Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1850-1854, 1851-01-24
From the New York Tribune.
The EIaIf-Century--A Retrospect.
ISOOs5I.

To-Day closes the first half of the nineteenth
century. A few memoranda of the changes,
mutations and progress which that Half-C
ry has witnessed can hardly be deemed inappro-
pirate.
Fifty years ago, George Washington had just
gone to his grave amid the tears and blessings
Of the People he had been foremost in rescuing
first from tyranny, then from anarchy; and our
Country, having justescaped the imminent peril
of War with France, after securing by the Fo-
deraI Constitution the power of protecting and
promoting her own industry, was beginning to
realize the blessings of Independence and Free
dom. Thomas Jefferson had just been desgna-
ted for leXt President by majority Of the Ame-
rcan People, but had not yet been actually cleo
ted, there being an equal number Of votes for
hisn and his associate (Bufr) on the 'RepublI-
cam ticket, as it was then called, requiring an
election by the House, which took place in Feb
ruary, following. The Population Of Our coun-
try was over 800 900 or considerably less than
one fourth the present number. The Union
then consisted of sixteen Sates-Vermont, Ten
nessae and Kentucky having been added TO the
original Thirteen. Ohio had begun to b. set
| lied at Marietta, Cincinnati, Warren, aud per-
! haDs one or two other points, but had not yet
! population enough for State. There were
small settlements at Detroit, and perhaps at one
or two other points west of Ohio; but Louisiana
| was Spanish province, including ST. Louis as
! we'll as New-OreaIs, and the Mississippi a
/ Spanish river, through which our people then
| settling in the valley of tho Ohio were denied
! egress for their products Florida was of course
| all Spanish, and what are now Alabama and
/ Mississippi partly Spanish ana wholly wilder
ness. Our own State had scarcely white in
habtant west of the sources of the Mohawk and
t 4. u II, ,,,J n,ho
ests traversed only by savages. The Erie Ca
mai had hardly been dreamed Of by the widest
cas.le-builder and the western limit of this State
(Which a few months more will bring with "A
hours of u.s. was practically farther off than Pa
| ris or Galena now is. This city had a popula-
I lion of 10000 less than one-eighth its present
/ numberl mainly living below Chambers-st. while
| BROOKLYN, WnhamsburCh, Jersey City, and its
other suburbs, did not contain hftieth part as
many inhabitants IS now. Philadelphia was a
! sixth larger than New-York now one-ffth
! smaller, with far greater disparity of Suburban
population. Boston had $4,000 inhabitants
/ Baltimore 26, 5O0-Washingto City whittier
the Federal Government had Just been removed
| bad 5000 a few daring spirits were just be-
/ ginning to migrate from the older portions of
/ New-Engiand TO Western New York HOLLAND
/ Purchase and North Eastern Ohio-an enter
/ prise quito as arduous and perilous as emgra-
/ ton hence to California and Oregon now is.
/ In Europe, Napoleon had just reached the top
| most round OF the ladder By overthrowng the
! Directory and causing himself to be proclaimed
/ First Consul, though be was not crowned EN-.
! per0r till 1904. He had returned from his abor-
tive invasion of Egypt in 1899, but the battle of
Marengo, which made Italy French province
! for twelve years thereafter, was not fought till
! June, 1900 The Austrian monarch was still
! known as Emperor of Germany Poland, af-
/ ter melancholy, f.ful struggle of twenty-five
/ years against Internal anarchy and the pira
/ cy of kings for her destruction, had just ceased
/ To exist. Alexander had not yet asceuded the
throne of assa, his father Paul l. not being IS
sassinate1 till March, 1901. Prussia had pre-
served peace since the defeat of the Allied invG-
sion OF France in 1872, her councils inclnlng
tor or against Revolutionary France as fortune
smiled or trowned, and 50 remained until 1906,
when she engaged Napoleon singlc-handed and
was utterly sub1ued in Il single brief campaign,
commencing with the double rout Of Jena and
Auersoerg and closing with the French armies
victorious on her Eastern Frontier This COM
pleted the virtual conquest OF all Germany by
I Napoleon, Austria having been fully crushed by
him in the battle of Austerlijz, Dec. ?. 1895.
Fifty years ago. George III. was in the middle
OF his reign over the British Empire. with Pitt
ana Fox, the leaders OF the Tory and Wing par
ties. at the height of their llfe-leng struggle
They both died suddenly six years atterward-
Trafalgar was vet unfought, bat Nelson was al
ready idolizad for his victories of Cape 81. Vim
cent, Aboukjr, &c. His attack on Copenhagen
was net made Till April, 1901.
All this Continent South and West as we'll as
/ north of the One Million square miles belonging
to the United States since increased to $780,
! 000l was claimed by various European powers
as their respective colonial possessions-all
north of as [as nowl except vaguely defined
and inhospitable portion of the Northwest coast
belonging to Great Britain, while all South and
West Of Us was ruled by France and Portugal
excep, a small portion Of the Eastern coast Of
Soath America, lying between the mouths OF the
Orinoco and the Amazon, which was shared by
Englsnd, France and Holland, and known as
| British, French and Dutch Guiana. This small