About one-fifth part of the county is river bottoms, which have a very rich soil. A small portion of the residue is hilly, but it has mostly an undulating or rolling surface, and the soil is not of a rich quality. The bottoms supply immense quantities of corn for exportation, estimated at 600,000 bushels annually, from Evansville alone; and wheat, oats, hay, various kinds of marketing, and hogs, cattle and horses are exported from the county to the value of $750,000 annually, though other interior counties contribute largely to this amount. The trade of Evansville is very large, and will be immensely increased by the completion of the Wabash and Erie Canal, which will take place in about two years, and will then afford an interior navigation of 459 miles, there are in Vanderburgh County 10 grist and sawmills, of which four only are propelled by water, about 100 stores, groceries and warehouses, three printing offices, at each of which are issued daily papers, 15 lawyers, 16 physicians, 13 preachers of the Gospel, and a great variety of mechanical and manufacturing laborers, encouraged by the abundance of coal in the vicinity, and the demand of a large region of productive country which comes here for its supply. In attempting to bore for salt water near Evansville a valuable medicinal spring has been discovered, which is now much visited by valetudinarians. Vanderburgh County has 31 district and six private schools, at which 2,767 students attend. The taxable land amounts to 137,019 acres.