Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume XI.djvu/668

 650 MISSISQUOI MISSISSIPPI gious instruction, and thus get access to thou- sands who could not otherwise be reached. From 12 to 20 medical dispensaries are in ope- ration in India alone for the gratuitous treat- ment of diseases, in which generally religious services are also held. Dr. Parker treated 55,000 Chinese during his residence in Canton, reliev- ing all sorts of maladies, exciting the liveliest gratitude in the minds of most of his patients, and preparing the way for Christian instruc- tion. More recently female physicians have been sent to some mission fields, with special reference to reaching the women in the seclu- sion of their homes. In Japan Dr. Berry of the American board has induced the people to establish seven hospitals, of which he is to have the oversight. The literature of Protestant missions is very copious. Almost every mis- sionary society publishes a periodical, which, together with the annual reports of the socie- ties, is the most trustworthy source of infor- mation for the missionary history of a par- ticular denomination. The number of works published by missionaries on special countries is likewise very large. Among the works ex- tending over the whole ground are : W. Brown, "History of the Propagation of Christianity among the Heathen since the Reformation" (2 vols., London, 1814) ; Huie, " History of Christian Missions from the Reformation to the Present Time " (Edinburgh, 1849) ; Wig- gers, Geschichte der evangelischen Missionen (2 vols., 1845-'6); Handbuchlein der Mis- sionsge#chichte und MissionsgeograpJiie (Calw, 1844); Newcomb, " Cyclopedia of Missions " (New York, 1860) ; Aikman, " Cyclopaedia of Christian Missions " (London, 1860) ; Ander- son, " Foreign Missions, their Relations and Claims" (New York, 1869 ; Boston, 1870); Grundemann, Missions- Atlas (Gotha, 1867- '71) ; and " Missionary World " (London, 1873). MISSISQIOI, a S. W. county of Quebec, Canada, bordering on Vermont, and bounded S. W. by the Richelieu river ; area, 358 sq. m. ; pop. in 1871, 16,922, of whom 7,114 were of French, 4,513 of English, 2,138 of Irish, 1,950 of German, and 979 of Scotch origin or de- scent. It is indented by Missisquoi bay, an inlet of Lake Champlain, and is traversed by the N. division of the Vermont Central rail- road. Capital, Frelighsburg. MISSISSIPPI, one of the S. W. states of the American Union, and the seventh admitted under the federal constitution, situated between lat. 30 13 f and 35 N., and Ion. 88 7' and 91 41' W. ; extreme length N. and S., 332 m. ; average breadth 142 m., varying from 78 m. below lat. 31 N. to 189 m. on that parallel, and 118 m. on the N. line ; area, 47,156 sq. m. It is bounded N. by Tennessee; E. by Ala- bama; S. between the Alabama line and Pearl river by the gulf of Mexico, and from the Pearl to the Mississippi on the parallel of 31 by Louisiana ; and W. by Louisiana and Arkansas, having below lat. 31 the Pearl river, and above that parallel the Mississippi, as the dividing lines. The state is divided into 73 counties, viz. : Adams, Alcorn, Amite, Attala, Benton, Bolivar, Calhoun, Carroll, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Clai- borne, Clark, Coahoma, Colfax, Copiah, Cov- ington, De Soto, Franklin, Greene, Grenada, Hancock, Harrison, Hinds, Holmes, Issaquena, Itawamba, Jackson, Jasper, Jefferson, Jones, Kemper, Lafayette, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Leake, Lee, Leflore, Lincoln, Lowndes, Madison, Marion, Marshall, Monroe, Montgomery, Ne- shoba, Newton, Noxubee, Oktibbeha, Panola, Pearl, Perry, Pike, Pontotoc, Prentiss, Rankin, Scott, Simpson, Smith, Sumner, Sunflower, Tal- lahatchie, Tate, Tippah, Tishomingo, Tunica, Union, Warren, Washington, Wayne, Wilkin- son, Winston, Yalobusha, and Yazoo. There are eight cities, viz. : Vicksburg, pop. in 1870, 12,443; Natchez, 9,057; Columbus, 4,81 2; Jack- son, the capital, 4,234; Meridian, 2,709; Holly Springs, 2,406; Canton, 1,963; and Grenada, 1,887. The chief towns are Aberdeen, Brook- haven, Corinth, Okolona, Oxford, Pass Chris- tian, Water Valley, and West Point, each having more than 1,000 inhabitants ; and Biloxi, Bran- don, Crystal Springs, Greenville, Hazlehurst, Hernando, Kosciusko, Leaf River, Lexington, Liberty, Macon, Ocean Springs, Rodney, and Tu- pelo, with more than 500 inhabitants each. The population of Mississippi, according to the United States census, has been as follows : White Colored persons. Total Increase persons. Free. Slave. popula- tion. per cent. 1800 5,179 182 8,489 8,850 1810 . 23,024 240 17.088 40,852 855-95 1820 42,176 458 82,814 75.448 86-97 1880 70448 519 65659 186 621 81-08 1840... 1850 1860 . . 179,074 295,718 858,899 1,366 980 778 195,211 809,878 486,681 875,651 606.526 791,805 174-96 61-46 80-46 1870 882,896 444,201 827,922 4-68 Included in the last total are 16 Chinese and 809 Indians. Mississippi ranked 18th among State Seal of Mississippi. the states in total population in 1870 ; 25th in white population, again since 1860 of 819 per