VASTNESS OF THE UNITED STATES.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 2087, 14 March 1889, Page 3

VASTNESS OF THE UNITED STATES.

Mr Brydges, m hla new book, ' Unole Sam,' s»ya : -" The single State of Tezos Is as large ac England, France, and Germany oomblned. I 'to California, England and three other Europeans kingdoms could be placed Fide by Bide and nob overlap. Colorado, which ip England Is hardly known except m oonneotion with the Colorado beetle, has nevertheless an area of 104,000 sqaare miles — nearly twice the area of Turkey, whloh has cost Europe bo many millions of treasure and hundreds of thousands of men slain. New Mexico, Dakota, Arsons, and Montana are almost unknown lands Id Kurope ; and yet they have a total area of 531,000 square miles, ffbioh gives an average larger than Austria, and a total equal to Great Britain and Ireland, France, Italy, Portugal, Greeoe. Denmark, Belgium, and Holland. The distances between cities on this vast continent aeem incredible when placed m juxtaposition with Earopean distances. The jouraey from New York to San Fran* oleco, for example, is three times as long as that from London to Gibraltar — is, indeed, 500 miles greater than from England to Qaebao. Borne is as Dear to London as Übioago is to Boston. Buda-Pesth, Warsaw, and Stockholm atf nt quite as far from the British metro* polla aa Milwaukee is from Albany ; and Madrid Is 150 miles nearer. General Sherman recently stated that the northern line of defences during the Oivil War exoeeded 5000 miles. This would make a line ag great as one drawn from London aoross the Ohannel to Paris and Vienna, through Constantinople, Asia Minor, and Persia to Afghaniatan, on through the Pcnjaub, and away down Central India ' , nearly to Madras. The mineral wealth of , the United ftyates Is enormous • Unole , Sam's coalfield alone is an layge as Great Britain and Franoe pat together. Iron 1 exists m every 8* ate of the Union, and is > workod m twenly-two j gold, silver, and > copper abound ; whilst m further illustra- [ tion of the faot that out Transatlantic ; cousins have ' struok lie/ It is enoqgb to . mention the oiroometanoe that the wells i In Pennsylvania alone yield no less than 70,000 barrels of oil every day. Sixty »llll°di of people inhabit the l?nUe4 ' PtplOf