covered in several places, on the Big Muddy in great quantities near Browns-ville, on the Kaskaskia near the town of that name, near the town of Edwards-ville on the Illinois, 50 miles above Illinois lake, and in other places. Saltwater is found in several places sufficient to furnish immense quantities of salt.The famous salt works belonging to the United States are in the vicinity ofShawneetown . Iron ore has also been discovered.
Sulphur springs, chalybeate springs, and very strong impregnations of puresulphurate of magnesia or Epsom salts, abound in different parts.
In the southern part of the state a number of sections of land have been re-served from sale on account of the silver ore which they are supposed to contain.
The lead mines in the vicinity of Galena, are very extensive and valuable.The mineral has been found in every portion of a tract of more than 50 milesin extent in every direction, and is supposed to occupy a territory of more thantwice that extent. The ore lies in beds, or horizontal strata, varying in thick-ness from one inch to several feet. It yields 75 per cent, of pure lead.
The staple productions of Illinois are Indian corn, wheat, potatoes, beef, pork,horses, tobacco, and lead. The castor bean is raised, and oil is manufacturedfrom it, but not in large quantities. Good cotton is produced for home con-sumption, and is manufactured extensively in the families of farmers into coarsefabrics, for domestic uses. Hemp, flax, and silk-worms succeed well. Apples,peaches, pears, plums, cherries, grapes, gooseberries, and currants arrive atgreat perfection. The wild fruits are grapes, plums, cherries, gooseberries,mulberries, crab-apples, persimmons, blackberries, raspberries, and strawberries.
A canal has been projected (not yet commenced) to unite lake internal im-Michigan with the river Illinois , and the national government has provement.made a liberal donation of land in aid of the design. The length will be about70 miles; and the cost is estimated at SSOO,000.
Laborers are now employed in the construction of that part of the greatNational Road, which extends from the towm of Vandalia to the eastern bound-ary of Indiana , near Tsrre Haute. The length of this part is 90 miles, andthe road is so straight t lat its length is not so much as a mile greater than thedistance by a right line between the two extreme points.
The Cave in Rock, o: House of Nature, on the Ohio below Shaw-neetow'n, isregarded as a great curiosity, and wms formerly a rendezvous of robbers.
A college has been recently established at Jacksonville , and landto the amount of 998,374 acres has been given tor the support of uca l0n 'schools; but no system of general education has yet been organized in Illinois .
The Baptists in this state have 6 associations, 80 churches, 69 Rclif , iolls ,ministers, and 2,432 communicants; the Methodists, 45 preachers, dennmimi.and 8,859 members; the Presbyterians, 24 churches, 13 ministers, tl0ns 'and 492 communicants.
One of the earliest settlements of the French in the Mississippivalley was made at Kaskaskia , in the latter part of the 17th century. lst ° ry 'Almost all the settlements that have been formed by the citizens of the UnitedStates, have been begun since 1800. In 1809, Illinois w r as erected into a ter-ritorial government, and in 1818, into a state.
The legislative power is vested in a General Assembly, consist- Constitu .ing of a Senate , the members of which are elected for four years ; non and so-und a House of Representatives , elected biennially. The number ' ernment -of representatives shall not be less than 27, nor more than 36, until the num-ber of inhabitants within the state shall amount to 100,000; and the numberof senators shall never be less than one third, nor more than one half of thenumber of representatives.”
The executive power is vested in a governor, who is elected by the peoplefor four years; and he is not eligible for more than four years in any term ofeight years. At the election of governor, a lieutenant-governor is also chosen
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