Describe Schuyler county.

Schuyler is bounded north by McDonough, east ly Fulton and the Illinois river, south by the Illinois river and Pike, and west by Adams and a corner of Hancock Its waters are the Illinois river; Crooked and Crane creeks. Much heavy timbered land of a rich quality.

Describe Shelby county.

Shelby county is bounded north by Macon, east by Cole, south by Effingham and Fayette, and west by Montgomery and a corner of Sangamon. It is watered by the Kaskaskia and its tributaries. Land excellent,

Describe St. Clair county.

St. Clair county is bounded north by Madison county, east by Clinton and Washington, and south by Randolph and Monroe counties. Its streams are Kaskaskia and Cahokia rivers, Prairie du Pont, Ogles, Silver, Richland, and Prairie de Long creeks. Extensive coal banks exist in this county, along the bluffs. Land various-most of it second rate.

Describe Tazewell county.

Tazewell county is bounded north by Putnam, east by McLean, south by Sangamon, and northwest by the Illinois river. It is watered by the Illinois and Mackinaw rivers, and Ten Mile, Farm, and Blue creeks. Much of the land is good.

Describe Union county.

Union county is bounded north by Jackson, east by Franklin, south by Alexander, and west by the Mississippi river. It is watered by Clear creek, some of the south branches of Big Muddy, and the heads of Cash river, Land is high and rolling.

Describe Vermillion county.

This county lies north of Edgar and Cole, east of Champaign, south of Iroquois, and west of the state of Indiana

It is watered by the Big and Little Vermillion rivers, and contains large bodies of excellent land.

Describe Wabash county.

Wabash county is bounded north by Lawrence, east by the Wabash river, and west by Edwards county. It is watered by the Wabash river, and Bon Pas creek, and also by Crawfish, Jordan and Coffee creeks. It has much good land.

Describe Warren county.

Warren county lies on the Mississippi, north of Hancock and McDonough, west of Knox, and south of Mercer. Its streams are Henderson river, and its branches. Ellison, Honey and Camp creeks. The land on these streams is excellent.

Describe Washington county.

Washington county is bounded north by Clinton, south by Perry, east by Jefferson, and west by St. Clair. Its streams are the Kaskaskia river, Elkhorn, , Beaucoup, and Little Muddy creeks. The prairie is of an inferior quality.

Describe Wayne county.

Wayne county is bounded north by Clay, east by Edwards, south by Hamilton, and west by Jefferson and Marion. It is watered by the Little Wabash, Elm, and Skillet Fork.

Describe White county.

White county is bounded north by Wabash, Edwards and Wayne counties, east by the Big Wabash river, south by Gallatin, and west by Hamilton counties. It is watered by the Big and Little Wabash rivers. The prairies are fine and rich.

Describe the Chief Towns of Illinois.

VANDALIA is the seat of government till 1840, after which it is to be removed to Alton, according to a vote of

the people in 1834, unless they should otherwise direct. It is situated on the right bank of the Kaskaskia river, in North lat. 39° 0′ 42′′, and 58 miles in a direct line, a little north of east of Alton. The public buildings are temporary. Population about 750.

ALTON. Two towns of this name are distinguished as Alton, and Upper Alton. Alton is an incorporated town, situated on the bank of the Mississippi, two and a half miles above the mouth of the Missouri. For situation, commerce, business of all kinds, health, and rapidity of growth, it far exceeds any other town on the east bank of the Mississippi, above New Orleans. The population is about 2100. The commercial business, donc here is already immense, and extends through more than half of Illinois, besides a large trade on the western side of the Mississippi. Great facilities for business of almost every description, especially for every kind of mechanics, are to be had here. It offers one of the best situations on the western waters for building and repairing steamboats.

The

Alton has respectable and well finished houses of wor. ship for the Presbyterian, Methodist Protestant, and Baptist denominations; two good schools, a Lyceum, that holds weekly meetings, and two printing-offices. population in general, is a moral, industrious, enterprising class. Few towns in the west have equalled this in contributions for public and benevolent objects, in proportion to age and population.

The town is situated at the base, side, and top, of the first bluffs that extend to the river, above the mouth of the Kaskaskia. Adjacent to it, and which will eventually become amalgamated, is Middletown, laid off directly in the rear.

UPPER ALTON is from two and a half to three miles back from the river, and in the rear of Lower Alton, on elevated

ground, and in every respect a very healthy situation.", Adjacent to it, and forming now a part of the town plat, is "Shurtleff College, of Alton, Illinois," which bids fair to become an important and flourishing institution. Also "Alton Theological Seminary," which has commenced operations. Both these institutions have been gotten up under the influence and patronage of the Baptist denomination. A female seminary of a high order, under the name of the "Alton Female Institute," has been chartered, and a building is about to be erected for the purpose. The Baptists, Methodists and Presbyterians have congregations here, and two houses of worship are to be built the present year.

CHICAGO is the largest commercial town in Illinois. It is situated at the junction of North and South branches, and along the main Chicago, near its entrance into lake Michigan, on a level prairie; but elevated above the highest floods. A recent communication from a respectable mercantile house, giving the following statistics: "Fifty-one stores, 30 groceries, 10 taverns, 12 physicians, 21 attornies, and 4,000 inhabitants. We have four churches, and two more building, one bank, a Marine and Fire Insurance company about to go into operation, and a brick hotel, containing 90 apartments.

There were 9 arrivals and departures of steamboats in 1835, and 267 of brigs and schooners, containing 5,015 tons of merchandise and 9,400 barrels of salt, besides lum-. ber, provisions, &c,

The harbor now constructing by the U. S. government, will be so far completed in 1836, as to admit vessels and steamboats navigating the lakes. A few miles back of Chicago are extensive tracts of wet prairie.

GALENA is the seat of justiec for Jo Daviess county, situ ated on Fever river, in the midst of the mining district.

698 It has about 20 stores, a dozen groceries, and about 1,000 inhabitants.

SPRINGFIELD is near the geographical centre of the state, and in the midst of a most fertile region of country. It is a flourishing inland town, and contains about 2,000 inhabitants. JACKSONVILLE, the county seat of Morgan county, has about the same population, and is equally delightful and flourishing.

One mile west, on a most beautiful eminence, stands "Illinois College," founded under the auspices of the Presbyterian denomination, and bids fair to become a flourishing seat of learning.

We have not room to name, much less describe, the many growing towns and villages in this state, that excite and deserve the attention of emigrants. On the Illinois river are Ottawa, and several eligible sites in its vicinity, were towns have commenced; Beardstown, a short distance below the mouth of Sangamon river, Peoria, at the foot of Peoria lake, (a most beautiful site, and containing 1,000 inhabitants,) Meredosia, Naples, Pekin, Hennepin, &c. On the Mississippi, are Quincy, Warsaw, New Boston, and Stephenson, the seat of justice for Rock Island county. Interior, are Bloomington, Decatur, Tremont, Shelbyville, Hillsboro', Edwardsville, Carlyle, Belleville Carrollton, and many others. Towards the Wabash, are Danville, Paris, Lawrenceville, Carmi, and Mount Carmel the last of which has an importance from being connected with the grand rapids of the Wabash. Shawneetown is the commercial depot for the southeastern part of the state. On the Military Tract are Rushville, Pittsfield, Griggsville, Carthage, Macomb, Mammoth, Knoxville, Lewistown, Canton, &c., all pleasant sites, and having a popula tion from two or three hundred to one thousand inhabitants.