The English settlers in the United States, therefore, early perceived that they were divided into a great number of small and distinct communities which belonged to no common centre; and that it was needful for each of these little communities to take care of its own affairs, since there did not appear to be any central authority which was naturally bound and easily enabled to provide for them.
— from Democracy in America — Volume 1 by Alexis de Tocqueville

It is in truth a fairy grotto; a countless number of Stalactites are seen extending, at irregular distances, from the roof to the floor, of various sizes and of the most fantastic shapes—some quite straight, some crooked, some large and hollow—forming irregularly fluted columns; and some solid near the ceiling, and divided lower down, into a great number of small branches like the roots of trees; exhibiting the appearance of a coral grove.
— from Rambles in the Mammoth Cave, during the Year 1844 By a Visiter by Alexander Clark Bullitt

Both of these, but particularly the marsh rice, is divided into a great number of sub-varieties, characterised by being awned or otherwise, having a long or round grain, or being in color black, red, or white.
— from The Commercial Products of the Vegetable Kingdom Considered in Their Various Uses to Man and in Their Relation to the Arts and Manufactures; Forming a Practical Treatise & Handbook of Reference for the Colonist, Manufacturer, Merchant, and Consumer, on the Cultivation, Preparation for Shipment, and Commercial Value, &c. of the Various Substances Obtained From Trees and Plants, Entering into the Husbandry of Tropical and Sub-tropical Regions, &c. by P. L. (Peter Lund) Simmonds

Tigre and Amhara constitute one kingdom, and Shoa another; they are all divided into a great number of smaller provinces.
— from Alden's Handy Atlas of the World Including One Hundred and Thirty-eight Colored Maps, Diagrams, Tables, Etc. by John B. (John Berry) Alden

None of them had a sovereign or chief magistrate; they were divided into a great number of small villages, containing from fifty to one hundred families, each governed by a chief, who was chosen for his wisdom and his deeds in arms.
— from Embassy to the Eastern Courts of Cochin-China, Siam, and Muscat In the U. S. Sloop-of-war Peacock, David Geisinger, Commander, During the Years 1832-3-4 by Edmund Roberts

In the early days, before the institution of slavery had assumed its subsequent gigantic proportions, resulting in the concentration of great landed estates in the hands of a few wealthy slave-owners, Adams county was divided into a great number of small farms, owned by white settlers.
— from Publications of the Mississippi Historical Society, Volume 02 (of 14), 1899 by Mississippi Historical Society

Again, science has in the course of its growth become divided into a great number of small specialties, each pursued ardently by its own votaries.
— from Facts and fancies in modern science Studies of the relations of science to prevalent speculations and religious belief by Dawson, John William, Sir

By these canals the ground on which the city stands is divided into a great number of small islands, united together by bridges.
— from Ten Great Events in History by James Johonnot

378 Ants are divided into a great number of species, which have been carefully described by De Geer, Latreille, and Francis Huber, the son of the celebrated blind man who wrote the history of bees.
— from The Insect World Being a Popular Account of the Orders of Insects; Together with a Description of the Habits and Economy of Some of the Most Interesting Species by Louis Figuier

And let not every man sit down in a general notion of sin, but unbowel it until you see uncleanness, go up to the fountain head, original corruption, go down to all the streams, even the iniquity of holy things.
— from The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning by Hugh Binning