A New Guide For Emigrants To The West Part 13

The seat of government is to be at Detroit, or such other place or places as may be prescribed by law until the year 1847, when it is to be permanently fixed by the legislature.

OHIO

--Is bounded on the north by lake Erie, and the State of Michigan, east by Pennsylvania and the Ohio river, south by the Ohio river, which separates it from Virginia and Kentucky, and west by Indiana. The meanderings of the Ohio river extend along the line of this State 436 miles. It is about 222 miles in extent, both from north to south, and from east to west. After excluding a section of lake Erie, which projects into its northern borders, Ohio contains about 40,000 square miles, or 25,000,000 acres of land.

_Divisions._--Nature has divided this State into four departments,--according to its princ.i.p.al waters.

1. The Lake country, situated on lake Erie, and embracing all its northern part. Its streams all run into the lake, and reach the Atlantic ocean through the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

2. The Muskingum country, on the eastern side, and along the river of that name.

3. The Scioto country, in the middle,--and,

4. The Miami country, along the western side.

For civil purposes, the State is divided into _seventy-five_ counties, and these are again subdivided into towns.h.i.+ps. Their names, date of organization, number of square miles, number of organized towns.h.i.+ps, seats of justice, and bearing and distance from Columbus, are exhibited in the following

TABLE.

------------+----------+------+----------+-----------------+-------------- Bearing And When Square No. of Distance from COUNTIES. organized. Miles. Towns.h.i.+ps. SEATS OF JUSTICE. Columbus.

------------+----------+------+----------+-----------------+-------------- Adams, 1797 550 10 West Union, 101 _s._ Allen, 1831 542 -- Lima, 110 _n. w._ Ashtabula, 1811 700 27 Jefferson, 200 _n. w._ Athens, 1805 740 19 Athens, 73 _s. e._ Belmont, 1801 536 16 St. Clairsville, 116 _e._ Brown, 1818 470 14 Georgetown, 104 _s._ Butler, 1803 480 13 Hamilton, 101 _s. w._ Carroll, 1833 [A] [A] Carrollton, 125 _e. n. e._ Champaign, 1805 417 12 Urbanna, 50 _w. n. w._ Clark, 1818 412 10 Springfield, 44 _w._ Clermont, 1800 515 12 Batavia, 96 _s. w._ Clinton, 1810 400 8 Wilmington, 60 _s. w._ Columbiana, 1803 [A] [A] New Lisbon, 150 _e. n. e._ Coshocton, 1811 562 21 Coshocton, 68 _n. e._ Crawford, 1826 594 12 Bucyrus, 60 _n._ Cuyahoga, 1810 475 19 Cleveland, 140 _n. n. e._ Dark, 1817 660 10 Greenville, 93 _w._ Delaware, 1808 610 23 Delaware, 24 _n._ Fairfield, 1800 540 14 Lancaster, 28 _s. e._ Fayette, 1810 415 7 Was.h.i.+ngton, 38 _s. w._ Franklin, 1803 520 18 COLUMBUS, Gallia, 1803 500 15 Gallipolis, 102 _s. s. e._ Geauga, 1805 600 23 Chardon, 157 _n. e._ Greene, 1803 400 8 Xenia, 56 _w. s. w._ Guernsey, 1810 621 19 Cambridge, 76 _e._ Hamilton, 1790 400 14 Cincinnati, 110 _s. w._ Hanc.o.c.k, 1828 576 5 Findlay, 90 _n. n. w._ Hardin, 1833 570 -- Kenton, 70 _n. n. w._ Harrison, 1813 [A]-- 13 Cadiz, 124 _e. n. e._ Henry, -- 744 2 Napoleon, 161 _n. w._ Highland, 1805 555 11 Hillsborough, 62 _s. s. w._ Hocking, 1818 432 9 Logan, 46 _s. s. e._ Holmes, 1825 422 14 Millersburg, 81 _n. e._ Huron, 1815 800 29 Norwalk, 106 _n._ Jackson, 1816 490 13 Jackson, 73 _s. s. e._ Jefferson, 1797 400 13 Steubenville, 147 _e. n. e._ Knox, 1808 618 24 Mount Vernon, 47 _n. n. e._ Lawrence, 1817 430 12 Burlington, 130 _s. s. e._ Licking, 1808 666 25 Newark, 33 _e. n. e._ Logan, 1818 425 9 Bellefontaine, 50 _n. w._ Lorain, 1824 580 19 Elyria, 130 _n. n. e._ Lucas,[B] 1835 -- Toledo, 150 _n. n. w._ Madison, 1810 480 10 London, 25 _w. s. w._ Marion, 1824 527 15 Marion, 45 _n._ Medina, 1818 475 14 Medina, 110 _n. n. e._ Meigs, 1819 400 12 Chester, 94 _s. s. e._ Mercer, 1824 576 4 St Mary's, 111 _n. w._ Miami, 1807 410 12 Troy, 68 _n. of w._ Monroe, 1815 563 18 Woodsfield, 120 _e. s. e._ Montgomery, 1803 480 12 Dayton, 68 _w._ Morgan, 1819 500 15 M'Connelsville, 75 _s. e._ Muskingum, 1804 665 23 Zanesville, 52 _e._ Paulding,[C] -- 432 3 170 _n. w._ Perry, 1818 402 12 Somerset, 46 _e. s. e._ Pickaway, 1810 470 14 Circleville, 26 _s._ Pike, 1815 421 9 Piketon, 64 _s._ Portage, 1807 750 30 Ravenna, 135 _n. e._ Preble, 1808 432 12 Eaton, 50 _w._ Putnam,[C] -- 576 2 148 _n. w._ Richland, 1813 900 25 Mansfield, 74 _n. n. e_ Ross, 1798 650 16 Chillicothe, 45 _s._ Sandusky, 1820 600 10 Lower Sandusky, 105 _n._ Scioto, 1803 700 14 Portsmouth, 90 _s._ Seneca, 1824 540 11 Tiffin, 87 _n._ Shelby, 1819 418 10 Sidney, 70 _n. w._ Stark, 1809 [A] 16 Canton, 116 _n. e._ Trumbull, 1800 875 34 Warren, 160 _n. e._ Tuscarawas, 1808 [A] 19 New Philadelphia, 100 _e. n. e._ Union, 1820 450 9 Marysville, 30 _n. w._ Vanwert,[C] -- 432 -- 100 _n. w._ Warren, 1803 400 9 Lebanon, 80 _s. w._ Was.h.i.+ngton, 1788 713 19 Marietta, 106 _s. e._ Wayne, 1812 660 20 Wooster, 89 _n. e._ Williams, 1824 600 10 Defiance, 130 _n. w._ Wood, 1820 750 7 Perrysburg, 135 _n. w._

[A] Carroll county has been formed from Columbiana, Harrison, Stark and Tuscarawas since the edition of the Ohio Gazetteer of 1833 was published, from which the foregoing table has been constructed.

Hence the towns.h.i.+ps in each are not given.

[B] Lucas county has been recently formed from parts taken from Sandusky and Wood counties, and from the disputed country claimed by Michigan.

[C] Paulding, Putnam, and Vanwert counties had not been organized at the period of our information.

Much of the land in Vanwert is wet. The southern portion contains much swampy prairie.

There are nineteen congressional districts in Ohio, which elect as many members of Congress, and twelve circuits for Courts of Common Pleas.

_Face of the Country._--The interior and northern parts of the State bordering on lake Erie, are generally level, and, in some places, wet and marshy. The eastern and south-eastern parts bordering on the Ohio river, are hilly and broken, but not mountainous. In some counties the hills are abrupt and broken,--in others they form ridges, and are cultivated to their summits. Immediately on the banks of the Ohio and other large rivers are strips of rich alluvion soil.

The country along the Scioto and two Miamies, furnish more extensive bodies of rich, fertile land, than any other part of the State. The prairie land is found in small tracts near the head waters of the Muskingum and Scioto, and between the sources of the two Miami rivers, and especially in the north-western part of the State. Many of the prairies in Ohio are low and wet;--some are elevated and dry, and exhibit the features of those tracts called "barrens" in Illinois. There are extensive plains, some of which are wet, towards Sandusky.

_Soil and Productions._--The soil, in at least three fourths of the State, is fertile;--and some of it very rich. The _poorest_ portion of Ohio, is along the Ohio river, from 15 to 25 miles in width, and extending from the National road opposite Wheeling, to the mouth of the Scioto river. Many of the hills in this region are rocky.

Among the forest trees are oak of various species, white and black walnut, hickory, maple of different kinds, beech, poplar, ash of several kinds, birch, buckeye, cherry, chestnut, locust, elm, hackberry, sycamore, linden, with numerous others. Amongst the under growth are spice-bush, dogwood, ironwood, pawpaw, hornbeam, black-haw, thorn, wild plum, grape vines, &c. The plains and wet prairies produce wild gra.s.s.

The agricultural productions are such as are common to the Eastern and Middle States. Indian corn, as in other Western States, is a staple grain, raised with much ease, and in great abundance. More than 100 bushels are produced from an acre, on the rich alluvial soils of the bottom lands, though from 40 to 50 bushels per acre ought to be considered an average crop. The State generally has a fine soil for wheat, and flour is produced for exportation in great quant.i.ties. Rye, oats, buckwheat, barley, potatoes, melons, pumpkins, and all manner of garden vegetables, are cultivated to great perfection. No markets in the United States are more profusely and cheaply supplied with meat and vegetables than those of Cincinnati and other large towns in Ohio. Hemp is produced to some extent, and the choicest kinds of tobacco is raised and cured in some of the counties east of the Muskingum river. Fruits of all kinds are raised in great plenty, especially apples, which grow to a large size, and are finely flavored. The vine and the mulberry have been introduced, and with enterprise and industry, wine and silk might easily be added to its exports.

_Animals._--Bears, wolves, and deer are still found in the forests and unsettled portions of the State. The domestic animals are similar to other States. Swine is one of the staple productions, and Cincinnati has been denominated the "pork market of the world." Other towns in the west, and in Ohio, are beginning to receive a share of this trade, especially along the lines of the Miami, and the Erie ca.n.a.ls. 150,000 hogs have been slaughtered and prepared for market in one season in Cincinnati. About 75,000 is the present estimated number, from newspaper authority. Immense droves of fat cattle are sent every autumn from the Scioto valley and other parts of the State. They are driven to all the markets of the east and south.

_Minerals._--The mineral deposits of Ohio, as yet discovered, consist princ.i.p.ally in iron, salt, and bituminous coal, and are found chiefly along the south-eastern portion of the State. Let a line be drawn from the south-eastern part of Ashtabula county, in a south-western direction, by Northampton in Portage county, Wooster, Mount Vernon, Granville, Circleville, to Hillsborough, and thence south to the Ohio river in Brown county, and it would leave most of the salt, iron and coal on the eastern and south-eastern side.

_Financial Statistics._--From the Auditor's Report to the Legislature now in session, (Jan. 1836,) the following items are extracted. The general revenue is obtained from moderate taxes on landed and personal property, and collected by the county treasurers,--from insurance, bank and bridge companies, from lawyers and physicians, &c.

Collected in 1835, by the several county treasurers, $150,080, (omitting fractions): paid by banks, bridges, and insurance companies, $26,060;--by lawyers, and physicians, $1,598;--other sources, $24,028,--making an aggregate of $201,766. The disburs.e.m.e.nts are,--amount of deficit for 1834, $16,622;--bills redeemed at the treasury for the year ending Nov. 1835, $182,005;--interest paid on school funds, $33,101, &c., amounting to $235,365--and showing a deficit in the revenue of $33,590.

Ca.n.a.l FUNDS.

These appear to be separate accounts from the general receipts and disburs.e.m.e.nts.

_Miami Ca.n.a.l._--The amount of money arising from the sales of Miami ca.n.a.l lands up to the 15th of Nov., 1835, is $310,178. This sum has been expended in the extension of the ca.n.a.l north of Dayton.

_Ohio Ca.n.a.l._--The amount of taxes collected for ca.n.a.l purposes for the year 1835, including tolls, sales of ca.n.a.l lands, school lands, balance remaining in the treasury of last year, &c., is $509,322. Only $38,242 of the general revenue were appropriated to ca.n.a.l purposes, of which $35,507 went to pay interest on the school funds borrowed by the State.

The foreign debt is $4,400,000;--the legal interest of which is $260,000 per annum. The domestic debt of the State, arising from investing the different school funds, is $579,287;--the interest of which amounts to $34,757,--making an aggregate annual interest paid by the State on loans, $294,757. The ca.n.a.l tolls for the year 1835, amount to $242,357, and the receipts from the sale of Ohio ca.n.a.l lands, $64,549,--making an aggregate income to the ca.n.a.l fund of $306,906 per annum;--a sum more than sufficient to pay the interest on all loans for ca.n.a.l purposes.

_Items of Expenditure._--Under this head the princ.i.p.al items of the expenditures of the State government are given.

Members, and officers of the General a.s.sembly, per annum, $43,987 Officers of government, 20,828 Keeper of the Penitentiary, 1,909 For new Penitentiary buildings, 46,050 State printing, 12,243 Paper and Stationary for use of the State, 4,478 Certificates for wolf scalps, 2,824 Adjutant, and Quarter Master Generals, and Brigade Inspectors, 2,276 Treasurer's mileage on settlement with the Auditor of State, 1,027 Deaf and Dumb Asylum, 5,700 Periodical works, &c. 400 Postage on doc.u.ments, 545 Reporter to Court in Bank, 300 Members and clerks of the Board of Equalization, and articles furnished, 1,960 Paymaster General,--Ohio Militia, 2,000

The extra session of the legislature on the boundary line, in June, 1835, was $6,823.

_Land Taxes._--The amount of lands taxed, and the revenue arising therefrom, at several different periods, are herewith given, to show the progressive advance of the farming and other interests of the State.

--------+------------+---------------- Years. Acres. Taxes paid.

--------+------------+---------------- 1809 9,924,033 $63,991.87 cts 1810 10,479,029 67,501.60 1811 12,134,777 170,546.74

From 1811 to 1816, the average increase of the taxes, paid by the several counties, was $59,351. From 1816 the State rose rapidly in the scale of prosperity and the value of property. In 1820, the number of acres returned as taxable, exceeded a fraction of 13 millions, while the aggregate of taxes, was $205,346.

The period of depression and embarra.s.sment that followed throughout the west, prevented property from advancing in Ohio. In 1826, '27, '28, '29, '30, a material change in the amount of property taxable took place, from a few hundred thousands, to more than fifty millions. The total value of taxable property of the State for 1835, (exclusive of three counties from which returns had not been received,) amounts to the sum of _ninety-four millions, four hundred and thirty-seven thousand, nine hundred and fifty-one dollars_.

_School Funds._--The amount of school funds loaned to the State, up to Nov. 15th, 1835, is--

Virginia Military land fund, $109,937 United States Military land fund, 90,126 Common School fund, 23,179 Athens University, 1,431 School section, No. 16, 453,000 Connecticut Western Reserve, 125,758 -------- Total, $803,432

The following tabular view of the acres of land, total amount of taxable property, and total amount of taxes paid for 1833, is taken from the Ohio Gazetteer. It should be noted that in all the Western States, lands purchased of the government of the United States, are exempted from taxation for _five_ years after sale. It is supposed that such lands are not included in the table. I have also placed the population of each county for 1830, from the census of that year;--reminding the reader that great changes have since been made.

-----------------+------------+-------------+--------------+--------------- Total Amount Population Acres of of taxable Total Amount Counties. 1830. land. property. of Taxes paid.

-----------------+------------+-------------+--------------+--------------- Adams 12,231 234,822 $832,565 $6,995.41 Allen 578 14,159 51,214 725.28 Ashtabula 14,584 449,742 1,347,900 13,524.97 Athens 9,787 365,348 481,579 5,820.90 Belmont 28,627 301,511 1,591,716 11,590.33 Brown 17,867 267,130 1,358,944 8,179.35 Butler 27,142 257,989 2,514,007 20,111.55 Carroll ---- 185,942 529,575 6,876.92 Champaign 12,131 233,493 908,571 5,956.66 Clark 13,114 247,083 1,114,995 7,744.89 Clermont 20,466 280,679 1,542,627 15,645.31 Clinton 11,436 239,404 785,770 6,482.14 Columbiana 35,592 317,796 1,491,099 14,217.28 Coshocton 11,161 246,123 850,708 9,307.28 Crawford 4,791 79,582 217,675 3,630.09 Cuyahoga 10,373 292,252 1,401,591 18,122.96 Dark 6,204 107,730 260,259 3,312.81 Delaware 11,504 338,856 831,093 8,516.66 Fairfield 24,786 308,163 1,992,697 13,716.97 Fayette 8,182 234,432 544,539 6,428.98 Franklin 14,741 325,155 1,663,315 13,247.34 Gallia 9,733 205,727 427,962 4,826.55 Geauga 15,813 381,380 1,427,869 15,832.65 Greene 14,801 251,512 1,441,907 12,082.36 Guernsey 18,036 275,652 908,109 9,855.72 Hamilton 52,317 239,122 7,726,091 97,530.42 Hanc.o.c.k 813 9,302 50,929 421.70 Harden 210 125,607 118,425 1,291.43 Harrison 20,916 22,412 1,025,210 12,400.97 Highland 16,345 317,079 1,065,863 8,755.29 Hocking 4,008 92,332 215,272 1,919.29 Holmes 9,135 182,439 556,060 6,364.03 Huron 13,346 504,689 1,512,655 15,490.88 Jackson 5,941 57,874 197,932 2,239.69 Jefferson 22,489 230,145 1,855,064 13,149.44 Knox 17,085 313,823 1,252,294 13,329.41 Lawrence 5,367 56,862 241,782 2,280.80 Licking 20,869 393,205 2,101,495 17,370.83 Logan 6,440 203,509 519,622 3,925.65 Lorain 5,696 360,863 889,552 10,539.09 Madison 6,190 256,421 600,578 4,643.91 Marion 6,551 168,164 390,602 5,599.78 Medina 7,560 296,257 931,599 10,198.31 Meigs 6,158 229,004 380,172 5,111.58 Mercer 1,110 12,688 54,118 714.30 Miami 12,807 240,093 1,000,748 6,423.09 Monroe 8,768 95,520 280,572 3,666.61 Montgomery 24,362 267,349 2,293,419 14,649.12 Morgan 11,800 169,135 452,991 4,945.02 Muskingum 29,334 366,609 2,362,616 18,567.75 Perry 13,970 175,123 729,241 6,116.55 Pickaway 16,001 300,969 1,798,665 10,924.76 Pike 6,024 129,153 521,109 4,114.37 Portage 18,826 472,156 2,019,029 17,787.06 Preble 16,291 246,678 1,086,322 7,441.82 Richland 24,008 433,620 1,354,169 15,069.92 Ross 24,068 328,765 2,897,605 17,474.81 Sandusky 2,851 95,822 275,992 3,354.64 Scioto 8,740 105,539 963,882 7,926.93 Seneca 6,159 108,758 302,089 3,916.51 Stark 26,588 374,101 1,854,967 16,361.36 Shelby 3,671 66,863 194,468 1,961.26 Trumbull 26,123 556,011 1,807,792 16,635.58 Tuscarawas 14,298 237,337 902,778 8,955.75 Union 3,192 259,101 380,535 5,193.68 Warren 21,468 243,517 2,143,065 16,247.33 Was.h.i.+ngton 11,731 282,498 681,301 7,463.12 Wayne 23,333 382,254 1,451,996 14,584.77 Williams and } 1,089 17,797 90,066 1,351.02 others not incor. } Wood 1,102 17,981 127,862 1,572.22 -----------------+------------+-------------+--------------+--------------- Total 937,903 17,133,481 78,019,526 730,010.75

OHIO STATISTICS--1836.

From the Annual Report of the Auditor of State, it appears there were returned on the General List for Taxation, 17,819,631 acres of land, under the new valuation, made under the law of 1833-4.

Lands, including buildings, valued at $58,166,821 Town Lots, including houses, mills, etc. 15,762,594 269,291 Horses, valued at $40 each, 10,491,640 455,487 Cattle, valued at $8 each, 4,043,896 Merchants' capital, and money at interest, 7,262,927 2,603 Pleasure Carriages, valued at 199,518 ----------- Total amount of taxable property, $94,438,016

On the value of taxable property, the following taxes were levied:

State and Ca.n.a.l tax, $142,854.15 County and School tax, 396,505.80 Road tax, 66,482.16 Towns.h.i.+p tax, 102,991.65 Corporation, Jail, and Bridge tax, 51,276.89 Physicians' and Lawyers' tax, 3,144.19 School-House tax, 1,482.84 Delinquencies of former years, 13,044.37 ----------- Total taxes, $777,782.07

No returns were made from the counties of Crawford, Hanc.o.c.k, Jefferson and Williams.