chasers covenanted to have the release enrolled within six months after the establishment of a registry in the Province.

As a rule, in the releases dated prior to Penn's first visit to America, and in some dated while he remained there, it was stipulated that the land should be laid out according to the Conditions and Concesssions under date of July 11, 1681, agreed upon between Penn and "the adventurers and purchasers." The latter, including those who by Penn's releases were made parties to said agreement, are known as "the first purchasers." The Conditions and Concessions required the establishment of public highways and streets before the allotment of particular lands to the respective purchasers, and provided that in the allotment two per cent of each purchase, if the ground permitted, should be within the great town or city contemplated as a capital, and ninety-eight per cent in the rural district. When such a city was decided to be impracticable, a district was set apart as the city's "liberties" to contain the two per cent, and the city proper took the small dimensions which it kept until 1854, viz: from the north side of Vine to the south side of South street, and from the Delaware to the Schuylkill. Penn gave to the holders of liberty land city lots proportionate in value and in addition thereto; but he did not divide the whole city of even nine tenths of it among these purchasers. The lots conveyed to them, like those sold later were subjected to a quit rent of appropriate amount, which thus increased what the first purchasers had agreed to pay for land partly in the great town and partly in the country. By some general assent like that obtained in "the sense of the meeting," this was arranged after Penn had made the city lots larger than he laid them out at first.

The name Philadelphia, which Penn gave to the city, had been rather a usual one for certain religious soci

eties or an ideal community from its signification, "brotherly love": and the fashion, rather than Penn's being struck by the name in reading the Bible, probably induced his choice. Penn's city was laid out before Aug. 16, 1683, the plan being described in the Short Advertisement or Account printed with Penn's letter of that date. Along the top of the bank on each river was the Front Street, called either Delaware Front or Schuylkill Front and from river to river was a street one hundred feet wide called High, while at right angles with it, and midway between the two rivers, was another street one hundred feet wide. Streets fifty feet wide were projected parallel with one or other of the aforesaid wide streets. Upon the intersection of the wide streets was placed a public square, described as ten acres, for public buildings, while four other pieces of ground were left open as public parks like the Moorfields of London. The great difference from the present arrangement of the principal streets was in there being twenty-three streets running north and south instead of the present twenty-two in the same space, and in the Broad Street of those running north and south being the twelfth from either river. The lots on each of said Front Streets ran back to the second street from the river, but the lots on High Street did not run as far as the next street north or south. All these lots or an undivided share therein were given to the purchasers of 1000 acres or more. The Society of Traders took a strip from Delaware Front to Schuylkill Front, causing the elevated ground over which it extended about Delaware 2nd and Pine to be known as "Society Hill." Along the back streets were the lots for those who had purchased less than 1000 acres. Hardly had the scheme of streets and parks been adopted, and Holme's map of the province showing this been published, before the width of Delaware 12th street was changed. The patent dated Aug. 3, 1692, to the Society of Traders,

reciting a resurvey, gives the property from Delaware Front, on which it extended from Spruce to Pine, thence along Spruce and Pine 320 ft., and, narrowing on the north to the width of 366 ft., and of that width, to Schuylkill Front, bounded on the south by Pine, and this patent described the block between the 2nd and 3rd streets from each river as 495 ft., and all the other blocks as 396 ft., except that between Delaware 13th and Broad, which block was 520 ft., the west side of Broad being 396 ft. from the east side of Schuylkill 8th. Probably the moving of the northwestern and southwestern parks about two blocks westward was contemporaneous with the aforesaid rearrangement of streets.

The bank of the Delaware from high water mark to Front Street was intended to be left unoccupied except by wharves, Penn leasing in 1684 for fifty years a lot to Samuel Carpenter for the latter purpose. However, some of the caves had been extended and roofed, and it took some time to make the cave-dwellers go away; after one or two had made terms to retain the better specimens of such structures, "bank lots," as they were called, began to be granted in fee, the buildings thereon being restricted to a height not obstructing the view from the western side of Front Street. The quit rent for a bank lot was not, like the other quit rents, to remain fixed, but was to be increased at the end of every period of fifty-one years to one third of the rental value as then ascertained by an appraisement.

A large part of the city remained unsold until the divesting of the Penn estates, when the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania began disposing of the lots not taken up, in many cases whole blocks. The quit rents on city lots, like those on rural property not within the Proprietary manors, were abolished by the Divesting Act, as will be mentioned.

In the rural district of the Province, according to the aforesaid Conditions of 1681, any persons whose

combined purchases amounted to 5000 or 10,000 acres could have their plantations placed side by side as a township, and if possible on harbors or navigable rivers, and the list dated 3, 22, 1682, arranged the purchasers in groups of 10,000 acres; but the map of the lots as placed, probably with the consent of the purchasers who had arrived, does not correspond with this, although showing a division into townships.

A general warrant was issued by Penn under the date, 3, 22, 1682, to Thomas Holme, the Surveyor-General, to survey the lots for the purchasers in the list of that date. He accordingly cut up the available land outside of the city and Liberties, so as to place the tracts containing ninety-eight per cent of every purchase. The location was adhered to when these first purchasers or their representatives came to seat themselves, except as they exchanged their locations, or incurred forfeiture under the Conditions, or the boundaries were altered after ascertainment that they gave too many acres. Holme's map of Pennsylvania, after he had inserted tracts not in the first list given to him, but sold since, was printed in 1687.

In 1690, Penn issued a circular for the sale of the region along the eastern side of the Susquehanna, free of Indian title, and with a proportionate lot in a city to be built on that river. The project, although once or twice revived, never was carried through.

Except for the lots in the first list given to Holme, Markham, who was authorized to set out, survey, rent, or sell lands, and the Commissioners who were intrusted with laying out the city, and afterwards Penn himself and his successors and his or their authorized agents issued a special warrant to the Surveyor-General, or, if there was none, to a county surveyor, to survey in a particular place each lot agreed for. This warrant, which was as to many lots the second document necessary for a good title, was in many cases the

first, the later Penns and their agents not executing deeds of lease and release. The warrant was duly returned with a description as ascertained by survey.

The patent, or deed poll of confirmation made letters patent, was signed in the absence of the Proprietary by Commissioners duly appointed by him, or, when there were none, then usually by the Lieutenant-Governor under a general letter of attorney authorizing him to make grants on the terms, methods, rents, and reservations used in the Land Office. The necessity for delivery of possession, or "livery of seisin," had been obviated. The patent otherwise followed feudal forms. The land was to be held of the Proprietary and his heirs and assigns as of a certain manor; what was within or adjoining Philadelphia or its Liberties, for instance, being granted to be held as of the manor of Springettsbury. The tenure was to be by fealty. The quit rent was expressed.

When William Penn departed from Pennsylvania, at the end of his first visit, he commissioned Thomas Lloyd, Robert Turner, and James Claypoole to grant warrants, and issue patents. Lloyd and Turner will be often mentioned in this book. James Claypoole had been a merchant in London. He was brother of the John Claypoole who married Oliver Cromwell's daughter. On 11mo. 21, 1686, Markham, then Secretary of the Province and Proprietary's secretary, was commissioned with Thomas Ellis and John Goodson to exercise those powers. An order, dated three days later, required any two of them to dispose of any tracts in Pennsylvania already taken up, but lying vacant and unseated, and most likely to give cause of discouragement to those ready to seat the same. Certain exceptions and time of grace were allowed in executing this.

A very annoying right was retained by the Proprietary so long as a patent had not been issued, viz: that of correcting wrong measurements; and this was de