traversed from west to east by the Missouri, this state has the advantage of extensive and easy water communication with the whole Mississippi valley. The Osage, which joins the Missouri in the centre of the state, is a fine navigable river, running through a fertile country; boats ascend it 600 miles. The Gasconade, which falls into the Missouri below the Osage, is navigable for boats 66 miles. The Maramec falls into the Mississippi below the Missouri; it is navigable 50 miles. The St. Francis, the White Water, Black, and Current rivers, rise in the south and pass into Arkansaw. Grand and Chariton rivers fall into the Missouri from the North. Salt river is a branch of the Mississippi in the same quarter; these are navigable for boats.

4. Climate. This state is subject to greater extremes of temperature than any other in the western country. The summer is intensely hot, and the winter often so severe that the Missouri is frozen for weeks, so as to be passed by loaded wagons. The sky in summer is clear, and the air generally very dry.

5. Soil. The soil of this state contains more sand, and is more loamy and friable than that of the lands upon the Ohio. The alluvial prairies are universally rich, and nearly as fertile as the river bottoms. The rich uplands have a dark gray soil, except about the lead mines, where the soil is formed of decomposed pyrites, and is of a reddish color. Nearly all the level tracts are sufficiently fertile to produce good crops of maize without manure.

The alluvial borders of the Missouri are generally loamy, with a large proportion of sand. The soil here contains a quantity of marl or lime, and is exceedingly fertile. The richer prairies and bottoms are covered with grass and weeds, so tall as to make it difficult to travel on horseback. In the southwestern part are large tracts of poor sandy soil, covered with yellow pine, and in many parts stony.

6. Minerals. Lead, iron, coal, salt, limestone, and gypsum constitute the mineral wealth of the state. The lead mines in the eastern part of the state, south of the Missouri, are inexhaustible, and have yielded upwards of 1,200,000 pounds in a year, but they have not been worked since 1830. They belong to the general government. Zinc exists in large quantities.

7. Face of the Country. The northwestern part of the state is a wide prairie. The central and southwestern parts are hilly and broken; the southeastern is low, swampy, full of lakes, and subject to inundation from the waters of the Mississippi. The best portion of the state and the most thickly peopled, lies between the Missouri and the Mississippi; it has an undulating and variegated surface, and contains large tracts of alluvial and hilly prairies.

8. Divisions and Population. The state of Missouri, is divided into 40 counties.* Population in 1830, 140,455, of which 25,091 are slaves; a census taken in 1833, gave a population of 176,300.

9. Towns. St. Louis, a city and the principal town in the state, is situated on the west bank of the Mississippi, 20 miles below its junction with the Missouri. It was founded in 1764, but first became flourishing, since the cession of Louisiana to the United States. Its position has rendered it an important commercial depot, and it has an active river trade. It is 1,200 miles above New Orleans, and the river is here navigable at all stages of water for the largest steamboats, but is closed by ice in winter. Six steamboats run regularly to New Orleans, ten to Louisville, three to Fever River, 500 miles above St. Louis on the Mississippi, two or three up the Missouri to fort Leavenworth, 400 miles, and three to Pekin, on the Illinois, 180 miles, beside which other boats touch here occasionally.

The situation of the city is pleasant; it is well built, and contained a population of 6,694 in 1830, which has been since rapidly increasing.

There are no other towns in the state of considerable size. Jefferson, on the Missouri, in the centre of the state, is the capital. St. Charles, twenty miles above the mouth of the Missouri, and Franklin, 200 miles further up the river, are pleasant and flourishing villages, with each about 1,200 inhabitants.

Cape Girardeau, St. Genevieve and New Madrid, are favorably situated on the Mississippi, with good harbors. Herculaneum and Potosi are small villages, which derive some importance from the lead mines.

10. Agriculture. Maize and the small bread grains are the staple productions. Cotton is cultivated in the southeastern part of the state, and the fruits of the temperate climate thrive.

11. Government. The legislature is called the General Assembly, and consists of a Senate and House of Representatives. The Senators are chosen for 4 years, and the Representatives for two. The Governor is chosen for 4 years. Elections are popular, and suffrage is universal.

12. Religion. The Baptists have 67 ministers; the Methodists 23; the Presbyterians 10; the Episcopalians 3; there are many Catholic priests.

13. Education. The college of St. Louis, a catholic institution, was founded in 1829. There is another catholic seminary at Bois Brulé Bottom. There are also several convents in the state, where females are sent for education, and a college has recently been founded in Marion county.

14. History. This state was originally a part of the great Territory of Louisiana. Some settlements had been made by the French in 1764; yet, previous to the acquisition of the country by the United States, it contained but few inhabitants. In 1804 it was separated from Louisiana and erected into a Territory. A constitution was formed in 1820, and the next year it was admitted as a state into the Union.

XXX. ARKANSAW TERRITORY.

1. Boundaries and Extent. Arkansaw is bounded N. by Missouri, E. by the Mississippi, which separates it from Tennessee and Mississippi, S. by Louisiana, and W. by that part of the public domains of

the United States, to which the Indian tribes have lately been removed from the states. It lies between 33° and 36° 30′ N. Lat., and between 90° and 94° 30′ W. Lon. It is about 240 miles from north to south, and from 200 to 280 from east to west, comprising an area of 54,000 square miles.

2. Mountains. The Masserne Mountains extend through the western part of the Territory, and pass into Missouri under the name of the Ozark Mountains; but little is known of their elevation and character.

3. Rivers. The Mississippi washes the eastern border of the Territory, the Red River passes through the southwest corner into Louisiana, and the Washita, which rises in the Masserne mountains, becomes a fine navigable stream before leaving the Territory. The Arkansaw rises in the Rocky Mountains, on the northwestern frontier of the United Mexican States, and after traversing the great desert plains of the centre of North America, and receiving the Canadian, it pierces the Masserne Mountains, and flows through Arkansaw Territory into the Mississippi. The length of its course is about 2,000 miles, in which it has a descent of 5,000 feet. Its upper branches are, during the winter and spring, full streams, bringing down great masses of water; but in the dry season many of them present for hundreds of miles empty basins of sand, or dwindle to scanty rills with sluggish currents. The lower part of the Arkansaw annually overflows its banks, which are here formed by wooded plains, contrasting strongly with the sterile prairies of the upper part of its course. It is navigable to a great distance for steamboats, which in the wet season ascend nearly to the foot of the mountains. The White River rises in Missouri, and flows southeast into the Mississippi, 15 miles above the mouth of the Arkansaw. Its principal tributary is the Black River; its whole course is upwards of 600 miles, through most of which distance it is navigable. No region is, indeed, better furnished with navigable streams than Arkansaw.

4. Climate. The climate is extremely variable, and in the north resembles that of Missouri, while to the south it approaches that of Louisiana. Cotton can be cultivated in the latter, and the cerealia or bread grains in the former. In advancing west, as the surface rises, the temperature becomes lower.

5. Soil. Tracts of highly fertile soil occur, but a large proportion of the soil is by no means productive. The rivers are generally bordered by a rich soil, and well-wooded banks.

6. Minerals. Limestone, gypsum, and coal abound, and lead and iron occur. There are numerous salt springs in different parts of the country, and there are prairies covered with salt, which render the water brackish. The Hot Springs in the southwest have a temperature but little below that of boiling water, and are much resorted to. novaculite or oil stone is found here.

The

7. Face of the Country. For some distance up the courses of Arkansaw and White rivers, the country is an extensive, heavilytimbered, and inundated swamp. Near the St. Francis Hills, and at Point Chico, the eastern front along the Mississippi is above the and overflow. The remainder of the eastern line is a continuous monotonous flooded forest. Arkansaw has large and level prairie plains, and possesses a great extent of rocky and sterile ridges, with a considerable surface covered with mountains. Near the S. W. part of the Territory is a singular detached elevation, called Mount Prairie.

8. Divisions and Population. The Territory is divided into 28 counties,* with a population of 30,388 souls, including 4,578 slaves.

9. Towns. Little Rock, the seat of government, is on the Arkansaw, 300 miles by the course of the river from the Mississippi. It was so called by the inhabitants in allusion to the enormous rocks in its vicinity. There are no large towns in the Territory.

10. Agriculture. Cotton is the staple article of cultivation. The cereal grains flourish, and various kinds of fruit are raised in abundance. But almost the whole country is yet in a state of nature.

11. Government. The executive authority is exercised by a Governor appointed by the president of the United States.

12. History. This country, which at one time formed a part of Louisiana, and afterward of Missouri Territory, received a separate territorial organization in 1819. Its limits originally extended to the Mexican frontier, but in 1824 were fixed as already described.

XXXI. MICHIGAN TERRITORY.

1. Boundaries and Extent. The Territory of Michigan politically speaking, comprises the whole extent of country lying between Lakes Huron and St. Clair on the east, and the Mississippi on the west, and between Lake Superior on the north, and the states of Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois on the south. This Territory extends from 41° 40 to 48° 30 N. Lat. and from 82° to 95° W. Lon. comprising an area of about 150,000 square miles. † Michigan Proper, comprising that part of the territory lying between 82° and 87° 10′ W. Lon., consists of two peninsulas, the one lying between Lakes Superior and Michigan, and the other between Michigan and Huron; and has an area of about 60,000 square miles, of which a third is covered with water.

2. Soil and Face of the Country. The centre forms an elevated tableland, 300 feet above the surface of the lakes, and divides the waters flowing into lake Michigan from those running into Lakes Erie, St. Clair, and Huron. The face of the country in general is level or gently undulating; the southern part consists of open land, known by the name of the Oak Plains, with a productive soil; in the southwest are fertile prairies. The basins of the lakes are deep depressions sinking far below the level of the ocean, although their surfaces are upwards of 600 feet above it.

3. Rivers. The rivers are small, but, running with a rapid descent from the dividing ridge to the east and west, afford abundance of mill seats. The St. Joseph's, Kalamazoo, and Grand Rivers are the princi

The part of the country west of the lake is often called in books and maps Huron, Northwest, or Wisconsin Territory, though incorrectly, as the term Territory denotes a region with a distinct political organization. But as the eastern part will soon be erected into an independent state, and the western will then be set off as a distinct Territory, we shall here describe them separately as Michigan Proper, and Huron District.

pal streams on the western, and Saginaw, Huron and Raisin on the eastern slope.

4. Lakes. Lakes Superior, Huron, St. Clair, and Erie bound the Territory on the north and east. Lake Michigan lies almost wholly within its limits. It is 360 miles in length, with a mean breadth of 60 miles, and covers an area of 17,000 square miles; its surface is 600 feet above that of the ocean, and its mean depth 900 feet. Its waters are clear and abound with fish. It discharges itself into Lake Huron through the straits of Michilimackinac, 40 miles in length; in the northwestern part of the lake is the large bay, called Green Bay. Saginaw Bay on lake Huron is 32 miles wide, and extends about 60 miles inland. The lake shores afford few good harbors in proportion to their extent. 5. Climate. The winters are severe, particularly in the northern part, and snow lays to the depth of from 6 to 18 inches, for several weeks even in the southern part. The average temperature of winter is 20°, of summer 80°. The spring is wet and backward; summer dry; autumn mild; winter dry and cold.

6. Minerals. Salt springs occur in many places; iron and lead ore, gypsum, and coal are found, and peat is abundant.

7. Divisions. The whole Territory is divided into 40 counties, which are subdivided into townships. Three of these counties are in the Huron district. The population of Michigan Proper, by the census of 1830, was 28,000, but at present it exceeds 60,000.*

8. Towns. Detroit, the seat of government, is situated on the river of the same name, 18 miles from Lake Erie. It is regularly laid out, and is a flourishing town, with an active and increasing commerce. Population by the census of 1830, 2,222, but it has since doubled. Twelve steamboats run between this place and Buffalo. There are no other towns of importance, but some of the villages are growing rapidly.. There are several military posts of the United States; Fort Mackinac is on an island of the same name in the straits of Michilimackinac; Fort Gratiot on Lake Huron, and Fort Brady on St. Mary's straits.

9. Inhabitants. The northern part was till recently occupied by Indians, of whom there were about 10,000. They belonged to the kindred tribes of Ottawas, Pottawatamies, and Chippewas, who have lately ceded their lands, and retired from the peninsula. On the eastern borders of the state are settled many French Canadians, who are industrious, honest and peaceable, but ignorant.

10. History. Some settlements were made here by the French in the 17th century. With the rest of this part of the country, this region passed into the hands of the English in 1763, and afterward formed part of the Northwestern Territory. In 1805, it was set off into a dis tinct Territory, with the usual territorial government.