Meigs County telegraph. [volume] (Pomeroy [Ohio]) 1848-1859, 1857-03-10
Material Prosperity and MOraa
Prospects of the Country.

So rapid is the physical and financial de-
velopement of the Uuited States, that the
conception of it by our own citizens them
selves hardly keeps pace with it, notwlth-
standing our nationality characteristic dis
position to self-boasting. Our statistics
for the last year could be hardly credible
were it not that they are based on returns
of official authority. The theme IS not
without moral Importance, and may well
be occasionally referred to in our religious
journals.
The mercantile circulars enable us to
show how the country stands for 800. a
fair general idea of the business OF the
year can be formed from the commercial
and financial results of New York for 1856.
They show an increase over 1855 OF ST.
700, 900 900 in the exchanges at the Clear
inc House; carrying the total of the year
to the enormous sum of ST, 800, 600, 900.
This is an increase of 80 per cent. The
settlements at the Clearing House in Lon
don amounted in 1899 to 1854, ,4OO,O 900,
or S4,772, 100000; since which returns
have not been obtained. But the business
must have tripled since then, IN which
event the transactions at New York would
be equal to half those in London.
The aggregate imports and exports from
New York show more than 33 per cent
increase over 1855; and the railroad trat'
fic an increase of from 90 to 80 per cent
according to localities.
The measure of the amount of the vir-
gin lands brought under cultivation can b'
arrived at with sufficient accuracy by tax
ing the cash sales or public lands, and th'
number of land warrants located, amount
ing during the last fiscal year to 7,6oo'
900 acres-equal to the united territories
of Belgium and Holland or four times tn
area of Massachusetts. In addition to thes
large transfers of land, Congress has ced
> ed, during the year, to railroads or to State
which will probably hereafter make sim
liar disposition of part Of them, abou
FL 100000 acres; making the total sale
and grants of land in single year 39,
300. 600 acres, equal to the extent OF WI
' pinia. orabout third of the area of France
o Notwithstanding the heavy draught mad
= for SO many years upon the federal domalr
: the public lands yet remaining unsold al
b equal, in extent, to the Mirty-O7s er'st'n
h States, which is more than the whole
= Europe, Russia excepted. AS to the as
It ricultural and industrial production, 1T h'
: been prodigious, and has kept pace vii
the progress exhibited by other branch'
Z. of business. 1t is not practicable to dete
- mine it's numerical value; but we ma
'p however, accept as approximate, the e
Inmates of the Secretary of the Treasur
:, based upon the copious details touchir
TO- TO- the subject set forth in the census return
of 1840 and 1850. He comes to the co
clusion that the total productions OF u
y; country amounted last year to S2, 600, ,ooo
:" 600, or three times what it was fltte
:, years ago.
Ill Inc secretary Oh CIe Aio"o"J -
e, States has given a table of the aggrega
" wealth Of the United States, showing
: tai of SiI, ,3IT, 900, 900, exclusive OF t
y: public domain; his estimate OF the prese
e; a. population is 1884, ,312.
'rt - The number of miles Of railroads In