MALES under ten years of age - 9,842 of ten and under twenty-four - 8,843 of twenty-four and under thirty-six 4,786 of thirty-six and under fifty•five 2,987 of fifty-five and under one hundred 1,034 of one hundred and upwards - 827,500 32 393 62 54 76 140 426 Measuring the respective counties by the scale from a map, and forming an aggregate area from the parts, does not yield a surface equal to 70,000 square miles, the surface given as that of Virginia in the first part of this article; but the discrepancy arises from fractional loss in each county. If, how ever, we take the reduced area of the counties as usually measured on maps, the difference may stand as an equivalent for the uninhabitable tracts occu pied by the mountain chains.
Virginia is perhaps, of all the states of the United States, the one whose natural features are most contrasted. Similar to Maryland and North Ca rolina, Virginia is subdivided into three very dis tinct physical sections. First, the eastern, or sea sand alluvial section below the head of the Atlantic tides. Second, the middle or hilly section, from the head of tide-water to the distinct chains of the Appalachian system; and the third, the western or mountainous section. We might indeed divide the state into four physical sections, by making a west ern hilly section contiguous to the Ohio river, but the mountain chains are distinct so near the west ern border or Ohio river, as to justify including that region in the mountainous part.
These natural sections in their outlines and fea tures, are so very distinct, as to be, as we have already remarked, recognised in the legislation of the state.
Comparatively there are few and only confined tracts of Virginia actually level. Such character of surface is restricted to the two counties of North ampton and Accomac, on the Eastern shore, and southward of the Chesapeake bay and James river, to the counties of Princess Anne, Norfolk and Nansemond, with an aggregate area of 2200 square miles, or less than the Slst part of the whole area of the state. Westward from Chesapeake biy, the country gradually rises into hill and dale, though some flat and even marshy land skirts the wide mouths of the rivers, which are discharged into either the Atlantic Ocean or Chesapeake bay. Vir ginia and Maryland occupy the central part of that physical section of the Atlantic slope of the United States, so remarkable for deep and wide rivers. Except, nevertheless, in extent, greater depth and relative position, Chesapeake bay differs in nothing essential from Pamlico and Albemarle Sounds to the south, and Delaware bay to the north. In Vir
ginia and Maryland, the confluents of the Chesa peake seem to imitate that great recipient, and Po comoke, Nantikoke, Choptank and Chester rivers on the east, and James, York. Rappahannoc, Poto mac, Patuxent and Patapsco on the west, widen into expansive bays before their final discharge into their common recipient.
These minor bays become gradually more shal low, and more confined in width approaching the head of tide-water, but they all retain the distinctive character of bays, as far as the ocean tides pene trate inland. Below the head of the tides there are 36 counties, comprising an area of 9,989 square miles, or about two-thirteenths of Virginia. This section is that designated alluvial, but departing from the inner margin and proceeding towards the Atlantic, it is evident that the respective extremes were formed at very great difference in time. The primitive rock is only laid bare where traversed by the rivers, and in the intermediate spaces the hills very gradually merge into level planes towards the ocean.
The Blue Ridge traverses Virginia, 260 miles in a general direction from south-west to north-east, and except where traversed by Roanoke and James rivers, is a continuous ridge, and it is also in all its range in Virginia a county limit. Falling from this finely delineated chain, is an inclined plane. containing 15,386 square miles. terminated by the head of the Atlantic tides. This truly beautiful section, if we merely regard the fall of water, has a declivity from about 300 to 500 feet, but the descent of the rivers gives but a defective idea of the slope in the arable soil; which latter, towards the Blue Ridge, rises in many places to at least 1000 feet above the ocean level. The face of nature, though exhibiting little of grandeur, is rich and pleasing in the ever varying outline of hill, valley and river scenery. On the higher extreme, beside the ele gant back ground of the Blue Ridge, other detached mountain chains rise, and give intimation that the solid structure of the country is Appalachian, and that the outer ridges or chains of that system in fluence the great bends of the rivers. This moun tain influence is seen in the courses of Roanoke, James, Rappahannoc and Potomac rivers.