I8l6.j Account of the 



cclleiit uuderstaiiding; but I liasloii to 

 let your readers judge for tlicmsc Ives. 



The state of Uhio is bomidod on tlic 

 north by Lake Erie, oti the csist by Peiin- 

 sylvauia, on the soutli by tlie river Ohio, 

 and on the west by Indiana. 



"On Ih.e eastern side of Oliio the 

 country is liiliy ; some parts of it too 

 much so to bo pleasant farming; and, 

 being a limestone coinitry, notwithstand- 

 ing it is generally watered with lasting 

 streams, most of the streams for mills be- 

 come smp.ll in a dry season. — The land 

 is generally rich, well timbered, and 

 good for grass and gram; it is consi- 

 dered very healthy; there is plenty of 

 limestone, and freestone for building; it 

 also abounds with stone-coal or i)it-coal 

 of a qualify pernaps inferior to none, and 

 easily obtaiiscd. As this quarter is set- 

 tling very rapidly, steam-engines may, 

 and already are supplying, wliere ncces- 

 sarj', the place of water; and it seems 

 calculated to become, at no great dis- 

 tance, a great manufacturing country. 

 The tract of coiuitry lying about 60 

 miles north of this division is also hilly, 

 but a considerable portion of it lies 

 pleasant, but the greatest part too wet 

 for good farming; some of it is a dry 

 level plain, without much timber, and 

 accounted very fine for cattle. The 

 streams for mills are good and lasting; but 

 lime-stone and stone-coal are scarce, 

 and the inhabitants are subject to anfum- 

 nal fevers and agues. The western part 

 of the state is generally rich and level; 

 many of the settlements, and parts unset- 

 tled, are handsome; but the intermediate 

 parts between the settlements are large 

 tracts of land, say from 10 to 30 miles in 

 extent, whieh, notwithstanding it is 

 rich, and some of it heavily timbered, is 

 mostly very wet throughout the year ; 

 and, so large a portion of this quarter 

 being of this description, fevers and 

 a<jucs are not uncommon in those beau- 

 tiful .settlements in the latter part of sum- 

 mer and autumn. There does not ap- 

 pear to be any stone-coal in this exten- 

 sive division, but limestone and free- 

 gtone are plentiful. In the White-water 

 settlement tiie streams for mills are good 

 and laMiug, and, as I have not been fur- 

 ther west, I cannot so particularly de- 

 scribe the Wabash country; but, from 

 inlbrnialion received from respectable 

 source;;, I believe that a considerable 

 portion of the Indiana territory (which is. 

 We understand, soon to be formed into a 

 state ^overmnent) is good ; but, for rea- 

 sons above m«»ntioned, parts of it ar<i 



-MosruLv .Mac. No. 289. 



State of the Ohio. $23 



subject to fevers. Its average length 

 270 miles, and breadth 2.30. Bounded 

 on the east by the state of Ohio, soutli 

 by the Ohio river, west by the Illinois 

 territory, and north by the Michigan ter- 

 ritory, and may probably contain 60,000 

 inhaljitants. The Michigan territory is 

 bounded south by the state of Ohio, and 

 the Indiana territory; on the west by a 

 line running through the middle of lake 

 jVIichigan, which divides it from the 

 Illinois tenitory, and tlicnce north to the 

 treaty line between the United States 

 and the British provinces of Upper Cana- 

 da. Its lengih is 500 miles, and breadth 

 300; and may, perhaps, contain 7,000 

 inhabitants. 'J'iie Illinois territory is the 

 M estcrn half of what was formerly cal- 

 led the territory north-west of theOhia, 

 or western territory. The northern 

 boundary of the United States, which 

 passes through Lake Superior, sepa- 

 rates it from Ujipcr Canada on the north, 

 and on the east it is bounded by Lake 

 Michigan and the Indiana territorj-, on 

 the south by the Ohio river, and on the 

 soudi-west and west by the Mississippi 

 river. Its length is 870 miles, and 

 breadth 650, and is supposed to contain 

 15,000 inhabitants, 



"It is said that a large proportion of 

 these territories is good laud for farming 

 or grazing, and, as there is a demand for 

 it, will no doubt continue to be brought 

 into the market at a price not exceeding 

 2 dollars per acre (9 shillings sterlmg), 

 being the price at which the United 

 States generally dispose of those uncul- 

 tivated lands. This was, and still is, 

 the price of the public lands in this »f at« 

 of which there is yet a considerable quan- 

 tity. But, as the country becomes more 

 thickly .settled, the price of land rises 

 tioni 2 to 6, 10, 20, 25, and 30 dollars 

 per acre, according to quality, natural 

 advantages, state of improvement, con- 

 venience to principal towns, navigable 

 waters (of which there arc many in this 

 country), central inpopuloussettlements. 

 Sec. &c. Our land is generally very good, 

 producing wheat, rye, oats, beans, pease, 

 Indian corn, potatoes, turnips, melons, 

 garden vegetables, apples, pears, peaches, 

 plums, cherries, currants, and many 

 other kinds of fruits, in abundance, for a 

 number of years without any manure: in- 

 deed, it is a rare thing to sec land ma- 

 nnretl in this country, notwithstanding 

 experience has shown that it is the more 

 prcKluctivc when used. 



" Wheat is now worth from 62^ cents 



to 1 dollar per bushel ; rye liyni 50 to G2i 



G g cents'; 



