KENTUCKY. 



349 



sloping plain , the principal streets run parallel with the Ohio, and command a fine view of the 

 opposite shore. The main street is a mile in length, compactly built, and has many fine 

 buildings. The town has extensive manufactures, and a great commerce by the way of the 

 river. The former comprise cottons, woolens, cotton bagging and cordage, paper, leather, 

 engines, and machinery, &c. The annual value of mercantile transactions amounts to 30,000,000 

 dollars. The population exceeds 25,000. Shelbyville, to the east, has 1,200 inhabitants, and 

 Paducah, at the mouth of the Tennessee, about the same number. 



Lexington is the oldest town in the State, and was for many years the seat of government. 

 It stands on a beautiful spot, on a branch of the Elkhorn River, in the centre of the richest 

 tract in the State. The principal street is a mile and a quarter in length, spacious, and well 

 paved. The buildings are much superior in size and elegance to those of the other towns in 

 the State, and may be compared to those of the Atlantic country. The Transylvania Uni- 

 versity, and the State Lunatic Asylum are established here. The public inns are large and 

 convenient. The town has manufactories of woolen, cotton, and paper. The general appear- 

 ance of the town is neat, and the neighborhood is adorned with many handsome villas, and 

 finely ornamented rural mansions. Population, 6,000. 



JMaysville, on the Ohio, a considerable distance above Louisville, occupies a narrow bottom 

 below the mouth of Limestone Creek, which affords a harbor for boats. It is a thriving town, 

 and enjoys both the river and inland trade. It has manufactories of glass and other articles. 

 Population, 4,000. 



Frankfort is the seat of government. It stands on the east bank of the Kentucky, 60 miles 

 above its entrance into the Ohio, and occupies a deep valley. The State house is built of 

 marble, taken from quarries in the deep limestone banks of the river. Here is also the State 

 penitentiary. A chain bridge crosses the river. Vessels designed for the sea, have been 

 built here, and floated down the river to New Orleans. Population, 2,000. 



jyewport and Covington are two small towns on the Ohio, divided by Licking River. They 

 are directly opposite Cincinnati, and may be considered as suburbs of that city. Newport has 

 an arsenal of the United States. These towns exhibit a beautiful appearance from the hills 

 north of Cincinnati ; they contain together about 4,000 inhabitants. Danville also contains 

 the Kentucky Deaf and Dumb Asylum, and about 1,000 inhabitants. Harrodsburg, famed for 

 its mineral spring, a favorite resort of the Kentuckians, has the same number of inhabitants. 

 Paris, near Georgetown, is a thriving village. Population, 1,500. The Choctaw Academy 

 at Great Crossings, is in this vicinity. 



Bardstown, on a branch of Salt River, has a Catholic seminary, where pupils from various 

 parts of the Western States receive instruction. Danville, Augusta, Princeton, and George- 

 toivn have also seminaries entitled colleges. 



4. Agriculture. Wheat, hemp, and tobacco, are the staple articles of culture. The 

 wheat is of the finest kind. Maize is also cultivated, and cotton is raised in small quanti- 

 ties, for domestic use. Grapes flourish here, and there are many vineyards which produce 

 wine. Most of the grains, pulses, and fruits of the temperate zone grow here. 



5. Commerce. The river trade is so extensive, that it may take the name of commerce. 

 This consists mostly of exports of flour, grain, butter, cheese, whisky, cider, fruit, pork, lard, 

 horses and cattle, coal, and manufactured goods, to New Orleans. Steamboats are the principal 

 craft, but there are also great numbers of flat boats navigating the river. The horses and cat- 

 tle, which are reared in great numbers, are transported down the river in flat boats, or driven 

 across the mountains to the Atlantic country. 



6. Manufactures. The manufactures of Kentucky are of considerable value, and are daily 

 growing in importance ; the rapid increase of the cotton crop of the Southern States, has 

 caused a corresponding demand for cotton-bagging, which is made in this State, from one of 

 its great staples, and bale-rope and cordage are also extensively produced ; upwards of 50,000 

 coils of bale-rope, and 70,000 pieces of cotton-bagging, have been exported from Louisville 

 in a single year. Leather, whisky, cotton yarn, and some cotton and woolen stuffs, are also 

 among the products of manufacturing industry ; salt and iron are made, and there are some iron 

 and brass founderies, engine and machine factories, steamboat yards, &c. 



7. Government. The legislature is called the General Assemllv, and consists of a Senate 

 and House of Representatives. The senators are chosen for 4 years, and the representatives 

 annually. The Governor is chosen for 4 years, and is ineligible for 7 years after the expira- 

 tion of his term of office. Elections are popular, and suflrage is universal. Kentucky sends 

 12 representatives to Congress. 



