, 1863-05-23
Tllc City Of Ehfc1Hn

lC[ou oaM dajletL & GO. sCommercial Circular.
IF By single example we desired TO illus
tfate ne rapid advance Of this country beyond
any other-n we were called upon to demon
sttate the power of our Institutions, the
growth Of our commerce, the Irresistible en-
ergy Of our people, the greatness Of their In
dustry and enterprise, their aptness in 6eizing
upon their natural advantages, and their dfll-
tatlpgly point to the City Of Chicago.
Twent!-three years ago it had o population
Of ,479. At the last census it had TO-, EGO in
habitants, having incrrased, since the preyi-
ous census, at the rate Of more than 264 per
cent, and having become the eighth In rank
among American cities. It now presents to
the eye OF the traveller one OF the most en-
gsging pictures on this continent, miles Of
wbarves crowded with shipping, q northern
Vista where the waters Of Michigan minyle
with the horizon, beautiful streets and impos-
ing edifices, long lines Of warehouses and la-
latial residences, crowds Of men busy in the
acttTe pursuits Of trade, and endless t.aius OF
cars rushing in from the far West, laden with
the products Of our vide and e1haustltss
prairies.
To visit Chicago is like entering new
world; here the mind for the first time rea-
beyond the Ohio, Mississippi and Missouri,
and Is becoming the noblest l.art Of the Re.
public, whether for area, Population, proluc-
tl0n or resources. For hundreds OF thou
sands Of square miles pierced with railways
and cut By canals, Chicago is tile intrepot ind
coast By day and hight, at every hour OF both,
vessels and trains loaded to tleir fullest CO.
paeity, with the staple products Of the north
western world.
Nor is this all. Besides commanding the
trade Of the interior br its numerous lines Of
railways, and its water Communications By
canal with the Illinois River, it is ut the head
Of lale navigation, and has access to th.
ocean By natural and artificial outlets for yes
sells that safely cross the Atlantic. In 1886
few sehooners supplied this region goods from
n port on Lake Erie; now, seven side-whcel
steamers, some of1hem more than L. 900 tons in
capacity, sizty-dre propellers OF IS 500 tons,
scventy'siy barks Of H,91S tons, 1fty-two
brigs Of 1896 tons, and five hundred and
forty.nine schooners with total burthen OF
l5o, ,st2 tons, are engaged in the trade uf Chi
cago, and find constant employment during
the season Of navigation. Certainly no port
IN the world only twenty-five years old c.ln
exhibit any such results; so far from this in
deed, not many Of the oldest American or
European ports can now compete with her.
While some great foreign towns, centuries old
and traditfonal1J commercial. have their full
share Of the trade Of tbs world, none but Chi
cago, more than thousand miles from the
sea, can produce such marine list, or such
f}eets, the growth Of less than one generatlon.
:. Certainly, whatever was the chief design Of
Providence in leaving those lake oceans full
and overhowing in the heart of North America,
the American people have not been slow IN
recognizing the advantage, and accepting the
Iesponsioility which has attached to the gift.
These noble waters, Superior, Michigan, Hu-
ron, Erie and Ontario while exercising vast
climatic influence, and rendering another ST.
beria impossible on this continent within the
ordinary range Of animal exis cnce, have
offered the strongest and most pleasing IN
ducements to human industry and enterprise.
We too have our Mediterranean. The area Of
these lakes in square miles, Is nearly if not
quite equal to that of the former sea, if we in
c'pde the Georgian bay in our computation;
we take in the St. Lawrence Is far
greater. The shore line OF the lakes is
Estimated at 6 ,aa4o miles. If We cast our eyes
over the map Of the Mediterranean. we are
equally surprised to perceive, whether from
the difference Of institutions, governments
or peoples, that notwithstanding the antiquity
Of It's advantages, SO to speak, there Is but