TABLE OF LATITUDE AND LONGITUDE.-(Continued.) [A star* indicates that the position of such places has been only approximately determined.] THE UNITED The United States of America, exclusive of Alaska, or the territory acquired from Russia in 1867, extends from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific, and from British America to the Gulf of Mexico. It lies between Lat. 24° 20′ and 49° North, and Long. 10° 14′ East, and 47° 30′ West from Washington. It has a coast line of 2,163 miles on the Atlantic, 1,764 miles on the Gulf of Mexico, and 1,343 miles on the Pacific. Alaska, sometimes known as North-western America, with its islands, extends from the South end of Prince of Wales Island, Lat. 54° 40', to Point Barrow, 71° 30′ North, and from Lon. 53° to 116 West from Washington. The entire area of the United States and Territories is 3,578,392 square miles, or about four-ninths of North America, and more than one-fifteenth of the land surface of the globe. This area has been acquired as follows: Arizona (New Mexico) as acquired from Mexico by treaty, 1854. Total in 1868..... The first European settlement was made by Spaniards at St. Augustine in Florida, in 1565, but this place was not included within the limits of the United States until 1821. The first permanent English settlement was made at Jamestown in Virginia, in 1607. Other settlements were made and colonies organized which were subject to the English government until the Declaration of Independence, July 4th, 1776. Delegates from the following States: New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia, in congress assembled, adopted articles of confederation in 1777. The Constitution which was framed in 1787, and ratified by the thirteen original States, went into operation March 4th, 1789. It received ten amendments in 1791, an eleventh amendment in 1798, a twelfth in 1804, a thirteenth in 1865, and a fourteenth in 1868. The government of the United States is based on this constitution which, with the laws made in accordance with its provisions, and treaties made under its authority, is the supreme law of the land. By the constitution, the government is entrusted to three separate authorities, the Legislative vested in congress, the Executive vested in the President, and the Judicial vested in one Supreme court and such inferior courts as congress may from time to time establish. PRINCIPAL OFFICERS OF THE GOVERNMENT FROM THE FIRST CONTINENTAL CONGRESS TO THE PRESENT TIME. Oct. Sept. 5, 1774 1723 1775 John Hanson..... Md. Nov. 5, 1781 1783 Peyton Randolph. Va. II.-Under the Constitution. NAME. Term of Ser State. Born. Died." vice. NAME. State. Born. Died. Term of Service. 1789-1797 1732 1799 John Tyler. Va. 1841-1845 1790 1862 1797-1801 1735 1826 James K. Polk. Tenn. 1845-1849 1795 1849 1801-1809 1743 1826 Zachary Taylor... La. 1849-1850 1784 1850 1809-1817 1751 1837 Millard Fillmore. N. Y. 1850-1853 1800 1817-1825 1759 1831 Franklin Pierce.. N. H. 1853-1857 1804 1825-1829 1767 1848 James Buchanan... Penn. 1857-1861 1791 1868 1829-1837 1767 1845 Abraham Lincoln... Ill. 1861-1865 1809 1865 1837-1841 1782 1862 Andrew Johnson... Tenn. 1865-.... 1808 1841-1841 1773 1841 Thomas Jefferson.. Va. James Madison.. Robert Smith. NAME. 1789-1794 1743 1826 Daniel Webster... 1794-1795 1813 Hugh S. Legare.. 1795-1800 1745 1829 Abel P. Upshur... 1800-1801 1755 1836 John C. Calhoun. Va. 1801-1809 1751 1837 James Buchanan.. Mass. 1809-1811 1757 1842 James Monroe. Va. 1811-1817 1759 1831 John Quincy Adams Mass. 1817-1825 1767 1848 Henry Clay.. Ky. 1825-1829 1777 1852 Martin Van Buren.. N. Y. 1829-1831 1782 1862 Edward Livingston La. 1831-1833 1764 1836 Louis McLane. 1833-1835 1786 1857 John Forsyth.. 1835-1841 1780 1841 Del. Ga. Term of Ser State. Born. Died. vice. Samuel Dexter.. Albert Gallatin Alexander Hamilton N. Y. 1789-1795 1757 1804 Walter Forward... Penn. 1841-1843 1786 1852 Penn. 1825-1829 1780 1860 Howell Cobb... Ohio. 1850-1853 1794 1865 1853-1857 1793 1857-1860 1815 1868 1860-1861 1810 Ky. Ga. Md. N. Y. 1861-1861 1798 Samuel D. Ingham.. Penn. 1829-1831 17791860 Philip Thomas.... Roger B. Taney. SECRETARIES OF WAR. 1861-1864 1808 1864-1865 1806 1865 Mass. 1789-1795 1750 1806 Timothy Pickering. Penn. 1795-1795 1745 1829 James McHenry. Md. 1796-1800 1755 NAME. Benjamin F. Butler. N. Y. 1837-1837 1795 1858 John C. Spencer..... 1815-18161772 1834 Jefferson Davis.. Miss. John B. Floyd. 1817-1817 1758 1826 SECRETARIES OF THE NAVY. State. Mase. 1798-1798 1751 1823 Benjamin Stoddert. Md. 1798-1801 Md. 1801-1805 1757 1842 NAME. George E. Badger.. N. C. 1841-1841 1795 1866 |