Wisconsin tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1847-1854, 1851-02-20
Ineldents Of the past half Century.


lust gone to his grave amid the tears and bles-
sings Of the People be had been foremost in res
cuing first from tyranny, then from anarchy
and orr Country, having just escaped the i'm
miucnt perils or a War with France. after Sc
curing BY the Federal Constitution the pow
er Of protecting aud promoting her own IN
Iustry, was beginning to realize the blessings
Of independence and Freedom. Thomas
jefferson had just been designated for next
President by ms sjorily Of the American peo-
Fle, bat had not yet been actually elected,
there being an equal number Of votes for him
aud Ills associate Burn on the - Republican,
ticket, as it was then called, requiring an cleo
ton by the House, which took place in Feb
ruary following. The population of our
country was over 5 800, 90, or Considerable
less than one-iourth the present number
The Uuioc then consisted Of sixteen States
+ Vermont, tennessee and Kentucky having
been added to the original Thirteen. ONO
had begun to be settled at Marietta. Cincin-
uatti, Warrea, and perhaps one or two other
points west Of OHIO; but Louisiana, was a
. Spanish province, including st. Louis as well
as New Orleans, and tire Mississippi a span
'sh river through which our people then set
t!iug 10 the valley Of the Ohio were denied
esr.ss for their products Florida was Of
course AL. pauish, and what are now Alabama
aad Mississippi partly Spanish and wholly q
wilderness. Our own State bad scarcely
white iHha5itant west of the sources OF
the Mohawk and Susquehanna Buffalo and
Rochester were forests travcrsed only by saw
ages. The Erie Canal bad hardly been
dreamed Of by the widest castle-tuilder. and
the western limit Of this State (Which fe ~
months more viii bring within twenty fJul
hours Of us) was practically farther off than
Paris or GIlena now Is. This city had
population Of 6).001 (less than one eighth
its present number) mainly living below Cham
5sr~treet whi.e Brooklyn. Williamsburg, Jer-
~ey City. and is suburbs. did not contain
fitch part as many Inhabitants as now
Philadelphia was sixth larger than New
York; now one fifth smaller. with a far
greater display ofsuburban population Bos-
Ton had 25.7JJ inhabitants Baltimore $500
-Na~hugton City (wHirher the Federal
Government bad just been r.. ioved) had s.
25}. = few daring spirits were Just beginning
+ migrate from tae older portions Of New
England 70 Western New York &. Holland
PlrchAse'') and North-Eastern Ohio-au
ent rprise quite as arlpus and perilous as en-
i-rat.ag hence - California aud Oregon now
IS.
Ia E-tape. Napoleon had just reached Il 2
ttop'no~t round Of the ladder BY overtafoyiug
Tie Directory and causing hims If to be- pro-
claimed FIRST Consul though he was not
crowned Emperor TIL 1901. He had returned
from lis aborttve invasion Of Egypt in 1893.
5ut 5he battle Of Marengo, which made Italy
z French province Tor twelve years thereaf-
ter, was not fought till June. I600 The
Austrian mouarch was still known as 3. En-
p.ror of Germany" Poland. after a melan-
choy, ftiui struggle of twenty-five years
against internal auIrchy and the conspiracy
of hiug, for her destruction. lad Just ceased
to exist. AlexauI-r had not vet ascended the
throne Of Russia, his father, Paul l.. not be-
ing assasinated til March. 1901. Prussia
bad preserved peace since the defeat Of tile all
lied invasion Of France IN 1893. her councils in
Ginning for or against Revolutionary Frauce
rs fortune smiled or erowned, and 50 re
manned until 1906. when she engaged Nupo-
leon single handed aud was utterly subdued
ia d siu-le brief campaign. commencing with
the double rout of jena and Auersburg and
closing with the French armies victorious on
her Eastern frontier. This completed the
virtual conquest of all Germany by Napoleon
Austria having been fully crushed by him IL
the battle Of Auster.tz, Dee. ,. 1868.
- Fifty years ago George III, was in the
middle Of his reign over the British Empire.
with Pit and Fox, the leaders Of the Tory
AMI Wing parties, at the height of their life
joug struggle. They both died suddenly SIX
years afterwards. Trafalgar was yet un.
fought. but Nelson was already idolzed for
his victories OF Cape S.. Vincent, Aboukir
Sc. lis attack on Copenhagen was not made
until April, 1901.
An this Continent South and West rs well
as North Of the Oae Million square miles be-
longing TO the United States (siuce increased
20 3,15J. .J00) was claimed hy various Euro
paan powers as their respective colonial pos
sessiens-alI north Of US (as uow) except n
vaguely defined and iuhospitabIe portion Of
the North West Coast, belonging to Great
Br5tiau. while all South and West OF Us was
ruled By France and Portugal except a small
portion of the Eastern coast Of South Amer
lea, laying between the mouths Of the Oro-
uoco aud the Amazon. which was shared by
England, France and Holland, and known a
British. French and Dutch Guiana. This
small portion Is still European, with most Of
the Islands known as West Indies. hut no
Spanish or Portuguese flag now waves over
any portion of the Continent. Portuguese
America. peaceably separated from the moth