Texas

existence (těksās,) in Austria. a S. State and the largest in the American Union, is embraced bet. N. Lat. 25° 50′-36° 30′, W. Lon. 93° 30'-107°, b. N. by Kansas and Indian Ter.. N.E. by Arkansas, E. by Louisiana, S.E. by the Mexican Gulf, and S.by Mexico, from which country it is divided by the Rio Grande, W.by New Mexico, and N.W. by a corner of Colorado. Maximum length from N.W.to S.E. 800 m.; main width from E. to W. 750 m. Area, 237,504 sq. m., or 152,002,560 acres. This vast region is of an irregular shape, with a " pan-handle" reaching N. bet. New Mexico and Indian Ter., and presents in its general surface a great inclined plane sloping gradually E. to the Gulf, and distributed over three natural zones: the const, or low-lying country, consisting mainly of rich pastures; the rolling prairie section, occupying the great central division of the State, and one well-wooded and watered, and fertile of soil; and the third, or hilly region, taking up nearly the whole of the S.W. angle of the State, and alpine in its characteristic features, being intersected by the Apache Mts., and the lower spurs of the Guadalupe range, besides other isolated mountain groups. N. of this mountain belt extends the arid table-land known as El Llano Estacado (" the staked plain"), a waste without wood, water, or gra , lying bet. the Apache country and that which forms the hunting-grounds of the Kiowas and Comanches. The pp. rivers of Texas, after the Rio Grande already mentioned, are the Red River, Trinity, Brazos, Guadalupe, Colorado, Nueces, Antonio, and Pecos. In the extreme N., the country is drained by the upper waters of the Canadian and the forks of the Washita. Few good harbors exist, that of Galveston being the best and most acce ible. The Texan climate is eminently healthful, and the seasons are two, the wet and the dry. Winter, in its properly understood sense, cannot be said to exist on the other hand, the summers are very hot. T.is pre-eminently the finest grazing country in the Union, and fattens numerous herds of cattle and droves of horses on her rich and far-reaching prairies. Great parts of it are heavily and magnificently timbered, and with the fruits of the tropical zone, those of the temperate, excepting the apple, grow in prime quality and abundance. Vanilla, indigo, sarsaparilla, and a variety of dye-woods and gums are among the products of the soil. Previous to the Civil War, the raising of cotton constituted the main agricultural industry, and with the pastoral occupation of stock-raising, engaged the bulk of the pop. In 1870, T. contained 2,964,836 acres of improved land in farms, together with a woodland acreage of 7,662,294. Cash value of farms, $60,149,950; of farming-implemente, machinery, ., $3,396,703. Total estim. value of farm products, $49,185,170; of dairy and orchard stuffe, $144,096; of lumber, .,$335,317; of home manu fs.,$2,773,820 Value of live stock$55,084,075. Number of farms 61,125; total acreage| Thales, (including improved land and woodland specified above) $18,396,523. The State is politically divided into 161 cos., of which the chief towns and centres of trade and pop. are Galveston, Austin(the C.), Houston, Indianola, Dallas, Denison, Jefferson, Paris, San Antonio, Victoria, andWaco. Salt, iron, and coarse woollens form the chief itemsofmanuf., and the exports include chiefly cotton, wool, sugar, tobacco, and cattle. In 1870, the total a e ed taxation amounted to $149,732,929, of which $97,186,568 was applicable to real estate, and the rest to personal. The true valuation of real and personal estate being $159,052,542. These figures show an increase on the a e ment of 1860, of: total a e ed, $118,059,406; and a decrease of true (real and personal) valuation of $206,148,072. In the same year the total taxation (not national) reached $1,129,577, of which $589,363 was devoted to State purposes. Public debt (other than national), $1,613,907. The governor of T. is elected for a term of four years. The legislative power is vested in the House of Representatives consisting of 90 members elected for two years, and in the Senate consisting of 33 senators elected for four years. T. sends to the Federal Congre 2 senators and 5 representatives. This country, first partially explored by La Salle in 1687, became settled by the Spaniards, who gave it the name of New Philippines in 1715, but their progre was impeded by Indian hostility, and after the ce ion of Louisiana by France in 1803, T. became a territory whose ownership lay in dispute between Spain and the American govt. During the course of years, several attempts were made to wrest it from Spanish-Mexican control; and in 1820, an American, Moses Austin, the grantee of a tract of land from the Mexican govt., founded the city which has since borne his name. The frontier community thus initiated partook of a lawle and unsettled character till 1835, when Gen. Houston (q. v.) erected T. into a provisional govt., and expelled the Mexicans beyond her limits. After the defeat of Santa Anna at San Jacinto (q. v.), T. became an independent republic, and as such was recognized in 1840 by England, France, and Belgium. In 1845, a Mexican invasion of T. originated the so-called Mexican War, and the country became a unit of the American Union. In 1860, T. embraced with ardor the cause of Sece ion, and gave both men, money, and munitions in no stint to the maintenance of the Confederate army. After its close, a new State Constitution was adopted, and T., after pa ing the 14th and 15th Amendments to the Constitution of the U. S., was reconstructed for Congre ional representation. Pop. in 1870, 818,579, embracing 564,700 whites, 253,475 colored persons, 25 Chinese, and 699 Indians (379 out of tribal relations, 320 nomads). These figures exhibit a gain over the numbers recorded by the census of 1860, of 214,364 whites (or 35.48 per cent.), [s. 889]