as the lots were sold $50 of the proceeds of each was to be devoted to the construction of a levee to secure them against the floods, and to the improvement of the city by the building of public edifices. The residue-being $100 per lot-was to constitute the cap ital of the bank, amounting to $200,000. Thus was a great city to be founded! Could Utopia go further? Of course the scheme proved a failure. Cairo languished for many years, but at the present, with actual capital, the power of nerve and muscle, and the concentration of railroads, she is making rapid strides toward the realization of her early dreams. During the internal improvement mania of 1837 this Cairo Bank was galvanized into life, but after flourishing a short period expired.

Another Utopia was the incorporation of a company, at the same session, for the cutting of a canal a few miles north of Cairo to unite the waters of the Mississippi with the Ohio, via the town of America, then in Johnson county, owned by the company. Tolls, wharfage charges, etc., under certain restrictions, were permitted to this company; but nothing came of it. The scheme was some 15 or 18 years since revived, in connection with the present Mound City.

Commerce throughout the early and territorial period of Illinois, and to no inconsiderable extent for some time afterward, was in its helpless infancy. All foreign products consumed here, either nat ural or manufactured, were brought to Illinois via New Orleans, in keel-boats, pushed at great labor, with long poles, and towed at points with long ropes, a process called "cordelling," against the strong current of the Mississippi, by the hardy boatmen of that day; or wagoned over the Alleghany mountains from Philadelphia to Pittsburg, or from Baltimore to Wheeling, thence in flat-boats floated down the Ohio and landed at convenient points, whence it was again taken by wagons to the final points of destination. A trip from St. Louis to New Orleans and back, with keel-boats, was a six months voyage. But a revolution in the carrying business of the world, was at hand. The power of steam had been utilized, and by Fulton successfully applied to the propulsion of vessels, which produced a wonderful effect upon the western country in contrast between steam as a motor for conveyance and the ordinary mode by keel or flat-boat, which inaugurated a new era. The first steamboat to ascend the Upper Mississippi, reached St. Louis August 2, 1817. It was named the "General Pike,” and was commanded by Captain Jacob Reed.

[Of the first steamboat on the Ohio, the "New Orleans," which was launched at Pittsburgh in the summer of 1811, it is related that, "The novel appearance of the vessel, and the tearful rapidity with which the passage was made over the broad reaches of the river, excited a mixture of terror and surprise among many of the Settlers on the banks, whom the rumor of such an invention had never reached: and it is related that on the unexpected arrival of the boat before Louisville, in the course of a fine, still moonlight night, the extraordinary sound which filled the air as the pent up steam was allowed to escape from the valves, on rounding to, produced a general alarm, and multitudes in the town rose from their beds to ascertain the cause. The general impression among the good Kentuckians was, that the comet [of 1811, visible at the time with its immense fiery tail, and by the superstitious believed to be the harbinger of war and all sorts of dire evill, had fallen into the Ohio."

"She walked the waters like a thing of life,
And seemed to dare the elements of strife.

* *

At Louisville, owing to the small depth of water on the falls, the boat was detained 3 weeks, during which time several trips were made by her between that place and Cincinnati. The waters finally rose, and the trip to New Orleans was resumed. On reaching the Lower Mississippi, the boat was nearly overwhelmed by the earthquakes which rocked the waters of the great river to and fro, and which continued for several days,

The pursuits of the people during territorial times, were mainly agricultural, varied by hunting and trapping. Few merchants were required to supply the ordinary articles of consumption not produced or manufactured at home. Coffee, tea, and sugar did not then generally enter into the daily meals of the family. Materials for personal wear were either grown, or taken in the chase, and manufactured into garments by wife or daughter, the merchant supplying only some of the dye stuff to color the wool, flax or cotton. Foreign manufactured boots and shoes, or hats and caps, were worn but by few-home-made moccasins and raccoon caps supplying the place. Mechanics in pursuit of their trades, are seldom pioneers, and every settler was his own carpenThe houses, mostly log cabins, were built without glass, nails, hinges or locks; the furniture, too, modeled in the same rude fashion, was made by the same hand. Yokes for oxen, and harness for horses, the carts and wagons in daily use-without tires, boxes or iron-whose woeful creakings, for the want of tar, which was not imported, might be heard at a great distance, all were manufactured as occason required by self-taught artifi

ter.

cers.

commencing on the morning of the 16th of December, 1811. They were severest in the neighborhood of New Madrid, where, on the Tennessee side, a few miles back of the river, the earth sunk in many places 50 and 60 feet, carrying with it great trees left standing erect, producing what is known as the Reel-foot lake -Rambler in North America.

*As an instance of the ready ingenuity of the times, it is related of James Lemon, a well known pioneer of Monroe county, an old style Baptist preacher, and a farmer by Occupation, who manufactured the harness for his teams as occasion required, that being employed plowing a piece of stubble ground one day, on turning out for dinner he left the harness on the beam of the plough, as was his wont. His son, not differing from the proverbial minister's boys perhaps, who had assisted him by removing the straw from the clogging plow with a pitchfork, remained behind long enough to conceal one of the collars, that he might have a playing spell while his father was occupied in making another. But his plot failed; on returning after dinner and missing the collar, his father, reflecting for a few minutes. promptly divested himself of his leather breeches, stuffed the legs with stubble, straddled them across the neck of the horse for a collar, and plowed the remainder of the day bare-legged requiring the assistance of the truantly inclined boy all tho time. At this day, to provide for such a mispap, half day would have been spent in going to town after another collar, and the boy would probaby have gained his point.-From Ford's History of Illinois.

CHAPTER XXVI.

ORGANIZATION OF THE STATE GOVERNMENT-ADMINISTRATION OF GOVERNOR BOND.

Our Northern Boundary-First Constitutional Convention and Something of the Instrument Framed-Governor Bond-Lieutenantgovernor Menard-Meeting of the Legislature and Election of State Officers-First Supreme Court-Hard Times and First State Bank-Organization of Counties.

By the year 1818, owing to her rapid increase of population, Illinois aspired to a position among the sisterhood of sovereign States. Accordingly, the territorial legislature, in session at Kaskaskia in January of that year, prepared and sent to Nathaniel Pope, our delegate in coungress, their petition praying for the admission of Illinois into the Union on an equal footing with the original States. The petition was promptly presented, and the committee on territories in due time reported a bill for the admission of Illinois with a population of 40,000. The ordinance of 1787 required 60,000. Mr. Pope, looking to the future of this State, succeeding in amending the bill as it came from the hands of the committee, in several essential features. One of these was to extend the northern boundary of the State to the parallel of 40 degrees 30 minutes north latitude. The 5th section of the ordinance of 1787, required that at least three States be formed out of the Northwest territory-defining the boundary of the western State by the Mississippi, the Ohio and the Wabash rivers, and a line running due north from Post Vincennes, on the last named stream, to Canada. This included the present States of Illinois and Wisconsin. But, by a proviso, it was reserved "that if congress shall hereafter find it expedient, they shall have authority to form one or two States in that part of said territory which lies north of an east and west line drawn through the southerly bend of Lake Michigan." The line of 40 deg. 30 min. extended the boundary 50 miles farther north. To the vigilance of Nathaniel Pope, therefore, are we indebted for a coast on Lake Michigan to this extent for the site occupied by the present mighty city of Chicago; for the northern terminus of the Illinois and Michigan canal, and for the lead mines of Galena-all of which come within that extension. It was upon the above quoted language of the ordinance of 1787, which was declared a compact to remain

forever unalterable, that Wisconsin subsequently based her claim to the 14 northern counties of this State.

While the foregoing were paramount considerations with the people of Illinois, others were urged with much force and entire effectiveness upon congress, acting for the nation at large. Even at that day statesmen had not failed to mark the inherent weakness, and consequent easy dissolution, of confederated republics. The late civil war had not then demonstrated the strength and unity of the American confederation through the loyalty of the people. European statesmen had entertained no other thought than that at the first internal hostile trouble, the bonds of the Union would be broken and scattered to the winds. It was easily shown that the geographical position of Illinois made her the key in the western arch of States. The southern extremity of Illinois penetrated far between the slaves States down to the main Mississippi, affording an outlet to the Gulf the year round, and skirted with hundreds of miles of navigable rivers on either side; to give her, therefore, a fair coast on the lake would also unite her interests through the strong bonds of trade and commerce with the north and east. Linking thus the north and the south by her geographical position and the ties of intercourse, her interests must be conservative, and she would ever exert a controlling influence upon the perpetuity of the Union. This view has been amply verified in the late war by the prompt occupation of Cairo, and the rally of her near 200,000 sons to the national standard.

Another amendment was, that the three-fifths of the 5 per ceut fund from the sale of public lands, applied to the construction of public works in other States carved out of the northwest territory, should instead be devoted by the legislature to the encouragement of education; one-sixth of which to be exclusively bestowed on a college or university. These important amendments were suggested and urged by Mr. Pope without instruction, but they received the ready sanction of the people, and to-day we are realizing the full fruition of his foresight.* The bill became a law April 18, 1818.

"Nathaniel Pope was an able lawyer, and in his official relations was ever faithful to his trusts. was as secretary of the territory. In 1816, he was elected delegate to congress act for the admission of Illinois as a State. Subsequently he was appointed United States district judge, in which capacity heserved for many years, residing in Springfield. He died in 1850,

His first appearance in Illinois, as we have nd procured the enabling

[NOTE -The question of our northern boundary agitated the people of the section concerned for many years, entering into their political conflicts and exercising an important influence upon their local affairs. Many of the old settlers down to a late date, condemned this striking departure from the ordinance of 1787, which fixed the present line 50 miles further north. Boundary meetings at various places in the 14 northern counties continued to be held from time to time, showing the teeling to be deep and wide spread. We note the proceedings of a large meeting held at Öregon City, January 22, 1842, as showing the grounds of complaint, and the purpose of the people to either belong to Wisconsin or set up for themselves:

"Resolved, That in the opinion of this meeting, that part of the northwest territory, which lies north of an ‘east and west line through the southerly bend or extreme of Lake Michigan,' belongs to and of right ought to be a part of the State or States which have been or may be formed north of said line."

Wisconsin was yet a territory. They resolved further that the ordinance of 1787 could not be altered or changed without the consent of the people of the original States and of the northwest territory; that as part of the people of said territory, they would not so consent; that the lines designated in the ordinance were better suited to the geographical situation and local interests of their region; that they were decidedly opposed to place any of the territory north of said line within the jurisdiction of a State south of it: that they recommended the legislature of Wisconsin to apply for admission into the Union, claiming the line of the ordinance as

In pursuance of the enabling act a convention was called to draft the first constitution of the State of Illinois, which assembled at Kaskaskia in July, 1818, and completed its labors by signing the constitution on the 26th of August following. We subjoin the names of the delegates, and the counties which they represented, in the order of their organization:

St. Clair county-Jesse B. Thomas, John Messinger, James Lemon, jr.

Randolph-George Fisher, Elias Kent Kane.

Madison-Benjamin Stephenson, Joseph Borough, Abraham

Prickett.

Gallatin-Michael Jones, Leonard White, Adolphus Frederick

Hubbard.

Johnson-Hezekiah West, Wm. McFatridge.
Edwards-Seth Gard, Levi Compton.

White-Willis Hargrave, Wm. McHenry.

Monroe-Oaldwell Carns, Enoch Moore.

Pope-Samuel O'Melveny, Hamlet Ferguson.

Jackson-Conrad Will, James Hall, jr.

Crawford-Joseph Kitchell, Edward N. Cullom.
Bond-Thomas Kilpatrick, Samuel G. Morse.
Union-Wm. Echols, John Whitaker.
Washington-Andrew Bankson.*

Franklin-Isham Harrison, Thomas Roberts.

Jesse B. Thomas was chosen president, and Wm. C. Greenup secretary of the convention.

The constitution was not submitted to a vote of the people for their approval or rejection; nor did the people have much to do with the choice or election of officers generally under it, other than that of governors, the general assemblies, sheriffs and coroners. Notwithstanding the elective franchise was in a blazon manner extended to all white male inhabitants above the age of 21, having a residence in the State of 6 months next preceding any election, which it will be perceived included aliens and possibly invited immigration, there was scarcely an office left to be filled by its

exercise.

The electors or people were not trusted with the choice of State officers, other than mentioned; nor of their judges, either supreme, circuit, or probate; nor of their prosecuting attorneys, county or circuit clerks, recorders, or justices of the peace; the appointment of nearly all these being vested in the general assembly, which body was not slow to avail itself of the powers thus conferred to their full extent. The language of the schedule was, "an auditor of public accounts, an attorney general, and such other officers of the State as may be necessary, may be appointed by the general assembly, whose duties may be regulated by law." It is said to have been a question for many years, in view of this language,

their southern boundary: that they disclaimed any intention to absolve themselves from any pecuniary responsibility created by the legislature of Illinois on account of the internal improvement system, etc. The resolutions were adopted unanimously. A committee of 9 was appointed to proceed to Madison, with full power to consult with the governor and the legislature of Wisconsin territory. Governor Doty and the legislature gave them their assurances of earnest co-operation in petitioning congress toward the end in view. But nothing ever came of all the clamor. The essential point was, whether the acts of the congress of the confederated States are of such binding force that a congress of the United States cannot annul or amend them -whether the former possessed a higher power than the latter. *Bankson's colleague died during the session of the convention.