DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. .1 territory 60 square mile-. situated on the bank of the Potomac River. between 11aryland and Virginia (Map: .)laryland. B 71. The surface is flat and marshy along the Potomac, but elsewhere gently rolling and hilly. The Anacostia )liver. or Eastern Branch (of the Potomac), crosses the southern por tion, and bbick ('reek, a stream abounding in picturesque scenery, traverses the northwestern part. The climate (m•an temperature is subject to sudden and extreme variations of perature. The rainfall is about :ra inehes an nually. Snow falls in the winter, lint is generally of -holt duration. The soil is a light sandy loam. Twenty-two per cent. of the area, or S7010 acres, is eontained in farm-. The nature of the agri cultural industries is determined by the prox imity to \Vashinglon, and the products are chiefly those of the vegetable garden and the dairy. The largest acreage therefore consist of hay and pa.ture lands and gardens. Floriculture is of considerable importance, the annual returns from this source exceeding half a million dollars.
Poet 1...ifox. The population in 1.-400 (when the area was one-half larger than at present num bered 14,100: in Is:i0„11,6S7; in Is60. in 1'470, 131,700: in 1S90. 2311,4011: in 19110, 278.7110. There is a very small foreign-born pop (19.500), but the negro element is large (S6,700). mass of the population is, of course, centred in the city of \Vashington. The village, surrounding the city hear the relation of suburb, to the city proper.
The District of Columbia was governed directly by until when it was pl.t. cd under n regular Territorial govern ment. .1 Governor and Secretary were appointed, a delegate was elm-en to the Territory in Congress. while at legislature of 11 eraineilmen and 22 delegate- way elected by the people annu ally. In 157 I the government wits placed under the control of three eommissioner. appointed by
the President and approved by the Senate. The citizens have no direct voice in the appointments to office within the Di-triet„ having no vote in District or National affair-.
IllSTonV. Originally the Di,lriet of Colombia comprised land on both of the Potomac.— land ceded by the states concerned on the condi tion that Congress or the United should exercise exclusive control over it forever. L\lary land ceded 64 square miles (including \voter) , the whole of Washington County, and Vir ginia ceded :36 square miles. Alexandria County. In I s46. as no Government buildings hail been erected on the Virginia side. Alexandria County was retroceded. Within the present District. probably on the site of Anaeostia, stood the famous Indian village of Pewit:man, Naeochtank, or Anaeustan, which Cap.to in Smith visited in I603. In 1663 Francis Pope, an Englishman. established a plantation where Washington was built. To the site of Cre)wgetown settlers came probably as early as 1665, and in 1751 a town was laid out here, which in 1TS9 was regularly incorporated. Im mediately alter the close of the Revolution there was much discussion about the location of the permanent seat of government. and. after the adoption of the Constitution in I7s9. this ques tion gave rise to the first debate which aroused bitter sectional feeling. Finally. on June 2S, I790. after the claims of New York, Philadelphia, Oennantown. Baltimore. and several other places bad been fully considered, Congress decided that after 1s00 the Federal capita] should be moved to district or territory not exceeding 10 miles square on the liver Potomac between the mouth I the Eastern 1;ranch and This decision was reached partly as the result of a compromise and partly in deference to the known wishes of Washington. See WAsifixuro.x.