WASHINGTON, a newly constituted territory of the United States of North America, having been detached from Oregon territory by Act of Congress in 1853. It forms the extreme N.W. portion of the territory of the United States, and is bounded on the N. by the British North American possessions, the line of boundary being 49. N. Lat., E. by the Rocky Mountains, which separate it from the Nebraska territory; S. by Oregon, from which it is separated by the Columbia River, and parallel 46. of N. Lat.; W. by the Pacific Ocean; and N.W. by the Strait of Juan de Fuca, &c., separating it from Vancouver Island. It lies between 45. 32. and 49. N. Lat., and 111. 54. and 124. 40. W. Long.; and is about 600 miles in length from E. to W., by about 230 in width from N. to S., the estimated area being 123,022 square miles. Comparatively little is yet known of this extensive country, except that in its general features it very much resembles the adjoining territory of Oregon. The coast line, however, is more broken, and the mountain ranges in general more scattered and irregular. Proceeding northward along the coast from the mouth of the Columbia River, which forms a large bay, bounded on the N. by Cape Disappointment, we come to Shoalwater Bay, a considerable sheet of water communicating with the Atlantic by a narrow mouth. North of this, in about parallel 47. of latitude, is Gray's Harbour, extending inland about 12 miles, and about 2½ miles across at its mouth, but afterwards attaining a width of 5 or 6 miles. From this point N. to Cape Flattery, which bounds the Strait of Juan de Fuca on the S., the coast is high and rocky, and but little indented. The Strait of Juan de Fuca is a vast arm of the sea, about 10 miles wide at its mouth, and about 100 miles deep. Extending southward from the head of this Strait into the territory of Washington for about 70 or 80 miles, are Admiralty Inlet, Puget's Sound, and Hood's Canal. These are of great extent, and form numerous islands, presenting a coast line of great length, with precipitous banks, so that vessels of the largest size can come close to the shore. The surface of the country is naturally divided into three regions—the western, or coast region, lying between the Cascade Mountains and the sea; the central region; and the eastern or Rocky Mountain region. The western region has a breadth of about 150 miles, and is much broken in the surface by offshoots of the Cascade Mountains. A coast chain extends parallel to the coast, west of Puget's Sound, and has its principal point Mount Olympus, upwards of 8000 feet high. Except where traversed by the coast chain, this region slopes generally to the west. It discharges numerous streams into Puget's Sound and the Columbia River, but only a few directly into the sea, and of these the principal is the Sawamish; the Chichalis falls into Gray's Harbour, and several small ones empty themselves into Shoalwater Bay. This is the only part of the territory with settled habitations, and the greater part of it is covered with magnificent forests of pine, fir, oak, ash, cedar, and other trees. Some portions of the soil are of great fertility, and the climate is mild and salubrious. The Cascade Range is much less elevated than the Rocky Mountains, but it has several lofty summits, as Adam's, St Helen's, Rainier, and Baker, one or more of which rise to the height of upwards of 13,000 feet. The central region, lying east of the Cascade Range, belongs to the basin of the Columbia, and comprises principally the great plain of the Columbia, a vast rolling prairie, nearly 200 miles in length by about 100 in extreme width. This region is for the most part dry and arid except near the rivers and streams, and but little fitted for cultivation. It is bounded eastward by the Cœur d'Alene Range, between which and the Rocky Mountains the surface consists of a succession of high mountains and elevated valleys, abounding in scenery of the wildest and most picturesque character. It is of course little suited for agriculture, but it contains spots of great fertility, and its lower parts are generally well wooded. The principal river of Washington is the Columbia, which receives all those lying E. of the Cascade Range. It is about 7 miles wide at its mouth, but has a sand-bar, which impedes the navigation, and renders it inaccessible to vessels of more than 10 or 12 feet draught. At the Cascade Mountains it forms a series of falls and rapids, which entirely obstruct the navigation. Its principal affluents in this territory are the Snake River or Lewis Fork, which belongs chiefly to Oregon territory, the Yakima, Okanagan, Spokane, and Clarke's Fork. There are a number of lakes in the interior and eastern regions, and some of them of considerable size. As yet little is known of the mineral resources of the territory. Coal has been found on the Chehalis and in the neighbourhood of Puget's Sound; and it is generally believed that the country is well supplied with the useful if not also with the precious metals. Agriculture is rapidly extending, though the rearing of horses and cattle is as yet the chief object of pursuit by the settlers. Wood being plentiful, the lumbering trade receives some degree of attention, especially in the neighbourhood of Puget's Sound; and the fisheries are actively carried on, salmon and other fish being remarkably plentiful here. The country abounds in game and wild animals, as deer, elk, otter, beaver, fox, bear, &c. which are hunted by the Indians for the Hudson's Bay Company. Washington, as a part of Oregon territory, comprised the two counties of Lewis and Clarke, and in 1850 contained 1201 inhabitants. In 1854, a local census ascertained the population to be 3965, and in 1857 it was estimated at 10,000.