SOLON ROBINSON, 1845 417 



like midsummer. In fact, it was so dry last fall, that not 

 half the seed sown grew, and many of the wheat fields 

 look as bare as naked fallow. Whether it will grow in 

 spring, is yet to be proven. My opinion is, that it would 

 be good policy to sow it now with a seeding of spring 

 wheat. Many of the corn-fields that I have passed, bear 

 ready evidence of the prevailing rains of the spring and 

 early part of summer. In some of the fields, on flat 

 prairie, the crop was not worth gathering, while in others 

 of drier soil or more rolling land, the crop was a good 

 one for this country of untold richness of soil, say 30 

 bushels to the acre ; and even that in many instances we 

 see still in the field, for such is western farming. 



Now curiosity may perhaps inquire for a description 

 of this capitol. If I give one, it must be of briefer space 

 than the scattering town of 3 or 4,000 inhabitants, who 

 mostly occupy poor buildings, upon small, dirty, treeless, 

 grassless, gardenless lots, upon long unpaved level streets, 

 which are never very muddy, unless more than knee 

 deep; which it is not improbable they should be, as the 

 town is upon a wide plain of soft loamy soil, with no 

 outlet for accumulating water, unless sent off "by the 

 rail-road," which is so thoroughly out of repair at this 

 time, that that would prove a poor sewer, except of the 

 people's pockets. 



This rail-road, from hence to Meradosia (65 miles) on 

 the Illinois river, is another of the links of that endless 

 chain that was to bind the State in love together, but has 

 bound them in debt forever. It is already so dilapidated 

 that mules have been substituted for locomotives, and as 

 it fails to pay expenses, it must shortly go out of use for 

 want of repair. 



Another monument of by-gone Illinois riches, is the un- 

 finished ill constructed State-house, built of cut stone, of 

 a hard sandy limestone quality, at an expense of a quar- 

 ter of a million of dollars. It is 80 by 120 feet, of two 

 extremely high stories above the basement, (which is 

 useless on account of dampness;) and contains a hall for 



