MISCELLANEOUS STATISTICS. STATISTICS OF THE PUBLIC LANDS OF THE UNITED STATES. WE are indebted to RICHARD M. YOUNG, ESQ., the Commissioner of the General Land Office, for a copy of the Annual Report, an interesting and carefully prepared document, accompanied with an appendix containing tabular statements of the disposition of the public lands from the commencement of the land system up to January 1st, 1849, from which we derive the following particulars: THE SURVEY AND DISPOSAL OF THE PUBLIC LANDS. OHIO. The whole of the public lands in this State, which contains an area of 39,964 square miles, or 25,576,960 acres, have been surveyed, and the township plats returned to this office and the respective district land offices. The books, plats, field notes, &c., appertaining to the surveys therein, have been transferred to the proper authorities of the State, under the acts of 12th June, 1840, and 3d March, 1845, and that part of the business of the surveyor general's office, north-west of the Ohio, relating to surveys, &c., in this State, entirely closed up. The land districts have been consolidated, from time to time, as the sales have progressed, until the number of the local land offices has been reduced to two, one of which is located at Chillicothe and the other at Defiance. All the lands have been proclaimed and offered at public sale; and there still remains of the public lands to be disposed of in this State, as near as can be ascertained, about 875,465 acres. INDIANA. In this State, having an area of 33,809 square miles, or 21,637,760 acres, the whole of the public lands have been surveyed, and the township plats returned to this and the district land offices. The surveys in this State having been finished, the surveyor general has been instructed to have the plats, field notes, &c., pertaining to those surveys completed, and transferred to the authorities of the State by or before the 30th June next, as required by the acts of 12th June, 1840, and 3d March, 1845. The surveyor general reports, that he will be able to comply with those instructions; consequently, after that shall have been done, the authority of the surveyor general, north-west of the Ohio, will be restricted to the State of Michigan. All the public lands in this State have also been proclaimed and offered at public sale; and of those lands about 3,572,645 acres remain unsold and undisposed of. ILLINOIS. The area of this State is 55,405 square miles, or 35,459,200 acres. The whole of the public lands have been surveyed, and the plats returned to the district land offices, with the exception of a few detached tracts, all of which will be completed, however, together with the plats, records, &c., connected therewith, under instructions from this office, and the latter turned over to the authorities of the State by the 30th of June next, or as soon thereafter as practicable, as required by the act of 12th June, 1840. All the lands which have been surveyed have been proclaimed and offered at public sale; and there still remains 15,693,076 acres of public lands in this State to be sold or disposed of MICHIGAN. In this State, having an area of 56,243 square miles, or 35,995,520 acres, the surveys have been executed, and plats returned to this office and the district land offices of 28,177,185 acres; and, of the remainder, it is estimated that 1,478,400 acres will be surveyed, and the plats returned during the ensuing year. With the exception of about 529,000 acres in the southern peninsula, all the lands remaining to be surveyed in Michigan are in the upper peninsula. Of the public lands in this State, it is estimated that there are remaining to be sold or disposed of, about 25,097,296 acres. WISCONSIN. It is estimated that there is contained within the boundaries of this State an area of 53,924 square miles, or 34,511,360 acres. Of this area, 14,352,879 acres have been surveyed, and the plats returned to this and the district land offices; and, of the remainder, it is estimaied that 1,344,000 acres will be surveyed, and the plats returned during the next year. All the lands in this State, the plats of which were received in time, have been proclaimed and offered at public sale; and 28,863,763 acres still remain unsold and undisposed of. IOWA. The boundaries of this State include 50,915 square miles, or 32,584,960 acres. Of these, 14,806,381 acres have been surveyed, and the plats returned; and of the balance, 2,240,000 acres, it is expected, will be surveyed, and the plats returned in the ensuing year. Of the lands in this State which have been prepared for market, and not yet offered at public sale, the greater part are situated between Brown's and Sullivan's line, and will not, of course, be offered till the question of boundary between Missouri and Iowa, now pending before the Supreme Court of the United States, shall have been definitively settled. Of the public lands in this State, adopting Sullivan's line as the south boundary, 29,868,038 acres remain unsold and undisposed of. MISSOURI. In this State, with an area of 67,380 square miles, or 43,123,200 acres, 41,486,437 acres have been surveyed, and the plats returned to this office and to the offices of the respective land districts. Of the remainder it is estimated that 1,200,000 acres will be surveyed, and the plats returned during the next year; and if it be determined that Sullivan's line is the northern boundary, those returns will nearly close the surveys in this State. All the disposable land which has been surveyed, has been proclaimed and offered at public sale, and adopting Sullivan's line as the northern boundary, there are 29,766,740 acres of public lands remaining unsold and undisposed of. ARKANSAS. The surveys of the whole of the public lands in this State, the area of which is 52,198 square miles, or 33,406,720 acres, have been executed, or are in process of being completed, and the plats of nearly all those lands have been returned to this and the district land offices. Under instructions from this office, the surveyor general is closing up the business of his district, and by the 30th of June next, the whole of the surveys will be finished; the maps, field notes, &c., pertaining to these surveys, will be completed and turned over to the authorities of the State, as required by the act of 12th of June, 1840. All the disposable public lands in this State, the plats of which were received in time, have been proclaimed and offered at public sale; and it is expected that the next proclamation will embrace all the residue that can be brought into market. Of these lands, 27,669,207 acres remain unsold and undisposed of. LOUISIANA. The area of this State is 46,431 square miles, or 29,715,840 acres. Of these, 20,343,442 acres have been surveyed, and the plats returned to the proper land offices, and to this office; and, of the balance, it is expected that 336,000 acres of new lands will be surveyed, and the plats returned during the next year. Great and peculiar difficulties have surrounded the surveys in this State, and prevented their early completion. Most of those made at an early period were very defective, owing, as appears from their history, to the inadequacy of the price then paid for that service; many were audulent, and others, owing to the intricacy of the boundaries and the vagueness of locality, were either not surveyed, or so executed that no confidence could be reposed in them. This was peculiarly the case in the Greensburg district, and finally led to the passage of the act of 29th August, 1842, directing a resurvey of the whole of the lands in that district. That work has been carried on as rapidly as the peculiar circumstances of the case would admit, and is now speedily drawing to a conclusion. Numerous resurveys have also been required and executed in the other districts, and many still remain to be done. It is expected, however, that by a careful and judicious investigation, both by the surveyor general and this office, where resurveys appear to be required, and by the adoption of a system for completing the surveys and locations of private claims in all such cases, that the difficulties and embarrassments which exist will finally and speedily be overcome. Nearly a million of acres which have been surveyed in this State have not been offered at public sale, for the reason that some of them are interfered with by private claims, and others are reported as erroneous or fraudulent surveys. These difficulties will be removed as speedily as practicable, and in all cases that will admit of it, the lands will be brought into market. Of the public lands in this State, surveyed and unsurveyed, there remains 23,677,775 acres yet to be disposed of. MISSISSIPPI. In this State, having an area of 47,147 square miles, or 30,174,080 acres, the whole of the public lands have been surveyed and brought into market, and the plats returned to this office and the respective district land offices. Numerous retracings and resurveys have also been made, to locate private claims, supply lost field notes, and correct erroneous surveys. The surveyor general of this State has been instructed to finish all the surveys and resurveys now on kand, and to complete the plats, field notes, &c., connected with the surveys, that they may be turned over to the authorities of the State, as required by the act of 12th June, 1840, by the 30th June next. He has assured this office of his determination to comply with those instructions, but at the same time suggests that this course may be prejudicial to the interests of the owners of some of the private claims which have not yet been located. The difficulties suggested in this case can easily be remedied by the passage of an act, rendered absolutely necessary by the closing of these offices, and which will be considered and ex plained in a subsequent part of this report. Of the public lands in this State, 11,815,040 acres remain unsold and undisposed of. ALABAMA. The lands in this State, the area of which is 50,722 square miles, or 32,462,080 acres, have all been surveyed, or are in process of completion. The plats have been returned to this office and the district land offices; and, as far as available, the lands embraced by them have been proclaimed and offered at public sale. Numerous resurveys have been made in this State to supply the field notes, which were unfortunately destroyed by a fire which consumed the office of the surveyor general, with many of the records. The surveyor general has been instructed to complete the business of his office, aud to prepare the plats, field notes, &c., connected with the surveys, to be turned over to the authorities of the State by the 30th June next, as required by the act of 12th June, 1840. Of the public lands in this State, 17,516,346 acres remain the property of the government, and are subject to be sold, or otherwise disposed of. FLORIDA. The area of this State is 59,268 square miles, or 37,931,520 acres. Of these, 15,032,052 acres have been surveyed, and the plats returned to the respective land offices and to this office; and, during the ensuing year, it is expected that the surveys will be executed, and the plats returned, of 2,240,000 acres more. As far as practicable, the lands, the surveys of which have been completed and returned, have been proclaimed and offered at public sale, and there now remains, the property of the government, and subject to be disposed of, 36,137,137 acres, including those which have not been surveyed. STATEMENT OF THE AREAS OF THE THIRTY STATES OF THE UNION IN SQUARE MILES AND ACRES, THE POPULATION OF EACH ACCORDING TO THE UNITED STATES CENSUS OF 1840, THE NUMBER OF SENATORS AND REPRESENTATIVES IN CONGRESS TO WHICH EACH WAS ENTITLED, SEPARATELY AND IN THE AGGREGATE, THE NUMBER OF PRESIDENTIAL ELECTORS, ETC.; ALSO, A COMPARATIVE VIEW OF THE DIFFERENCE IN THE POPULATION, ETC., OF THE SLAVE AND FREE STATES, SEPARATELY STATED, FROM THE MOST AUTHENTIC SOURCES. Population according to United States census of 1840. No. of No. of Presi'nF. white F. col'd No. of sena'rs in Repre- tial persons. persons, slaves. pop'ation. Cong'ss, sent'es. elec'rs. 500,438 1,355 No. of Total Area. FREE STATES. Sq. miles. Maine........ 35,000 Acres. 22,400,000 Vermont N. Hampshire... 501,793 291,948 284,574 7 9 Massachusetts... Rhode Island.. Connecticut.. New York.. 46,000 New Jersey.. Pennsylvania Ohio Indiana.. 39,964 25,576,960 1,502,122 Illinois. 55,405 35,459,200 472,254 Michigan. 56,243 35,995,520 211,560 707 476,183 Iowa. Wisconsin 50.914 32,584,960 42,924 Total......... 454,340 290,777,600 9,746.987 170,728 1,129 9,918,844 Delaware... .36 7 26 23 12 9 5 2 4 SLAVE STATES. Tennessee Alabama. 44,000 28,160,000 640,627 5,524 183,059 829,210 47.147 30,174,080 179,074 1.366 121 936,368 599,275,520 4,772,043 215,821 2,525,144 7,513,008 * According to the State census of 1847. Mai ne was formed of a part of Massachusetts, and admitted into the Union March 15, 1820. Vermont was formed of a part of New York, and admitted into the Union March 4, 1791. Ohio was formed of a part of the territory north-west of the Ohio River, and admitted into the Union November 29, 1802. Indiana was formed of a part of the north-west territory, ceded to the United States by Virginia; admitted into the Union December 11, 1816. Illinois was formed of a part of the north-west territory, ceded to the United States by Virginia; admitted into the Union December 2, 1818. Michigan was formed of a part of the north-west territory, ceded to the United States by Virginia; admitted into the Union January 26, 1837. Iowa was formed of a part of the territory ceded by France, by treaty of April 30, 1803; admitted into the Union December 28, 1846. Wisconsin was formed of a part of the north-west territory ceded to the United States by Virginia. An act was passed on the 3d of March, 1847, to admit this territory into the Union, upon the condition that the people should adopt the Constitution passed December 16, 1816. This Constitution was rejected; but the people having subsequently agreed upon a Constitution, the State was admitted into the Union by act of Congress of May 29, 1848. Kentucky was formed of a part of Virginia, and admitted into the Union June 1, 1792. Tennessee was formed of territory ceded to the United States by North Carolina; admitted into the Union June 1, 1796. Louisiana was formed of a part of the territory ceded by France April 30, 1803; admitted into the Union April 8, 1812. Mississippi was formed of a part of the territory ceded to United States by South Carolina; admitted into the Union December 10, 1817. Alabama was formed of a part of the territory ceded to United States by South Carolina and Georgia; admitted into the Union December 14, 1819. Missouri was formed of a part of the territory ceded by France in 1803; admitted into the Union August 10, 1821. Arkansas was formed of a part of the territory ceded by France in 1803; admitted into the Union June 15, 1836. Florida was formed of the territory ceded by Spain to the United States February 22, 1819; admitted into the Union March 3, 1845. Texas was an independent Republic; admitted into the United States by joint resolution of Congress, approved December 29, 1845. STATISTICS OF EMIGRATION. By a law of the State of New York, (sec. 8 of the act of May 5, 1847,) the Commissioners of Emigration are required to furnish, in January of every year, a report of the moneys received under the provisions of said act during the preceding year, and of the manner in which they have been applied. The Report of the Commissioners, dated at their office in New York, January 17, 1849, for the year 1848, has been published by the Legislature, and we now proceed to lay before our readers an abstract of the same: EMIGRATION-ITS EXTENT, CONDITION, ETC. The number of passengers arrived at the port of New York during the year 1848, and for whom commutation and hospital money was paid, was 189,176; of whom, 98,061 were natives of Ireland; 51,973 of Germany; 39,142 of other countries-total 189,176. The total number of passengers who arrived seaward, including citizens not subject to the payment of commutation money, was 195,509. All these passengers, with the exception of not exceeding 2,000, arrived in 1,041 vessels, of which 531 were American; 341 British; 125 German; 44 others. The ratio of the sick, out of every one thousand, was 30 on board the British vessels, 9 2-5 on American, and 8 3-5 on German. NUMBER OF PASSENGERS WHO ARRIVED AT THE PORT OF NEW YORK FROM JANUARY 1ST TO DECEMBER 31st, 1848, AND FOR WHOM COMMUTATION AND HOSPITAL MONEY WAS PAID. The following tables have been compiled from another equally authentic source. NUMBER OF IMMIGRANTS WHO ARRIVED AT NEW YORK IN EACH MONTH FROM JANUARY TO MAY, IN THE YEARS FROM 1844 TO 1849. TABLE SHOWING THE COUNTRIES IN WHICH THE IMMIGRANTS WERE BORN WHO ARRIVED AT NEW YORK IN THE FIRST FIVE MONTHS OF 1849. |