III. Mines

The wealth and prosperity of a State are greatly affected by its minerals; the most important of which are coal, iron, copper, lead, salt, gold, and silver; each one answering its own useful purpose. England probably owes her extraordinary wealth and industry of population more to the abundance of her coal and iron than to any one single circumstance whatever. Salt seems to be indispensable to animal life, and must be brought at a great expense into countries which do not produce it.

Without the use of iron, the industry of man would be comparatively unavailing. It is, however, so extensively used, that its transportation from other countries would be very costly. The direct addition to the national wealth in the United States from their minerals, according to the census of 1840 and 1850, is only about four per cent. It will probably be doubled at the next census, principally by means of the gold of California. But this does not indicate the whole of their benefit, as, in the character of raw materials, they give a stimulus and encouragement to all the other branches of industry.

IV. Waters

These, also, are very conducive to the welfare of States. Countries bounded by the ocean are able to draw from thence large supplies of wholesome and palatable food, the surplus of which they can readily exchange, by means of commerce, for such articles as their own country does not afford. Countries remote from the sea-coast may commonly obtain similar supplies from rivers and lakes.

The waters of a country also afford easy means of transportation, both of men and commodities; which is of so much importance, that hitherto there has been no large city in the world, and scarcely any second-rate one-, which was not situated on the water, so that it could derive from a distance a part of its supplies by means of this cheap mode of transportation. It remains to be seen whether the new agent, steam, can furnish the like supplies with adequate cheapness.

The rivers of a country, and sometimes its lakes also, afford a cheap motive power for every species of mills, and for various kinds of manufacturing machinery.