196 A PEEP AT 



The area of New York is 46,000. If the states of 

 Vermont and Massachusetts were added to New York, 

 their joint area would be 72 square miles less than 

 that of Virginia alone. The soil of Virginia is nat- 

 urally as fertile as that of New York, her resources 

 of the forest as great, her mineral resources at least 

 equal, her fisheries vastly more valuable, her hydrauHc 

 power as great, her position for commerce and her 

 natural channels for commerce better, her climate is 

 immeasurably superior. 



"In 1790, the population of Virginia was 748,308, 

 of which 203,427 were slaves. The population of 

 New York, 340,120, of which 21,324 were slaves. 

 Virginia had 226,085 more white inhabitants than 

 New York, and 182,103 more slaves. In short, Vir- 

 ginia, in 1790, had 408,188 more inhabitants than 

 New York. 



" In New York the number of slaves gradually di- 

 minished till 1820, when slavery became extinct. 



" In Virginia, slaves rapidly increased, till in 1840 

 they numbered 448,987, and her white population 

 numbered 790,510. In all, bond and free, 1,239,- 

 797 ; while the free white population of New York 

 had increased to 2,428,921 — a difference in the in- 

 crease of the whole number of 1,597,312, and a dif- 



