OF THE POPULATION AND GENERAL WEALTH OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. These states, by running a straight line from the extreme south western boundary on the Mississippi, to the north eastern or highest point of Maine, will measure 1,500 English miles in length, and in breadth from Cape Hatteras to the center of the Lake of the Woods 1,300; but if the extremes of latitude and longitude only are taken, the longitudinal line will be found but 1,350 in length, and the latitudinal breadth near 1,295 miles.* The irregular lines forming the entire boundary embrace more than seven hundred millions of acres; from which deducting sixty millions for the lakes and other extensive waters, there will remain one million of square miles, or six hundred and forty millions of acres of inhabitable territory, confirmed to the UNITED STATES by the peace of 1783. By the addition of Louisiana, of which the boundaries are in part undefined, the combined territories of the commonwealth will exceed TWO MILLIONS OF SQUARE MILES. Of this more than one half became national property, and by law of the United States, pledged for the discharge of present and future nominal public debts.t NOTES. The north western boundary on the Lake of the Woods is in latitude 49° 37" N and in longitude 94° 3 1" west of Greenwich. The southern boundary commencing at the 31st degree, gives a latitudinal difference of 18° 37 minutes at 69 miles to a degree. The United States' debt is called nominal because it is virtually paid by sundry laws of congress, particularly that of 1796; in which the whole of the prize-of-war lands and other national domains were directed to be carefully surveyed and sold at 2 to 8 dollars the acre, in exchange for the circulating certificates of the funded debt. Hence, and by the great increase of population, by the unexpected fall in the comparative value of all monies now in use, both in Europe and America, and by the convenient shape and size of each regular survey of the lands, that often prove much better than any of those that have been longer in cultivation; for these and other causes, it is now very generally believed that more than 12 times the amount of the circulating certificates with interest thereon, might be redeemed by the proceeds of the national domains alone, in less than 45 years. (See note to national domains.) H 1801 10,500,000 1802 17 35 10,700,000 37,400,000 5 60 9,600,000 36,100,000 5 25 1 60 1970 2222 960,000 2,100,000 990,000 2.200,000 1,010,000 2,300,000 1,030,000 2,350,000 1 90 1,045,000 2,450,000 2 2 1,070,000 2,500,000 5 70 2 5 2 1,100,000 2,600,000 1,160,000 2,850,000 1 64 1,200,000 2,950,000 |