rated from Massachusetts in 1820, and admitted as a State into the Union.

A controversy between the governments of the United States and Great Britain in regard to the boundary between Maine and the British territories at length caused so much excitement and hostility among the population near the disputed territory, that it threatened to produce war between the two countries. But it was finally settled in a satisfactory manner in 1842, by the treaty of Washington.

Agriculture is prosecuted in this State with sufficient success in many parts, but its climate is too severe to permit the State to compete in its agriculture with those more favored in this respect. But its immense forests, and numerous and excellent harbors, have given to it peculiar facilities for the business of lumbering and for ship-building, both of which have been carried on very extensively. The exhaustion of the most accessible forests, and the penetration of the railroads into those of the Western States, have diminished its lumber business; and its ship-building has suffered from the general depression of that business. But its manufacture of lumber is still very considerable, and its ship-building is reviving. It has many manufacturing establishments, some of which are very large; and they appear to be increasing rapidly. The commerce of the State is large and growing.

MISSOURI.

This State is bounded north by Iowa, east by Illinois, Kentucky, and Tennessee, south by Arkansas, and west by Kansas and Nebraska and the Indian Territory. It contains 65,350 square miles, or 41,824,000 acres.

The governor, lieutenant-governor, secretary of state, treasurer, auditor, attorney-general, and registrar of lands, are chosen by the people, and hold office for two years; the superintendent of public schools, also chosen by the people, holds office four years. The senators, in number thirty-four, are chosen from senatorial districts for four years, one-half biennially. The number of representatives is ascertained by dividing the whole number of permanent inhabitants of the State by two hundred. They are chosen for two years. The judges are elected by the people: the judges of the Supreme Court by the State, for six years; and the judges of the Circuit Court by their districts, for the same period.

This State was included in the Louisiana purchase, and for a long time was commonly called Upper Louisiana. The favorable conditions offered to immigrants by the Spanish government had attracted

a considerable number of colonists. When the territory was purchased from France in 1803, the lower part of it was organized as the Territory of Orleans, and in 1805 the upper part was organized as the Territory of Louisiana, St. Louis being its capital. In 1812, when the State of Louisiana was admitted into the Union, the name of the territory was changed to Missouri. Purchases were made from the Indians, which extended its western limits. In 1817 its population had grown beyond the number then deemed necessary for a State, and the people of the territory applied to Congress for admission. Thereupon arose a struggle, which continued for three years, and was at one time very violent, upon the question whether slavery should be admitted into the new State. This was settled in 1820, by what is popularly known as the Missouri compromise, the purpose of which was that Missouri should be admitted, with the right of holding slaves; but that no slave States should be thereafter formed from territories lying north of latitude 36° 30'. The State was admitted into the Union in 1821.

In agriculture, in manufactures, in mining, and in commerce, this State is almost equally distinguished. Its soil has great variety and excellence. In its southern portion cotton is produced, though not so advantageously as farther south. All the productions of the temperate zone are raised in abundance, and fruits reach great size and excellence. The culture of the grape, and the manufacture of wine, already great, are growing rapidly. The manufactures are principally flour and iron, both very large; her iron deposits being unsurpassed in the world. Silver, copper, manganese, iron, lead, cobalt, nickel, are all found, and a large part of the State is underlaid with excellent and accessible coal. The capital, St. Louis, founded in 1775 as a depot for the fur trade, is now one of the largest cities of the West, and has a very extensive commerce, both water-borne and by railroad, and this is rapidly increasing.

ARKANSAS.

This State is bounded north by Missouri, south by Louisiana and Texas, east by Missouri, Mississippi, and Tennessee, and west by Texas and the Indian Territory. It contains 52,198 square miles, or 33,406,720 acres.

The governor, lieutenant-governor, secretary of state, auditor, treasurer, attorney-general, and superintendent of public schools, are chosen by the people for four years. The senate consists of twenty-six members, chosen for the same period. The house of representatives has eighty-two members, chosen for two years. The

judges of the Supreme Court hold office eight years, and those of the inferior courts six years. They are appointed by the governor, with the consent of the senate. The present constitution of this State was adopted in 1868, and contained a provision that the paramount allegiance of every citizen is due to the federal government, in the exercise of all its constitutional powers, as these may be defined by the Supreme Court of the United States; and that neither the people of this State, nor of any other of the United States, has the power to dissolve their connection therewith, or do any act tending to impair, subvert, or resist the supreme authority of the United States. This State was a portion of the Territory of Louisiana, purchased under the administration of Thomas Jefferson. It remained a part of this territory until 1812, when Louisiana was admitted as a State, and the remainder was organized as the Missouri Territory. This continued until 1821, when Missouri was admitted as a State, and Arkansas was made a territory under that name. This territory was admitted as a State in 1836.

This State has some manufactures, but not many, and is essentially agricultural. Its soil is very various; but most of it is fertile, and the river bottoms exceedingly so. There are large tracts of land which might be brought under culture by drainage, and would then be of inexhaustible fertility. The climate is too cold for the cultivation of sugar; but both soil and climate are well adapted for cotton, of which the production is very large. The State is rich in minerals; iron, coal, zinc, and lead abound in many parts of it, and it is said to contain more of manganese and gypsum, the latter especially, than any other State.

MICHIGAN.

This State is bounded north by Lake Superior, east by Lake Huron, Lake Erie, and Lake St. Clair, south by Ohio and Indiana, and west by Lake Michigan. It contains 56,243 square miles, or 35,995,520 acres.

By its constitution the governor, lieutenant-governor, secretary of state, treasurer, auditor, attorney-general, commissioner of the land-office, and superintendent of public instruction, are chosen for two years. The senate consists of thirty-two members, and the house of representatives of not less than sixty-four, nor more than one hundred members; both are chosen for two years. Judges of the Supreme Court hold office eight years, and those of the Circuit Courts for six years. The judges are chosen by the people.

French missionaries and fur traders were the first discoverers and settlers of this territory. But it was not largely colonized. It

was transferred to Great Britain with other French possessions in 1763, and afterwards it underwent its full share of those Indian troubles which involved almost all the English settlements in this country. It was a part of the north-western territory, for which was made the ordinance of 1787, before referred to. It was organized as territory in 1805; and in 1818 the public lands were surveyed and offered for sale. A large immigration began, and has continued to the present time. In 1835 a controversy arose with Ohio concerning land claimed by the territory and also by the State; but in 1836 Congress passed an act of conditional admission of Michigan into the Union, requiring her to renounce her claim to the disputed territory, the upper peninsula being given to her by way of compensation. In accordance therewith, in 1837 the territory was admitted as a State. This State has large agricultural, manufacturing, mining, and commercial industries. Of these the agricultural are most important, for this is one of the great grain States of the West. Its manufactures are chiefly flouring-mills, breweries, distilleries, and oilmills. Its fisheries are very large. Of its mining products, copper is much the most valuable; and in the northern peninsula there is found, in the remains of ancient mines and tools, evidence that the country was once occupied by a race of which the Indians found there had no tradition whatever.

The commerce of Michigan is extensive, and is mainly with Canada, although there has been some effort to establish a direct foreign commerce, by ships sailing from Detroit. The home trade by the many railroads in the State is very large, and rapidly growing.

FLORIDA.

This State, situated at the southern extremity of the Union, is bounded north by Alabama and Georgia, south by the Gulf of Mexico, west by the same and Alabama, and east by the Atlantic Ocean. It contains 59,268 square miles, or 37,931,520 acres.

The governor and lieutenant-governor are chosen by the people for four years. The secretary of state, treasurer, comptroller, attorney-general, superintendent of public instruction, adjutant-general, and commissioners of immigration, are appointed by the governor, with the consent of the senate, for four years. The senators number twenty-four, and are chosen for a term of four years, onehalf thereof being elected biennially. The members of the assembly, fifty-three in number, are elected for two years. The Seminole Indians send one member to each branch of the legislature; he must be a member of the tribe, and be elected by Indians

qualified to vote. The judges are appointed by the governor, with the consent of the council. Those of the Supreme Court hold their office for life, or during good behavior. Judges of the Circuit Courts hold their office for eight years.

This State has a peculiar history of its own. It was first visited by Ponce de Leon, the Spaniard. He had been to America repeatedly, and was at one time governor of Hispaniola. In 1512 he was an old man, and had heard that somewhere in the islands of the newly discovered America there was a fountain which could restore youth and strength and beauty. Age had not subdued his spirit of adventure; and he sailed at the head of an expedition, fitted out at his own expense, in search of this fountain. He visited island after island, but sought for it in vain. In the course of his voyage he discovered Florida, on Easter Day, which is called in the Spanish language Pascua Florida [flowery passover]. From this circumstance, aided perhaps by the beautiful vegetation around him, he gave to the country the name of Florida. The next year, arriving in Spain and reporting his discovery, he was appointed governor of Florida, and required to colonize the country. Not, however, until 1521 did he go with two ships to take possession of his province. The natives resisted him with the most resolute hostility, and drove the Spaniards to their ships; and in the battle Ponce de Leon was mortally wounded, receiving his death-blow in the country where he had hoped to find the fountain of immortality. The Indians continued to resist the further efforts of the Spaniards to colonize the country; but its settlement made considerable progress.

In the middle of the sixteenth century many French Protestants, persecuted at home, fled to Florida, only to find themselves still worse treated. The Spaniards attacked them, and hung many on trees, with an inscription to the effect that they were put to death not as Frenchmen, but as heretics. A French party attacked and took the Spanish fort, and hung the Spanish soldiers on the same trees, with an inscription that they were put to death not as Spaniards, but as cut-throats and murderers. The Spaniards, however, persisted in their efforts to gain possession of the country. The English claimed it, and captured the Spanish fort of St. Augustine in 1586. But little is known of what happened there for the next century. In 1696 the French settled in Pensacola. In 1702 English colonists from Carolina and Georgia attacked the Spanish settlers. In 1763 Great Britain relinquished to Spain, Cuba, which it had recently taken, and received Florida in exchange. In 1783 Florida was ceded by England to Spain, and in 1819 Spain ceded the whole province, which had been divided into two by the British, to the United States, and possession was taken in 1821. The Territory