til 



r SITED STATES. 



UXITKO STATES. 



s>r,2 



DMM|T ttf. tnm. M.ttfl male* nd ISO funsle*, iron-outing, 23,541 

 males and4 female*, and wrought iroo.l.110maland 1S8 female*. 



TU Ishirhi wplund 80,701 mala* and 429 female.. 



Th uuuuttm of Ibe United States bai gone on rapidly extend- 

 ing, until out to that of Gnat Britain it ii the largest in the world. 

 In the rotf rodia JOB* 30, 1853, the total imports of the United 

 State* amounted to 207,078,647 dollar* ; the export* to 230,976,157 

 dollar*, of which 81l.417.e97 dollan were of domestic produce, and 

 17.6M.460 dollan of foreign produce. The lake and river commerce 

 wai -^iTn-^H at 6S,97,202 dollar* Of the foreign trade, consider- 

 ably more than half u with Great Britain and its dependencies. 

 In K-i3 the imporU from Great Britain amounted to 130,265,340 

 dollar*, and from the colon** to 18.954,1 38 dollan; the export* to 

 Great Britain wen 121,302,271 dollar*, and to the colonies, 24,251,353 

 dollars. The next greatest amount of foreign trade was with France 

 and iu dependencies, the imporU from which amounted to 33,525,999 

 dollar., and the export* to 27,044,479 dollar*. The total amount of 

 tonnage engaged in the foreign trade was 4,407,010. The number of 

 hip* built in the Union during 1853 wag 1710, of the aggregate 

 burden of 425,672 too*. The total number of American vessels 

 entered from foreign countrie* in 1853 was 9955, of foreign vessels, 

 11,71*1; the clearance* during the same year were, of American 

 roauli. 10,001, of foreign vessel*, 11,680. There were in 1854 of 

 canal* 4798 miles; of railways 17,317 miles completed, and 12,526 

 mile* of railway in coune of construction ; and there were 89 lines 

 of electric telegraph, having 23,261 mile* of wire. 



Education, Religion, <tc. The educational statistics may be stated 

 very briefly. In 1850 there were in the United States 239 colleges, 

 having 1678 teacher* and 27,821 pupils; 80,978 public schools, 

 having 91,966 teacben and 3,335,011 scholars; and 6,085 academies 

 and private schools, having 12,260 teachers and 263,096 scholars. 

 The number of newspapers was, daily 254, with an annual circula- 

 tion of 235,119,966 copies; 115 tri-weekly, with an annual circu- 

 lation of 11,811,140 copies; 31 semi-weekly with an annual circulation 

 of 6,566.176 copies; and 1902 weekly, with an annual circulation of 

 153,120,703 copies. There are besides 95 semi-monthly, 100 monthly, 

 and 1 V quarterly periodical*. 



There i no established system of religious worship in the United 

 State*, entire freedom of faith and worship being guaranteed by the 

 Constitution. The great majority of the population is Protestant, 

 but the proportion of the respective religious bodies can only be 

 estimated by the number of their churches and church accommoda- 

 tion, which, as the provision for worship is wholly voluntary, may be 

 lupposed to bo nearly proportionate to the requirements of the several 

 aect*. From the Census Report it appears that the Methodists and 

 liaptists have together more than half of the entire number of 

 churches. " In New England the Congregationalisms preponderate ; 

 in all other paiU, except the Territories, the Methodists; in the 

 Territories and California the Catholics. The Baptists are second in 

 rank everywhere, except in the Middle States and California." The 

 principal sect*, arranged according to the number of churches, are 

 a* follows: Methodist* 13,338 churches, affording accommodation 

 for 4,354,101 persons; Baptists 9360 churches, with accommodation 

 for 3,248,580 persons; Presbyterians 4863 churches, with accommo- 

 dation for 2,079,504 persons; Cougregatioualists 1706 churches, with 

 accommodation for 801,835 persons; Episcopalians 1461 churches, 

 with accommodation for 644,598 persons; Roman Catholics 1227 

 churches, with accommodation for 675,721 persons ; Lutherans 1221 

 churches, with accommodation for 535,160 persons; Quakers 728 

 churches, with accommodation for 287,073 persons. In all there are 

 33,183 churches, with accommodation for 14,270,139 persons. 



Jlutary. The British colonies of North America, prior to the revo- 

 lution, were in number 13 : Virginia, the oldest, having been founded 

 in 1607; Georgia, the newest settlement, in 1732. The settlers in 

 thorn were scattered in a straggling line, along the sea-board, from 

 to 44 N. Ut. Albany was the western termination of the settled 

 country iu the north; the Blue Eidge, in Virginia ; in the Carolinas 

 and Georgia the breadth of the settled countries from the sea was 

 1 lew. The varied circumstance* under which the colonies had 

 been originally planted, and the difficulty of intercourse between 

 thoe which were at a distance from each other, had promoted a 

 atriking diversity of provincial character. But the institutions of 



1 the colonies were calculated to develop both the taste and talent 

 for political business. In all new settlement* jt is found expedient 

 to task private individuals with the discharge of functions which in 

 more matured societies devolve upon professional men. The range of 

 jurisdiction intrusted to jiutices of the peace was necessarily much 

 wider in the colonies than in the mother country; the licence to 

 " as legal agent* was more easily obtained. In all the colonies, 

 JccUvcs~.ii.Uic. participated largely in the legislative and financial 

 honty. An organised militia was required for defence against the 

 axgrnuoo* of the Indians and French tettlen. Under the influence 

 of these orcumsteBOM, a class of profcional public men had grown 

 up u . tk. oolooies: men indfapoMd by their tastes, or incapacitated 

 by their want of powers of continuous industry, for trade or agri- 

 culture, devoted themselves to public business, not merely a* amateurs 

 but a. a mean* of oainiiur a livitur. nn/1 i./n, ,.;,,.... !,.., i _. 



.. uuueuue aim power. 



The narrow sphere in which they acted heaped a number of incon- 



gruous employments upon them : they were iu general a strange 

 mixture of the lawyer, politician, and soldier, not entirely secluded 

 from mercantile and agricultural pursuits. 



The almost incessant wars between France and England had 

 developed more comprehensive views and more ambitious aspirings 

 among these men than could find sustenance iu the petty domestic 

 business of one colony. The remoteness of the central government 

 not unfrequently rendered it necessary for the local authorities to 

 take measures which, in strict propriety, could only originals with it, 

 and employ the nearest and readiest agents iu carrying them into 

 execution. Undertakings too were at times found necessary which 

 surpassed the powers of a single colony, and for which the combined 

 efforts of several were required. Cases of this kind ore numerous, 

 but belong properly to the history of individual colonies. The enter- 

 prise however which led to the capture of Louisbourg iu 1745, may 

 be mentioned as the first in a train of operations which led to a 

 gradually extending federation of the colonies. 



The treaty concluded between Great Britain and Franco iu 174S 

 produced no peace, but only a hollow truce, during which both parties 

 were digesting and maturing more extensive plans of war; and iu 

 1753 the French crossed the Ohio in force, and entrenched themselves 

 on the upper waters of the Ohio. Orders from England had by this 

 time reached the governors of all the colonies, instructing them, in 

 the event of encroachments on the part of the French, to repel force 

 by force, and recommending union for defence. In compliance with 

 this recommendation, a general convention of delegates from all the 

 colonies was summoned for the purpose of holding a conference with 

 the chiefs of the Indian tribes north of New York, called the Six 

 Nations. The convention met at Albany, on the 14th of Juae, 1754. 

 It was composed of delegates from New Hampshire, Maasachusett *, 

 Rhode Island, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, and Maryland, with the 

 lieutenant-governor and council of New York, and it was met by 150 

 men of the Six Nations. This assembly constitutes an epoch in the 

 history of the United States. A plan was presented to it for a 

 permanent union of all the colonies under one government, so far 

 as might be necessary for defence and other important general 

 purposes. 



Several of the commissioners came prepared with plans for a union 

 of the colonies to be submitted to the congress. A vote was taken 

 whether a union should be established, which passed unanimously iu 

 the affirmative ; a committee was then appointed of one from each 

 colony, to report on the different plans, and that which had liem 

 drawn up by Fraukliu was preferred, and with a few amendments 

 reported. Franklin's proposal was, that application should be made 

 for an Act of Parliament to include all the British colonies in North 

 America within one government, under which each colony might 

 retain its own constitution ; that this general government should be 

 administered by a president-general, appointed and supported by the 

 crown, and a council nominated by the legislative assemblies of the 

 different colonies ; that the general government should have the 

 power to purchase Indian lands for the crowu, to make new settle- 

 ments on those lauds, to make laws for the new settlements till the 

 crown should form them into particular governments, to raise and pay 

 soldiers, build forts and equip vessels for the defence of the colonies, 

 to make peace or declare war with the Indian j, to regulate the Indian 

 trade, to levy duties for these purposes, and to appoint a treasurer. 

 After lengthened debates this plan was agreed to, and copies ordered 

 to be transmitted to the board of trade and the assemblies of the 

 several provinces. The board of trade disapproved of it as too 

 democratic the assemblies as too favourable to prerogative. That 

 such a plan should be proposed was however au indication of the 

 direction which the minds of the American leaders had taken, and its 

 discussion in the provincial assemblies riveted men's minds upon a 

 tangible and practical measure of uniou. It formed public opinion; 

 for, with the exception of an elective president, it embodies all thu 

 essential features of the constitution ultimately adopted by the United 



.State,-'. 



The British ministers devised a scheme of their own, whereby tin- 

 governors of the provinces, with some members of their respective 

 councils, wero to meet and make arrangements for the common 

 defence ; they wero to draw on the treasury of Great Britain for the 

 expense, which was afterwards to be refunded by a tax levied in 

 America by Act of Parliament; but no immediate arrangements were 

 made for realising this project. 



Hostilities had been carrying on hi America in 1754 and 1755 ; but 

 war was not formally declared between Britain and France till IT.'.ti. 

 It was ended in 1763 with the cession of Canada to Great Britain by 

 France. Immediately after the ratification of the treaty of i 

 the intention of the British ministers to quarter troops iu America 

 and support them by taxes levied on the colonies was announced. On 

 the 10th of March 1764, the House of Commons adopted a resolution 

 " That it was proper to charge curtain stamp-duties in the colonies ami 

 plantations;" and on the 5th of April au act was passed granting 

 certain duties in the colonies. This act was iu substance only a 

 renewal of the Sugar Act of George II., but instead of the reason 

 (commercial regulations) assigned iu the preamble of the old statute, 

 the new was avowedly intended for the raising of revenue. Instruc- 

 tions wore at the same time very unwisely given by thu British 



