Lewisburg chronicle. [volume] (Lewisburg, Pa.) 1850-1859, 1853-03-04
respond,nce o, the Lswisburg Chronicle.
From Illinois.
ELLIsvILLE, FULTON Co., Ill.
February Nth, 1888.

From Illinois.
ELLIsvILLE, FULTON Co, Ill.
February l4th, 1858.
DEAR SII.-I have noticed in your pa
per that you publish an occasional cores
pondcnce from Stephenson county, in this
State Knowing, as I do, the benefits to
settlers that arise from an impartial and
fair representation of the advantages and
disadvantages of new country, and be.
lieving that the only true medium through
which to communicate the existing state
of facts to those wishing to emigrate west,
is the public press, have takon the lib
erty to address you a short article on the
advantages OF location in thiS part o.
Illinois.
No State in the Union, ct this tine,
Lids more fair to become the great nucleus
of agricultural wealth than Illinois. Its
agricultural resources are unbounded, as
they are uneaualled. South of Rock Rive:
bituminous Goa! ofthe best quality abounds
Unlike in all other coal regions, limestone
is found, in thick strata, intervening hori
zontally, between the coal beds. Lead
ore-pure galena-Iron ore, Copper, and
some silver are found in different localities
Lead ore has been found most abundan;
in the North Western corner of the State
in Jo Daviess, Stephenson and Carroll
counties.
All experience, hitherto, has gone to
show that the discovery, and working Of
minerals in any country, has had an effect
detrimental to its true interests, by advan-
cling property to an unnatural and fictitious
value, while its real wealth consists in and
depends upon the good or ill success of the
operators engaged in mining. In Galena,
a city Of about 5000 inhabitants, situated
in the heart of the Lead District, referred
to above, property on the main business
street has been sold at prices full as high
as it would command if situated on the
best business street of Philadelphia, while
the lots are SO situated that it requires at
least - per cent. Of the original cost to
prepare them for foundation.-Iet with
in five miles Of city where property con-
mands SO high price, land can be bought
for 81, ,25 per acre. Land of this character
however, is of little value; being worthless
as mineral land aud but lily adapted to
farming uses.-In point of wealth, 10 Da-
viess stands among the first counties in the
State. As a mining country, it is the
richest: as an agricultural county it is the
poorest.
In that portion Of the State, settlers
labor under great disadvantages from a
want of timber: the supply, even for fire.
wood, being insufficient for present use.
at this time, brings at least
5 80 per cord. Coal Ohe nearest beds
being 80 miles, brings from Is to 25 cts.
per bushel. Galena has always been point
where very large mercantile business
was done. Up to last fall it knew no
for the trade of the whole
around, and prosperity and hustle
every transaction. The COM
ple.ion of the Chicago d; Galena Railroad
to Rockford, however, has lately materially
changed the aspect of afairs.-Much of
the [coal] and nearly all the produce, that
used to find ready market in Galcna,
now seeks an Eastern market by way of
Rockford and Chicago.
In years past, when any Of our people
in this region were troubled with "short-
ness of funds" short sojOurn in Galena
always enabled the one so afflicted to ere.
Any one disposed to work,
could then get plenty of it to do, and at
good wages; but now, there are an hun
1red hands to do fifty mems work. Prop
erty, that six years ago was worth 81 900
now could not be sold for 81, 500. You
will ask what has produced this great
change, when almost every other portion
Of the State is prospering to an unpreceden-
ted degree. The causes are obvious In
the hey-day of mining excitement, prop
erty in every town and village in the mines
run up to, and bought and sold at, hg-