Carroll free press. [volume] (Carrollton [Ohio]) 1834-1861, 1848-12-15

service. The same vigilance existed 10 direct
ing the operations Of the navy as Of the ermy.
There was concert Of aclion and purpose be-
tween the heads Of the Two arms Of the service.
By the orders which were from time TO time is
sued, our vessels Of war on the Pacific and the
Gulf Of Mexico were stationed in proper posi-
lions to cooperate efficiently with the army
By this means theireonbned powerwas brought
TO bear successfully on the enemy.
The great results which have been developed
and brought to light by this war. will be Of i'm
measurable importance to the future progress Of
our country. They will tend powerfully to pre-
serve us from foreign collision, and TO enable
us TO preserve uninterrupted our cherished pol
icy Of peace with all nations-"enlanglln al
ances with none."
Occupying as we do, a more commanding po-
sition among the nations than at any former Pc
riod, our duties and responsibilities 10 ourselves
and TO poslerity are correspondingly increased.
This will be the more obvious when we consid-
er the vast additions which have been recently
made to our territorial possessions, and then
great importance and value.
Within less than four years the annexation oI
Texas 10 The Union has been cOnsummaled; all
conflicting title TO the Oregon territory south oI
The lorty-ninth degree Of north latitude, being all
that was insisted on by any of my predecessors
has been adjusted and New Mexico with Upper
California have been acquired by treaty. The
area of these several territories, according 10 a
report carefully prepared by commissioner o
the General Land Office from The most aulhen.
tic information in his profession and which is
herewith transmitted, contains l,l93,06l square
miles, or 1853 $685. ,040 acres; while the area oI
The remaining twenty-nine States, and the ter.
ritory not yet organized into States east Of the
Rocky Mountains, contains 2,O59,5l3 square
miles, or / ,318, ,O58 acres.
These estimates show that the territories re-
Gently acquired, or over which our exclusive ju.
( risdicIion or dominion have been extended, con-
sllIuto a country more than half as large as all
that which was held by the United States before
their acquisition. If Oregon be excluded from
the estimate, there will still remain within the
! limits Of Texas, New Mexico, and California,
85l ,598 square miles, or 5,0l2 ,720 acres; be-
/ ing an addition equal to more than one-thrd OF
all the territory owned the United States, before
their acquisition; and, including Oregon, near.
Y as great an extent Of territory as the whole
of Europe, Russia only excepted. The Mis-
sisSippi, 50 lately the frontier of our country,
is now only its centre. With the addition Of
the late acquisitions, the United States are now
estimated to be nearly as large as the whole oil
Europe. il is estimated by the superintendent
OF the coast survey, in the accompanying report,
that the extent of the sea coast Of Texas, on
the gulf of Mexico, is upwards of four hundred
miles; of the coast of Upper California, on the
Pacific Of go miles; and Of Oregon, including
the straits Of Fuca Of $50 miles west, making
the whole extent Of sea coast on the Pacific, l.,
$50 miles, and the whole extent on both the Pa.
cific and the Gulf Of Mexico 2,020 miles.
The length of the coast on the Atlantic from
the northern limits Of the United States around
the capes Of Florida to the Sabine, on the east
ern boundary of Texas is estimated TO be 3, 100
miles: so that the addition Of sea coast, includ-
I ing Oregon, is very nearly two.thrds as great
as all we possessed before; and excluding Ore
gon, is an addition of l, $40 miles, being nearly
equal TO one-half Of the extent of coast which
we possessed before these acquisitions. We
have now three great marat,me ports on the AT.
antc, the gulf of Mexico, and the Pacific
making in the whole an extent Of sea coast ex
ceeding 5000 miles. THIS is the extent of the
sea coast of the United States, not including
bays, sounds, and small irregularities of the maiT
shore and of the sea islands; if these be incu
ded the length of the shore line of coast, as es
tmated by the superintendent of the coast sur
v6ys in this report. would be 33,O63 miles.
1t would be difficult to calculate the value @
these immense additions 10 our territorial pos
sessions. Texas, lying contiguous to the Wes
tern boundary Of Louisiana, embracing within
its limits part of the navigable tributary wa
ters Of the Mississippi, and an extensive SET
coast, could not long have remained in the hand,
of aforeign powerwnhoute endangering the peace
of our South Western frontier. Her products
in the vicinity of The tributaries of the Missis
sippi, must have sought market through thos
streams running into and through our territory
and the danger of irritation and collision of in
terests between Texas, as foreign State, ant
ours, ever would have been imminent, while
the embarassments in the. commercial inter
course between them must have been constan
and unaVenable. Had Texas fallen into tn
hands, or under the influence and control Of
strong maratime or military power, as sh,
might have done, these dangers would hav
been still greater. They have been avoided BY
her voluntary and peaceful annexation 10 tht
United States.
Texas fIom her position, was a natural, ant
almost Indispensable part of our territories.-
Fortunately she has been restored TO our coun
try, and now constitutes one of the States of ou
confederacy, "upon an equal footing with thu
original States." The salubrity Of climate, the
fertility of soil peculiarly adopted to the produc
tions of some of our most valuable staple com
modities, and her commercial advantages mus
soon make her one of our most populous States
New Mexico, though situated in the interior
and without sea coast, is known 10 contain
much fertile land, to abound in rich mines of the
precious metals, and to be capable of sustaining
u large population. From its position it is the
intermediate and connecting territory between
our settlements and our possessions in Texa!
and those on the Pacific coasts.
Upper California, irrespective of the vast min
eral wealth recently developed there, holds a