The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1866-11-22
Interesting Statistics Of Illinois.

The Chicago Iri5aue has the following:
eve have long been familiar with the
dimensions OF our State in miles, stretch
ing north and south, east and west But
how MANY of us have come to the full
belief of the truth, that If some Sampson
should pick up the State Of Illinois and
set it down in New England, it would
completely shut out the day, and cover
up the nine States--New hampshire,
Maine, Vermont, massachusetts, Rhode
Island, Connecticut, Now Jersey, Mary
and and Delaware, FOR these States com
bined Contain bat > 1856 square miles,
while Illinois contains 55,4G5 square
miles But this said and we have not
told half the Grnth. The tillahle or plough
land of Illinois is more than three times
as much rs that Of all those states, ao-
cording to the statistics or tha Secretary
Of the Interior IT ashin2ton.
ITS RAPID SETTLEMENT,
..Thirty-f four years after The Declara-
ton of American Independence, IN lSlo,
Illinois was occupied almost entirely 10y
Indians. and a few French traders, with
here and there an American family
Twenty years later, in 1880, it contained
a population of Io7 .44o. In twenty
wears more, in 1850, its population was
S5l .4T0. and in fifteen years more, In
1865. it had 2,I4s.17S. having gained in
the last fifteen years l, l,296,10S This is
SOC. 900 more than the gain of any other
State in the country in the last fifteen
wears, and 900 more than any other
kof our States ever gained in the same
length of time. It's increase during the
FIVE wears of the war has been 436, 22I,
and that, too, when Illinois sent 25S,ooo
men to the army. This addition to the
population of our State in five years is
more than the entire population of Cal
ifornia with its gold fields 1t is, in re
spect to population, like adding new
/ California 10 Illinois every five years
i In eighteen years Illinois has built over
1920 miles of railroad. 1t has 1920
miles of navicable waters almost sur
rounding it and entirely crossing ii,
while we may see, by a reference to the
man. that the railways and rivers of the
whole country point to Ilinois rs a
centre. as inevitably as the spohes of a
wheel center in the hub. In no other
place in our country, or in the world. are
new towns, villages or cities springing
up with such amazing rapidity, and in no
other place on which the sun shines are
the foundations of society being laid for
the first time SO rapidly as in Illinois.
RESOURCES OF TIIg STATE.
In many of the older and eastern
States it requires years to pick away the
stones and make farm. Here vast prai-
ries invite immediate occupancy and cui-
ture. Farmers on the rocky New Eng
land shore scarcely believe us when we
: tell them that out w est we may walls
] for miles and miles together. and moi
- at .
bird BUTT is a fact, and the nature o
our soil, Welding abundant harvests, is
resource. We have, also, great variet,
Of climate. reaching further north thar
Boston and further south than Richmond
Oar rivers furnish water power for tn
r largest manufactures. Coal mines ar
+ abundant. and found over three fourth
of Illinois The coal mines of Englan
!. embrace territory of 2io square miles
enabling its people to accomplish a
much hy machinery as 4OocOo.boo c
men couli accomplish by hand SO say
BIcklani. Illinois alone has double N
. extent OF coal fields. These imnens
resources abounding over State Of sue
extent, with such soil and climate an
he commercial advantages. foresaadow Ia
a purpose OF God in the destiny OF th
IN State.
- IT'S FUTURE PRosPBCEs.
r "Out OF 55. 400. 900 acres of land, Ill
nois contains 81, ,000. 600 acres of tiliabl
ground. Only one e-seyeuth OF this h
yet been touched by the plow. yet tn
one seventh has sustained our own pol
ulation of 2,14S,lTS, and furnished
, surplus of food for expectation, enous
no doubt TO sustain 2,ooo 900 more
Now, if one seventh of our State, vi
= its imperfect culture. furnishes food Il
" four millions of people, cannot the who
State sustain population of twenty fl
millions.