Lafayette, the Seat of Justice for Tippecanoe County, is situated near the center of the county, on the east bank of the Wabash, and on the Wabash and Erie Canal, in latitude 40 deg. 25 min. north, and longitude 9 deg. 47 min. west. William Digby first laid out Lafayette in 1825, and among the first settlers were Reuben Kelsey, Samuel Sargent, J. Davidson, S. Richardson, Wm. Smith, J. Stansbury, H. Haydon, R. Mason and Dr. J. Hamilton. In the fall of 1826, in addition to the above, there were J. Brockman, Mrs. Wyman and Dr. O. L. Clark. Digby had bought the town site at the United States land sale, at a little more than Congress price, but after the town was laid off, and before the county seat was located, he sold the entire plat to Messrs. Elston, Wilson, Powers and Sargent, the three former residing at Crawfordsville. Since that time the progress of improvement in the town has been steady and rapid, and it is now reckoned the fourth city in the State, in regard to population, and as to the wheat and flour business, the first. In 1840 it contained 1,700, in 1843, 2,600, in 1846, 4,500, and at this time [1849] about 6,000 inhabitants. There are in Lafayette twenty-seven dry goods stores, nine clothing stores, one millinery and fancy store, four hat stores, six drug stores, four book stores, nineteen grocery and provision stores, three grocery and liquor stores, two boot, shoe and leather stores, and twelve warehouses. There are also three printing offices, two paper mills, two packing houses, two slaughter houses, two foundries, one tannery, 1,085 houses, of which 188 are brick and 897 of wood. The means for education are a County Seminary, in which there are usually 130 students, four select schools with 317 scholars, and one district school with 50 scholars. The other public buildings are a Courthouse, which cost $20,000, a Banking house for the Branch of the State Bank, cost, $15,000, and Churches, mostly very fine buildings, for the Methodists, Baptists, Episcopalians, and the Associate Reformed. The situation of Lafayette is a very fine one, the ground rising both above and below, and the neighboring hills presenting much delightful scenery. It is also surrounded by an extensive body of land, which is not excelled in fertility by any part of the western country, and it abounds with streams of water, which afford much valuable water power. Lafayette is 61 miles northwest of Indianapolis, forty-two east of Logansport, twenty-eight north of Crawfordsville, ninety south of Michigan City, 123 southeast of Chicago, and 200 east northeast of Springfield, Illinois.