The southern press., 1851-11-01
From he Journal Of Csmmsrcs.
Growth Or Texas.


GALvEsron, Oct 10th, 1851.
Much has already been written upon the
growth and prosperity Of this iourishing 6tate.
Texas is no doubt destined, in the popular Ian
guage Of the day, to become the Empire State
of the South" When her present debt shall
have been extinguished, as it speedily will be, l
hope to the satisfaction Of all her creditors, and
the balance Of the ten millions appropriated to
internal improvements, railroads, the clearing
out Of her rivers and harb0rs, and the purposes
Of education,--for which last, by the way, the
State has already funded nearly million Of dol
lars,-her resources will begin to be rapidly
developed.
Texas is almost the only State In the Union
having diversity of soil and climate suited to
the various products Of our wide spread country.
Embracing in her territorial limits an area of
several hundred thousand square miles, with
several degrees of latitude and longitude, we
find her producing, in one district, all the grains
and fruits of the North, and in another, all the
staples Of the South, and the Injuries Of the
tropics. Cotton, tobacco, wheat corn, rye, oats,
potatoes, &C., in the Northern range, and Red
river district, of the 3lst degree of latitude and
upwards,-a and sugar, cotton, tobacco, rice and
all the tropical fruits farther South.
At the battle of San Jacin'o, Texas scarcely
numbered ten thousand souls; she now has
nearly three hundred thousand She has upwards
Of one hundred organized counties, and is we'll
supplied with newspapers and post offices
throughout the State. An intelligent traveller,
who has made recent .our to the Upper Trim
ily, represents the emigration to that part of
the country as far exceeding anything he had
imagined This immense influx Of immigrants
had produced the natural consequences Of giving
an unusual demand for provisions, and enhance
ing the value of land to nm extent that 10 almost
unprecedented. Lands which were offered last
year for three or four dollars per acre, can now
be sold readily for eight or ten; and such as
could be had ten months ago for fifty cents per
acre, can now be sold for two dollars in cash."
The Brazos plantations have been gathering
bale of cotton per acre, at the first picking,
but since the heavy rains, the yield is much less.
The sugar crop is, this year, very fine. Cotton
and sugar will be much earlier to market than
usual.
The city of Galveston. the island city, the
chief commercial mart Of the State, has popu-
ation of about 1000 souls. She commands, at
present, two-thirds of the Gulf trade. Besides
regular lines Of steam packets to New Orleans,
she has line of superior sailing packets to New
York and Boston, and il is in contemplation to
add line of steamers to New York and Mobile.
Ten emigrant ships are daily expected here, on
their way from Europe, with passengers and
freight for Texas.
The domestic trade of Galveston, chiefly up
the Trinity and Brszos rivers, for the past year,
may be safely set down between two and three
millions of dollars. In the course Of another
year or two, she will ship from this port eighty
or hundred thousand bales of cotton, equal to
Natchez and Vicksburg in their palmiest days.
Galveston is pretty well built for new town,
though it has nothing to boast of in the way of
architecture, unless it be the Cathedral, which
might be regarded as an ornament in any city.
"The log cabin era in Texas has nearly passed
have fairly entered upon style Of architecture
which may well be termed the barn style"
The past summer has been the hottest, dryest
and healthiest ever known. With the exception
of two or three showers Of rain, providentially
sent, il would seem, to keep the cisterns well
filled, and supply the inhabitants with water, SO
indispensable to health and comfort, We may say
in the language Of Scripture, that the heavens
have been brass, the earth iron, and the rain of
our land powder and dust" Notwithstanding
the thermometer has ranged from 80 to 80 and
upwards, all the season, and indicated the same
degree Of temperature nearly at the same hours
of the day aud night, for weeks and months to-
gether, We have continually been refrrfhed by
cool. southerly and westerly breezes from the
Gulf, and blessed with a degree Of health une-
qualled, we dare assert, by no other town or city
of its size in the United States. For FIVE months
past or more, the sun and moon have never been
shorn of their brightness, and such nights a'
have beamed upon US continually during tn,
summer, have no where else been realized thi,
side Of the Grecsn Isles.