Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1871.djvu/614

 578 UNITED STATES.

It will he seen, from the above tahle, that the population, during the decennial period 1850-GO, increased most rapidly in the seven North-Western States, and least in the six New England States. The six middle States have the densest population, which, however, is considerably less so than that of Turkey in Europe. The kingdom of Sweden and Norway itself, which has the thinnest population of any State in Europe, has seven times as many inhabitants to the square mile as Texas and California. The population of Prussia and Austria is three times, and that of Great Britain five times as dense as that of the six New England States. As for the Southern States, comprising the six Coast Planting, and the six Central States, above enumerated, covering an area of 595,287 square miles, or more than ten times the extent of England and Wales, their popu- lation, at the census of 1860, was only half as dense as that of Russia in Europe.

The immense extent of land forming part of the United States, as yet uninhabited and uncultivated, is held to be national property, at the disposal of Congress, and the executive of the Republic. The whole public domain is surveyed and divided by parallel lines into ' townships' of six miles square or thirty-six square miles, and these are again divided by parallel lines exactly one mile apart. The smaller squares are called ' sections,' and contain 640 acres, which are again divided into half and quarter sections, and also eighths. These lands are offered for sale at the several land offices in the districts to be sold, the price being fixed at one dollar and a quarter per acre. The purchaser comes in as the assignee of the United States, and receives a patent from the President. There are some fiftv different land offices, and from two to three million acres are sold annually. It is provided by law that two sections, of 640 acres of land in each ' township,' are reserved for common schools, so that the spread of education may go together with colonisation.

The power of Congress over the public territory is exclusive and universal, except so far as restrained by stipulations in the original cessions. This is not the case, however, with what is called 1 national property,' such as forts and arsenals, where the states have not ceded the jurisdiction. In such cases, the administration of the state continues, subject, however, to the exercise of the legal powers of the national government.

The subjoined table gives the total population of each State and territory of the Union, distinguishing white, free coloured persons, Indians, and those which were slaves at the time the census was taken, June 1, 1860, according to the returns of the government of the United States : —.