MISSOURI.
Length, 278; medium breadth, 235 miles: containing 64,500 square miles,
and containing 41,280,000 acres.
Bounded north by the Des Moines country, or New Purchase, attached to
Wisconsin Territory, west by the Indian Territory, south by Arkansas,
and east by the Mississippi river. Between 36 deg. and 40 deg. 37' N.
latitude, and between 11 deg. 15' and 17 deg. 30' west longitude.
_Civil Divisions._--It is divided into 50 counties, as follows:--Barry,
Benton, Boone, Callaway, Cape Girardeau, Carroll, Chaviton, Clay,
Clinton, Cole, Cooper, Crawford, Franklin, Gasconade, Green, Howard,
Jackson, Jefferson, Johnson, La Fayette, Lewis, Lincoln, Madison,
Marion, Munroe, Montgomery, Morgan, New Madrid, Perry, Pettis, Pike,
Polk, Pulaski, Randolph, Ralls, Ray, Ripley, Rives, St. Francois, St.
Genevieve, St. Charles, St. Louis, Saline, Scott, Shelby, Stoddart, Van
Buren, Warren, Washington, and Wayne.
POPULATION AT DIFFERENT PERIODS.
_Population._ | _Increase._
1810, (including Arkansas,) 19,833 | From 1810 to 1820, 46,753
1820, 66,586 | " 1820 " 1824, 14,500
1824, 80,000 | " 1824 " 1830, 60,455
1830, 140,455 | " 1830 " 1832, 35,820
1832, 176,276 | " 1832 " 1836, 33,724
1836, (estimated for Jan'y) 210,000 |
The Constitution is similar to that of Illinois, in its broad features,
excepting the holding of slaves is allowed, and the General Assembly has
no power to pass laws for the emancipation of slaves, without the
consent of their owners, or paying an equivalent. It is made the duty of
the General Assembly "to oblige the owners of slaves to treat them with
humanity, and to abstain from all injuries to them extending to life or
limb." "Slaves shall not be deprived of an impartial trial by jury." In
1832, there were in the State, 32,184 slaves, and 661 free colored
persons. Every free white male citizen has the right of suffrage, after
a residence in the State of one year.
_Surface, Soil and Productions._--The surface of this State is greatly
diversified. South of Cape Girardeau, with the exception of some bluffs
along the Mississippi, it is entirely alluvial, and a large proportion
consists of swamp and inundated lands, the most of which are heavily
timbered. From thence to the Missouri river, and westward to the
dividing grounds between the waters of the Osage and Gasconade rivers,
the country is generally timbered, rolling, and in some parts, quite
hilly. No part of Missouri, however, is strictly mountainous. Along the
waters of Gasconade and Black rivers the hills are frequently abrupt and
rocky, with strips of rich alluvion along the water courses. Much of
this region abounds with minerals of various descriptions. Lead, iron,
coal, gypsum, manganese, zinc, antimony, cobalt, ochre of various kinds,
common salt, nitre, plumbago, porphyry, jasper, chalcedony, buhrstone,
marble, and freestone, of various qualities. The lead and iron ore are
literally exhaustless, and of the richest quality. To say there is
probably iron ore enough in this region to supply the United States with
iron for one hundred thousand years to come, would not be extravagant.
Here, too, is water power in abundance, rapid streams, with pebbly beds,
forests of timber, and exhaustless beds of bituminous coal. The only
difficulty of working this vast body of minerals is the inconvenience of
getting its proceeds to the Mississippi. The streams that rise in this
region, run different courses into the Missouri, the Mississippi, and
the Arkansas, but they are too rapid and winding in their courses to
afford safe and easy navigation.
Were the rafts now lodged in the St. Francois, removed by the agency of
government, as they have been in Red river, the lower section of the
mineral country could be reached by steamboat navigation. The citizens
of St. Louis, very recently, have entered upon the project of a railway
from that city, through the heart of this country, to the fine farming
lands in the south-western part of the State. Such a project, carried
into effect, would open a boundless field of wealth in Missouri.
The western part of the State is divided into prairie and forest land,
much of which is fertile. Along the Osage, it is hilly, and the whole is
undulating, and regarded as a healthy region, abounding with good water,
salt springs, and limestone. North of the Missouri the face of the
country is diversified, with a mixture of timber and prairie. From the
Missouri to Salt river, good springs are scarce, and in several counties
it is difficult to obtain permanent water by digging wells. Artificial
wells, as they may be called, are made by digging a well forty or fifty
feet deep, and replenishing it with a current of rain water from the
roof of the dwelling house. Much of the prairie land in this part of the
State is inferior to the first quality of prairie land in Illinois, as
the soil is more clayey, and does not so readily absorb the water.
Between Salt river and Des Moines, is a beautiful and rich country of
land. The counties of Ralls, Marion, Monroe, Lewis and Shelby, are first
rate. The counties of Warren, Montgomery, Callaway, Boone, Howard, and
Chaviton, all lying on the north side of the Missouri river, are
rolling,--in some places are bluffs and hills, with considerable good
prairie, and an abundance of timbered land. Farther west, the
proportion of prairie increases to the boundary line, as it does to the
northward of Boone, Howard and Chaviton counties. After making ample
deductions for inferior soil, ranges of barren hills, and large tracts
of swamp, as in the south, the State of Missouri contains a vast
proportion of excellent farming land. The people generally are
enterprising, hardy and industrious, and most of those who hold slaves,
perform labor with them. Emigrants from every State and several
countries of Europe, are found here, but the basis of the population is
from Kentucky, Tennessee and Virginia. The natural productions of
Missouri are similar to those States already described, and the
agricultural productions are the same as in Illinois, except that more
tobacco is produced in the middle, and considerable quantities of cotton
in the southern counties.
_Towns._--The city of Jefferson is the political capital of the State.
It is situated on the right bank of the Missouri, a few miles above the
mouth of the Osage, and about 138 miles from St. Louis. It is a small
town, with little business, except what pertains to the government of
the State. A state house, governor's house and penitentiary have been
erected.
St. Louis is the commercial capital, and the most important place in all
this portion of the Valley of the Mississippi. It stands on the western
bank of the Mississippi, 180 miles above the junction of the Ohio, 18
miles below that of the Missouri, and 38 miles below that of the
Illinois. It is beautifully situated on ascending and elevated ground,
which spreads out into an undulating surface to the west for many miles.
Two streets are parallel with the river on the first bank, and the rest
of the city stands on the second bank; but very little grading is
necessary, to give the streets running back from the river, their proper
inclination. The old streets, designed only for a French village, are
too narrow for public convenience, but a large part of the city has been
laid out on a liberal scale. The Indian and Spanish trade, the fur and
peltry business, lead, government agencies, army supplies, surveys of
government lands, with the regular trade of an extensive interior
country, makes St. Louis a place of great business, in proportion to its
population, which is about 10,000.
The following, from the register of the wharf master, will exhibit the
commerce for 1835:
STEAMBOAT REGISTER.
Number of different boats arrived, 121
Aggregate of tonnage, 15,470
Number of arrivals, 803
Wharfage collected, $4,573.60
_Wood and Lumber, liable to Wharfage._
Plank, joist, and scantling, 1,414,330 feet.
Shingles, 148,000
Cedar posts, 7,706
Cords of fire-wood, 8,066
The proportionate increase of business will be seen by reference to the
following registry for 1831:
Different steamboats arrived, 60
Average amount of tonnage, 7,769
Number of entries, 532
The morality, intelligence and enterprise of this city is equal to any
other in the West, in proportion to its size. The American population is
most numerous, but there are many French, Irish and Germans. About one
third of the inhabitants are Roman Catholics. The Presbyterians,
Methodists, and Episcopalians have large congregations and houses of
worship: the Baptists and Unitarians are rather small, and without
public edifices. The Roman Catholic cathedral is a costly pile of
buildings of freestone, and has a splendid chime of bells, sent over
from Europe. St. Louis is a pleasant and healthy situation, and
surrounded with a fertile country.
We have not space to give particulars respecting many interesting and
flourishing towns in Missouri.
Cape Girardeau is a commercial depot for the southern part of the State.
St. Genevieve stands a little back from the river, and is known only as
an old French village.
Selma is a landing and depot for the lead mine country, 38 miles below
St. Louis.
Clarksville, Hannibal, Saverton, and La Grange are commercial sites on
the Mississippi, above the mouth of Missouri. Palmyra is a beautiful
town, of about 1,000 inhabitants, and the seat of justice for Marion
county. Along the Missouri are Portland, Rocheport, Boonville,
Lexington, Independence, and many other places of various degrees of
importance. Franklin formerly stood on the north bank of Missouri, but
most of it has been removed, three miles interior, to the bluffs. Potosi
is a central town, in the mineral district. Fulton, Columbia, and
Fayette are the seats of justice for Callaway, Boone, and Howard
counties, and are pleasant and flourishing towns.
About the same provision for education has been made in this as in other
Western States, and a disposition to encourage schools, academies and
colleges is fast increasing.