whatsoever hereto- fore or hereafter made, other than to executors and trustees, unless the pre- mises therein mentioned shall expressly be thereby declared to pass, not in tenancy in common, but in joint tenancy; and every such estate, other than to executors or trustees, (unless otherwise expressly declared, as aforesaid, ) shall be deemed to be in tenancy incommon. (R.8., p. 108, Sec. 5.) In cases where by the common law any person or persons might hereafter become seized in fee tail of any lands, tenements or hereditaments by virtue of any devise, gift, grant, or other conveyance hereafter to be made, or by any other means whatsoever, such person or persons, instead of being or becoming seized thereof in fee tail, shall be deemed and adjudged to be and become seized thereof for his or her natural life only, and the remainder shall pass in fee simple absolute to the person or persons to whom the estate tail would, on 15 170 LAWS. - . the death of the first grantee, devisee, or donee in tail, first pass according to the course of the common law by virtue of such devise, gift, grant, or convey- ance. (R.8., p. 104, Sec. 6.) If any person shall sell and convey to another by deed or conveyance pur- porting to convey an estate in fee simple absolute in any tract of land or real estate lying and being in this state, not then being possessed of the legal estate or interest therein at the time of the sale and conveyance, but after such sale and conveyance the vendor shall become possessed of and confirmed in the legal estate to the land or real estate so sold. and conveyed, it shall be taken and held to be in trust and for the use of the grantee or vendee, and the conveyance aforesaid shall be held and taken, and shall be as valid as if the grantor or vendor had the legal estate or interest at the time of said sale or conveyance. (R.S., p. 104, Sec. 7.) Every person in the actual possession of lands or tenements under claim and color of title made in good faith, and who shall for seven successive years con- tinue in such possession, and shall also during said time pay all taxes legally assessed on such lands or tenements, shall be held and adjudged to be the legal owner of said lands or tenements to the extent and according to the pur- port of his or her paper title. All persons holding under such possession by purchase, devise, or descent before said seven years shall have expired, and who shall continue such possession, and continue to pay the taxes as aforesaid, so as to complete the possession and payment of taxes for the term aforesaid, shall be entitled to the benefit of this section. (R.S8., p. 104, Sec. 8.) Whenever a person having color of title, made in good faith, to vacant and unoccupied land, shall pay all taxes legally assessed thereon for seven succes- sive years, he or she shall be deemed and adjudged to be the legal owner of said vacant and unoccupied land, to the extent and according to the purport of his or her paper title. All persons holding under such tax payer by pur- chase, devise, or descent before said seven years shall have expired, and who shall continue to pay the taxes as aforesaid, so as to complete the payment of taxes for the term aforesaid, shall be entitled to the benefit of this section: Provided, however, if any person having a better paper title to said Vacant and unoccupied land shall, during the said term of seven years, pay the taxes assessed on said land for any one or more years of the said term of seven years, then and in that case such tax payer, his heirs and assigns, shall not be entitled to the benefit of this section.* (R.S8., p. 104, Sec. 9.) * The Supreme Court of the United States did, not long ago, decide a case, which refers to the above, and regarding which the Chicago Democratic Press, dated Feb. 16, 1856, contains the following letter: — Quincy, February 5, 1856. Dear Sir: —I have just received the opinion of the Supreme Court of the United States in the case of Wright vs. Matteson. LAWS. 17a The two preceding sections shall not extend to lands or tenements owned by the United States or this State, nor to school and seminary lands, nor to lands held for the use of religious societies, nor to lands held for any public purpose, nor shall they extend to lands or tenements when there shall be an adverse title to such lands or tenements, and the holder of such adverse title is under the age of twenty-one years, insane, imprisoned, femme covert, out of the limits of the United States, and in the employment of the United States or of this State: provided such person shall commence an action to recover such lands or tenements so possessed as aforesaid within three years after the several disabilities herein enumerated shall cease to exist, and shall prosecute such action to judgment, or in case of vacant and unoccupied land shall within the time last aforesaid pay to the person or persons who have paid the same all the taxes, with interest thereon at the rate of twelve per cent. per annum, that have been paid on said vacant and unoccupied land. (R.8., p. 104, Sec. 10.) All deeds whereby any estate of inheritance in fee simple shall hereafter be limited to the grantee and his heirs or other legal representatives, the words ‘“‘orant,” “bargain,” ‘‘sell,” shall be adjudged an express covenant to the grantee, his heirs and other legal representatives, to wit: that the grantor was seized of an indefeasible estate in fee simple, free from encumbrances done or suffered from the grantor, except the rents and services that may be reserved, as also for quiet enjoyment against the grantor, his heirs and assigns, unless limited by express words contained in such deed. And the grantee, his - heirs, executors, administrators, and assigns, may in any action assign breaches as if such covenants were expressly inserted: Provided, always, that this law shall not extend to lease at rack rent, or leases not exceeding twenty-one years, where the actual possession goes with the lease. (R. 8., p. 105, Sec. 10.) . Every deed conveying real estate which by any thing therein contained It is decided in my favor — that is, for Wright —and is full, satisfactory, and conclusive Under this decision, all persons who have had possession of Tand for seven years, and have paid taxes during that time, under any of our tax titles, from 1823 down to the present time inclusive, will be fully and eompletely protected. The Court say, that however inadequate the deed may be to carry the true title to the pro- perty, and however incompetent may have been the power of the grantor, yet a claim asserted under such deed is strictly a claim under color of title, and one which will draw to the pos- session of the grantee the protection of the statutes of limitations. No matter whether the sale was regular or irregular, or on the right or wrong day, it is still color of title, and so it is if the party were in possession of the land when he purchased at the tax sale and acquired his deed. Nor is it necessary that he shall connect with any source of title. If he possesses in good order a deed from one having no pretence to title, it is the same thing. It is color of title, and protected by the statute. 0. H. BROWNING. ‘ 172 LAWS. shall appear to have been intended only as a security in the nature of a mort- gage, though it be an absolute conveyance in terms, shall be considered as a mortgage. (R.S., p. 105, Sec. 12). Every estate in lands which shall be granted, conveyed, or devised to one, although words heretofore necessary to tranfer an estate of inheritance be not added, shall be deemed a fee simple estate of inheritance, if a less estate be not limited by express words, or do not appear to have been granted, conveyed, or devised by construction or operation of law. (R.S8., p. 105. Sec. 13.) When an estate hath been or shall be by any conveyance limited in remain- der to the son or daughter, or to the use of the son or daughter, of any person, to be begotten, such son or daughter, born after the decease of his or her father, shall take the estate in the same manner as if he or she had been born in the lifetime of the father, although no estate shall have been conveyed to support the contingent remainder after his death. (R. S., p. 105, Sec. 14.) All aliens residing in this State may take by deed, will, or otherwise, lands and tenements, and any interest therein, and alienate, sell, assign, and trans- mit the same to their heirs or any other persons, whether such heirs or other persons be citizens of the United States or not, in the same manner as natural born citizens of the United States or of this State might do; and upon the decease of any alien having title to or interest in any lands or tenements, such lands and tenements shall pass and descend in the same manner as if such alien were a citizen of the United States; but all such persons shall have the same rights and remedies, and in all things be placed on the same footing, as natural born citizens and actual residents of the United States. (R. 8., p. 47, Sec. 1.) EXECUTION OF DEEDS AND MORTGAGES. The execution of Deeds and Mortgages is regulated by the following provisions of the Revised Statutes : Conyeyances may be written or printed, must set forth the residence and the name of the parties, the land, and the terms of the grant, must be legible, and upon some material susceptible of delivery and record. They must be signed by the party or parties thereto. The provisions of the Statutes, however, permit the subscriling of a deed by an attorney of the grantor, if he should have been thereunto authorized by an instrument in © writing, executed and acknowledged by his principals, with all the formalities required in the execution of a deed, and not otherwise. They should be attested by two subscribing witnesses, unless acknowledged previous to their delivery. They must be sealed. A scrawl of the pen may be used as a seal. It is LAWS. 173 usual to flourish an intended circle at the right of the signature, with the initials L. 8. inserted in it. Form oF ACKNOWLEDGMENT. Srate or Inirxols, bes . CouNTY OF Be it remembered, that on this first day of , one thousand eight hundred and , before me, John Hancock, a notary public, person- ally appeared John Walker and Mary his wife, to me known to be the real persons whose names are subscribed to the foregoing conveyance, and severally acknowledged that they executed the same, and the said Mary, on an exami- nation separate and apart from her husband, having had the contents thereof fully made known to her by me, acknowledged that she executed the same, . and relinquished her dower to the lands and tenements therein mentioned, voluntarily, freely, and without any compulsion of her said husband. In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and notarial seal of office, the day and year first above written. (Seal of office.) Joun Hancock, Notary Public. All persons of full age, except femmes covert, idiots, and lunatics, are enti- tled to convey real estate, subject to the provisions of the Statute. When any married woman shall join her husband in the execution of a deed or mortgage of his real estate, and acknowledge the same as mentioned below, she may relinquish her right of dower. (R. 8S. 106, Sec. 17.) Deeds containing the words “grant,” ‘‘bargain,” ‘‘sell,” are adjudged to express a covenant to the grantee and his heirs and representatives, that the grantor was seized of an indefeasible estate in fee simple, free from incum- brances done or suffered by the grantor, except the rents and devises that may be reserved, and also for quiet enjoyment against the grantor, his heirs and assigns, unless limited by express words contained in such deed. (R. 8. 105, Sec. 11.) Every deed conveying real estate, which, by anything therein contained, shall appear to have been intended only as a security in the nature of a mort- gage, though it be an absolute conveyance in terms, shall be considered as a mortgage. (R. S., Sec. 12.) PROVISIONS OF THE STATUTES CONCERNING PROOF AND ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF DreEps AND Morrteaaes, IN ILttno!s. All instruments for the conveyance of real estate in this State, or any inte- rest therein, affecting the rights of any person in law or equity, must be acknowledged or proved before one of the following officers, viz.: When acknowledged or proven in Illinois, before any Judge, Justice, or Clerk of any Court of Record therein, having a seal, or before any Mayor of a city, Notary Public, or Commissioner authorized to take the acknowledgment of deeds, 15* 174 LAWS. having a seal, or any Justice of the Peace. When acknowledged or proved without the State of Dlinois, and within the United States or their territories, or the District of Columbia, before an officer commissioned for the purpose by the Governor of Dlinois, in conformity with the laws of such State, Territory, or District; provided, that any Clerk of a Court of Record within such State, Territory, or District, shall, under his hand and the seal of such Court, certify that such deed or instrument is executed and acknowledged, or proved, in conformity with the laws of such State, Territory, or District. When acknow- ledged or proven without the United States, before any Court of any Republic, State, Kingdom, or Empire, having a seal, or any Mayor or chief officer of any city or town, having a seal, or before any officer authorized, by the laws of such foreign country, to take acknowledgments of conveyances of real estate, if he have a seal, such deed to be attested by the official seal of such Court or officer; and in case such acknowledgment is taken other than before a Court of Record, or Mayor, or chief officer of a town, having a seal, proof that the officer taking such acknowledgment was duly authorized by the laws of his country to do so, shall accompany the certificate of such acknowledgment. (R. 8. 105, Sec. 16.) The officer taking the acknowledgment must certify, that the person offering to make such acknowledgment is personally known to him to be the real per- son whose name is subscribed to the deed as having executed the same, or that he was proved to be such by a credible witness (naming him). (R. 8S. 107, Sec. 20.) ; In case of married women, in addition to the above, he shall acquaint her with the contents of the deed, and shall examine her separately and apart from her husband, whether she executed the same, and relinquished her dower to the lands and tenements therein mentioned, voluntarily, freely, and without compulsion of her said husband, and shall certify the same on or annexed to the deed. (R.S., Sec. 17.) ReEcoRDING oF DEEDS AND MorTGAGES, AND THE EFFECT THEREOF. All instruments relating to or affecting the title to real estate in this State, must be recorded in the county in which such real estate is situated. (R. S. 108, Sec. 22.) ; All deeds, mortgages, and other instruments of writing, which are required to be recorded, shall take effect and be in force from and after the time of filing the same for record, and not before, as to all creditors and subsequent purchasers, without notice, and all such deeds and title papers shall be ad- judged void as to all such creditors and subsequent purchasers, without notice, until the same shall be filed for record. (R.S., Sec. 23.) All powers of attorney to convey lands are required to be recorded before any deed, executed under the authority contained in the power, goes upon record. (R.S., Sec. 24.) LAWS. 175 The County Recorder,* biennially elected, commissioned by the Governor, and required to reside at the county seat, and to keep the books of record, is also required to give a receipt to the person bringing any deed or writing to be recorded, bearing date on the same day as the entry, and containing the abstract aforesaid, and for which entry and receipt he is entitled to no fees (R. 8. 482, Sec. 7), but for the recording he is entitled to fifteen cents per hundred words, and twenty-five cents for a certificate, that the same has been recorded. (R. 8. 248, Sec. 23.) All conveyances acknowledged or proven in the State before any Judge, Justice of the Supreme or Circuit Court, or before any Court or officer, having a seal, and attested by such seal, are entitled to record without further attesta- tion. But when acknowledged or proven before a Justice of the Peace resi- ding within the State, the certificate of the Clerk of the County Commissioners’ Court of the proper county, under his seal of office, that the person taking such proof or acknowledgment was a Justice of the Peace at the time of taking the same, must be produced to the Recorder; and when acknowledged or proved out of the State, before an officer other than Commissioner of this State residing there, the certificate of acknowledgment or proof must be ac- companied with a certificate of a Clerk of a Court of Record within the State, Territory, or District, where the acknowledging officer resides, under the hand of such clerk and the seal of his Court, setting forth that the deed or instru- ment is executed, acknowledged, or proved, in conformity with the laws of such State, Territory, or District. The conveyance, certificate of acknowledgment or proof, and the certificate of authentication, go upon record together, and for recording the whole thereof the Recorder is entitled to be paid. Satisfaction of mortgages may be entered upon record, by the mortgagees, in the Recorder’s office, and the record will thereby be effectually cancelled. If not so done, the cancellation may be effected by the mortgagees signing and sealing, in the presence of an attesting witness, and acknowledging in form, satisfaction thereof in writing; which instrument, on being produced to the Recorder, is sufficient authority for him to discharge the record. (R. 8S. 110, Sec. 37.) Wits or Rea Estate. The Statutes of Illinois provide, that every person aged twenty-one years, if a male, or eighteen years, if a female, or upwards, and not married, being of sound mind and memory, shall have power to devise all the estate, right, * The Clerk of the Circuit Court is now Recorder of Deeds, and performs all the duties for- merly required to be performed by the County Recorder, which office was abolished by act of the Legislature of 1849. (Laws of 1849, page 64, Sec. 12.) 176 LAWS. title, and interest, in possession, reversion, or remainder, which he or she hath, or at the time of his or her death shall have, of, in, and to any lands, tenements, hereditaments, annuities, or rents charged upon or issuing out of them, or goods and chattels, or personal estate of every description whatso- ever, by will or testament; all persons of the age of seventeen years, and of sound mind and memory (married women excepted), have power to dispose of their personal estate, by will or testament; and married women have power to dispose of their separate estate, both real and personal, by will or testa- ment, in the same manner as other persons. (R. 8. 536, Sec. 1.) Wills, testaments, and codicils, by which any lands, tenements, heredita- ments, annuities, rents, or goods and. chattels are devised, shall be reduced to writing, and signed by the testator or testatrix, or by some person in his or her presence, or by his or her direction, and attested in the presence of the testator or testatrix, by two or more credible witnesses. If the testator be: unable to write, his mark affixed will suffice for a signature, if accompanied with*the declaration, that the same is his mark; if another write his name by his direction, the same must be done in his presence, otherwise such signature will be invalid. (R.8., Sec. 2.) Wills may or may not contain a provision for the appointment of executors thereof. If they contain no appointment, the Court which admits them to probate has the power to supply the omission, by appointing an administrator, with the will annexed. In no case, where any testator or testatrix shall, by his or her will, appoint his or her debtor to be his or her executor or executrix, shall such appoint- ment operate as a release or extinguishment of any debt due from such exe- cutor or executrix to such testator or testatrix, unless the testator or testatrix shall, in such will, expressly declare his or her intention. to devise or release such debt; nor even in that case, unless the estate of such testator or testatrix is sufficient to discharge the whole of his or her just debts, over and above the debt due from such executor or executrix. (R. 8., Sec. 12.) If, after making a last will and testament, a child or children shall be born to any testator or testatrix, and no provision be made in such will for such child or children, the will shall not, on that account, be revoked, but unless it shall appear by such will, that it was the intention of the testator or testatrix to disinherit such child or children, the devises and legacies by such wil) granted and given shall be abated in equal proportions, to raise a portion for such child or children, equal to that which such child or children would have been entitled to receive out of the estate of such.testator or testatrix, if he or she had died intestate. (R.8., Sec. 13.) Whenever a devisee or legatee in any last will and testament, being a child or grandchild of the testator or testatrix, shall die before such testator or tes- tatrix, and no provision shall be made for such contingency, the issue of such devisee or legatee shall take the estate devised and bequeathed, and if there LAWS. 177 4 be no such issue at the time of the death of such testator or testatrix, the estate disposed of by such devise or legacy shall be considered and treated in all respects as intestate estate. (R. 8., Sec. 14.) Codicils must be executed in the same manner as wills, and no will, testa- ment, or codicil, shall be revoked otherwise than by burning, cancelling, tear- ing, or obliterating the same by the testator himself, or in his presence, by his direction or consent, or by some other will, testament, or codicil in writing, declaring the same, signed by the testator or testatrix, in the presence of two or more witnesses, and by them attested in his or her presence, and no words spoen shall revoke or annul any will, testament, or codicil in writing, executed as aforesaid, in due form of law. (R. S., Sec. 15.) Every devise of land or any estate therein, by a married man, shall bar his surviving widow’s right of dower therein, unless otherwise expressed in the will, but she may elect whether she will take such devise or bequest, or whether she will renounce the benefit of such devise or bequest, and take her dower in the lands. And she will be deemed to have elected to such jointure or devise, unless within one year after the authentication or probate of the will, she shall deliver or transmit to the Court of Probate of the proper county, a written renunciation. (R. S. 199, Sec. 11.) THr PROBATE AND RECORDING OF WILLS. When any will, testament, or codicil shall be exhibited in the Court of Pro- bate* for probate thereof, it shall be the duty of the court to receive the pro- bate of the same without delay, and to grant letters testamentary thereon to the person or persons entitled, and to do all other needful acts to enable the parties concerned to make settlement of the estate at as early a day as shall be consistent with the rights of the respective persons interested therein: provided, however, that if any person interested shall within five years after the probate of any such will, testament, or codicil, in the Court of Probate as aforesaid, appear, and by his or her bill in chancery contest the validity of the same, an issue at law shall be made up, whether the writing produced be the will of the testator or testatrix or not; which shall be tried by a jury, in the Circuit Court of the county wherein such will, testament, or codicil shall have been proved and recorded as aforesaid, according to the practice in courts of * The County Court is invested with all of the powers and jurisdiction formerly exercised by the Probate Court, which is now abolished. (Laws of II1., p. 65, Sec. 13.) The County Court was created by the same act by which the Probate Court was abolished and holds its sessions for the transaction of business at the Court-house, or usual place ot holding courts in the several counties, on the first Monday of each month, except the months of December, March, June, and September, and on the third Mondays of said months, and continues open day by day, until all the business before it be disposed of. M 178 LAWS. chancery in similar cases; but if, no such person shall appear within the time aforesaid, the probate as aforesaid shall be forever binding and conclusive on all the parties concerned, saving to infants, femmes covert, persons not compos mentis or absent from the State, the like period after the removal of their respective disabilities. And in all such trials by jury, as aforesaid, the certi- ficate of the oaths of the witnesses at the time of the first probate shall be admitted as evidence, and to have such weight as the jury shall think it may deserve. (R.S8., p. 587, Sec. 6.) On the probate of any will at least two credible attesting witnesses are required to be sworn and examined, and before the same can be admitted to record such witnesses must have declared, on oath or affirmation, that they were present and saw the testator or testatrix sign said will, testament, or codicil in their presence, and heard him or her acknowledge the same to be his or her act and deed; and they believed the testator or testatrix to be of sound mind and memory at the time of signing or acknowledging thé same. (R.5S., p- 536, Sec. 2.) It shall be the duty of each and every witness to any will, testament, or codicil, made and executed in this State as aforesaid, to be and appear before the Court of Probate on the regular day for probate of such will, testament, or codicil, to testify of and concerning the execution and validity of the same, and the said Court of Probate shall have power and authority to attach and punish by fine and imprisonment, or either, any witness who shall, without a reasonable excuse, fail to appear when duly summoned for the purpose afore- said; provided the said punishment by imprisonment shall in no case exceed the space of twenty days, nor shall a greater fine be assessed for any such default than the sum of fifty dollars. When any will, testament, or codicil shall be produced to the Court of Pro- bate for probate of the same, and any witness attesting such will, testament, or codicil shall reside without the limits of this State, it shall be lawful for the Probate Justice to issue a dedimus potestatem, or commission annexed to such will, testament, or codicil, directed to some judge, justice of the peace, mayor, or other chief magistrate of the city, town, or corporation, or county where such witness may be found, authorizing the taking and certifying of his or her attestation in due form of law. And if the person to whom any such com- mission shall be directed, shall certify in the manner that such acts are usually _ authenticated, that the witness personally appeared before him and made oath or affirmation that the testator or testatrix signed and published the writing _ annexed to such commission as his or her last will and testament; or, that - some other person signed it by his or her direction, that he or she subscribed his or her name as a witness thereto in the presence of the testator or testa~ trix, and at his or her request; such oath or affirmation shall have the same \ operation, and the will shall be admitted to probate in like manner, as if such LAWS. 179 oath or affirmation had been made in the Court of Probate from whence such commission issued. (R. 8., p. 537, Sec. 4.) Any will, testament, and codicil, or authenticated copies thereof, proven according to the laws of any of the United States or Territories thereof, or of any country out of the limits of the United States, and touching or concerning estates within this State, accompanied with a certificate of the proper officer or officers that such will, testament, codicil, or copy thereof, was duly executed and proved agreeebly to the laws and usages of that State or country in which the same was executed, shall be recorded as aforesaid, and shall be good and available in law, in like manner as wills made and executed in this State. (R. S., p. 588, Sec. 8.) Form of Attestation. Signed, sealed, published, and declared, by the said John Warren, as and for his last will and testament, in the presence of us, who, at the request of the said John Warren, and in his presence, and in the presence of each other, have hereunto subscribed our names, and respective places of residence, as Witnesses. (Names.) (Residences. ) JOH NeWADTERA einai. Sade, JOHN. GRIPPITH fii iails te eae -~ TITLE TO Reat Estate By INHERITANCE. The Statutes provide that the estates, both real and personal, of resident or non-resident proprietors dying intestate, or whose estates or any part thereof shall be deemed and taken as intestate estate, and after all just debts and claims against such estates shall be paid as aforesaid, shall descend to and be distributed to his or her children and their descendants in equal parts: the descendants of a deceased child or grandchild taking the share of their deceased parent in equal parts among them; and when there shall be no children of the intestate, nor descendants of such children, and no widows, then to the parents, brothers and sisters of the deceased person and their descendants in equal parts among them, allowing to each of the parents, if living, a child’s part, or to the survivor of them, if one be dead, a double por- tion; and if there be no parent living, then to the brothers and sisters of the intestate and their descendants. When there shall be a widow and no child or children, or descendants of a child or children of the intestate, then the one-half of the real estate and the whole of the personal estate shall go to such widow as her exclusive estate forever, subject to her absolute disposition and control, to be governed in all respects by the same rules and regulations as are or may be provided in case of estates of femme sole: if there be no chil- dren of the intestate, or descendants of such children, and no parents, brothers or sisters, or descendants of brothers and sisters, and no widow, then such estate 180 LAWS. shall descend in equal parts to the next of kin to the intestate in equal degree, computing by the rules of the civil law; and there shall be no representation among collaterals, except with the descendants of the brothers and sisters of the intestate; and in no case,shall there be a distinction between the kindred of the whole and the half blood: saving to the widow in all cases her dower, as provided by law. (R.S., p. 545, Sec. 46.) When any femme covert shall die intestate, leaving no child or children, or descendants of a child or children, then the one-half of the real estate of the decedent shall descend and go to her husband, as his exclusive estate forever. (R. S., p. 546, Sec. 47.) _ Upon the decease of any alien, having title to or interest in any lands or , tenements, such lands and tenements shall pass and descend in the same manner as if such alien were a citizen of the United States; and it shall be no objection to any person having an interest in such estate, that they are not citizens of the United States, but all such persons shall have the same rights and remedies, and in all things be placed on the same footing as natural born citizens and actual residents of the United States. (R. S., p. 48, Sec. 1.) It is further provided, that if any person shall die seized of any real estate, without having devised the same, and leaving no heirs or representatives capable of inheriting the same, or the devisees thereof capable of holding the same, such estate shall escheat to and vest in the State. (R.S., p. 2265, Sec. 1.) THe LEVY AND COLLECTION oF LAND TAXES. All real estate within the State is liable to taxation, except such as belongs to the State or to the United States; lands sold by the United States within the preceding five years; lands belonging to township school-funds; lands whereon any school-house, court-house, or jail, shall have been erected; lands not ex- ceeding five acres, whereon any county buildings are situated; not exceeding ten acres, whereon any church shall have been erected; burial grounds, not exceeding ten acres, and grounds on which any building belonging to any literary, religious, benevolent, charitable, or scientific institution, shall be situated, not exceeding ten acres. r The Statutes invest the County Commissioners’ Court with the power to levy taxes in their respective counties for county purposes, under the restric- tions that they shall not, unless specially authorized by law, levy a tax that shall exceed four mills on each dollar’s worth of property. The Treasurer, in the capacity of Assessor, upon the receipt of such tran- script and list, is required to prepare a list of all taxable property within his county, and to proceed to assess the value thereof by going to the place of residence of such owner of taxable property within his county. And if he shall deem it necessary, he may require every owner of taxable property “to i LAWS. 181 give in under oath, either by himself or agent, a list and description of all his taxable lands, by townships, ranges, quarter sections, tracts, lots, or parts thereof, and the number in each tract, with the improvements thereon; all town lots, with the improvements thereon; all pleasure carriages, whether with two or four wheels; all horses, mares, jacks, jennies, mules, indentured servants, neat cattle, ships and vessels, stocks, money on hand and at interest, household furniture, and every other description of personal property; all capital employed each year in merchandising, adopting as a criterion the value of the greatest amount of goods on hand at any time in the year: and he (the As- sessor) shall, in the presence of such person, enter the same in his book, and value each tract or lot separately, and each species of personal property sepa- ‘rately, placmmg the description and value in figures opposite the name of the person owning or listing the same; provided, that unimproved town-lots may be listed and assessed in blocks. (R. S8., p. 489, Sec. 16.) The minimum value of all lands in this State, for the purposes of taxation, is three dollars per acre. If any Assessor shall be unable to find the owner of any lands or lots con- tained in his list, he shall value the same according to the best information he can procure, and enter the same on his list in the name of the patentee or present owner, if known. (R. S., p. 440, Sec. 17.) If any person shall give a false or fraudulent list, or refuse to deliver to the Assessor, when called on for that purpose, a list of his or her taxable property as required by law, the said Assessor, as a penalty therefor, shall assess the property of such person at double its value. (R.S., Sec. 18.) Lands and town lots owned by non-residents of the country, when once correctly listed for taxation by their owners, shall not be required to be listed again by them, till a subdivion or change of ownership takes place. (R. 8. Sec. 20.) Any person feeling himself aggrieved by the assessment of his property must apply to the County Commissioners’ Court, at the September term thereof next succeeding the assessment; and if it shall be made to appear by credible proof, that the valuation of the Assessor was boo high, such court in its dis- cretion may order a reduction; but if he does not apply at the said term, he will be concluded by the assessment as made by the Assessor. The Sheriff of each county in Dlinois is ex officio Collector of Taxes levied therein. After having given a bond to the people of the State for the faithful performance of his duty as Collector of Taxes, it is his duty to receive from the County Commissioners’ Clerk the assessed list, and to proceed to collect the taxes charged on said list by calling on each person residing, in his county, at his or her usual place of residence, and requiring payment thereof. Upon the receipt of the list by the Sheriff, a lien upon the property assessed attaches for the tax, and no sale or transfer of the same after that time can defeat or affect such lien. The property may be seized by the Collector, and . 16 182 LAWS. by him sold to discharge the taxes and the costs and expenses of collection, (R. S., Sec. 33.) The statute further provides, that in case any person shall refuse or neglect to pay his or her taxes when demanded, or within ten days thereafter, it shall be the duty of the Collector to levy the same, together with the costs and charges that may accrue, by distress and sale of the personal property of such person as ought to pay the same, wherever the same may be found in the county. No real estate can be legally sold for taxes whilst personal property can be found by the Collector. But no sale is valid, unless by advertisement posted in at least three public places in the precinct where such sale shall take place, at least ten days previous to the day of sale, the Collector shall have notified the public of the time and place thereof and the property to be sold. (R. 8.,; Sec. 35, 36.) The sale is required. to be at public auction, and if practicable no more property than is sufficient to pay the tax, costs, and charges due, should be sold. ‘Land shall, if convenient, be sold in parcels, and if sold for more than the amount of the tax, costs, and charges, the surplus shall be returned to the owner of such property.” (R. S., Sec. 37.) State taxes are required to be collected in gold and silver coin and Auditor’s warrants, and county taxes in gold and silver coin, Auditor’s warrants, or jury certificates. The statute further provides, that when any person owning lands in any county shall fail to pay the taxes assessed thereon, and the Collector shall be unable to find any personal property of such person in his county whereon to levy, of a value sufficient to pay the taxes and costs, it is made the duty of the Collector to make report thereof to the Circuit Court of his county, at the first term thereof in each year. (R.S8., p. 444, Sec. 46.) At least six weeks’ notice of such report and application, however, is neces- cessary to be published in some newspaper printed in the said county, if any such there be, or if there be uone, then in the nearest newspaper in the State ; which notice is required to contain the names of the owner or owners, if known, the amount of the delinquent tax, interest, and costs due thereon, and the year or years for which the same are due; and to mention his intended application to the court for judgment against said lands, and for an order to sell the same for the satisfaction of such taxes, interest, and costs; and that on the fourth Tuesday next succeeding the day fixed by law for the commencement of the said term of the said Circuit Court, all the lands against which judgment shall be pronounced, and for the sale of which such order is required to be made, will be exposed to public sale, at the Court-house of the said county, for the amount of said taxes, interest, and costs due thereon. (R. 8., Sec. 47.) Such Circuit Court, at the term aforesaid, is required to call the docket of such cases, and if upon such calling any defence be offered by any of the LAWS. 183 owners of lands delinquent and reported, or by any person having a claim or interest therein, it shall hear and determine the same in a summary way, without pleadings ; and if no defence be made, to pronounce judgment against the said lands, and direct the Clerk to issue an order for their sale. (R.8., p. 445, Sec. 58.) On the day specified in the Collector’s notice, it is the duty of that officer to attend at the Court-house in his county, and then and there, at the hour of ten o’clock in the forenoon, to proceed to offer for sale, separately, each tract of land in the said list on which the taxes and costs have not then been paid, and the person offering to pay the taxes and costs for the least quantity of land becomes the purchaser of such quantity, to be taken from the east side of the tract. (R.S., Sec. 51.) Any person or persons owning or claiming lands advertised for sale as afore- said, may pay the taxes, interest, and costs due thereon, to the collector of the county in which the same are situated, at any time before the sale thereof. (R. S. 446, Sec. 61.) When purchasers fail to pay the taxes assessed on lands designated and known as Illinois and Michigan Canal lands, sold upon a credit, it is the duty of the collector to report such failure to the acting commissioner of the said canal, and thenceforth all right, interest, and title of the said purchaser ceases, and said lands are not permitted, in any case, to be sold for the non-payment of taxes, and any sale, if made, is declared to be absolutely void. (R. 8. 450, Sec. 94.) If taxes assessed upon property as aforesaid shall not be paid according to law, and it shall be necessary to sell the same for taxes, such sales shall extend to the interest paid and all improvements thereon, the simple title to said pro- perty still remaining in the State. (R. S. 590, Sec. 2.) Every tract of land offered for sale by any collector, as hereinbefore provided, and not sold for want of bidders, is considered as forfeit to the people, and the claims thereto of the former owner or owners utterly transferred to and vested in the State of Illinois; yet lands thus forfeited may be redeemed at any time within two years, by paying to the Clerk of the County Commissioners’ Court of the county in which said lands may be ‘situated, double the amount for which such real estate was forfeited, and all taxes accruing thereon to the time of redemption, with interest on each year’s tax at the rate of six per cent. from the first Monday of May in each year to the time of redemption. Infants, femmes covert, and lunatics, may redeem at any time within one year after the removal of such disability or disabilities. (R. S. 449, Sec. 78.) Concerning these lands, it is provided, that every two years from the first Monday of September, eighteen hundred and forty-five, the Clerks of the County Commissioners’ Courts of the several counties, respectively, shall cause them to be sold at public auction. When any sale of any lot thus forfeited shall be effected, it is the duty of such clerk to deliver to the purchaser a cer- 184 LAWS. tificate of purchase, which, on being presented to the auditor, entitles the holder thereof to a deed, conveying all the right, title, interest, and claim of the State, to the tracts or lots described in said certificate. (R. 8. 450, Sec. 87.) Lanp Tax, ForreirurEes, AND REDEMPTIONS. The Statute provides, that real estate sold for delinquent taxes may be re- deemed at any time before the expiration of two years from the date of sale, by the payment, in specie, to the Clerk of the County Commissioners’ Court of the proper county, of double the amount for which the same was sold, and all taxes accruing after such sale, unless such subsequent taxes have been paid to the collector, as may be shown by the collector’s receipt, by the person . redeeming, with six per cent. interest thereon from the first day of May in each year up to the time of payment; provided, that if the real estate of any infant, femme,covert, or lunatic, be sold for taxes, the same may be redeemed at any time within one year after such disability shall be removed, upon the terms specified in this section. (R. 8. 447, Sec. 69.) At any time after the expiration of two years from the sale of any real estate for taxes, if the same shall not have been redeemed, the collector, on _ request, and on the production of the certificate of purchase, shall execute and deliver to the purchaser, his heirs or assigns, a deed of conveyance for the real estate described in such certificate. (R. 8., Sec. 71.) The deed so made by the collector shall be acknowledged and recorded in the same manner as other conveyances of real estate, and shall vest in the grantee, his heirs or assigns, the title of the property therein described. (R. S., Sec. 72.) Where purchasers of land sold for taxes shall neglect to pay the taxes thereon, and such land shall be again sold for taxes before the expiration of two years from the date of his or her purchase, such purchaser is not entitled to a deed for the land until the expiration of two years from the date of the second sale, during which time the land is subject to redemption upon the usual terms, except that the person redeeming is only required to pay for the use of such purchaser, the amount paid for the land, and double the amount paid by the second purchaser. (R. 8. 451, Sec. 97.) LIMITATION OF ACTIONS. All actions of trespass quare clausum fregit, trespass detinue, trover, and replevin, for taking away goods and chattels, all actions for arrearages of rent due on a parole demise, and all actions of account and upon the case, except actions for slander and malicious prosecution, and such as concern the trade of merchandise between merchant and merchant, their factors or agents, shall be commenced within five years next after the cause of action accrued. 7 LAWS. 185 Actions of trespass for assault, battery, wounding, and imprisonment, shall be commenced within two years next after the cause of action accrued. Actions on the case for words shall be commenced within one year, and for malicious prosecution shall be commenced within two years. Every action of debt, or covenant for rent, or arrearages of rent, founded upon any lease under seal, and of debt or covenant, founded upon any single or penal bill, promissory note, or writing obligatory for the direct payment of money, or the delivery of property, or the performance of covenants, or upon any award under the hands and seals of arbitrators for the payment of money only, shall be commenced within sixteen years after the cause of action ac- crued, and when any payment has been made upon such instrument, then within sixteen years fiom the time of such payment. Judgments of any Court of Record of the State may be revived by action of scire facias, or action of debt, within twenty years after the rendition of the same. Right of entry and actions to recover‘lands are barred by the lapse of twenty years. . Infants, married women, persons insane and absent from this State, may make such entry and bring such actions within the times respectively limited, after the removal of their disability. The absence of a defendant from the State is not to be computed: in the limitation. LIMITATION OF ACTIONS FOR THE RecoveRY oF REAL Estate. The Statutes provide, that no person having any right of entry into any lands, tenements, or hereditaments, shall make an entry therein but within twenty years after such right shall have accrued, and that such person shall be barred from any entry afterwards. (R. 8. 349, Sec. 6.) ) That every real, possessory, ancestral, or mixed action, or writ of right, brought for the recovery of any lands, tenements, or hereditaments, shall be brought within twenty years next after the right or title thereto, or cause of such action accrued, and not after. (R.8., Sec. 7.) That every real, possessory, ancestral, or mixed action, or writ of right, brought for the recovery of any lands, tenements, or hereditaments, of which any person may be possessed by actual residence thereon, having a connected title in law or equity deducible of record, from this State or the United States, or from any public officer or other person authorized by the laws of this State to sell such land for the nonpayment of taxes, or from any sheriff, marshal, or other person authorized to sell such land on execution, or under any order, judgment, or decree of any Court of Record, shall be brought within sever years next after possession being taken as aforesaid, but when the possessor shall acquire such title after taking such possession, the limitation shall begin to run from the time of acquiring title. (R. 8., Sec. 8.) 16* 186 LAWS. . But possession to bar such rights, actions, and suits, must have been con- tinued in manner aforesaid for the term of seven years next preceding the time of asserting the right of entry, or the commencement of any-suit or action. (R. 8., Sec. 9.) . No person. who has, or may have, any right of entry into any lands, tene- ments, or hereditaments, of which any person may be possessed by actual residence thereon, having a connected title in law or equity deducible of record from this State or the United States, or from any public officer or other person authorized by.the laws of this State to sell such lands for the nonpayment of. taxes, or from any sheriff, marshal, or other person authorized to sell such land on execution, or under any order, judgment, or decree of any Court of Record, shall make any entry therein, except within sevén years from the time of such possession being taken; but when the possessor shall acquire such title after the time of taking such possession, the limitation shall begin to run from the time of acquiring title. In all the foregoing cases, in which the person or persons who shall have any right of entry, title, or cause of action, shall be, at the time of such right of entry; title, or cause of action, under the age of twenty-one years, insane, or femme covert, such person or persons may make such entry, or institute such action, so that the same may be done within such time as is within the time limited, after his or her becoming of full age, sane, or femme sole. EXEMPTIONS. The necessary wearing apparel of every person shall be exempt from sale on execution, writ of attachment, or distress for rent. The following property, when owned by any person being the head of a family and residing with the same, shall be exempt from levy and sale on any execution, writ of attachment, or distress for rent, and such articles of property shall continue so exempt while the family of such person, or any of them, are removing from one place of residence to another in this State, viz. : 1. Necessary beds, bedsteads, and bedding, the necessary utensils for cook- ing, necessary household furniture; not exceeding in value fifteen dollars, one pair of cards, two spinning wheels, one weaving loom and appendage, one stove, and the necessary pipe therefor, being in use, or put up for ready use, in any house occupied by such family. 2. One milch cow and calf, two sheep for each member of the family, and the fleeces of two sheep for each member of the family, which may have been purchased by any debtor not owning sheep, and the yarn and cloth that may be manufactured from the same, and sixty dollars’ worth of property. suited to his or her condition or occupation in life, to be selected by the debtor. 8. The necessary provisions and fuel for the use of the family for three months, and necessary food for the stock hereinbefore exeminiag from sale, or that may be held under the provisions of this act. LAWS. 187 When any lot not exceeding ten acres shall be appropriated and used as a burying ground, and shall be recorded as such in the Recorder’s office of the county, it shall be exempt from all taxes, and when sold in lots for burying the dead, the said lots shall not be subject to execution or attachment; pro- vided, that no person shall hold more than one-eighth of an acre exempt from execution. When, in any case, the head of a family dies, deserts, or ceases to reside with the same, the said family shall be entitled to retain the property above exempted free from levy and sale on.execution. In cases of fines for assault, assault and battery, and frays, the property of the party, having a family, reserved from execution, is one bed and bedding, one cow, and ten dollars’ worth of household kitchen furniture. HomeEstTEAD EXEMPTION. In addition to the property now exempt by law from sale under execution, there shall be exempt from levy and forced sale, under the process or order from any court of law or equity in this State, fordebts contracted from and after the fourth day of July, 1851, the lot of ground and the buildings thereon, occupied as a residence and owned by the debtor, being a householder and having a family, to the value of one thousand dollars. Such exemption shall continue after the death of such householder for the benefit of the widow and family, some or one of them continuing to occupy such homestead until the youngest child shall become twenty-one years of age, and until the death of such widow, and no release or waiver of such exemption shall be valid, unless the same shall be in writing, subscribed by such householder, and acknow- ledged in the same manner as conveyances of real estate are by law required to be acknowledged. No property shall, by virtue of this act, be exempt from sale for nonpayment of taxes on assessments, or for a debt or liability incurred for the purchase or improvement thereof, or prior to the recording of the aforesaid conveyance or notice. If, in the opinion of the creditors or officer holding an execution against such householder, the premises claimed by him or her as exempt, are worth more than one thousand dollars, such officer shall summon six qualified jurors of his county, who shall, upon oath, to be administered to them by the officer, appraise said premises, and if, in their opinion, the property may be divided without injury to the parties, they shall set off so much of said premises, in- cluding the dwelling-house, as in their opinion shall be worth one thousand dollars, and the residue of said premises be advertised and sold by such officer. In case such surplus, or the amount due on said execution, shall not be paid within the said sixty days, it shall be lawful for the officer to advertise and sell the said premises, and out of the proceeds of such sale to pay to such exe- cution debtor the said sum of one’ thousand dollars, which shall be exempt 188 LAWS. from execution for one year thereafter, and apply the balance on such execu- tion; provided, that no sale shall be made unless a greater sum than one thou- sand dollars shall be bid therefor, in which case the officer may return the execution for want of property. The costs and expenses of setting off such property, as provided herein, shall be charged and included in the officer’s bill of costs upon such execution. Lizn Law. Boats and vessels of all descriptions, built, repaired, or equipped, or running upon any of the navigable waters within the jurisdiction of this State, shall be liable for all debts contracted by the owner or owners, masters, supercargoes, or consignees thereof, on account of all work done, supplies or materials fur- nished by mechanics, tradesmen, and others, for or on account of the building, repairing, furnishing or equipping such boats and vessels, and such debts shall have the preference of all other debts due from the owners or proprietors, ex- cept the wages of mariners, boatmen, and others, employed in the service of such boat and vessels, which shall be first paid. All engineers, pilots, mariners, boatmen, and others, employed in any capa- city in or about the service of any such boat or vessel, who may be entitled to arrearages of wages in consequence of such service, shall have a lien as above. No creditor shall be allowed to enforce the lien created as specified, unless such lien be enforced within three months after the indebtedness accrues. All judgments rendered in any court of record for any debt, or damages, costs, or other sum of money, shall cease to be a lien upon the lands, tene- ments, and real estate of the persons against whom it is rendered, after the lapse of seven years. | The time during which any person in whose favor any such judgment shall have been entered, shall be restrained by injunction out of chancery, or order of any judge or court, from issuing execution or selling thereon, shall not be deemed as part of the seven years. Every landlord shall have a lien upon the crops growing or grown upon de- mised premises, in any year, for rent that shall accrue for such year. Any person who shall furnish labor or materials toward the erecting or re- pairing any building, or the appurtenances of any building, shall have a lien upon the same, and upon the land on which such building stands, for the amount due him for such labor or materials, whether the kind or quantity of work or amount to be paid be specified or not, provided the time of completing the contract be not extended beyond the period of three years, nor the time of payment beyond the period of one year from the time stipulated for the completion thereof. Persons furnishing labor or materials in repaiting or erecting any building, in order to enforce their lien as above stated, must bring suit within six months from the time that the last payment should have been made. LAWS. 189 CHATTEL MorrtGcaGEs. No mortgage on personal property hereafter executed shall be valid as against the rights and interests of third persons, unless possession of the pro- perty shall be delivered to and remain with the mortgagee, or the said mort- gage be acknowledged and recorded in the office of the recorder of the county in which the mortgagor shall reside. ; Any mortgagor must first acknowledge before any justice of the peace, in the justice’s district in which he may reside, such mortgage, and the said justice must certify to such acknowledgement, and enter the same upon his docket. It shall then be valid for two years, provided that such mortgage shall pro- vide for the possession of the property so to remain with the mortgagor. ConTRACTS. ‘ No action shall be brought whereby to charge any executor or administrator upon any special promise to answer any debt or damages out of his own estate, or whereby to charge the defendant upon any special promise to answer for the debt, default, or miscarriage of another person, or to charge any per- son upon any agreement made upon any consideration of marriage, or upon any contract for the sale of lands, tenements, or hereditaments, or any interest in or concerning them for a longer term than one year, or upon any agreement that is not to be performed within the space of one year from the making thereof, unless the promise or agreement upon which such action shall be brought, or some memorandum or note thereof, shall be in writing, and signed by the party to be charged therewith, or some other person thereunto by him lawfully authorized. COLLECTION oF Dzsrts. Arrest. When any debtor shall refuse to surrender his estate, lands, goods, or chat- tels, for the satisfaction of any execution which may be issued against the pro- perty of any such debtor, it shall and may be lawful for the plaintiff or his attorney or agent to make affidavit of such fact before any justice of the peace of the county, and upon filing such affidavit with the clerk of the court from which the execution issued, or with the justice of the peace who issued such execution, it shall be lawful for such clerk or justice of the peace, as the case may be, to issue a capias ad satisfaciendum against the body of such defendant in execution. In all actions to be commenced in any court of record in the state, founded on any specialty, judgment, or contract, in which the plaintiff or other credible person can ascertain the sum due or damages sustained, and will 190 LAWS. make affidavit before the clerk of the court from which process issues, or @ justice of the peace, or if the plaintiff resides out of the state, before any per- son who may be authorized to administer an oath in the state or kingdom in which he resides, that the same is in danger of being lost, or that the benefit of any judgment which may be rendered will be lost, unless the defendant be held to bail, and such affidavit be delivered to the clerk of the court, the clerk must issue a writ against the body of the defendant, with directions to the sheriff endorsed to take bail. When damages are unliquidated, the affidavit must state facts, and the nature and cause of action, and the clerk must fix the amount of bail. When any person is arrested for debt on execution, or on original process, for the purpose of being held to bail, it is the duty of the officer having the custody of the debtor, at his request, to convey him before the judge of the county in which the arrest is made. The county judge must require of the debtor a complete schedule of his property, of whatever description, with an account of the debts owing by the debtor at the time. The debtor may then take the oath prescribed by statute, and if no fraud appears upon examination of the debtor, or of the witnesses produced, and the debtor assign the property named in the schedule, not exempt, and produce the receipt of the assignee to the court, he is discharged. The plaintiff in execution may, after the defendant has taken the oath pre- scribed, pay the sheriff the jail fees on the Monday of each week, and keep the defendant in jail until the debt is paid, at the rate of one dollar and fifty cents per day, upon the happening of which event the sheriff returns the exe- tion satisfied by imprisonment. Attachment. If any creditor or his agent shall make complaint, on oath or affirmation, to the clerk of the Circuit Court of any county in this state, that his debtor is about to depart from this state, or has departed from this state, with the intention, in either case, of having his effects and personal estate removed without the limits of this state, to the injury of such creditor, or stands in defiance of any officer to arrest him on civil process, so that the ordinary process of law can not be served on such debtor, and that the debtor is indebted to him in a sum exceeding twenty dollars, specifying the amount and nature of such indebted- ness, such creditor may sue out a writ of attachment against the debtor’s lands and tenements, goods and chattels, rights and credits, moneys and effects, of what nature soever, or so much as will satisfy the debt sworn to, with in- terest and costs. When any creditor, his agent or attorney, shall make oath or affirmation before any justice of the peace in the state, that any person being a non- resident of this state is indebted to such creditor in a sum not exceeding fifty dollars, such justice may issue an attachment against his personal estate. LAWS. 191 Attachment may issue in the case of a non-resident against all his property, for a sum exceeding twenty dollars, from the clerk of the Circuit Court of any county. : Imprisonment for debt is forbidden by the Constitution, except in case of the debtor’s refusal to deliver up his estate for the benefit of creditors, as pre- scribed by law, or when there is strong evidence of intentional fraud. Rate OF INTEREST. From and after January 30, 1849, money may be loaned at such rate.of interest, not exceeding ten per cent. per annum on each hundred dollars, as the parties may agree upon. In the trial of any action brought upon a promis- sory note or writing obligatory, in any of the courts of this state, wherein is reserved a higher rate of interest than six per cent. per annum, it shall be lawful for the defendant to set up and plead, as a defence in any such suit, that the consideration of said note or writing obligatory, upon which such suit is brought, was not ‘‘money loaned”’; upon which issue it shall be lawful for the debtor, the creditor being alive, to become a witness, and his testimony shall be received as evidence; and the creditor, if he shall offer his testimony, shall be received as a witness, together with any other legal evidence that may be introduced by either party; and if upon’ the trial of the said issue it shall be found that the said note or writing obligatory, upon which such suit is brought, was not given for money loaned, then the said court shall render judgment for the principal sum in said promissory note or writing obligatory, and six per cent interest thereon. LANDLORD AND TENANT. Tenants who hold over after the expiration of their term, and after demand made and notice in writing given for the possession thereof, by the landlord, must pay at the rate of double the yearly value of the land for the time such landlord is so kept out of possession. Every tenant, who shall be sued in ejectment by any person other than his landlord, shall forthwith give notice thereof to his landlord or his attorney, under the penalty of forfeiting two years’ rent of the premises in question. In all cases of distress for rent, the landlord may by himself, or his attorney, seize for rent any personal property of his tenant, that may be found in the county where such tenant shall reside, and in no case shall the property of any other person, though the same shall be found on the premises, be liable to seizure for rent due from such tenant. The person making the distress shall immediately file with some justice of the peace, in case the amount claimed does not exceed one hundred dollars, or with the clerk of the Circuit Court in case it exceeds that sum, a copy of the distress warrant, together with the inventory of the property levied upon, and 192 LAWS. thereupon the tenant shall be summoned, and the amount due from him as- sessed and entered upon the records of the Court. The Court shall certify to the person or officer making the distress, the amount found due, together with the costs of the Court, and the officer shall proceed to sell the property dis- trained, and return the certificate, with an endorsement thereon of his pro- ceedings, which return and certificate shall bt filed in the proper court. If the tenant does not, within five days after notice of such distress and the cause of taking, replevy the goods so taken, the person distraining may, with the sheriff or constable of the county, cause the goods to be appraised by two reputable freeholders under oath, and the landlord may then sell the goods at public auction, on giving ten days’ notice. The landlord has a lien upon the growing or grown crops for rent that shall accrue during the year of their growth. If any person makes an illegal or forcible entry into lands, or holds over after the expiration of the time for which such lands were let to him, after demand made in writing for possession thereof, such person shall be adjudged guilty of a forcible entry and detinue, and may be removed from such pos- session by an action before a justice of the peace. Form of Demand for Possession. To A. B., of M., in the County of H. Take notice, that you are hereby required to quit, and deliver up to me, on the day of next (or immediately),-the possession of the dwelling house (or rooms and apartments, or lands and premises), with the appurtenances, which you now hold or claim to hold of me, situate in M., in the County of H., known as No. 12, on E. street. May 4th, 185 . J. L. Affidavit of Service (written on a copy). I certify, that on the day of , 185 ,I gave to A. - B. above named (or left at the usual place of abode of A. B. above named), an original notice, of which the within is a true copy. H., May 4th, 185 . [Seal. ] Personally appeared T. W., and made oath, that the above affidavit, by him ~ subscribed, is true. Before me, N. M., Justice of the Peace. Warrant to Distrain. To C. D. I hereby authorize and require you to distrain the goods and chattels in the - dwelling house (or rooms and apartments, or on the lands and premises) now in the possession of A. B., situate in M., in the County of A., known as No LAWS. 193 12, on E. street, for six months’ rent, due to me under a lease of the same, and to proceed thereon for the recovery of the said rent, as the law directs. Witness my hand, this day of , 185 [ Note. —This warrant may be addressed to any agent or attorney of the landlord. ] Notice to Tenant of Distress for Rent. To A. B. Take notice, that by the authority and on behalf of your landlord, E. F., I have this day distrained the several goods and chattels specified in the inven- tory hereto attached, in your house, in M., in the County, of H., known as No. 12, on E. street, for eighty dollars arrearages of rent due to him, the said E. F. Now, therefore, if you do not pay the rent so due, or replevy the said goods and chattels according to law, within five days from the date hereafter, I shall cause the said goods and chattels to be appraised and sold, according to the statute in such case made and provided. May 10th, 185 . C. D. [ Vote. —The inventory must be attached to the foregoing, and left with the tenant, in presence of some one, who should certify to that fact. ] Promissory Notes AND Bitus oF EXCHANGE. Foreign bills of exchange, expressed that the value has been received, pro- tested for non-acceptance, or non-payment, are entitled to ten per cent. damages, together with legal interest and costs, and charges of protest. A foreign bill is one drawn on a party out of the United States. When an inland bill of exchange, expressed that the value has been receivea, is protested for non-acceptance or non-payment, the drawer or endorser shall pay legal interest from the time such bill ought to have been paid, and five per cent. damages, together with costs and charges of protest. All promissory notes, bonds, due bills, and other instruments in writing, for the payment of money or articles of personal property, are assignable by endorsement, in the same manner as bills of exchange, so as absolutely to vest the property thereof in the assignee. The assignee cannot sue the assignor on such endorsement, until he has _ first instituted and prosecuted a suit against the maker of such note, bond, &c., for the recovery of the money due thereon; provided, that if the institu- tion of such suit would have been unavailing, or the maker had absconded or left the State when such note became due, such assignee may at once sue on the endorsement. f APPRENTICES. All children under the age of fourteen years may be bound without their consent, and all minors above that age with their consent, males until they are 17 N 194 LAWS. twenty-one, and females until they are eighteen. Such minors may be bound with the consent of the father, or if he be incompetent, then with the consent of the mother, or if she be incompetent, then with that of the guardian of the minor, or if there be no guardian, then with the approbation of the Judge of the County Court, or by any two justices of the peace of the county in which such minor resides, endorsed on the indenture. The fact of such incompetence to consent shall be tried and found by a jury in the County Court. Any minor who shall be likely to become a public charge may be bound by the County Court, or by any two overseers of the poor, or by any two justices of the peace of the county in which such minor may reside, with the approval of the Judge of the County Court. The indenture must be signed and sealed by the parties, whose consent is required by law, but the approval of the Judge of the County Court may be endorsed on the indenture, attested by his seal of office. The age and time of service of the minor shall be inserted in the indenture. It must be provided in the indenture, that the apprentice shall be taught to read, write, and the cardinal rules of arithmetic. The Judge of the County Court, or any two justices of the peace, excepting the justices who may have bound the apprentice complaining, shall hear com- plaints of apprentices against their masters, and may discharge the indenture Indentures not in conformity with this law are void. Riguts oF MAarrieED WOMEN AND WIDOWS. Widows shall be allowed, in all cases, in exclusion of creditors, as their sole property for ever, necessary beds, bedsteads and bedding for themselves and families, necessary household and kitchen furniture, one spinning wheel, one loom and its appendages, one pair of cards, one stove, and the necessary pipe therefor, the wearing apparel of themselves and families, one milch cow and calf for every four persons in the family, one horse at the value of forty dol- lars, one woman’s saddle and bridle of the value of fifteen dollars, provisions for themselves and families one year, two sheep for each member of the family, and the fleeces taken from the same, food for the stock above described for six months, fuel for themselves ‘and families for three months, and sixty dollars’ worth of other property. . The appraisers certify to the County Court an estimate of the value of each article allowed to the widow, and she may take other property in lieu of that above specified, at the value affixed by the appraisers. In addition to the above, widows of persons who may die intestate shall be entitled to one-third of the personal estate of their deceased husbands, after the payment of debts, as their property for ever. | If the estate be intestate, and there shall be a widow, and no child or de- LAWS. 195 scendants of the intestate, then the one-half of the real estate, and the whole of the personal estate, shall go to such widow, as her exclusive estate for ever, A widow is endowed of a third part of all the lands whereof her husband was seized of an estate of inheritance at any time during the marriage. Every devise of land bars her dower, unless otherwise expressed in the will, but she may elect, at any time within a year, whether she will take her dower or take under the will. Dower may be barred by a jointure created before marriage, with the assent of the intended wife, evinced by her becoming a party to the conveyance, by which it shall be settled, if she be of full age, or if she be an infant, by her joining with her father or guardian in such conveyance. A married woman may relinquish her right of dower in any of the real estate of her husband, by joining him in a deed of conveyance, and acknowledging the same, separate and apart from the husband. The real estate of the wife may be conveyed by her joining with her hus- band in the deed, if she be above the age of eighteen years, and by her ac- knowledging the same, separate and apart from her husband. Married women have power to dispose of their separate estate, both real and personal, by will, in the same manner as other persons. A married woman, residing out of the State, may relinquish dower, if above eighteen years of age. ESTRAYS. Sec. 1. Every person who shall take up any estray horse, mare, colt, mule, or ass, after haying given not less than ten nor more than fifteen days’ notice, by posting up notices in three of the most public places in the justice’s dis- trict in which he resides, shall take the same before some justice of the peace of the county where such estray shall be taken up, and make oath hefore such justice, that the same was taken up at his or her plantation or place of resi- dence, in said county, and that the marks or brands have not been altered since the taking up. Sec. 2. The said justice shall then summon three disinterested householders of the neighborhood, to appraise said estray, under oath, which appraisement, together with the brands, marks, stature, color, and age of such animal, shall be entered in a book to be kept by said justice, and transmitted to the clerk of the County Court within fifteen days after the same is taken up. Sec. 3. No such animal shall be taken-ap and posted between the first day of April and first day of November, unless the same be found out of the range of the proper owner, or within the lawful fence or enclosure of the taker up, having broken in the same, or manifestly running away from the owner. Sec. 4. No person nota householder of the county shall take up or post such animal. 196 LAWS. Sec. 5. Any person who shall take up any neat cattle, sheep, hogs, or goats, shall give the notice required in Sec. 1, and shall go with some householder before a justice of the peace of the county, and make the oath required in the same section, and then such justice shall take from the householder a parti- cular description of the animal, and cause the same to be appraised as in Sec. 2d, which description and valuation to be entered and transmitted to the clerk of the County Court, as before directed. In case the value of such animal does not exceed five dollars, the justice need not make such return to the clerk, but shall enter the description and value in his estray book, and adver- tise the same in three of the most public places in his neighborhood, Sec. 6. The clerk shall cause a copy of such return to be affixed to the court-house door, within five days after the same shall be transmitted to him. Sec. 7. No neat cattle, sheep, hogs, or goats, shall be taken up between the - month of April and the first day of November, unless the same be found in the lawful fence or enclosure of the taker up, having broken the same, and for the reward of the taker up there shall be paid by the owner one dollar for every horse, mare, colt, mule, or ass, and for every head of neat cattle fifty cents, and for every hog, sheep, or goat, twenty-five cents, with all reasonable charges. Sec. 8. If the owner shall prove and take away such animals before ap- praisement, he shall pay all reasonable charges of the taker up. It is not lawful for the takers up to use estrays previous to advertising them. Sec. 9. It is the duty of the clerk of the County Court to publish the jus- tice’s return in some paper, to be designated by the governor, at the end of ten days after the same is transmitted to him, and the printer must transmit a copy of his paper to the clerks of the County Court of the several counties of the State. * ~ Sec. 10. If no owner appears within one year after such publication, the property shall be vested in the taker up; but the former may, at any time thereafter, by proving his property, recover the valuation money, upon pay- ment of costs and all reasonable charges. Sec. 11. If any person shall sell or dispose of such estray within the year, he shall be liable to indictment, and shall be fined double the value of the _ property. See. 12. When the estray is worth less than five dollars, the property vests in the taker up in one year from the time the description and value have been published at the court-house door. Sec. 18. It is lawful for any person taking up an estray hog between the first day of November and the first day of March, after complying with the provisions of Sec. 1 and Sec. 8, and making oath that he believes said estray has strayed from some drove, if no owner shall appear to prove said estray \ LAWS. 197 within the time specified in said notice, to sell said estray to the highest bid- der, after giving public notice of said sale ten days previous thereto, the pro- ceeds, after paying reasonable charges, to be paid to the county. THE GAME Law. Section 1. Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois represented in the General Assembly, That it shall be unlawful for any person to kill, ensnare, or trap, any deer, fawn, wild turkey, grouse, prairie hens or chickens, or quail, between the fifteenth day of January and the first of August of each and every year. Sec. 2. That it shall be unlawful for any person to buy, sell, or have in possession, any of the above-mentioned animals or birds, which shall: have been killed, ensnared, trapped, or taken, between the first day of January and the first day of August of each and every year, as aforesaid; and that having or being in possession of any of the above-mentioned animals or birds aforesaid by any person or persons between the said first day of January and the first day of August aforesaid, shall be deemed and taken as prima facie evidence that the same was ensnared, trapped, or killed, by the person haying possession of the same, in violation of the provisions of this act. Sec. 3. Any person who shall go upon the premises of any person or per- sons, or corporation, whether the same be enclosed or not, with intention to hunt, or to be found hunting, entrapping, or ensnaring any of the above- mentioned animals or birds, at or within the time aforesaid shall be deemed guilty of trespass, and may be prosecuted before any justice of the peace in the county wherein the said premises may lie, by the owner or person in pos- session of the same, in action of trespass, and fined in any sum not less than five nor more than twenty dollars, to go to the owner or occupant of said premises: Provided, however, that a judgment obtained against any person for a violation of this act, under the fourth section thereof, shall be a bar to any suit under the third section of this act. Sec. 4. Any person who shall wilfully violate any of the provisions of this act, shall forfeit and pay a fine of fifteen dollars for each deer or fawn thus killed, ensnared, entrapped, bought, sold, or held in possession; and for any other wild game, animals, or birds enumerated, either killed, ensnared, entrapped, bought, sold, or held in possession, as aforesaid, the sum of five dollars shall be paid; to be sued for and recovered before any justice of the peace of the county in which the act shall have been violated, in an action of debt, or before any court having jurisdiction thereof; one-half of said penalty shall go to the complainant, and the other half to the school trustees of the township in which the act shall have been violated, to be added to the school fund of said township; the action to be brought in the name of said county. Sec. 5. Provided that nothing in this act shall apply to the counties of ii * 198 LAWS. White, Wabash, Clay, Richland, Jasper, Lawrence, Crawford, Clark, Edgar, Coles, Moultrie, Effingham, Fayette, Bond, Cass, Menard, Pike, Schuyler, Brown, Scott, Washington, Jefferson, Marion, Hamilton, Clinton, Jackson, Franklin, Wayne, Edwards, McDonough, Alexander, Pulaski, Union, Hardin, Massac, Warren, Henderson, Monroe, Perry, Shelby, Cumberland, Jersey, Calhoun, Randotph, Pope, McLean, Knox, Fulton, Hancock, Adams, Stark, Vermilion, Montgomery, and Christian. Sec. 6. This act shall be in force from and after its passage. Approved, February 15, 1858. GEOGRAPHY. SITruATED in the centre of the United States, the state of Illinois extends from 37° to 42° 30’ latitude North, and from 87° 49’ to 91° 28’ longitude West of Greenwich, or from 10° 47’ to 14° 26 longitude West of Washington. Tllinois is bounded on the North- east by Lake Michigan; on the Hast by Indiana, from a part of which it is separated by the Wabash river; on the South by Kentucky and Missouri, being separated from Kentucky by the Ohio, and from Mis- souri by the Mississippi; on the West by Missouri, from which it is also separated by the Mississippi; on the North-west by Lowa, the Mississippi constituting the common boundary of both states, and on the North by Wisconsin. The whole length of the Ilinoisian frontier amounts to 1160 miles, 855 of which are formed by navigable waters, as Lake Michigan, the Wabash, Ohio, and Mississippi. The greatest length of the state, from South to North, from Cairo to Wisconsin, amounts to 378 miles; its greatest breadth to 212 miles. The area of the state is computed at 55,405 square miles, or 85,459,200 acres, —1,833,412 of which are so-called swamp-lands; the residue, 33,625,788 acres, being till- able, and the most part of them having a soil of unsurpassed fertility. Illinois communicates by means of the St. Lawrence with the At- lantic ocean, and by the Mississippi with the Gulf of Mexico. The state of Illinois forms the lower part of that slope in which is embraced the greater part of the state of Indiana, and of which Lake Michigan, with its shores, constitutes the upper part. The lowest point of this slope and of the state is the city of Cairo, situated about 350 feet above the level of the Gulf of Mexico, at the conflux of the Ohio and Mississippi, in the extreme southern portion of the state ; hence, the highest place in Illinois being situated only 800 feet above the level of the sea, it will appear, that the whole state, though con- (199) 200 GEOGRAPHY. taining several hilly sections, is a very level plain; being, with the sole exception of Delaware and Louisiana, the flattest country in the Union. Illinois is more than forty times as great as the state of Rhode Island in its area, containing but 10,720 square miles less than the . entire New England states. None but the following states possess a greater area — Virginia having 61,852, Georgia 58,000, Florida 59,268, Missouri 67,380, Michigan 56,248, California 188,981, and Texas 237,321 square miles; but if California shall yet be divided into Upper and Lower California, Michigan into the state of Superior and Michigan proper, and Texas, as at the time of its annexation was provided for, into five different states, then Illinois, as far as regards its area, will rank fifth among the states of the Union. Illinois seems to be destined, within a short time, to play a great role in the United States, being entitled to this not only by the vastness of its area and its excellent geographical position, but also by the fertility of its easily culivated soil, the multitude of its rivers and fine railroads, and the rapid increase of its population, together with the enterprise and intelligence of its citizens. The principal rivers of the state of Illinois are — The Jilinois river, which, formed by the conflux of the Kankakee and Des Moines about fifty miles south-west of Chicago, during a course of 500 miles, receives several other rivers, as the Fox river, the Spoon river, the Crooked Creek, Mackinaw, Sangamon, and the Vermilion, from the south, besides several others. The Illinois river is deep and broad, extending at several places, as at Peoria, where it forms a basin called then Peoria Lake, to such a breadth as to present the appearance of a sea. It was first navigated in the year 1828 by a steamboat. Rock Fiver, rising in Wisconsin, pursues a course of 300 miles, being navigable to some extent; there are, however, several rapids in the upper part of its course. A great part of the country through which Rock River runs is an undulating prairie, with a rich soil, though with but few forests. The Kaskaskia, a navigable river, rising in Champaign county, after a run to the south-west of more than 300 miles, empties its waters into the Mississippi, about 120 miles above the mouth of the GEOGRAPHY. 201 Ohio. Kaskaskia River was already, in the year 1837, navigated by steamboats as far as Carlisle. Its banks, for an extent varying from two to ten miles, are richly garnished with woods and forests of oaks, hickory, ash, maple, elm, and acacia trees. The country through which the river winds its course is undulating and fertile. The Big Muddy river, in the south-western portion of the state, has various sources, constituting at their conflux the river above named, which, after a run to the south-west, discharges its waters into the Mississippi. The country through which it runs is undulat- ing and wooded, offering great advantages to agriculture and the breeding-of cattle, Embarras River, in the eastern part of the state, takes its rise near the source of the Kaskaskia, and runs southerly, discharging its waters into the Wabash about six miles below Vincennes. The land along Embarras River is not everywhere of the same good quality, consisting at the origin of the river chiefly of prairie lands, and further north of Charleston, of forests garlanding the banks of the river at a breadth varying between two and six miles, extending even to ten miles below that place. | Little Wabash River, rising also near the source of the Kaskaskia, runs south, emptying its waters into the Great Wabash, in Gallatin county. Its banks, for an extent of several miles, are garnished with good and heavy timber; at intervals poplars can be found. The country adjacent to this river is fertile, exposed however to in- undations from the river. Sangamon River, rising in McLean county, runs south-west, con- stituting during the latter part of its course the boundary line between Monroe and Cass counties, and emptying its waters into Illinois River. The country watered by the Sangamon is one of the richest, — being quite level, and having excellent soil. Apple River, rising in Jo Daviess county, near the Wisconsin fron- tier, has a rocky bed, and is very rapid, running south-west, and flow- ing into the Mississippi about twenty miles below Galena. The adja- cent bottom-lands have excellent soil; the more elevated country in its vicinity being hilly, its banks woody, and the country around its springs undulating. — Chicago River, consisting of two branches, the more considerable 202 GEOGRAPHY. one of which is that running North, and both of them flowing together within the city of Chicago, empties its waters into Lake Michigan. Des Plaines River, rising in Wisconsin, at the distance of a few miles from Lake Michigan, runs South, and is a tributary of Illinois River by the union of its waters with those of the Kaukakee. Its banks are tufted with frequent groves, the country around it being well watered, and the soil very rich. Du Page River, in the north-eastern section of the state, consists of two branches, emptying their united waters into the Des Plaines river, three miles above the confluence of the latter with the Kaukakee. The Cash river, in the southern portion of the state, formed by the union of several small streams, flows into the Ohio, six miles above the junction of the latter with the Mississippi. The alluvial land along Cash River, wherever it is not exposed to inundation, possesses a rich soil and heavy timber. The Ldwards river, rising in the midst of the prairies of Henry county, runs Westward, through Mercer county, to the Mississippi. The country around it consists of undulating prairie-lands, intersected by shady groves, and well supplied with water. The Fever river, rising in Jo Daviess county, consists of two branches, and empties its waters into the Mississippi, about seven miles south of Galena. Its channel is rocky, and its course very rapid. On the eastern branch there is little wood, but excellent prairies, and mines yielding an abundant supply of lead. There is more wood on the western branch, the alluvial country around which has a rich soil. The name of the river has been derived from the fevers said to prevail in the vicinity of its banks; whilst others have called it Bean River (in French, Riviére & la Féve), either of which is incorrect, the river having been named by a Frenchman of the name of Le Févre, who at an early period settled at the mouth of the stream. Fox River, on the banks of which fine forests may be found, rises in Wisconsin, flowing, near Ottawa, into the Illinois. Another river of the same name runs south, a tributary of the GEOGRAPHY. - 203 Little Wabash, into which it empties its waters. The land along its banks is not very excellent. A third river of the same name, in White county, runs, after a short course, into the Great Wabash. Green River, rising in the swamps of the northern counties, runs west, through Henry county, into Rock River. The country below the swamps is good, consisting of both woods and prairies. Henderson River, rising in Knox county, runs south-west, receiy- ing during its course several small streams, and flowing into the Mis- sissippi. Fine forests grow on its banks, the country around which is among the most fertile in Illinois. Iroquois River, rising in the north-western section of Indiana, runs North-West, becoming a tributary of the Illinois by discharging its waters into the Kankakee. The country through*which the Iroquois runs is undulating; the soil a little sandy, but rich; timber to be found in sufficient quantity. | The Kankakee, one of the principal tributary rivers of the Illinois, rising in Indiana, runs west, receiving the Iroquois and Des Plaines rivers. Woods are but rarely to be met with on its banks, the prairies around which are slightly undulating, having a rich soil. | The Kickapoo consists of two branches, after the conflux of which it pursues a southerly direction, discharging its waters into the Ili- nois, two miles below Peoria. On both its branches there is much excellent land, intersected with groups of forests, the ground being rather hilly. The Kishwaukee, or Sycamore, formed by the junction of several small waters, some of which rise in Wisconsin, others in the northern counties of Illinois, discharges the waters of its three principal branches, after their combination, in Rock River. Its banks have but little wood ; the prairie along the eastern branch is flat and fertile ; and the country along the southern and northern branches undulating, and remarkable for its very rich, deep, black soil, and its beds of lime and coal. , The Avte river, in Ogle county, runs west, flowing into Rock river, about two miles below Oregon. The’ country is very level, and the soil very fine; woods, among which are many poplars, can be found at intervals. 204 . GEOGRAPHY. The Leaf river, in Ogle county, also empties its waters into Rock River. The land adjoining its banks is rich, calcareous, and woody at intervals. Little Rock River, rising in Jo Daviess county, flows into Rock River. On its banks there is much excellent soil. The Mackinaw (Michilimackinac), rising in the prairies of McLean county, and receiving several small brooks, runs through Tazewell county into the Illinois river, three miles below Pekin. ‘The adjacent bottom-lands have a rich soil. ‘Timber, especially white oak and cedar, may be found. The prairies of the country are undulating and dry. Towards the sources of the river, the number of ‘species of woods increases, whilst the soil is very good. The Mauvaise Terre, in Morgan county, runs west, meeting [li- nois River about two miles below Naples. Although from the name of the river (Mauvaise Terre, “ poor land’) one might infer that the soil of the adjacent country is of a very bad quality, this is not the case ; the country, on the contrary, surpassing many other sections in fertility, and has the advantage of having a just proportion between prairie and forest, as also a remarkable salubrity of waters. The Peek-a-ton-o-kee rises in Wisconsin, in two separate branches, which, after their conflux, flows into Illinois to meet Rock River. The Plum river, the country surrounding the banks of which has a fine soil, with both wood and prairie, runs through Jo Daviess county into the Mississippi. Pope’s River, rising in the great prairies in the southern part of Henry county, runs west through Mercer county, discharging its waters into the Mississippi a few miles below the mouth of Edwards’ River. The adjacent country is very good, but destitute of forests ; on the banks of the river, towards the end of its course, there are, however, some extensive woods, while its upper banks are surrounded by prairies. Saline River, in Saline and Gallatin counties, consists of three branches, discharging their united waters into the Ohio, twelve miles below Shawneetown. Senatchwine River, on the banks of which there is much good land, both wood and prairie, runs through Peoria county into Lllinois River, about twenty miles above Peoria. GEOGRAPHY. 205 The Sinsinaway, rising in Wisconsin, runs south-west into the Mississippi, about six miles above Fever River. Timber on its banks is very rare; only now and then some cedars and pines may be found. Smaill-pox River, rising south-east of Galena, runs west into the Mississippi, close by the mouth of Fever River. On its banks, near the place where it flows into the Mississippi, much valuable timber may be found. The Snycartee, a branch of the Mississippi, whence it flows, in the southern portion of Adams county, running for about fifty miles par- allel with, and five miles from, the Mississippi, to meet it again in Calhoun county, forms, with the Mississippi, an island, consisting of alluvial land, not destitute either of forest or prairie, but frequently exposed to inundations. Spoon River consists of an eastern and western branch, both of which having received a multitude of creeks, unite; whereupon the river takes'a southern direction to meet the Illinois, opposite Havana. On its banks there are many extensive woody tracts; the soil of the adjoining country is of unsurpassed excellence. The prairies near by the river are undulating, dry, and fertile. St. Mary’s River, rising in Perry county, discharges its waters into the Mississippi six miles below the mouth of the Kaskaskia. The Sugar river, rising in Wisconsin, runs southerly to meet the Peek-a-ton-o-kee. The land upon its banks is of good quality; the country between Rock and Sugar rivers very humid. Turtle River, rising in Wisconsin, flows near the boundary into Rock River. Vermilion River, rising in Livingston county, runs through La Salle county, emptying into Illinois River. Towards its springs the country is nearly level, having a rich soil and vast prairies, but very little wood. In the vicinity of the river, and near the bluffs, are many extensive coal mines, of which those situated in the direction of the Illinois river reach a depth of 100 feet; also beds of sand, and lime, and a kind of stone used as whetstone, may here be found. Big Vermilion River, proceeding in three different branches through Champaign and Vermilion counties, falls, in Indiana, into the Wabash. Its banks are garnished with a wood from one to two miles broad; the adjacent prairies are dry, rolling, and fertile. 18 206 GEOGRAPHY. Little Vermilion River, rising in the southern part of Vermilion county, runs also into the Wabash in Indiana. On its banks fine forests may be found. Wood River, rising in Macoupin county, runs through Madison county, discharging its waters nearly opposite the mouth of the Mis- souri, into the Mississippi. The land through which it runs is of superior quality. | Illinois has, besides these streams, a multitude of rivulets, the banks of which, as well as those of the rivers mentioned above, consist of alluvial, and consequently very fertile soil, so that neither in the Union, nor anywhere else on earth, could be found a State of equal size with Illinois rivalling the latter in the fertility and superior quality of its soil. Of lakes, none can be found in Illinois; that portion of Lake Michigan* bounding the State being comparatively but small, so that this lake, the navigation of which has contributed so much to the ad- vancement of Illinois, cannot be properly considered as belonging to the State. The only sheet of water, that in a measure might lay claim to the name of a lake, is Peoria Lake, which, however, as was mentioned when Illinois River was spoken of, is nothing but an enlargement of this river; none of the other waters deserve this name at all, but should rather be called ponds. An artificial aqueduct, that has likewise considerably accelerated the advancement of Illinois, is yet to be mentioned. The Illinois and Michigan Canal extends from Chicago to Peru, a distance of one hun- dred miles, connecting thus the Lake of Michigan with the Illinois: it is 6 feet deep, 70 feet broad at the top, and 36 at the bottom. What distinguish the State of Illinois from all the other States of he Union, are its immense prairies, from which it has been exclusively alled the ‘‘ Prairie State.” Wedo not intend to give in this geo- sraphical sketch a detailed description of the nature of a prairie, but retting apart a special chapter for this, we shall here only mention the principal prairies — those known under peculiar names. * The greatest length of Lake Michigan is 860 miles; its greatest breadth, 108 miles; mean depth, 300 fect; elevation, 587 feet; area, 23,000 square miles. GEOGRAPHY. 207 The most considerable of these prairies is the Grand Prairie, com- prehending all prairie-lands between the rivers flowing into the Mis- sissippi and those meeting the Wabash. ‘The prairie itself does not consist of one single continuous extensive tract of land, but of many different prairies, separated one from the other by a range of woods, while the prairies, in their turn, stretch between the usually woody banks of the rivers and creeks. The most southerly portion of the great prairie is situated in the north-east section of Jackson county, extending north-easterly from the Mississippi, with a breadth varying from two to ten and more miles, through Perry, Washington, Jeffer- son, Marion, Fayette, Clay, Effingham, Shelby, Moultrie, Cumberland, Coles, Champaign, Vermilion, and Iroquois counties; here it meets the prairies stretching easterly from Illinois River and its tributaries. That portion of these prairie-lands lying in Marion county, between Crooked Creek and the eastern branch of the Kaskaskia, intersected by the Ohio and Mississippi Railroad, is often exclusively named the Grand Prairie. The greater portion of the Grand Prairie is slightly undulating, its southern part quite level, having many tracts of land of but inferior quality. At the distance of ten or twelve miles.around, timber is sure to be found; coal almost everywhere, at no great depth. Another prairie, also called Grand Prairie, commences in Crawford county, extending north through Clark and Edgar counties to Vermi- lion. It is not very broad, and at frequent intervals is intersected by forest-bordered rivers. The soil of the southern and eastern is not as good as that of the northern and western portion of these prairies, which, with the ex- ception of those adjacent to the Wabash, have a thin and nearly level washy humus. Allen’s Prairie, in Greene county, twelve miles north-east of Car- rollton, is fertile, and wooded on the banks of the rivers running through it. Alison’s Prairie, in Lawrence county, five miles easterly from Lawrenceville, is some five miles by ten. That portion of it adjacent to the Wabash, is humid; by far the greater portion of it, however is dry and fertile. 208 GEOGRAPHY. Apple-Creek Prairie, in Greene county, north of Apple Creek, is from three to four miles by ten in extent. Its soil is good. Barney's Prairie, in Wabash county, north of Mount Carmel. Fertile. : Bear Prairie, in Wayne county, east of Fairfield. Bellevue Prairie, in Calhoun county, at the foot of the bluffs, ten miles in extent, has a dry and fertile soil. Big Mound Prairie, Wayne county, west of Fairfield, three miles long, rolling, with a thin surface of humus. Big Prairie, in White county, three miles square, much mixed with sand, but fertile. Boltinghouse Prairie, in Edwards county, south of Albion, ex. tending four miles by three, has an undulating, fertile soil. Bonpas Prairie, in the same county, north-east of Albion, and about two miles in diameter. Soil good. Brown’s Prairie, twelve miles north of Alton, runs through the corners of Macoupin, Jersey, and Madison counties, which border upon each other. The soil is dry and fertile. Brushy Prairie, in Wayne county, eleven miles east of Fairfield. Buckheart Prairie, in Fulton county, north-east of Lewistown, about seven miles long. Buck Prairie, in Edwards county, six miles north-east of Albion, two and a half miles broad. Buckhorn Prairie, in Morgan county, about seven miles south of Jacksonville. The soil is rich, a little humid, and very level. Bullard’s Prairie, in Lawrence county, west of Lawrenceville, is ten miles by two in extent, having a second-rate soil. Burnt Prairie extends from the north-western section of White into Wayne county. Its circumference is not very great; its soil at intervals good. Another prairie of the same name, situate in Edwards county, north-west of Albion, extends two miles by six, interspersed with many small groves. Soil good. Canton Prairie, in Fulton county, commencing in the vicinity of Spoon River, extends northerly till it meets Grand Prairie, near Rock River; it is rolling, dry, and very fertile, with the exception of its northern section, which is of inferior quality. GEOGRAPHY. 209 Casey’s Prairie, in Jefferson county, five miles by two, pearly level; second-rate soil. Chr isty’s Prairie, in Lawrence county, ten miles west of Lawrence- ville, rolling, and of good average soil. Clay’ s P, rairie, in Clark county, eight miles south-west of Darwin. Cold Prairie, in St. Clair county, between Belleville and Illinois- town. Compston’s Prairie, in Wabash county, twelve miles west of Mount Carmel, is level, fertile, but somewhat humid. Cotton Hill Prairie, in Sangamon county, twelve miles south of Springfield. Cox’s Prairie, in Jackson county, north-east of Brownsville ; good rolling prairie. Crow Prairie, in Putnam county, twelve miles below Hennepin, six miles by three; fertile, and bounded by forests. Another prairie of the same name extends, four miles by twelve, along the western bank of Illinois River from Putnam into Bureau county; soil dry and productive. Decker’s Prairie, in Wabash county, twelve miles. north-east of Mount Carmel. Diamond Grove Prairie, in Morgan county, south of Jackson- ville, containing about sixteen square miles, is dry, undulating, and productive. Dolson’s Prairie, in the western section of Clark county, contain- ing about seventy square miles, has a level, humid, clayish soil. Dutch Prairie, in the south-western part of St. Clair county. Edmonson’s Prairie, in McDonough county, six miles south-west of Macomb, ten miles by two. Eight-mile Prairie, in Williamson county, eighteen miles south- west of Frankfort; very flat. Ek Prairie, in Perry county, five miles long, dry and nearly level; second-rate soil. Ester’s Prairie; in Franklin county, fourteen miles north of Frank , fort; level and dry. Flat Prairie, in Randolph county, twenty miles east of Kas- kaskia. | 18 * ty) 210 GEOGRAPHY. Fork Prairie, in Bend county, north of Greenville; gently undu- lating. Four-mile Prairie, in Perry county, four miles by seven; dry, rolling, and productive. Fourteen-mile Prairie, in Effingham county, east of Fei ; nearly level, for the most part dry, interspersed\ with groups of forests. Garden Prairie, in Sangamon county, fourteen miles north-west of Springfield, two miles by eight; first-rate soil. Granger's Prairie, in the north-western section of Adams county, three miles square; possesses very productive soil. Gun Prairie, in Jefferson county, six miles south of Mount Ver- non, has a considerable circuit, and a fertile soil. Hancock Prairie, commencing in Adams county, runs, with a breadth varying between ten and twenty miles, far north, through Hancock, Henderson, and Warren counties, between Henderson and Spoon rivers, being nearly level, and very productive. Hargrave’s Prairie, in Wayne county, seven miles by two, is un- dulating, having but a thin surface of humus. Hawkins’ Prairie, in Greene county, nine miles south-east of Carrollton: FHlerron’s Prairie is situated in Williamson county. Herrington’s Prairie, in Wayne county, eleven miles north-west of Fairfield, eight miles by four; has an undulating surface, and second-rate soil. High Prairie, in St. Clair county, sie miles from Belleville; very productive. Hog Prairie, in Huintiedn: county, sifiated westerly from McLeans- burg; has a small circumference, and a level, humid soil. Horse Prairie, in Randolph county ; soil rolling and fertile. Illinois Prairie, in Calhoun county, commencing near the mouth of Illinois River, runs, twenty miles by two, along the bluffs, having a fertile soil. Indian Prairie, in Wayne county, ten miles north- west of Fair- field; is level, and its soil of indifferent quality. Jersey Prairie, in Morgan county, ten miles north of Jacksonville, has a rich soil, and is bounded by fine timber. GEOGRAPHY. 211 Jordan’s Prairie, in Jefferson county, six miles north of Mount Vernon, five miles by two, has a second rate soil. Knights Prairie, in Hamilton county, west of McLeansboro’. Knob Prairie, in Franklin county, north-west of Frankfort, is low and humid. La Motte Prairie, in Crawford county, eight miles long, of a breadth which greatly varies; has a somewhat sandy, but rich soil. . La Salle Prairie, in Peoria county, adjacent to Peoria Lake; the southern -section is rolling and fertile, though a little sandy; the northern being more clayish. Lemarde Prairie, in Wayne county, seven miles north-west of Fairfield, is three miles by six in extent, having an indifferent soil. Little Mount Prairie, in the same county, three miles south-west of Fairfield; not very large. There are four prairies in the state bearing the name of Long Prairie, of which — The jirst is in Wabash county, thirteen miles north-west of Mount Carmel; undulating, and of but inferior quality. The second, in Edwards county, north of Albion, is nine miles by two in extent, interspersed with many groves. The third, in Clay county, runs into Wayne county, nine miles by three ; being, properly speaking, a branch of a lobi mile Prairie. It is level, and has but a poor soil. The fourth, in Jefferson county, five miles west of Mount Vernon, is four miles by two in extent, having a sufficiently good soil. Looking-glass Prairie, in St. Clair county, twenty miles long, and from six to ten miles wide; undulating, and very productive, runs into Madison county. Lorton’s Prairie, in the northern part of Greene county, has excel- lent soil and fine forests. Lost Prairie, in Perry county, seven miles west of Pinckneyville, one and a half miles broad and double that length, is high, rolling, and very productive. Loup Prairie, in St. Clair county. TInwkons’ Prairie, in the southern part of Lawrence county. Macon County Prairie, situated north of Decatur, extends between the northern branch of the Sangamon river and Salt Creek, with a by GEOGRAPHY. breadth varying from fifteen to twenty miles; some parts of it are Jevel and humid, others roiling and dry. _Macoupin Prairie, in Greene. county, reaches into a ersey county ; gently rolling, having a rich soil and stately forests near the Illinois river and the Macoupin creek. Marshall’s Prairie, in Jackson county, fourteen miles north-east of Brownsville, has a rolling and fertile surface. Mason’s Prairie, in the southern section of Richland county. Mills Prairie, in Edwards county, eleven miles north-east of Al- bion, is four miles long, about two broad; quite fertile. Moore’s Prairie, in Jefferson county, south-east of Mount Vernon, eight miles by about two. Some parts of it are flat and humid, others dry and gently undulating. Another prairie of the same name, situated in St. Clair county, five miles east of Belleville, has a diameter of about five miles; it is nearly level, and fertile. Mud Prairie, in Washington county, reaches into Perry county, north-east of Pinckneyville; it is level and humid.. Another prairie of the same name lies in Wayne county, north-west uf Fairfield; also low and humid, A third prairie of the same name (Mud Prairie) is situated in the south-eastern portion of St. Clair county. Nine-mile Prairie, in Perry county, ten miles east of Pinckney- © ville. North Arm Prairie, in Edgar county, six miles east of Paris, is three miles broad, running along the frontier of Indiana, until it meets the grand prairie. Its soil is good. North Prairie, in~-Morgan county, twelve miles north-east of Jack- sonville, is dry, undulating, and very productive. Another prairie of the same name, in the same county, runs along ” Walnut Creek, and is level. | Ogle Prairie, in St. Clair county, five miles north of Belleville, extending one and a half miles by five, is rolling and very fertile. Ox-bow Prairie, in Putnam county, ten miles south of Hennepin, five miles by one and a half, surrounded by fine forests, and very productive. GEOGRAPHY. 213 Parker's Prairie, in the western section of Clark county, has a level, humid spil, of inferior quality. Philo’s Prairie, in Williamson county, twelve miles south of Frank- fort; gently undulating, and fertile. Plum Oreek Prairie reaches from St. Clair into Randolph county, and is ten miles by three in extent. Its soil is good. Prairie du Long, in the south of St. Clair county. Pratt's Prairie, in Greene county, fifteen miles north-west of Car- rollton. Rattan’s Prairie, in Madison county, seven miles north-west of Edwardsville; is level, and at intervals washy. . Ridge Prairie, in Madison county, is eight miles by eight, running from near by Edwardsville to St. Clair county; gently undulating, and very productive. Rollins’ Prairie, in Franklin county, north of Frankfort, is six miles long by four broad; it is level and fertile. — ‘Five different prairies in the State of Illinois bear the name of - Round Prairie, of which — The first is in Schuyler county, four miles in diameter; dry, fer- tile, and surrounded by woods. The second is in Wabash county, north-east of Mount Carmel, with a diameter of four miles: has an excellent soil. The third is in Bond county, six miles north-west of Greenville, with a diameter of nearly two miles: is rolling, very fertile, and sur- rounded by forests. ; The fourth is in Perry county, about eight miles from Pinckney- ville: it bas but a small circumference. ‘ | The fi/th is in Sangamon county, seven miles south-east of Spring- field: it is very productive. Salt Prairie, in Calhoun county, forms a small strip, half a mile broad and six miles long: it is dry and fertile. Sand Prairie, in Tazewell county, four miles south of Pekin, has a sandy, good soil. Seven-mile Prairie, in White county, seven miles west. of Carmi. Shipley’s Prairie, in Wayne county, five miles south-east of Fair- field. Shoal-Creek Prairie runs from Clinton through Bond into Mont- 214 GEOGRAPHY. gomery county, with an average breadth of eight miles, gently undu- lating, and containing much good land. m Six’s Prairie, in Brown county, seventeen miles south-west of Rushville, is ten miles by three in extent, undulating, dry, productive, and surrounded by woods. Six-mile Prairie, in the south-western section of Madison county, consisting of alluvial ground, is enclosed by woods. Another prairie of the same name is situated in Perry county, nine miles south of Pinckneyville, nine miles long by six broad, with toler- ably good soil. Smooth Prairie, in Madison county, eight miles east of Alton, is three miles by two in extent, being level and somewhat humid. South Prairie, in Morgan county, on the southern side of Walnut Creek. Squaw Prairie, in Boone county, is level and fertile, containing about ten square miles. String Prairie, in Greene county, commences four miles west of Carrollton, running fifteen miles east, with a breadth of from one to three miles; is level, and a good tract of Jand upon the whole. Sweet's Prairie, in Scott county, three miles west of Manchester, is level and washy. Swett’s Prairie, in Madison county, four miles north-east of Hd- wardsville. ' | Three-mile Prairie, in Washington county, eight miles south of Nashville, is undulating. Tonis Prairie, in Wayne county, six miles north-east of Fairfield, has second-rate soil. ch en Totten’s Prairie, in Fulton county, seven miles north-west of Lew- istown, is ten miles long and of varying breadth. The soil is good. Turney’s Prairie, in Wayne county, eight miles south of Fairfield, has a small circumference and a good soil. Twelve-mile Prairie, in Effingham: county, reaches into Clay county; level and humid at intervals. Another “Twelve-mile Prairie,” situated in St. Clair county, is somewhat rolling, having a good soil. . Union Prairie, in the south-eastern section of Clark county, is five miles long by three broad. GEOGRAPHY. 215 Another prairie bearing the same name (Union Prairie), lies in Schuyler county, four miles west of Rushville. Village Pratrie, in Edwards county, two miles north of Albion, is about three miles long. Walnut Hill Prairie reaches from Jefferson into Marion county; it is four miles by three, some parts of it being fertile, others humid and level. | Walnut Prairie, in Clark county, extends five miles by two, having a fertile, though somewhat sandy soil. Webb’s Prairie, in Franklin county, fifteen miles north-east of Frankfort, has a fertile soil. Wood’s Prairie, in Wabash county, ten miles distant from Mount Carmel, is very productive. Having enumerated above the prairies which are known by their Own proper names, we cannot leave it unmentioned, that there are many others bearing indifferent names; Illinois having in general such an abundance of prairies, that nearly two-thirds of its area con- sist of them. In order to enable the reader to inform himself regarding the man- ner in which prairie and forest are distributed over the area of the State, we subjoin a prairie and forest map, wherein the counties are marked and designated. We repeat them here, in alphabetical order: 1. Adams. 17. Crawford. 83. Hardin. 2. Alexander. 18. Cumberland. 34. Henderson. 3. Bond. 19, De Kalb. 35. Henry. 4, Boone. 20. De Witt. 86. Iroquois. 5. Brown. 21. Du Page. 67. Jackson, 6. Bureau. 22. Edgar. 38. Jasper. 7. Calhoun. 23. Edwards. 39. Jefferson. 8. Carroll. 24. Effingham. 40. Jersey. 9. Cass. ; 25. Fayette. 41. Jo Daviess. 10. Champaign. 26. Franklin. 42. Johnson. 11. Christian. 27. Fulton. 43. Kane. 12. Clark. 28. Gallatin. 44, Kankakee. 13. Clay. 29. Greene. 45. Kendall. 14. Clinton, 30. Grundy. % 46. Knox. 15. Coles. -. 81. Hamilton. 47. Lake. 16. Cook. 82. Hancock. 48. La Salle. 16 GEOGRAPHY. 49, Lawrence. 67. Morgan. 85. Schuyler. 50. Lee. 68. Moultrie. 86. Stark. 51. Livingston. 69. Ogle. 87. Stephenson, 52. Logan. 70, Peoria. 88.. Tazewell. 53. Macon. 71. Perry. 89. Union. - 54. Macoupin. 72, Piatt. 90. Vermillion. 55. Madison. 73.. Pike. 91. Wabash. 56. Marion. 74. Pope. 92. Warren. 57. Marshall. 75. Pulaski. 93: Washington, 58. Mason. 76. Putnam, 94. Wayne. 59. Massac. 77. Randolph, ‘95. White. 60. McDonough. 78. Richland. 36. Whitesides. 61. McHenry. 79. Rock Island. 97.° Will. 62. McLean. 80. Saline. 98. Williamson, 63. Menard. 81. St. Clair. 99, Winnebago. 64. Mercer. 2, Sangamon, 100. Woodford. 65. Monroe. 3. Scott. - 66. Montgomery. 84. Shelby. #8... There are no mountains in Illinois; in the southern, as well as in the northern part of the State, there are a few hills; near the banks of the Illinois, Mississippi, and several other rivers, the ground is elevated, forming the so-called bluffs, on which, at the present. day, may be found, uneffaced by the hand of Time, the marks and traces left by the water, which was formerly much higher, and gradually lowered; whence it may be safe to conclude, that where now the fer- tile prairies of Illinois extend, and the rich soil of the country yields its golden harvests, must have once been a yast sheet of water, the mud deposited by which formed the soil, thus accounting for the pre- sent great fertility,of the country. In relation to the quality of its soils, itinels is ; generally divided as follows: First, the alluvial Jand on the margins of the rivers, and extending witha breadth varying from half a mile or a mile to seven or eight miles. Wherever it is elevated, this country is of an extraordinary fertility ; at those places where it is low, and consequently exposed to inunda- The most extensive tract of alluvial. land is the so-called American Bottom, which was thus named at the time it formed the western boundary tions, it is a very unsafe matter to attempt cultivating it. panes eget ce on 7 , & § aay vig SH “i > awl Yai N..! Ane Mie ‘ eh SS ie 1 ENG ; ; sy ” PaaS ga Bn oN fine ear } « vill stn thee yy 4) ae Gi an ng te wigsl hs ie a oa nn 1S, ne hs \ NTS 7 PAWUEED: os ryenl. 2 Ns ap WHOS By a ween o8 Rat sate < , ® ut ame : P uw NN Mey . qua To O46 ste e a ) Co Mbbue tt ae an oS A om yd ere cag urt %, ZO rin pie VO g Ge afore. &, aver : Doup athe” ut nt east’ 2? s wal y 8 => sede LY OF VELINOLS, SHOWING ITS PRAIRIES, WOODS, SWAMPS, AND BLUFFS. Lee rate 8a wl ae he “ov EXPLANATION. SE RO OW t A) La Wen 2 a NOD > 0 CB gree OS ¥ te a rf PRAIRIES. a * we LINE) Cad SORA Fo. SWAMPS. 4 ' ” 2a. Ho\L va . OMt = DIET Ne One 7 BLUFFS. fa V } Oo OF GEOGRAPHY. 217 of the United States; it stretches from the junction of the Kaskaskia with the Mississippi, along the latter to the mouth of the elissouri, containing about 450 square miles, or 288,000 acres. Secondly, the table-land, fifty to a fanared feet higher than the alluvial land; this commences at the slopes, by which the latter is encompassed ; it consists principally of prairies, which, according to their respectively higher or lower situations, are either dry, or humid and marshy. Thirdly, the somewhat hilly sections of the State, which, alternately consisting of wood and prairie, are on the whole nof as fertile as either the alluvial or the table land. The soil of Illinois is unsurpassed in fertility by that of any other State, there being no room for doubt, that at the time it shall have ‘been settled throughout its entire extent, the produce of its harvests. will surpass that of many other States together. Where in the ‘world could a fertility be found equal to that of the American Bottom, which, ever since it was settled by the French, about 150 years ago, has, without any manuring whatever, vielded, year after a haat the most abundant crops of Indian corn? — 19 SAS LC Ss. Tue population of Illinois isyreturned, by the Census of 1855, at 1,300,251 souls; having,.since the year 1810, increased as fol- lows: ~~ | In the year 1810 it amounted to «...0 sees w. 12,282 inhabitants. BOOT) ABODE | 5066 hesevssap severe MPO Tard 2 6 1830 rf rates coves 157,445 ue “ 1835 fORS Ne WE DTB 487 acres" 8 “ 1840 «6 ote hed false tate Ou ome “ 6 1845 RR AP AE eam Fa 662,125 6 “s 1850 Ly een ae 851,470 ce rs 1855 6 ake | dd vere asacaiici sad 1,300,251 6 Thus increasing— _ > From 1810 to. 1820 Dy ...ss0sseesesorsceccesoeeseese 42,929 inhabitants + 1 BAO), SEB OO 8S) cute ssaueinateceed noe teas teens 102,234 “6 at LOO. Se LOO? tues Qavasnaves os anpeme nen eee 114,982 ee Bee eS OL CANDIES Wo ve aver g ie wegen mene teres 203,756 6 £6 TE BAD LF IBD $e va eetceuwucese abe vecaveges MOUs eee 6¢ 69 BAG FF ABO ON Pe uses aeecevey eguassleonvecens 189,345 ae SEO BDU § 1500 2 aisisdsseuesbuvsccasueine sages 448,781 ae What distinguishes the state of Illinois from the other states of the Union, is its gigantic growth in numbers, as upon instituting a com- parison with those states, the ratio of the increase in the population of which has also been very considerable, will be placed beyond a doubt. The United States’ Census returns the population of Indiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, and ' Pennsylvania, as follows :— Indiana, ........ in 1800 ...... seh teases Pe ene ‘ 4,875 inhabitants. GID iesrsetencee Veh rae icaabanhe 24,520 ce 1820p yeoys peaens sen sceace nonees 147,178 te TGSO cdc cctaetins pokemeeeene 843,031 6 ABE): \cosaccss toswasabecnaveuteen 685,866 c ABOW cst coars beret hee Rrpiere OOS, 416 e ¢ STATISTIOS. * ie Maine, * Peteeeeces in 1790 SOHO O wee eee ee Hee ee ee eeS 96,540 inhabitants. Dsl Seni tance aecaanstevsate) ADs t le ce RC PMLUD \ saan nan npey thas cn ROTEN 228,705 6 RD dhe hiede ota non n ng aston - 298,335 66 RR Nes cuban anscdcaaelics 399,455 6s REPRE So rstasc since cuks ckkeccees 501,793 #6 MET oe tex tneelh cite choses esa «. 683,169 66 Massachusetts, in 1790 .....ccccsccsceess cosecece tei S TTF “e DONE tak de ek untonnnns tanned vee 423,245 sé UASIAE Satan aes veahon.ce nolieie’ 472,040 “é DEAN Swed datha tne doeseasvates 523,287 6 LB) ceetisiead botcdntes Svante 610,408 “6 117 ET A ce 737,699 . « LEO) vece tas etisua'sds net gascavast 994,514 6 Michigan, ...... TTS L Oost eves caneresezysisayer - 4,762 #6 ESA savannas oy egacadisCavarvacees 8,896 “ JO es sd ae Pe mae - 81,689 6 LOAN) sawchu ic edivel Ses geben deg wba. ZOE - REGU" feel tesel cescav asthe greet 397,654 “ MO TEPRCY, tes LTT OO cities roti rctes 184,189 « | TOG TE: ANE 211,949 «« SAY Lis se. ety eee eae | 246.555 “66 BRAZOS satshdech dhe ebeds ne » W2ETOLO ‘6 . 5 eee oe. PORE $20,823 «< ETE Meet de ce ata baa dN cat cenesacie 373,306 “6 EROOI! savant gieveased tute ededce « 4895555 6 PAG SOCK venta De bd tc gacert sna dases 67 rset 340,120 ‘e Toners aerenr toes. ie Ss Ls gee LL O wasevetas Pebrded ab4tea ne ins te 959,049 6¢ PEZ0 ieee eikeus ewovabaveldeuess 1,872,812 és HAO Rest eadsdeab hj ines toads 1,918,608 “6 RANE i adh en on ona 2,498,921 « FEN cc tacboriies Ae eck tax 8,097,894 « CR ae i enns ce Ah, LOU: oss éntibaoes Ten ee 45,865 ‘ LEN QSkO veneer tac 230,760 = « TE20 testes hess ht rly by . 581,484 | « TOU Vickontientta sheave cas sees dh 937,903 ee LBS VE te Cock Nudereiboas 1,519,467 4: / =. 1860 4 Gch nies. 2 1,980,329 6 Penrisylvantaysit(l7 90 i to. cis ssavebes oe veee 434,378 $6 SIMD Gs; daaeds dead bistiinneoe 602,361 «“ ity ae ee svittuscwa . S20,001 ‘6 220 STATISTICS. Pennsylvania,- in 1820 2... secwee coe vesees denete 1,049,458 inhabitants. L380! Accesskheres Vee ewes ore ci 1,848,233 “ 1840 sccseesse see Bhs eee. cusses 1,724,033 6 S60 Vesakescenes cee Oe ac ay 2,311,786 “ Thus the increase of the population of the before-mentioned states, in which census returns were made since 1810, for the forty years, from 1810 to 1850, must be calculated ds follows: — _ TWGIBMER iecssiececbasvecqeses Weoate ner siteraeet tase seeep es 3,931 per cent. DEOING Ticichesstoncosssncett trast ys csatees ceppensasinehenscet 155 * PABRERCDUISCOLS cosrexcetasseunsertposrereras ae Radane atacets 110 oe IROIIEO HM) Cnanecsiavaiewecass craceta misses snot see csans eenenie S250) 2 as INE Or aty a ielictsathicectet atin rertet beeen ieee: 99 = INOW & OFM jeocsersncsutdeerns sees teeeeeeen tenses ences cee ees 316 6 ORIG sp derekoet nce ecbeaeie end PELINGRLg veneers 758 és Pennsylvania s...00 ssseveeet see eeeeeeees venue seeeae eeeees 185 “ TGS sis crete saeivee aeRUa ANCES TN dada WE Thos eet .veansess Fayette ...... sees seeereees MPBGRUD redtpciassuracceed BOD scesiaser ss dancaveve PIS OTIAUI \adaesedssonendenn CREOOIG:, sosvert be sie * Grundy FIBTOUUOTE » vccusctane po ie PEI soa. dp ann donerent Sores eee eres seoeee EPQUI YT Setass es saVesacabeeg PPPOENOIG sauedo ees caceuses ° Jackson STATISTICS. 1840. 1850. 1855, SATO ntisetes OOS hie it 34,311 4 eee ee ke CY Re 2,927 A eS pepe ene eee Cae eee 7,511 ROT i; thetade (Ay COG ee tes 10,994 ry ts ep eee 7,198 . .. .7,940 GOGT ex TUG eeivesd abex Op keb onteavechiass 8,160 Fo Cs OSB eee Bia reere eee 11,618 LEVINSON cc cacs scasssees TDG up eavececies Da) 9 VB ena ont 4,606 TO AY Sete et Orpegs is he Seales heeabhe bay 8,324 McDonough...........06 BOS i svastsaiens THM crt aatnece ee 12,886 DICH GUY paccees teks acces DIS TON vatevesvtatcl Spell Occente occas 19,285 Mal sate OO tere LOSES Te TS ATS HMCAMOT hated st they escent VSI ne, es? ieee irc aiads 8,365 Macoupin ......ss0.ceeees yes preety 1230S ee 17,403 Madison 02.000. Y.cccccess 12s te Eine DO Say Sear nents | 31,556 Marion......+.. Neh e eaiens Ny VR ae Ee ea Al eee ser, 10,1389 Marshall’ c.trcrcts ects bee poh Bash cp enbe cng te 9,900 Misan Sera tices AB Sly bi a Rama Ope 7,775 DUASAB Oye ssccaretiasctee $$$. hs seve ceeces WATS eontea ue cice 5,692 Bd Lk PRE Ree eae lS SOAS" ivtvesssags CS40" reoxce ; 8,029 Mercer tne. Oo ShO ar cn cen 5,246 ...ecccecese 9,660 WMOnTOS. eroesk terse cece A4AST RE Sic. bea Aes uae ere 10,285 Montgomery ...c.ccee eee Fe 4s Bed oy 9 Wa EDR che 9,041 Morganton se iC Ait thawte 1G/O6a ei 17,735 BLOUVELTO |, cesstck sev eveets ——— seesecees one PR e: coahisasy ere 4,435 Wd EME pa RRR dhe SATO ae LO een ts 16,456 | LS areca pam Lapa BIBS aii. A Bg 185 deepens bt 30,134 Ptr er tits meron Wo pe bible ead RTS te. 6,858 LA aa a ae Sp led BLA pin bene 8,052 1 Sok a gt ITS LESION re 98 Sbt lai]: ae ORR ACARD BULTY: mike Ate fee “EALY peta eas 6,835 SAUIABE LT Ser dengt ben teacs Go ———_ ce cccsceece esis rene 5: 000s 2,462 bath) 1h} See A QaST Pea La ed: he 5,100 RAD doph rere. cecechoe 7; 944 ign Diaten Et: ' Ree Oe eee PR 12,601 Richard. id piseccsnds ————_ reovee cece KOOL? Wan Rass ecks 7,049 Rock Island ..........05 2 O10 ae 0087 Ub hearers Bt, Clair ...s5. ccoessecs oe 15,682 sc eee Fibs Ue bi earn pace 28,554 STATISTIOS. 293 COUNTIES. 1840. 1850. 1855. Balin i. iiveieendiheeduss =. se seeececees C660 hive 6,776 BSangGamMon, 2.0.0. cevecs vee BATS hese tsk AGB 24 ios aves even’. (25,604 Schuylotaj. svscécsedvncss. O,UGe isicsagiss FUP OUe yet caighhae 12,296 SCOtt ..esee sovcceena en PER URED hasecean ean CL Sores stonaae 7,987 Wh ally yer retesscosneiee bes G, O08 Sic) dnaascs BES belts Speer 11,270 Starlite sesegnesanas 1S Le eee Oe CLUscccts stasis | Ouee Stephenson........0.+ 00 oR ES TPO we eees on cau nie | Maw we sEhsdsigesesesiceses pe Re Leet ss ee Pree RIPIEGTE CH crank hekaceket ake PREM fe hnccnvsnexs BEET ia co andecees 10,106 Vermillion ........s0000e0 By Ue ls Ruletreka sh LG EON oc cpce sen . 15,893 PIMMEMERINT Uc gcpu or os devs oes BDA ig cate udetia OWE ct adhe bemate 6,233 PMO EWENT vccsccssv seasveates GOO aatebickies Babi ccnedcovrass 12,209 ESI ECON 66040 ci cdvecse 4,810 2... -csocroee OPO hace 9s tenien 10,059 PELE causes cvadess wipes, ails LOD. cvwciancenamb, oC Siclliasdaurtentes 9,902 PU BIGEAa Ta in Pe eeheo tea TELLS ate dentercs BOLD cevshetncccee Lumet TU TIROMIGGH hccctecacncente; gt L4: sss onnees Ses sR baa tac ere onaee 18,416 Will cdeasanhs anc uweestine cane pC oy ae oreo TOTS sivess Yuen cee aces Be TY FMIRINGOL sec Besk sn tenses: 4/401 (nesdocdsnncs WN pEh iss cae vase bea 9,430 RVINNGUBEO.c:icssiveeher, 4,609 Bseny ccore vb Reg ineltiers eee 20,826 WE OOGLOTU obec sy ckty gun cvee goo eqsieveveebiam 4,4LD *ordavevunnee 8,400 Illinois has, besides, a county called Cook county, which numbers more than 100,000 inhabitants, and in which Chicago, that city of unparalleled growth, is situated; another county (La Salle), with more than 35,000; three (Adams, Madison, and Peoria), with from 30,000 to 35,000; four (Fulton, Kane, St. Clair, Sangamon), with from 25,000 to 80,000; six (Hancock, Jo Daviess, Knox, Pike, Will, Winnebago), with from 20,000 to 25,000; ten (Bureau, Lake, McHenry, McLean, Macoupin, Morgan, Ogle, Rock Island, Tazewell, and Vermilion), with from 15,000 to. 20,000; twenty-four with from 10,000 to 15,000; forty-two with from 5000 to 10,000: and nine with less than 5000 inhabitants. The counties having the fewest inhabitants are Pulaski and Alexander, the former with 2462, the latter with 2927 inhabitants, contiguous to each other, and being situated in the most southern section of the State. In order to enable the reader with one glance to survey the com- paratively smaller or greater density of the population of the various parts and counties of the State, we here subjoin a population-map of it, wherein the counties are marked and designated, the following columns 294 STATISTICS. corresponding to which contain a statement of the number of inha- bitants residing on a geographical square mile in every single county, according to the census of the State returned in 1855: TCO0K s spss ensee enue 2396 41. McDonough .......... 475 - DRANG srsisnoncnstnctnss 1049 42. Bdwards...s.... wae oie, 466. Sc PGOTIR, >» eopspe thakeates 1031 43, Williamson.....ss00 ee. 464 A, SAMAINS, CS cccse sess Gakacamerel. me ly AA, JOHNSON oc oveaee's vee ees 456 5. Madison .+0:06..0n scores 918 ADS, WHItC 2.00.50: sasmaiene 456 GSte CATs spercmmeeyees DLO AG. OPTS s. cs,-.cces vevemtsea 452 7. McHenry........... 878 rEAT, De Kalb <.0csa sce’ vee 449 8. Rock Island......... 862 ABA Hardin’ ....,....0sataips 447. De HDOX ocecsereescoreseges 843 AQ, Bureau. ....se0vse siqeen 52 10. Winnebago.........06 830 BI DOR WItt 3s 3,26 sacneenee 432 11. Jo Daviess......... wip’ See 51. Macoupin ......2 eaves. 430 + 1D, Morgan’ cicectecscseves 820 OZ. *COlGS’s Wis fasein searenes 426 ya MAIR vtec kesh Na aeaes 816: 58. Menard ...eccecscoee 418 14. Boone...... Usicuve-svwnee 805 . 64. Henderson i... +0. a 409 LD, IAT is\oo cnoendnatess 782 BD, BOnM i... sts areas 404. TEP COEE c rscepinis vi NGuares 782 * 66. Whitesides .....0cs. 404: 17. a Bale Seis. gate teat 57, MCLeain yt iNiiees save 394 |. 16s CP IGOR aoe ave ak - 684 58. Kankakee ............ 386 29. Wabash ....... Pot Dee 682. 59. Cumberland ......s00. 385. 20. Kendall ........... aN O06 ne 60: Pope. orssiha oawerete 384 ALEKS fice pia wbiee 643 GE. Ricthtand 53.024 cee oe 22. Schuyler ....j..0 sear 63 * 62. Saline sos. .stsesgeiees, OOS SS PABVAIL 4 abons bs obautane 639 £68. Stark ssarsrigecsss sae’, 383 DAVE Pare sichacves cosas . 630 64, Jefferson 9s: ietecenn B79 25. Monroe’.....03 aveeeeees 623. G5, SPirepamd wo iesikees sss sped UL 26. Hancock... ...ecvecsee: O24 66. Washington...... asbas 377 ds Edgar coc ccccce woescccee 588 67. TA WYOEROCl tcc eclicceees OUL _ 28. Sangamon, ws sees 588 By Marion liu veo. 875 29, Tazewell... ssssssseeeee 586 69. Mercer... se. se0eee 866 BO. Brown ikivseds so teer wee 554 70. Carroll... Mi ced 362 DAWU DION are sasepeien goavan 553 VL PM RADATUI 3s kts sieceetee LOOe 1B2, SOLSCY secrscccevecece bees OOF *, 72. Hamilton. <:..... cheese 353 > BB. Greene.. ..ssesesereee 628 ENIAC ont eka ens pceretes dons 349 34. «Marshall. :....... 000 526 TA: GRUMAY «005 sesces sedecd CAB Ee 35, Randolph ..:...s00%2. S11 +. 76s Woodford.......00te.. B41> BGT RSABR Lecce sinch apie 611 MGs SPOrRY, ad 837 B37. Massac...scccgerseeeee 505: ! TE POIOY 4. s45sanse) Seabee 336 88. Stephenson .. ......... 508 ie RUAN |... sannas!decens 330 89. Crawford «25+ sesecsses 490 hy 79.. Pulaski....... Scukoe aoe Poe AO NFOTTOM : metsests draw ROSS -” 80. -Macon....i.sc baeseveet’ O29 Yy Y Y /, WY thy Yj Yy Y YY Y, Y U/ MM ~~ a val S ~S SSS SS S Yj ij Yy WY, : fy Wi / ESOT Yj. Yi - YY —— c Ht aia rea ee a \ | Can a ces Ct i “SSN om | + 7 NESS WS WRMPSs_ SS Uff) Yi, fy Yi if Wy Yf Uy UL, jf, fs y UMY/ Pa) LRT J ; MIMI IN, : “ 7 / yy * GRUNDY / j / iN y y, f Lp / Yi / / tf ff / / iS, 4d 4 Sf) j /, Yi) LAVIN GAL N/ Yi YY, Yi, Y RSS SS SS ~ / tf, /f// va | 4h / ff, Nf / 4) & 7 Vj, Shh, / Yih IS, “i, { / 7 Y/ yj V/A ff /, Y Yf Ys MMe ~ Up it, LT, / f / RSS Soe SS. ee * : ~ Ss) > S ~ [> A A Ss oe Wy Wf ff | SS S Wl x ‘& y VAN A 4¢// = sa om | —— SS SS Uy, ) 4 Ss : : Vi, f | SS&vV_ ; : / /, / IAT, Sse Ss Y/sne=«~ Uy ! = SS _ SS EB aD SS Yj ff Wy ff fj SS / 1/ h 1 — Ss ee S Ss / / A UY Lf, jj Uy ~ : Se / ody / / )) = SS ~ S 2 > j SSN ° SY / S441, ’ | : SSS a Ss 35335 SNe 5 Ss Ly . Sy } = A = =! : REY } ES bi / fj / —7/ Aff J i/ Vij J (fi 1 Uy, UML Yen: | Ti | Ube fy Vif Ll a eae i ai SSS SSS ~ — 3 VR Mt — / 4, Af, i i MER Y” Wifi (Uiels YY yijjyj / Ski ON J yy, le s Meg / A) //// WH / Yj, YY SU SS / 7 SSS YIN Ld; IN SS SS S S . hi POPULATION MAP OF f/f /j / SSS JEFFERSON SESS / UTI Hs Lg idd VP SS = ? SRK RRERES Ke . “i SS==BPNE CR CBNYG GX) AMILTONSWAR WI Re —_—__+—_— x S06 Sa Vi // VIA 0X EXPLANATION. 4) 5 ae Over 1000 7 Between 800 and 1000 ATU Inhabitants on Between 500 and 800 a Geographical Se =a age —— <= ak = se. Square Mile. Between 300 and 500 Less than 300 ee STATISTICS. 295 81, Mason ..cyicsilasusvees S19. 91. Montgomery ......... 278 $2. Calhoun ... s+. eragash 315 92. Alexander .,:..:...+.. 260 83, Clay vis.-ssntliteters.s 913 98. Effingham ..........5 256 84, Clinton ....0. sesesesee 802 Bike LONELY Sy sup saae cae pi'aben, ahh 85. Fayette ....... os beeaes 298 95. Christian ..........0. 218 86, Jasper .reeeeeeseeseseee 292 _ 96. Vermillion ............ 202 87. Wayne ..crcrccscrdecere 292 OTe PyMt..sientdacee LOE 88. Moultrie.....scccccee 292 98. Champaign ........00 138 BD. Legh ieadkacasegs 2ssee0 290 99, Troquois ......c-eees eee 134 90. Jackson ....0. Rerauerwed 277 100. Livingston ............ 94 The entire number of dwellings in the State, was, in the year 1850,* 146,544; the number of families 149,153, with 851,470 members, 846,104 of whom were whites, and 5,366 free colored per- sons. Of the whites 445,644 belonged to the male and 400,460 to the female sex; of the colored population 2756 to the male and 2610 to the female sex. Among the 851,470 inhabitants, there were 475 deaf and dumb, 257 blind, 249 maniacs, and 871 idiots. Of the inhabitants, 736,931 were born in the United States, in- cluding also the descendants of the earlier Huropean settlers and the later immigrants; 110,593 in foreign countries; while the birth-place . of 3946 could not be ascertained. Of those born in America, 3693 were from Maine, 4288 from New Hampshire, 1881 from Vermont, 9230 from Massachusetts, 1051 from Rhode Island, 6899 from Connecticut, 67,180 from New York, 6848 from New Jersey, 37,979 from Pennsylvania, 1397 from Delaware, 6898 from Maryland, 226 from the: District of Columbia, 24,697 from Virginia, 13,851 from North Carolina, 4162 from South Carolina, 1341 from Georgia, 23 from Florida, 1335 from Alabama, 490 from Mississippi, 480 from Louisiana, 63 from Texas, 727 from Arkansas, 82,503 from Ten- * Owing to the fact, that in the year 1855 an incomplete and very imperfect census, which does not enter into details as did the census of 1850, was re- turned, most of the amounts could only be stated according to thé census of 1850. Had a complete census, that besides stating the number of inhabitants, would have paid due regard to the agricultural, manufacturing, commercial, industrial, and social interests of the State, been published, the picture. of Illinois this book is intended to place before the eyes of the reader, would no doubt have been a much more complete one; for in this very period of 1850-1855, the brilliant progress of Illinois has been such as no former period ever witnessed. P 226 STATISTICS. nessee, 49,508 from Kentucky, 64,219 from Ohio, 2158 from Mich- igan, 30,953 from Indiana, 7288 from Missouri, 1511 from Lowa, 1095 from Wisconsin, 3 from California, 16 from the Territories, and 343,618 were natives of Illinois. Of those born in foreign countries, 18,628 were natives of England, 27,786 of Ireland, 4661 of Scotland, 572 of Wales, 88,511 of Ger- many, inclusive of Austria, 83396 of France, 70 of Spain, 42 of Por- tugal, 33 of Belgium, 220 of Holland, 43 of Italy, 16535 of Switzer- land, 27 of Russia, 93 of Denmark, 2415 of Norway, 1123 of Sweden, 4 of Greece, 3 of Asia, 11 of Africa, 10,699 of British America, 80 of Mexico, 12 of South America, 75 of the West Indies, 9 of the Sandwich Islands, and 495 from various other countries. Farming lands.—In the year 1850, Illinois had 76,208 farms, containing 12,037,412 acres, making an average of 158 acres to each farm, 5,039,545 of which were improved, and 6,997,867 still unculti- vated. The value of these 76,208 farms was estimated at $96,133,290 ; hence the average value of each farm was $1261. The value of the agricultural implements amounted to $6,405,561. | The live stock, of cattle, was estimated at $24,209,258; of horses, $267,653 ; of asses and mules, $10,073: making an aggregate of $278,226, against $199,235 in 1840; of milk cows, $294,671; of oxen, $76,156; of bulls, heifers, and cattle fit for slaughter, $541,209 ; | neat cattle in the aggregate, $912,036, against $626,274 in 1840; of sheep, $894,043, against $395,672 in 1840; of hogs, $1,915,907, against $1,495,254 in 1840. The value of the slaughtered cattle in the year 1850, amounted to $4,972,286; and the value of the live stock of cattle in 1850, to $30,000,000. The following were the crops in 1850:—9,414,575 bushels of wheat, against 3,335,393 in the year 1840;°83,364 bushels of rye, against 88,197 in 1840; 10,087,241 bushels of oats, against 4,988,008 in 1840; 57,646,984 bushels of Indian corn, against 22,634,211 in 1840; 2,514,861 bushels of Irish, and 157,433 bushels of sweet potatoes — making an aggregate of 2,672,294 bushels of potatoes, against 2,025,520 bushels in 1840; 110,795 bushels of barley, against 82,251 in 1840; 184,504 bushels of buckwheat, against 57,884 in 1840; 601,952 tons of hay, against 164,932 in 1840. Hence it follows, that of the produce of the fields, rye alone has de- STATISTIOS. 2at creased, all the other species of corn having increased, and that wheat and Indian corn have advanced by the highest ratio. The harvest of 1855 is roughly estimated at 20,000,000 bushels of wheat, 20,000,000 bushels of oats, 130,000,000 bushels of Indian corn, and 1,000,000 tons of hay. Other farm produces in the year 1850, were : — 3551 Ibs. of hops, against 17,742* in 1840; 3427 lbs. of cloverseed; 14,380 lbs. of seeds of other species of grass; 12,526,543 lbs. of butter; 1,278,225 Ibs. of cheese — making an aggregate of 13,804,768 lIbs., against 428,175 lbs. in 1840; 82,814 bushels of peas and beans. The value of the produce of the market-gardens amounted to $127,494 ; fruitery, ete., $1,146,049, against $126,756 in 1840; wax and honey, to 869,444 lbs., against 29,173 in 1840; articles of produce for domes- tic use, to $1,155,902; flaxseed, to 10,787 bushels; flax, to 160,063 ibs.; maple sugars, to 248,904 Ibs.; molasses, to 8,354 gallons ;- to- bacco, to 841,394 lbs., versus 5645826 in 1840; wool, to 2,150,113 Ibs., versus 650,007 in 1840; silk cocoons, to 47 lbs., versus 1150 in 1840; wine, to 2997 gallons, versus 474 in 1840. Of manufactories, Illinois, in the year 1850, had 3164 establish- ments, doing business with a capital of $6,885,387, consuming $8,915,173 worth of raw materials, employing 11,652 men and 433 women, paying wages to the amount of $3,286,249, and manufac. turing goods to the value of $17,236,073. | Of manufactories of woollen articles, Illinois, in the year 1850, had 16, operating with a capital of $154,500, consuming of raw materials 396,964 ibs. of wool and 987 tons of coal, valued in the aggregate at $115,867; employing 124 men and 54 women, and manufacturing goods to the value of $206,572. . Of manufactories of pig iron, there were but two, having a capital of $65,000. These consumed 5500 tons of ore, estimated at $15,500, and while employing 150 laborers, manufactured 2700 tons of pig iron, valued at $70,200. * This statement, though, like all the preceding, taken from the United States census, appears to us erroneous; for as, during the last few years, a remarkable increase has taken place, both in the brewing and consumption of beer, it seems scarcely credible, that the cultivation of hops should have so considerably fallen off. 228 STATISTICS. Of iron foundries, there were 29,.doing business with a capital of $260,400. These expended $172,350 for 4818 tons of pig iron, 50 tons of old iron, besides fuel, &e.; employing 332 laborers, and manu- facturing goods to the value of $441,185. Of breweries and distilleries, there were 52, having a business eapital of $303,400, consuming 98,000 bushels of barley, 48,700 bushels of rye, and 703,500 bushels of Indian corn, occupying 274 hands, and furnishing a supply of 27,925 barrels of beer, &c., and 2,315,000 gallons of whiskey, and various other spirits. Lastly, Illinois possesses a salt manufactory, operating with a capi- tal of $2500, consuming $2000 worth of raw material, employing 3 hands, and producing 20,000 bushels of salt, estimated at $6000. Of churches, there are 1223 in the State, having 486,576 mem- bers, and appertaining to the various denominations, as follows: The Baptists have 282 churches, with 94,180 members; the Christians, 69 churches, with 30,864 members; the Congregationalists, 46 churches, with 15,626 members; Dutch Reformed, 2 churches, with 875 mem- bers; Episcopalians, 27 churches, with 14,000 members; Free, 2 churches, with 750 members; Friends, 6 churches, with 1550 mem- bers; German Reformed, 8 churches, with 280 members; Lutherans, 42 churches, with 16,640 members; Methodists, 405 churches, with 178,452 members; Moravians, 2 churches, with 400 members; Pres- byterians, 206 churches, with 85,129 members; Roman Catholics, 59 churches, with 29,100 members; Swedenborgians, 2 churches, with 140 members; Tunkers, 4 churches, with 1225 members; Union- ists, 80 churches, with 8625 members; Unitarians, 4 churches, with 1050 members; Universalists, 2 churches, with 2000 members; various other small sects, 25 churches, with 7740 members. The whole church property amounted to $1,482,182. ; Of places for education there were: —4052 public schools, with 4948 teachers, 125,725 pupils, and a yearly revenue of $349,712; 83 academies and private schools, with 160 teachers, 4244 scholars, and a yearly income of $40,488; 4-colleges, with 29 professors, and 223 students. Whole amount of lands appropriated by the Federal Government for educational purposes, up to Ist of January, 1854: for schools, 978,755 acres; for universities, 23,040 acres; making an aggregate of 1,001,795 acres. STATISTICS. 999 According to the army register for 1851, the militia of [Illinois aumbered 170,359, in all the departments, 4168 of whom were com- missioned officers, the residue (165,741) being non-commissioned offi- cers, privates, and musicians. Among the commissioned officers there were 30 general officers, 79 general staff officers, 1297 field officers, and 3192 company officers. Of libraries, Illinois, in 1850, possessed 152, with 62,486 volumes, 33 of which, with 85,982 volumes, were public libraries; 29 school libraries, with 5875 volumes; 86 Sunday-school libraries, with 12,829 volumes; 4 college libraries, with 7800 volumes. In the year 1828, 4 newspapers were edited; in 1840, 52; in the year 1850, 107 ; among which were 7 monthly and 1 quarterly peri- odical. These 107 newspapers, &c., issued, in the year 1850, 0,102,276 numbers, and may be classified as follows: literary and miscellaneous, 22; neutral, 1; political, 73; religious, 8; scien- tific, 3. Tn 1850, 797 paupers were in the State, who were either wholly or to some extent provided for and relieved. Of criminals, 316 were condemned during the year expiring June Ist, 1850; on that day the number of those imprisoned for crime, &e., amounted to 252. Of the 851,470 inhabitants of the State in 1850, 41,283 were un- able to read or write; 85,356 of these were born in the United States, and 5947 in foreign countries; 40,054 of them were whites, to wit: 16,633 males and 23,421 females; and 1229 were colored people, to wit: 605 males and 624 females. 20 CLIMATE, SOIL, PLANTS, AND ANIMALS.* Upon looking at the map of the Upper Mississippi, we have before us that very extensive net of streams and rivers which is bounded in the west, below the junction of the Ohio and Mississippi, by the Ozark Mountains, through which the Arkansas and Red Rivers have forced their passage ; and in the east, by the projecting ridge of the Alleghany Mountains. High lands, elevated 2000 feet above the level of the sea, divide this district in the north from the Arctic river-district, together with which it was undoubtedly covered by a vast sheet of water, at an early period of the formation of the earth; the hills sepa- rating it from Lake Superior, which is situated 600 feet above the level of the sea, do not rise more than 1000 feet above it, and the boundary line dividing it from the river-district of the St. Lawrence, runs along the shores of the other great lakes. No chain of moun- * Dr. Fred. Brendel, of Peoria, to whom we are indebted for many valuable contributions to this chapter, has for several years pursued with great zeal the study of the natural history of Illinois, and would be very happy, could he meet with fellow-laborers in this work; for which reason we take the liberty of calling the attention of those of our readers, who take an interest in Natural Sciences, to the following lines :— ‘‘A thorough examination of such an extensive State as Illinois, with res- pect to all the various branches of natural science, is a difficult undertaking for a single man, but might be easily accomplished by a number of scientific men, co-operating in the different parts of the country. Meteorological obser- vations, catalogues of the plants, animals, and petrifactions found in the vari- ous districts, it would be advisable to publish in one annual collective report ; specimens contributed from every district would form a State Museum; and naturalists, residing at distances from each other, would much more enhance and accelerate the advancement of knowledge by mutual correspondence, than by pursuing separate studies, each one for himself. Any person who is willing thus to promote the interests of science, will find me ready to assist him.” FREDERICK BrenDEL, M. D., Peoria, Illinois. — (280) CLIMATE, SOIL, PLANTS, AND ANIMALS. « 231 - tains, therefore, properly speaking, separates in the north this enor- mous territory, a small portion of which constitutes the State of Illi- nois, from the plateaux projecting to the north, which circumstance must necessarily exercise a decisive influence upon the climate of the State, situated as it is between the 43d and 37th degrees of north latitude, and separated by seven degrees from the Gulf of Mexico. A sea open at all times of the year separates Europe from the North Pole; and the Mediterranean Sea washes between it and Africa; this will sufficiently account for her moderate climate. A frozen region sending during winter its icy blasts after the flying sun, bounds Nortt. America on the north, while her southern coast, penetrated in the sum- mer by the almost perpendicular rays of a burning sun, radiates its accumulated heat to the north. This will explain why a country situated within the same degrees of latitude with Spain and Italy, has cold winters and hot summers. Illinois has an average temperature, which, if compared with that ' of Europe, equals that of Middle Germany ; its winter is more severe than that at Copenhagen, and her summer as warm as those of Milan or Palermo. Compared with the other States of the Union, Northern Illinois possesses a temperature similar to that of Northern Pennsyl- yania or Southern New York, while the temperature of Southern Illi- nois will not differ much from that of Kentucky or Virginia. As far as we know, exact observations of the state of the weather have not yet been published in Lllinois; we, therefore, confine ourselves to the observations of the celebrated Dr. Engelmann, at St. Louis, which at least serve for one part of Illinois. From his observations of 20 years we infer, that at a middle height of the barometer, of 29-477, (105’ above the lowest height of water in the Mississippi), the great- est difference in a year (1852) amounted to 1” 5”, and that at a mid- dle temperature of + 54° 8 F. (= + 18°79 C. = + 10° 18 R.), very great fluctuations prevailed. At the coldest day, (Feb. 8, 1855,) the thermometer stood — 25° FB. (= —381°6 C. = — 25° 3 R.), while during the hottest days in July, 1833, 784, 738, and 41, and in August, 1834, the mercury indi- cated a little more than + 100° F., (= + 88° C. = + 30° R.), making a difference of 125° F., (= 69°40, =55°5R.) Very great and rapid changes often take place in the temperature ; thus, the 232 CLIMATE, SOIL, PLANTS, AND ANIMALS. temperature from the 16th to the 17th we of March, 1852, fell, within- 17 hours, about 51° F., (= 28°3 C. = 22°5 BR.) As for the rest, the thermometer very akin falls eae OF. (=]—17° 70. =— 14°2 R.); on Jan. 19th, 1852,* the coldest day for 20 consecutive years, the mercury ranged — 12° F. (= — 24°40. = — 19° 5R.) The lowest temperature is generally above 0 F'., and on an average ranges highest in July; then follow June and August; January being the coldest month. The first frost generally appears on the 26th of October, the last on the 6th of April, 203 days thus intervening be- tween the first frost in autumn and the last in spring. The earliest frost appeared on Oct. 4th, 1836, and the latest, May 2d, 1851.7 The prevailing winds are either western or south-eastern. Storms generally come from the west or north-west, in the summer sometimes from the south. The severest storms are those coming from the west, as, on considering that they traverse the entire space between the Rocky Mountains and the Mississippi, within 24 hours, and reach the Atlantic coast within the next 24 hours, will be placed beyond a doubt. A clear sky and dry air prevail while they sweep over the Mississippi Valley, and not before having reached the east, will they be accompa- * The winter of 1855-6 alone, which reigned with almost unexampled rigour throughout the United States, makes an exception; we here subjoin a report of the state of the thermometer on the coldest days of the winter, in the fol- owing places in [linois:— On January 4th, 1856, at Aurora, Kane Co., 22 degrees below zero; at Ster- ling, Whiteside Co., 26°; at Dixon, Lee Co., 28°; at Sycamore, De Kalb. Co., 24°; at Waukegan, Lake Co., 21°; at Moline, Rock Island Co., 18°. On Ja- _nuary 5th, at Elgin, Kane Co., 26°; at Moline, 14°; January 6th, at Moline, 80°; January 8th, at Sterling, 21°; at Springfield, Sangamon Co., 20°; at Rock Island, 22°; at Bloomington, McLean Co., 18°; at Belvidere, Boone Co., 22°; at Macomb, McDonough Co., 17°; at Elgin, 18°; at Moline, 20°; at Oquawka, Henderson Co., 25°; at Peoria, 14°. January 9th, at Springfield, 24°; at Chicago, 24°; Alton, Madison Co., 22°; at Aurora, 30°; at Geneseo, Henry Co., 29°; at Jerseyville, Jersey Co., 20°; at Macomb, 20°; at Mendota, La Salle Co., 28°; at Monmouth, Warren Co., 28°; at Morris, Grundy Co., 20°; at Paris, Edgar Co., 30°; at Peoria, 20°; and at Sterling, 21°. + In the summer of 1850, while the temperature of St. Louis ranged very high, that of St. Clair Co. was continually lower, by about 2° R., than the for- mer, which difference was probably in consequence of the calcareous soil of the city. CLIMATE, SOIL, PLANTS, AND ANIMALS. 233 nied with heavy showers of rain; which latter fact we may account for by the condensation of the vapours abstracted by them from the Mis- sissippi Valley, coming in contact with the Alleghany Mountains. Rainy days there were in 1858 but 78; in 1836, however, 115; there are, on an average, 89 in every year, with a quantity of rain amounting to 42 inches, the smallest portion of which (2”) falls in Ja- nuary; the quantity of rain falling increasing with every succeeding . month, until in June it reaches the height of 6”. More than 4 inches of rain fell within 24 hours, June 23, 1852. The first fall of snow generally takes place in November, often, however, not before December; the last, in March, it occurring but very rarely in April. The greatest quantity of snow which fell ina single month, (December, 1839, and December, 1846,) amounted to scarcely 1’ 5.- Thunderstorms there were on an average 49; beauti- ful days, 137 ; changeable days, 180; days without sunshine, 45. Upon comparing these results with the observations made in 1852, in Wisconsin, at eight different places, the observation made at one of which, to wit, at Beloit, near the Ilinoisian frontier, half way between the Mississippi and Lake Michigan, may be considered as valid for the northern part of Illinois also; we find the thermometer ranging be- tween 29-597 and 28-665, being a difference of 0-932, while in the south the same amounted to 1-584; an average temperature reigns there of + 47°421 F.(= + 8°10. = + 6°5 R.), being 791 F. 4° C. = 8° 1 R.) less thanin the south. On the coldest day the mer- cury indicated —18° F. (= —27° 7 C. = —22°1R.), and there- fore 6° F., (= 8°3 C. = 2°6R.) less than at the south; and on the hottest day + 93° F. (= + 84° C. = + 27° RB.) and therefore only 2°F. (= 1°10. = 0°9 BR.) less than in the south. Here we must remark that the winter at that place was unusually cold. It rained 40 inches, 2 inches less than at the south, which difference, as already observed, was created by a single day’s rain. The prevailing winds were north-west by north, and south-west. From the direction of its hills and rivers, which generally run from north-east to south-west, a plain forms, gently sloping to the south- west; in this plain the rivers have worn channels from 60 to 200 feet deep; being dammed up at one side by a terrace-like, rising bank, they inundate the opposite plain to a considerable depth, overflowing 20* 9384 CLIMATE, SOIL, PLANTS, AND ANIMALS. it from winter to summer, and producing a luxuriant growth of grass; causing also the intermittent fever, the principal sickness of the coun- try, which, however, only seizes the incautious settler, at places near the river ; and never, except in very rainy years, visits the settlers on the ocean-like, undulating prairies.* That the channels have gradually sunken we may distinctly see, on the shores of the Upper Mississippi, walls of rock rising perpendicu- larly, upon the sloping banks of which extend from Lake Pepin to below the junction of the Wisconsin with the Mississippi, as if they were walls built of equal height by the hand of men. Wherever the river describes a curve, walls may be found on the convex side of the latter. Here, the force of the river, ere it had yet excavated its chan- nel, was broken, and the river, tired of being resisted, turned against the other side; not, however, without causing some damage to the rock which it washed; just as at the present day the river may be seen undermining its steep, rocky bank, above and below St. Paul, in Minnesota. — The upper coal formation occupies three-fifths of the State; com- mencing at 41° 12’ north latitude, where, as also along the Mississippi, whose banks it touches between the places of junction of the Illinois and Missouri Rivers, it is enclosed by a narrow layer of calcareous coal. This immense coil-field extends south-easterly beyond the Wa- bash and Ohio Rivers, far into the States of Kentucky and Ohio. The shores of Lake Michigan, and that narrow strip of land, which, com- mencing near them, runs along the northern bank of the Illinois, towards its south-western bend, until it meets Rock River, at its junc- tion with.the Mississippi, belongs to the Devonian system ; the residue of the northern territory consists of Silurian strata, which, containing the rich lead mines of Galena, in the north-western corner of the State, rise at intervals in conical hills, thus giving the landscape a cha- racter different from that of the middle or southern portion of the State. | Over these various geological formations, underlaid at intervals by beds of sand, a process of putrefaction, which, for thousands of years * The attention of those readers wishing more minute information regarding the state of health in Illinois, is called to the chapter treating of that subject in particular. CLIMATE, SOIL, PLANTS, AND ANIMAIS. 235 continued uninterrupted, has spread the richest humus, that, rather too luxurious for other grains, yields the most abundant harvests of Indian corn, the staple commodity of agriculture. Remarkable are also those large blocks of granite and other primi- tive rocks, which are scattered along the banks. Since the nearest beds of primitive rocks first appear in Minnesota, and the northern part of Wisconsin, their presence can only be accounted for by assuming, that at the time the State of Illinois was covered with wa- ter, they were floated down from the north, enclosed and supported by masses of ice, which no sooner melted than the rocks sunk to the bot- tom, maintaining, as old settlers, their present position, whilst the work of excavation of the valleys, ravines, and channels by the water, was going on; whereas the lighter masses of earth, driven down the river, were deposited at the southern corner of the State, near the mouth of the Ohio, or contributed to the formation of the Mississippi Delta; since, in fact, the later alluvial land of the Lower Mississippi Valley reaches up the river to that point. On the banks of the Illinois River, the pebbles rounded by the water may be found covered with a yellowish crust, as if they were baked together. These are the later fresh water calcareous strata, continually deposited before our eyes by the water. The vegetation of the State forms the connecting link between the Flora of the northeastern States, and those of the Upper Missisippi, exhibiting, besides the plants common to all States lying between the Mississippi and Atlantic Ocean, such as are, properly speaking, natives of the western prairies ; not being found east of the Alleghany Moun- tains. Immense prairies of grass, interlaced with groves, and stretch- ing, principally, along the water-courses, cover two-thirds of the en- tire area of the State.in the north, while her southern part is garnished with tufts of massive thickets, greatly diversifying the otherwise some- what monotonous landscape. In order to obtain a view of the variety of the vegetable creation of the State, we invite the reader to accompany us on a summer excur- sion. The large, scattered, village-like formation of the smaller and middle towns, and the want of+a pavement, render it possible for us to herb- alise in the very town, from the moment we have stepped outside our 236 CLIMATE, SOIL, PLANTS, AND ANIMALS. house. Lo! close to the door is the round-leaved mallow, Malva ro- tundifolia, L.), next to it the swine-grass, (Polygonum aviculare, L.), here the cass-weed, (Capsella bursa pastoris, Moench), there the pseudo- camomile, (Anthemis arvensis, L.), covers entire tracts; a neglected gar- den adjoining the house is entirely overspread with the fleshy leaves of the purslain, (Portulaca), among which rises the white orache (Cheno- podium album, L.), to an unusual height. But do they belong to the American, and particularly the [llinoisian Flora? No, they are immi- grants; the vegetable immigration from the old world.* * Whether the various species of a genus are of common origin, and have formed themselves under external influences, having sprung from a single in- dividual, and spread from a single place of nativity, are questions regarding which opinions are divided. Of many cultivated plants in Europe, one could not tell whence they came thither, and of many that grow wild, whether they occupied their present domicile from primeval times, or only lately emigrated to it. That the plants do migrate, nay, that they even leave a country alto- gether, when the conditions indispensable to their growth are no longer found in the country, has been historically proven. Myr. Fraas, in a little work pub- lished in Germany, entitled ‘‘ The Plant in Time and Climate,” (Die Pfianze in Zeit-und Klima”) has quoted from ancient Greek authors many passages men- tioning plants of Greece identical with certain ones existing at this present day in Germany, which therefore must at that time have been indigenous in the Grecian groves,’ but which have now disappeared together with the groves. The wooded country having assumed the character of a mere heath, other plants have taken their place, which may also be found in Syria and Egypt, whence they probably emigrated into Greece, and being rather remarkable, would certainly have been noticed and mentioned by the ancient authors, had they existed in Greece. Although the fact of the immigration, which by the agency of man took place, of plants from the old to the new continent, is within the reach of modern history, so that similar investigations might be instituted with the greatest success here, the American botanists, have in regard to many plants not yet been able to agree, whether they are of native or foreign origin. In his “ Principles of Geology,” Lyon speaks of an old author by the name of «‘ Jocelyn,” as having drawn up a catalogue of the plants that, since the colo- nization of New England, came to these shores. The common nettle (Urtica), he says, was the first which the settlers noticed, and the plantain, (Plantago major, L.), received the name of the ‘‘Englishman’s Foot,” by the Indians; by which the latter understood, that it appeared to have grown up under the very footsteps of the English. The total number of those plants was estimated to be 22; it has, however, enormously increased since. . These emigrants have of course not spread equally. Thus, although many species have penetrated to ( CLIMATE, SOIL, PLANTS, AND ANIMALS. 2387 In the same manner in which the immigrating races of the human family do in this country prosper and increase, becoming as numerous as the sands on the sea-shore, prosper and grow up also the plants ac- companying the immigrant. Thus the rather inodorous thorn-apple (Datura stramonium, L.), occupies in our land so large a space as to make one doubt, whether it is to be considered a native of the old or new world.* And as the immigrant on his arrival finds many a country- man whom he is by no means overjoyed to meet again, he salutes on the other hand many an old acquaintance among the vegetable world, with the exclamation, ‘‘ You here, too ?”’ Where once the prairie stretched along the banks of the river, or skirted the forest, andthe wigwam of the Indian was standing, there the stately mansions of modern civilisation may now be found— and near them many a foreign plant. Brick walls not being congenial to them, the flowers of the prairie and forest unfold their charms under the airy canopy of heaven; and the few left behind of the various ver- vains (Verbena), ambrosias (Ambrosias), the prickly lidas (Lida spi- nosa L.),and the Pennsylvanian polygonies (Polygonum Pennsylvyani- cum), and others, are peaceable neighbors of the immigrated burdock (Arctium lappa, Gaertn.), the so-called “ Leonurus cardiaca,” the com- mon marum (Marubium vulgare, L.), the marsh-mallow of Vincennes (Abutilon avicennee, Gaertn.), the yellow lion’s mouth (Linaria vulga- ris, Mill.), the black mustard (Sinapis nigra, L.), and the rue (Sisym- the Mississippi, we have not yet been able to discover in Illinois, that primi- tive settler, the nettle (Urtica), nor the knot-grass (Triticum repens), which has already become the plague of the eastern farmer. Most of the herbs known to have immigrated are of European origin; but a few belong to other countries, as the prickly amaranth (Amaranthus spinosus, L.), from East India ; the Indian eleusine (Eleusine Indica, Gaertn.), a tropical plant, a native proba- bly of the West Indies; the Mexican poppy (Argemone Mexicana, L.), from the south-western States; as also the so called martynia proboscidea, Glox. Whether the catalpa (Catalpa bignonioides), which you may frequently find planted in the streets, is peculiar to the Southern States, or was introduced by the na- tives, remains uncertain. * It is singular, that, while the stramonium is sure to be encountered wher- ever the white man has fixed his domicile, again, at places where the wigwam of the red man is still standing, you would search in vain for this poisonous plant; thus, in a manner is it intimated, that nature’s pure state is corrupted by civilisation. 938 CLIMATE, SOIL, PLANTS, AND ANIMALS. brium officinale, Scop). Unlike their human ‘prototypes, these plants do not deny to others, because immigrated, the right of settling at any place they may have chosen, but stand peaceably side by side, deriving their nourishment from the same parent, imbibing the dew of the hea- vens, and enjoying the light equally diffused over them, of the glo- rious sun of Deity. ; Before we finally turn our backs on the last scattered houses of the city, we find both sides of the road lined with ugly worm-fences, which are overtopped by the various species of helianthus (Helianthus), this- tles (Cirsium Virginianum, Mich. and C. altissimum, Spr.), biennial gaura (Gaura biennis, L., Greek yévpa == proud, superb), with the ver- milion, and the Illinoisian bell-flower (Campanula Iilinoisiensis, Fre- sen.), with cerulean blossoms, and other tall weeds. Here may also be found the coarse-haired Asclepias tuberosa, L., with fiery-red umbels, the strong-scented Monarda fistulosa L. var. mollis, and an umbellife- rous plant, the grass-like, spiculated leaves of which recall to mind the southern agaves, the eryngo (Hryngium aquaticum, L.) Among these untutored children of nature rises the civilised plant, the Indian corn, with its stalks nearly twelve feet high, and its green, succu- Jent leaves and swelling knots. Next to Indian corn, wheat is most cultivated; oats next, and, since, in consequence of the extensive German immigration, rye-bread and — beer are in great demand, also barley and rye. ‘The broom-corn (Sor- ghum saccharatum Pers.), is raised for the manufacturing of brooms. Potatoes being a rather expensive luxury, are little cultivated, and that little chiefly in the north-western part of the State, near Galena, on meagre soil. The sweet potato (the tuber of a convolvulacea, of the Batatas edulis, Choisy), the water-melon, sweet melon, various pump- kins and tomatoes (Lycopersicum esculentum, Mill.), are common pro- ducts of the fields. In the south the castor-oil plant (Ricinus com- munis, L.), is also cultivated. Having now arrived at the end of the cultivated lands, we enter upon the dry prairies extending up the bluffs, where we are saluted by the small vermilion sorrel (Rumex acetosella, L.), and mouse-ear (My osotis stricta, Link.), which, however, do not reside here as foreign- ers, but as natives,* like many other plants that remind the European of * Of such plants as are €équally diffused over the entire north-temperate CLIMATE, SOIL, PLANTS, AND ANIMALS. 289 his native country, as for instance the dandelion (Taraxacum officinale, Wig.), a kind of rose (Rosa lucida), with its sweet-scented blossoms, has a great predilection for this dry soil. With surprise we meet here also many plants with hairy greenish-gray leaves and stalk-covers ; as, for in- stance, the Onosmodium melle, Mich., Hieracium longipilum, Torr., Pycnanthemum pilosum, Nutt., Chrysopsis villosa, Nutt., Amorpha ca- nescens, Nutt., Daleaalopecuroides, Willd., Tephrosia Virginiana, Pers., Lithospermum canescens, Lehm. ; between which the immigrated mul- lein (Verbascum thapsus, L.), may be found. The pebbly fragments of the entire slope, which, during spring-time were sparingly covered with dwarfish herbs, such as the Androsace occidentalis, Pursh., Draba Caro- liniana, Walt., Antennaria plantaginifolia, Hook., plantain (Plantago Virginica, L.), Scutellaria parvula, Mich., are now crowded with plants of taller growth and variegated blossoms. Rudbeckia herta, L., with its numerous radiating blossoms of a lively yellow colour, and the closely allied Echinacea purpurea (Moench), whose long purple rays hang down from a ruddy hemispherical disc, are the most remarkable among plants belonging to the genus “ composite,” which blossom early in summer ; in the latter part of summer follow innumerable plants of the different species Liatris, Vernonia, Aster, Solidago, Helianthus, &¢., Tephrosia Virginiana, Pers., with numerous great pink and yellow-coloured blos- soms; the violet Psoralea floribunda, Nutt., and Psor. Onobrychis, Nutt.; Petalostemon violaceum, Mich., and Petalostemon candidum, Mich., belonging alt of them to the family of the leguminous plants, blossom here, together with the Linum Virginianum, L., and the Poly- gala incarnata, L., with rosy, pretty little blossoms on a tall stalk. We approach a sinuous chasm of the bluffs, having better soil and underwood, which, thin at first, increases gradually in density. Low bushes, hardly a foot high, are formed by the American thistle (Cea- nothus Americanus, L.), a plant whose leaves were used instead of tea, after the English tea had been thrown in the sea, at Boston, dur- ing the revolution; the flower being very beautiful may be used for ornamental purposes. Next follow the hazel-bush (Corylus Ameri- cana, Walt.), the fiery-red Castilleja coccinea, Spreng., and the yellow zone, there are many, especially ranuncule, cruciferse, aquatic plants of every kind, and reed-grasses, 240 CLIMATE, SOIL, PLANTS, AND ANIMALS. Canadian lousewort (Pedicularis Canadensis, L.); the Diptera, canthus strepens Nees (Ruellia, L.), with great blue funnel-shaped blossoms, and the Gerardia pedicularia, L., are fond of such places; and where the bushes grow higher, and the Rhus glabra, L., Zanthoxylum America- num, Mill., Ptelea trifoliata, L., Staphylea trifolia, L., together with Ribes-Rubus Pyrus, dogwood (cornus), and hawthorn (Cratzegus), form -an almost impenetrable thicket, surrounded and garlanded by the round-leaved, rough bind-weed (Smilax rotundifolia), and herbacea , L., Dioscorea villosa, L., the blooming, everywhere-climbing, bristling rose (Rosa setigera, L.), the Celastrus scandens, L., remarkable for its beautiful red fruits, the Clematis Virginiana, L., the polygony of the brakes (Polygonum dumetorum, L.), the bindweed (Convolvulus pandu- ratus, L.), and other vines, these weedy herbs attempt to over-top the bushes. Developing their young shoots under the protection of the , Shade, they exert themselves to gain the open air, and unfold in the sunshine the splendours of their brilliant blossoms. Baptisia leucan- tha, Torr & Gr., with its delicate pale hue, the Canadian tragacanth (Astragalus canadensis, L.), which grows to an extraordinary size, the goat’s beard (Spireea Arancus, L.), the Canadian elder-bush (Lambucus Canadensis), the purple liver-wort (Hupatorium purpureum, L.), and the gigantic Composituree Silphium perfoliatum, L., the Rudbeckia lacini- ata, L., Lepachys pinnata, Torr. & Gr., finally the deep blue Tradescan- tia Virginica, L., stand beside the purple swallow-wort (Asclepias pur- purascens, L.); and the carmine calix of the Lilium superbum, L., among which those beautiful grasses, Melica speciosa, Muhl., Tricuspis sesleri- oides, Torr., Stipa Avenacea, L., Andropogon Virginicus, L., elevate their heads. Having reached the table land, we wander through a litile grove, consisting of small-sized trees, stunted oak and hickory, which on bet- ter soil attain a good height, since: in the forests you may find white oaks a hundred feet high, and of considerable thickness ; with hickory, and maple trees, cotton—poplars, and sycamores 80 feet high, besides at least twenty different species of trees, attaining or even surpassing the height of 60 feet. We now enter upon the illimitable prairie which lies before us; not upon that dry sandy prairie, with its temporary herbaceous dress, but the fertile prairie, in whose undulating surface the moisture is retained ; this waits for cultivation, and will soon be deprived of its flowery attire, CLIMATE, SOIL, PLANTS, AND ANIMALS. 24] and bear plain, but for man’s nourishment indispensable, grain. Those who have not yet seen such a prairie, should not imagine it like a cul- tivated meadow, but rather a heaving sea of tall herbs and plants, decking it with every variety of colour. In the summer the yellow of the large composite will predominate here and there, intermingled with the blue of the tradescantias, the fiery red of the lilies (Lilium Philadelphium, and Lilium Canadense, L.), the purple of the Phlox glaberrima, L., the white of the Cacalia tube- rosa, Nutt., the pepper-wort (Melanthium Virginicum, L.), and the um- belliferous plants. In spring, small sized plants bloom here, such as the anemone (Anemone Caroliniana, Walt.), with its blue and white blos- soms, the palmated violet (Viola palmata), the ranunculus (Ranunculus fascicularis, Muhl.), which are the first ornament of the prairies in spring ; then follow the esculent sea-onion (Scilla esculenta, Ker.), Pen- talophus longiflorus, D. C., the grummel (Lithospermum hirtum, Lehm.), the Cynthia virginica, Don., Echinacea angustifolia, D. C., and Baptisia leucopheea, Nutt. As faras the eye reaches no house nor tree can be seen; but where civilization has come, the farmer has planted small rows of the quickly-growing black acacia (Robinia pseudacacia, L.), which affords shelter from the sun to his feeding cattle, and fuel for his hearth in the winter. We find the greatest prairies in the north- eastern part of the State, stretching from the Illinois River to the State of Indiana, at intervals intersected by the shaded course of a river, but entirely destitute of trees on its highest points, whence in all directions fiow little brooks to meet the [llinois and Wabash. «‘There one breathes more freely,’ are the words of an old hunter, for whom the daily increasing fences proved too confining; “as far as the eye can reach, nothing but the skies and an ocean of grass.” Taste, however, varying greatly, many would prefer a limited view, changing by turns and affording to the eye points of rest ; such a view as may be had from Prospect Hill, four miles north of Peoria. Havy- ing approached the margin of the table-land, we look down upon a de- lightful valley, through which flows the Ulinois River, enlarged to the breadth of a sea. Fifteen miles further up, we perceive the cloud of smoke following a steamer sailing upward, and stopping at the white houses of yonder little town just built, from which a long railroad train hurries across the gently rising prairie, disappearing behind the pro- 21 Q 242 OLIMATE, SOIL, PLANTS, AND ANIMALS. jecting wooded bluff. Bushes rise prominent above the shect of water which inundates the country, adjacent to the other bank, be- yond which in the distant background may be seen a cultivated plain, destitute of trees, covered with corn fields, which wave around the isolated farms enclosed by groves; close to our feet, however, and dis- tinctly indicating the broken, rolling formation of the slope, is a vast forest, which, assuming in autumn all varieties of colour, from the most lively carmine to the darkest green, presents a most striking ap- pearance. Here in rocky places may be found the Aquilegia Canadensis, L., fostered in the gardens of Europe, and remarkable for its yellow and red coloured blossoms, curiously shaped in the form of a bell; the violet wood-sorel (Oxalis violacea, L.), that, together with the Dodeca- theon meadia, L., is fond of the prairie; the well known strawberry (Fragaria vescat. and Virginiana, Ehrh.), the Senega milk-tare (Poly- gala Senega, L.), the Comandra umbellata, of the order of the santalaceze, Heuchera Americana, L., one of the few saxifragas growing here, the shrub-like Hydrangea arborescens, L., with its white tufts; the Rhus aromatica, with its irregularly indented leaves, and scarlet-red fruits, flourishing at the feet of old trunks of trees; and various rock cresses. On descending below the shadowy canopy of mighty oaks,’ walnut trees, linden, maple, elm, ash, mulberry, sassafras, and chesnut trees, we find the ground strewn with beautiful grasses, (belonging to the orders of the Muhlenbergia, Glyceria, Uniola, Leersia, Cinna and Panicum), and numerous ferns, among which the pedate venus grass (Adiantum pedatum, L.), excels by its delicate fan-form and purple-black stalk, and the Claytonian onoclea (onoclea Claytoniana), Polystichum acrostichoides, Schott., and the Pteris aquilina, well known in Ger- many by its exuberant roti. Among these rises the Desmodium acu- minatum, D. C., on its broad-leaved basis, the rosy-red Paniela, adorned with Lay Renee blossoms, together with the tall white anemones (Anemone Pennsylvanica, L., and Anemone Virginiana, L.), the beauti- ful blue Delphinium exaltatum, Ait., the American bell-flower, (Campa- nula Americana), with long stalks fhe oi with sky-blue blossoms, the Aralia racemosa, L., Triosteum perfoliatum, L., and the Agrimonia Eu- patoria, L., are mei wanting. Following the course of a spring, which bubbles down, we find at its margin the Circaca lutetiana, L., also in- CLIMATE, SOIL, PLANTS, AND ANIMALS. 248 digenous in Germany, the marsh wolf’s milk (Lathyris palustris, L.), the asper horse-mint (Stachys aspera, Mich.), the meadow rue (Thalietrum Cornuti L.), the clustered rough bind-weed (Smilacina racemosa, Desf.), and the high-growing Polygonatum canaliculatum Pursh. We now enter the level part of the forest, which has a rich black soil. Great sar- mentous plants climb here up to the tops of the trees, wild grapes, the climbing poisonous sumac (Rhus toxicodendron, L., var. radicans), and the vine-like quinquefoil (Ampelopsis quinquefolia, Mich.), which transforms withered naked trunks into green columns, Tecoma radicans Juss (Bignonia, L.), with their brilliant, scarlet, trumpet flowers, are the most remarkable. Imposing are also the draperies of the green dome of foliage, the contemplation of which delights the eye of the spectator; but you would search in vain here for the evergreen pine- tree, with its strong smell of resin. The Thuja occidentalis, L., which may be met with in European gardens, stands in mournful solitude on the margins of pools; ‘here and there an isolated cedar (Juniperus Virginiana, L.), and the low box-tree (Taxus Canadensis), on the rocky slopes of the Mississippi Valley, are in Illinois.the only representatives of the evergreens, forests of which first appear in the northern part of Wisconsin and Minnesota. Gerardias, with purple and yellow monkey-flowers, Mimulus rin- gens, l1., and Mimulus alatus, Ait., Chelone glabra, L., Blephilia hir- suta, Benth., and the common prunel (Prunella vulgaris, L.), blossom here; of the composite, the beautiful Rudbeckia triloba, L., excels by its black purple disc, and fiery yellow spoke-flowers, and among the delicate little plants, the Anychia dichotoma, Mich., Cerastium nutans, Raf., Stellaria longifolia, Muhl., and various galia, are deserving of particular notice. On wet and shaded places an exuberance of Impa- tiens fulya, Nutt. and pallida, Nutt., may be found united with urtica- ceas. ? While the forest is resplendent in summer with a dazzling array of colours, in spring it is adorned with lovely plants of delicate succulent _ structure. The first child of spring is the blue liverwort (Hepatica triloba., I). C.), which unfolds its brilliant blossoms about the middle of March ; then follows, on wet places, the buttercup (Caltha palustris, L.), and in the midst of April, we see among the naked trees, of which the yellow winter-oak (Adsculus flava, Ait.), first shoots forth its leaves, a multitude of most beautiful flowers, most of them of the purest white, 244 CLIMATE, SOIL, PLANTS, AND ANIMALS. or imperceptibly changing from white into a tender rose colour, among them that lovely anemone-like meadow rue (Thalietrum anemonoides, Mich.), the Canadian blood-wort (Sanguinaria canadensis, L.), the broad-leaved Podophyllum peltatum, L., the round-leaved Cardamine (Cardamina rotundifolia, Mich.), Mitella diphylla, L., the Trillium cer- nuum, L., Dicentra canadensis, D. C., a delicate fumariacea, with a flesh- coloured stalk, and pale green leaves, which, on account of the peculiar form of its blossoms, that in a manner resemble short, spread-out leather breeches, is called ‘‘ Dutchman’s breeches,” the Dentaria lanciniata Muhl., Claytonia Virginica, L., and Hllisia nyctelaea, L. The blue tint is peculiar to the Mertensia Virginica D. C., which covers entire wooded tracts, the capon’s tail, Polemonia reptans, L., or Polemonia pilosa L., and the crested violet (Viola cucullata, Ait.), the Violet Pedanthus hesperides, Torr. & Gr., the red Geranium maculatum,L., the Trillium sessile, L., with a brownish flower enclosed in three leaves, the yellow ranunculus (Ranunculus repens, L.), Cypripedium pubescens, Willd., with pedate flowers, almost two inches long, and the Uvularia grandi- flora, Smith. All these species are represented by numerous individ- uals. Less frequently are seen the purple violet rag-wort, Orchis spec- tabilis, L.), with white labiated flowers, Leontice thalietroides, L., Aralia medicinalis, L., &e. : The trees are also clad in other colours besides green. ‘The inflex- ible branches of the Cercis canadensis are covered with peach-coloured blossoms, the Pyrus coronaria, L., exhibits rosy-red blossoms, the Sas- safras officinale Nees, yellow ones, and different species of hawthorn (Crateegus), and dogwood (Cornu). The pawpaw tree (Asimina triloba, Dunal), a small tree, with large oval leaves, developes still sooner its brown-red blossoms, and bears in autumn great, fleshy, dirty-yellow fruits, which taste like stale dough; the Huonymus atropurpureus Jacq., has smaller, brownish- red blossoms. Of large trees, there are also the wild-cherry tree, (Cerasus serotina, D. C.), the prickly Gleditschia triacanthos L., with its fine coronate leaves, and another cisalpinia, the Gymnocladus cana densis, Lam., with thick pulpous pods; rarer to be seen is the Virgi- nian persimmon (Diospyros Virginiana, L.), whose orange-coloured fruits are eatable only after the first frost in late autumn, and the Cornus Florida, L., with its great snow-white husks, both of them CLIMATE, SOIL, PLANTS, AND ANIMALS. 245 being more frequent in the southern part of the State. On the mar- gin of the forest we also perceive the American plum-tree, a small tree bearing an orange-coloured fruit; yonder on the bank of the river stand mighty trunks, indigenous to a wet soil, and stretching forth their branches far beyond the edge of the water; perhaps the flowery Echino- cystis lobata, Torr. & Gr., clasps itself around them; there you may find also the Platanus occidentalis, L., here called sycamore, with its glistening bark and deeply-indented leaves, and the Populus monilifera, L., called cotton-wood, because its fruits, which are strung together like beads, on bursting cover the surrounding earth with its wool-like cap- sules. Flowers of the most brilliant hues bedeck the rivers’ banks above all the Lobelia cardinalis, L., and the Lobelia syphilitica, of the deep- est carmine and cerulean tinge, the yellow Cassia Marilandica, L., whose leaves serve for the affusion of the senna, and the delicate Cassia chameecrista, L., with sensitive elder-leaves, then the deli- cate Rosa blanda, L., a rose without thorns, also the Scrophularia nodosa, L. The sandy parts of the banks have their own particular Flora. Dwarfish cyperoids, and the frequent Mollugo verticillata, L., Lespe- deza repens, Torr. & Gr., Eragrostis reptans Nees, Huphorbia maculata L., and other creepers partly cover the gravelly sand; among them rises the deep-rooted Allionia nyctaginea, Mich., Euphorbia Cyathiphora Mich., Darlingtonia brachyloba, D. C., the only species of mimosa, Crotalaria sagittalis, L., amsonia salicifolia Pursh, and Clematis pit- cher., Torr. & Gr., with procumbent violet-colored stalks, and thick re- flexed tips of the calix, finally, Polanisia graveolens, Raf., an isolated apparidacea, of repulsive smell. The banks flattening, the marshy ground commences, upon which thrive the Iris versicolor, L., Cephalanthus occidentalis, L., Asclepias incarnata, L., the primrose-tree (Lysimachia), liver-wort (Hupatoria), most frequent, however, are the tall Physostegia Virginiana, Beuth, with rosy-red blossoms, and the Helenium auctumnale, L., in which the yellow color predominates. In spring, the dark violet blossom of the Amorpha fructicosa, L., diffuses its fragrance. Let us now jump in the boat and row to the opposite flat bank, 21* 246 CLIMATE, SOIL, PLANTS, AND ANIMALS. where a branch of the river joins a swamp, and at the end of our ex- cursion examine the aquatic vegetation. | Already where we cannot touch the bottom with the oar, we per- ceive a little white flower, waving to and fro, supported by long spiral halms between straight grass-like leaves. This is the valisneria spi- ralis, L., a remarkable plant, which may also be met with in Southern Kurope, especially in the canal. of Languedoc, and regarding the fruc- tification of which different opinions prevail. This plant has two dif- ferent blossoms, a male and a female one, the latter are situated on spiral pedicals, which, lengthened at the time of blooming, elevate the flower above the surface of the water to reach the female blossom with- out separating; though this was heretofore supposed, it was believed that the male flower, after separating, rose to swim round the female, delivering the pollen it was bearing at the time. As, however, no such male flower was ever observed to separate and swim freely about, but the particles of pollen have been observed, the latter are presumed solely to reach the surface and fecundate the female flowers. Already, nearer to the land, we observe similar grass-like leaves, but with little, yellow, stellated flowers; these belong to the order of the Schollera graminea Willd, which also vegetate on the banks, but then in diminished size. Other larger leaves belong to the amphi- bious Polygony (polygonium amphibium), and different species of the potamogeton, the ears of whose blossoms rise curious above the sur- face of the water. We can already look down upon the bottom of the river. Ceratophyllum echinatum Gray, predominates ; at intervals cha- ras and utriculareas may be found. Clearing our way through a row of tall swamp weeds (rye-grass, zizania aquatica, L., rush-grass, Scirpus la- custris, L., Scirpus pungens Vahl.), among which the white flowers of the bur reed (Sparganium ramosum Huds., Sagittaria variabilis En- gelm.), and Echinodorus subulatus Engelm., are conspicuous, we steer into a large inlet entirely covered with the broad leaves of the odorife- rous seagarland (Nymphaea odorata, Ait.), but little differing from the Kuropean water lily, and the Nelumbium luteum, Willd., of which the former modestly waves its beautiful flower on the surface of the river, whilst the latter, the queen, in fact, of the waters, proudly raises her magnificent crown upon a perpendicular foot-stalk ; yonder, on the oppo- site bank, the evening breeze lifts the triangular leaves, and rosy-red CLIMATE, SOIL, PLANTS, AND ANIMALS. 247 flowers of the marsh-mallow (Hibiscus militaris Cav.), overhung by eray willows and the’silver-leaved maple (Acer dasycarpum, Ehrh., and acer rubrum, L.,) on which a multitude of white herons have alighted. A profound silence reigns everywhere, scarcely interrupted by a few dra- gon-flies, buzzing about, and over the entire scene the parting sun dif- uses his rosy, faint, trembling light. It is a solemn, sublime scene; an hour thus passed, within nature’s bosom, is an hour of consecration; an hour of true edification and devotion. Nature, indeed, is the most sublime temple of God. At the termination of our excursion, let us throw a glance over the whole, and consider how man turns to advantage the wealth of the vegetable creation. , The species of corn that are cultivated have already been mentioned | at length, with the exception of a species used for nourishment by the Indians, to wit, the wild maize (Zizania aquatica L.), which has been slightly noticed. This plant, six feet high, or more, has a panicle but below male, another above, female flowers. In autumn, when the grains are ripe, the Indian, or rather his squaw, rows in a canoe to this aquatic harvest, the tops of which he bends over the guniale of his boat, beating out the grain with a stick; the rice is so loosely en- closed between the bearded husks as to fall out at the slightest puff of wind, by reason whereof this harvest can only be continued for a few days after the maturity of the crop. Many prefer this wild to the ordiuary rice, and cattle feed with avidity on its succulent leaves.* The timothy grass (phleum pratense L.), was imported almost a cen- tury since from Europe, and has been cultivated until now, as also the Dactylis glomerata, L., Poa pratensis, L., Festuca pratensis, Huds., and other Huropean grasses for fodder, for which purpose the indigenous herbs command an inferior value, with hardly the exception of the Calamagrostis canadensis, Beauvy., and several glycerias, one of which Glyceria fluitans, R. Br., produces the “manna seed,” that is often mixed as groats with the soup. A gigantic grass attaining the height of forty feet, the Arundinaria macrosperma, Mich., thrives in the south * The Indians have a wild-growing succedaneum for the potato, to wit: the mealy, bulbous roots of the nelumbium luteum, and paint themselves yellow with the root of hydrastis canadensis, L. 248 CLIMATE, SOIL, PLANTS, AND ANIMALS. on the banks of the Mississippi, and along the Ohio as far as to its falls, near Louisville, Kentucky. Its stalks are frequently sold for fishing-rods in the market. The forest furnishes of eatable fruits, strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, gooseberries, mulberries, grapes, wild plums and cherries, wild apples and hips, the Amelanchier canadensis, Torr. & Gr., the persimmon, the pawpaw, hickory, hazel, and walnuts. Many other fruits are greedily devoured by ‘pigs and boys,” as Asa Gray re- marks, when speaking of the May-apple, the fruit of the Podophyl- lum peltatum. The sugar maple, besides the sugar gathered from its sap, furnishes also firewood of very superior quality; the white oak (Quercus alba L., Quercus macrocarpa Mich.), and the hickories, especially Carya alba Nutt., and Carya tomentosa Nutt., yield also excellent fuel; the Carya amara Nutt., however, to a less degree. The bark of the dying oak (Quercus tinctoria, Bartr.), furnishes the famous color for the home-made woollen fabrics of the farmer. From the wood, which may be easily split, of the Quercus imbricaria Mich., with not lobated, but laurel-like, leaves, roof-shinglesare made. Oak, linden, ash, walnut, cherry, hickory, and maple trees, furnish the wood required by wheelwrights and cabinet-makers, for their work; the hardest is the iron-wood (Carpinus Americanus Mich., and Ostrya Virginica, Willd.); the wood of the sycamore and the cotton-wood is almost useless. | Next follow the plants used for medicinal purposes. It is well known, that the medical profession has usurped almost every thing having either taste or smell, in the vegetable creation, in order to prepare those infallible remedies and specifics, mixtures, pills, and drugs, so abundantly praised and recommended in the newspapers, and at every street corner; although it can hardly be doubted that they prove much more frequently injurious than beneficial, their healing properties being at best very indifferent. Too much time would be taken up, should we enumerate every herb and root. How many emetics besides the phytolacea decandra do they not substitute for ipecacuanha! how many drasties besides the Radix Podophylli for jalap! And what specifics against the bite of serpents, and fevers! We confine ourselves to a few wild growing drugs, most frequently CLIMATE, SOIL, PLANTS, AND ANIMALS. 249° met in the trade; the blood-wort, Sanguinaria canadensis, L.; milk- tare, Polygala senega L. ; Cassia Marilandica L.; Lobelia inflata L. ; Menyanthes trifoliata L.; Sassafras officinale Nees. We shall, how- ever, not exhibit ingratitude towards some popular remedies, whose virtues entitle them to mention here, for example, the slippery elm (ulmus fulva Mich.), and the oriental sesame, frequently growing in our gardens (sesamum orientale L.); the interior bark. of the former and the leaves of the latter, may be recommended as mucilaginous re- medies, the latter, especially, for summer complaints; and an in- fusion of water-melon seeds may be drunk in case of dropsy, after inter- mitting fevers. We shall conclude with the best and most efficient medicinal herb. Various species of the vine grow here, they climb the highest trees, and separate themselves from the trunk, so that the bunches of grapes hang down from the twigs as big as one’s arm; the grapes are small, of good flavour, and are much used by housewives for preserves; if cultivated this grape attains a larger size, and is most succulent. ‘The American vine, less.influenced by the weather than the Huropean, ad- mits of more successful cultivation than the latter. The fox-grape (Vitis labrusca L.), is the most improvable variety, and furnishes va- rious brands; Isabella, &c. The tilling of vines makes rapid progress in the Western States, and is already commenced in Illinois. St. Clair and Monroe Counties in the south produce an excellent Catawba wine, which may be safely compared to good Rhine-wine, and is nearly equal in strength to the Hungarian wines, © Also in the environs of Peoria and Nauvoo, the cultivation of the vine has been commenced, and that with a success which bids fair, to be lasting. Let us hope, that at no distant time many counties of the fertile Prairie State will be clothed in the green dress of this noble plant. - The times have long since passed when herds of buffaloes were feed- ing in the prairies of Illinois, and the beaver built her dwellings here, and the elk (Hlaphus canadensis Ray), bounded throngh the forests. The latter must now be hunted up, far away in Minnesota. The last beaver was killed in’ Wisconsin, in 1819, and the last buffalo (Bison Americanus, Gm.), on this side of the Mississippi, was seen in 1832, Also the black bear (ursus Americanus Pall.), has become very rare, ~ Civilization has driven all these beasts, together with the Indians, to the 250 CLIMATE, SOIL, PLANTS, AND ANIMALS. north and west. Nevertheless the hunter cannot complain of want of occupation. The largest animal of the forest is the Virginian stag, midway in size between the Huropean stag and roe. Of carnivorous animals may be found the red fox (Vulpes fulvus Desm.), the gray fox (Vulpes Virginianus Dekay), the prairie wolf (Canis latrans Say), the common wolf (Lupus Occidentalis Richardson), the wild cat (Lyncus rufus, Temm,); but scarcely a single specimen of the panther (Felis concolor L.); the otter (Lutra Canadensis Sabine), the mink (Putorius visor L.), the marten (Mustela Canadensis L.), the pole-cat (Mephitis Americana Desm.), the badger (Meles Labradoria Sabine) ; lastly, the raccoon (Procyon lotor, L.), (Waschbir, in German), which can be easily tamed, and runs freely about the dwellings; he has received his Latin and German names probably on account of his rubbing every ob- ject with his forepaws, and splashing aboutin the water. That he im- merses every morsel of food in the water before devouring it, is a mere fable, which, however, may still be found in many treatises on zoology. The farmer is his sworn enemy, since the raccoon not only steals away his poultry, but entering the maize-fields at a time when the grains are just milky, commits great devastation, by spoiling more than twenty times the amount he devours. The opossum (Didelphys Virginiana Pennant), with his naked rat-like tail, looks extremely ugly, but fur- nishes excellent roast-meat, for which reason he is not skinned, but, like the hog, dipped in boiling water. This animal brings forth eleven young ones, which she carries about in a pouch in her belly. We have besides, the red, gray, black, and mottled, together with the flying squirrel (Pteromys volucella Harl), the American marmot (Arctomys monax Gm.), the muskrat (Fibes Zibethicus L.), and two species of rabbits, to wit: Lepus nanus Schreb., and Lepus Americanus Erzl.; an infinite number of rats, mice, &e. The largest bird of prey is the white-headed eagle (Halizetus leuco- cephalus L.), which the Union has chosen for its emblem.: ‘With his wings spread he measures more than seven feet. The Washing- ton eagle (Halizetus Washingtonii, And.), is by many believed to be identical with the white-headed eagle, although, while both head and tail of the latter are white, those of the former on the contrary are black, and further, while the beak of the, white-headed eagle is yellow, that of the Washington eagle is of an entirely different dusky hue. CLIMATE, SOIL, PLANTS, AND ANIMALS. 251 The Washington eagle is believed first to get the white plumage of his head and tail, and his yellow béak when three or four years old, a change of colors being not unusual in the case of birds of prey. A certain naturalist has embraced this opinion because the birds have the same manner of living, and are frequently seen together. They subsist like the smaller Pandion Halizetus, L., on fish. The royal eagle (Aquila Chryszetos, L.), is said to build its nest here, on high trees, in the absence of rocks, as do also from fifteen to twenty smaller species of falcons. ‘The only kind of vulture to be met with here (Ca- thartes Aura, L.), is called the turkey-buzzard, because of his resem- blance to the turkey: he feeds on carrion. The larger among the ten or twelve different species of owls are, the snowy owl (Lurnia Lyctia, L.), and the great horned owl (Bubo Vir- ginianus, Gm.), which last is quite similar to the Huropean eagle-owl. Numerous species of smaller birds* belonging to the order of the Oscines Clamatores and Scansores, populate the forest and prairie. The plumage of many is resplendent with lively colors, thus Pyranga rubra, Wils., is scarlet-red, but has black wings; Agelajus Pheeniceus, L., the notorious corn-thief, better known by the name of blackbird, whole swarms of which pounce upon the maize-fields, picking the grains out of the germs on the soil, has a shining black hue, but scar- let-red wing-shell feathers ; the various wood-peckers are most of them carmine, black and white; the Blue Jay (Garrulus cristatus, L.), and * A complete list of all the birds of Illinois has not yet been compiled; Mr. Lapham, however, has published such a catalogue for Wisconsin,—which may answer for Illinois also— wherein 290 species are enumerated; to wit: — 34 different birds of prey; 9 fowls; 49 swamp-birds (the Canadian crane, Grus Canadensis, is wanting here) ; 50 swimming birds; 12 climbing birds (to which the woodpeckers, parrots, and cuckoos belong); 4 clamatores (halcyon, colibri, and goat-suckers) ; lastly, 152 warblers, birds, the heads of whose windpipes are furnished with the song-muscle apparatus; though some, like the ravens, which belong to this class, are unable to sing. The families of the finches and sylviades are most numerously represented by them; these by 36, those by 33 species ; then follow 14 species of gnat-snappers; 10 of the throttles, and 10 of the starlings; 6 of the swallows and vireonine, respectively; 5 of the ravens and certhiade; 3 of the shrikes, and but 2 of the larks and ampelides, re- spectively. One of the larks ‘ Alauda alpestris,’ L., may be met with anywhere from Texas to Labrador; the other, Otocoris rufa, And., is more frequently seen farther west. f 252 CLIMATE, SOIL, PLANTS, AND ANIMALS. Sialia Wilsonii, Sw., are beautifully blue—the latter has a brownish-red breast ; Icterus Baltimore, L., which bears a striking resemblance to ‘the European oriole, is black and yellow; Sturnella Ludoviciana, L., im- properly called tit-lark, has a tawny breast. Of the species Fringilla Sylvia, and Muscicapa, there are a.great many varieties. The throt- tles excel in song; we count eight different species; most worthy of mention is the mocking-bird (Mimus polyglottus, Lath.), which closely imitates the voice of every other bird. The southern orders of birds are represented by single species; the parrots, by the Psittacus Caro- vinensis, Bon. ; the humming-bird, by the Trochilus colubris, L., which can be seen every summer, buzzing about the flowers, and is often con- founded with a butterfly. The hunter takes but little notice of these birds, while looking for richer booty, especially in spring and autumn, when the waters are crowded with ducks, geese, or other aquatic birds. The duck most frequently met, is the so-called Anas Borchas, L., then follows the Anas Strepera, L.; Anas Obscura, Gm.; A. americana, Gm.; A. discors, L. ; the fen duck (A. crecca, Bon.), the shoveler (A. clypeata, L.), A. acuta, LL., and the wood-duck (A. sponsa, L.), the most beautiful of them all, which lays and sets on trees, remaining here all summer. Of divers, there may be frequently met with the scaup-duck, Fuligula Marila, L., Fuligula Valisneria, Bonap., I’. rufitorques, Bon., the red-headed duck, (F. ferina, L.), the golden eye L., (I’. clangula), the buffalo-headed duck, Fuligula albeola, L., and Fuligula glacialis, L. Rarer to be seen is the Fuligula Histrionica, L., and Fuligula rubida, Bon. Of geese there are six different species, of which the Canadian goose (Anser Cana. densis, L.), the white-fronted goose (Anser albifrons, Bechst), the ring- goose (A. berniclea, L.), and the snow-goose (Anser hyperborea, Gm.), most frequently occur. } Of swans we distinguish two different species, Cygnus Americanus, And., and Cygnus buccinator, Rich. The mergansers, Mergus mer- eanser, L., Mergus serrator, L., and Mergus cucullatus, L., have a very fishy taste, and are therefore not eaten. Among the marsh birds that can be hunted there are the cranes, which are good roasted, and of which there are three species: the Ame- rican crane (Grus Americana, Bon.), the Canadian crane (Grus Cana- densis, Temm.), and Grus cinerea, .; then many gold-breasted trum- CLIMATE, SOIL, PLANTS, AND ANIMALS. 258 peters and plovers (Tringa, Charadrino), the common snipe (Scolopax Wilsonii, Temm.), and the wood-snipe (Scolopax minor, Bon.) Tn autumn and spring millions of migratory pigeons (Kctopistes mi- gratoria, And.), arrive; immediately everybody hurries into the field to exact a tribute from the passing flights, so that all day long nothing but continuous discharges are heard. Highly interesting is the des- cription by Audubon, of the enormous flights, which he observed on the Ohio, in the fall of 1813 ; they obscured the day-light, and lasted three days without interruption. According to a very moderate esti- mate of his, each flight contained the stupendous number of one bil- lion, one hundred and fifteen thousand millions, one hundred and thirty- six thousand pigeons. These flights caused a general commotion among the entire rural population. Desirous of booty, and anxious lest their crops should be spoiled, the farmers, arming themselves with rifles, clubs, poles, torches, and iron pots filled with sulphur, proceeded to the resting places of the birds, in order to shoot the pigeons, or knock them down from the trees, or kill them by sulphurous exhala- tions, expedients which were rendered necessary by their numbers; since the birds were so numerous on the trees that their excrements covered the ground several inches deep. The work of slaughter being accomplished, everybody sat down amongst mountains of dead pi- geons and barrels, busying himself with plucking and salting the birds which they selected, abandoning the rest to the foxes, wolves, raccoons, opossums, and hogs, whole herds of which were driven to the battle- field. Also flocks of eagles, bawks, buzzards, and vultures came thither, having scented the prey from afar. The turtle-dove (Hctopistes Carolinensis, Aud.), is the permanent resident of the forests, as is also the partridge (Ortyx Virginiana, L.), and the Tetrao umbell., L. ‘The prairie-fowl (Tetrao cupidus, L.), never enters the forest, but stays in the prairies, and approaches in win- ter so near to the habitations of man, that it may often be seen sitting on the fences.* It is as large as the domestic fowl; the greatest, however, among the game-birds is the turkey, the same which can be _* The sportsman presents a very curious appearance, who, on a fine win- ter’s day, when the earth is covered with snow, turns out to shoot wild fowl. Dressed entirely in white, with his face also painted white, save two great spots below the eyes, which are painted black to absorb the rays of the sun, 22 254 CLIMATE, SOIL, PLANTS, AND ANIMALS. found among the tame poultry, but in a wild state, and always with brown-red plumage, playing from one color into another. Among the birds not hunted, those worth remarking are the various herons, of which the smallest (Ardea exilis, Bon.), measures but one foot from the end of his beak to the tip of his tail, and the largest (Ar- dea herodias, L.), more than four feet. Besides these, there are the Ardea nycticorax, L., also existing in Hurope; the freckled heron (Ar- dea lentiginosa, Swains.); the Ardea wircocens, L.; the western heron (Ardea occidentalis, And.), the Ardea candidissima, Gmel.; the Ardea egretta, Gmel. The three latter are white. Of pelicans there are Phalacrocorax dilophus, Swains., and the Pelicanus Americanus, And., Colymbus glacialis, Bon., several gulls and sea-swallows, among which is the Sterna hirundo, L., with scarlet-red feet and beak. Of the reptilia, numerous species of serpents exist, only three of which are venomous, to wit: the striped rattlesnake (Crotalus durissus, L.), the prairie rattlesnake, or Massasauga (Crotalophorus tergeminus, Say.), and the copper-head (Agkistroton contortrix, Baird & Girard, Boa contortrix, L.) The largest snakes are the black serpent (Basca- nion constrictor, B. & G., Coluber constrictor, L.), five feet long, and the Pituophis malansleucus, Holbr., which measures six feet. Among the batrachii, the bull-frog (Rana pipiens), is most deserving of notice, who, with his feet spread, attains a length of nearly two feet, and raises at night a hideous clamor. The wood-frog (Rana silvatica), and the marsh-frog (Rana palustris), are much smaller. Of toads there is but one species, the American toad (Bufo Americanus); of green frogs, two species, Hyla versicolor, and Hyla lateralis. Of the lizards, we notice Triton dorsalis, Necturus lateralis, Ambystoma punctata, and Menopoma Alleghaniensis, the greatest species, which often attains the length ‘of two feet. Of the numerous Saurii peculiar to the Southern States, there are either few or none in Illinois; of turtles, however, quite a large number. Of the twenty species which belong to the ge- nus of the fresh-water turtles (Hmys), Illinois has several, among which are the. beautiful Emys picta, and the Chelonura serpentina, which presents a grim aspect, and is wont to snap with his sharp beak -at the intruder. The lower shell of the Cistuda clausa is subdivided he manages to advance stealthily within a short distance of the prairie fowls, sitting on the hedges. CLIMATE, SOIL, PLANTS, AND ANIMALS. 255 into three parts, the anterior as well as the posterior of which it may draw up at pleasure, wholly enclosing itself in the shell. The soft- shell species, which is often used for soups, belong to the genus Trionyx. | The waters of Illinois teem with fish, but few of which have been properly examined or classified. The perch (Perea), the Centrarchus, Pomotis, Pimelodus, Leuciscus, salmon (Salmo), Corregonus, Lepidosteus, Pike (Hsox), eel (Anguilla), tunny-fish (Anica), Noturus and Corvina, are the chief species, the largest of which is the Lepidosteus osseus,* here ealled Alligator gar, because of the resemblance of his head to that of the real alligator. In the Peoria Lake one was once captured, which was fifteen feet long. A singular cartilaginous fish is a species of sturgeon called the paddle- fish (Polyodon folium), whose upper gill is horizontally compressed, projecting about half the length of the.whole body. This fish also at- tains a considerable size. Besides these the waters contain crabs, and many molluskas ; among the snails, the Heliceze and Lymneacew predominate; among the the shell-fishes, the Najads. The greatest variety, however, prevails among the spiders and in- sects. Among the Scarabees, the family of the Cerambides has many different species excelling by their size and beauty, as, for instance, the Clytus pictus, which measures nearly 12 inches. Another Scarabee, belonging to the family of the spring beetles, or Ela- terides (Alaus oculatus), is 14 inches in length. We have yet to no- tice many beautiful Cicindelee, and the shining lantern-flies, myriads of which, in warm summer nights, alight on the flowers, or buzzing about, produce the most brilliant illumination of the forest. The sca- rabeus first noticed by everybody, is the Canthon lave, which belongs * The Ganoides populated the waters in the earliest times of animal forma- tion; most of the genus disappeared in the course of time, and are now only to be found in a petrified state; few belong to the present animal creation, Of the Holostex, with bony skeletons, the species Lepidosteus and Amia belong to North America; the Polypterus, however, to Africa. Of the Chondrostee, with cartilaginous skeletons, the sturgeon (Scaphichynchus platyrhynchus), and the paddle fish (Polyodon folium), may be found in the waters of the Missis- sippi. 256: CLIMATE, SOIL, PLANTS, AND ANIMALS. to the family of the Carabaides; these animals busy themselves with removing globules an inch in thickness from the excrements of the cows, on the roads, at which work two are invariably engaged, one of which, leaning on its fore feet, pushes the load with its hind feet, whilst the other climbs the front part of the globule, and draws it down by its weight. After depositing their eggs in these globules, these ingenious animals bury them on a place where the ground can be easily scratched up. The prairie teems with grasshoppers and crickets, and many a dwelling is pestered with mill-moths (Blatta). | The most remarkable species of the Orthopterze is the “‘ wandering leaf,” (Mantis Carolina), here called ‘‘devil’s horse,” because of its adventurous figure. Of the Heteropterze, an insect of the class of the Nepides, nearly three inches long, known as the Belostoma. grandis, which lives in the water, subsisting on small fishes and frogs, deserves to be mentioned, as also a small but terrible insect, immense numbers of which are found in the beds, the Acanthia lectularia, or bed-bug ; of the Homopterze, many Cercopedes, and the improperly so-called lo- cust (Cicada septemdecim). The mate of this noxious hardy insect, which at first sight resembles a great hornet, and attains the length of one and a half inches, deposits her eggs in the fresh twigs of trees, after having perforated their bark with her feeling saw. The twig soon withers, so that the tops of the trees of entire forests often appear as if desolated by fire. Within 52 days, the larva creeps out, falls down to the ground, and bores its way through the same to the roots, whose sap it greedily sucks, causing new damage even then. After this it changes into a chrysalis, that, toward the end of May, leaves the earth, so that the empty cases can be seen everywhere on trees and fences. In many seasons thousands of this plump animal can be seen {flirting about, and clinging to the wheat-grains, which it bites off, thus des- troying on many a corn-field, the crop which the farmer was all along so anxiously expecting. Another sworn enemy of the crops, fortu- nately not very frequent here, is the so-called “ Hessian fly,” a Ceci- domyia, of the family of the Tipulidee (class Diptera). To these and the Culcides, the various species of the notorious musquitoes belong, which, if we are to assume that everything has been created on account of man, must have been created to teaze and torment him; but only the female is the real tormentor; the male, whom you may easily tell CLIMATE, SOIL, PLANTS, AND ANIMALS. 257 by his feathery feelers, is harmless, and never stings. High, airy dwellings, are little frequented by these terrible guests, which usually visit those which are low, or situated in the vicinity of waters. They harass people generally only at night, commissioning the house-fly to vex him in day-time. On walls and underneath roofs, cells may be frequently seen, con- structed of mud, in the same fashion in which bees use to build their own—a wasp-like insect, marked black and yellow, flies to and fro, fear- less and undisturbed, for it fetches forward the building materials it wauts without molesting men any further. The posterior part of the body is connected by a very long isthmus of muscles with the breast; the name of this industrious little animal is Pelopzeus flavipes; it be- longs to the Sphegides (class: Hymenoptera), as also the genera of Am- mophila and Pompilus, whose species may often be seen bearing the former company. Xylocopa victima, which belongs to the bees, is another domestic resident; she selects wooden buildings, whose frame- walls she perforates to deposit her eggs therein; the honey-bee, how- ever, builds her mellifluous cells in hollow trees, to the great joy of the raccoon. The nests of the paper-wasps, which belong to ‘the Po- listes fuscata, can be often seen on bushes. The greater, hornet-like wasp (Vespa maculata), frequently enters houses to hunt after flies. Of the ants, the large yellow ones enslave the smaller, black ones, so that we can only wonder why the human slave-holders have not yet adduced this fact in proof and evidence of slavery being instituted by nature herself. Among the Neuropteras, numerous Libellas, part of which are of very vivid colors, a light green Hemerobide, and the ephemerides claim our attention. In summer, millions of the latter appear suddenly, espe- cially in the vicinity of rivers; on houses, hedges and everywhere, the first dress can be seen hanging, which they cast off in the first night. They float about in so dense swarms as to resemble a shower of snow, whenever their glassy wings gleam in the sun. KHight or ten days after their first appearance they all vanish again. We conclude with the Papilios, the most beautiful and most admired of all insects. Among the Bombicides there is a magnificent Satur- nia; among the “ Spanners,” a light-green Aceena. The genus Papilio here has many different species and varieties, among which is the Pa- 22 * R 258 CLIMATE, SOIL, PLANTS, AND ANIMALS. pilio turnus, very similar to his European brother. Of swallow-tails, there are a great many varieties; the yellow color of the one is almost entirely superseded by black. Many European species are indigenous here, among other, many Vanessa species, the admiral (V. Atalanta), the morio (V. Antiopa), the great and small brownish-red Papilio (V. polychlorus and V. urticee), and the C. bird (V. C. album). Very frequent is the painted lady (V. Cardui), which rocks on flowers in all parts of the globe. The view of such a Papilio flying from flower to flower, and parad- ing in the most magnificent colors, reconciles us with many of its trou- blesome fellow-creatures. An image of the fickleness of beauty and _ a symbol of transitoriness, he inculcates high wisdom, and while ex- horting us, during the short span of our mortal life, to enjoy what God’s beautiful world proffers us, he admonishes us that the end of our earthly career is not very far off. STATE OF HEALTH AND DISEASES. WHEN people in the Eastern States speak admiringly of the extra- ordinary fertility of the soil of Illinois, they will often add some re- mark, expressing their fears in regard to the fever and ague said to prevail there, just as though the state of health in Ilinois was so mi- serable as to counterbalance all the great advantages that a residence in the State offers to the industrious settler. Were this really the condition of things, how could the population of the State increase at such an enormous rate as it does now, and would not many of the fami- lies, after a residence of a few years in I]linois, leave the State in order to select a more healthy residence? Just the contrary is the case, as will at once appear from the fact, that the tide of immigration from the Eastern States to Illinois, swells enormously every year, and but very few families residing in the State are known to remove beyond its limits. Everybody knows that of all diseases the ague occurs most fre- quently in Illinois, but they will know also, that while new ground is annually subjugated to culture, the disease is confined to more and more narrow limits; and further, that it depends very much upon the particular plan of abode, and manner of living, whether the fever is to visit a family or not. Whosoever resides in the bottoms, or close by swamps, or in districts where the water—owing to the ground being rather too level, cannot rapidly flow off, will be more exposed to the fever, than one who resides on the high, rolling prairie. Moreover it is perfectly safe to presume that one-half of those who are down with ' this fever, have to ascribe this to nothing but their own imprudence, and the use of improper food. To the latter cause must be added, drinking of stagnant water, or a too immoderate use of fruits, lard, eggs, or fish; and, further, nobody should needlessly expose himself to the night air, but live in substan- tially-built dwellings and sleep in well-ventilated rooms; wearing by (259) 260 STATE OF HEALTH AND DISEASES. day thin clothing, andIn the evening, when exposed to the night air, warm, thick clothing, and making a fire in the grate, whenever, even in the midst of summer, a change of temperature should occur, especially when it begins to rain. But few of those strictly following these rules, will ever be visited by the fever. Mankind would undoubtedly be happy, were there no graver dis- eases than fever and ague, which, though disagreeable, are certainly not deleterious, much less. dangerous. Deaths in consequence of fever and ague are-nowhere reported, however closely the long lists and bills ‘ published by the newspapers, of the mortality prevailing in the va- rious, most widely separated, cities may be examined. And where would the ague not be met with? the ague, which more or less occurs on newly-broken land, or meadows, or Jands with a very rich humus, from which the golden fruits are gathered that fill the farmers’ barns. The fever exists as well on the eastern seaboard, and in Europe, as in the Western States. Nobody will ever venture to call Hoboken, a pretty little city situated opposite New York, a place infected with fevers; though many cases of fever occur in those parts of it touching. on meadowy ground, few of those residing in the vicinity of which, along the Hackensack River, having yet escaped being visited by this unwelcome guest, the ague. And on the other side of the ocean, in Europe, you will find the ague in the rich low lands of the Vistula, the great granary of Prussia, on the marshes of the Oder, and in the rich marshy lands of Hast Frieseland. Should this book be doomed to reach the hands of none but those residing in Illinois, it would hardly be necessary to say anything con- cerning the sanitary condition of the State; every inhabitant being from his own experience sufficiently acquainted with it; but as it is designed to furnish information of a reliable character to such as intend -to seek their homes in Illinois, the state of health of that country can- not be passed over in silence. The importance of the question as to the salubrity of a country, for those wishing to settle in it, being self- evident, we have felt it incumbent upon us to gather the opinions of men long resident in the State, and we now submit to the réader, the results arrived at by private gentlemen and doctors residing within its limits, from many years personal experience; to which is added the testimony of a gentleman from Massachusetts, who travelled through STATE OF HEALTH AND DISEASES. 261 Mllinois in every direction, for the purpose of comparing the state of her affairs with those of the former. First, however, let us hear the doctors. Daniel Stahl, M. D., of Quincy, Adams County, a resident of the United States for 22 years, and of Illinois for 14 years, a physician by profession, writes the following: ' ‘‘ We have here in autumn, bilious diseases, more or less; for in- stance, the ague, the intermitting, and the properly called bilious fever. In very rare cases, however, do these diseases prove dangerous or de+ leterious; every new resident of the West acquiring in a short time the knowledge of the very simple remedies by which their cure is effected. Fifteen or twenty years ago, these diseases, together with those always sure to accompany them, the hepatical, diseases, hypo- chondriasis and jaundice, held such a formidable sway, that they spared but very few, especially of the immigrants. Butas the land is becom- ing subjected to culture, as forests are cleared, and swamps and marshes dried up, these diseases more and more rarely occur, so that I now only render professional services to one-third of the number of fever- patients I formerly had in treatment, some ten or fifteen years ago. Diarrhoea prevails to some extent, but always in a mild form, being very rarely, if ever, dangerous. Infants suffer in great cities, from the ‘cholera infantum,’ which disease can nowhere be met with in the country; all those diseases, however, which are caused in all other countries by the rapid change of temperature, occur also here. “Upon comparing the state of health of this country with that of Eastern Pennsylvania, of which I was a former resident, [ must arrive at the conclusion, that we live in a comparatively very salubrious dis- trict,’’ The following is taken from a letter of Dr. J. G. Zeller, M. D., a physician of Springbay, Woodford County. “Tn summer, miasmatical fevers prevail. Those residing along the ravines of rivers, or in their valleys, are usually visited by them; some- times, also, particularly in a moist spring, the inhabitants of the prai- ries suffer from them. In fall and winter; the abdominal typhus fever sometimes occurs; but never the real typhus, properly speaking, as the miasma proceeding from morasses appears to be antagonistic -to the typhus miasma. A regular habit of living can do much against these 262 STATE OF HEALTH AND DISEASES. miasmatical diseases, and after a sojourn of two years in these regions, you may consider yourself acclimated.’’ T. A. Hoffman, M.D., a physician and resident since 1835, of Beardstown, Cass County, communicates the following: “The tracts of uncultivated soil at that time, and the superabun- dance, especially in the rich bottom lands, of the exuberant vegetation which, if not used, was left to putrefy, caused, as in all western coun- tries having a rich humus, intermitting fevers, particularly in fall, when the plants cease to perform their office ,of purifying the air. Ever since, however, the plains overgrown with tall grasses, were con- verted into fertile, arable land, and the morasses into meadows; whilst the stagnating waters were drained off by ditches dug for that purpose, the state of health has visibly improved.” Frederick Brendel, M. D., a physician of Peoria, communicates to us as follows: ‘‘Intermitting fevers are the principal diseases of the country. As is the case in Peoria, the malady will remain confined to those por- tions of a city stretching along some river, whose opposite bank is marshy, while almost all those residing along rivers, both banks of which are dry, will be spared. Near houses on the more elevated prairies, whose inmates are down with the fever, you will almost al- ways discdver a pool of stagnating rain-water. Jilious fevers appear towards the end of summer, intermitting fevers in September and Oc- tober, and in the latter part of autumn, typhus fevers, which, though lasting a long time, prove but very rarely dangerous. Diarrhoea also prevails. At the time of the raging of that great epidemic, cholera appeared here in a mild form; but in the last years it was chiefly con- fined to the immigrants, most of whom brought the disease with them. Pulmonary diseases seldom occur; those who came hither afflicted with them, manage to live longer than would have been elsewhere the case.” | F. Wenzel, M.D., of Belleville, St. Clair County, communicates the following : “The state of health is everywhere very satisfactory, save in marshy districts. The cases of fever, particularly of the intermitting and re- mitting bilious fevers decrease in number, from year to year. The time in which southern Illinois might with propriety be denounced STATE OF HEALTH AND DISEASES. 263 as the fever country, has long passed by. The prairie is healthy. The last census of Belleville, and the whole county, exhibits so considerable a number of old people, that the state of health must be considered as in every respect very excellent.’ In a letter of Dr. C. Hofman, a physician in Pekin, we notice the following : | “Patients down with intermitting fevers usually suffer but little; they get the fever once or twice, the disease disappearing each time before an adequate dietetical treatment, without any serious conse- quences; it will then reappear, after the lapse of some two, three, or four weeks, to be again expelled by the same treatment. Many ex- perience but a single attack, after which they remain exempt for entire years. ‘“‘ Very grave cases but seldom occur, perhaps only one among a hundred. Whenever they occur, they are chiefly the consequence of immoderate eating or drinking, incautious exposure during sleep or labor, the use, or rather the abuse, of dangerous remedies, and the ne- glect of the frequent use of pure cold water. ‘‘ The best preservative is cold water. Every morning, after rising, take a cold bath, or if this be inconvenient, wash your whole body with cold water; after which, while still jejune, drink a few cups of cold water, as also shortly before going to bed; select for your bed- chamber a well ventilated room, in one of the upper stories; and be moderate in eating, especially in the use of fruit, bacon, fish, or eggs ; all of which directions, if strictly followed, are well calculated to pro- tect you from the fever. “The best remedy is acid sulphuric Peruvian bark, in doses of from 2 to-4 grains, at intervals, till 10, 15, 20 grains are taken. There are many nostrums fabricated and sold at wholesale, whose chief sub- stance, however, consists of Peruvian bark intermixed with arsenic.* ‘¢So much in regard to the intermitting fevers. “ With respect to other diseases, Illinois is not worse off than other countries, nay, even decidedly far more healthy than many of those in which intermitting fevers are less frequently to be encountered. * Persons should therefore be very cautious in using such remedies, whose substance has not been accurately ascertained. 264 STATE OF HEALTH AND DISEASES. Tuberculous consumption is extremely rare; people afflicted with it sometimes attain to a very considerable age, provided they came here at a not too far advanced stage of the disease, and did not indulge in any excesses. Illinois is the veritable -paradise for those with tuber- culous consumption, being in this respect to America, what Southern Italy is to Europe. J have seen men come thither in a very advanced stage of consumption, who by prudent habits of living soon stopped the further progress of the disease, and increasing in strength and corpulence, might deem themselves perfectly cured. A certain Mr. Robertson, from Pittsburg, Pa., was sent by his doctor to reside with his relatives in Llinois, in the vicinity of Pekin, in order to impede the farther advancement of a tubercular disease, with which he had already been afflicted for several years. He speedily improved, regain- ing his former strength, and becoming more corpulent than ever, and exposing himself to all those obnoxious influences, which in other con- stitutions superinduce the intermitting fever, without ever getting it. He then, contrary to the advice of his doctor, returned to Pittsburg. The climate of Pittsburg exercising anew its dangerous influence upon the disease, he had a relapse, of which he died. Had he remained in [llinois, he might have lived some twenty or thirty years longer. “‘ During the winter, acute inflammations of the lungs will some- times occur, probably in consequence of the keen blasts, which rush wildly over the prairies, without encountering mountains or forests to break their fury; this malady, however, seldom presents a serious as- pect, the patient easily recovering under an appropriate, careful treat- ment.” So far the statements by doctors, residing and practising physic for many years in the State, who must, therefore, have an exact know- ledge of her sanitary condition; let us now listen to what other gen- ‘tlemen, not physicians, but old inhabitants of Illinois, have to commu- nicate on the subject. Edward Bebb, Esq., of ‘Fountaindale, Winnebago County, in his letter, dated January 28, 1856, writes as follows: “The country is remarkably healthy; I cannot give. you a better proof than that we have lived here—a family of seven—since the first of August, 1850, and have never had to call in a doctor on profes- sional business.” | STATE OF HEALTH AND DISEASES. 265 John Williams, Esq., of New Albany, Coles County, says in a let- ter dated December 23, 1855: ‘‘T have never been sick one whole day in thirty years; and there has been but one death in this neighborhood this season.” A. J. Galloway, Esq., of Ewington, Effingham County, says: ‘There is little disease at any time in the State, which may not be traced directly or indirectly, to derangement in the biliary organs, and much of this should no doubt be attributed to the free use of heavy bread, strong coffee, a large amount of animal food, and the partial or total exclusion of vegetable diet. I think Iam free from prejudice when I say that, except in the valleys of the larger streams, but more especially upon the high, rolling prairies of middle and Northern Illi- nois, a more healthy country is not to be found, even in the moun- tainous districts of the older States.”’ L. G. Chase, Esq., of Massachusetts, who travelled for several mouths through Illinois, writes, in a letter dated Pera, Dec. 22, 1855, as follows: ‘So far as health is concerned, time will prove that the prairies of the West will compare well with any of the Hastern States. astern people have made a great bugbear of the miasma of the prairies; but if they will turn their attention to the thousands of alder swamps be- tween their hills, where the sun and wind are almost strangers, they will discover more causes of ill-health concentrated there in a few acres, than is scattered over a whole prairie, where the purifying in- fluences of the sun and wind have full scope. This season has been an unusual unhealthy one for this State, but during the most sickly time, I was wandering over the prairies, and saw but few instances where the ill-health could not be directly traced to infringements of physical laws, either through ignorance or necessity. In some cases of chills and fever that have come under my observation, a few out- ward applications of soap and water no doubt would have relieved the patient. Then again, if the pioneers would eat less pork, and more fruit and vegetables, it would be much better for them; and I only - wonder, all things considered, that there is so much health here, where the people are such great sinners in a physical point of view. Pure water is an important item in the bill of health, though it is but little attended to. People all over the prairies drink surface-water, when 23 | 266 STATE OF HEALTH AND DISEASES. by digging or boring, pure water can be had, or what might be still better for family use, cisterns can be sunk in the earth at a trifling expense, to save all of the rain-water from buildings. When the new settlers get the conveniences of life around them, the prairies will be revarded as more healthy than the Hastern States. “The fevers of the West will never be a match for the consumption of the Hast.” In, a letter written by Joseph C. Orth, Esq., of McCleary’s Bluff, Wabash County, we find the following: “‘ As to health, I honestly believe Southern Illinois will compare favorably with any portion of the West. That scourge of the north, consumption, is almost unknown here. On the rich lowlands, border- ing the streams, bilious disorders prevail to some extent, in the fall, but on the upland, good health may be enjoyed, with ordinary pru- dence. Diseases, the result of miasma, prevail in every new country south of the 44th parallel of latitude, when the virgin soil is first turned over and exposed to the atmosphere. It was so in the Genesee Valley, in New York, and in the Valley of the Miami, in Ohio; and it has been so in J]linois; but the country becomes more healthful ag it grows older. A great deal of ague and fever is attributable to er- rors in diet, to imprudent exposures, to uncomfortable dwellings, and to the use of well-water where it leaks through the soil, instead of flowing through veins in the rock. By occupying comfortable tene- ments, avoiding needless exposure, eating suitable food, and using only sweet, pure, cistern water, for drinking and culinary purposes, as good health may be enjoyed in Southern Illinois as any where in the Union.” ; Lastly, Edward Harkness, Esq., of Southport, a resident in Peoria County, for twenty years, communicates the following: <‘Those who have been induced to believe that Illinois is a very unhealthy country, would do well to examine the census-tables of 1850, and compare the bills of mortality with those in the States reputed to be healthy. I have not now those tables at hand, but well remember that the deaths for one year previous to June, 1850, was a less ratio | in Illinois than in Massachusetts, and was considerably below the ge- neral average in the United States. The facts and figures of the cen- sus ought forever to stop the babblings of interested parties, who wish STATE OF HEALTH AND DISEASES. 267 to divert western immigration to some other quarter. But they have repeated the falsehood so often, that many of them, no doubt, now believe it themselves. What, it may be asked, is there in the soil, elimate, or habits of the people, to make Illinois an unhealthy coun- try? The land is well drained—we have few pools of stagnant wa- ters. The table lands, which comprise at least nine-tenths of the coun- try, are high, dry, and fully exposed to the sweep of the wind. Our springs break out of the mountain limestone, and above the universal layer of stone there is no coal or other mineral deposit. The wells are sunk into clay, sand, or gravel, and very seldom reach down to the limestone. Hence the water from our wells and springs is very pure and good. With plenty of pure air, pure water, and wholesome food, is there any good reason why we may not live as long as other people? The only native of mature age, whom I know, is now 44 years old, 6 feet 1 inch high, and weighs 220 lbs.—is not overburdened with flesh, but is lithe, active, and strong. His oldest son is 15 years old, 5 feet 8 inches in height, weighs 140 lbs., and is a man at most kinds of bu- siness. Neither the father, the son, nor the still younger members of the family, have ever been seriously ill in their lives. The generation which has sprung up in the last twenty years, in 1 this region, bears every mark of vigorous health. “ BPR eae Bye 144. * 66 MisSiSSippi .....sccccceee seeereeee soveceses soveseees cecnes coeeee 1-44 6 WE, Ceara acces a en une te s8c 04 okNe Kekda Cosa ane deyuan seuedead . 146 « Oe. ere aey cugdues tan dad Gs ¥0d Ain duces daene edeiivcdghabed stAi«¢ onket - 1-46 «6 © New York... ...00 phaseness Areeeeeee Pad Gab er ehAn inns de Se wae 1-47 «<6 SE RBOG TAIARG. cee as sewers 6cteee Miveutsay eves ch tas cae cus 1:52 #8 66 Kentucky. sssscces ceseceece coseesee seeeee ceneesees seeeeeees eee EBS «¢ Connecticut....... Siabstglh mienddsbesaeni dA qtaseaivea ceded ds ‘1:56 «4 Od PaRe Use, © pL TIETY Dn nn. a'p bah an es ehwaind¢4soe de pa pebicnsaeancte sid 1638 « ‘¢ Maryland. ...... san eieectanadueastl Faas ugtenvain wines sheninets 165 « BP PERMANENT a5 sate Us aauksd 424 ksn Aka hve da eanndee daqreande sianee piaase 1:80 * 6© Massachusetts. ....0c0ce cosees TRC TEPER PART to canst tre dapat 1:95 Gee TERETE AIRS ice oe sevice oY ca ee ds CeCTMANN os ot Seeds cuncee son deveds 2:31 ¢s , Thus, of the above enumerated 12 States, in which many of those Eastern States are included thit are habitually considered far more healthy than the West, as for instance, New York, Rhode Island, Con- necticut, and Massachusetts, Illinois at once assumes the first rank in point of salubrity ; for wherever fewest people die in proportion to the entire population, there human life must undoubtedly be considered safest from the insidious assaults of disease. We cannot conclude this chapter without once more directing the attention of the settler to the fact, that pure wholesome water is a most important item in the bill of health. He who is no friend of disease, should particularly avoid drinking stagnant water. This can be easily done, for everywhere throughout the State, at a depth of from twelve to twenty-four feet, a large supply of excellent water can be had, and, moreover, the digging of a well is neither a very difficult nor expen- sive affair. Proper care should be taken to make the well deep enough, walling up its inver side with bricks, or blue clay, to the depth of se- veral feet below the surface, lest the water on the surface of the ground might trickle down in the well, thus wholly frustrating your endea- vor to obtain a supply of pure fresh water. Cisterns, if possible, should also be sunk to save all of the rain water from the roofs of the buildings; this, if properly filtered, is not noxious, and is readily drunk 23 * 270 STATE OF HEALTH AND DISEASES. by those accustomed to it. The water of springs, which in many parts of the State are very numerous, is of course to be preferred to all others, provided, however, the springs, from which a supply of water is to be obtained, do not proceed from sloughs, since the water of such springs or rivulets is exceedingly unwholesome. THE PRAIRIES. Tue most remarkable and striking feature, distinguishing the State of Illinois from the other States of the Union, consists in her extensive prairies, which, covered with a luxuriant growth of grass, and forming excellent natural meadows, by reason of which circumstance they re- ceived their present name from the earlier French settlers, commence on a comparatively small scale, near Lake Erie, and occupy the chief part of the land about Lake Michigan, the upper Wabash, and the I]- linois, predominating in the vicinity of the Mississippi; so that this entire region is, properly speaking, nothing but a vast prairie, inter- sected by strips of woods, chiefly confined to the banks and the valleys of the rivers. The prairies are characterized by the absence of timber ; they present, in other respects, the same varieties of soil and surface that are found elsewhere ; some extend in immense level plains, others are rolling, others again broken by hills, while nearly all of them pos- sess an inexhaustible fertility, and but few are sterile. The prairies of Illinois may be divided into three classes: the allu- vial, or wet, the dry, or undulating, and the bushy. Those denominated alluvial, or wet prairies, are generally on the banks of the rivers, though sometimes at a distance from them; their soil, consisting of a deep stratum of alluvial land upon clayish ground, is black, friable, and of unsurpassed fertility, admirably adapted to the culture of Indian corn and wheat, and éven of grapes, as may be judged from the specimens of wild grapes, which in these prairies exhibit a very luxuriant growth, and from the results hitherto known attending the attempts at vine culture, made in several parts of the State. The dry or undulating prairies have but few springs. In general, the undulations are so slight, that if it were not for the ravines made by freshets, one might suppose that there was no inclination at all. Their fertility varies greatly, the prairie being in general considered the more productive, the more undulating its surface. (271) 272 THE PRAIRIES. The bushy prairies have an abundant supply of wholesome water, and are covered with hazel and furze bushes, together with small sas- safras shrubs, interspersed with grape-vines. Many species of garden- sage, mug-wort, dogwood, and an exhaustless variety and exuberance of gay, herbaccous plants, also grow on these prairies. arly in March the forests begin to blossom—the Loncera Flava, L., or yellow- ’ fiowered honeysuckle, and the Jasminum fructicans, or yellow jasmine, diffuse their delicious fragrance through the air, while the red-tufts of the Judas-tree (Cercis Canadensis), unfold their brilliant’ charms to the eye of the admiring lover of nature. Of the prairies, the following lines by Captain Basil Hall, an intel- ligent English traveller, are highly descriptive : “The charm of a prairie consists in its extension—its green, flowery carpet, its undulating surface, and the skirt of forest whereby it is surrounded; the latter feature being of all others the most significant and expressive, since it characterizes the landscape, and defines the form and boundary of the plain. If the prairie is little, its greatest beauty consists in the vicinity of the encompassing edge of forests, which may be compared to the shores of a lake, being intersected with many deep, inward bends, as so many inlets, and at intervals project- ing very far, not unlike a promontory, or protruding arm of land. These projections sometimes so closely approach each other, that the traveller passing through between them, may be said to walk in the midst of an alley overshadowed by the forest, before he enters again upon another broad prairie. Where the plain is extensive, the deline- ations of the forest in the far background appear as would a misty coast at some distance upon the ocean. The eye sometimes surveys the green prairie without discovering on the illimitable plain a tree or bush, or any other object, save the wilderness of flowers and grass, while on other occasions the view is enlivened by the groves dispersed like islands over the plain, or by a solitary tree rising above the wil- derness. The resemblance to the sea which some of these prairies ex- hibited, was really most striking. I had heard of this' before, but al- ways supposed the account exaggerated. There is one spot in parti- cular, near the middle of the Grand Prairie, if I recollect rightly, where the ground happened to be of the rolling character above alluded to, and where, excepting in the article of color, and that was not widely THE PRAIRIES. 273 different from the tinge of some seas, the similarity was so striking, that I almost forgot where I was. This deception was heightened by a circumstance which I had often heard mentioned, but the force of which perhaps none but a seaman could fully estimate; I mean the appearance of the distant insulated trees as they gradually rose above the horizon, or receded from our view. They were’so exactly like strange sails bearing in sight, that I am sure, if two or three sailors had been present, they would almost have agreed as to what canvass those magical vessels were carrying. Of one they would all have said, “Qh! she is going nearly before the wind, with top-gallant studding- sails set.’? Of another, “she has got her canvass hauled up, and is going by the wind.” And of a third they might say, “she is cer- tainly standing toward us, but what sail she has set is not quite clear.” In spring, when the young grass has just clothed the soil with a soddy carpet of the most delicate green, but especially when the sun, rising behind a distant elevation of the ground, its rays are reflected by myriads of dew drops, a more pleasing and more eye-benefitting view cannot be imagined. Yousee the fallow deer quietly feeding on the herbage; the bee flies humming through the air; the wolf, with lowered tail, sneaks away to its distant lair, with the timorous pace of a creature only too well conscious of having disturbed the peace of na- ture ; prairie-fowls, either in entire tribes, like our own domestic fowls, or in couples, cover the surface; the males rambling, and, like turkeys or peacocks, inflating their plumage, make the air resound with a drawled, loud, and melancholy cry, resembling the cooing of a wood- pigeon, or still more, the sound produced by rapidly rubbing a tam- bourine with the finger. The multitude of these birds is so surpris- ingly great, as to have occasioned the proverbial phrase, “ that if a set- tler on the prairie expresses a desire for a dish of omelets, his wife will walk out at night and place her bonnet on the open ground, to find it full of eggs on her return next morning.” The plain is lite- rally covered with them in every direction, and if a heavy fall of snow had driven them from the ground, I could see myriads of them clus tered around the tops of the trees skirting the prairie. They do not migrate, even after the prairie is already settled, but remain in the high grass, near the newly-established farms; and I often saw them at no great distance from human habitations, familiarly mingle with the S a 274 THE PRAIRIES. poultry of the settlers. They can be easily captured and fed, and I doubt not but they can be easily tamed. On turning from the verdant plain to the forests or groups of high- grown timber, the eye, at the said season, will find them clad also in the most lively‘colors. The rich under- and brushwood stands out in full blossom. The andromedeas, the dogwood, the wood-apple, the wild plum and cherry, grow exuberantly on rich soil, and the invisible blossom of the wild vine impregnates the air with its delicious perfume. The variety of the wild fruit-trees, and of blooming bushes, is so great, and so immense the abundance of the blossoms they are covered with, that the branches seem to break down under their weight, and the eye of the spectator comes very near being over satiated. The delightful aspect of the prairie, its amenities, and the absence of that sombre awe inspired by forests, contributes to forcing away that sentiment of loneliness, which usually steals upon the mind of the soli- tary wanderer in the wilderness, for although he espies no habitation, and sees no human being, and knows himself to be far off from every settlement of man, he can scarcely defend himself from believing, that he is travelling through a landscape embellished by human art. The flowers are so delicate and elegant as apparently to be distributed for mere ornament over the plain, the groves and groups of trees seem to be dispersed over the prairie to enliven the landscape, and we can scarcely get rid of the impression invading our imagination, of the whole scene being flung out and created for the satisfaction of the sen- timent of beauty in refined men. The similarity of the whole fre- quently reminds the Englishman of the extensive parks of the great aristocratical palaces he used to admire-in his country; the grass plots, the shaded walks, groves and bushes, produced there by a designing art, nature has spontaneously created here; and nothing but proud structures of lordly mansions, and the view of distant towns or vil- lages are wanting, to make the resemblance complete.” In the summer the prairie is covered with tall grass, which is coarse in appearance, and soon assumes a yellow color, waving in the wind like a ripe crop of corn. In the early stages of its growth, it resem: bles young wheat; and in this state furnishes such rich and succulent food for cattle, that the latter choose it often in preference to wheat, it being, no doubt, a very congenial fodder to them, since it is impos. THE PRAIRIES. 275 sible to conceive of better butter than is made while the grass is in this stage. On the lower, humid prairies, where the clayey stratum lies close to the surface, the middle or principal stalk of the grass, bearing the seed, grows very thick, having long and coarse leaves, and attaining a height of nine feet, so that the traveller on horseback will frequently find it higher than his head. Although the plants are very numerous, and stand alone by each other, they seem to grow up each one by itself, the whole effort of vegetation tending upward. On the undulating prairies the grass is finer, and exhibits more leaves, its roots are interlaced so as to form a compact mass, and its leaves spread in a dense sod, which rarely exceeds the height of 18 inches, until late in the season, when the seed-stalk shoots up. In the earliest stages of its growth, the grass is interspersed with little flowers, the violet, the strawberry-blossom, and others of the most delicate structure. When the grass grows higher, these disappear, and taller flowers, displaying more lively colors, take their place; and still later a series of still higher but less delicately formed flowers appears on the surface. While the grass is green, these beautiful plains are adorned with every imaginable variety of color. It is impossible to conceive of a greater diversity, or discover a predominating color, save the green, which forms a beautiful dead color, relieving the splendor of the others. In the summer, the plants grow taller, and the colors more lively; in the autumn another generation of flowers arises, which possesses less clearness and variety of color, and less fragrancy. In the winter, the prairie presents a melancholy aspect. Often the fire, which the hunters annually send over the prairies, in order to dislodge the game, will destroy the entire vegetation, giving to the soil a uni- form black appearance, like that of a vast plain of charcoal; then the wind sweeping over the prairie, will find nothing which it might put in motion, no leaves which it might disperse, no halms which it might shake. No sooner does the snow commence to fall, than the animals, unless already before frightened away by the fire, retire into the forests, when the most dreary, oppressive solitude, will reign on the burnt prairies, which often occupy many square miles of territory. In the southern part of the State, the prairies are comparatively small, varying in size from those of several miles in width and length to those which contain only a few acres. Here many flowery prairies 276 THE PRAIRIES. may be found, presenting a spectacle of unrivalled splendor. A rich soil is covered with innumerable turnsols (Helianthus tuberosus), great euphorbias, and purple lupines, intertwined with the rosy blossoms of the wild mallow, and the brilliant orange-tawny vermilion poppy, while the ground is literally crowded with beautiful violets. The traveller on horseback then looks down upon a sea of flowers, over which float thousands of the most sumptuously colgred papilios and scarabees, with the many variegated buzzing insects, while he is nearly overpowered by the penetrating, delicious perfume, with which the immense multi- tude of blossoms impregnate the air. In the north the prairies widen, and frequently extend from six to twelve miles in width, intersected in every direction by groups of fo- rests and woods, alternately advancing into and receding from the prairie towards the water courses, the banks of which are usually to be found lined with timber, principally of magnificent growth. Between these rivers, in many instances, are groves of timber containing from 100 to 2000 acres, in the midst of the prairie, like islands in the sea, this being a common feature of the country between Lake Michigan and the Sangamon River, and the northern parts of the State. — As to the origin of the prairie-lands, various speculations have been indulged, giving rise to a diversity of opinions, the least tenable of which is that, according to which stately forests once covered these plains, afterwards being destroyed by fire; for nothing is better esta- blished than the fact, that the travellers who first entered upon these plains, 200 years ago, and gave them their present name, found them destitute.of woods and forests ; and, moreover, evidence may be adduced to the effect of showing, that wherever those dangerous enemies of the forests, the Indians and buffaloes, were expelled, and the settlers com \ menced planting trees, as well as in the vicinity of extensive inkabited tracts, the grass will at once recede, giving free scope for the forest to develope itself. In proof of our position, that these prairies were not formerly covered by forests, we may also refer to the immense savan- nahs and Llafios of South America and Middle Africa, where traces of former forests have yet to be discovered. Thus the late distinguished English traveller, Mungo Park, speaks of the plains of Mandingo, in Western Africa, as having probably existed there since the earliest times; he also describes their annual burning in the same manner in THE PRAIRIES. 277 which that of the prairies in the Western States would be described now ; the practice there, according to his account, being attended with the same results as here, the country there being also within a short time covered with a luxuriant growth of young and tender grass, on which the cattle feed with avidity. According to another opinion, the truth of which is highly probable, thé level surface of the State of Illinois was formed by inundations. The whole of the State, from afew miles north of the Ohio, where the prairies commence, affords tolerably conclusive evidence of having been once covered with water, which, having forced itself a passage, whereby it was drained off, the ground was left with a rich, soft, muddy, level surface, much of which was afterwards successively worn off by waters formed from the effect of rain; whence,it will not be difficult to ac- count for the greater dryness of the more elevated undulating prairie lands. From whatever cause the prairies took their origin, they are no doubt perpetuated by the annual fires that have swept over them, from an era probably long anterior to the earliest records of history, and still often continue, lit by the hunters, in order to frighten and bewil- der the game that bounds over these prairies, and thus render them an easy prey, or to replace the old grass by a luxuriant growth of ten- der herbage, which might serve as nourishment for the deer. Where the soil is too wet to produce a heavy annual growth of grass sufficient to sustain a strong fire, there is no prairie. Forests prevail along the streams, and in other places where vegetation does not suffer from the drought of the latter part of summer and early autumn, and, therefore, is less combustible than in the open plains. And the prairies them- selves, wherever they do predominate, as will be found invariably the case on dry level regions, exposed to the heat of the sun, may be easily converted into wooded land, by destroying with the plough the tough sward which has formed itself on them. There are large tracts of country, where a number of years ago the farmers mowed their hay, that are now covered with a forest of young, rapidly-growing timber. As soon as the prairies are ploughed, and the heavy grass kept un- der, timber or orchard trees, when planted in them, will grow with unexampled luxuriance. A resident of Adams County testifies to the 24 278 THE PRAIRIES. effect, that locust trees planted, or rather sown, on prairie land near Quincy, attained in four years a height of twenty-five feet, and their trunk a diameter of from four to five inches; these grew in closely crowded rows, affording a dense shade. Ina few instances, where the same kind of trees had been planted in a more open manner, they grew in the same period to a thickness of six inches, and in from seven to ten years from their planting, have been known to attain suf- ficient bulk to make posts and rails. In a like manner, the uplands of St. Louis, which were, in 1825, principally prairie lands, are now covered with a young growth of fine and thrifty timber, so that it would be difficult to find an acre of prairie in the county. | The first efforts to convert prairies into forest land, were usually made on the part of the prairie adjoining to the timber. ob den seAdPa ch cnis duSesdparnegsiiaerak 9 00 Be eee Ey PON AT Zaitian ana wiser! wgbacband ade avinnd tndeee' (a eaneihbennyucs 8 75 See AE PIM TEE: sons naan, snancdddpliaVabecs o. saanee vedens ws vies nna fecine 2 50 Seve RRNA fav yoc'n wanna sas seaskes daceheines Gg. ca caoaked bon atdpatmank ts aes 2 75 *« § days with cultivator and shovel plough.......... eg BNE Ne 8 75 BUN Se NT EEVIOE 105 0 ¢1 oy conv spa shoner viddecesedts ** corn cobs from same... ....eeee eae rT ey Cees 8 00 $591 19 Due J. 8. Peironnel, above every cost........ ip ands taykevd pashnnsknon $6 54 Ralph Anderson, Esq., of Silver Creek, Stephenson Co., estimates the costs and receipts of 34 acres, as follows: 296 AGRICULTURE. 34 acres purchased last winter, at Bb situikidogs dnsan pesto davbaeete seveeee $170 00 PEGTEOUNG: s.0-t nds vnndindacvsdnenn yada vescbephevenetacdanvss sedussurcnmeensubeetsare 100 00 BROAN G sides ok. ccvene pugetevbhpoutdsiasbebenia Gauees wow ceuk see seveteveys $aeut 87 00 Sowing and, tilling... ccctoy sissvasveeat bepera cited beecaviestvesved abeaesWa bean 400 00 GS. bushels: of seed wwhGablis.ssdy vadebestelee cess 0 nyxsiete soa dagdbensderh ‘soa, Oe ee Hasty cutis... )ivee- cvacreces supeet tose ncnes Recnarsnassulsuyseworeeeiaed ‘ann see 71 00 Threshing ‘aud, taking’ to THOTKGE vi securs seossaby sue ip cows curssemanans ML UUme Total COSU cicesseees SOO FAS AES COSTCO SEH EHE SHES EET SEHE EEE SHE BESHOLEES CHHOHOELOET EHHEH * $996 00 . RECEIPTS. 950 bushels, sold at S1 05. OOO ROSETTE TE COOH HHDEH COTEHHHET COCHSHHED BOSH OEHOE $997 50 200 SSO) ayih WBE, 88 sees Soaied and spas bat nid vaesuasceres cet See wauw aed 210 00 Total PECEUPIS {: cuceresdirh> evtiat eda sendue cneoene es aa edhe « weed Weviihde olks apy $1,207 50 Deducting costs...... see wanage atte bees Rebs aills pietibign Genes din $8 EWM DERE 0 nid 996 00 Net proceeds of, the first year. cscs ind. daaad sipdis«msteens semnbichceesuine palewou A correspondent of the Alton Courier, writes the following from Shipman : ‘TIT saw a communication in the ‘Courier,’ over the signature of ‘ Amand,’ in which it is stated that Col. Wm. B. Warren, of Jacksonville, had a crop of wheat which netted him $20 per acre, clear of all expenses, at present prices, and that the wheat crop of Mr. Constant, of Sangamon County, netted him $17 per acre. ‘‘They were certainly profitable crops. I threshed my crop of Maryland white wheat, a few days ago, a small one it is true. The thresher measured 317 bushels, the most of which was measured by him into the sacks of farmers, for seed, at $1 25 per bushel. I have been asked a great many times how many acres of ground that crop of wheat grew on (with numberless other questions), and my answer invariably was, ‘about eight.’ I have since mea- sured the ground, and there was a little less than 73 acres. I submit the fol- lowing items, which were set down as they occurred: EXPENSES, To 10 bushels of wheat for seed, at $1 25... ... sececease concer sosccaece $13 50 Two days with cultivators, one horse, and one hand, at $1 50.. 83 00 Cutting off cornstalks in spring............00 Saelen adtameeads Pennine cel 1 00 Cun ie BCT OS, BL 1D CONLB cdenesaraarvorascnsberbe mee cceteawane sinsstone 5 81 Nine hands for binding and shocking, at $1 OB. i paake nahios 1 RAS ae Dive ways mrBOking, With 2: HAWG. Vise vscnsgcenscacheroeaedeos tenets 9 00 Thresning 517, bushels, at & Conts..:s.0.sss evesea cotecsscsiechouseebate ea 15 85 Hands and team for same With Same......secssrccsesscesscsesseveeseses LD 00 $74 41 CREDIT. By 817 bushels of wheat at $1 25.....s.sssssssss sosesecesees sossesees one $396 25 Net profit... cpetuelnavsecedendes Maran) tom Which would be a ‘little x more » than S41 49 per ‘acre, AGRICULTURE. | 297 W. R. Harris, Esq., of Palmyra, Lee Co., makes the following communication concerning the management of his farm: “‘T commenced here in the spring of 1847, with a capital of $700, with which I purchased twenty acres of timber, and one hundred and sixty acres of prairie land. The first season I broke up fifty-five acres, with a pair of horses and one yoke of oxen, breaking two acres per day. The third year, I added eighty acres to my farm, and hired fifty acres broke at $2 pér acre. The fourth year, I hired ten acres more broke, at $2 25 per acre, which gave me one hundred and fifteen acres under cultivation. This is all that I have had under cultivation, and I have sold the product this year for over $2000. I have now been engaged here for about eight years, and my capital of $700 has increased to between $8000 and $10,000.” Charles W. Murtfeldt, Esq., of Oregon, Ogle Co., gives the follow- ing account of the management of 80 acres, purchased by him at $20 per acre, and planted, 53 of them with wheat, and the remain- ing 27 with Indian corn: 10 per cent interest on $1600, being the purchase money of the 80 acres, at $20’per acre...... Rr ocen hee he cow evs aoe i adaea pkasetees $160 00 PPE MNS Ok ss ok oe Sis ais 44 oi de ocea gn veereses vomed b cache de colecd uu en sichisiaty oh P 7 00 PMG, REEL DOT DATO cc fo vase ysicess bak Lanvas cdgodcast edness ascesnced es si, 80 00 Sowing and harrowing 53 acres at 75 cents........ ds aythen va vats wa eae Cutting and binding 53 acres, at $1..........ccsee sesccesescceces atest 53 00 Stacking of the wheat.. ......0s s«ssesee pal eckshgul ot ca sananneoneghieiewes - 8900 Seed of wheat....... b clans canigs cnskdage chien dese Os cnlantsceess Obes oe canes oi 88 00 Seed of Indian corn...... sd ed Metab Sbih aeneh in citmantasunesenaihe igs nas ‘ 1 75 Planting and cultivating Indian Cor civcs. icseus cee xveccsccunssnes icariatr ee DROS Maavesting Indian :COTB ity ost dante espacencesdensn $0b ebason oobdenpenbesnes 830 00 Threshing 1100 bushels of wheat, at 5 cents., .......00 seccccce soeeee 55 00 Other work and labor. ......00. eeoee Cwntvnn Se ssdin saduiheh xouk onena Lo¢nomiee, 1 LE OU . $633 50 The receipts were, for 1100 bus. of wheat, at $1......... $1100 For 750 bushels of Indian corn, at 50 Cents ........00 seeseeees 875 1475 00 Gains ivcies a itaheeaeteiiten #8 advan Wenuskhns asleat iin clddenstichiet souerek soab dededv op 41 OD Rev. Jno. S. Barger, of Clinton, De Witt Co., in a letter dated 22d Jan., 1855, states the following facts in relation to the manage- ment of his farm: ‘From 1848 to 1850, I purchased in De Witt County, and nearly adjoining Clinton, 400 acres of fine farming land, through which the [linois Central Railway passes; and in the vicinity three timbered lots, containing 140 acres, making in all 540 acres, at a cost of $1513 19. In the spring of 1853 I de- termined to make my farm, and accordingly contracted for the breaking of 800 acres, at $600; also for making 400 rods of fence, at $4 75 per 190 rails in the fence, equal $494 19; making altogether, $1094 19. Having obtained yen -,. AGRICULTURE. the privilege of joining to 720 rods of fence on adjoining farms, I thus en- closed 860 acres, and had 280 prepared for seeding. ‘The breaking was done from the 27th of May to the 9th of July. The greater portion of this ploughed land might therefore have been planted in corn, and harvested in time for seeding with wheat; and thus I might have added considerably to-the avails of the first year, had I not been 80 miles dis- tant, engaged in the labors of the Jacksonville district. Iipaid for seeding B00 meres iste res pide s eee seeeee's sbosoveruavecd $230 00 - Ty BQH bushels mped vent A skwsspcchcsde wes scabae ps tee be Toaster we vec 243 75 Add the cost of making the farm...... ease tebe tcdeskeesatee scent victes, VLUSAALS : $1567 94 I paid for harvesting, threshing, packing, and delivering at the Clinton depot, distant from the farm from + to 1} miles... 1650 00 $3217 94 Sold at the Clinton SEP ee 43783 bus. of wheat, for...$4878 82 DEL a LV cou caniee sas penantns «Nak seleaseretscwass pean 50 00 Making the gross income of the first Voor ssis..i0h Shades nied ebek 4,428 82 From which take the entire OXPOUGICULE..ci<2a0 sencnnnes tsa paints 8,217 94 And you have the net proceeds of the first year.........s.+0+ esses 1,210 88 To which add the cost of making the farm............ses00+ scseeeee 1,094 19 Making the entire avails of the first year... secscscss cocsseveeses 2,805 07 ‘¢ Furthermore, to do justice to the productiveness of the soil, and to show what the well directed efforts and judicious management of a well-trained and practical Illinois farmer would have done, it should be stated that, at least in my judgement, some 1500 bushels of wheat were wasted, by untimely and care- less harvesting and threshing, equal to $1500 net proceeds. Then add $55 83, excess of payments for ploughing and seeding only 280 acres, which a skilful farmer would have known before making his contracts, and you have a loss which ought to have been a gain of $1, 555 83. This amount saved, would have shown the avails of the first year’s operations, on 280 acres of the farm, to have been $3,860 40, ‘¢ Now, sir, if one under such circumstances, with but little more than a the- oretical knowledge of farming, has succeeded even so well, having hired all the ‘labor, and mostly at very high prices, how much larger profits might have been realized by a skilful and practical farmer, devoting his whole time and attention to his appropriate occupation. How much more successful thou- sands of farmers and farmers’ sons, on our eastern seaboard, and in the East- ern States, might be, were they, or could they be induced to move on and ap- ply their skill, industry, and economy, in the cultivation of the rich and pro- ductive prairies of Hlinois.” The “ Prairie Farmer,” of January 24, 1856, contains the follow- ing letter of a farmer residing in Warsaw, Hancock Co. : “‘T purchased these acres of woodland, three-fourths of a mile from town, for the purpose of making a fruit orchard. By the time I could get it cleared and enclosed, the season had so far advanced that I could not plant trees—so I contented myself with putting in such a crop as the advanced season would AGRICULTURE. 299 justify. About the 20th of June, I finished planting three acres of white beans, two of corn, pumpkins and garden vegetables, and half an acre of po- tatoes; and later, say about the lst of July, I sowed about two and a half acres of buckwheat. ‘‘In the autumn I harvested the following crops, worth, in the market at home, the prices annexed: BE TRS Ge RAR BG See xk cs ei coetn 060d secces op encvene sunnysnat enacts $70 00 50 es POOR WRGRE, BE 10) OCU. « scekas cre conepsscinses snepuetens aael eae 40 ¢ TOOUROES, EE RO CONUS, icc oc ines da ceoe ansese savesnesr ruses iy RO UL See Ate RRO NUE, SE rch naa naneebas nated Giaacdent srs aVanes ssdecns}ienancd 15 00 Pumpkins, cabbages, tomatoes, melons, sweet potatoes, &c....... 14 00 Ne eee eh te ed ee ee me S100 00 ‘‘This, it strikes me, was a tolerably fair result. I did not expect to do much, as the season was so far advanced when I commenced ; yet I have de- monstrated to my own satisfaction, that with a good season next year, and fair prices in the fall, I can make my little farm of ten acres bring me $300— besides growing an indefinite number of young fruit trees; and that too with- out going beyond mere ordinary farm crops. H. H. Hendrick, Esq., of Batavia, Kane Co., calculates the value of a farm of 160 acres, as follows: ‘¢ A small farm would be worth more per acre, with the same improvements, than a very large one. For example, take 160 acres, purchased at $10 per acre: . First cost of 160 acres, at $10 per acre........s0sscesesseseccseces ....$1600 00 Breaking one hundred acres, at $2 25...........sceccsccescosecs svcves 225 00 160 rods fence on front side, or road, $1 per rod..... ccccsecescevees 160 00 PEO Sl DUE LTO MOEB ines antssuds shegeatesinuvake vepankes a¥ucuneeee 240 00 PEI EL, BOGS hd ndirh § Sed vad Ae ened Auotin-tee cahw sana hetenre pak ciekaaaae | UL OU ER LNOS, Cleve uvechan snkscs cheeeduas tag nos 00s sustde beanacetasrndendpuben stil rod | OO TOUR EEE i tad duaie ux aah hs nabd td ny drs exakt eset dcdsns okecs 655004 4s oadd aes $2750 00 It is probably now worth $25 per acre, which will be............. 4000 00 Leaving a profit for owner Of.......0. ..se0s cesses veees siddtiiny datwativetta 1,250 00 Or, at $20 per acre, still leaves a balance of.......... Sher Fee 450 00 “It is probable that the fence may be built for a little less than $1 per rod; but as I have made no allowance for cross fences, yards, &c., and caleu- lated only half of three sides, and one whole side for the road, I think the ex- cess of price will not more than pay the expense of building the necessary fences inside. I have also left sixty acres for meadow and pasture. If the purchaser haye means to make the necessary improvements, or most of them, I think he would do well to settle on such lands.” The ‘Prairie Farmer,” of February 14th, 1856, contains a very detailed account of the management of a farm, by Mr. Wm. P. West, of Blackberry, Kane Co. This account, which has but this present 800 AGRICULTURE. moment been published, was originally intended for the Agricultural Society, of Kane Co. The farm of Mr. West containing 240 acres, this account deserves particular notice, because of its comprising all the branches of rural economy. ‘The account is herewith subjoined : 1852. 23 ACRES, Dr. June.—To breaking 23 acres, 3 inches deep, at $1 50 peracre $34 50 Aug.—To 8 days cross ploughing, 4 inches deep, at $2......... ‘ 16 00 Sept. 1st. pre 46 bu. Soule’s seed wheat, at 75c. per bu... 84 50 “ 2 days’ work sowing the same, at $1......... 000 A 2 00 és ‘s 6 days’ work harrowing, at $2 per day........... “ 12 00 a « cost harvesting 23 acres, at $1 50 per acre... 84 50 As sé threshing 690 busat: Se. Peri, coseks vsease dan saeees 55 20 Ke ‘¢ hauling the same to market, at 26...... e006 sistbvee 13 80 : ; $202 50 1853. : Cr. By 30 bu. ner sada 690 bu., at 95c.. sev sacerccccscstccerecesess pond 50 Cost. . vlan acnsereare 10: 00.** .15 00 PAACOUDILG pecniveucs Usp est ymevecrtaert 14 00 15 00 1 00°* 1 75 Marshak ssies sexticess meas ieee te LE DROOL SOG 1 00 * 1: 50 MiGLiGan «canes nen bes csaden vesettia oie Lotal tent allele L090, 8% oho) POLLS ti sthe sodusehss casans tonavskaeacsPalt st UU) eld oe Foes [slamdhice.i.8.0 0s ldo sencetiaes POO? + SAT 00 SANGAMON. ..».0000 coeccnccricepese esses 12, 00°*¢ » 16. 00 Sie, CME Sab calandeuicis Nedantor ER Cats arg 10 00 «* 14 00 75% 1 50 Ta cOwOlli, Akeseieehs lens clstbe svaets . 1 25 1 50 W GOCTOPCS, sevens sph vinnuseb tian auts 12, 00 ‘*.' 16.00 1 00. 1 50 WELL, scabs Chcaless woe teeaeheaen saehes'ses 15 00 1 00 +1. 75 Winnebago. oo... 00 uth Weupdiansee’ - 1500 20 00 The higher rates are, of course, only paid during the harvest, but these, in many counties, exceed the above amounts; the remuneration in winter is less than that in summer. Much new land having been broken during 1855, many farmers express their fears that wages will be still higher in 1856. The many difficulties which a single farmer has to surmount, in the pursuit of his business, render it difficult to determine how much work a man with two horses is able to perform; from thirty to forty acres, it is usually reckoned, can be easily tilled by a single man, pro- vided he procures himself some hand to assist him during harvest time. Two men with four horses can easily till one hundred acres, and three men with five horses one hundred and sixty acres. We know of a man who, together with a boy of some twelve years, and now and then with an assistant (who, however, did not cause him more than fifteen dollars annual expense), and five horses, tilled a farm of forty acres of Indian corn, ten acres of wheat, ten acres of oats, six acres of flax, FARM IMPLEMENTS. 317 ten acres of prairie, besides breaking some twenty acres of new prairie, and sowing it with sod corn. Two acres are estimated a good day’s work fora single team of horses, and one and a half for oxen; on many places, however, more is done. Many farmers prefer horses to oxen, horses always having this advantage, that they go faster; and many farmers also contend that they turn up the land better than oxen. A man walks about twenty-five miles while ploughing a day. What facilitates the labor of a farmer in the west, and especially in Illinois, is the use of mechanical power, as the same is employed in the Hastern States—excellent agricultural machines being, in fact, turned out in the west. Most of the ploughs are made of steel plates, and are polished on wheels, so as to shine like mirrors, furrowing the soil to a great depth. There are ploughs which furrow the ground for the breadth of forty inches. That such large, smooth, and sharp ploughs, will do their work much faster than others, is self-evident. Very good ploughs are turned out by the manufactory of J. Drew, ‘Moline, Rock Island County. ‘ Wheat and other grain is usually sown with the rotation-sowing machine, by the use of which seed and time are saved, and a success- ful crop ensured. The machines most frequently used were invented by Piersons and Garling. The grains are in most cases gathered by harvesting machines, the most excellent.of which are those of McCormick and Henry, to which were awarded the highest premiums at the “ World’s Fair.”’ For the cutting of hay on the prairies, reapers are used, and espe- cially those of Scoville, Danforth and McCormick. Lastly, the threshing is done by threshing machines, either at once, on the fields, or in the barns. While speaking of agricultural implements, we shall here particu- larly mention two machines, which, though not yet introduced into Illinois, seem so well adapted and calculated for thaf State, that it cannot be long ere they are introduced: we refer to the steam plough, and the wind-mills. With the first, whose inventor, Mr. Obed Hassey, also probably coustructed the first reaping machine, experiments were not long ago made at the exhibition of the Maryland Agricultural Society, that 27 * $18 FARM IMPLEMENTS. proved completely satisfactory. The machine steamed alone to the field, distant two and a half miles, where the experiment was to be made; there four great turf ploughs being attached to it, it entered upon its task, furrowing the earth fourteen inches deep. The plough- ing was exceedingly well done, many of the farmers present expres- sing their opinions to the effect, that the machine was particularly adapted for breaking the soil of the prairie. We trust it will not be long ere we shall see the steam plough furrowing the fertile soil of the Tllinoisian prairies, and thus annually and more rapidly than ever be- fore, subjugating to culture many thousands of new acres. Of wind-mills there are but few, as yet, in Illinois, though the large prairies are admirably adapted for the use of the wind, as me- chanical power. Perceiving this, several gentlemen of Rochester, N. Y., have formed themselves into a company, to erect, during 1856, fifty windmills on the western prairies; and in Peoria a company has been organized for a like purpose. The mill to be constructed by the last will contain two different milling apparatus, the grinding stones used in which are four feet in diameter; the whole, including the building and the right of using the patent, to cost $4000. a} j " 5 fi: —————————— = = . i) = : I. - = Ag a = ¢ An%y \ ig iti ; as a eT | ——————— = 1 ae ———$———<—=| | | | Wt | il = LNILVTIW 7 - 4 SK wo >?) we | ' ' re f A==N—— Wig A? Wo 4 Z. C— " x “4 4 , . Al\e 7 es} y ¢ y / . ANS Vf, g ‘o Z : : Y 4 ‘ A ‘ ° : ? 4 y a ‘ fo Jy d aa : os a, Y Y yy Z A Y : Y ; ¢ Z - yy y VA. Yo Z g 7 (7, y > Z 2 4 a (7 Lo “i Le ha “ VOUGH-— D0) = TIA RIS === p= = =N Q =; ON= RION== J——'—M A “0 — GEOLSGICA OF ILLINOIS. EXPLANATION. COAL FORMATION, = — ———— COAL LIMESTONE. SILURIAN STRATA. DEVONIAN STRATA. NEW ALLUVIAL. -MINES. SALT-WORK LEAD 5. GEOLOGY AND MINING. — 380 of the Chicago branch of the Illinois Central Railroad, as. well as the Chicago market. 3 | | The Northern Coal Mining and Transportation Company, is the " -name of a new association, lately formed at La Salle; their coal beds | are adjacent to the lands of the La Salle Coal Mining Company ; they are about to.commence operations by sinking a shaft on the line of the Central Railroad, about half a mile further north. The mines in the vicinity of Morris, in Grundy County, are yield- ing a large amount of coal. . at The Kingston Coal. Mines are situated in Peoria County, and the lands of that region consist-of about 1180 acres. The depth at which the coal lies varies, the surface being very uneven. Its greatest depth is seventy-five feet, while in other places, even where ‘it has: been worked, it is no more than ten. | It lies 108 feet above the river level. It. is divided into two unequal parts by the intervention of a thin stratum of plastic clay. : . There are also extensive and valuable mines on the line of the Il- linois Central Railroad, in the southern part of the State. Those at Du Quoine, and De Soto, are yielding abundance of a good quality. The valleys of the Sangamon and Spoon Rivers also contain beds of coal;\and it is also found in Schuyler, and several other counties | lying between the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers—that district usu- ally called the ‘¢ Military Fract.”’ 1% : Salt Springs are found in the southern counties. Several years since they were worked quite extensively, and as some of them yielded largely, they will doubtless again come into use, as soon as it shall be deemed practicable to invest more capital in the enterprise, and when labor becomes less expensive, so as to enable the owners to work them , with profit. | Sy With regard to this branch of industry, the reader may direct his. attention to the Saline, Coal, and Manufacturing Company. This company has bought a portion of land, commencing at a point about two miles below the mouth of the Saline, on tbe Ohio River, (106 miles above the mouth of the latter,) in Gallatin County, Hlinois, and extending two miles along the banks of the Ohio, from the mouth of the Saline. by , The fact of the existence of salt here, was well known, even whilst 33 Z 7 886 GEOLOGY AND.MINING. this spot was yet Indian territory, when millions of bushels were ma- nufactured. When it was ceded to the United States, by a treaty made with the Indians, such portions of the tract as were known to contain.a salt deposit, or other minerals, were reserved from sale by the government. However, it was subsequently donated to the State of Illinois. . It is supposed that some 15,000 bushels of salt can-be © obtained, per annum, from these Salines. The company, however, have made the production of iron their principal business. ‘The diffi- culties in carrying on the salt manufacture are by no means as great here, as in Missouri, on the iron mountains, or on Lake Superior—as in those places the facilities for conveyance are not fully established. The company, with. their capital of three millions, have on hand a sufficiency of fuel, and have very excellent landing and shipping places, and considering the continued and constantly increasing demand for iron, they cannot be in want of custom. The annual call for bar iron amounts to 350,000 tons, of which 250,000 are imported. . The land in this section is well timbered, and. furnishes a first class building material; numerous salt springs water the land. The coal veins cross- ing the land at this place are of an average thickness of 32 feet, and -' the coal contained in these beds is estimated at about 180 millions of tons, while the quality of coal is said to be as good as any in the whole State of Ilinois. | In the southern part of Tiinota: deposits of marble of different co- lors have been found. They will.compare favorably with most of the imported marbles, used for ornamental purposes, and it closely resem- - bles some varieties of Egyptian marble. Several pieces of black mar- ble, remarkable for depth of color, and high polish, have lately come from that region. A light- colored, nearly white marble, from the vi- . cinity of Thebes, appears to. be among the best that has been met, for almost every purpose of in and out-door work. A specimen. of marble conglomerate from Pike County, is one of the most beautiful ornamental rocks that has ever been met with in the West. It much resembles the ‘ Potomac marble,” used in the pillars of the capital at Washington, and seems to be quite durable. Argentiferous Lead Ore.—There is a quantity of lead now worked by the Linden Mining Company, near Chicago, which is highly argentiferous. ‘Three specimens of the ore, assayed by a competent GEOLOGY AND MINING. 387 assayer, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have yielded: 1840 ounces of silver to the ton of ore ;-another, 1200, and the third, 1600 ounces. The agent of the company, not satisfied with this test, has sent an average sample of the ore to Dr. Hays, of Boston, the State Assayer of Massachusetts. Should he pronounce it argentiferous, containing only the lowest estimate of the Philadelphia assayer, then there can be no doubt, judging from the quantity of ore already raised, the known extent of the mine, and the ease and cheapness with which it is worked, that it is far the most valuable mine of any description in the United States. The two north-western counties of the State of Illinois, form a part of the richest and most extensive lead region known in the scientific world. During the year 1854, there were received in elses by the Ga- lena Railroad, 4,051,346 pounds of lead; and it further appears, from authentic statements, that the products of these lead mines shipped dur- ing the last five years, from Galena, were as follows: 1851.—474,115 pigs, equal to 83,188,050 Ibs., of the value of $1,534,062 44. 1852.—408,628 « “ 28608,960 « «“ 1,178,483 95. 1853.—425,814 « « 29.806,980 « “ 1,639,283 90. 1854.—423,617.. « “ 29653,190 « “ 1,630,925 45. 1855.—480,365 « © 30,125,550 « 66 1,732,219 02. Nothing can better show the wealth and importance of the mining region of the Upper Mississippi, than the above statement. The con- sequence is, that the city of Galena and surrounding country have increased in wealth and population very rapidly, of late years. Arrangements are now being made for the construction of white- lead works, at Galena, and there is no other spot in the United States, where a manufactory of this kind would be as profitable. _A short time ago, a discovery of a rich layer of iron ore was made, about two miles distant from the little town of Moline, in Rock Island County. This layer is supposed to extend over a space of 75 acres. The veins of ore appear two or three inches below the surface of the earth, and they are eight or ten inches thick. The annexed elo cical map will explain to the reader the great geological riches of the State, more fully than it can be done by words. COMMERCE AND MANUFAOTURES OF CHICAGO. In comparing Chicago, as it was a few years since, with Chicago of to-day, we behold a change whose veritable existence we would be in- clined to doubt, were it not a stern, indisputable fact. Rapid as is the customary development of places and things, in the United States, one will yet be forced to admit, that the growth of Chicago and her trade, stands without a parallel. Chicago, now hardly twenty years - old, whose port in 1831 was frequented by four small vessels, two brigs, and two schooners, then fully adequate to satisfy the commer- cial wants of Northeastern Illinois and Northwestern Indiana, toge- ther, in 1855 witnessed, beating in her harbor, 6610 vessels, of 1,608,845 tons burden, and in the same year exported more grain than any other commercial emporium throughout the world; Chicago, which in 1823 was but a-wretched village of ten frame huts, and sixty inhabitants, in 1855 numbered 83,509 inhabitants, and in the same | year dealt more largely in timber than. the markets hitherto the most considerable in the world can boast of. Thus, as far as regards the grain and lumber trade, Chieago has sur- passed all rivals, and as far as regards the money market, has also al- ready evinced that independence, which alone can form the safe and substantial basis of a far-reaching commerce. In spite of an obstinate bank dispute, and the diminution by several millions, of the bank capital of Chicago, in consequence of the redemption, in part, of the Georgia’ bank notes, till then circulating in Chicago, the capital con- centrated in that city proved, nevertheless, fully adequate to all wants created by the i increase of business, and the immense Pelee es of . grain. There are many reasons s why the position Chicago will assume a few years hence, will be even much more important than that which (388) COMMERCE OF OHIOCAGO. 389 she now occupies; one of the most essential of which is the opening of the direct line of water communication, between the city and Lake Superior. By the St. Mary River Canal, easy access is possible from Chicago to the inexhaustible iron and copper mines of Michigan ; and by the Illinois Central Railroad, the illimitable coal beds of Southern Illinois are placed within her reach; and by these means she has se- cured for herself tdggt degree of industrial development, which gives ° firm support and lasting warranty to trade. Already the surveyoi’s chain has designated the places in Chicago where-the manufacture of iron wares will be carried on to such an extent, as continually to keep pace with the incessantly i Inéreasinig demands of the immense north and south-west. No sooner were the great copper mines at Lake Superior opened, than the steamers of the ship-owners of Chicago hastened closely to attach the interests of that important region to their city; only ashort time has passed since, and already the wholesale dealers of Chicago count the people of those mining districts among their regular cus- tomers. The fruits of the bold, but sure policy of Chicago, are al- ready visible to a larger degree on another field. The immense tracts of land of Middle and Southern Illinois, then without any, either natural or artificial, mcans of communication, for years awaited purchasers in vain, notwithstanding the low price ($1 25) at which Congress sold each acre of the richest land, whose culti- vation did not present the slightest difficulty. No sooner were the rails of the Illinois Central Railroad laid through the entire length of the State, from Galena to Cairo, than towns and villages sprung into existence along the track, as if by magic, and the granaries of Chi- cago were filled with the produce of thousands of fertile acres, then for the first time subjected to culture. At the same time that the , quantity of the yield increased, its quality was improved. The gene-— ral use of machine power, nowhere proved of greater advantage than on the vast plains of Illinois; the rapidly progressing intelligence of the Ilinoisian farmers, which, far from being contented with having created agricultural societies in every county of the State, now already calls for the erection of an agricultural university, will account for the fact, that a great part of the grain sold as “‘ Extra Genesee,’ may be 33 * | 390 COMMERCE OF CHICAGO. safely considered ‘ Hxtra Illinois,” disguised in some shape or an- other. | In consequence of these, and many other improvements, among which we may notice the continuation of the Galena Railroad to Du- buque, of the Fox River Valley Railroad to Richmond, and of the II- linois and Wisconsin Railroad, to Woodstock, the Indian corn crop reaches the enormous yield of 130,000,000 bash which must be chiefly attributed to the advent of Southern Illin cial stage. The wheat crop of Illinois, amounting, as it does, to 20,000,000 bushels, has secured to Chicago its prominent position _ among the grain-exporting commercial cities. In 1855, Chicago ex- ported twice as much grain as Galatz and Braila, the great wheat em- -poriums of the Lower Danube, and four times as much as Dantzic, the place of export of the Polonian wheat. The following comparison of those cities in Hurope which posséss the largest corn-trade, with Chicago, will place the great importance of the former in this respect beyond a doubt: is on the commer- 1854. Wheat. Indian Corn. Oats, Rye, & Barley. Total. Bushels. Bushels, Bushels. Bushels. OdGasar reel icdusvdes GB G00L000 3:55. 3ea8ee caete s cos eps ye 4O ODD ey ie reus as 7,040,000 Galatz, and Braila 2,400,000 .. 5,600,000 ... 320,000 ...........4. 8,320,000 DANG, scesniate spent DOO Uirek iota acenasssmedosen tO siesenatduechie 4,408,000 Bt. Patershar’ oss csenssnsposten, cfs/oenseiey dadubbeeny, teva Mtsxeeh -pyacteawels mikes MNT OO PTCRANGOL soossvede | pegasascetss Mond aer¥aecccanvars cin) laganen sh scer Manes ivey rier 9,528,000 bE fe ated ies Pela el MUR modmy a iy slat a bina Bd tal a lay 4,000,000 Chicago.\....hiesse 0;044,860".,' 6837899 ~ 3. 8,419,051 SRR 12,902,810 Chicago (1855)... 7,115,250 .. 7,517,625. ... 2,000,988 .....0..0.e0 16,633,813 And yet the present position of Chicago is only the beginning of the beginning. The area of the State is upwards of 55,000 square miles, 80 per cent. of which are corn lands of the first quality. These 44,000 square miles, or 28,160,000 acres, planted with Indian corn, at an average yield of 50 bushels-per acre, would fix the productive- ness of the entire State, at the enormous rate of 1,408,000,000 bush- els. Adding to this the facility of cultivation, the reader will have an idea of the almost fabulous wealth, that, accumulating in Illinois, in its reaction upon Chicago, the. great commissioned agent of these trea sures, must incessantly propel her onward in her career of progress. COMMERCE OF CHICAGO. 891 The eyes of the world are already fixed upon the high, commanding position, which Chicago assumes on the globe; this will appear from the fact that in 1855, agents of the French and English Governments attended the meetings im the Chicago Corn Exchange. Chicago, in- deed, is the only place in the world, where orders of many millions of bushels can be promptly attended to and executed. If thus the productiveness of the State has surpassed even the most sanguine expectations, the increase of so powerful an instrument for the acquisition of wealth, on the other hand, has also not been slow. Large sums of money, following the law by which they are in- evitably attracted to the place where they bring the highest profit, concentrated at Chicago, whose numerous sumptuous stores and ba- zaars, fitted up in the most elegant, fashionable style, and enormous granaries, with their steam-cranes lifting on one side of the building the grain from the railroad trains, and lowering it at the other side into the vessels, together with great numbers of new buildings, (2700 of which were erected in a single year), as also the fact, that in every branch of business within her limits, the demand far exceeds the sup- ply, are characteristic of her prodigiously increasing prosperity. Everything doubled or quadrupled! And upon reviewing the ship- ping interest of Chicago, we find the same surprising increase. The tonnage of all vessels owned by Chicago, and registered in that city until the end of 1855, amounts to 56,670 tons. So considerable, in- deed, is the commercial navy of Chicago, that in a single season, that of 1855, not less than 120 large vessels put into that port on one day. The enormous stores of grain accumulated within Chicago, keep busy an entire flotilla, in proof whereof, we might refer to the fact, that in 1855, a single firm contracted for the transportation from Chicago to Buffalo, of 500,000 bushels, kept in store within that city. As al- ready mentioned, during the season of 1855, not fewer than 6610 ves- sels, of 1,608,845 tons burden, entered the port of Chicago. '. Dividing them into classes, according to their respective tonnage, we subjoin a list of the vessels registered in the Chicago custom-house, as having entered that port: Steamers of less than 500 tons,.... oto LOY Sass tek from 500 to 1000 « more than 1000 « ST Oe 392 COMMERCE OF CHICAGO. Screw steamers, of less than 400 tons.......0. sssoee seseecees ove 193 “ more pA gees We POUL RON UAC ar), Sh a 287 Sailing vessels of less than 150 tons........2 ssececese teceescvees 2,181 “from 150 to 850“ 4... SL, Ppt sas icticl tea 2,546 . 6 FFOUE OOO TORI VU Fo" acne voese se tavevy dh oneesran vs 865 “ of over 500 MEP icon ie, pest boecteetcereue re 100 With respect to her commerce and navigation, Chicago has already projected a new enterprise, which, if executed, as no doubt it will be, taking into consideration the indomitable energy of the west, must as- tonish the world; nothing less being intended than to place Chicago, an inland city, situated in the far west, 1500 miles from the seaboard . —in possession of direct communication by sea with all the sea-port towns of the world, by shortening the eastern water-passage from Chi- cago some 500 miles, and avoiding the dangerous St. Clair Flats. Using Georgia Bay and several small Canadian lakes, it is contem- plated to connect Lake Huron with Lake Ontario, thus opening for. the commerce of Chicago a free access to the Atlantic. The commerce of Chicago was also favorably affected by the Cana- dian reciprocal treaty, her lumber trade receiving’ a considerable im- pulse from the Canadian imports, in consequence of that treaty. While pushing her railroads far into the interior of the pine forests of Wisconsin, Chicago at the same time sends her fleet to the Cana- dian hickory forests, paying with the luxuriant grain of the fertile Tllinoisian prairies, for the timber which the people of Illinois require for building their houses, or fencing their lands. We will now review the state of the Chicago market, as far as regards the various staple articles : - Flour.—While in 1853 not more than 18 247, and in 1854, 158,- 575 barrels of flour were imported, the quantity of flour imported in 1855 reached the colossal amount of 240,662 barrels. Besides these, three mills of Chicago turned out 79,650 barrels, thus making an ag- gregate of 820,312 barrels for the year 1855. Owing to the increased Huropean demand, prices ranged higher in. 1855 than in 1854, as may be seen from the following table: 1854. 1855. January ..eevee. D pebiee sana per barrel $5 50 ......00 sdedarnsas $7 50 February..... @2e0S0e BeeeCe 66 6 75 Covees COoCee BH OOCE r§ 50 COMMERCE OF CHICAGO. 393 1854. 1855. ERP, veccncnnbasscctechees 6 42 st 7 50 BPE vcntdsess season cosasese ‘ 66 7: EE saaveaciemeaaeerh 7 50 WEBY ss Ged cctcestos tncan0ees 6 iT AO sdeese wethsersuns ut OU sRINOS: caseeca sevens Be “6 TPO encdenene seserabes 9 75 DMIRY pinenidnenseccannnnttin 6 ee prunes voles i 976 AMZUSt nssorsrencrvasacecee - 1 TB. scsccesosecscseees 8 75 " Septem ar, ccsrcacaccosece ‘“ AGRO aecend ine néhetet es 8 25 Or i eR 9 SO ms ‘“ FRAG, cusecorueessoreswer 7 26 November...... atkosenss re Tint Wuteuttarerteeneveree 9 00 December .....+» tao ‘6 aig ATE yphcbaee hen: SRE ie 8 00 Wieat.—The wheat import reached the already very considerable total of 3,038,955 bushels in 1854, while in 1855, more than double this quantity was exported, viz., 7,535,097 bushels. No other mar- ket on earth can boast of such a traffic; and the facts, that the harvest of 1855 was by no means one of the best, and that, in every new year, many additional thousands of acres are subjected to culture, cause us to conjecture such a development and progress in this branch of busi- ness, in Chicago, as would startle even the boldest calculation. The following table shows the prices.as they ranged in 1854 and 1855: : , 1854. 1855. Summer. Winter. Summer. Winter. JANUATY 200. seseeeee cts. per bushel 95 TLG i ieassevetins 120 140 BODGOAYY cin bss ciserece ee 120 LAD ccesas satan 118 150 MarhissesZiccerecgnese sistaietl 106 130 122 = 155 Sc. a i ee 6 100 L2G s ieccvistie 145 160 DE atid chants ner setens &“ 1380 LOO Te isveviece te 160 200 JARO. er eeiatte “ 130 150 ccccesseeere 170 200 TORR tc icsdscivasers 6 100 L20 ings sve dev view 155 185 August,....... pheevknert “e 110 LAD shay cataceves 110 150 Septemihyer sceapsscesace tis out! 120 140: cesusesadyes- 110 145 ORG Aovececeacersacn “< 105 BAD ccchvsevitetes 135 165 DROPS. Fra ccercenes 6 125 E4D:. sctiaser den 146 175 December: .6:00ce secece as 110 12O.ass6e a tadeve 135 165 Indian Corn almost everywhere failed in 1854, in consequence of the wet season, so that the importation of 1855, it was supposed, would scarcely equal that of the preceding year; and yet, while the maize import of 1854 amounted to 7,490,753 bushels, that of 1855 894 COMMERCE OF CHICAGO. amounted to 8,532,377 bushels, being an increase of 1,031,624 bush- els. The prices in 1854 and 1855 were as follows: Per bushel of 60 Ibs. 1854. DADUATY. cs tsenveenascn potssasdacssdugecs OO st ssedonscee tosh buave poe Qui MeL PB GDTUALYnasnens ocsiwsus ofb ie ote> ca saane EO Mealy an nvedes SeeuasrIewuNnE IEE DAT Chics cts popa tenes ooh cack: sesentise DU tossendbonweenan'asstce teeny 51 A DEIL siesctusnreunsorcebn cise ceecnsib Sines, ER oa bende toon peng eatehd keenes 55 NONSRY ete codee wens tects tris ierecetenss Li divermerr ren Vrt at 69 TOT os san esse ss prmaoglar epee s¢acpates vase 46. 76 a) TL ays bn sd pee anscsievbe veeh uses Grarenver DLA cssscerucstelev arcs wetees 73 Ped Wiles tte Sone eee fadabedtald{iheacosbacnes eee er rer ers eee 72 SOptam Der ssrst cp he ess snpebeinnsaecns Bi: sictoeun pitlade seatereusnens 69 OLODED csvecasnethussathactehuty stats ia Ey! saansameenteak Games Sasaa tees 64 NURSING Lspsseasy setaccdusaen sestaynna (LO meses h veer eas thts i ane reas 72 DGCCM DEI yecshexenne bane seteas Brean ecee AT exaitaevnen sédnat eae cee vat 50 Oats. —In 1855, the importation of oats had diminished by 1,247,197 bushels, in comparison with the preceding year; this may be ascribed to the fact, that the cultivation of this species of corn proves least profitable to the farmer. The imports in 1854, amounted to 4,194,385 bushels, and in 1855, to 2,947,188 bushels, and the prices were as follows: PANUALY beens casincongs: ee 26) 268 aisests ssvbevevdwenes 26(@27 ODEUREY. postr LEGiLB roeceen Aas eh ge scences oss 12... 10., March... erst pecs sarser veness TOT LE vee aceccsas, Sse boc ceases 12 14 BPTI sstneees eeeees 89 O88e88F50 200 COMMERCE OF CHICAGO. 397 Oy, evs soocsacnsrt eveaceeicsecass. * AGRO . seceosens do strate aneah . 12@I13 FOR ih ck ik ee ican. DE cence oon tats eee 12. .18 TOUS cacsie wraaeapeunee> cnenseteds DL 16) yikes sods sstgedangams bao LO BUGUSE 555 «do wegesse senna vebece ove EZ 5) Piet san vadsantay een so vets kee 12 14 September....... hed rogeen sennes LAR Do. cody ones vesnniiss; sot SP RD OGG ee eecatdavave becartcsa testes Sw Site sea cenaok seesushabdinine 14 15 WOVGMDOP.. 08s ciedce ce a ee TR PULE (cal tdercs anctcs oretely: 15 19 Doosinber. co. i tesssses cee es are (ENE eedvicn tes oot PL ea (ab 2 Lard.—Imports in 1854 amounted to 4,380,978 pounds; those of 1855 cannot be exactly stated, (lard being chiefly mentioned under the head of pork and provisions,) however, they are estimated at from 5 to 6,000,000 pounds. Prices can be seen from the following table : 1854. 1855. JANUALY.%ncscccene vevece cseeosecs SHG) sen ces Noose sed wwoncevee 83@9 BORRMAOT 63, 1iabs has-- Givetins G Ob), GUE. davsedgisae canescens 8 8} WEAPON, ci cudhccceaaetncpre soles. GAM. MANU Nee «| ddd ce toda taeda 8 8h. PA ots Yer ata snodecns ns .’ 5000 21 18,000 400 COMMERCE OF CHICAGO. Boots and Shoes, Clothing, Millinery, Tobacco, Crackers, Bread, Coffee and Spices, Surgical Instruments, Bi sracepuecse-sep oan ecinat shina he sessseeeseee. 506,500 1,866 1,954,006 $6,295,000 8,740 11,031,491 For the year... PERSE RS 4,220,000 5,000 7,870,000 Consequently—increase during 1855...$2,075,000 3,740 $8,161,491 With this we conclude our chapter on the commerce and manufac- tures of Chicago. When to her present age of twenty years, Chicago shall have added four new lustres, our readers, on reviewing the sta- tistics grow before them, will smile at the insignificance of the num- bers, however far beyond belief they may appear to them now. Chi- cago, indeed, has a splendid and magnificent future. ae ee | penne eS i tit wr: ra, nea | ) en a on... ee ce vd 2 Cane vl ig ib ystee ae hg bed wind held bet aa me Mt rh ae tits) alg ¥% ad poe ae a 643 Nee as hee NE I MPa! oe a ay fe n , ; ba f ‘ PW ' ’ y i] j poere' Yes ate ts Nie ike . ~ | uf calc al ie = Nie ie, i Ni4 ie eye Cys bas ie Ria, A es ae } ie or oe a aa. ea ay nie, we am 5 ttt ys wa ' i aiabeagm ak ag noe a ote i, ; eee per ar 4 a) , ‘ « agF cee on — a = u Beret ite aude i ’ ; ‘ a i | a « 7 . COURT-HOUSE, CHICAGO. LANDS AND THEIR PRICES. Durina the last few years there has been a steady advance in the price of lands in Illinois, as well as throughout the United States generally; in the former, they are, however, still offered at very different prices, and, with proper judgment and care, advantageous purchases may readily be made. Lands may be purchased, — 1. of the Federal Government; 2. of the Illinois Central Railroad; and, 3. of private proprietors. The quantity of public lands has been considerably diminished. According to the State Auditor’s report there are only about 100,000 acres in the market, and the greater part of these is situdted in the eastern and southern part of the State. Their price is from 12} cts. to $2.50 per acre, and purchasers must apply to the Land Office at Springfield, the only one still existing — those at Chicago, Dixon, Quincy, Palestine, Edwardsville, Shawneetown, and Kaskaskia, having been closed some time ago. The lands which were granted to the Illinois Central Railroad amount to about two millions and a half of acres, over 800,000 acres of which were sold in the course of the last two years, thus leaving about 1,700,000 acres unsold; these are situated in a strip, thirty miles in breadth, lying along the said railroad, and afford a rich choice. In the next chapter, we will give fuller details concern- ing these lands, by the cultivation of which the population of the State is being greatly promoted. Private lands and farms are also to be had in almost every part or county of the State, and deserve to be recommended to purchasers who wish to buy farms already under cultivation and well organized. The prices vary, according to the quality of the soil and the greater or less distance from the towns, rivers, and railroads. It being our object to give authentic accounts on this subject, we have classified the information obtained by us, as to the prices of private lands in 34 * 2A ( 401) 402 LANDS AND THEIR PRICES. different districts of the State, in the order of the respective coun- ties, viz. : — In Cass county, land may be bought at from $1 to $40 per acre. Land bought, some seven years ago, for from $6 to $10 per acre, is now worth from $25 to $30. Wild land costs from $5 to $15, and farms from $15 to $40 per acre. This county contains about 2000 acres of swamp-land, which sells at from 50 cts to $2.25 per aere. In Du Page county there is but little wild-prairie land to be had. Farm-land is worth from $8 to $30 or $40 per acre; wood-land from » $15 to $90 and $100. In La Salle county the prices are about the same as those men- tioned in the preceding county; and well-arranged farms can be bought at proportionate prices. In Lee county, land, which only four years ago was sold at from $5 to $10, now sells at from $50 to $100 per acre. Mr. J. H. Oropsey of Dixon, three years ago, bought a large tract of land at $8 per acre, and, in December, 1855, sold it again for $25 per acre. In Livingston county, Mr. J. L. Miller, in February, 1855, bought 212 acres, partly prairie-land and partly wood-land, at $12} per acre, which, ten months afterwards, he sold for $25 per acre. In Decem- ber, 1855, Judge Babcock sold a farm of 1436 acres, on which there were two groves, containing together 130 acres, with a dwelling-house and barn, for $30,000. He had bought these lands, successively, in smaller tracts, paying $10, $6 per acre, and for some not more than the government price. In Macoupin county farms are sold at from $10 to $30 per acre. In Marshall county, an acre of wild prairie-land, two or three miles distant from Henry or Bacon, sells at from $18 to $20, six miles dis- tant at $10, and fifteen miles distant at $5 per acre. Good wood- _land on the bluff is worth from $15 to $25. The price of cultivated and improved farms, in the vicinity of the towns or at a distance of from three to four miles, is from $30 to $35, and six miles distant, from $20: to $25 per acre. In 1850, prairie-land two or three miles distant from Henry was sold at $6, that situated five or six miles off at $24, and Congress-land nine or ten miles from Henry could be bought at $14 per acre. In MacLean county, land costs from $5 to $30 per acre. Land LANDS AND THEIR PRICES. 43 for which $4 an acre was paid four years ago, now brings three times as much; and for cultivated farms, which were then worth from $10 to $15 per acre, from $25 to $55 are now paid. In Menard county, a farm, situated a few miles from Petersburg, and containing 250 acres, was sold, in December, 1855, for $7500. In Morgan county, a farm of 640 acres, near Jacksonville, was also sold for $32,000. In Peoria county, wild land is now worth from $15 to $20 per acre. In Putnam county, cultivated farms, for which from $12 to $20 per acre were paid six years ago, are now sold at from $25 to $35. Wild prairie-land, formerly worth from $4 to $6, now brings from $10 to $15, and wood-land from $15 to $30 per acre. In Rock Island county, near the town of the same name, an acre fetches from $30 to $100; farther off, from $5 to $30. In St. Clair county, three or four miles from Belleville, cultivated land costs from $40 to $50 an acre, and at a distance of from ten to fifteen miles from the town, from $20 to $25. In the year 1855, a tract of land, situated two miles from Belleville, which, twelve years ago, had been bought at $15 an acre, was sold for $120 per acre. Wild prairie-land has here reached the following prices: in 1840, $3; in 1845, $5; in 1850, $10; and in 1855, $20 to $25. In Sangamon county, land has doubled its price within the last three years. Wild land costs from $10 to $20 per acre; cultivated land, from $20 to $40. ; In Tazewell county, farms are sold at from $35 to $40 per acre. Land for which, five or six years ago, from $4 to $5 was paid, can- not be bought at present below $20 or $30 per acre. In Will county, wild prairie-land, which, four years ago, could be bought at Congress price, is now as high as $10; and farms worth $6 per acre four years ago, now sell at from $20 to $25. In Winnebago county, as late as the year 1852, wild prairie-land could still be bought at the Congress price of $1.25, but from $12 to $25 per acre is now paid for it. “, In Woodford county, pretty good land cannot be bought below $10 anacre; farms bring from $30 to $40, and wood-land from $15 to $20. 404 LANDS AND THEIR PRICES. In the eastern part of the county, wild prairie-land can yet be bought at from $3 to $4 per acre. The above instances, taken from nineteen different counties of the State, will be sufficient to enable the reader to form a tolerably correct idea of the price of land in general, while, at the same time, they show the relative rise in prices during the last few years, and with what reasonable prospects of gain capital may at present still be in- vested in the purchase of [linois lands. The supposition, that prices have reached their culminating point, cannot be admitted; for, setting aside every other consideration, Illinois has, by the construction of the Central railroad, made these immense uncultivated tracts in the heart of the State easily accessible to the cultivator; and along the whole extent of country intersected by the road, numerous towns have sprung into existence, where, but a short time ago, nothing except the flower-covered carpet of the prairie and the blue canopy of heaven was to be seen. We do not take too sanguine a view, in asserting that, in the year 1860, we shall look back upon just such a period of great advance in the price of lands, as we now do when looking back to the year 1850. At that time, who would have ventured to anticipate the enormous rise in real estate that is now actually exhibited ? Any one who may prefer to hire land or a farm, rather than to acquire the ownership of it, will find good chances to do so in almost all the counties. The rents, with some few exceptions, are nearly as follows: — — | 1. For the use of cultivated land, from $14 to $2 per acre. 3. If the tenant, besides the land, also receives from his landlord a house, &c., the rent amounts to $3 per acre; or, 3. The tenant gives all the work, seeds, &c., and furnishes the working-cattle, and then gives one-third of the returns or crops to the owner of the land; or, finally, 4. The tenant furnishes the work, and in return obtains a dwelling-. place, working-cattle, agricultural implements, seed, &c., and then the owner is entitled to one-half of the crops. We cannot conclude this chapter without mentioning an extra- ordinary instance of the rapid increase in the value of real estate. LANDS AND THEIR PRICES. 405 In the year 1848, Mr. William Green, of Chicago, bought a tract of land containing 200 acres, for which he paid $100 per acre, making a sum total of $20,000. Of this tract he has already sold, as follows : — In 1855, a plot, for. . . . . $40,000 | ee Le ‘Sana eee 10,000 co . FP a Uae DO LUE ‘© 1856, 150 acres, for . . . 600,000 and he has lots left; with a front of 1700 feet, worth $100 per foot, amounting to. . . . 170,000 Total, $870,000 Thus, within eight years, he made, with a capital of $20,000, a profit of $860000! Where else, in another country, can such a result be even approximated to? THE LANDS OF THE ILLINOIS CENTRAL RAILROAD COMPANY. On the 20th of September, 1850, the Congress of the United States passed a law by which two millions five hundred and ninety-five thousand acres of the public lands were granted to the State of IIli- nois for railroad purposes; and on the 10th of February, 1851, the Illinois Central Railroad Company was incorporated by an act of the Legislature of the State of Illinois, and the whole of the immense tract of land before-mentioned was granted to the company, to aid in the construction of the railroad projected by it. By this grant of lands, and the consequent construction of the rail- road, that new era has been opened for Illinois, which manifests itself in the unparalleled growth of its population and in its great wealth. This road intersects the entire State from north to south: running, first in two branches, viz., from Chicago to Centralia, and from Dun- leith to Centralia; and then, in but one branch from Centralia to Cairo. The great prairies of Central Illinois, so particularly distin- guished for the rich fertility of their soil, but hitherto lying entirely uncultivated and almost wholly excluded from the markets by the want of means of communication, have thus been rendered accessible to cultivation. However speculative the construction of a railroad seven hundred and four miles in length, and through a territory almost entirely un- cultivated, may at first have appeared, the excellence of the great undertaking is fully demonstrated by the immense advantages already derived from it. Not only is it true that the Central Railroad Com- pany is doing a splendid business, and that the bonds issued by it are commanding pretty high rates, as compared with other railroad bonds, but it is also a fact, that by the construction of this road, those vast (406) LANDS OF THE CENTRAL RAILROAD. 407 and desert prairie-lands have been transformed into well-cultivated farms, which are now annually contributing many millions of bushels of excellent grain to the general produce of the State, and still present the prospect of much larger crops in future ; and, moreover, the popu- lation of the State has been increased by the addition of thousands of industrious and enterprising citizens, who are mostly farmers. The State of Illinois has thus came to be ranked among the most import- ant States of the Union. The lands of the company extend themselves on both sides of the road, in a breadth of thirty miles, so that it mostly runs through the middle of them. The greater part of these lands are well-watered and intersected by creeks, and where such are wanting, good water may be obtained by digging to the depth of a few feet below the surface. A kind of loam, well suited for the manufacture of bricks, is fre- quently found near the surface; and bituminous coal, which, as has been already mentioned, underlies almost the entire State of Illinois, is found at several points of the railroad, furnishing a very excellent and cheap fuel. The soil, to a depth of about five feet, is of a rich black substance, with a surface partly undulating or rolling, and partly level, and well adapted to all the various branches of agriculture and eattle-breeding. In some parts, there is a fine growth of oak and other trees. Besides all the above advantages, the farmers who settle on these lands have still another great benefit, in their immediate, or at least very near, connexion with the State’s mighty artery of intercommu- nication, by which they are enabled, without the slightest difficulty, to forward their products to the markets, and there to realize good prices for them. Of the 2,595,000 acres which were granted to the Illinois Central Railroad Company, 528,863.11 acres were sold, in the short space of seventeen months, namely, from August, 1854, up to the 3lst day of December, 1855, and brought the sum of $5,598,577.83. Since the Ist of January, 1856, there have been sold, in each month respectively, as follows : — 408 LANDS OF THE CENTRAL RAILROAD. 0 (SAMUOATY Aves ss tence 11,481.86 acres, for ... s..ceeee $175,057.46 February .....c.se0 4,959.04 66 Eh i dudaine oon sp 75,509.09 March........s000. 26,880.14 6 sudvudnesew (.OLAy iO LO UADELL ioveserye st teen 12,853.22 FA | Shdenbadalbns 211,442.17 DLR Y) caxcnesesaher ete 18,328.45 é eras 293,860.96 JUNG Hare ieavencte 15,529.56 heal eee PET 241,291.96 JULY Sod Sesvacte. Wet L9,009000 SA INa decumiedeebe 301,066.16 AUIZORG Gacsctncre ts 27,288.88 “6 ganiabe gee: GONG TEE, Ue September ......... 43,018.35 6 ac naieetaced 662,014.23 OOtODET dteccek: ins DOAZLAO Ae is Sonera te 906,800.58 November. ........ 54,004.76 Oe OY ptnacesetese 859,290.47 So that on the Ist of December, 1856, 819,138.60 acres were already sold for $10,033,486.54; leaving only 1,775,861.40 for future purchasers. These extraordinarily rapid sales, — this unexampled sudden transformation of such a large territory, hitherto lying in a wild and uncultivated state, into luxuriant cornfields, inviting farms and fruit- ful orchards, must not be attributed solely to the location and fer- tility of the land, but also, in as great a measure, to the unequalled and ready facilities that are afforded to the owner and cultivator by the Illinois Central Railroad Company. The same advantages are still offered, and persons, even with limited means, may yet acquire valuable property, and thus come to enjoy wealth and independence within a comparatively short time. Influenced by these reasons, hundreds of people are weekly coming from the Hastern States to Chicago, because they have become dis- couraged with the hard and unenriching labour bestowed on eastern land, and now choose rather to apply their energies and industry to the productive virgin soil of Illinois. In the morning, long before the hour of opening, the doors of the Illinois Central Railroad Com- pany’s Land Office, at Chicago, are thronged with people ; and when opened, the office is soon densely filled with eager purchasers. It is not a trifling business of everyday life, such as 1 stranger to these scenes might suppose, that is here daily transacted, but lands to the value of hundreds of thousands of dollars in their monthly aggregate are disposed of. The settlement of these lands, which has been accelerated as if by a stroke of magic, is made on the following conditions :— The Com- \ LANDS OF THE CENTRAL RAILROAD. 409 pany requires no payment of purchase-money during the first two years from the day of purchase; and further, a long credit is given to the purchaser, while the interest on the purchase-money does not exceed three per cent. per annum. The prices vary from $5 to $25 per acre, according to the quality and location of the lands, — whether they lie next to, or more dis- tant from, the railroad, towns, or town-sites. The first instalment of the purchase-money, being one-fifth, becomes due at the expiration of two years from the time when the contract was made; another fifth at the close of each subsequent year, with three per cent. interest: so that the last instalment will become due at the end of six years. | The interest for each ensuing year is paid in advance, upon making the first, second, third, and fourth. payments. The interest for the first two years is to be paid upon making the contract. The purchaser is obligated to cultivate at least one-tenth of his land every year; and upon making the last payment of instalments he will be entitled to a deed in fee simple. Purchasers who are willing to pay six per cent. interest may enjoy « longer credit. An allowance or deduction of twenty per cent will be made on cash-payments; and the construction-bonds of the com- pany will be taken, and considered as equivalent to cash. Now, let us suppose a purchase of 80 acres, at $10 per acre, to be made on the Ist of May, 1857, the payments on the same would then run as follows : — May 1, 1857. Received contract for a deed for 80 acres of land, at $10 per acre ($800), and paid two year’s in- terest, at 3 per cent. per annum, in advance, $48 00 - 1859. Paid first instalment of principal, being one-fifth of $800, $160 00 One year’s interest, in advance, on bal- ance due ($640), at 3 per cent. 19 20 179 20 «¢ 1860. Paid second instalment, being one-fifth, as above, . 160 00 One year’s interest, in advance, on bal- ance due ($480), as above, 14 40 174 40 Carried over, $401 60 85 ~ 410 LANDS OF THE CENTRAL RAILROAD. Brought over, $401 60 May 1, 1861. Paid third instalment, being one-fifth, as above, $160 00 One year’s interest, in advance, on bal- ance due ($20), as above, 9 60 169 60 «1862. Paid fourth instalment, being one-fifth, .as above, 160 00 One year’s interest, in advance, on bal- ance due ($160), as above, 4 80 164 80 ‘© 1868. Paid fifth instalment, being one-fifth, as above, and received deed, 160 00 Making the full payment, principal and interest, $896 00 If the purchaser of these 80 acres brings only 20 of them into cul- tivation each year, by raising Indian corn on the one half and wheat on the other, according to the average yield, as stated on page 291, viz., 56 bushels of Indian corn, and 24 bushels of wheat, per acre, the average price of the former, as mentioned on page 292, being 83 cents per bushel, and that of the latter $1.27 per bushel, his yearly returns will be as follows :— In the first year — 560 bushels of Indian corn, $184 80 240 6 wheat, 804 80 $489 60 In the second year — 1120 bushels of Indian corn, 869 60 480 6 wheat, 609 60 979 20 In the third year — 1680 bushels of Indian corn, 554 40 720 Re wheat, 914 40 1468 80 In the fourth year — 2240 bushels of Indian corn, 739 20 960 ss wheat, 1219 20 1958 40 Honoe, 1m che rst four VOars, ..ccscccs avwasassesekartinsageot oases $4896 00 From the sum thus obtained, deduct the entire purchase-money, amounting to $896, with interest included, and there will remain an average annual income of $1000 to be used for alimony and the LANDS OF THE CENTRAL RAILROAD. 411 defraying of farming expenditures, which will be found more than sufficient to cover such expenses. The farmer will, then, not only be free from debts, and possess an unencumbered farm of 80 acres, but the value of his farm will in the mean time have increased to two or threefold its original cost. Considering the ease with which prairie-soil can be put under cul- tivation, it is hardly probable that an enterprising farmer will be satisfied with making only 20 acres arable in each year. As stated on page 317, one man, with a team of horses, can farm about 40 acres, needing hired help mint in harvest time; and hence we may suppose that the owner of 80 acres will make sent all arable within two years, or 40 acres in each year, and in this case his returns will be as follows : — . In the first year — 1120 bushels of Indian corn, $369 60 480 a6 wheat, 609 60 $979 20 In the second year — 2240 bushels of Indian corn, 739 20 960 " wheat, 1219 20 —— 1958 40 Hence, in the first two years, »....00.0. sisduathe nccasinty sonneetes $2937 60 And he will thus, at the expiration of such a very short term, be enabled to hold his property entirely free from debt. These figures, although they are merely assumed as an approxima- tion to what may be realized, nevertheless furnish an irrefutable proof that the credit system, as established by the Illinois Central Railroad Company, affords the greatest and most favourable facilities to persons, even of very limited means, to become possessed of valu- able real estate, independence, and wealth. While on this subject, let us regard the testimony of one who, in the year 1853, himself purchased, from the Illinois Central Railroad Company, forty acres of land, situate in the neighborhood of Blooming- ton, and who therefore speaks from his own experience. In a letter to Mr. Chas. M. Du Puy, Mr. John Lindley says : — 412 LANDS OF THE CENTRAL RAILROAD. Dear Sin: — Having seen a publication, made by you, in relation to the value and pro- ductiveness of the lands belonging to the Illinois Central Railroad Company, I take the liberty to make the following statement of my own experience in the premises. | In August, 1853, I purchased of said company the N. W. quarter of the S. W. quarter of section 82, township 28, north of range 2, east, containing 40 acres of prairie-land, six miles from Bloomington, in the county of McLean, and State of Illinois. I broke up the 40 acres of land, and put it all in fall wheat; and from my first crop, which I harvested in July, 1854, I raised, on the 40 acres, eleven hundred and ten bushels of first quality white Genesee wheat, which I dis- posed of as follows: — 1st. I sold, to different individuals, 100 bushels, at $1.25.............. $125 00 2a. I sold Brown & Mayers 300 bushels, at $1.25......... ssscesees ovvees 3875 00 3d. I sold to Brown & Mayers 600 bushels, delivered at Blooming- GOI AE ALOU Soe os ccatbustcvore sue reaae cecitan anes aaa eendnkn Ween 900 00 110 bushels I kept for, my OWN USE, SAY.s.cerceecocccessesvovcecees atvessas SU LOL UG Showing the aggregate value and receipts to De ..ccssseesccceeesecees $1565 00 as the production of 40 acres of land for one season, and that being the first crop raised on said land, — being what is known as fall wheat — crop sown upon the sod, after the first breaking up and turning over of the prairie. My whole expense of producing the same was: — FenGitie, Saycss sscvcessseun ss pisaiisshuatzates sevaseateke LavaNaa sesupe Hanks peeean ok $200 00 Breaking 40 acres of land..........+. Wubassdgduesheasty gence das puthaheeasanete 100 00 Wheat for seeding $50, sowing the same $15 ...... s+. sei ncastouetawe (ran 65 00 Harvesting, Say... sai WiReatbentcastee Sov anbait Geaedasts sé veaceneMb ont Mette ee TD DO Threshing, Say .....00 aheae dl BUG UE Meue Lie nen waeces dedetgs Uelagoey ds buat odbed Gr neee 60 00 Leaving a net profit, on 40.acres, of $1065. And now, as the 40 acres of land are fenced and broke up, and in fine condition for cultivation, I can readily sell the land at $25 per acre, cash; but I should decline selling if offered thirty dollars per acre. I make the aforesaid statement for the information of all persons who con- template coming to this State, that they may know the agricultural advan- tages of Illinois. ; No one having an intention to settle in Illinois, and whose means are not very great, should neglect to examine the lands of the Illinois Central Railroad Company, before making a purchase in any other quarter. There is much advantage in the method of paying the LANDS OF THE CENTRAL RAILROAD. 413 purchase-money by instalmeuts, bearing an interest of only three per cent. per annum. On this account, not only settlers from the Hastern States, but even Illinois farmers, heretofore living in other parts of this State, are settling on the lands of the Company, and here providing new homes for themselves. These lands become liable to taxation only at the time when the last instalment is paid, and after the purchaser has received his deed. A service may be rendered to those who intend to settle on these lands, by giving a description of them, in their whole extent along the ' line of the railroad, with particular regard to the qualities of the soil. We will, therefore, commence by following the route of the Chicago Branch-road to Centralia, and thence along the main line from Cait up to Dunleith. . Calumet, Thornton, Richton. — Land level and rich. By ditching, it may be made well adapted to grazing, and supply Chicago with milk, vegetables, and hogs. Monee, Manteno. — Splendid rolling-prairie; rich, deep, black soil. Extremely valuable, owing to its vicinity to the Chicago market. A sulphur spring in township 82, range 10, east. Bourbonnais, Kankakee, Chebanse.—Beautiful prairie-country ; well watered and timbered. Ashkum, Onarga. — Rich, gently rolling prairie; well adapted to grazing. Streams fringed with ash, oak, elm, &c. Fine living springs pouring into the Iroquois river. Loda. — Beautiful rolling-prairie, thinly interspersed with timber. Well adapted to grazing and tillage. Watered by a number of streams. Pera, — Land high and rolling; watered by the Big Vermillion and Sangamon rivers. Rantoul. — Vast prairie; highly adapted to grazing and raising stock. Urbana, Pesotum. — Fertile in the highest degree, and well wooded. The Great Western Railroad crosses south of Urbana, and brings coal from the Danville coal-fields. 30 * 414 LANDS OF THE CENTRAL RAILROAD. Okaw. —Rich rolling-prairie. The Indiana and Illinois Railroad passes north of Okaw. Country well watered by the Kankaskia — and its branches... Streams fringed with timber. Arno. — Prairie and wood-land;: rich, fertile, and well watered. The Terrehaute and Alton Railroad intersects south of Arno. Nioga, Effingham. — Rolling, rich prairie; well supplied with streams and fine groves of timber. Excellent farming country. The National road passes through Effingham. Edgewood. —Timbered with oak, hickory, &c.; interspersed with almost the same quantity of prairie. Farina, Tontt. — Fine, open prairie, and interspersed with groves of timber. faire, Villa Ridge. — Cairo is the southern terminus of the road, and is situated at the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers. Country back heavily timbered with poplar, oak, cotton-wood, gum, elm, cypress, Xc. : Ullin, Jonesboro’. — High, rolling land, heavily timbered with beach and cotton-wood. Wheat, of a very superior quality, ripens in May. Iron ore is found near Jonesboro’. Macanda, Carbondale. — A fine, timbered country, covered with gum, poplar, sugar-tree, mulberry, oak, and ash; watered by the Big Muddy. river, &. Coal is found in this region. Tobacco is also cultivated here. De Soto, Du Quoin.— The centre of the coal region. At Du Quoin it is mined thirty feet from the surface. Fine, open prairie, inter- spersed with walnut, oak, sugar-tree, &. xcellent farming lands. Tamaroa. — Northern limit of the coal-field. About an equal quantity of timber and prairie; watered by the Big Muddy river, &c. y Ashley, Richview, Centralia. — Gently-rolling prairie, well watered. Proceeding north, prairie more rolling, and interspersed with groves of oak, ash, &c. Sandoval, Patoka. — Country well watered, and interspersed with timber. The Ohio and Mississippi Railroad crosses at Sandoval. ‘ LANDS OF THE CENTRAL RAILROAD. 415 Vandalia. — Well watered. Climate mild; winters short. Cattle thrive on the prairie for nine or ten months in the year. Ramsey, Oconee. — Level and rolling prairie, interspersed with tim- ber, and well watered. The Terrehaute and Alton Railroad passes through this section. Pana, Tacusah. — Fine prairie ; streams fringed with timber. The Terrehaute and Alton Railroad intersects at Pana. Moawequa, Macon, Decatur. — Rich prairie, well timbered, and watered by the Sangamon river, &c. The Great Western and the Indiana Central Railroad intersect at Decatur. Maroa. — Gently-rolling, rich prairie, well watered. Streams fringed with hickory, elm, walnut, and pawpaw. Clinton, Wapellah, Elmwood. — Rolling, rich prairie, with groves of timber, watered by Sugar creek and the Kickapoo. Bloomington, Hudson.— A beautiful, fertile, and rolling farming- country, well watered, and supplied with timber. Highly adapted for settlement. ) Kappa, Panola, Minonk. — Rich, rolling prairie. Timber in groves and on creeks. Watered by Panther creek, &c. The Peoria and Oquawka Railroad passes south of Panola. : Wenona.—— Level and rolling prairie, interspersed with timber, and well watered. Deep and rich soil. The Fort Wayne and Lacon Railroad intersects at Wenona. — Tonica, La Salle, Homer. — The great belt of coal, passing through the centre of the State, is found extensively at La Salle, and ranges a long distance east and west. Junction of the Illinois Central and Rock Island railroads; also, intersection of the Illinois and Michigan canal. Mendota, Soublette, Amboy. — In Mendota, the junction of the Illi- nois Central, Military Tract and Aurora Branch railroads. _ High, rolling land, occasionally interspersed with timber. Good water- power. ‘ Dixon. — Country well settled throughout. Excellent agricultural land, well watered by Rock river, &c. The,Galena and Chicago Air Line Railroad intersects at Dixon. 416 LANDS OF THE CENTRAL RAILROAD. Foreston. — High, dry, and upland prairie, well timbered and well watered. Freeport, Elleroy, Lena, Nora. — Magnificent farming-country, well watered. The Galena and Chicago Union Railroad intersects at Freeport. Warren, Scales Mound, Council Hill, Galena, Dunleith. — A rapidly growing country. Fine agricultural soil throughout the section. Galena_is the centre of the lead region. Dunleith is the northern terminus of the road. Through the above brief description, the reader may become some- what acquainted with the general character of the country traversed by the [linois Central Railroad, as well as with the peculiar qualities of the various sections of land brought into market by the Company. It remains still to be mentioned, as a striking proof ofthe extra- ordinary progress already made in the development and cultivation of these lands, that, in the year 1856, in the neighbourhood of Ur- bana alone, within a circuit of fifteen miles, about 20,000 acres were tilled and sown with wheat; which more than doubles the quantity of all the land together that had been previously broken up and culti- vated in this. region. It is further supposed, that, from the crop of 1856 alone, between 800,000 and 400,000 bushels of wheat will be sent only to the market at Urbana. From this we can form some idea of the rapid increase in the quantity of tilled lands throughout the whole of this rich and fertile country. Lastly, the following table, which is constructed from data collected in January, 1856, shows the rapid growth and great strides towards municipal importance of the numerous towns and villages already founded in this bountiful territory, and which lie dotted along the line of the railroad and its branches, in the whole of the long distance between the beginning and the end. In fact, many of these places have during the last year doubled the number of their inhabitants ; and, therefore, although these data have been so lately and carefully collected, they will enable the close examiner to form merely a rea- sonable conjecture of what is the,present state of things. LANDS OF THE CENTRAL RAILROAD. Table. showin the route of the Illinois Central Railroad, in 1850 and January, 1856. 417 the number of inhabitants, houses, ehurches, §c., of the towns on 3 INHABITANTS Hovsszs Name, 3 : tin in in in 3 | 1850. |Jan’ry| 1850. |Jan’ry = = 1856. 1856.| & oO ATID OT es Haverien 1850 16} 1329 3; 800} 2 Apple River........ «| 1854) ..... SR OLSON Re he SU eee ABI GY dob chew senseashe 1854| ...... GOI Eis 60} 2 Bloomington ........ 1832} 2200} 5500] 400] 1540) 10 bok ee Be eee 1836] 3800].1300 15| 150) 4 Calumet Settlement) 1838 50} 150 12 40| 2 Carbondale .......... BOGS Giendd OOUN etie es 90; 2 CFP IB: cdancdar ace | ACOA TR ove 600] ...... 60} 1 Chebanse .....5 veces TR64 ln tedee Zh inibosas Bt ae CEM EOT Toots asst. 1845| 760} 1500} 800} 500; 2 Council Hill ......... 1828} 300} 400 76)"-100)*1 Decatur ei.sik: cess 1829} 600}. 2200} -175} 600) 6 DG ECs ssa sackhce ons LBB4P haces BOGS Sac TORR | SPRUE ced cacds teh aby 1839} 6540] 3200|notk.|/notk.| 6 Danletihi 2.52.35. 1853 5} 700 Le, i Shh | Du Peratree sere. oe 1853] ...... 7G, y 4) Weeee TOWGKOY ccnscceusecoecar| LOOU|s LBP 225 Sy 42) Foreston ....cserecess 1855) Aus 90] -....3. 1G Zc, Freeport ces chescnesis 1838] 1400] 5000} 200) 1000} 9 PEMA dase wawtr ices 1836 25| 1038 6 tee JONESDOLO’ .. oocesece> 1818} 584} 8038] 113] 162) 2) Kankakee......0000. LE62) sS2a:, TAO wesast 400| 4 ee rere yee LBDGt ices nes LAUT) seas Co) TAPPRLIS yikascuctey ss 1839} 200] 3500 25| 800) 4 Lena . .| 1853 5| 350 1 65} 2 pA, | TS TB EBT dese LOU veiet i ace DIMOKUT cocavs acs iastne Pal OOS cveses po) dae hat Makanda....ccccoseee EOBAY ec cues be: ae ae AY Manteno icsccscizcecs | AOO4 | esses BiG, sexes TA hon a MIUCEOOI. ceases cher TSEBT cases LOOT se sce 401.3. Moamdlotal cddees Feit ce P1888) ie. TBOO Misses. 200) 2 MinGn ks siicstecrcsts L854) onssee TDlivsecd: Tite 4: Moawequa.. ....cceee TBBGT cacies 8300} «23... 40} 1 Maneiyek tities 1850} 145) 800} 26} 200) 1 aR ae pa ity ae RO esewae 60; 1 OCONEE .eeeee soe Blue 1854| .. ine OT Ges OMB TED ibis hs sececs 1854] . ODT eteet 26] 1 PeRtcsac a, iat aan 7) eee ps) Sa 8 Panola... 1853) «2000. 150|#...0. 15 Polo PLOOAL? ike che BHO! voces 130) 1 Pulaski sites dovtenat: 1854} .....: JOO) Gecwn BOL cies Richview. ...... cesses 1840 65} 525} 13; 120] 1 — Sebo e aH ee al ae | ov 3 io] =) < ee nm | mal ° 4 wD —_—— HOR be oF He hoc Pb Cot Ce oe eo es . . . oa fmt feel peed S ae Pree DHE ANWOIADWDDO I bo bo So et co i [@.¢) . oo > WMNMONW OWE ANOOAOWRhOWO o> bo CO — CO bo 1 OO BM =“T 08 ST Or ot — Hotels. OHHH ROW R OOO? PHD WONHHC ] ° — > De Pb & CO: CS = bh =1 bet m bobo Cobo: Saw & Flour Mills. . . * S eteo bo Cote Ss eS bob cates oe a > Mhbooc: es | Factories. lo oor > he - & 418 LANDS OF THE CENTRAL RAILROAD. Table showing the number of inhabitants, houses, churches, &¢., of the towns on the route of the Lilinots Central Railroad, in 1850 and Jan., 1856. — Continued. INHABITANTS Hovses in in in in 1850. |Jan’ry| 1850. | Jan’ry 1856. When started. Schools & Academies. | Saw & Flour Mills. rs Factories. Sandoval.....ceceees. 20) 20 Scales Mound 85 Soublette Chap 38 ! 5 14 21 41 10 1835} 500} 1145|notk.|notk. Urbana (West) 1854 416)notk. |notk. Wendaliaw..28 ited: 1820 60) 12! Wapella.... 1853 Warren 1850 Wenona .....cccsceee8| 1858 Woosung bobo: : is eS | Churches. | re | Stores. Ce a oe mee bos Boxe Pwormonh:.s wwe bo: oak awe oe Cy yee > gore ee See es | Hotels. te BANKS. THE banking system of Illinois is regulated by two acts of the Legislature, passed respectively on the 15th of February, 1851, and on the 10th of February, 1853. The following are the principal enactments and provisions of these several laws : — No bank shall be organized with a less capital than $50,000; and stocks to be deposited to secure the circulation, &c. The amount of circulation shall in-no case exceed the capital stock set forth in the certificate of incorporation; but the deposit of stock securities and the circulation may be increased from time to time, until they equal the maximum of the certified capital stock. Bank charters shall not be granted for a longer period than twenty-five years. All notes issued by the banks must be payable on demand, at the respective places where the banks are located, and.be countersigned, numbered, and recotded by the register. No bank shall be authorized to put into circulation a larger amount of notes than the amount of stocks deposited as security with the State auditor. | , The stock thus deposited is intended, in the first place, for the re- demption of the notes in circulation, provided the bank itself should fail to redeem them; and in the next place, they are made to sub- serve the purpose of liquidating all the liabilities of any bank thus failing.. Hach stockholder is also made individually liable in propor- tion to the full amount of capital stock owned by him. If any bank shall refuse or neglect to redeem any one of its notes, and such fact be properly certified by an ordinary protest, drawn up and acknowleged by any notary public, it shall be the duty of the (419) 420 BANKS. auditor of the State, as soon as he shall be informed of the fact, to take immediate measures against such bank. It is the duty of the commissioners of banks to examine into their condition once in every year. Every bank shall, at the end of each quarter, make a full statement of its funds and business transactions to the State auditor. In writing this book, we have been guided, as far as possible, by the principle of pointing out. facts merely, and hence we have generally refrained from expressing gur own bare opinions. How- ever, although we do not now intend to go into a particular criticism of the banking laws of Illinois, we cannot forbear from remarking, that, in our opinion, a general alteration and amendment of them is necessary to preserve the people of the State from the great inconve- niences which otherwise must sooner or later arise under the present law. | ) : According to a statement published by the State auditor, on the 10th of January, 1856, (Congressional Documents, on Banks in 1855, pages 176 and 177,) there were, at that time, forty-five banks in the State of Illinois, having, altogether, stock securities deposited to the amount of $4,184,879.62, while their note circulation reached only $3.514,911 — showing an excess of $619,968. 62, in deposits, over the amount of notes in circulation. At the present time, (December, 1856,) thereare fifty-two banks in the State, —nine of which, however, are phuss to wind up their business. We here give the names, location, feel of those fifty-two banks, together with their respective capitals, as shown in the statement above mentioned, the amount of capital stock actually paid in, and the amount of stock securities deposited, with the circulation based thereon; and, also, the maximum capital authorized by their several charters, as it is set down in the Banker’s Almanac for the year 1856: — Alton Bank — Alton. E. Marsh, President; Chas. A. Caldwell, Cashier. Charter, $100,000 Stocks deposited, $61,581.32 Capital Stock paid in, 69,845.21 Circulation, 51,819 BANKS, | 491 _ Agricultural Bank — Marion. S. B. Wheelock, President; R. M. Herndly, Cashier. American Exchange Bank — Raleigh. W. H. Parish, President; C. H. Miner, Cashier, Bank of America — Chicago. - G. Smith President; E. W. Willard, Cashier. . *Charter, $1,000,000 Stocks deposited, $89,000 Capital Stock paid in, 50,000 Circulation, 50 000 Bank of Aurora. — Aurora. M. V. Hall, President; B. F. Hall, Cashier. Bank of Belleville. — Belleville. E. Miltenberger, President; S. E. Mandelbaum, Cashier. Charter, $100,000 Stocks deposited, $65,000 Capital Stock, paidin, 656,990 . Circulation, 56,990 Bank of the Commonwealth. — Robinson. I. N. Whipply, President; I. H. Low, Cashier. Bank of Elgin. — Elgin. | A. J. Waldron, President; J. J. Town, Cashier. Stocks deposited, $200,000 Capital Stock paid in, $100,000 Circulation, 94,380 Bank of Galena. — Galena. Henry Corwith, President; C. C. P. Hunt, Cashier. Charter, . $100,000 Stocks deposited, $104,814.75 Capital Stock paid in, 657,000 Circulation, 73,668 Bank of Hutsonviile. — Hutsonville. Stocks deposited, $100,000 Capital Stock paid in, $90,950 Circulation, 90,950 Bank of Illinois. — New Haven. G. C. Smith, President; P. C. Briggs, Cashier. Bank of Naperville. — Naperville. W. Scott, President; A. Keith, Cashier. Charter, $100,000 Stocks deposited, $55,000 Capital Stock paid in, 50,000 Circulation, 52,780 Bank of Northern Illinois. — Waukegan. C. D. Bickford, President; Chas. R. Steele, Cashier. Charter, $100,000 Stocks deposited, $53,000 Capital Stock paid in, 50,000 Circulation, 50,000 * According to Monroe’s Bank Note List, $200,000, 36 422 BANKS. Bank of Ottawa. — Ottawa. ( Closing.) B. C. Cook, President; G. 8. Fisher, Cashier. Charter, $150,000 Stocks deposited, $25,000 Capital Stock paid in, 20,654.70 Circulation, 20,500 Bank of Peru. — Peru. Charter, -$100,000 Stocks deposited, $55,000 Capital Stock paid in, 88,500 Circulation, 50,002 Bank of Pike County. — Griggsville. | Thos. I. Ludus, President; R. M. K. Ludlow, Cashier. Bank of Quiney. — Quincy. Jno. McGinnes, President; M. Boon, Cashier. Bank of Raleigh. — Raleigh. Wm. Stadden, President; R. C. Spain, Cashier. Bank of the Repubiic. — McLeansboro. J. Rockwell, President; C. H. Rockwell, Cashier. Bank of Southern Illinois. — Bolton. E. K. Willard, President; W. L. Joiner, Githiey. : Stocks deposited, $75,000 Capital Stock paid in, $75,000 Circulation, 68,550 Belvidere Bank. — Belvidere. ( Closing.) A. Neely, President; Chas. Neely, Cashier. *Charter, $100,000 Stocks deposited, $31,000 Capital Stock paid in, 80,000 Circulation, 29,397 Central Bank. — Peoria. E. B. Elwood, President; 8. Matteson, Cashier. Charter, $200,000 Stocks deposited, $50,500 Capital Stock paid in, 50,500 Circulation, 47,975 Chicago Bank. —Chicago. Thos. Burch, President; I. H. Burch, Cashier. Charter, $100,000: Stocks deposited, $119,328.25 Capital Stock paid in, 59,501.29 Circulation, 50,014 Clark’s Exchange Bank. —Springfield. (Closing.) N. H. Ridgely, President; Chas. Ridgely, Cashier. *Charter, $200,000 Stocks deposited, $21,056.41 Capital Stock paid in, 10,107.07 / Circulation, 10,000 * According to Monroe. BANKS. 423 Commercial Bank. —Chicago. (Closing.) I. Cook, President; A. Gilbert, Cashier. Stocks deposited, $27,000 Capital Stock paid in, $52,000 Circulation, 25,005 Corn Exchange Bank. — Fairfield. Stocks deposited, $60,000 Capital Stock paid in, $50,000 Circulation, 52,300 Du Page County Bank. — Naperville. (Closing.) W. Scott, President; A. Keith, Cashier. Stocks deposited, $5000 . Circulation, 4470 Edgar County Bank. — Paris. H. Sanford, President; G. E. Loving, Cashier. Exchange Bank of H. A. Tucker § Co.—Chicago. (Closing.) H. A. Tucker, President; H. B. Dox, Cashier. Circulation, $1186 (Has returned, as required by law, the amount of notes in circulation, and withdrawn its stocks.) Farmers and Traders Bank. — Charleston. W. H. Murstin, President; Thos. A. Marshall, Cashier. Stocks deposited, $157,500 Capital Stock paid in, $150,000 Circulation, © 149,785 Grand Prairie Bank. — Urbana. W. N. Coler, President; T. S. Hubbard, Cashier. Charter, $100,000 Grayville Bank. — Grayville. E. Chasy, President; L. B. Clark, Cashier. Stocks deposited, $458,297.86 Capital Stock paid in, $331,698.91 Circulation, 831,696 Hamilton County Bank. — McLeansboro. Stocks deposited, $110,000 Capital Stock paid in, $110,000 Circulation, 101,870 Lafayette Bank. — Bloomington. W. H. Cord, President; J. L. Soe os Cashier. Marine Bank of Chicago. — Chicago. J. Y. Scammon, President; B. T. Carver, Cashier. Charter, $550,000 Stocks deposited, $198,767.15 Capital Stock paidin, 150,000 Circulation, 100,705 424 BANKS. McLean County Bank. — Bloomington. C. A. Gridley, President; T. Pardee, Cashier. Charter, $100,000 Stocks deposited, $68,000 Capital Stock paid in, 65,000 Circulation, 64,998 Merchants and Drovers Bank. — Joliet. Wm. Smith, President; R. E. Goodell, Cashier. Charter, $250,000 | Stocks deposited, $191,346.92 Capital Stock paid in, 189,638 Circulation, 178,331 Merchants and Mechanics Bank, —Chicago. ( Closing.) James H. Woodworth, President. " * Charter, $100,000 Stocks deposited, $6000 Capital Stock paid in, 85,500 Circulation, ~ 6561 Mississippi River Bank. — Oxford, C. C. Merriam, President; W. H. Merriam, Cashier. Morgan County Bank. — Jacksonville. H. R. Reed, President; W. W. Wright, Cashier. *Charter, $50,000 National Bank. — Equality. | E. J. Humphrey, President; W. H. Crawford, Cashier. Stocks deposited, $80,000 Capital Stock paid in, $80,000 Circulation, 74,376 Peoples Bank. — Carmi. 8. Vorhies, President; E. Dodge, Cashier. Stocks deposited, $500,000 Capital Stock paid in, $464,516 Circulation, 464,515 Prairie State Bank. — Washington. J. L. Marsh, President; H. Lee, Cashier. Stocks deposited, $115,000 Capital Stock paid in, $104,160 Circulation, 104,160 Railroad Bank. — Decatur. P. D. Kline, President; C. H. Fuller, Cashier. Charter, $50,000 Stocks deposited, $50,000 Capital Stock paid in, {56,000 Circulation, 48,050 Rock Island Bank. — Rock Island. ( Closing.) M. B. Osborn, President; 8S. H. Mann, Cashier. *Charter, | $100,000 Stocks deposited, $18,000 Capital Stock paid in, 50,000 Circulation, 16,007 * According to Monroe. BANKS. Rushville Bank. — Rushville. Stocks deposited, $81,500 Capital Stock paid in, $73,800 Circulation, 73,300 Southern Bank of Iilinois. — Belleville. ( Closing.) R. Hinckley, President; F. Hinckley, Cashier. *Charter $300,000 Stocks deposited, $7000 Capital Stock paid in, 7000 Circulation, 6000 Southern Bank of Illinois. — Grayville. L. Hinckley, President; C. D. Affleck, Cashier. Stocks deposited, $60,000 Capital Stock paid in, $53,380 Circulation, 53,380 State Bank of Iilinots. — Shawneetown. / J. Bowles, President; A. B. Safford, Cashier. Stocks deposited, $471,186. Capital Stock paid in, $431,305.03 Circulation, 425,389 Stock Security Bank. — Danville. D. Clapp, President; W. W. Fellows, Cashier. Stocks deposited, $200,000 Capital Stock paid in, $183,400 Circulation, 183,470 E. I. Tinkham and Co.’s Bank. — McULeansboro. 8. Tinkham, President; W. Rickords, Cashier. Stocks deposited, $265,000 Capital Stock paid in, $255,000 Circulation, 233,385 Warren County Bank. — Monmouth. T. L. Mackey, President; J. Quimby, Cashier. The following banks have been closed during the latter part of 425 96 the period above stated. Those marked with a + have returned, as re- quired by law, the amount of notes put in circulation, and withdrawn their stocks; the notes of the others are at present redeemed at auditor’s office. {Bank of Lucas and Simonds — Springfield. Bank of Rockford — Rockford. City Bank — Chicago. Farmers’ Bank — Chicago. Mechanics’ and Farmers’ Bank — Springfield. Pheniz Bank — Chicago. + Quincy City Bank — Quincy. Union Bank — Chicago. the * According to Monroe. 36* 426 BANKS. According to the Congressional Documents, the amount of capital employed by bankers, banking without charters, and by money and exchange brokers, was, in Galen s.ccccve xs wpeesebess ) DOC. 12a) LOGB /gtesdedeniesusdeecs OOD, 000 POOTIA iigdicssenerveupoesane “8” LG, TICE GETS is ste tence - 550,000 BADin ccsecssces segednaoeveacd ** | yaedy UBD) \ envecgdtankiteleeoa Mute OO POUNOTE sis scdsteevencecseeec tit"? a UsmeieSal aticass. sisnaseddee 50,000 LA Ballevitrenepetodecsn WEP. apa, facades vies eee 20,000 TOMY vs ce cdwese se S sasta atin ne Sd Dene AS Ma ehasauasawesna 15,000 PEL oosees coves iiiewes aan ope *6 BO, wihSe Mtedisns sed henenn exis (000 SIOMIDO HOI shevancele toke paw Teak b Oy <6 auesethegees akacae 800,000 Chicago ........ ant dees ahi) Aa Caen? phan abana tees 273,100 Waukegan. ......000. hastek peta ( Meget | fealtteeteh 4 pusaddead 10,000 CMAUILTICY scesasare tesqaness oh Pads pen: ae oe i daseanaes 130,000 DOBGELUT pennsd tess seateaee « Feb. —, 1856 ......00 seetei ics 45,000 Ottawa, i... sutey hace cou ente Rito) uktull | auatwsaterat gees 200,000 Bloomington. .......eeeee Fetes, Gel Age WEP vce nas taubirnd ch a 50,000 BTGOPOLt cscs ceses voce veces Deo. Bl, LBD ssccscssuoateesus. . FOGU Princeton ...65002004 Bienes” ROD. 22) “LODO! assets ewes me's tps 10,000 Belvidere.c.cecess ccocccona idle deems 1) SS ri seveeiete bedevescs 210,000 Jacksonville seeeeses seeeee Mar. 7, 66. @eeeee seeees Ceevene 5,000 RAILROADS. THE present position of Illinois as regards the natural and artificial elements that make a great and prosperous State, is mainly attribut- able to the construction of her railroads, by which the State, in all its length and breadth, is traversed, and every possible facility afforded for an unlimited. domestic and foreign trade and intercourse; and this, considering her immense territory and the enterprising character of her population, must, for all future time, necessarily secure to her an equal position with the highest in this great confederation of sister States. Up to the year 1850, Illinois had only one railroad, running a dis- tance of fifty-five miles. At the beginning of the year 1855, there were already 1892 miles; at the beginning of 1856, 2215 miles, and at its close, there were over 2600 miles, nearly all completed, while several new roads were either being projected, or even already in pro- gress of construction. Among the States of the Union, New York and Ohio have the greatest share of railroads: the former having 2795, and the latter 2725 miles. Illinois, indeed, is now but little behind them, and no doubt in a very brief time will surpass both, and possess more miles of railroad than any other State. By means of the railroads, Illinois is in immediate communication with the East and the West, with the South and the North. The State itself is traversed by railroads in all directions — within one year’s time, there will hardly be a single spot in it, from which one of the railroads cannot be reached within one day’s travel. The number of railroads that either pass entirely through the State, or, coming from adjacent States, merely traverse it in some parts, is no less than forty-eight, which are nearly all completed and (427) 428 RAILROADS. in successful operation. They are all enumerated in the subjoined alphabetical list, in which are also stated, the points of commencement and termination of each road, the points at which it is crossed or in- tersected by other roads, together with the number of miles, &c., as far as we were able to ascertain. The Alton and Illinoistown Railroad — Connects Alton and Illinoistown, and is 25 miles long. The Atlantic and Mississippi Railroad — Will run from Illinoistown, northeasterly, to Terre Haute, Tadtends and cross the main line of the Illinois Central Railroad at Vandalia, the Chi- cago branch of the same at Effingham, and the Wabash Valley Railroad about ten miles from the frontier of Indiana. The Belleville and Iilinoistown Railroad — Connects Belleville and Illinoistown, and is 15 miles long. The Belleville and Mount Vernon Railroad — Will, in coming from Belleville, cross the main line of the Illinois Central Railroad south of Richview, and terminate at Moynt Vernon, Jefferson county, by an intersection with the Massac and Sangamon Railroad. Belleville and Murphysboro Railroad — Willrun southeast of Belleville, cross the Kaskaskia river near Athens, then cross the main line of the Illinois Central Railroad at Carbondale, and touch thé Ohio river at Brooklyn, Massac county, The Beloit Branch of the Galena Railroad — Runs, in a northwestern direction, from Belvidere, Boone county, to Be- loit, Wisconsin. Length, 20 miles. The Bureau Valley Railroad — Joins the Rock Island Railroad at Bureau Junction, Bureau Sere and. follows, in a southern direction, the Illinois river; at Lacon, crossing the Fort Wayne, Lacon, and Platte Valley Railroad, and terminating at Peoria. Length, 47 miles. a) Th is) The Cairo and Vincennes Railroad — Is intended to run south, from Vincennes, and, crossing the Massac and Sangamon and the Belleville and Murphysboro railroads, to have its ter minus at Cairo. Central Military Tract Railroad — Forms a portion of the Burlington and Quincy Railroad, from Mendota, La Salle county, up to Galesburg, Knox county; in Bureau county, it crosses the Rock Island Railroad, and at Galvy, Knox county, the Fort Wayne, Lacon, and Platte Valley Railroad. Length, 80 miles, Th os RAILROADS. 429 The Chicago, Alton, and St. Louis Railroad — The The The The The The Connects Chicago and Alton, in a distance of 260 miles. It runs from Chicago, in a southwestern direction, via Joliet, at which latter place several railroads cross each other. Between Dwight and Odell, it crosses the Fort Wayne, Lacon, and Platte Valley Railroad; at Peoria Junction, the Logansport and Pacific Railroad; at Bloomington, the linois Cen- tral Railroad, and at Springfield, the Great Western Railroad. On the last of November, 1856, the privilege was granted to this com- pany to extend the road through Alton, so that there is now an uninter- rupted railway communication between Chicago and Illinoistown. Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad — Connects Chicago and Burlington, in a distance of 210 miles. It runs, westerly, to the Junction, where the Fox Valley, the Chicago, St. Charles, and Mississippi, and the Chicago, Fulton, and Iowa Central railroads termi- nate; and, proceeding thence in a southwestern direction, via Mendota and Galesburg, it reaches its terminus at Burlington. (See Central Mili- tary Tract Railroad.) Chicago and Cincinnati Railroad — Will use the track of the Chicago and Alton Railroad from Chicago to Junction; thenc run towards the southeast, and, north of Calumet, cross the Chicago branch of the Illinois Central Railroad; and, passing Ro- selle and Logansport, finally reach the Indiana line. Chicago and Fort Wayne Railroad — Uses the track of the Chicago branch of the Illinois Central Railroad as far as Calumet, and from thence, as far as Lake, the Michigan Central Railroad; from the latter point, it will be continued, via Roselle, to Fort Wayne. Chicago, Fulton, and Iowa Central Railroad — Also called the Dizon Air Line, or the Galena Air Line, forms the shortest route (only 135 miles) from Chicago to the Mississippi. It crosses the Rockford and Central Railroad west of Lane, and the main line of the Illinois Central Railroad at Dixon. Chicago and Milwaukie Railroad — Along the shore of Lake Michigan, forms a connection between Chicago and Milwaukie. Its whole length is 85 miles, of which 40 miles are within the State. Chicago and Oswego Railroad — Will run from Chicago, in a southwestern direction, to Athens, and from thence, after crossing the Lockport and Junction Railroad, will reach its terminus, near Oswego, by intersecting the Chicago and Burlington Railroad. . 430 RAILROADS. The Chicago and Rock Island Railroad — Runs via Joliet, at which place it crosses the Illinois river. At La Salle it crosses the main line of the Illinois Central Railroad, and the Burling- ton and Quincy Railroad between Wyanet and Princeton, and then goes westward to Rock Island. Length, 182 miles. The Chicago, St. Charles, and Mississippi Railroad — Will run, via Junction and St: Charles, as far as Savannah, Carroll county, on the Mississippi river. On its way, it will cross the Rockford and Central Railroad, the main line of the Illinois Central Railroad, and the Dixon and Galena Railroad. It is now completed as far as St. Charles. iss) Chicago, St. Paul, and Fond du Lac Railroad a Formerly called the Illinois and Wisconsin Railroad, runs from Chicago, via Janesville, Wisconsin, through Wisconsin, crossing the Fox River Valley Railroad at Crystal Lake. Its whole length will be about 360 miles, of which about 60° miles are within the limits of Illinois. It is finished as far as Janesville. Th d The Dixon and Galena Air Line Railroad — . Will run, in a straight line, from Dixon, in a northwestern direction, and, . after crossing the Chicago, St. Charles, and Mississippi Railroad, lead directly on to Galena. The Fort Wayne, Lacon, and Platte Valley Railroad — Is intended to form a connection, in’a straight line, between Fort Wayne, Indiana, and the Mississippi river; south of Bourbonnais, it will eross the Chicago branch of the Illinois Central Railroad; the Alton and Chicago Railroad south of Dwight; the main line of the Dlinois Central Railroad north of Wenona; the Bureau Valley Railroad near Lacon; the Chicago and Burlington Railroad near Galvy, and terminate about ten miles below Muscatine, near the Miseeeeer The Fox River Valley Railroad — Commences at Elgin, and runs through the Valley of the Fox river up into Wisconsin. Near Crystal Lake, it crosses the Chicago, St. Paul, and Fond du Lac Railroad. It is finished to the State boundary line Length, 34 miles. yditye The Galena and Chicago Union Railroad — ) Runs from. Chicago, via Junction and Elgin, as far as Freeport. Near Belvidere, terminates, north, the. Beloit Branch Railroad, and at Rockford, south of it, will terminate the Rockford.and Central Railroad. Length, 121 miles. The The The RAILROADS. 431 Great Western Railroad — Runs from Lafayette, Indiana, via Danville, Vermillion county, as far as Naples, on the Illinois river; it touches the Chicago branch of the Illinois Central Railroad between Urbana and Tolono; crosses the main line of the last-mentioned railroad near Decatur, and the Alton and Chi- cago Railroad near Springfield. Its length, from Naples to the Indiana State-line, is 174} miles. That portion of this railroad which connects Springfield with Naples, was the first railway constructed within the State of Dlinois (in the year 1837), but it soon fell into dilapidation, and continued so up to the year 1847, when it was purchased from the State by several capitalists, under whose direction it was reéstablished, and the construction of it gradually continued, until it was ready as far as the Indiana State-line. Jacksonville and Alton Railroad — Will form a connection between Jacksonville and Alton. The subscrip- tions for it were started in October, 1856. Illinois Central Railroad — Being 704 miles long, is the longest railroad in the State—one of the longest in the Union. To its construction and use, the State of Hlionois is unquestionably indebted for the great progress that has been made during the last few years. This railroad may be subdivided into three sections, viz.: 1. The Main Line, from Cairo to La Salle— 808 miles. 2. The Galena Branch, from La Salle to Dunleith — 146 miles, 8. The Chicago Branch, from Chicago to Centralia — 250 miles. The Main Line will be crossed at Carbondale by the Belleyiile and Mur- physboro Railroad. It crosses thé Ohio and Mississippi Railroad at San- doval. At Vandalia it will be crossed by the Atlantic and Mississippi, and by the Massac and Sangamon railroads. At Panola it will be crossed by the Terrehaute and Alton Railroad; at Decatur, by the Great Western Railroad, also touching, at the latter place, the Indiana and Illinois Central Rail- road. At Bloomington it crosses the Alton and Chicago Railroad, and it will also be crossed, at the same place, by the railroad which it is in con- templation.to construct from Peoria to Danville. South of Panola it will be crossed by the Logansport and Pacific Railroad; and, north of Wenona, by the Fort Wayne, Lacon, and Platte Valley Railroad; while at La Salle it is crossed by the Rock Island and Chicago Railroad. The Galena Branch crosses the Burlington and Quincy Railroad at Men- dota; at Dixon, the Chicago, Fulton, and Iowa Central Railroad; and it will be crossed, south of Foreston, by the Chicago, St. Charles, and Mis- sissippi Railroad, while it joins the Galena and Chicago Union Railroad at Freeport, and thence runs as far as Dunleith. 43 9° aed RAILROADS. v The Chicago Branch crosses the Michigan Southern and Northern Indiana Th Railroad east of Junction; and north of Richton, the Joliet and North- ern Indiana Railroad. South of Manteno, it will be crossed by the Wa- bash Valley Railroad; south of Bourbonnais, by the Fort Wayne, Lacon, and Platte Valley Railroad; north of Onarga, by the Logansport and Pacific Railroad. At Tolono, it crosses the Great Western Railroad, and south of Pesotum, it will be crossed by the Indiana and Illinois Central Railroad. At Mattoon, it crosses the Terrehaute and Alton Railroad; at Effingham, it will be crossed by the Atlantic and Mississippi Railroad, and at Tonti, by the Massac and Sangamon Railroad; at Odin, it crosses the Ohio and Mississippi Railroad, and then terminates 1 in the main line at Centralia. . By means of its great number of junctions and crossings, the [linois Central. Railroad has the advantage of being in the closest connection — with all parts of the State, and while it traverses the same from Chicago to Cairo, and from Cairo to Dunleith, it connects: a South with the Northeast and Northwest. The construction of this railroad was rendered possible by a grant of two and a half millions of acres of land. It was commenced on Christ- mas, in the year 1851, and on the 27th of September, 1856, the last rail was laid; so that, through excellent management, this great work was accomplished in the comparatively short space of four years and nine months. While we look upon the marvellous manner in which this road has been constructed as something unique and unsurpassed in the history of railroad building, and consider of what inestimable value it is to the State of Illinois, we must likewise, looking upon it as a mere individual speculation, undoubtedly, give it the highest rank among similar enter- prises. The receipts of the Company from passengers and for the trans- portation of goods increase from month to month; its stocks always com- mand a high price; and there is no doubt but that the sales of the land belonging to the Company will soon enable it to liquidate its entire debt, _ after which there will still be enough:land left to enable the Company to € make a dividend of fifty per cent. on the capital stock. Hence, in every respect, the Illinois Central Railroad maintains a position which makes it worthy to be ranked among the greatest. enterprises of the present century. ' Illinois Coal Company Railroad — . Connects Caseyville with Brooklyn. It is, as indicated by its name, only a coal road, but it also does a Peeeneet and freight business. The Illinois River Railroad — Is expected to run from Naples to Pekin, or to some other spot on the eastern shore of the Illinois river, opposite Peoria. The counties which RAILROADS. 433 this road will traverse, have already made large subscriptions for the construction of it. The Indiana and Illinois Central Railroad — Will be constructed from Indianapolis, Indiana, to Decatur. It will cross the Wabash Valley Railroad north of Bloomfield, and the main line of the Illinois Central Railroad between Pesotum and Okaw, and then join the Great Western Railroad at Decatur. Length, 1494 miles. Joliet and Athens Railroad — Runs from Joliet, in a-northerly direction, to Athens. Th a The Joliet-and Northern Indiana Railroad — Runs from Joliet to Lake, where it meets the Michigan Central Railroad. It crosses the Chicago branch of the Illinois Central Railroad north of Richton. Length, 45 miles, A) The Logansport and Pacific Railroad — Running in a straight line from Logansport, Indiana, towards the West, will cross the Wabash Valley Railroad at Middleport, the Chicago branch of the Illinois Central Railroad north of Onarga, the Alton and Chicago Railroad at Peoria Junction, and the main line of the Illinois Central Railroad south of Panola; then, pursuing a southwestern direction, ter- minate on the Lllinois river, opposite Peoria. The Lockport Junction Railroad — Is intended to run from Lockport, in a northwestern direction, to Junction, via Naperville, after previously crossing the Chicago and Os- wego Railroad, and at Junction joining the several roads which ter- minate there. The Massac and Sangamon Railroad — Is intended to run from Massac, on the Ohio river, via Marion, Frank- fort, and Mt. Vernon, crossing the Ohio and Mississippi Railroad at Salem, the Chicago branch of the Illinois Central Railroad at Tonti, the main line of the latter at Vandalia, and the Terrehaute and Alton Railroad at Hillsboro, to Springfield. The Michigan Central Railroad — Runs from Calumet, on the Chicago branch of the Illinois Central Rail- road, in a southwestern direction, through the northern part of the State of Indiana, and into the State of Michigan, to Detroit. The whole length of this road is 282 miles, of which, however, only a few miles are within the State of Illinois. 4 The Michigan Southern and Northern Indiana Railroad — Runs from Chicago to Monroe, Michigan. It commences at Junction, on the Rock Island and Chicago Railroad, crosses the Chicago branch of 37 20 434 RAILROADS. the Illinois Central Railroad, and turns to the southeast, traversing Northern Indiana, and penetrating into Michigan. Its whole length is 245 miles, of which but a few miles are within the State of Illinois. Lhe Naples Hannibal Railroad — Is intended to form a continuation of the Great Western Railroad, and to traverse the region between the Illinois and Mississippi rivers, so as to connect Naples and Hannibal. The Northern Cross Railroad — Runs from Galesburg to Quincy. Length, 100 miles. The Northern Cross Branch Railroad — Will run from Morgan City, on the Great Western Railroad, to Camp Point, on the Northern Cross Railroad, and traverse, near Mount Sterling, the Peoria and Hannibal Railroad. The Ohio and Mississippi Railroad — _ Runs from Vincennes, Indiana, to Ilinoistown, thus traversing the south- ern part of the State in its entire bread h. It will be crossed, near Salem, by the Massac and Sangamon Railroad? At Odin, it. crosses the Chi- cago. branch of the Illinois Central Railroad, and at Sandoval, the main line of said road. Length, 145 miles. Lhe Peoria and Hannibal Railroad — (Also called the Bureau Valley Extension Railroad) will be opened at Peo- ria, and run in a southwestern direction, crossing the Northern Cross Branch Railroad near Mt. Sterling, and terminate at Hannibal. Its length will be about 120 miles. The Peoria and Oquawka Railroad — Runs, in a northwestern direction, from Peoria to Galesburg, where it joins the Chicago and Burlington Railroud. Also the eastern branch of this road is already under construction; at Bloomington it will cross the Alton and Chicago Railroad, and the main line of the Illinois Central Railroad; at Urbana, the Chicago branch of the latter road, and join the Indiana roads at Danville. The Peoria and Rock Island Railroad ar Will bring Peoria and Rock Island into immediate connection. It will cross the Chicago and Burlington, and the Fort Wayne, Lacon, and Platte Valley railroads. Length, 82 miles. The Rockford Central Railroad — Will run from Rockford, in a southern direction, crossing the. phitendt St. Charles, and Mississippi Railroad, and the Chicago, Fulton, and Iowa Central Railroad, and join the Illinois Central Railroad at Mendota. RAILROADS. 435 The Terrehaute, Alton, and St. Louis Railroad — Soon after. passing the Indiana frontier, will be crossed, near Paris, by the Lake Erie, Wabash, and St. Louis. Railroad. It crosses the Chicago branch of the Illinois Central Railroad at Mattoon, the main line of said road at Pana, and then runs, in a southwestern direction, to Alton. At Hillsboro, it will be crossed by the Massac and Sangamon Railroad. Length, 173 miles. The Vincennes and Paducah Railroad — Will run, almost in a southern direction, from Vincennes, to Brooklyn, ‘“Massac county, opposite Paducah, in Kentucky. The Wabash Valley Railroad — Will run from Joliet, in a southern direction, to Vincennes; it will cross, south of Manteno, the Chicago branch of the Illinois Central Railroad, then the Fort Wayne, Lacon, and Platte Valley Railroad ; then the Logans- port and Pacific Railroad at Middleport; the Great Western Railroad at Danville; then the Indiana and [llinois Central Railroad; the Terre- haute and Alton Railroad at Paris; and, finally, the Atlantic and Missis- sippi Railroad. The Warsaw and Rockford Railroad — Will run from Warsaw, Hancock county, to Port Byron, Rock Island county, and have a length of 62 miles. PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS. Tae Inumois UNIversiry, at Springfield, was established by an act of the Legislature, in the year 1855. Although the main object of its establishment was to diffuse useful knowledge, science, and art, in general, yet there have been established vrincipally — 1. A department for the education of teachers of the common schools. | 2. An agricultural department, for the education and accom- plishment of farmers; and 3. A mechanical department, for instruction in the mechanical sciences. The management of the University is entrusted to the care and supervision of a president and twelve trustees, while a number of pro- fessors impart instruction in the various branches. The number of students is about 130. The Northern Illinois University, at Henry, Marshall county, was likewise established in the year 1855, and is placed under the pa- tronage of four Methodist conferences. The Illinois College, at Jacksonville, was established in the year 1829. It has from seven to eight professors, and about 140 alumni and students. The Shurtleff College, at Upper Alton, under the superintendency of the Baptists, and in connection with a theological seminary, was established in the year 1835. It has seven professors, and about 70 alumni and students. (486 ) PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS. 437 The McKendree College, at Lebanon, under the superintendency of the Methodists, and likewise established in the year 1835, has six professors, and about 150 alumni and students. The Knox College, at Galesburg, was established in the year 1837. It has seven professors, and the number of its students and alumni is from 90 to 100. The Rush Medical College, at Chicago, established in the year 1842, has nine professors, and counts about 130 students and graduates. The Illinois Hospital for the Insane is at- Jacksonville. ._In the years 1851 to 1854, there were 404 persons admitted into it, of which number 148 were cured, and 27 died. Of the 404 patients admitted, 46 were born in Illinois, and the rest partly in other States of the Union, and partly in Europe.. The majority of these patients were males. In 197 of the patients, causes of their insanity were unknown. Of the other cases, among the known causes, the following deserve to be mentioned: — 37 in consequence of other diseases and defects of the constitution; 83 from child-bearing and certain female diseases ; 12 through hereditary imperfections; 13 of injuries to the head; 2 by sun-stroke (coup de soleil); 4 from intemperance; 55 through grief; 22 from pietism; 8 by “spirit rappings,”’ or spiritualism; 17 from unhappy love; 6 from excessive study; 2 of home-sickness; 4 from distress for money; 1 through jealousy; 1 by seduction, and 1 through ambition. | Of the 22 patients whose insanity was caused by pietism, 17 were males and 5 females; of those from unhappy love, 11 were males and 6 females; and of those who suffered through the influence of spiri- tual manifestations, 7 were males, and 1 a female. Since the 16th of June, 1854, the institution has been under the superintendency of Dr. McFarland, late superintendent of the New Hampshire Asylum for the Insane. During the two years, from the Ist of December, 1852, to the Ist of December, 1854, the receipts of the institution amounted to $104,696.59, and the expenditures to $100,680.98. 37 * 438 PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS. The Institution for the Education of the Blind is at Jacksonville, and stands under the superintendency of Joshua Rhoads, Esq. Ac- cording to the Report of the first of January, 1855, there were at that time 35 pupils in it. The Institution for the Education of the Deaf and Dumb is like- wise at Jacksonville. At the beginning of the year 1855, there were 99 pupils in it, of whom 59 were males, and 40 females. Ninety-five were of Illinois, and four from Missouri. The State Penitentiary. is at Alton, and the usual number of its inmates is from 450 to 500. NEWSPAPERS. lr is a well-known observation, that the superiority or inferiority of a people with respect to intelligence may be fairly estimated by the greater or lesser activity of the newspaper press in their midst. We therefore record it, as a very satisfactory fact, that Illinois, although but a virgin State, and just entering the period of her real development, already possesses a large amount of daily literature. According to the information we have obtained, there are not less than 161 newspapers published within the State: of these, 147 are printed in the English, 13 in the German, and 1 in the French lan- guage. The subjoined is an alphabetical list of them, according to their respective places of publication : — ALTON. — The Courier, by G. T. Brown. Daily, weekly, and tri-weekly. The Democrat, by J. Fitch. Daily and weekly. Lilinois Beobachter. Weekly. (German.) The Telegraph, by J. L. Baker & Co. Weekly. AURORA. — The Beacon, by D. & J. W. Randall. Weekly. The Guardian, by S. Whiteley. Weekly. BATAVIA. — The Fox River Expositor, by Risk & Co. Weekly. BEARDSTOWN. — The Central Iilinoisian, ke. Shaw & Reavis. Weekly. The Gazette. Weekly. é BELLEVILLE. — The Advocate, by J. 8. Coulter. Daily and weekly. Der Deutsche Democrat. Weekly. (German.) Belleviller Volksblatt, by Dr. Wenzel.. Weekly. (German.)- Belleviller Zeitung, by I. Grimm. Daily. (German.) BELVIDERE. — The Standard, by R. Roberts Weekly. BLOOMINGTON. — The Flag. Weekly. The Pantagraph, by W. HE. Foote. Weekly. The Times. Weekly. The Central Illinois Times, by J. W. Underwood & Co. Weekly. ( 439 ) 440 - NEWSPAPERS. CAIRO. — Times and Delta, by E. Willet & L.G. Faxon. Tri-weekly and weekly. CALEDONIA. — Pulaski Democrat, by Miller. Weekly. CARLINVILLE. — Macoupin Statesman, by J. L. Dagger. Weekly. CARLYLE. — The Age of Progress, by I. W. Snow. Weekly. CARROLTON. — The Gazette, by G. B. Price. Weekly. CENTRAL CITY. — The Gazette, by E. Schiller. Weekly. CHARLESTON. — The Courier. Weekly. . CHESTER. — The Herald, by Hanna and Phillips. Weekly. _ CHICAGO. — Bank Note List, by F. G. Adams. Semi-monthly. Chicago Abendzeitung, by Committi.& Beckert. Daily. (German.) Christian Times, by Church & Smith. Weekly. Commercial Advertiser, by A. Dutch. Daily, tri-weekly, and weekly. Congregational Herald, by I. C. Halbrook. Weekly. The Democrat, by John Wentworth. Daily and weekly. The Democratic Press, by Scripps, Bross & Spears. Daily, tri-weekly, and weekly. The Evangelist, by Patterson & Curtis. The Garden City, by Sloan & Co. Weekly. The Journal, by Wilson & Co. Daily, tri-weekly, and weekly. Illinois Staatszeitung, by Hoffgen & Schneider. Daily and weekly. (Germ.) National Demokrat, by Diverzy & Schade. Daily. (German.) New Covenant, by Skinner & Day. Weekly. Northwestern Christian Advocate, by J. V. Watson. Weekly. The Prairie Farmer, by A. F. Kennicott & Co. Weekly. Prairie Herald, by J. A. Wright. Weekly. The Times, by Cook & Co. Daily and weekly. The Tribune, by Fowler & Co. Daily and weekly. | Western Crusader, by J. Dow & Co. Weekly. Western Enterprise, by H. P. Little. Weekly. Western Pathfinder, by W. B. Hanner. Weekly. Western Tablet. Weekly. DANVILLE. — The Illinois Citizen. Weekly. . DECATUR. — Gazette, by G. Shoaff. Weekly. DE WITT. — The Courier, by Jones & Watkins. Weekly. DIXON. — The Telegraph, by B, F. Shaw. Weekly. The Transcript, by Stevens and Johnson. - Weekly, DU PAGE. — The Journal, by Keith, Edson & Co. Weekly. ELGIN. — Kane County Journal, by Lyman & Smith. Weekly. The Paliadium, by Rowe & Joslyn. Weekly. FAIRFIELD. — Independent Press, by F. C. Mawley. Weekly. + NEWSPAPERS. 441 FREEPORT. — The Bulletin. Weekly. Deutscher Anzeiger, by W. Wagner. Weekly. (German.) The Journal, by H. M. Scheetz. Weekly. FULTON City. — The Advertiser, by McFaddon & Laighton. Weekly. Whitesides Investigator. Weekly, : GALENA. — The Advertiser, by H. H. Houghton. Daily, tri-weekly, and weekly. The Courier, by Leae, Crouch & Co. Daily. The Jeffersonian, by Ray and Sanford. Weekly. North Western Gazette, by Houghton & Co. Weekly. GALESBURG. — Free Democrat, by W. J. Woods. Weekly. GENESEO. — The Standard. Weekly. GENEVA. — Kane County Democrat, by Herrington & McQuillen. Weekly. GRAYVILLE. — The News, by J. Prather. Weekly. HAVANA. — Mason County Herald. Weekly. HILLSBORO. — Montgomery County Herald, by C. D. Dickerson. Weekly. Prairie Mirror, by G. H. Gilmore. Weekly. HUTSONVILLE. — Wabash Sentinel, by E. Callahan. Weekly. JACKSONVILLE. — The Constitutionist. Weekly. The Morgan Journal, by Selby and Clayton, Weekly. JERSEYVILLE. — The Prairie State, by A. Smith. Weekly. JOLIET. — The True Democrat, by A. McIntosh. Weekly. The Signal, by C. & C. Zarley. Weekly. KANKAKEE CITY. — Gazette, by Leonard & Grooms. Weekly. Journal de V Illinois. Weekly. (French.) KNOXVILLE, — The Journal, by J. Regan. Weekly. LACON. — The Herald, by 8. Ramsey. Weekly. Illinois Gazette, by A. N. Ford. Weekly. LAKE ZURICH. — The Banker, by S. Paine. Weekly. LA SALLE. — The Press, by Boynton & Co. Weekly. LEWISTOWN. — The Fulton Democrat, by J. M. Davidson. Weekly. Fulton Ledger. Weekly. Fulton Republican. Weekly. LINCOLN. — The ILilinois Citizen, by Moudy Fuller. Weekly. LOCKPORT. — The Telegraph, by Dagett & Holcomb. Weekly. MACOMB. — McDonough Democrat, by Smith & Royalty. Weekly. McDonough Independent, by G. W. Smith. Weekly. MARSHALL. — The Eastern Iilinoisan, by Robinson & Zimmerman. Weekly, The Telegraph, by 8. P, Andrews. Weekly. 442 NEWSPAPERS. MENDOTA. — The Press, by C. R. Fisk. Weekly. METAMORA. — Woodford County Visitor, by 8. P. Shope. Weekly. MIDDLEPORT. — Iroquois County Press, by Keady & Scott. Weekly. MOLINE. — The Workman. Weekly. MONMOUTH. — The Ailas, by C. K. Smith. Weekly. The Review, by A. H. Swain. Weekly. MORRIS. — The Gazette, by A. J. Ashton. Weekly. Grundy County Herald, by Buffington & Soutard. Weekly. The Grundy Yeoman, by 1. C. Watkins. Weekly. MOUNT CARMEL. — The Register, by T. 8. Bowers. Weekly. MOUNT STERLING. — Zhe Chronotype, by J. R. Bailey. Weekly. The Western Spy. Weekly. MOUNT VERNON. — The Jeffersonian, by J. 8. Bogan. Weekly. NAPERVILLE. — Du Page County Observer, by G. Martin. Weekly. NASHVILLE. — The Monitor, by H. Johnson. Weekly. OREGON. — The Ogle County Reporter, by M. W. Smith. Weekly. OQUAWKA. — The Plaindealer, by Dallam & Bigelow. Weekly. The Spectator. Weekly. OSWEGO. — Kendall County Courier, by H. S. Humphrey. Weekly. OTTAWA. — The Freetrader, by W. Osman. Weekly. The Republican, by T. Hampton. Weekly. PARIS. — The Prairie Beacon. Weekly. The Valley Blade, by Pratt & Brendt. Weekly. The Wabash Valiéy Republican. Weekly. PEORIA. — Illinois Banner, by A. Zotz. Weekly. (German.) Lilinois Republikaner, by I. P. Stibolt. Weekly. (German.) Morning News, by G. W. Raney. Daily. The Press. Daily and weekly. The Evening Republican, by 8. L. Coulter. Daily, tri-weekly, and weekly. The Transcript, by N. G. Nason. Daily and weekly. PERU. — Der Anzeiger, by Heinrichs. Weekly. (German.) The Chronicle, by J. F. Linton. Weekly. PITTSFIELD. — Pike County Free Press, by J.G. Nicolay. Weekly. PONTIAC. — Livingston County News, by Cook & Renoe. Weekly. PRINCETON. — The Post, by Ch. Faxon. Weekly. QUINCY. — Illinois Courier. Weekly. (German.) The Herald, by A. Brooks. Daily and weekly. Quincy Journal, Weekly. (German. ) NEWSPAPERS. 443 QUINCY. — The Republican, by D. 8. Morrison & Co. Daily. The Western Patriot, by Warren & Gibson. Weekly. The Whig, by Norton & Ralston. Daily, tri-weekly & weekly. ROCKFORD. — Rock River Democrat, by Dickson & Bird. Weekly. The Register, by E. C. Dougherty. Weekly. The Republican, by Blaisdell, jr., & Co. Weekly. ROCK ISLAND. — The Advertiser, by O. P. Wharton. Daily. The Morning Argus, by Danforth & Shurly. Daily. The Republican, by J. B. Danforth. Weekly. Rock Island Beobachter. Weekly. (German.) RUSHVILLE. — Prairie Telegraph, by J. Scripps & Son. Weekly. ST. CHARLES. — Kane County Democrat, by J. S. Jones. Weekly. SHAWNEETOWN. — The Southern Illinoisan, by Edwards & Son. Weekly. SHELBYVILLE. — The Shelby Banner, by P. L. Schutt. Weakly. SPRINGFIELD. — The Lilinots Farmer, by S. Francis. Weekly. The Illinois State Journal, by Bailhache & Baker. Daily, tri weekly, 7 and weekly. The Illinois State Register, by Lanphier & Walker. Daily. STERLING. — The Times, by Narwood & Goodrich. Weekly. SYCAMORE. — The Republican Sentinel, by H. A. Hough. Weekly TOULON. — The Prairie Advocate. Weekly. URBANA. — The Union. Weekly. WARSAW. — The Express, by Thos. C. Sharp. Weekly. WATERLOO. — Monroe Advertiser, by H. C. Talbott. Weekly Monroe Demokrat. Weekly. (German.) The Patriot, by G. Abbott. Weekly. WAUKEGAN. — The Gazette, by N. C. Geer. Weekly. WILMINGTON. — The Herald, by W. H. Clark. Weekly. WOODSTOCK. — The Republican Free Press, by C. C. McClure & Co Weekly WEIGHTS AND MEASURES. By an act of the last Legislature of Illinois, it was ordained, that whenever any of the articles specified below shall be contracted for, or sold and delivered, the weight of each shall be the number of pounds per bushel set opposite to it, unless there shall be a special contract or agreement to the contrary. Wheat:...ex0: caasyede tas racy bets tau 60 Shelled: Cora Ah seesecseseseetanes OG Corn if, TH6 SSP ci ek 70 Eu Oitshe shetscsetates t Wea cap hesahes Sane 56 OBS Satay oes ticas PP ee Smee BGA IGY ice ad sarovnansesrs pines otic ees 47 Trigh Potatoes cs cisietassccnpeeses sas OW) Sweet PotatOGs ¥..csc csssececsnscesa 55 WHILE Beans sosiec cessor scecscscnete 60 Oastor Beans icvscvece cespis vos succes 46 Clover Seed icciccestcccustetueees sts 60 Timothy Seed ....... roses. selves ey 45 Hemp Seed ...0.0+ sssccseceecee coves 44 Wax WGA Gosh ices «1000 vas se eadevedsn 56 . . Pounds. Bine Grass Seed. diss sbecescssnesene 14 BUCK WORE s.casecascegccsibaress eacurn 52 Dried” POaCH Gs .i.s. svc seek veesk oo teve 33 Dried tA piples eiisc2 pb secorsesstobing | ee Onlonsgicis.... swhvacs ogdeah ecnscceoteee 57 Balt, se0-ssassens vecgsse socuse toe sovevn on 50 Coal: dines. snspoadae Sucant-cenre tech tas 80 MISIC scssus'yonsacecsievenet nach enpersiases 38 Branietir css erees Gaeuve bee ses se vbes 20 TTUTDIPS S05 eee s Sees Se eesereetlevestoee 55 Plastering Hair oi cies. ates se edakens 8 Unslacked Lime. ....sdéssipsscsseee 80 Corn Meal...... vapdes uses ‘ide edietoee 48 Fine BalGessovaxcccerarectreseee eeeeee 55 (444) HINTS TO IMMIGRANTS. ' As this book is designed to be read and used, not only by those who already enjoy the happiness of being citizens of the Prairie State, but also by those who may hereafter seek to establish homes for themselves within its borders, it will doubtless be quite acceptable to the latter class, to receive, in addition to the information contained in the preceding chapters, a few hints, dictated by experience, in re- spect to what is in the first place most expedient and necessary to be done by them, and next as to what they may expect, im their efforts to secure a fortunate settlement. In the first place, then, no immigrant should neglect to make a tour of the State, and carefully examine for himself into the diver- sified nature and quality of its soil, as found in the various districts ; and until he has done so, he should not purchase any land. Time and means, it is true, are both required for this purpose, but cer- tainly, neither will be lost or spent in vain. The advantages that may thus be gained, will amply repay the investment; and it will be found far better, than to purchase in haste, and repent at leisure, as is too often the case with inconsiderate settlers. Besides, since the opening of the railroads, travelling in Llinois is so much facili- tated, that one may visit almost every place at a trifling cost. Persons who have large means at command, will undoubtedly do well to purchase their land in the immediate vicinity of some railroad or large town; while those whose means are limited, will find it more advantageous to make their choice of land in districts lying farther removed from such centres, but where the soil is equally notable for its excellent qualities, and the price a great deal lower. A person with small means, having found from forty to eighty 38 (445) 446 HINTS TO IMMIGRANTS. acres, situated in a neighborhood which he likes, and but five or six miles from a place where building and fencing materials, as well as fuel, can be bought at reasonable prices, should endeavor to effect a purchase, under an arrangement for a credit on three-fourths of the purchase-money for a sufficiently long term; and, after succeeding in this, he should then immediately set to work and lay the founda- tion of his new family hearth. A pair of good horses, a wagon, one cow, a couple of pigs, several domestic fowls, two ploughs (one for breaking up the prairié, and the other for tillage), together with a few other tools and implements, are all that is necessary for a beginning. A log house can soon be erected. Thus provided for in the outset, and working with a joyful heart and honest perseverance, the confiding farmer will, surely, under the blessing of heaven, soon be enabled to replace his log hut with a cheerful dwelling-house, and to meet the payments of purchase-money as they become due, and still have a handsome surplus. In the course of a few years, therefore, one whose means in the start are rather stinted, may become an independent farmer, and enjoy his own farm and homstead free of debts. Of such success, innumerable instances may be found in the State of Illinois. In the chapter on “ Agriculture,’ we have shown, by several ace counts of the yield of crops, how easy it is for a farmer to rise in this State. We will here cite but one instance, to show that a mechanic may also, with equal ease, secure wealth and independence. It is found in an,extract from a letter of Mr. J. H. Atkinson, of Pekin, dated December the 5th, 1855. This gentleman, speaking of Pekin, writes thus: — This town has about two thousand inhabitants, and contains two houses engaged in the manufacture of wagons; four, of ploughs; two, of carriages and buggies; two places for horse-shoeing, exclusively; two gunsmiths; two cabinet-makers; one chair-maker; three coopers’ shops; one foundry and machine shop; one large manufactory of reaping and mowing machines, and one pottery ;—all of which may be said to be doing a first rate business, in proportion to the amount of capital invested, which is, in some instances, very small, and in others proportionately large. All composing said manufacturing firms (making no exceptions) came here, or were raised here (poor men), mechanics or artisans, and have pretty much the same circumstances marking the history of their rise, All, by steady in- HINTS TO IMMIGRANTS. 447 dustry, have commenced small shops on their own hook, and work on repairs or job work, filling in their spare time on new work, which gradually grew into a business, only varied in the amount of its: prosperity by the difference in energy of its proprietors, or its own susceptibilities of extension or enlarge- ment. In a few instances, this rapidity of growth is truly astonishing. I will give you one instance: — The firm of T. and H. Smith & Co. now works on a capital of probably fifty thousand dollars, and employs, regularly, from fifty- five to sixty men, mechanics and artisans of all descriptions, at prices varying from $1.50 to $3 per day; turn out one wagon per day, at a price varying from $90 to $130, according to quality; a great many buggies and carriages, at prices from $115 to $700 each; together with a plough business, amounting to near one thousand ploughs a year of all descriptions. Said firm, five years ago, consisted of T. and Henry Smith, two poor Hanoverians, the one a wagon- maker, the other a blacksmith, who rented a small shop, and went to work on repairing wagons, shoeing horses, &c., and were soon enabled to buy the old shop and lot on which it stood; after which, they began by filling in spare time on new work, to be able to make a business of it, which has gradually increased up to its present limits, and instead of the old shop first rented, only large enough to contain one work-bench and one smith’s fire, the lot first mentioned and five adjacent ones are occupied by large and commodious workshops, each branch of the business being headed by one of the firm, all of whom are mechanics (brothers), and all work. This is the history of every shop in town and the adjacent country. All were, only a few years ago, poor men, and now many of them are wealthy; and we have no instances of men who have commenced, even in the smallest way at first, who have attended to their business, and lived within their means, not meeting with the same success. Our business men, merchants and storekeepers, millers, pork packers, bankers—in fact, every man who now figures in this town, as being above the condition of laboring men, are men who came here poor — most of them very poor. Let the immigrant consider this. Such advantages as those here stated are still everywhere open to the honest, industrious, and eco- nomical settler. What is said of Pekin is but the oft-repeated story of many other places, and will be as frequently verified in the future history of the State. In the preparation of this work, whenever it became necessary to state our opinions on any particular subject, we have always fortified them by the authority of reliable persons who have for many years resided in Illinois — we have frequently even made use of their own words ; and now, in giving these hints to new settlers, we will again avail ourselves of the information communicated to us by practical 7 448 HINTS TO IMMIGRANTS, men, whose actual observations for many years past enable them to speak familiarly and authoritatively ‘‘on matters and things in general,” as they exist in the State of which they are citizens. We will, therefore, here introduce to our readers an old settler, Mr. John Williams, of Albany, Coles county, who, in a letter dated December the 23d, 1855, says: — I have lived in Illinois about thirty years, and have seen some ups and downs in that time. I moved from Kentucky, and settled first in Vermillion county; after living there thirteen years, I moved into Champaign county, lived there three years, and then went over into Platt county, Missouri; but not having seen the land there before moving out, and finding it did not equal my expectations, I returned to Illinois, and settled in Coles county, where I have remained ever since. You can, therefore, see that I have been ~ over some of the West, in search of the best place to make the ‘almighty dollar;” and, as I think I have found it, I will here say, that, after a man has lived in the State of Illinois, and farmed its rich soil for a few years, he will find it hard work to hunt up a better country. When I first settled in Vermillion county, the representation of our district comprised all the State lying up along the Lake, including Chicago, which then consisted only of the old block fort on the lake shore. At that time, we, in the centre of the State, had no market for any of our produce; we had no railroads, and were forced to kill our hogs at home, team them to Terre Haute, sixty miles, and then get $1.50 to $2 per hundred weight, taking half the amount in store goods at a very high figure. So farmers had to work along, in those days. I have known corn to sell for five to eight cents per bushel; and yet, even then, they did well, from the fact that they could raise everything they wanted to eat, and in abun- dance too. My advice to farmers in the East is, to leave their rocks and hills, where they are just grubbing out a living, and come on to these splendid prairies, as they lie all ready for the plough, and where sahil rrid which the farmer plants yields such an abundant return. Mr. James N. Brown, of Island Grove, formerly President of the State Agricultural Society, in a letter dated November the 28th, 1855, says: — Let the industrious poor man know, that all he has to do, is, to become the holder of forty or eighty acres of land, build his cabin, and go to work with his team, and turn over the sod, and commence tilling the soil, —and that the laws of the land protect him against the depredations of stock— HINTS TO IMMIGRANTS. 449 and, my word for it, we shall see, in a very short time, all our prairies brought into cultivation, and teeming with an industrious and happy popula- tion, adding millions to the wealth of the State. Rev. J. 8. Barger, of Clinton, De Witt county, in his letter of the 22d of January, 1855, says : — Let them come by thousands and tens of thousands — there is room enough —and examine the country. They will find rich lands, and good water, and general health, almost everywhere. This is not a wilderness. They will find schools and churches springing up in almost every settlement made, and now being made, throughout the State. Illinois is not a moral desolation. It literally and spiritually “blossoms as the rose.” Let them come to Chicago, and go to Galena, and visit Cairo. But let them not remain at either place, unless they choose. The Illinois Central Railroad and its branches traverse the finest portion of the globe. Let them glide through our State, on these and other roads, now checkering the entire of this ‘‘Garden of the Lord,” and stop where they will, to ‘‘examine the land, of what sort it is,” and they will no longer consent to dig among the rocks, and plough the sterile land of their forefathers. But they will long bless the day, when they found, for themselves and their children, such comfortable homes, as they still may obtain in this rich and beautiful Prairie State, destined soon to compare with — nay, to surpass, in all the most desirable respects —the most prosper- ous State in the Union. We think we cannot conclude this last chapter of our book in a better manner than with the words of one of the worthiest citizens of I!linois, and who, having been one of its earliest settlers, now looks back through a long life of toil and experience. This gentleman is Mr. Edson Harkness, of Southport, Peoria county, to whom we are also indebted for valuable contributions to this work, as well as for the kindness through which we are privileged to place before our readers the following extract from his excellent ‘“¢ Volunteer Advice to Immigrants”” : — A few suggestions, to those who are desirous of building up a home in the | rich and rapidly improving West, may not be out of place, from an old man, who has seen much of pioneer life. It can hardly be expected, that you will pe entirely free from those amiable prejudices, which spread a sort of sanctity over the manners, customs, language, and habits of the home you have left. You will find yourself constantly instituting comparisons between the old state of things to which you have been accustomed, and the changed condition of affairs which you find in the West. If the old and the new are alike, you will 38 * 2D 450 HINTS TO IMMIGRANTS. conclude that all is well. But the old will be very apt to be set up as @ standard of right. This state of mind you must endeavor to change, as soon as possible, and to decide every question upon its intrinsic merits. You will come in daily contact with people from all the other States and from all the nations of Western Europe. There will be many of them speak- ing strange dialects of the English language — that is, strange to you. But you must not forget that yours is also strange to them. Be therefore very cautious how you criticise the bad English of others —for they can, perhaps, point out as many defects in your pronunciation, as you can in theirs. The best way is, to look over your dictionary occasionally, correct your own errors, and let other people, if they will, do the same. Again, be very careful not to underrate the intelligence or the capacity of those with whom you may come in contact. Many of our people are very plain in their manners; but they are, like yourself, all immigrants — have seen a great deal of the world, and have become shrewd observers of character. With such men, you will soon find your level, wherever that level may be. — It is not uncommon for young men, who have received the best educational advantages, to come out to the West with high expectations of honor and distinction among a people not peculiarly blessed with the means of intelli- gence. Such expectations are pretty sure to end in disappointment. Our people are eminently practical, but too stupid or too gain-loving to appreciate very highly the refinements of the mere scholar, whose claim to distinction is based upon a knowledge of books alone. If the scholar will in any way bring his knowledge to bear upon the prac- tical interests of society, he may do well enough. If he will teach a country school for from twenty to thirty dollars per month, and ‘board round,” he may soon get the good will and esteem of the community. He must be care- fal not to use a language which is ‘‘all Greek” to his hearers— must treat every one with respect and kindness—must take an interest in the welfare of every family, and, at the same time, turn a deaf ear to the small scandal and small gossip of the neighborhood. A young man may learn more that is really useful by iteehotiaie a country school for one winter, than in twice that time spent in college — that is, if he thoroughly studies the living “subjects” around him. If he has tact and good sense enough to keep on the right side of his pupils and their parents he is then fairly started on the highway to honor and distinction. He can then go and make his “claim,” or his purchase of wild land, and prepare to set up asa farmer. If he had not a cent in his pocket when he came to the “settlement,” if he is orderly, prudent, and industrious for a year, his credit will be established. Ife can then purchase what may be indispensable, in the way of a team and implements, for starting business on a small scale. After toiling on a year or two more, some one of the bright-eyed maidens who attended his school, HINTS TO IMMIGRANTS. 451 will begin to pity his lonely condition, and consent to share the joys and the sorrows of life with him. A small house is then built, and is enlarged as the inmates multiply. The farm is also enlarged as the wealth of the owner is increased.. Orchards are planted — ornamental trees, shrubs and vines start up, and grow luxuriantly about the house. The house itself, having been built a piece at a time, from the necessities of the hour, begins to look shabby, and yet below the con- dition of the owner, —a new and splendid one is accordingly built, near the site of the old one, so'as to save the shrubs and trees for the new lawn. The old house is sold to some new settler, and taken away. The poor schoolmaster has become a man of affluence, and has filled various public offices with advantage to the State, and with credit and honor to himself. This is no dream, —no fancy sketch — but the literal history, so far as it goes, of thousands of our western farmers. But, perhaps, there may be too much hard work implied, in the foregoing sketch, to suit the refined tastes of a portion of those who, in imagination, are rearing their future castles on the broad western prairies. Let me say to you, young man, if you come to a new country to avoid hard work, you will commit a great error. If you are a preacher, lawyer, physician, farmer, or mechanic, you must work — work. We have, out here, got rid of the old feudal prejudices of caste. Work is not only honorable, but the only means of distinction. We have, it is true, a large and flourishing establishment, provided by the State, as a home for those who endeavor to get their living without honest work: but it is not popular to go there —in fact, none go, unless compelled to do so by positive law, and under the escort of —a sheriff. If you are willing to work at any honest business, for which your previous training has fitted you—if willing to join the great army, which, with the axe, the plough, and the steam-engine, is striking out into the desert, and conquering an empire greater than was ever ruled by a Tamerlane or a Bonaparte—coME ON! we will give you a place in our ranks, and if you act the part of a good, brave soldier, in the struggle for personal independence, you shall be promoted. It is the object of every true soldier in this great army, to ‘‘conquer a piece” of rich and bountiful land, for himself and his posterity. Our ranks are not full. We have room enough to take in half a million of recruits annually for the next century, and still there will be room for more! Come on, then, and work out life’s problem, as best you can, in the free and boundless West. THE END KEEN & LEE Offer to the Trade of the North-West the following CA TA- LOGUE OF GOODS connected with the Book and Stationery Business. Their connections with large Importing and Manufac- turing Establishments, both at the East and in Europe, as well as frequent visits thereto, enable them to have con- stantly on hand a complete assortment of Goods, which they can supply to the Trade at the very lowest prices, and on the best terms. Merchants from the Country visiting Chicago, are re- quested to call and examine their stock. wey CATALOGUE, SCHOOL BOOKS. - Readers. McGUFFY’S FIRST READER. ‘“ SECOND, THIRD, FOURTH, and FIFTH do SAUNDERS’ FIRST READER, (Old Series.) ‘cc SECOND 6é it3 6c“ THIRD 6é 6c (ft FOURTH 73 &é TOWN’S FIRST READER. ‘“ SECOND, THIRD, and FOURTH do. DENMAN’S STUDENT’S FIRST READER. 66 73 SECOND 66 “c se THIRD and FOURTH do. PARKER’S FIRST READER. wd SECOND, THIRD, FOURTH, and FIFTH do. SANDERS’ NEW FIRST READER. « “ SECOND, THIRD, FOURTH, and FIFTH ado. WEBB’S READER, Nos. 1, 2, and 3. “ NORMAL READER. « PIFTH «“ (2) KEEN & LEE’S PUBLICATIONS. SARGENT’S STANDARD FIRST READER. «“ «“ SECOND and THIRD do. «“ “ FOURTH and FIFTH do. INDIANA FIRST READER. «“ SECOND, THIRD, and FOURTH do. GOODRICH’S FIRST READER. “ SECOND, THIRD, FOURTH, and FIFTH do. Spelling Books. WEBSTER’S ELEMENTARY SPELLER. SANDERS’ OLD and NEW SPELLER; McGUFFY’S do. TOWN’S OLD and NEW SPELLER. DENMAN’S STUDENT’S SPELLER. PRICE’S SPELLER; WEBSTER’S PICTORIAL do, Arithmetics. THOMPSON’S MENTAL ARITHMETIC. «“ PRACTICAL « ‘“ HIGHER ‘ «“ TABLE BOOK. «“ SLATE AND BLACK-BOARD EXERCISES. ADAMS’ NEW REVISED ARITHMETIC. « PRIMARY ARITHMETIC; COLBURN’S MENTAL do. EMERSON’S FIRST ARITHMETIC. «“ SECOND and THIRD do. RY’S FIRST ARITHMETIC. “ SECOND and THIRD do. SMITH’S MENTAL ARITHMETIC. «“ SECOND do., and THIRD OR NEW do. DAVIES’ TABLE BOOK. «“ PRIMARY ARITHMETIC. «“ OLD and NEW ARITH}_2TIC; UNIVERSITY do. GREENLEAF’S MENTAL « ‘“ COMMON SCHOOL ARITHMETIC. - NATIONAL ss PERKINS’ PRACTICAL ARITHMETIC; HIGHER do STODDART’S JUVENILE sie me INTELLECTUAL ‘* . PRACTICAL * - PHILOSOPHICAL * Keys to Arithmetics. KEY TO THOMPSON’S PRACTICAL ARITHMETIC. “ec “é “ HIGHER 6é «“ « ADAMS’, EMERSON’S, RY’S, and DAVIES’ do. 4. KEEN & LEE’S PUBLICATIONS. KEY TO DAVIES’ ALGEBRA. <4 GREENLEAF’S COMMON SCHOOL ARITHMETIC. od § NATIONAL * a ALGEBRA. oe SMITH’S ARITHMETIC. Mathematical Books. DAVIES’ ALGEBRA—ELEMENTARY. cs a —BOURDON’S. [ ELEMENTARY GEOMETRY. st PRACTICAL MATHEMATICS. - MENSURATION ; DAVIES’ LEGENDRE’S GEOMETRY. - ANALYTICAL GEOMETRY ; DAVIES’ DESCRIPTIVE do. ad SURVEYING AND NAVIGATION. 4 SHADES AND SHADOWS; DAVIES’ CALCULUS. SMITH’S ALGEBRA; SMITH’S BIOT’S ANALYTICAL GEOMETRY. ~BRIDGE’S ALGEBRA. LOOMIS’ ELEMENTS OF ALGEBRA; LOOMIS’ LARGE do. % GEOMETRY, TRIGONOMETRY, LOGARITHMS. RY’S FIRST ALGEBRA; RY’S SECOND do. ROBINSON’S ELEMENTARY ALGEBRA; ROBINSON’S LARGE do GREENLEAF’S ALGEBRA. | GUMMERE’S SURVEYING; GILLESPIR’S do. PLAYFAIR’S EUCLID’S GEOMETRY. DAY’S ELEMENTS OF ALGEBRA; DAY’S LARGE do. English Grammars. BROWN’S GRAMMAR; WELD’S do. WELD’S PARSING BOOK; WELLS’ GRAMMAR. PINNEO’S PRIMARY GRAMMAR; PINNEO’S ANALYTICAL do. BULLION’S ANALYTICAL GRAMMAR; BULLION’S ENGLISH do. «“ FIRST LESSONS IN GRAMMAR. , TOWER’S ELEMENTS OF GRAMMAR; KIRKHAM’S do. SMITH’S GRAMMAR; CLARK’S NEW do. CLARK’S NEW REVISED GRAMMAR. GREEN’S FIRST LESSONS IN GRAMMAR. «“ INTRODUCTION TO ENGLISH GRAMMAR. “ ELEMENTS OF GRAMMAR; GREEN’S ANALYSIS OF da TOWN’S ANALYSIS; McELLIGOT’S YOUNG ANALYSER. McELLIGOT’S ANALYTICAL MANUAL; BUTLER’S GRAMMAR. School Geographies. MITCHELL’S SCHOOL GEOGRAPHY AND ATLAS. « PRIMARY « és ANCIENT “« «“ KEEN & LEE’S PUBLICATIONS. ~, MITCHELL’S QUARTO GEOGRAPHY; MITCHELL’S PHYSICAL do. ad GEOGRAPHICAL QUESTION BOOK. 4 OUTLINE MAPS AND KEY; PELTON’S do. OLNEY’S SCHOOL GEOGRAPHY AND ATLAS. = QUARTO GEOGRAPHY; SMITH’S PRIMARY do. SMITH’S GEOGRAPHY AND AND ATLAS. . QUARTO GEOGRAPHY; MORSE’S QUARTO do. PARLEY’S PRIMARY GEOGRAPHY; MONTEITH’S MANUAL OF do. CORNELL’S PRIMARY GEOGRAPHY; CORNELL’S QUARTO do. McNALLY’S PRIMARY GEOGRAPHY; COLTON & FITCH’S do. Dictionaries. WEBSTER’S QUARTO DICTIONARY; WEBSTER’S ROYAL 8vo. do. “ UNIVERSITY DICTIONARY. «“ QUARTO ACADEMIC DICTIONARY; HIGH SCHOOL do. 4 SMALL SCHOOL DICTIONARY; POCKET do. WORCESTER’S 8vo. DICTIONARY; COMPREHENSIVE do. «“ PRIMARY DICTIONARY; ACADEMIC do. COBB’S MINIATURE LEXICON; LADIES’ do.; PARLOR do. DICTIONARY OF POETICAL QUOTATIONS. WALKER’S PRONOUNCING DICTIONARY; WALKER’S RHYMING do MEADOWS’ SPANISH AND ENGLISH DICTIONARY. Astronomy. GUY’S ASTRONOMY AND KEITH ON THE GLOBES. MATTISON’S ELEMENTS OF ASTRONOMY. a“ HIGH SCHOOL « BURRITT’S GEOGRAPHY OF THE HEAVENS AND ATLAS. SMITH’S ILLUSTRATED ASTRONOMY. OLMSTED’S SCHOOL ASTRONOMY; OLMSTED’S LARGE do. Anatomy and Physiology for Schools. CUTTER’S ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY. “ FIRST BOOK IN ANATOMY. «“ PRIMARY ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY. JANE TAYLOR'S PHYSIOLOGY; LAMBERT’S do.; COMSTOCR’S do. Botany. WOOD’S FIRST LESSONS IN BOTANY. “ OLASS-BOOK OF «“ MRS. LINCOLN’S BOTANY; COMSTOCK’S do. Works on Bookkeeping. MAYHEW’S BOOKKEEPING; MAYHEW’S BLANKS to do ; KBY to do FULTON & EASTMAN’S BOOKKEEPING. 1* Bie Desilver, Thomas § Co.,) WHICH ARE FOR SALE BY SCHOOL HISTORIES. FROST’S HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES, for the use of schools and aca- demies; illustrated with 40 engravings; 12mo. FROST’S HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES, for the use of common schools; condensed from the author’s large History of the United States; 18mo. LORD'S HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES, for the use of schools, by John Lord, A.M., author of a Modern History from the time of Luther to the fall of Napoleon; 12mo. LORD’S MODERN HISTORY, from the time of Luther to the fall of Napoleon, for the use of schools and colleges, by John Lord, A. M., 8vo. PINNOCK’S HISTORICAL SERIES PINNOCK’S FRANCE— History of France and Normandy, from the earliest times to the Revolution of 1848, with questions for exami- nation at the end of each section, by W. C. Taylor, LL. D., of Trinity College, Dublin ; author of a Manual of Ancient and Modern History, &c., &c., and editor of Pinnock’s im- proved editions of Goldsmith’s Greece, Rome and England; illustrated with numerous en- gravings; first American from the third Eng- lish edition, 1 vol. 12mo. PINNOCK’S GOLDSMITH’S ROME — revised edition, by W. C. Taylor, LL. D., with nume- rous engravings by Atherton and others. 12mo. PINNOCK’S GOLDSMITH’S GREECE—+revised and enlarged edition, with questions; by W.C. Taylor, LL. D., with numerous illustrations by Atherton and others. 1 vol. 12mo. PINNOCK’S GOLDSMITH’S ENGLAND, revised and improved, and continued to 1845; with questions ; by W.C. Taylor, LL.D., with nume- rousengravings. 45th Amer. edit. 1 vol. 12mo, CLASSICAL SMART1"’S CICERO, new edition VIRGIL INTERLINEAR, adapted to the system of classical instruction, by Levi Hart and V. R. Osborn. SERRA SSN SONS EERE NAN TARST ONSET PLLA Py aay Mey yy Ra ay Ry RyRy Mar Ry pays yy yyy Mey yy yg My Ry Pag Ray Mag a Rey eR ay Ra Py Rag ayy My Rey Pay Mee ay Mey Ry Rehr: Meg ye Mey He 1 RyRy yy RyRy Rey Ry yy Rey WARY RY yA My RyRy Sey My ey Ai Mey MMi Hy yy May Mey yey Reig Ray My My See By Me AAA CHARLES DESILVER, PHILADELPHIA, PUBLISHER AND BOOKSELLER, (Of the late Firms of Thomas, Cowperthwait ¢ Co., and Cowperthwait, Desilver § Butler—at the Old Stand of No. 253 MARKET STREET, PUBLISH THE FOLLOWING VALUABLE SCHOOL BOOKS, THROUGHOUT THE aear“—mi“*“nmvrrrwoV0C_=™meynyrrerrrwrw™~"" PW UE yee ye aay yyy ay Me My LM My My ah My ey Ry My My ey yy yj ashy yy so BOOKSELLERS GENERALLY UNITED STATES, ; MATHEMATICAL. BRIDGE’S ALGEBRA. SMITH AND DUKE’S METIC. SMITH’S KEY TO ARITHMETIC. SMITH’S ALGEBRA. BIOT’S ANALYTICAL GEOMETRY. MORAL PHILOSOPHY. BISHOP BUTLER’S ETHICAL DISCOURSES, to which are added some Remains, hitherto unpublished. Prepared as a Text-Book in Moral Philosophy, with a Syllabus by Dr. Whe- well. Edited by the Rev. Joseph C. Pass- more, A.M., Professor of Mental Philosophy in St. James’ College, Maryland. 1 vol. 12mo. NATURAL SCIENCES. GUY’S ASTRONOMY AND KEITH ON THE GLOBES. ' | JOHNSTON’S NATURAL PHILOSOPHY. JOHNSTON’S TURNER’S CHEMISTRY. JOHNSTON’ TURNER’S ELEMENTS OF CHEMISTRY. MODERN LANGUAGES, GRAETER’S GERMAN PHRASES. MANESCA’S FRENCH GRAMMAR. MANESCA’S FRENCH READER. MEADOWS’ SPANISH AND ENGLISH DIC- TIONARY, in two parts. I. Spanish and Eng- lish; H. English and Spanish. STANDARD SPEAKERS. FROST’S AMERICAN SPEAKER, 12mo. SARGENT’S STANDARD SPEAKER, contain- ing Exercises in Prose and Poetry, for Colleges, Schools, &e. 1 vol. crown 8vo. SARGENT’S SELECTIONS IN POETRY, for Exercises at School and at Home. Edited by Epes Sargent, with illustrations by Billings and others; 1 vol. 12mo, MISCELLANEOUS. CHANDLER’S GRAMMAR, 12mo. JAUDON’S EXPOSITOR, 12mo. FLOWERS OF ELOCUTION; a Reading Bock, by Mrs. Caroline Lee Hentz. In press. STATISTICAL ARITH- yay yyy i yy My My ey ayy Ry My ya Ry RR ey ty a, Ray ay Rah Ri, Pe Ry yay Mey yy Mi My Ry Ny Py Ry RR yy Rey Ry Ry Py Rye ey aR ga My aya Rey Ry Re Ry Ry yy Rey yg Mey My My Me yyy Rey Se Pa fg Py eRe yf Mayo Bay My MRP My ed - = 7 < a: : oun : ® ce ie ae ela ~ + Gepers . - Parr? i} a o aes © y 3 & —— 2 5 ee ~~ 2 pote AA? \ Linge Phra NIA a OE De Sao e ane a ii enclt eae pol UNIVERSITY LIBRARY UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN The person charging this material is responsible for its renewal or return to the library on or before the due date. The minimum fee for a lost item is $125.00, $300.00 for bound journals. Theft, mutilation, and underlining of books are reasons for disciplinary action and may result in dismissal from the University. Please note: self-stick notes may result in torn pages and lift some inks. Renew via the Telephone Center at 217-333-8400, 846-262-1510 (toll-free) or circlib @ uiuc.edu. Renew online by choosing the My Account option at: http://www.library.uiuc.edu/catalog/ From the library of O.E. and Mary Maple Jones A gift from Esther Doughtie French, Jane Doughtie Taylor & Richard T. Doughtie III i) University of Illinois Library at Urbana-Champaign a ts to Re Te kegs ser 4 y ‘7 4 t mt tess 3%, 4 ep UNIVERSITY OF | UA 3 0112 076900163 TERETE Se fe gets og ~ areas Hepes rv See 4 r tar tears y Wiggs we pow -ex A ng re ne te rn ge a ee SOS ae TY SR 2er2 aS MSRES Ae Se a ee ee ee ae ee SNC PS eee s Tae oy omen we ea, ty rary fa \ ray if Pao Ms yy) { i i” t 4 rf 1 ’ a | f } ) ¥ 4 ‘ en Ter meet ye aie we er A ee ee