Hillsdale Whig standard. (Hillsdale, Mich.) 1846-1851, 1851-02-11
Incidents Of the pas. half Century.

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 an
archy; and our Country, having just escaped
the imminent peril, of War with France,
after securing by the Federal Constitution
the power Of protecting and promoting her
own industry, was beginning to realize the
blessings of independence and freedom -
Thomas Jefferson had just been designated
for next President by majority OF the A
mericsn People, but had not yet been actual
ly electad, there being an equal number of
votes FOR him and his associate (Burr) on the
"Republlcan' ticket. as it was then called,
requiring an election by the House, which
took place in February following. The pop
ulatlon OF our country was over 100000, or
considerably less than one iourtn the pres
ent number. The Union then consisted OF
sixteen States Vermont. tennessee and
Kentucky having been added 10 tle original
Thirteen. Onio had begun to be settled at
Marietta, Cincinnati " arren, and perhaps
one or two other points, but had not yet pop
ulstion enough for a State There was
small settlement at Detroit and perhaps one
or two other points west of Ohio; but Lou
isiana, was Spanish province, including ~
Louis "a well as New Oilean>, and the Mis-
sissipp Spanish river. through which our
people then settling in tho valley of the Ohip
were denied cgress for their products. Flor
ida was Of course all Spanish, and what are
now Alabama and Mississippi partly Span
ish and wholly a wilderness Our own State
had scarcely white inhabitant west o: the
sources of the Mohawk and Susquehanna;
Buffalo and Rochester were forests traversed
only by savages. The Erie Canal had hard
ly been dreamed Of by the widest castle
builder. and the western limit of this State
(Which few months more will bring within
tw0nty- four hours Of usJ was practically far
ther off than Paris or Galena now is. The
city had population Of 10000 (loss than ono
eighth its present number) mainly living be-
low Chamber street, while Brooklyn, Will
iamsburgh, Jersey City, and its suburbs, did
not contain fifth part as many inhabitants
as now. PHILADELPHIA was n sixth larger than
New York; now one fifth smaller. with far
greater disparity Of suburban population -
Boston had $4,000 inhabitants; Baltimore,
1900, Washington City (whither the Fed
eral Government had just been removod) had
$500. A few daring spirits were just begin
ming to migrate from The older portions of
New England to Western New YorN ('IIol-
u
an enterprise quite as ardous and perous as
emigration hence to California and Oregon
now is.
In Europe, Napoleon had just reached the
topmost round of the ladder by overthrowing
the Directory and causing himselfto be pro-
claimed FIRST Consul though he was not
crowned Emperor till SOL lie had return
ed from his sbortivo invasion of Egypt ia
1899, but the battle of Marengo, which made
Italy French province for Twelve years
thereafter, was not fought till June. lsOO.-
The American monarch was still known as
Emperor of Germany. Poland after mel
anchoy, fitIu struggle of twenty -ivo years
against internal anarchy and the conspiracy
of kings for her destruction, had just ceased
TO exist. Alexander had not yet ascended
the throne of Russia, his father, Pual l., not
being assasinated till March, 1901. Prussia
had preserved peace since the defeat of the
Allied iDvasions Of France in 1892, her coun-
cls inclining for or against Revolutionary
France as fortune smiled or irowned, and SO
remained until 1906, when she engaged Ma
poleon single handed and utterly subdued in
single brief campaign, commencing with
the double rout Of Jean aud Auresburg 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 in
the battle of Austrilitz, Dee. 2, 1906.
Fifty years ago, George Ill. was in the
middle of his reign over the British Empire,
with Pitt and Fox, the leaders of the Tory
and Whig parties, at the height Of heir life
long struggle. They both died suddenly six
years afterwards. Trafalgar was Yet un. .
fought, but Nelson was already idolized for
his Cape st. Vincent, Aboukir &c. His at
tack OH Copenhagen was not made until
April, 1901 IN. Y. Paper.
A friend If ours was congratulating him