UNITED STATES AND UPPER CANADA. 415 



large steam-boats belonging to the States on lake Erie in 

 1833, and a gentleman, who was tliere in 1834, assured me 

 they had increased to twenty-four. By the official report of 

 the Postmaster-General to the President of the United States, 

 the annual transportation of the mail was, in 1829, 13,700,000 

 miles, and in 1832, 23,625,021 miles. There is not one-tenth 

 of the surface yet devoted to the production of human food. 

 The coal-fields of the west are perhaps inexhaustible, the 

 water communication is almost without limits, and the extent 

 of canals and railroads already exceed that of any other nation. 

 The country is great even in its infancy. If its territory, 

 consisting of 1,328,902,400 acres, were peopled to the same 

 degree as England, containing a great deal of land which cannot 

 be cultivated, the inhabitants would amount to 537,872,383, 

 while the present population is about 14,000,000. A vast 

 extent of the best soil, situated in the finest climate, is still 

 unoccupied, and if the views regarding the assistance nature 

 affords the farmer, and his reward aifecting wages of other 

 labour, which I have already laid down, be correct, industry 

 cannot fail of meeting with a rich reward for many centuries 

 yet to come. 



The internal and external state of the country is free from 

 molestation, and the principles of education and good govern 

 ment are so firmly established, and applicable to every condi 

 tion that may arise, that nothing is likely to check the pro 

 sperity of the United States but fancied opposition of inte 

 rests resulting from extent of territory. A state of things 

 will soon appear, however, to hold the Union together in 

 spite of opposing interests. Between 37 and 45 degrees of 

 north latitude, and beyond 5 degrees of west longitude from 

 Washington, lies the most favoured region of North America. 

 By inspecting a map it will be seen this district is intersected 

 in all directions by navigable rivers and other channels of com 

 merce. The great outlet of the region is by the Mississippi to 

 New Orleans. The river Ohio communicates with Philadelphia 

 and Baltimore by canals and railroads, and by canals and lake 

 Erie with New York. The rivers Wabash, Illinois, Missis 

 sippi, and Missouri, will also, in progress of time, communi- 



