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 principal 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 townships. Their names, date of organization, number of square miles, number of organized townships, seats of justice, and bearing and distance from Columbus, are exhibited in the following

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 grass.

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 quantities. 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 canals. 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 principally 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 disbursements 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.

Canal Funds.

These appear to be separate accounts from the general receipts and disbursements.

Miami Canal.—The amount of money arising from the sales of Miami canal lands up to the 15th of Nov., 1835, is $310,178. This sum has been expended in the extension of the canal north of Dayton.

Ohio Canal.—The amount of taxes collected for canal purposes for the year 1835, including tolls, sales of canal 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 canal 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 canal tolls for the year 1835, amount to $242,357, and the receipts from the sale of Ohio canal lands, $64,549,—making an aggregate income to the canal fund of $306,906 per annum;—a sum more than sufficient to pay the interest on all loans for canal purposes.

Items of Expenditure.—Under this head the principal items of the expenditures of the State government are given.

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.

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 embarrassment 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—

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.

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.

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

No returns were made from the counties of Crawford, Hancock, Jefferson and Williams.

CANAL REVENUES.

The total amount of receipts for tolls, for the year ending on the 31st of October, 1835, was as follows:

OHIO CANAL.

MIAMI CANAL.