on a bottom of clay. Few parts are ftony. The foil is very rich, producing luxuriant crops of maiz and other grains. The wood, native vegetables, and cultivated fruits are the fame in this ftate, as in others under the fame parallels of latitude. Salt fprings fupply the inhabitants with falt; coal, alum, and niter have been found in abundance, as has the fulphuret of iron. Iron ores are found in detached fituations; but not in quantities fuffici ent to fupply a furnace, or to justify the erection of one.

622. Civil Divifions of the State. Ohio is divided into eighteen counties, which for the diftribution of juftice, are. formed into three circuits; the first confifting of Butler, Hamilton, Montgomery, Warren, Green and Clermont ; the fecond of Adams, Sciota, Gallia, Rofs, Franklin, Fairfield, and Mufkingum: the third, of Washington, Belmont, Jefferson, Columbiana, and Trumbull.

623. Towns. The chief towns are Chilicotha, Marietta, and Cincinnati. Chilicotha is the feat of government. It is upon the weft bank of the Sciota, about forty miles from its confluence with the Ohio, and eighty miles weftward of Marietta. Marietta is a pleafant and thriving town, at the junction of the Muskingum with the Ohio, on a plain furrounded by hills at a mile's diftance. It confifts of about one hundred houses. Cincinnati, is upon the bank of the Ohio, a thriving town in a fertile country, containing one hundred and fifty houses.

624. Other Towns. Stubenville, on the Ohio, twentyfive miles above Wheeling; Lanefville, at the confluence. of Licking and the Muskingum; Lancaster, near the. head of the Hockhocking; Belville, eight miles from Marietta; and Galliopolis, on the Ohio, a little below. the Great Kanhaway, a French fettlement; are the principal towns and villages. The free male inhabitants,, in 1803, were found by a cenfus to be fifteen thousand, four hundred and fifteen.

625. Original Settlers. The fouthern and western parts of Ohio were fettled by Emigrants from New-Jersey and Pennsylvania: the diftrict between the Sciota and Little Miami, known by the name of Virginia Military

Refervation, was fettled chiefly from Virginia and Kentucky. A number of Germans have planted themfelves. on, the fertile lands about the fources of the Hockhock ing. The Ohio company's purchase and the county of Trumbull are peopled by natives of New-England, and the district between Washington and Trumbull has been planted by Pennfylvanians.

626. Natives. In the year 1790, the tract of country, now Ohio, contained twenty thousand Indians. By means of wars, difeafes, and the fettlements made by civilized men, who level the woods, drive away the game, and compel the favages to feek fubfiftence in western forefts, the number is reduced to three or four hundred.-. Thefe are the remains of the Shawanees, Delawares and Wyandots; with two infignificant villages on the San-. dufky. The title of the natives to fome of the western parts of this state is not yet extinguished.

627. Curiofities. Within this ftate as in other tranfalleganean districts, are seen the remains of regular fortifications, confifting of a wall or rampart of earth, from three to five feet high, and rectangular. Trees of a

great fize are now growing on the walls. By whom or at what period, thefe works were raised, it is impoffible to determin, nor do the traditions of the Indians furnish any light on the fubject, Near these works, are pyramidical mounts of earth, from thirty to a hundred feet high; fuppofed to be raised as tombs, or repofitories of the bones of the dead.

.628. Hiftory of Ohio. The fettlement in this state commenced foon after the revolution, under grants to certain individuals and companies; as at Marietta, Cin-. cinnati and. Galliopolis. After the fale of the Western Referve, so called, by the ftate of Connecticut, the proprietors encouraged numerous emigrations from the eaftern states and a rapid increafe of population fucceeded. Until the year 1802, this state was a part of the North-. Western Territory, and governed by fpecial ordinances. of congrefs. In 1802, the inhabitants had become fo pumerous as to be entitled to form themselves into a state,

A convention was accordingly held, a constitution formed, and at the next feffion of Congrefs, the ftate of Ohio took its place as a member of the union.

629. Government. By the conftitution of Ohio, the legiflature confifts of two branches, a fenate and house of reprefentatives. The latter houfe is limited to feventytwo members. The fenators cannot exceed one half nor be less than a third of the number of the reprefentatives. The electors are all the white male inhabitants of age and of one years refidence in the state. The fenate is divided into two claffes, one of which goes out of office

every year.

630. Executive. The executive power is lodged in a governor who is chofen by the electors, once in two years. He is commander in chief of the militia, grants reprieves and pardons, and fills the offices which become vacant during the recefs of the legislature.

631. Judiciary. The judiciary confifts of a fupreme court of three judges, with cognizance of cafes in law and equity, and power to correct the errors of inferior courts, of courts of common pleas, consisting of a prefident and three affòciate judges, who have civil jurif diction in causes of above twenty dollars demand, fubject to an appeal in causes of more than one hundred dollars demand; and criminal jurifdiction in all cafes under the degree of felony. The judges of these courts are appointed by the legiflature, and, hold their offices for feven years. To there are added juftices of the peace, who are chofen by the people for three years.

632.

MISSISIPPI TERRITORY.

Situation and Extent. The territory belonging to the United States, fouth of Tenneffee, lies between 31 and 35 degrees of north latitude, and between the Catahochy in the eighty-fifth, and the Mislisippi in the ninetyfecond degree, of weft longitude. Its mean extent, eaft and weft, is about three hundred miles, and its biedth, north and fouth, two hundred and feventy-five; the area therefore contains more than fifty-two millions of acres.

633.

Face of the Country. Except the branches or fpurs of the Alleganean ridges, which terminate in the northern and eastern parts of this territory, the land is moftly level, and covered with the trees common to the latitudes. On the rivers, are extensive flats, of rich land,. many of which are clothed with canes of a great fize, which form an almoft impenetrable thicket.

634. Rivers. This territory is washed on the weft by the great river Miffifippi, and on the eaft by the Ca-. tahochy, which is a large navigable ftream. Near the center, the country is penetrated by the large ftreams. which enter Mobill bay, which are the Alabama, which is formed by the united streams of the Coofaw and Tallapofy, both which are confiderable streams, and the Tombigby, another large ftream from the north-west forty miles weft of Mobill, is the Pafcagola, a stream that is boatable more than one hundred miles. Sixty miles weft is Pearl-river, about the fize of the Pafcagola, about fixty miles further weft is the Amit, a ftream which enters the Ibberville channel, and carries boats about one hundred miles.-Thefe, with many fmaller ftreams, havetheir fources in the Miffifippi territory, and run fouth, into the bay of Mexico. The Yazoo is a confiderable river which enters the Miffifippi.

635. Settlements. The Indian title to this great body of land, is not extinguished, except the title to two tracts. one of a million and half of acres, on the Miffifippi, below the Yazoo-and another tract of equal extent between the Pafcagola and Tombigby. On these tracts. are the only fettlements. The principal town is Natchez, fituated on the bank of Miffifippi, in latitude 31 degrees, 30 north. This town, fo called from a tribe. of Indians, was fettled by the French in 1727. In 1731, the fettlers were mostly maffacred by the Indians, which occafioned a deadly war in which the tribe was almost wholly destroyed.

636. Government and Population. The Miffifippi Ter-. ritory is governed by a special ordinance of congress, and the governor, who is appointed by the prefident, refides at

Natchez. In the year 1800, the whole population fell fhort of nine thousand fouls, except Indians; feveral tribes of which refide on this territory and own the land:

INDIANA.

637. Of the Territory called Indiana. That part of the United States which lies weftward of the state of Ohio, extending to the Miffifippi, and from the river Ohio northward to the northern limit of the United States, is called Indiana, and governed by a special ordinance of congrefs. This tract of country, which is of great extent, contains the large rivers Waubash and Illinois, with a great number of others, and a vast body of excellent land. The chief fettlements are on the Waubash, Kaskaskia and at Mackinaw.

MISHIGAN TERRITORY.

338. That part of the United States which lies north of a line drawn eaft from the fouthern extremity of lake Mifhigan until it interfects lake Erie, and eaft of a line from the faid extremity northerly through the middle of the Mifhigan to the northern limit of the United States, and weft of the ftate of New-York, is erected into a feparate district for the purposes of government. This territory is governed by a fpecial ordinance of congrefs. The governor is appointed by the prefident, and refides at Detroit, the principal fettlement in the territory. In the fummer of 1805, this town confifting of 300 houses was all reduced to afhes; but is now rebuilt on a more fecure and elegant plan.

LOUISIANA.

639. Discovery of the Miffifipp. The great river Missi fippi, as has been related, was first discovered in 1541, by a Spanish adventurer, Ferdinand de Soto, who, with twelve hundred foldiers, landed in Florida, in 1539, penetrated to the Chickafaw country in fearch of gold and filver; then croffed the Miffifippi, and advanced west