Conftitution and Courts of Jufice.

THE fupreme executive power is vefted in a governor and the le

giflative power in a general affembly, which confifts in a fenate and house of reprefentatives. The governor holds his office during three years, and is allo commander in chief over the army and navy of this flate. The reprefentatives are chofen annually. Every freeman of the age of twenty-one years, having refided in the ftate two years before the election, and within that time paid a ftate or county tax, fhall enjoy the rights of an elector; provided that the fons of perfons qualified as aforefaid, between the ages of twenty-one and twenty-two years, fhall be entitled to vote although they fhall not have paid taxes.

The judicial power is vefted in a fupreme court, in courts of oyer and terminer and general gaol delivery, in a court of common pleas, orphans court, regifters courts, and a court of quarter feffions of the peace for each county, and in jullices of the peace.

The conflitution of this ftate exprefsly declares

“That all men are born equally free and independent, and have certain inherent and indefeafible rights, among which are thofe of enjoying and defending life and liberty, of acquiring, poflefling, and protecting property and reputation, and of purfuing their own happiness.

That all power is inherent in the people; and all free governments are founded on their authority, and infiituted for their peace, fafety and happinefs. For the advancement of thofe ends, they have, at all times, an unalienable and indefeasible right to alter, reform, or abolish their government, in fuch manner as they may think proper.

That all men have a natural and indefeasible right to worship Almighty God according to the dictates of their own confciences; that no man can, of right, be compelled to attend, erect, or fupport any place of worship, or to maintain any miniftry, against his confent; that no human authority can, in any cafe whatever, control or interfere with the rights of confcience; and that no preference fhall ever be given, by law, to any religious eflablishments or modes of worship.

That no perion, who acknowledges the being of a God, and a future flate of rewards and punishments, fhall, on account of his religious fentiments, be difqualified to hold any office or place of truft or profit under this commonwealth.

That elections fhall be free and equal.

That trial by jury fhall be as heretofore, and the right thereof remain inviolate.

That the printing preffes fhall be free to every perfon, who undertakes to examine the proceedings of the legiilature or any branch of government; and no law fhall ever be made to refrain the right thereof. The free communication of thoughts and opinions is one of the invaluable rights of man; and every citizen may ficely fpeak, write, and print on any fubject, being refponfible for the abufe of that liberty. In profecutions for the publication of papers, invefligating the official conduct of officers, or men in a public capacity, or where the matter published is proper for public information, the truth thereof may be given in evidence. And, in all indictments for libels, the jury fhall have a right to determine the law and the facts, under the direction of the court, as in other cafes.

That the people fhall be fecure in their perfons, houfes papers and poffef fons, from unreasonable searches and feizures; and that no warrant to fearch any place, or to feize any perfon or things, fhall iffue without defcribing them as nearly as may be, nor without probable caufe, fupported by oath or affirmation.

The benefit of the clergy is forever abolished.”

SUCH is the prefent happy fituation of this ftate, population encreafing, commerce and manufactures flourishing, agriculture in a high ftate of perfec tion and daily extending, arts and fciences improving, and taile, literature and education making progrefs; but it is not alone to thofe phyfical advantages that Pennfylvania owes her profperity. It is to the induftry of the Germans in agriculture; it is to the manners of the inhabitants; it is to the univerfal tolerance which reigned there from the biginning; it is to the fimplicity, @conomy, induftry, and perfeverence of the quakers, which centering in two points, agriculture and commerce, have carried them to a greater perfection than they have attained among other fects. The cabin of a fimple cultivator gives birth to more children than a gilded palace; and lels of the perif in infancy.

THIS

CHA P. XIV.

STATE OF DELAWARE.

Situation, Extent, &c.

HIS flate is situated between 38° oo', and 40° north latitude, and o° and 1° 45' welt longitude. It is ninety-two miles long, and twenty-four miles broad. It is bounded on the caft, by the river and bay of the fame name, and the Atlantic ocean; on the fouth by a line from Fenwick's Ifland, in latitude 32° 29' 30", drawn weft till it interfects what is commonly called the tangent line, dividing it from the ftate of Maryland; on the weft, by the faid tangent line, paffing northward up the peninfula, till it touches the weltern part of the territorial circle; and thence on the north, by the faid circle, defcribed with a radius of twelve miles about the town of New-caftle. It is divided into three counties, Neweafile, Kent, rnd Suffex, containining about eighty thousand inhabitants. This fate appears to have derived its name from Lord Delaware, who completed the fettlement of Virginia.

Face of the Country, Soil and Productions.

THE flate of Delaware, the upper parts of the county of New

caftle excepted, is, to fpeak generally, extremely low and level. Large quantities of ftagnant water, at particular feafons of the year, overfpreading a great proportion of the land, render it equally unfit for the purposes of agriculture, and injurious to the health of the inhabitants. The fpine or highe ridge of the peninfula, runs through the ftate of Delaware, inclined to the eaftern or Delaware fide. It is defignated in Suffex, Kent, and part of New-caftle county, by a remarkable chain of fwamps, from which the waters defcend on each fide, paffing on the eaft to the Delaware, and on the weft by the Chefapeak. Many of the fhrubs and plants growing in thefe fwamps are fimilar to thofe found on the highest mountains.

Delaware is chiefly an agricultural flate. It includes a very fertile tract of country and fcarcely any part of the Union can be felected more adapted to the different purposes of agriculture, or in which a greater variety of the moft ufeful productions can be fo conveniently and plentifully reared. The foil along the Delaware river, and from eight to ten miles into the interior country, is generally a rich clay, producing large timber, and well adapted to the various purpofes of agriculture. From thence to the fwamps above mentioned the foil is light, fandy and of an inferior quality.

The eaftern fide of the flate is indented with a large number of creeks, or fmall rivers, which generally have a fhort courfe, numerous fhoals, and foft banks fkirted with very extenfive marfhes, and empty into the river and bay of Delaware. In the fouthern and western parts of this ftate fpring the head waters of Pecomoke, Wicomico, Nanticoke, Choptank, Chefer, Saffa fras, and Bohemia rivers, all falling into Chefapeak bay, and fome of them navigable twenty or thirty miles into the country, for veffels of fifty or fixty tons.

No. 26.

The county of Suffex, befides producing a confiderable quantity of grain particularly of Indian corn, poffelles excellent grazing lands. This country alfo exports very large quantities of lumber, obtained chiefly from an extenfive fwamp, called the Indian river or Cyprus Swamp, lying partly within this State, and partly in the ftate of Maryland. This morafs extends fix miles from eaft to weft, and nearly twelve from north to fouth, including an area of nearly fifty thousand acres of land. The whole of this swamp is a high and level bafon, very wet, though undoubtedly the higheft land between the fea and the bay, whence the Pocomoke defcends on one fide, and Indian river and St. Martin's on the other. This fwamp contains a great variety of plants, trees, wild beafls, birds, and reptiles.

In the county of Suffex, among the branches of the Nanticoke river, large quantities of bog iron ore are to be found. Before the revolution, this ore was worked to a confiderable extent; it was thought to be of a good quality, and peculiarly adapted to the purposes of caftings. Thefe works have chiefly fallen into decay.

DOVER,

Chief Towns.

OVER, in the county of Kent, is the feat of gvernment. It flands on Jone's creek, a few miles from the Delaware river, and confifls of about one hundred houfes, principally of brick. Four fireets interfect each other at right angles, whofe incidencies form a fpacious parade, on the eaft fide of which is an elegant ftate-house of brick. The town has a lively appearance, and drives on a confiderable trade with Philadelphia. Wheat is the principal article of export The landing is five or fix miles from the town of Dover, feventy-fix miles fouth west of Philadelphia, north latitude, 89 deg. 10' weft longitude 75 deg. 34'

New-caftle, this town is thirty-five miles below Philadelphia, on the weft bank of the Delaware river. It was first fettled by the Swedes, about the year 1627, and called Stockholm; it was afterwards taken by the Dutch, and called New-Amfterdam. When it fell into the hands of the English, it was called by its prefent name. It contains about fixty houses, which have the afpect of decay; it was formerly the feat of government, and was the firft town fettled on Delaware river.

Wilmington is fituated a mile and a half weft of Delaware river, on Chriftiana creek, twenty-eight miles fouthward of Philadelphia. It is much the largest and pleatanteft town in the flate, containing upwards of four hundred houses, which, are haudfomely built upon the gentle afcent of an eminence, and fhow to great advantage as you fail up the Delaware; it contains about two thousand four hundred inhabitants. In this town are two Prefbyterian churches, a Swedish Epifcopal church, a Baptift, and a Quaker meeting, and a few Methodists. There is alfo a flourishing academy of about forty or fifty scholars, who are taught the languages, and fome of the sciences. This academy, in proper time is intended to be erected into a college.

Milford is fituated at the fource of a finall river, fifteen miles from Delaware hay, and one hundred and fifty fouthward of Phizadelphia. This town, which contains about eighty houfes, has been built, except one house, fince the revolution; it is laid out with much good tafte, and is by ng means difagreeable. The inhabitants are Epifcopalians, Quakers, and Methadifts.

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Xx

Duck creek cross Roads is twelve miles north-west from Dover, and has eighty or ninety houses, which fland on one freet. It carries on a confiderable trade with Phizadelphia, and is one of the largest wheat markets in the flate. Kent is alfo a a place of confiderable trade.

Lewis is fituated a few miles above the light-houfe on Cape Henlopen : it contains about one hundred and fifty houfes, built chiefly on a street, which is more than three miles in length, and extending along a creek which feparates the town from the pitch of the cape. The fituation is high, and commands a full profpect of the light-houfe and the fea. The court houfe and gaol are commodious buildings, and give an air of importance to the town. The fituation of this place muft at fome future time render it confiderably important. Placed at the entrance of a bay, which is crowded with veffels from all parts of the world, and which is frequently clofed with ice a part of the winter season, neceffity feems to require, and nature seems to fuggeft, the forming this port into a harbour for fhipping. Nothing has prevented this heretofore but the deficiency of water in the creek. This want can be cheaply and eafily fupplied by a fmall canal, fo as to afford a paffage for the waters of Rehoboth into Lewis creek, which would enfure an adequate fupply. The circumjacent country is beautifully diverfified with hills, woods, ftreams, and lakes, forming an agreeable contraft to the naked beach, which terminates in the cape; but it is greatly infefted with mufketoes and fand flies.

Religion.

IN this flate there is a variety of religious denominations. Of the

Prefbyterian feet, there are twenty-four churches; of the Epifcopal, fourteen; of the Baptift, feven; of the Methodist, a confiderable number, efpecially in the two lower counties of Kent and Suffex, the number of their churches is not exactly ascertained. Befides thefe, there is a Swedish church at Wilmington, which is one of the oldeft churches in the United States. With refpect to the character of the people of this flate, there is no obvious diftinction between them and the Pennfylvanians.

Trade and Manufactures.

WE have already mentioned wheat as the ftaple commodity of

this flate. This is manufactured into flour and exported in large quantities. The exports from the port of Wilmington, where a number of fquare-rigged veffels are owned, for the year 1786, in the article of flour, was twenty thoufand feven hundred and eighty-three barrels fuperfine; four hundred and fifty-feven ditto common; two hundred and fifty-fix ditto midlings ; and three hundred and forty-fix ditto fhip fluff. The manufacture of flour is carried to a higher degree of perfection in this state, than in any others in the Union. Befides the well-conftructed mills on Red Clay and White Clay creeks, and other ftreams in different parts of the state, the celebrated collection of mills at Brandywine merit a particular defcription. Here are to be feen at one view, twelve merchant mills (befides a faw-mill) which have double that number of pairs of ftones, all of fuperior dimenfions, and excellent conftruction. Thefe mills are three miles from the mouth of the creeks on which they ftand, half a mile from Wilmington, and twenty-feven from Philadelphia; on the poll road from the eastern to the fouthern flates. They

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