ILLINOIS, one of the western territories of the United States, is situated between 37° and 42° 30' N. Lat. and 10° 25' and 25' W. Long. from Washington; and is bounded on the north by the North-Western Territory of the United States, south by the Ohio river, separating it from Ken tucky, east by Indiana, and west by the Mississippi river, which separates it from the Missouri Territory. This beautiful country stretches on a line from south to north 357 miles, and from east to west 210 miles, having an area of 61,000 square miles, or 39,041,000 acres. A great part of the territory yet belongs to the United States, subject to be sold at not less than two dollars per acre to indivi duals. In the north a tract of 3,500,000 acres has been ap propriated as bounty lands for the soldiers who served in the war with Great Britain, in 1812-13-14-15. Until the year 1818, Illinois was under a territorial government. At the first session of the fifteenth Congress, an act was pass ed to enable the inhabitants to form a constitution for their government, with the right of admission into the Union as an independent state. The face of the country is beauti fully variegated ; in the south generally level, in the mid dle more elevated, in the north hilly, but no where moun tainous : the soil is uniformly fertile, being well adapted to the culture of all kinds of grain, grass, fruit, flax, and hemp. Cotton succeeds in the southern sections. The climate is tem perate, and agreeable. Minerals are found in considerable abundance; the principal of which arc, coal, salt, flint,coppe•, lead, and iron. No country is better watered ; being washed on the west by the Mississippi, and on the south by the Ohio rivers, and intersected by the Illinois, Wabash, Kaskaskia, and Stony rivers, besides innumerable streams of less mag nitude. Illinois is divided into fifteen counties, viz.—
Bond, Madison, St Clait, Monroe, Randolph, Jackson, Johnson, Pope, Gallatin, White, Edwards, Crawford, Uni on, Washington, and Franklin. The population is rapidly increasing. In 1810 it consisted of 12,282. It is probably now about four times that number. The chief town is Kas kaskia, with a population of 1200. The surplus produce of this country will naturally descend the Mississippi to New Orleans ; and will soon render the inhabitants wealthy. From the temperature of the climate, the ferti lity of the soil, the facility of transportation, and many other advantages favourable to society, Illinois will shortly be come a populous state.
The banks of the rivers abound with buffaloes, deers, elks, turkeys, ducks, teal, geese, swans, cranes, pelicans, pheasants, partridges. The sturgeon and the picannau, and plenty of fish, are found in the rivers.
The vegetables cf this district are, the oak, hiccory, ce dar, mulberry, hops, dying drugs, medical plants of va rious kinds, and excellent wild grapes, from which, in the year 1797, the .French settlers made 110 hogsheads of strong wine.
Before the year 1756, the French had settlements at Kaskaskia, Cahokia, &c. but they were at that time driven out by the British, who held the country till the rcyolu tion.