The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1885-01-11
SOME NEW BOOKS.
Kentucky.

OF pioneer romance. nnd which in all social,
economical. and political aspects rcproduces
pretty faithfully the traits OF its parent COM
monwcalth the Old Dominion. An account OF
Its development from the earliest attempts at
settlement down to tho present time has been
preppred for the American Common wealths"
series tHoughton. Mifflin Il Co. by a worthy son
Of kentucky. Mr.. N. $. SMALLER. professor Of
paleontology in Harvard University. Tho plan
Of this sketch has necessarily diverged ma
terially from that followed in some pre-
eedinR volumes OF the collection. In the
case OF Virginia and Maryland. for example.
which were adult communities at the outbreak
Of the war for Independence. their authors
have not unwisey confined themselves for the
most part to a concise synopsis Of pre- Revolu-
tionary annals. Virginia. indeed. was much
older when the first gun was fired for liberty
at Lexington than her offJhoot Is now. the
first deliberate attempt to found n colony Of
Importance within the limits Of Kentucky not
dating earlier than 1774 A settlement begun
some time befores 1t Louisville had boon aban-
doned. and the exrlorat ions Of Virginian survey
Ors and pioneers. which had been carried on In n
desutory way for about quarter OF a century
had not resulted in any permanent and consid-
cradle settlement. Thus 1t 10 worth while TO
recall the fact pointed ont by Prof. Shaler that
the lrst visit Of Daniel Boone. the typical back
WoouShhu. ulu uot tNho pldce DelVfb lfov. II
was In 1875 that the first code OF laws was drawn
up by the settlers themselves for the govern
ment OF their community. TO which they gave
the short-lived name Of Transylysnia. and II IL
q curious coincidence that q race track was
laid out in the same year 1t was not till ten
years later that tho first whskey distilcry was
started
Prof. Shaler tells us that in 1880 notwith-
standing the Revolutionary war. and perhaps
on account OF the disturbances which 1t brought
about In eastern Virginia. an active immigra-
ton into Kentucky began. which lie thinks
must have transferred at least 5000 souls per
anuum. By 1884 the population OF the Terri
tory was computed to amount to 10000. n re-
marknble total when we bear in mind the
grievous losses tn which this frontier was sub
lected from Indian raids Having demon
stratod the power OF self-protocton and
sef-government. the Kentucky pioneers
no longer relished the position OF de-
pendence on Virginia and in 1856 tho
General Assembly OF that State passed an act
asserting to the separation Of the colony. pro-
vided Congress should agree before June 1.
1889. to admit Kentucky into the American
confederation. But distractions OF various
kinds suporvened. and it was not until about
two years after the old articles OF confcdera-
ton had been superseded by tho Constitution,
viz. in February. 179l that the recognized
Congress passed an act admitting Kentucky to
the Union. Meanwhile the growth of popula-
ton had RAPIDLY increased. and when the sepa-
ration from Virginia was consummated it is
believed that Kentucky contained 100. 900 souls
In other words. Kentucky was the first OF our
present Western States to invite consider
able inilux from the older communities east o.
the Alleghanies This seems at first sight
strange 10 those VINO recall how thnly settled
was the Old Dominion itself in proportion to
Its area. Prof. Shalcr renders the phenomenon
entirely ineligible bv naming scycra! reasons
which inpeed the people Of Virginia to seek
possess lions In the Vast ION. before the more
northern colonies felt the need OF looking for
new homes. In tic first place. the Vr-
ginians came from the more rural popu-
lations OF England and Scotland aud were
from the outset in their mode o: living less
urban people than the more northern set
tiers. Within the tobacco belt agriculture
WINS fnr more profitable occupation than
1t ever became Within he more northern Colo
MES during coorial times. Tobacco and tho
other crops produced by slave labor were won
by wasteinl tll!ago thar rapidly impaired the
fertility OF the land. and made it constantly
operative to sees fresh field, for the plough"
Now. by the middle OF tho last century tho rich
soils Indispensable to the system OF tiIage by
slave labor had been fully taken up in that part
OF Virginia lying east OF the Blue Ridge. The
Shenandoah valley. also. was in good part set
tied. and all its fertile sections were owned
either by actual cnitivaors or by large proprie-
tors like Lord Fa.rax. who retained them for
speculation The farming class accordingly.
found themselves confronted by the long
parallel ridges Of the Aleghanes. which
stretch in an almost unbroken wall from
the border OF New York to the Gulf
slope. and constitute u region unfit for tillage
~ labor Ma aaa fbnp hat 1at vn,,
to trnns-Appa achian migration then acting
on the Virginia planters was something like
that which In the olden days drove their remote
ancestors from central Asia over the lands Of
Europe to the Atlantic. In neither case were
tho people crowded In the sense that the
denizens Of Belgium or Massachusetts are now
packed together. but they were in each case
aggregated beyond the limits Of their econom-
ioal conditions With herdsmen there can only
be very few tenants to the square mile; with
slave agriculture the nLmber may be greater.
but 1t will still fall far below the number that
may advsntageously inhabit the same district
under the regime OF free industry"
This review Of the causes that brought about
the relatively early settlement OF Kentucky
suggests further inquiry which Is entered on
by Prof. Shaler In later chapter OF this VOL
ume. II Kentucky owed Its origin to tho ex-
cessive pressure OF slave labor upon Virginian
land. We should expect 1t in turn to suffer from
the samo system when tho primeval fruitful
ness Of Its own soil had been sensibly dimin-
lshsd by long succession Of exhausting crops
How distinctly this had como tn be the case
before tho economical conditions Of the State
we're convu'sed by civil war is brought
out In these pages. We arc shown that
In the ninth decade Of its existence Ken
tucky's growth in population was relatively
slow not because tho people were less TO-
cund than OF old hut because the trfiug in
coming Of fresh settlers along its northe, n Dor
ders did not in any alpreciable degree Ill tie
gaps left by tho westward setting lido OF emil
grafton. Slavery. no LONGER prof table. already.
in fact. upon tho wane. and condemned By the
moro Intelligent citizens as source Of serious
evils. still served to deter free immigrants and
to stimulate the exodus of the yeoman class"
Prof. Shaler's conclusion Is that tho emancl-
patton OF the blucks-blttcrly resented as II