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[23 Aug. 1828]
SOME NOTICES OF KENTUCKY,
Particularly of its chief town, Lexington.

Kentucky was admitted into the Union in 1792.
Its population was 73,675 in 1790; 220,959 in
1800; and 406,571 in 1810; and 564,317 in 1820.

Lexington was founded in April 1779, but
made slow progress for some time; as in 1797, it
contained but 50 houses. It has, since that pe-
riod, increased rapidly, and now contains about
1000 houses and 6000 inhabitants. The streets
intersect each other at right angles, and the
houses, which are generally of brick, are hand-
some: a large proportion of them may compare
with the generality of the houses of Philadel-
phia. There are fewer mean, shabby houses,
than perhaps in any other town of the same size.

In streets of business, the rents average from
6 to 8 per cent. on the cost. Dwelling houses
average from 4 to 6 per cent.

Lexington is situated in the centre of the most
beautiful part of the state. In salubrity of cli-
mate and fertility of soil, it is probably rarely
surpassed. The soil is so luxuriant that it pro-
succession, without the aid of manure. The
beauty and variety of the forest foliage, and the
richness and verdure in the fieldsm render it a feast
to the eye—and its aptitude for every species of
culture, highly recommend it to the agricultur-
ist. There is a great number of elegant coun-
try seats around it, among which that of Col. [Colonel]
Meade claims a most distinguished place. The
venerable proprietor is above eighty five years
old, and has been married about 60 years. His
faculties do not appear impaired. His wife, near-
ly as old as he, is still living.

Lexington has a respectable Library, which
contains at present 5800 volumes, and is gradu-
ally increasing. It is open every afternoon ex-
cept Sunday.

The town contains nine churches: two Pres-
byterianm one Episcopalian, one Catholic, two
Methodist, one Baptist, one Unitarian, and one
African.

In the Transylvania University there are five
medical professors and one professor in law. In
the preparatory department, there is one tutor.
The academy, which is connected with the U-
niversity, is under the government of a president
and two professors.

The number of students in January last, was
203.

The College is an elegant and commodious
building. The Library contains a valuable col-
lection of historical, scientific, and miscellaneous
works, in various languages. The apparatus is
complete and excellent, and was imported from
the best maufactories in Europe. The build-
ing for the medical department is a handsome
brick edifice, well adapted for its purposes.
The library of this department, is an excellent
collection, of from 2500 to 3000 volumes, selec-
ted in Europe by Dr. Caldwell, despatched for
that special duty.

The Academical and Classical departments
have suffered considerably during the last year,
for want of a president and of funds; but the lat-
ter have been supplied by the exertions of some
public spirited citizens of Lexington, who are
determined to sustain the College. And there is
reason to believe that under the new president,
Mr. Woods, late of Providence, R. I., who com-
mences his career during the present month,
these departments will be revived and be placed
on as prosperous a foundation as the department
of medicine.

There is a literary society in the town, called
the Kentucky Institute, founded by the late Pre-
sident Holly; of which the members meet at
each other's housed months, in alphabetical or-
der.

The trade of Lexington is not quite so flou-
rishing as formerly. This arises chiefly from the
superior advantages afforded by steam naviga-
tion to Louisville and Cincinnati, which have
drawn off a portion of the trade that formerly
centered in Lexington. The major part of the
citizens of the south-western states, who former-
ly either sojourned in Lexington or passed thro'
it, during the sickly months, now direct their
steps to Cincinnati. This has cut off a source
of the prosperity of the former town.

In order to revive the trade and commerce of
Lexington, some of its public-spirited citizens
contemplate the formation of a society for the
promotion of internal improvement, similar to
that formed in this city, which gave such accel-
eration to the canal system in Pennsylvania —
The object is to disseminate, as widely as possi-
ble, essays calculated to arouse the citizens ge-
nerally to the necessity of facilitating the com-
munication between the different parts of the
state, so as to act upon the Legislature, and im-
pel them to adopt efficient measures for the pur-
pose. The scarcity of water debars Kentucky
from the prospect of ever enjoying the advan-
tage of canals, except on a very contracted
scale.

A rail road is contemplated from Lexington
to Louisville or Cincinnati, or perhaps ultimate-
ly to both. This measure would be transcend-
ently important to Lexington, and not only pre-
vent any further diminution of ???, but
would generally enhance it, and pay a noble in-
terest to the undertakers.

Lexington, however, enjoys advantages of
which she can never be deprived. She has num-
bers of most important manufactures, unfailing
sources of wealth and prosperity.

There are in the town, ten manufactories of
cotton bagging and bale rope, in which 500 peo-
ple are employed, of whom not more than two
per cent. are white. There are in other parts
of the state as many more. The annual produce
is nearly one million of yards of cotton bagging,
and 2,000,000 lbs. of bale rope, besides large
quantities of twine and yarns.

There are ten cotton manufactories, some of
them on a large and respectable scale. The
Fayette factory, near the town, spins weekly
between 4 and 5000 dozen cotton, and has re-
cently put up looms to make about 50 pieces of
muslin, 30 yards each, per week, Mr. James
Weir's cotton factory works up about 250 bales
of cotton per annum. There are three woollen
manufactories.

The Lexington white and red lead manufac-
turing company, manufactures annually from 80
to 100,000 lbs. of white, and about 10,000 lbs.
of red lead. The stock is about $60,000, and
the dividends are about 8 per cent per annum.

Besides these manufactories, there is a great
number of other establishments, embracing
nearly all the varieties of employments that con-
duce to human comfort or security—grist mills,
paper mills, breweries of beer and porter, rope
walks, distilleries, founderies, manufactories of
nails, &c. &c. &c. In the neighbourhood of
Lexington, about 2000 tons of hemp are raised
annually. The culture has greatly increased of