120 



UNITED STATES. 



pickled fish, whale oil, &c. $2,000,000. The articles of domestic manufacture exported, to 

 the value of ^ 7,000,000, are chiefly cotton goods, manufactures of leather, soap and tallow 

 candles, hats, furniture, refined sugar, tobacco, &c. 



13. JManufactures. The manufactures of the United States, though of recent origin, are 

 already extensive and increasing. The vast territory of the Union, with all its diversity of 

 chmate, and the immense water power afforded by its rivers, furnish the raw materials for 

 almost every sort of manufacture, and a cheap moving force. There are upwards of 1,000 

 cotton mills in the country, with upwards of 1,800,000 spindles, and 48,000 looms, and pro- 

 ducing 230,000,000 yards of cloth yearly ; 300 furnaces make 200,000 tons of iron, which is 

 manufactured into every variety of useful articles ; 5,000,000 bushels of salt are made from 

 the sea and the salt springs of the interior ; woolen goods to the value of $70,000,000 ; hats 

 and caps to that of $ 10,000,000 ; leather and its various manufactures of the value of 

 40,000,000 ; furniture to the same amount ; paper to the value of $3,000,000 ; and glass of 

 the same amount, are among the leading manufactured products. 



14. Fisheries. The products of the fisheries are of great value, as appears from the pre- 

 ceding statements relative to commerce. Cod are taken chiefly on the Newfoundland Banks, 

 and are dried and salted ; herring and mackerel are taken along shore, and the river fisheries are 

 valuable. The whale fishery is chiefly prosecuted in the Southern Atlantic, the Pacific, and 

 Indian Oceans, and the American seamen have far outstripped other nations in the pursuit of 

 th's gigantic game. Upwards of 130,000 tons of shipping are employed in the whale fisher)^, 

 Ootaining annually above 100,000 barrels of sperm oil, 115,000 barrels of whale or black oil, 

 and 120,000 pounds of whale bone. 



15. Public Lands. The National Domain, or Public Lands, consist of tracts of territory 

 ceded to the general government by the several States ; of the lands in the territory of Lou- 

 isiana, purchased of France ; and those in Florida, acquired by treaty from Spain. A vast 

 portion of this land is occupied by the Indians, who are considered as proprietors of the soil 

 till the government extinguishes their title by purchase. A General Land Office at Washing- 

 ton directs the sale of these territories. All the lands are surveyed before sale ; they are 

 divided into townships of six miles square, which are subdivided into sections of one mile 

 square, containing each 640 acres, and sold in sections, half, quarter, and half-quarter sections 

 The minimum price is fixed by law at a dollar and a quarter an acre. All sales are made for cash. 

 Salt springs and lead mines are reserved, but may be sold by special orders from the President. 

 One section of 640 acres is reserved in each township as a fund for the perpetual support of 

 schools. Five per cent, on all sales of land are reserved, three fifths of which are expended 

 by Congress in making roads leading to the States in which the lands are situated, and two-fifths 

 are expended by the States for the promotion of learning. Up to the present time about 

 200,000,000 acres of the public lands have been surveyed, of which about 80,000,000 have 

 been sold, and 20,000,000 granted by Congress for education, internal improvement, and other 

 purposes. There remain about 100,000,000 acres surveyed and unsold. The whole quantity 

 of land owned by the United States amounts to about 1,000,000,000 acres. 



16. Revenue and Expenditure. The revenues of the United Slates are derived from 

 customs on imports, sales of land, the post-office, and the public lead mines. Of these the 

 customs constitute much the largest item. The amount of the revenue has varied during 

 the last few years from 25 to 30 millions of dollars, of which from 20 to 24 millions 

 wers received from customs or duties on foreign merchandize imported into the country, and 

 from 3 to 10 millions from t]ie sale of the public lands. The ordinary expenses of the gov- 

 ernment amount to about 14 million dollars yearly, the surplus having been employed in the 

 payment of the public debt. The ordinary appropriations are as follows ; civil list $1,500,000 ; 

 military establishment, including fortifications, internal improvements, Sic, $5,000,000 ; In- 

 dian affairs, $930,733; pensions, 2,000,000 ; naval establishment, $3,856,183 ; miscellaneous, 

 as supporting light-houses, &c., $1,392,336 ; for foreign intercourse, $298,550. The expen- 

 ses of the civil list are the payment of the executive, legislative, and judicial officers of the 

 government. 



17. Taxation, Salaries. Congress possess the power to impose direct taxes, but this 

 branch of the revenue having been found one of the least productive, and the other sources of 

 supply being abundant, there is no taxation by the general government. Each State levies its 

 own tax for the expense of its local government ; and each city or town provides by taxation 

 for its own municijial concerns. Both the rate and manner of taxation vary in different States 



