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to enter upon an otherwife unprofitable defcription of battles or fieges; we leave this to the pen of the hiftorian, whofe object is to furnish a minute detail of every occurring circumftance, and only obferve in general, that the many military atchievments performed by the Jerfey foldiers, give this flate one of the first ranks among her fifters in a military view, and entitle her to a fhare of praife in the accomplishment of the late glorious revolution that bears no proportion to her fize.

CHA P. XIII.

STATE OF PENNSYLVANIA.

Situation, Boundaries, Population, &c.

THIS State, which is one of the most important in the American

Union, is fituated between 0° 20' East and 50° Weft longitude; and between 39° 43 and 4.2° North latitude. Its length is 288 miles and its breadth 156, bounded E. by Delaware river, which feparates it from New-Jersey: N. by New-York, and a territory of about two hundred and two thousand acres on Lake Erie, purchased of congrefs by this State; N. Weft by a part of Lake Erie, where there is a good poft; W. by the Western territory; and a part of Virginia, S. by a part of Virginia, Maryland and Delaware. The ftate lies in the form of a parrallelogram, containing 44,900 fquare miles and about 450,000 inhabitants. It is divided into twenty-three counties, viz. Philadelphia, Chefler, Delaware, Bucks, Montgomery, Berks, Lancaster, Dauphin, Northampton, Luzerne, York, Cumberland, Northumberland, Franklin, Bedford, Huntingdon, Mifflin, Weftmoreland, Somerfet, Fayette, Washington, Alleghany and Lycoming.

Chief Towns

THE city of Philadelphia capital of this State, and the prefent

feat of government of the United States of America, lies in latitude 39° 56′ N. and long. 75° 8' 45" W. from Greenwich, upon the Weilern bank of the river Delaware, which is here about a mile in breadth, about 120 miles from the ocean. It was laid out by W. Penn the firft proprietary and founder of the province in the year 1683. The ground plot on the Delaware front, occupies a fpace near three miles in length North and South, and in the middle the buildings where they are moft extended reach a mile from the Dehware. It is interfected by a number of flreets at right angles with each other, forming one hundred and eighty four fquares of lots for buildings. The city is governed by a Mayor, Recorder, Aldermen and Common Council

men.

There is not perhaps in the world a more liberal plan of city government : every clafs of citizens have an opportunity of reprefenting and being reprefented. The body is fufficiently numerous to contain fome of every defcrip tion, and of every fpecies of talents and information neceffary for deliberation and execution, and yet not fo large as to be incumbered with its own weight it poffelles the powers of legiflation and taxation in all cafes neceffary for the well-governing and improving the city, except in contradition to atis of the Vol. IV.

Ti

General Affembly; and from the many improvements already introduced, there is reafon to hope that its police will be equal to that of any modern City.

A city court is held by the mayor, recorder, and aldermen four times in a year, and holds cognizance of all crimes and misdemeanors committed within the city.

A court of aldermen, having cognizance of debts above forty fhillings, and not exceeding ten pounds, is held every week, beginning on Monday smorning, and fitting by adjournments until the bufinefs of the week is finished.

Each alderman has feparate cognizance of debts under forty fhillings.

The number of inhabitants within the city and suburbs, including the diftrict of Southwark and the compactly built part of the Northern liberties, which, to every purpose but as to their government, are confidered as parts 17, of the city, is between 70 and 80,000.

The Swedish Lutherans,

The houses for public worship are numerous, and are as follows:
The Friends or Quakers, have 5*
The Prefbyterians and Seceders 6
The Epifcopalians,
The German Lutherans,

The Moravians,

1

3

The Baptifts,

1

2

The Univerfal Baptifts,

I

The Methodists

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The Jews,

The other public buildings in the city, befides the university and college,

are the following:

A flate house and offices,

Two city court houses,

A county court house,
A carpenters hall,

A philofophical fociety's hall,

A difpenfary,

Hofpitals, and offices,

An alms houfe,

Two incorporated banks,

A house of correction,

A dramatic theatre,

public obfervatory,

A medical theatre and elaboratory,
Three brick market houses,

A fish market,

A public gaol, &c.

The ftate houfe is in Chefnut Street, between Fifth and Sixth freets, and was erected as early as 1735. The building is rather magnificent than elegant, but when it is remembered that it was built within fifty-three years after the first European cabin was erected in Pennsylvania, its architecture is juftly admired. The State houfe yard is a neat, elegant, and fpacious public walk, ornamented with rows of trees; but a high brick wall, which encloses it, limits the profpect.

In 1987, an elegant Court houfe was erected on the left of the State house; and on the right, the town hall or new Court houfe, and a philofophical hall. These add much to the beauty of the fquare.

South of the State house is the public gaol, built of flone. It has a ground half story, and two flories above it. Every apartment is arched with ftone against fire and force. It is a hollow fquare, one hundred feet in front, and is the neatest and most fecure building of the kind in America. To the gaot is annexed a work houfe, with yards to each, to feparate the fexes, and criminals from debtors. There have lately been added apartments in the yards for

One of these houfes is for thofe Quakers who took up arms in defence of their country in the late war, contrary to the established principles of the Friends. They call themfelves Free Quakers.

This is the oldest church in or near the city, and has lately been annexed to the Epifcopalian order.

folitary confinement of criminals according to the new penal code. Of four thousand and fixty debtors, and four thoufand criminals, in the whole eight Moufand and fixty who were confined in this new gaol, between the 28th of September, 1780, and the fifth of September, 1790, twelve only died a naral death in the gaol.

The hofpital and poor houfe, in which are upwards of three hundred poor people, whether we confider the buildings, or the defigns for which they were erected, are unrivalled in America.

The market houfe in High Street is acknowledged by Europeans to exceed any thing they have feen of the kind; it is one thousand five hundred feet in length, and in the extent, neatnefs, variety and abundance of provifions, is not equalled in America. There are two others at different parts of the city, which do honour to the citizens and their police.

The city is provided with a number of public and private charitable inflitutions; the principal of which are, the houfe of employment, a large commodious building, where the poor of the city and fome adjoining townfhips are fupported and employed in coarfe manufactures to aid in defraying their expenfes, under the care of the overfeers and guardians of the poor, who are 2 corporate body created for this purpose by aft of Affembly, with power to lay taxes for its farther fupport.

The Pennfylvania hofpital.

The Quakers' alms houfe is fupported by that fociety for the ufe of their own poor; it is divided into a number of feparate houfes and rooms for fami lies or fingle perfons who have fallen into decay; most of them contribute by their induflry towards their own fupport, but are fupplied with whatever their industry falls fhort of procuring, by a committee of the fociety, and live more comfortably than many who in full health, and unhurt by accident, provide for their own fubfiflence; there is a confiderable garden belonging to this houfe, from which the city is fupplied, at very moderate prices, with every kind of medicinal herbs common to the climate.

The hofpital for lunaticks is a fine elegant building, and well kept; it has a library, in which there is an elegant buft of Franklin. The hall on the first floor is appropriated to fick men, and the fecond floor to women. The lunatics have each a cell furnished with a bed and table, and a flove for the conveniency or warming the cell in winter.

A houfe founded by the late Dr. John Hearfley the elder, for the fupport of twelve elderly widows of the Proteftant Epifcopal communion, in which a number of perfons of that defcription, who have feen better days are very comfortably and decently provided for.

The humane fociety for recovering perfons fuppofed to be dead by drowning, eftablished upon fimilar principles with thofe of the fame name in mot ica ports in Europe: it is under the care of twelve managers, annually chofen by the fubfcribers; the phyficians afford their aid to this inflitution gratis, a number of thefe being appointed for the purpofe by the managers.

Almoft every religious fociety has a fund under proper direction, fome of which are incorporated for the relief of the widows and children of their clergy, or other diftreffed members of their communion.

There are allo societies formed for the relief of particular descriptions of perfons, with funds raifed by fubfcriptions otherwife, for the purpose, fuch as the fea captains fociety, the Delaware pilots fociety, feparate focieties for the relief and alliance of emigrants and other diftrelled perfons, from England, Scotland, Ireland, Germany, &c, fome of which are incorpo

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