The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1875-07-31
The Old Thirteen States.

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the earliest settlements within the origina
thirteen States, it Is to the latter that We
must first turn in any attempt to broadly
grasp the history Of population within the
United States. But wo shall fail TO reach
the full significance Of the situation If VIC
only give to ourselves, as reasons for treat
ing this portion of territory first in order,
its present population, exceeding that Of
any other section, It's earlier political de-
yelopment, or It's more conspicuous figure
in American history Il is not more, but
rather less, on account Of these than on
account Of the actual contributions which
this section hns made TO the population Of
each one in turn Of the other geographical
divisions Of the United States, early or re-
cent, that the writer on population must
turn first to jamestown and Plymouth, or
he will read his theme backward. Saint
Augustine C1565) aud Santa Fe 1882
were, indeed, planted before English Cav
alier or English Puritan sought the more
northern lands for settlement; but Saint
Augustine and Santa Fe were o barren
stock, and the populations that to-day oc-
cupy the regions in which these were
planted In the sixteenth century have
poured forth from States founded in pen
ury and neglect long afterward When
the great province Of Louisiana came TO
us, in 1903, more than three centuries
after the discovery Of the mainland Of
America, it contained, from the delta Of
the Mississippi TO Puget Sound, scarcely
twenty thousand white inhabitants. That
this vast territory now contains more than
i've millions Of inhabitants, who will by
1880 be eight millions or ten, is not due
to the robustness Of the stock which JEFF
erson annexed with the soil, or mainly 10
direct immigration. In like manner,
when we received Florida from Spain by
the treaty Of 1910, not consummated, how
ever, until 1921, the white population was
but twelve or fifteen thousand, so slight
had been the fecundity of the Spanish set
Elements. And when, in 1922, Congress
directed the Postmaster-general to make
provision for post-route from st. Angus
tine to Pensacola, that officer was Obliged
to report the next year as follows:
Diligent inquiry has been made, and
it does not appear that there is road be-
tween these places on the route designed
on which the mail can be conveyed.
There are Indian paths which pass through
different Indian settlements, but none, it
is understood, that extend for any consid-
able distance in the proper direction
And so late as 1850, the first date for
which we have the statistics Of nativity
in the United States, it was found that Of
the free inhabitants of Florida more had
been born in the original thirteen States
than in Florida itself, while less than six
per cent. Of the free inhabitants were Of
foreign birth. The Texan annexation,
again, now contains about 500, 900 souls !;
but when Texas revolted from Mexico, 1t
contained probably not more than 10000,
of whom by far the greater part had come,
In anticipation of manifest destiny, from
the States. In 1850, of the free inhabi-
tants scarcely more than one-third, includ-
ing, of course, an undue proportion Of
children, were natives Of Texas.
In the same way the first Mexican ces-
sion, when taken possession Of by the Uni
ted States, embraced but small popula-
tion. OF this tract 1t is true that, in the
furious excitement caused by the discov-
cry Of gold at Suffers Mill in ls4s, it was
settled more largely than any other had
been by direct immigration. Yet Of the
first eighty thousand eager gold-huntsrs
who pressed into the valleys Of California,
more than three-fourths were born in the
East, Of whom one-half, as nearly as might
be, were natives Of the original thirteen
States, while probably not less than two
thirds Of the remainder would be found to
be cisappalachian in their origin, could we
go but thirty years further back. Har-
per's Magazine for Aagast