MISSIVE 



MISSOURI 



235 



Compagnie ties Indes, as it was now called, created 

 50,000 additional shares, but a rage for speculation 

 had seized all classes, and there were at least 

 300,000 applicants for the new shares, which con- 

 sequently went up to an enormous premium. The 

 public enthusiasm now rose to absolute frenzy, and 

 Law's house and the street in front of it were 

 daily crowded with applicants of Iwth sexes and of 

 all ranks ; and while confidence lasted a factitious 

 impulse was given to trade in Paris. But the 

 regent had meanwhile caused the paper circulation 

 of the national bank to be increased as the 

 Mississippi stock rose in value, and many wary 

 speculators, foreseeing a crisis, had secretly con- 

 verted their paper and shares into gold, which they 

 transmitted to England or Belgium for security. 

 The increasing scarcity of gold and silver becoming 

 felt, a general run was made on the bank. The 

 Mi"i-sippi stock now fell considerably, and despite 

 sundry desperate efforts, which were attended with 

 momentary success, to keep up its credit, it con- 

 tinued to fall steadily and rapidly. In February 

 1720 the National Bank and the Compagnie des 

 Indes were amalgamated, but, though this gave an 

 upward turn to the share-market, it failed to put 

 the public credit on a sound basis. Several useless 

 attempts were made by Law, now controller- 

 general of the finances, to mend matters ; and 

 those suspected of having more than a limited 

 amount (hxed by a law passed at the time) of gold 

 and silver in their possession, or of having removed 

 it from the country, were punished with the utmost 

 rigour. The crisis came at last. In July 1720 the 

 bank stopped payment, and Law was compelled 

 to tlee the country. A share in the Mississippi 

 Scheme now with difficulty brought twenty-four 

 livres. An examination into the state of tno 

 accounts of the company was ordered by govern- 

 ment ; much of the paper in circulation was 

 cancelled ; and the rest was converted into ' rentes ' 

 at an enormous sacrifice. See LAW (JOHN), and 

 books there cited. 



Missive, in Scotch law, ig a memorandum. 



Missolonglli ( Mesolonqion ), a seaport town of 

 Greece, in the nomarchy o/ .-Ktolia, on the northern 

 shore of the Gulf of Patras, 24 miles \V . of Lepanto. 

 A modern place, built on a swampy flat, it is 

 chiefly memorable for the two sieges which it 

 underwent during the war of independence. In 

 1821-22 it was vainly invested for three months 

 by land and sea by the Turks; in 1825-26 it 

 was again besieged by an overwhelming Ottoman 

 force, and, after ten months of resistance and 

 suffering, its garrison t reduced from 5000 to 

 3000 fighting-men, cut their way through the 

 ranks of the enemy, carrying with them a great 

 number of the women anil children. The Turks 

 then entered the town, which was all but totally 

 destroyed. There is a statue ( 1*35) over the grave 

 of Xozzaris, and another ( 1881 ) of Lord Byron, on 

 the s|>ot where his heart is interred. Pop. 6324. 



Missouri, a central state of the American 

 I'nion, which for thn-is del-sides ha* ranked fifth in 

 point of )H>pulation, lies between 

 36" and 40" SO' N. lat., and 89 

 2' and 95" 51' W. long., and oc- 

 cupies a commanding position in the Mississippi 

 valley. It is 280 miles long from N. to S., and 

 gradually increases in width from 208 miles in the 

 north to 312 miles in the south. Area, 69,415 

 sq. in., or nearly that of Scotland, Ireland, 

 and Wales. The Missouri lliver divides the state 

 into two unequal sections, designated ' North 

 Missouri' and 'South Missouri' respectively. 

 That part of the state lying north of the Missouri 

 River i generally level or slightly undulating, con- 

 noting of rolling prairies and level bottom lands, 



Copyright mill, 1897, .r,d 

 1900 in the I*. 8. by J. B. 

 Llpplocolt GoiopAnj. 



diversified with a luxuriant growth of timber along 

 the streams. The southern section has a more 

 diversified surface, deriving its distinctive features 

 from the Ozark Mountains, which cover about one- 

 half of this division. These mountains enter the 

 state from north-western Arkansas', and extend 

 across the state to the Mississippi River ; through- 

 out the greater part of their length they may very 

 properly be classed as tablelands, reaching their 

 highest altitude ( 1500 feet) in Greene and Webster 

 counties, and gradually breaking up into narrow 

 ridges, spurs, knobs, and peaks farther east. The 

 entire eastern limit of the state is washed by the 

 Mississippi River, with a water front of 560 miles, 

 while the Missouri River forms the boundary from , 

 the extreme north-west corner to Kansas City, and 

 thence across the state to the Mississippi, with 

 which it unites just above St Louis. Many smaller 

 tributaries flow into these two majestic rivers 

 into the Mississippi the Fabius, Salt, Cuivre, 

 Meramec, St Francis, Current, and Black ; and 

 into the Missouri the Nodaway, Platte, Grand, 

 and Chariton on the north, and the Osage and 

 Gasconade on the south. The general drainage 

 of the surface is indicated by lonj* gentle slopes 

 toward the Mississippi and Missouri rivers, except 

 in the extreme south-west, where the streams flow 

 into the Arkansas. The climate is genial, agree- 

 able, and healthful. All the extremes of heat and 

 cold peculiar to this latitude are experienced ; but 

 the mean annual temperature is al>out 54, and 

 the mean average rainfall is 41 inches. 



Missouri is pre-eminently an agricultural state. 

 Of the 44,000,000 acres of her land surface more 

 than 42,000,000 are adapted to agricultural and 

 horticultural purposes. The soils are rich, deep, 

 and unsurpassed in variety and productiveness. 

 The principal crops are Indian corn (200,000,000 

 bushels), oats ( 30,000,000 bushels ), wheat ( 28,000,000 

 bushels), potatoes, rye, barley, hemp, flax, cotton, 

 sorghum, buckwheat, and Lay (1,600,000 tons). 

 Of tobacco a fair crop is 15,000,000 Ib. ; and orchard 

 products are grown in great abundance. In the 

 decade 1880-90 there was a great increase in the 

 numlter of grazing animals, though sheep are not 

 largely raised. The immense quantities of dressed 

 l>eef and pork shipped annually to home and foreign 

 markets are constantly increasing. 



The mineral resources of Missouri are exceedingly 

 rich, comprising extensive coalfields, that cover 

 more than 20,000 sq. in. ; also vast deposits of iron 

 ore, lead, and zinc ; while copper, cobalt, nickel, 

 fireclays, fine marble, granite, and limestone of 

 excellent quality abound in different localities. 

 The coalfields are capable of yielding 100,000 tons 

 of bituminous coal a day for several thousand 

 years ; the actual product for the decade 1887-97 

 averaged about 2,420,000 long tons. The supply of 

 excellent iron ore is inexhaustible. The iron belt 

 south of the Missouri River and extending from the 

 Mississippi River on the east to the Osage River 

 on the west has an area of 25,000 sq. m. ; but the 

 richest deposits worked are those in Iron and St 

 Francis counties in the south-east. In 1897 23,883 

 long tons were raised. The Mississippi River on 

 the eastern border and the Missouri across the state 

 atl'ord excellent transportation facilities ; the rail- 

 roads aggregated 6649 miles in 1897. 



Missouri returns two senators and 16 representa- 

 tives to congress. The general assembly (34 state 

 senators and 140 representatives) meets every two 

 years. The public-school system is very complete 

 and very efficient, embracing the state university, 

 the school of mines, four state normal schools, 

 and city, town, village, and country schools. All 

 public schools are supported by state appropria- 

 tions, local taxation, and interest on the state, 

 county, and township school funds. Missouri has 



