Illinois as a landowner sometimes mingled church and state. The original proprietors of Alton having donated one hundred lots, one-half for the support of the gospel, and one-half for the support of a public school, the state vested the donated lots in the trustees of the town, upon its incorporation in 1821. A similar donation made by the proprietors of Mt. Carmel was confirmed in the same manner.(363) The Cumberland Presbyterians having built a church on a school section, the state provided that for ninety-nine years the building should be used as a schoolhouse also, the school being under the joint direction of the trustees of the township and the church society.(364) The receipts for public lands in 1828 and 1829, respectively, were: 1828 1829. Kaskaskia $ 4,639.82 $ 10,503.99 Shawneetown 7,250.28 16,058.79 Edwardsville 23,536.49 38,001.35 Vandalia 4,489.71 24,258.13 Palestine 25,671.62 59,026.81 Springfield 56,507.63 108,175.47 $122,095.55 $256,024.54(365) The receipts for 1828 were for 96,092.91 acres; of 1829, for 196,324.92 acres.(366) From October 1, 1829, to September 30, 1830, sales, receipts, and prices were: Acres. Average Price per Acre. Illinois 291,401.28 $364,369.87 $1.2504 Indiana 413,253.63 521,715.13 1.2624 Alabama 233,369.27 291,715.20 1.25 Missouri 182,929.63 228,748.12 1.2505 Michigan 106,201.28 132,751.68 1.25 Ohio 160,182.14 201,923.50 1.2606 Mississippi 103,795.61 130,475.87 1.257(367) The northward movement of population in Illinois is well indicated by the figures for 1828 and 1829. The Indian barrier was being pushed back, and the Sangamon country, with its land-office at Springfield, was a favorite place for settlement. The rapid increase in the amount of land sold is also striking. As the third decade of the century closed Indiana was the favorite place for frontier settlement. The sales of public lands in Ohio were diminishing. A prophetic glance would have seen that as the ever-shifting frontier passed westward Illinois was to overtake and then to far surpass Indiana in number of settlers.