The universal geography : earth and its inhabitants

DISTRIBUTION OF TTIK POrULATION. 449capital. Boston was formerly the chief place in the northern colonies, and fromit all Americans of Neve England, the '• Yankees" properly so-called, were knownto the Franco-Canadians as " Bostonians." Boston remains the metropolis ofthis region, and may claim the first rank in the Union in respect of science andeducation. But in population and trade it lags far behind several other places,such as Xew York, the " Empire City," which holds the foremost position in commerce,the money market and industry.But New York, like Philadelphia, whichwas for a time the seat of Congress, lies too far from the geographical centre ofthe Union to maintain its influence in the Far West. This is now a' so true ofWashington, although its site seemed excellently chosen at the time of its foundation.It stood close to the geometrical centre of the thirteen original colonies.Fig. 209.—Density of thb Port-LATiox in 1890.Scale 1 : SO.OOO.OOO.nInhabitahts per square mile.no-2b. 2atuG0. 60 to 110. 1 10 and ui,'W.irds.E;ich squ-lt^ represents a population of 50.000 iuhabitanta.• Cities of over 1,000,000 inhubitants.-^^^^^—^—^^^—^-^ 1,240 Miles.and the Federal District occupied a neutral position between tlie Northern andSouthern States. But its importance at present is mainly strategical, as shownduring the Civil War, when the main efforts of the contending forces were directedtowards this central point of the Atlantic States. Naturally the populationsof the Mississippi basin regard the great river as the proper site for the Federalcapital. In this respect the claims of Saint Louis cannot be gainsaid, althoughthis city is already distanced by its old rival, Chicago, which on the wholehas undoubtedly the fairest prospects of becoming the future metropolis of theUnion.Although European immigration has acquired vast proportions, theAmericanbody politic is now so firmly constituted that the prodigious influx occasions not theVOL. XVI. u u