ay 27, 1818; and the _Shawnee Chief_, at
Shawneetown.(321) In 1816 the citizens of Shawneetown gave notice through
the papers of Kaskaskia, Frankfort, Kentucky, and Nashville, Tennessee,
that they would apply to the Legislature of Illinois for the establishment
of a bank.(322) This may indicate that the papers of the places named had
a considerable circulation in Illinois.

The character of the immigrants left much to be desired. A good observer
wrote: "After residing awhile in White County, Tennessee, I migrated in
May, 1817, to the southern part of the then Territory of Illinois, and
settled in Madison County, twenty-five miles east of St. Louis, which town
then contained about five thousand inhabitants. The surrounding country,
however, was quite sparsely settled, and destitute of any energy or
enterprise among the people; their labors and attention being chiefly
confined to the hunting of game, which then abounded, and tilling a small
patch of corn for bread, relying on game for the remaining supplies of the
table. The inhabitants were of the most generous and hospitable character,
and were principally from the southern states; harmony and the utmost good
feeling prevailed throughout the country."(323) Naturally this description
was not of universal application, but the source of the population and the
reasons for removing from the old homes make it probable that it was
widely appropriate.

If it was difficult for an emigrant to reach Illinois, and if, after
reaching it, he was inconvenienced by the poor facilities for commerce,
the bad roads, the infrequency of mails, the scarcity of schools and
churches, he at least found it easy to obtain a living, and to some of the
immigrants of the territorial period it was worth something not to starve,
even though living was reduced to its lowest terms. The poorest immigrant
had access to land on the borders of settlement, because the laws against
squatting were not enforced. This same class could procure game in
abundance, while maple sugar, wild honey, persimmons, crabapples, nuts,
pawpaws, wild grapes, wild plums, fish, mushrooms, "greens," berries of
several kinds, and other palatable natural products known to the Illinois
frontiersman, were to be had in most, if not all, of the localities then
settled. Hogs fattened on the mast. Log houses could be built without
nails. The problem of clothing was probably more difficult at first than
that of food, but although clothing