The western Democrat. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1852-1870, 1856-05-06
TIE wEsT--THE GREAT WEST.

| only the States OF Michigan, Wisconsin and
Iowa. and the territory of Minnesota, con-
tain one hundred and ffty-six millions OF
acres, a population of 1,76O, 900 and 1,3O4
miles ef railroad, besides many thousands
of miles of Lake and river navigation. The
area embraced in this section is more than
! twice as great as the area of Great Britain.
The number of square miles of England,
| Scotland, Wales and Ireland, is 12l 900
| that of the Northwest, 244,067. 1t is four
times as large as New England, and would
make thirty-one States as large as Massa-
chusetts. 1t is land of great fertility,
| and can sustain as dense a population as
| any portion of the country. If settled as
densely as Massachusetts, is now, it would
contain population of thirty-six millions !!
1t is curious fact that the products of one
of these States, Iowa, sometimes go over
the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad.
This remote region has some large and
fourishing cities. There is Detroit, Mich
igan, with a population of 4O,375, and a
valuation for taxation of 12,5O0,000; Mil
w
3O,448, and valuation corresponding, and
other smaller, but rapidly growing cities,
and towns.
The Central West, including the States
of Ohio, Indiana and Illinois, which in 1900
did not contain fifty-fve thousand white
inhabitants, now has a population of A.
100000; six thousand seven hundred and
twenty-nine miles of railroad, and an ac-
tual property valuation of not less than two
thousand five hundred millions of dollars.
Now these States have nearly as many miles
of railroad as the whole Union had in 1850,
and Illinois has more miles of railroad than
the whole Union had in 184O.
Property valuation in Illinois fifteen years
ago was probably not fifty millions; it is
now $23O,OO0,O00. In Indiana, the Audi
tors reports show an increase from 1841
to 1854 of over two hundred millions of dol
lars in the valuation of real and person
al property in the State. In Ohio, the
valuation in 1840 was $112,326.156; in
1855 it was S86O,877 ,354. This Is pro-
grcSS, is it not!
The cities Of this section are also large.
Chicago is not a small place. In 1840 it's
population was only 4,50O; in 1855 its
population was $4,000. There were more
than twenty millions of bushels of grain
received in the year 1855 in Chicago. This
immense amount may have been owing to
the high prices of last year; but the rapid
settlement of the country tributary to Chi
cago, it is believed, will always keep up her
grain to an enormous figure.
In the far Vest, there are Missouri and
Kansas, with their 117,3OO square miles,
and scarcely a barren acre in it. Both
contain coal beds that are inexhaustible for
a thousand years. In Missouri, the great
coal field covers 10000 square miles. South
of the Missouri river there are 10000 square
miles, filled with mines of iron, lead, COP
per, cobolt, nickel, the best flint sand for
glass, and the best porcelain clay. South
of St. Louis are the Iron Mountain and
''Pilot Knob" which contain iron enough
to last the world forever. The city of St.
Louis has now l25,O0O people. In 1855
there were 100000 barrels of -four manu-
featured there, and over 100000 received
from other places, equal to the -four trade of
Philadelphia.
For 1855, the trade of the Western lakes
has been estimated as high as five hundred
millions of dollars in value. We CLEAN
these facts from lecture delivered recent
ly in Boston, by R. S. Elliott, of st. Louis.
This is only portion of the wonderful
region of country known as the Vest
What land ! If we only hang together
century longer, we will dictate terms to
the world Nay, we sholI be world in
ourselves.-[ Richmond dispatch.