Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1854-01-09
Interesting historical and Statistical Informal


ouhrc within the last half ceatury. The statis-
.;cs are made up of the census OF 1s50. The
Herald says,
In the year is00. enr repuhliv, then in its infan-
CIV. had endowed fhe blessings of its political unon
but eleven wears. Freed from thoir yoke of bon
dare the colonies had in l776 declared their IN
aenendenoe. and. in i7s7 formed their federal con
stitution, which. during the next two years, was
adoptexl by the States aud began immediately 10
NANTES, it. eaergising influences. The original
thirteen States increased IN number 10 sixteen :
Vermont Tennhssee, and Kentucky beng nd-
ded 10 their revolutionary precursors: Now
Hampshire, Massachusetts,, Rhode Island and
Connecticut New York, New jersey, Pennsyl-
sania. Delaware, and Maryland Virginia, North
Carolina, South Carolina. and GeorgIa. The
District of Columbia was composed OF parts of
tho states of Virginia aud Maryland. Our ter
ri,,,res covered TIE remaining portion of our do
main On our north were the British possessions
and on our south, Louisiana, tthen the properly
of France,) and the Floridas, then IN the posses
sion of the Spanish crown. On the east, our Dor
der was defined by the province of New Bruins
wick and ty the Atlantic Ocean, and ON the west
bv the windings of the Mississippi
AT that perod,the now influential millionaire OF
nopulat;op. Ohio, was unborn; and so also were
an the other young members Of d'r federal iam-
". Ohio entered the Union IN lol2 Louisiana,
isII; Indiana, 1876; Mississippi, 1917 Illinois,
1919: Alabama. islp; Name and Missouri, ls2t;
Arkansas and Michigan, 1896, Florida, Iowa aud
Texas. lsI5 Wisconsin, 1915 and California
1850.
Before the year 1903, our territorial area was
A million of square miles. That year our gov
ernment during Mr.. Jeiierson's administration,
purchased from France, for fifteen millions OF
dollars, two and half millions being retained to
compensate for French spoiiatlons' that immense
range of country now occupied by Minnesota, /
own, Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana, the Indian
Territory. Nebraska, the Northwest Territory.
Oregon. and Washington. 1t was happy hour
of our political existence. This purchase, at
once adding to our possessions million and
half of square miles, more than doubled cur to-
main. 4 new aud valuable acquisition was made
in 1919 by our treaty with Spain, who coded to
Us the Flordas then valued III five millions OF dol
lars the estimated amount OF spohatlons commit
ted by spanish vessels upon our commerce. Two
years after. our government took possession oil
this Palmetto region, with its almost sixty thou
sond sonare miles. East and West Florida form
ed a territorial government IN ls@2, aud became
n State in Isi5. Texas. which was IN 1873 IA
Mexican State, reyolted, and became independ-
ept i'm 1896 and was, nine years after, tlelo,)
annexed to our eonfederacy. we thus had anew
territorial acquisition of 2E 900 squire miles
At the close of our late war with Mexico, we pur-
of dollars, more than half million ut square
miles, comprising Upper California and New
Mexico. In l649 California adopted It's consti-
tuition, and the next year it became one oi our
States.
At the present moment our area of square
miles is three and quarter millions. Loss than
half million more, and we shall equal in extent
the whole continent of Europe. We now have
thirty-one United States, six organized terrific
nd tb ,yet NM
people of the Sandwich Islands are, by late ne
counts very de sirous of annexation To our Union;
and there are some marked symptoms Of grow
ing disposition of the same kind in another quar-
ter.
Our population, in 1890, was 1890 900; in 1890
it was 5.306,0 200; in 1910 it was 72I0 QUO III ls2O
IL was 9,6;}S 900; in 1880 it was L. SOC, 900; in
1910 it was IL, 00o, 900 and in 1850 it amounted
to 23263,0 900 The ratio of increase has at no
time been less than thirty two per cent. and from
1910 to 1850 it was more than thirty-siN and II
quarter per cent.
OF our whole population of twenty three aud
quarter millions, the natives of Ireland are not
quite 1,000, 900; the Germans are t600,0 00;the
English and the British Americans are not $780,
900; the Scotch are but 10000, the French, 5i,-
900; and the Welsh, 10000
Nothing in the history of social development
says the North american, compares with the
rapid advance which the United States have made
in civilization, wealth and power. 1t is only ne
cessary to look backward, and see the still near
point in time from which they started, on the
course of prosperity SO steadily pursued till now
to be struck with the amazing example of growth
they present What il once required centuries
to accomplish, has been achieved in this new
world in the space of few years, while the pro-
cess of improvement is continually accelerated
The wild wilderness has been changed into a
hourishing empire, where arts, letters, commerce
and religion have united with political freedom to
build up the happest and most puissant nation
on the globe, While the same vigorous spirit of
enterprise, love of adventure, and personal indie
pendence enjoy the ample room for expansion
which the broad and fruitful land we live in affords,
the march of settlement and production will go
ON with degree of success which will make our
progress in the next fifty years even more re-
markabe than that which has marked the precc-
ding half century.
1.-THE number of States now embraced within the
confederacy, the population of the whole, the
vast extent Of lands brought under cultivation,
the amount of agricultural production, the pros
porous condition of manufactures the uncounted
miles of railway and telegraph in the country,
and hundred similar instances of prosperity
might be cited to show what prodigous aggre-
gate of fresh elastic energy must have been at
work in the comparatively brief period which has
sufficed to produce the grand results at which we
have arrived. Without, however, taking so gem
eral view of the subject, we find in several Ia
bles of statistics accompanying the late report Of
the Secretary of the Treasury, relative to our
comuerce evidence enough of the astonishing