It is 100 miles long, extending from Chicago, on Lake Michigan, to Dresden, the head of steamboat navigation on the Illinois River. It is 60 feet wide at top, 36 at bottom, and 6 feet deep. There are 17 locks, each 110 feet long, and 18 feet wide, being of sufficient size to pass vessels of 120 tons burden. The entire cost of the work was $6,600,000. Leaving Chicago, it passes the flourishing towns of La Salle, Utica, Ottowa, Marseilles, Morris, and reaches Dresden, forming a direct water communication from the great lakes of the North-west through the Illinois River to the Mississippi and the great South-west. Nor was the giant spirit of the rising State to be restrained by temporary difficulties. The people of Illinois, recuperating from the effects of a commercial embarrassment which had pervaded the whole country, rose "like a young lion, shaking the dewdrops from his mane," and addressed themselves manfully to the work of making the vast natural resources of their State available. A system of railways, more vast and magnificent than that projected in 1836, was vigorously entered upon in 1851, and pushed to a speedy and successful consummation. This was accomplished without cumbering the State with a burdensome public debt, while at the same time it secures to the public coffers a handsome revenue. The completion of that system places the advantages of convenient railway commerce and traffic within the reach of almost every county of the State, and places Chicago, the great commercial metropolis of the State, in immediate rail way connection with every principal city of the United States, except San Francisco; and already the snort of the iron horse is heard more than five hundred miles on its course for that destination! In 1850, there were in operation in the State 110 miles of railway, costing for construction and equipment $1,440,507; in 1860 there were 2,868 miles, costing $104,944,561. It is difficult for the mind to grasp, from a simple recital, the magnitude of such a statement. The following table, giving the names of the several roads in operation in the State in 1860, the length of each in miles, and respective cost of construction and equipment, will present the matter in a more tangible form. The names of the roads will generally indicate the several termini. This table is derived from the United States Census, 1860: Terre Haute, Alton, and St. Louis (with branches)... 208.30 8,865,252 Warsaw and Peoria,..... Joliet and Northern Indiana, from Indiana,.. Michigan Southern, from Michigan,............. Michigan Central, from Michigan,.. 18.00 600,652 COMMERCE.-The State of Illinois is most favorably circumstanced as regards facilities for external commerce, being bounded on three sides by navigable rivers, affording the most ample and convenient means of communication with all parts of the Ohio and Mississippi Valleys; and on the remaining side by a great lake, affording like opportunity for commerce with the cities of the North and East. To these natural channels of commerce we may add the Illinois River, which is one of the very best of streams for navigation, and bisects the State near the center, in such way as to afford to the inhabitants the greatest possible amount of benefit. And when we superadd the numerous artificial channels of commerce and intercommunication, devised and executed by the enlightened enterprise of the people of the State, we conclude that few people can compare with them in these advantages. But the commerce of Illinois consists mainly of the removal of her immense agricultural products and live stock to the markets. Chicago and Cairo are her principal commercial marts. Pork in large quantities is annually packed at various points on the Illinois, Ohio, and Wabash Rivers, and on the different lines of railway; and lead is produced extensively at Galena. Lumber is an important item of exportation from Chicago. EDUCATION.-Illinois is provided with very ample educational funds. When she laid aside her territorial relation and became a member of the Federal Union, by a compact with the General Government, in consideration of the State forbearing to tax the public land within her limits for a period of five years after their sale, section No. 16 of each surveyed township in the State, or its equivalent, was set apart for the support of common schools in the township. This would yield about 985,000 acres of land, any section of which, when improved, would constitute a magnificent manor. By another compact with the General Government, three per cent. of the amount received for the sale of public land in the State was also devoted to educational uses in the State, onesixth for the support of colleges. And to these funds the Legislature wisely added the portion of surplus revenue allotted to Illinois by the General Government when a distribution of that fund was made. Besides the income from these sources, the State levies and collects annually a liberal tax. The biennial Report of the State Auditor, made on the 31st December, 1866, to the Legislature, shows the following condition of the educational funds: Amount surplus revenue credited to School Fund, $335,592 32 613,362 96 $948,955 28 156,613 22 59,838 72 Amount three per cent. fund credited to College Fund,... Total amount School, College, and Seminary Funds,... ...... $1,165,407 22 Two years interest on these funds, at six per cent., was paid by the State, as follows: To Institution for Deaf and Dumb,......... $5,827 02 24,891 98 109,129 86 $139,848 86 The amount of school tax collected by the State and distributed to the counties was, in 1861, $693,000; in 1865, $750,000. The number of school-houses built in 1866 was 612; whole number in the State, 9,753. The number of public schools 9,945. Whole number of scholars, 614,659; teachers, 17,279, of whom 10,454 were females. There are in the State six colleges, and a Normal University for the education of teachers. RELIGIOUS DENOMINATIONS.-There are 1,223 church edifices in Illinois, of which Baptists owned 252; Christians, 69; Congregationalists, 46; Dutch Reformed, 2; Episcopalian, 27; True Church, 2; Friends 6; German Reformed, 2; Lutheran, 42; Methodist, 405; Moravian, 2; Presbyterian, 206; Roman Catholic, 59; Swedenborgian, 1; Tunker, 4; Union, 30; Unitarian, 4; Universalist, 7; and minor sects, 26-giving one church to each 700 inhabitants. Value of church property, $1,482,185. PERIODICALS.-There were published in Illinois, in 1860, two hundred and eighty-six newspapers, 259 of which were devoted to political topics, of which latter 23 were daily, one biweekly, 6 tri-weekly, 228 weekly, and 1 monthly; 11 were religious, 5 being weeklies and 6 monthlies; eight literary, viz., 3 weeklies and 5 monthlies; and 8 devoted to miscellaneous topics, viz., 1 biweekly, 2 weeklies, and 5 monthlies. STATE INSTITUTIONS.-There are at Jacksonville a State Lunatic Asylum, a Deaf and Dumb Asylum, and an Asylum for the Blind; a State Penitentiary at Alton, and another at Joliet. The Deaf and Dumb Asylum has about 130 pupils, and is maintained at an expense of about $25,000 per annum. In 1860 there were in the State 801 elinguid persons. There are 33 public libraries, with 35,982 volumes, and 4 college libraries, with 7,800 volumes. POPULATION.-In the arrangement of States in the order of their area and population, according to the national census of 1860, Illinois is the 10th in area, the 4th in population, the 13th in population to the square mile, the 9th in mean ratio, and the 6th in actual increase of population per square mile from 1850 to 1860. The aggregate population in 1860 was 1,711,951, of whom 7,628 were colored. Illinois first figures in the census tables of 1810, when she appears with a population of 11,501. Mark her astonishing progress! In 1820 her population had swollen to 55,162; in 1830, 157,444; in 1840, 476,183; in 1850, 851,470; In 1860, 1,711,951. And by the State census of 1865, she had And still her career is onward! What finite mind can grasp the ultimate goal of a people whose infantile career is marked by such giant strides of progress? CIVIL DIVISIONS.-The State is divided into 102 counties. The following is an alphabetic list of the counties, with the names of their respective county towns and population, as per the census of 1860: CITIES AND TOWNS.-Illinois has many flourishing and thrifty towns, but so rapid is their growth in population and wealth, that no census of them would be reliable for accuracy or suitable for reference for more than a year or two after taken. Chicago is by far the largest city in the State, having, in October, 1866, a population of 200,418. Peoria has about 30,000; Quincy, 25,000; Springfield, 18,000; Belleville and Alton, 15,000 each; Joliet, Bloomington, Jacksonville, Decatur, Rock Island, Aurora, Freeport, Cairo, etc., from 8,000 to 10,000 each. There are numerous other thrifty towns in the State. Indeed, there is scarcely one of the 102 counties but can boast of its county seat, with a population of from 3,000 to 5,000 inhabitants. GOVERNMENT. The executive authority of the State is vested in the Governor, elected by the people for a term of four years. He receives a salary of $1,500, and is ineligible for more than four out of any eight years. He is, ex officio, Fund Commissioner. The Lieutenant-Governor is also elected by the people for four years, and is President of the Senate, receiving a per diem compensation of $3 during the sessions. The Senate consists of 25 and the House of Representatives of 75 members, chosen by the people-the former for four, the latter for two years. The Judiciary consists of a Supreme Court of three divisions, presided over by as many Judges, each receiving a salary of $1,200, and fifteen Circuit Courts, with a presiding Judge for each circuit, whose salaries are $1,000 each. The right of suffrage belongs to all |