The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1889-01-17
THE COURSE OF EMPIRE WEST.

The Financial Chronicle Of New
York, in a late issue presents a strik-
ing review OF the progress Of settle
ment upon the public lands OF the
west, which has been going on at a
marvellous rate in the past few years.
Not taking into account at all the
grants of lands to and sales by the
railroads, the government alone dis
posed of 16,319,076 acres in sales for
cash and under the homestead and
timber culture laws, during the y ear
ending June Both. This is about ], ,0O0,-
900, acres less than the aggregate
disposals of the previous year and
100000 less than for the year 1856.
Nevertheless says the Chronicle, it is
total representing an area opened to
settlement in a single year but little
less than the combined states of Mas
sachusetts, New Hampshire and Yer
mont. In the past eight years over
124,00O,0O0 acres have thus been taken
up for settlement, representing an
area of about 193,8S0 square miles, or
q greater strip of territory than is COW
cred by the combined states of Indi
ana, Illinois, Ohio and Michigan.
Dakota furnished in this time, aside
of course from railroad grants and
sales, 100000 acres for occupation
and cultivation-an area greater than
the state of Ohio; Kansas 100000
or a strip of land nearly as large as
that included within the boundaries
of South Carolina, and Nebraska over
100000 or an area not far from equal
to the state of Maine.
The greatest progress in the dis
posal by the government of public
lands for settlement has been made
during the eight years in the north
western section. comprising Dakota,
Nebraska, Minnesota, Wisconsin,
Iowa, Wyoming and Montana, where
59,804, 900 acres, or about 90, ,440 square
miles have been occupied-an area
little less than the state of Oregon.
In the southwestern section Of Kansas,
Colorado, Missouri and New Mexico,
29,768, 900 acres have been sold or taken
up; and in the Pacific section of Cali
fornia, Nevada, Oregon, Washington
territory, Idaho, Utah and Arizona,
100000 acres. The southern Sec
ton has also shared in the develop
ment. Some 100000 acres in Ar
kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Ala
bama and Florida have been opened
up to settlement
In all these cases no account is
made of what the land grant railroads
have been doing in the same line.
Their disposals do not begin to equal
those Of the government, of course,
nor is the record complete IL this
case. The Pacific roads are at pres
ent the largest sellers, and it is posi-
.ble to obtain approximately the ag-
gregate of their disposals since 1880.
This amounts to about 100000
acres; making with the government
sales total of 142,OOO,OOO acres, or
222 055 square miles of territory, equal
in size to New England, the middle
states and South Carolina combined,
larger than either Germany or France,
and about twice as large as Great
Britain and Ireland.
Thus are states being created in the
west of territorial proportions beside
of which the little New England COM
monwealths dwindle into insignif-
canoe. New nations in ordinary ter
ritorial extent are springing up al
most in year, and yet there is scarce
ly any diminution in the rate of this
development. The public domain
seems still to stretch out TO an illim-
liable extent. Immigration goes on
unchecked, and the great stream of
population from the old world sweeps
along across the ocean and continent
to spread itself over the remaining
unoccupied area If the 100000
acres disposed of last year had been
parceled out among the immigrants
that arrived during that time, there
would have been over thirty acres for
every person, or say $50 acres for
every family. The course of empire
still takes its way westward, and on a
scale so vast, as exhibited in the fig
ures we have given, as to constitute
one Of the most striking phenomena
In modern history.
The Norwegian state antiquarian
nicalaysen has completed the excava-
ton of the ruins of an ancient monas-
A.