mice, the former are injurious to meadows, but more particularly to cornfields while the seed is coming up.

Constitution. The political institutions of this new state are honourable in a high degree to the framers of them. The constitution provides every restraint against the encroachments of power, and the licentiousness of freedom, that human wisdom can perhaps foresee. The general assembly consists of a house of representatives and senate: the former to be elected annually, the latter every three years. Any person of twenty-one years of age, and upwards, is eligible to be a representative; the senators must be twenty-five years of age: no member of either house can hold any office of profit after he is elected. The legislature to meet annually on the first Monday of December

The executive power is confided to a governor and lieut. governor; both of whom are elected for three years, and may be re-elected once. The governor to receive a compensation of 1,000 dollars per annum; the lieut.-governor two dollars a day while the legislature is in session.

The judiciary is composed of a supreme and circuit court; the supreme court to consist of three judges, to be appointed by the governor and senate for seven years, and to sit at the seat of government with a salary not exceeding 800 dollars per annum.-The circuit courts to consist of a presiding judge and two associates, who are to hold courts in each county: the presiding judge to be appointed by the joint ballot of the legislature for seven years, and the associates to be elected for seven years by the people. Sheriffs, clerks, and justices of the peace are to be elected by the people; the sheriffs for three years, the clerks and justices for seven years.

Militia officers to be elected by those subject to milita duty; all above the rank of colonel by commissioned officers.

Involuntary slavery is for ever excluded. The constitution may be amended in twelve years; but never so as to admit of slavery.

In passing the aet for erecting the Indiana territory into a state, congress appropriated, in addition to the usual school section, a whole township of land for the support of a seminary of learning; and four sections for fixing the seat of the state government.

STATE OF ILLINOIS.

Situation, Boundaries, and Extent.

THIS new state, which was only admitted into the Union in the spring of 1819, is increasing rapidly in population and improvements. It is situated between 37° and 41° 45′ N. lat. and 10° 15′ and 41° 15′ W. long. Bounded on the north by the Northwest territory; south, by Kentucky and Missouri territory; east, by Indiana; and west by the Missouri territory. In length, from north to south, it is 306 miles, and in breadth, from east to west, 210 miles; forming an area of 50,000 square miles, or 32,000,000 acres. The form of this extensive country is that of an imperfect triangle; its base being the northern boundary of the state, and the Mississippi its hypo thenuse.

The

Rivers and lakes.-No state or territory in North America can boast of superior facilities of internal navigation. Near 1,000 miles, or two-thirds of its frontier, is washed by the Wabash, Ohio, and Mississippi; the other principal rivers are the Illinois and Kaskaskia. Wabash has been already noticed in the description of Indiana; it is therefore only necessary here to observe, that it forms part of the south-east limit of this state, and possesses great sameness to the Ohio, near the confluence of the two streams. Several small but fine rivers flow south-east into the Wabash, entering that stream below Vincennes; the principal of these are Embarras and Little water, both of which head with the sources of Kaskaskia river.

The Ohio also washes the south-east part of the state, from the mouth of the Wabash to the junction of the Ohio and Mississippi, a distance of 136 miles. The banks of the Ohio below the Wabash, assume a general resemblance to those of the Mississippi below the mouth of Missouri. The concave bank is mostly composed of craggy limestone; the convex bank, low, and subject to annual inundation. These features continue as far down as the Great Cave, (42 miles,) below which both banks become low, and in every essential quality are similar to those of the Mississippi below the mouth of Ohio. The settlements are confined to the alluvial border on the river, and the

swamps commence from a quarter to half a mile from the margin of the stream. The soil is extremely fertile, and valuable, where elevated sufficiently for the purposes of agriculture; the timber gigantic, and extremely abundant.

The Mississippi forms the boundary of this state, following the winding of the stream, for upwards of 500 miles. A particular account of this magnificent river having been already given in page 23, any further description in this place is therefore rendered unnecessary.

The placid Illinois has its source in Indiana, and traverses this state in a south-western direction, receiving in its course a number of rivers from 20 to 100 yards wide, which are navigable for boats from fifteen to 180 miles. This noble river is formed by the junction of the rivers Theakaki and Plein in N. lat. 41° 48'; and unlike the other great western rivers, its current is mild and unbroken by rapids, meandring at leisure through one of the finest countries in the world. It enters the Mississippi about 214 miles above its confluence with the Ohio, and eighteen miles above the mouth of the Missouri (not twelve miles, as stated in page 23.) It is upwards of 400 yards wide at its mouth, and its whole length about 390 miles. This river abounds with beautiful islands, one of which is ten miles long; and adjoining, or near it, are many coal mines, salt ponds, and small lakes: 210 miles from its mouth, it passes through Illinois lake, which is twenty miles in length and four in breadth. The banks of the Illinois are generally pretty high, yet much of them are liable to annual inundation, and of course rendered unfit for culture. The general surface of the country is prairie, part of which is very fine land; though too much does not deserve so favourable a character.-There are five tributary rivers which fall into the left side of the Illinois, and seven enter by the north or right bank. Of these the most important are Fox river, which heads near the sources of Rocky river, and falls in nearly equidistant between Illinois lake and the junction of the Plein and Theakaki rivers, and is navigable 130 miles. The Plein interlocks in a singular manner with the Chicago, running into lake Michigan: sixty miles from its head it expands and forms lake Depage, five miles below which it joins the Theakaki from the north-east. These streams united, are to the Illinois what the Allegany and Monangahela are to the Ohio.

Kaskaskia is the next river in magnitude; it rises in the prairies between the Illinois and Wabash, is about 150 miles in length, and enters the Mississippi ninety miles

above the mouth of the Ohio, and 124 below the Illinois. It is navigable about 130 miles.

In addition to the rivers already described, the eastern part of the state is watered by several respectable streams running into the Wabash. There are many small lakes in this state, and several of the rivers have their sources in them. They abound with wild-fowl and fish, and on their margins are delightful plantations.

Nature has been eminently bountiful to Illinois, in bestowing the means of internal navigation without the expense of cutting canals, perhaps no where else to be found in the world. The courses of the principal rivers, with their branches, are not less than 3,000 miles; viz. 2,000 internally, and 1,000 on the frontiers. A small comparative expense will unite the river Illinois with the Chicago, which, as before observed, falls into lake Michigan. Then the lead of Missouri and the cotton of Tennessee will find their way to Detroit, and to Buffalo on lake Erie. The distance, by water, from the mouth of the Illinois to New Orleans is 1,222 miles, and to Buffalo, through the lakes 1,400. From Shawanno-town, a short distance from the mouth of the Wabash, the route by water, to Buffalo, is 1,200 miles, and from the same place to New Orleans 1,130. Thus is there an immense internal water commu-, nication, and also directly with the ocean, unknown in any other part of the globe,

General aspect of the country. The face of the coun try is very much assimilated to that of Indiana; but towards the south the surface becomes very level, and the point of land between the Mississippi and Ohio rivers is. frequently overflowed. There are no mountains in this. state, or hills of any great height. Part of the country is. composed of hill and dale; but by far the greater portion of it is flat prairie, or the alluvial margin of rivers. The soil is very various, and may be divided into six different kinds ist. Bottoms, bearing a profusion of trees, which denote a very fertile soil: this land is always of an excellent quality, and may be found in greater or less proportions on all the rivers of the state. It is inexhaustible in fecundity, as is proved by its present fertility, where it has been annually cultivated, without manure, for more than 100 years. 2nd. This kind of land is always found at the mouths and confluences of rivers; it produces sycamore, cotton wood, water-maple, water-ash, elm, willow oak, willow, &c. and is covered in autumn with a luxuriant

growth of weeds. These bottoms are subject to inundations. There are many thousand acres of this land at the mouth of the Wabash, and the confluence of the Mississippi. It would be unsafe for the settler to locate himself upon this soil. 3rd. Dry prairie, bordering all the rivers, lies immediately in the rear of the bottoms, and from thirty to 100 feet higher. It is from one to ten miles wide, being a dry rich soil, well adapted to the purposes of cultivation, as it bears drought and rain with equal success. This soil is in some places black, in others of the colour of iron rust interspersed with a light white sand. These prairies are destitute of trees, unless where they are crossed by streams and occasional islands of woodland. The prairies of the Illinois river are the most extensive of any east of the Mississippi, and have alone been estimated at 1,200,000 acres. 4th. Wet prairie, which are found remote from streams, or at their sources, the soil is generally cold and barren, abounding with swamps, ponds, and covered with a tall coarse grass. 5th. Timbered land, moderately billy, well watered, and of a rich soil. 6th. Hills, of a sterile soil and destitute of timber, or covered with stinted oaks and pines.

Between the mouths of the Wabash and the Ohio, the right bank of the Ohio, in many places presents the rugged appearance of bold projecting rocks. The banks of the Kaskaskia and Illinois in some places present a sublime and picturesque scenery. Several of their tributary streams have excavated for themselves deep and frightful gulfs, particularly those of the Kaskaskia, the banks of which near the junction of Big-hill creek, present a perpendicular front of 140 feet high, of solid limestone. The north-western part of the state is a hilly, broken country, in which most of the rivers emptying into the Wabash from the north, have their heads. A great part of the state is open prairie, some of which are of such vast extent that the sun apparently rises and sets within their widely extended borders.

The large tract of country through which the Illinois river and its branches meander, is not be exceeded in beauty, levelness, richness, and fertility of soil, by any traot of land, of equal extent, in the United States. From the Illinois to the Wabash, excepting some little distance from the rivers, is almost one continued prairie, or natural meadow, intermixed with groves, or copses of wood, and some swamps and small lakes.

The east shore of the Mississippi, from the mouth of the Missouri to that of the Illinois is bordered by hills from