Chapter II: Part 2

At night I took up my lodging with a grocer who was a quaker, and I met with very good honest people in this house, such as most people of this profession appeared to me, I and my Yungstrœm, the companion of my voyage, had a room, candles, beds, attendance, and three meals a day, if we chose to have so many, for twenty shillings per week in Pensylvania currency. But wood, washing and wine, if required, were to be paid for besides.

September the 16th. Before I proceed I must give a short description of Philadelphia, which I shall frequently mention in the sequel of my travels. I here put down several particulars which I marked during my stay at that place, as a help to memory.

Philadelphia, the capital of Pensylvania, a province which makes part of what formerly was called New Sweden is one of the principal towns in North-America; and next to Boston the greatest. It is situated almost in the center of the English colonies, and its lat. is thirty nine deg. and fifty min. but its west long. from London near seventy five deg.

This town was built in the year 1683, or as others say in 1682, by the well known quaker William Pen, who got this whole province by a grant from Charles the second, king of England; after Sweden had given up its claims to it. According to Pen’s plan the town was to have been built upon a piece of land which is formed by the union of the rivers Delaware and Skulkill, in a quadrangular form, two English miles long and one broad. The eastern side would therefore have been bounded by the Delaware, and the western by the Skulkill. They had actually begun to build houses on both these rivers; for eight capital streets, each two English miles long, and sixteen lesser streets (or lanes) across them, each one mile in length, were marked out, with a considerable breadth, and in strait lines. The place was at that time almost an entire wilderness covered with thick forests, and belonged to three Swedish brothers called Sven’s-Sœner (Sons of Sven) who had settled in it. They with difficulty left the place, the situation of which was very advantageous, But at last they were persuaded to it by Pen, who gave them a few English miles from that place twice the space of country they inhabited. However Pen himself and his descendants after him, have considerably lessened the ground belonging to them, by repeated mensurations, under pretence that they had taken more than they ought.

But the inhabitants could not be got in sufficient number to fill a place of such extent. The plan therefore about the river Skulkill was laid aside till more favourable circumstances should occur, and the houses were only built along the Delaware. This river flows along the eastern side of the town, is of great advantage to its trade, and gives a fine prospect. The houses which had already been built upon the Skulkill were transplanted hitherto by degrees. This town accordingly lies in a very pleasant country, from north to south along the river. It measures somewhat more than an English mile in length; and its breadth in some places is half a mile or more. The ground is flat and consists of sand mixed with a little clay. Experience has shewn that the air of this place is very healthy.

The streets are regular, fine, and most of them are fifty foot, English measure, broad; Arch-street measures sixty six feet in breadth, and Market-street or the principal street, where the market is kept, near a hundred. Those which run longitudinally, or from north to south are seven, exclusive of a little one, which runs along the river, to the south of the market, and is called Water-street. The lanes which go across, and were intended to reach from the Delaware to the Skulkill, are eight in number. They do not go quite from east to west, but deviate a little from that direction. All the streets except two which are nearest to the river, run in a straight line, and make right angles at the intersections. Some are paved, others are not; and it seems less necessary since the ground is sandy, and therefore soon absorbs the wet. But in most of the streets is a pavement of flags, a fathom or more broad, laid before the houses, and posts put on the outside three or four fathom asunder. Under the roofs are gutters which are carefully connected with pipes, and by this means, those who walk under them, when it rains, or when the snow melts, need not fear being wetted by the dropping from the roofs.

The houses make a good appearance, are frequency several stories high, and built either of bricks or of stone; but the former are more commonly used, since bricks are made before the town, and are well burnt. The stone which has been employed in the building of other houses, is a mixture of black or grey glimmer, running in undulated veins, and of a loose, and quite small grained limestone, which run scattered between the bendings of the other veins, and are of a grey colour, excepting here and there some single grains of sand, of a paler hue. The glimmer makes the greatest part of the stone; but the mixture is sometimes of another kind, as I shall relate hereafter under the article, eleventh of October. This stone is now got in great quantities in the country, is easily cut, and has the good quality of not attracting the moisture in a wet season. Very good lime is burnt every where hereabouts, for masonry.

The houses are covered with shingles. The wood for this purpose is taken from the Cupressus thyoides, Linn. or a tree which Swedes here call the white juniper-tree, and the English, the white cedar. Swamps and Morasses formerly were full of them, but at present these trees are for the greatest part cut down, and no attempt has as yet been made to plant new ones. The wood is very light, rots less than any other in this country, and for that reason is exceeding good for roofs. For it is not too heavy for the walls, and will serve for forty or fifty years together. But many people already begin to fear, that these roofs will in time be looked upon as having been very detrimental to the city. For being so very light, most people who have built their houses of stone, or bricks, have been led to make their walls extremely thin. But at present this kind of wood is almost entirely destroyed. Whenever therefore in process of time these roofs decay, the people will be obliged to have recourse to the heavier materials of tiles, or the like, which the walls will not be strong enough to bear. The roof will therefore require supports, or the people be obliged to pull down the walls and to build new ones, or to take other steps for securing them. Several people have already in late years begun to make roofs of tiles.

Among the publick buildings I will first mention churches, of which there are several, for God is served in various ways in this country.

1. The English established church stands in the northern part of the town, at some distance from the market, and is the finest of all. It has a little, inconsiderable steeple, in which is a bell to be rung when it is time to go to church, and on burials. It has likewise a clock which strikes the hours. This building which is called Christ church, was founded towards the end of the last century, but has lately been rebuilt and more adorned. It has two ministers who get the greatest part of their salary from England. In the beginning of this century, the Swedish minister the Rev. Mr. Rudmann, performed the functions of a clergyman to the English congregation for near two years, during the absence of their own clergyman.

2. The Swedish church, which is otherwise called the church of Weekacko, is on the southern part of the town, and almost without it, on the river’s side, and its situation is therefore more agreeable than that of any other. I shall have an opportunity of describing it more exactly, when I shall speak of the Swedes in particular, who live in this place.

3. The German Lutheran church, is on the north-west side of the town. On my arrival in America it had a little steeple, but that being but up by an ignorant architect, before the walls of the church were quite dry, they leaned forwards by its weight, and therefore they were forced to pull it down again in the autumn of the year 1750. About that time the congregation received a fine organ from Germany. They have only one minister, who likewise preaches at another Lutheran church in Germantown. He preaches alternately one sunday in that church, and another in this. The first clergyman which the Lutherans had in this town, was the Rev. Mr. Muhlenberg, who laid the foundations of this church in 1743, and being called to another place afterwards, the rev. Mr. Brunholz from Sleswick was his successor, and is yet here. Both these gentlemen were sent to this place from Hall in Saxony, and have been a great advantage to it by their peculiar talent of preaching in an edifying manner. A little while before this church was built, the Lutheran Germans had no clergyman for themselves, so that the every-where beloved Swedish minister at Weekacko, Mr. Dylander, preached likewise to them. He therefore preached three sermons every sunday; the first early in the morning to the Germans; the second to the Swedes, and the third in the afternoon to the English, and besides this he went all the week into the country and instructed the Germans who lived separately there. He therefore frequently preached sixteen sermons a week. And after his death, which happened in November 1741, the Germans first wrote to Germany for a clergyman for themselves. This congregation is at present very numerous, so that every sunday the church is very much crowded. It has two galleries, but no vestry. They do not sing the collects, but read them before the altar.

4. The old Presbyterian church, is not far from the market, and on the south-side of market-street. It is of a middling size, and built in the year 1704, as the inscription on the northern pediment shews. The roof is built almost hemispherical, or at least forms a hexagon. The whole building stands from north to south, for the presbyterians do not regard, as other people do, whether their churches look towards a certain point of the heavens or not.

5. The new Presbyterian church was built in the year 1750, by the New-lights in the north-western part of the town. By the name of New-lights, are understood the people who have, from different religions, become proselytes to the well known Whitefield, who in the years 1739, 1740, and likewise in 1744 and 1745 travelled through almost all the English colonies. His delivery, his extraordinary zeal, and other talents so well adapted to the intelects of his hearers, made him so popular that he frequently, especially in the two first years, got from eight thousand to twenty thousand hearers in the fields. His intention in these travels, was to collect money for an orphans hospital which had been erected in Georgia. He here frequently collected seventy pounds sterling at one sermon; nay, at two sermons which he preached in the year 1740, both an one sunday, at Philadelphia, he got an hundred and fifty pounds. The proselytes of this man, or the above-mentioned new-lights, are at present merely a sect of presbyterians. For though Whitefield was originally a clergyman of the English church, yet he deviated by little and little from her doctrines; and on arriving in the year 1744 at Boston in New England, he disputed with the Presbyterians about their doctrines, so much that he almost entirely embraced them. For Whitefield was no great disputant, and could therefore easily be led by these cunning people, whithersoever they would have him. This likewise during his latter stay in America caused his audience to be less numerous than during the first. The new-lights built first in the year 1741, a great house in the western part of the town, to hold divine service in. But a division arising amongst them after the departure of Whitefield, and besides on other accounts, the building was sold to the town in the beginning of the year 1750, and destined for a school. The new-lights then built a church which I call the new Presbyterian one. On its eastern pediment is the following inscription, in golden letters: Templum Presbyterianum, annuente numine, erectum, Anno Dom. MDCCL.

6. The old German reformed church is built in the west north-west part of the town, and looks like the church in the Ladugoordfield near Stockholm. It is not yet finished, though for several years together, the congregation has kept up divine service in it. These Germans attended the German service at the Swedish church, whilst the Swedish minister Mr. Dylander lived.—But as the Lutherans got a clergyman for themselves on the death of the last, those of the reformed church made likewise preparations to get one from Dordrecht; and the first who was sent to them, was the Rev. Mr. Slaughter, whom I found on my arrival. But in the year 1750, another clergyman of the reformed church arrived from Holland, and by his artful behaviour, so insinuated himself into the favour of the Rev. Mr. Slaughter’s congregation, that the latter lost almost half his audience. The two clergymen then disputed for several sundays together, about the pulpit, nay, people relate that the new comer mounted the pulpit on a saturday, and stayed in it all night. The other being thus excluded, the two parties in the audience, made themselves the subject both of the laughter and of the scorn of the whole town, by beating and bruising each other, and committing other excesses. The affair was inquired into by the magistrates, and decided in favour of the rev. Mr. Slaughter, the person who had been abused.

7. The new reformed church, was built at a little distance from the old one by the party of the clergyman, who had lost his cause. This man however had influence enough to bring over to his party almost the whole audience of his antagonist, at the end of the year 1750, and therefore this new church will soon be useless.

8. 9. The Quakers have two meetings, one in the market, and the other in the northern part of the town. In them are according to the custom of this people, neither altars, nor pulpits, nor any other ornaments usual in churches; but only seats and some sconces. They meet thrice every sunday in them, and besides that at certain times every week or every month. I shall mention more about them hereafter.

10. The Baptists, have their service, in the northern part of the town.

11. The Roman Catholicks, have in the south-west part of the town a great house, which is well adorned within, and has an organ.

12. The Moravian Brethren, have hired a great house, in the northern part of the town, in which they performed the service both in German and in English; not only twice or three times every sunday, but likewise every night after it was grown dark. But in the winter of the year 1750, they were obliged to drop their evening meetings; some wanton young fellows having several times disturbed the congregation, by an instrument sounding like the note of a cuckoo, for this noise they made in a dark corner, not only at the end of every stanza, but likewise at that of every line, whilst they were singing a hymn.

Those of the English church, the New-lights, the Quakers, and the Germans of the reformed religion, have each of them their burying places on one side out of town, and not near their churches, though the first of these sometimes make an exception. All the others bury their dead in their church-yards, and Moravian brethren bury where they can. The Negroes are buried in a particular place out of town.

I now proceed to mention the other publick buildings in Philadelphia.

The Town-hall, or the place where the assemblies are held, is situated in the western part of the town, it is a fine large building, having a tower with a bell in the middle, and is the greatest ornament to the town. The deputies of each province meet in it commonly every October, or even more frequently if circumstances require it, in order to consider of the welfare of the country, and to hold their parliaments or diets in miniature. There they revise the old laws, and make new ones.

On one side of this building stands the Library, which was first begun in the year 1742, on a publick spirited plan, formed and put in execution by the learned Mr. Franklin. For he persuaded first the most substantial people in town to pay forty shillings at the outset, and afterwards annually ten shillings, all in Pensylvania currency, towards purchasing all kinds of useful books. The subscribers are entitled to make use of the books. Other people are likewise at liberty to borrow them for a certain time, but must leave a pledge and pay eight-pence a week for a folio volume, six-pence for a quarto, and four-pence for all others of a smaller size. As soon as the time, allowed a person for the perusal of the volume, is elapsed, it must be returned, or he is fined. The money arising in this manner is employed for the salary of the librarian, and for purchasing new books. There was already a fine collection of excellent works, most of them English; many French and Latin, but few in any other language. The subscribers were so kind to me, as to order the librarian, during my stay here, to lend me every book, which I should want, without requiring any payment of me. The library was open every saturday from four to eight o’clock in the afternoon. Besides the books, several mathematical and physical instruments, and a large collection of natural curiosities were to be seen in it. Several little libraries were founded in the town on the same footing or nearly with this.

The Court House stands in the middle of Market street, to the west of the market, it is fine building, with a little tower in which there is a bell. Below and round about this building the market is properly kept every week.

The building of the Academy, is in the western part of the town. It was formerly as I have before mentioned, a meeting-house of the followers of Whitefield, but they sold it in the year 1750, and it was destined to be the seat of an university, or to express myself in more exact terms, to be a college, it was therefore fitted up to this purpose. The youths are here only taught those things which they learn in our common schools; but in time, such lectures are intended to be read here, as are usual in real universities.

At the close of the last war, a redoubt was erected here, on the south side of the town, near the river, to prevent the French and Spanish privateers from landing. But this was done after a very strong debate. For the quakers opposed all fortifications, as contrary to the tenets of their religion, which allow not christians to make war either offensive or defensive, but direct them to place their trust in the Almighty alone. Several papers were then handed about for and against the opinion. But the enemy’s privateers having taken several vessels belonging to the town, in the river, many of the quakers, if not all of them, found it reasonable to forward the building of the fortification as much as possible, at least by a supply of money.

Of all the natural advantages of the town, its temperate climate is the most considerable, the winter not being over severe, and its duration but short, and the summer not too hot; the country round about bringing forth those fruits in the greatest plenty, which are raised by husbandry. Their September and October are like the beginning of the Swedish August. And the first days in their February are frequently as pleasant, as the end of April and the beginning of May in Sweden. Even their coldest days in some winters have been no severer, than the days at the end of autumn are in the middlemost parts of Sweden, and the southern ones of Finland.

The good and clear water in Philadelphia, is likewise one of its advantages. For though there are no fountains in the town, yet there is a well in every house, and several in the streets, all which afford excellent water for boiling, drinking, washing, and other uses. The water is commonly met with at the depth of forty feet. The water of the river Delaware is likewise good. But in making the wells, a fault is frequently committed, which in several places of the town, spoils the water which is naturally good; I shall in the sequel take an opportunity of speaking further about it.

The Delaware is exceeding convenient for trade. It is one of the greatest rivers in the world: is three English miles broad at its mouth, two miles at the town of Wilmington, and three quarters of a mile at Philadelphia. This city lies within ninety or an hundred English miles from the sea, or from the place where the river Delaware discharges itself into the bay of that name. Yet its depth is hardly ever less than five or six fathom. The greatest ships therefore can sail quite up to the town and anchor in good ground in five fathoms of water, on the side of the bridge. The water here has no longer a saltish taste, and therefore all destructive worms, which have fastened themselves to the ships in the sea, and have pierced holes into them, either die, or drop off, after the ship has been here for a while.

The only disadvantage which trade labours under here, is the freezing of the river almost every winter for a month or more. For during that time the navigation is entirely stopped. But this does not happen at Boston, New York, and other towns which are nearer the sea.

The tide comes up to Philadelphia, and even goes thirty miles higher, to Trenton. The difference between high and low water is eight feet at Philadelphia.

The cataracts of the Delaware near Trenton, and of the Skulkill at some distance from Philadelphia, make these rivers useless further up the country, in regard to the conveyance of goods either from or to Philadelphia. Both must therefore be carried on waggons or carts. It has therefore already been thought of to make these two rivers navigable in time, at least for large boats and small vessels.

Several ships are annually built of American oak, in the docks which are made in several parts of the town and about it, yet they can by no means be put in comparison with those built of European oak, in point of goodness and duration.

The town carries on a great trade, both with the inhabitants of the country, and to other parts of the world, especially to the West Indies, South America, and the Antilles; to England, Ireland, Portugal, and to several English colonies in North America. Yet none but English ships are allowed to come into this port.

Philadelphia reaps the greatest profits from its trade to the West Indies. For thither the inhabitants ship almost every day a quantity of flour, butter, flesh and other victuals; timber, plank and the like. In return they receive either sugar, molasses, rum, indigo, mahogany, and other goods, or ready money. The true mahogany which grows in Jamaica, is at present almost all cut down.

They send both West India goods, and their own productions to England; the latter are all sorts of woods, especially black walnut, and oak planks for ships; ships ready built, iron, hides and tar. Yet this latter is properly bought in New Jersey, the forests of which province are consequently more ruined than any others. Ready money is likewise sent over to England, from whence in return they get all sorts of goods there manufactured, viz. fine and coarse cloth, linen, iron ware, and other wrought metals, and East India goods. For it is to be observed that England supplies Philadelphia with almost all stuffs and manufactured goods which are wanted here.

A great quantity of linseed goes annually to Ireland, together with many of the ships which are built here. Portugal gets wheat, corn, flour and maize which is not ground. Spain sometimes takes some corn. But all the money, which is got in these several countries, must immediately be sent to England, in payment for the goods which are got from thence, and yet those sums are not sufficient to pay all the debts.

But to shew more exactly, what the town and province have imported from England, in different years, I shall here insert an extract from the English custom-house books, which I got from the engineer, Lewis Evans, at Philadelphia, and which will sufficiently answer the purpose. This gentleman had desired one of his friends in London to send him a compleat account of all the goods shipped from England to Pensylvania in several years. He got this account, and though the goods are not enumerated in it, yet their value in money is calculated. Such extracts from the custom-house books have been made for every North-American province, in order to convince the English parliament, that those provinces have taken greater quantities of the goods in that kingdom, ever since they have turned their money into bills.

I have taken the copy from the original itself, and it is to be observed that it begins with the christmas of the year 1722, and ends about the same time of the year 1747. In the first column is the value of the foreign goods, the duty for which has already been paid in England. The second column shews the value of the goods manufactured in England and exported to Pensylvania. And in the last column these two sums are added together, but at the bottom each of the columns is cast up.

But this table does not include the goods which are annually shipped in great quantities to Pensylvania from Scotland and Ireland, among which is a great quantity of linen.

+-----------------------------------------------------------------+ | The Value of the Goods annually shipped from | | England to Pensylvania. | +---------+-------------------+----------------+------------------+ |The Year,|Foreign Goods for | |The Sums of these | |from one |which the duty has | English |two preceding | |Christmas|already been paid, | manufactured |columns added | | to |& which therefore | Goods. |together. | | another.|only req. receipts.| | | +---------+-------------------+----------------+------------------+ | | l. s. d. | l. s. d. | l. s. d. | | 1723 | 5199 | 13 | 5 | 10793| 5 | 1 | 15992 | 19 | 4 | | 1724 | 9373 | 15 | 8 | 20951| 0 | 5 | 30324 | 16 | 1 | | 1725 |10301 | 12 | 6 | 31508| 1 | 8 | 42209 | 14 | 2 | | 1726 | 9371 | 11 | 6 | 28263| 6 | 2 | 37634 | 17 | 8 | | 1727 |10243 | 0 | 7 | 21736| 10 | 0 | 31979 | 10 | 7 | | 1728 |14073 | 13 | 3 | 23405| 6 | 2 | 37478 | 19 | 11 | | 1729 |12948 | 8 | 5 | 16851| 2 | 5 | 29799 | 10 | 10 | | 1730 |15660 | 10 | 11 | 32931| 16 | 6 | 48592 | 7 | 5 | | 1731 |11838 | 17 | 4 | 32421| 18 | 9 | 44260 | 16 | 1 | | 1732 |15240 | 14 | 4 | 26457| 19 | 3 | 41698 | 13 | 7 | | 1733 |13187 | 0 | 8 | 27378| 7 | 5 | 40585 | 8 | 1 | | 1734 |19648 | 15 | 9 | 34743| 12 | 1 | 54392 | 7 | 10 | | 1735 |18078 | 4 | 3 | 30726| 7 | 1 | 48804 | 11 | 4 | | 1736 |23456 | 15 | 11 | 38057| 2 | 5 | 61513 | 18 | 4 | | 1737 |14517 | 4 | 3 | 42173| 2 | 4 | 56690 | 6 | 7 | | 1738 |20320 | 19 | 3 | 41129| 5 | 0 | 61450 | 4 | 3 | | 1739 | 9041 | 4 | 5 | 45411| 7 | 6 | 54452 | 11 | 11 | | 1740 |10280 | 2 | 0 | 46471| 12 | 9 | 56751 | 14 | 9 | | 1741 |12977 | 18 | 10 | 78032| 13 | 1 | 91010 | 11 | 11 | | 1742 |14458 | 6 | 3 | 60836| 17 | 1 | 75295 | 3 | 4 | | 1743 |19220 | 1 | 6 | 60120| 4 |10 | 79340 | 6 | 4 | | 1744 |14681 | 8 | 4 | 47595| 18 | 2 | 62214 | 6 | 6 | | 1745 |13043 | 8 | 8 | 41237| 2 | 3 | 54280 | 10 | 11 | | 1746 |18103 | 12 | 7 | 55595| 19 | 7 | 73699 | 12 | 2 | | 1747 | 8585 | 14 | 11 | 73819| 2 | 8 | 82404 | 17 | 7 | +-----------------------------------------------------------------| | Total. 343,789 16 0 969,049 1 6 1,312,838 17 6 | +-----------------------------------------------------------------+

The whole extent of the Philadelphia trade may be comprehended from the number of ships, which annually arrive at and sail from this town. I intend to insert here a table of a few years which I have taken from the gazettes of the town. The ships coming and going in one year, are to be reckoned from the twenty fifth of March of that year, to the twenty fifth of March of the next.

The Year. Ships arrived. Ships sailed.

1735 199 212
1740 307 208
1741 292 309
1744 229 271
1745 280 301
1746 273 293

But it is much to be feared that the trade of Philadelphia, and of all the English colonies, will rather decrease than encrease, in case no provision is made to prevent it. I shall hereafter plainly shew upon what foundation this decrease of trade is likely to take place.

The town not only furnishes most of the inhabitants of Pensylvania with the goods which they want, but numbers of the inhabitants of New Jersey come every day and carry on a great trade.

The town has two great fairs every year; one in May, and the other in November, both on the sixteenth days of those two months. But besides these fairs, there are every week two market days, viz. Wednesday and Saturday. On those days the country people in Pensylvania and New Jersey, bring to town a quantity of victuals, and other productions of the country, and this is a great advantage to the town. It is therefore to be wished that the like regulation might be made in our Swedish towns. You are sure to meet with every produce of the season, which the country affords, on the market-days. But on other days, they are in vain sought for.

Provisions are always to be got fresh here, and for that reason most of the inhabitants never buy more at a time, than what will be sufficient till the next market-day. In summer there is a market almost every day; for the victuals do not keep well in the great heat. There are two places in the town where these markets are kept; but that near the court-house is the principal. It begins about four or five o’clock in the morning, and ends about nine o’clock in the forenoon.

The town is not enclosed, and has no other custom-house than the great one for the ships.

The governor of the whole province lives here; and though he is nominated by the heirs of Pen, yet he cannot take that office without being confirmed by the king of England.

The quakers of almost all parts of North-America, have their great assembly here once a year.

In the year 1743, a society for the advancement of the sciences was erected here. Its objects would have been the curiosities of the three kingdoms of nature, mathematicks, physick, chemistry, œconomy, and manufactures. But the war, which ensued immediately, stopped all designs of this nature, and since that time, nothing has been done towards establishing any thing of this kind.

The declination of the needle was here observed on the thirtieth of October 1750, old style, to be five deg. and forty-five min. west. It was examined by the new meridian, which was drawn at Philadelphia in the autumn of the same year, and extended a mile in length. By experience it appears, that this declination lessens about a degree in twenty years time.

The greatest difference in the rising and falling of the barometer, is according to the observations made for several years together by Mr. James Logan, found at 28´´ 59 and 30´´ 78.

Here are three printers, and every week two English, and one German news-paper is printed.

In the year 1732, on the fifth of September, old style, a little earthquake was felt here about noon, and at the same time at Boston in New England, and at Montreal in Canada, which places are above sixty Swedish miles asunder.

In the month of November of the year 1737, the well known prince from mount Lebanon, Sheich Sidi came to Philadelphia, on his travels through most of the English American colonies. And in the same year a second earthquake was felt about eleven o’clock at night, on the seventh of December. But it did not continue above half a minute, and yet, it was felt according to the accounts of the gazettes at the same hour in Newcastle, New York, New London, Boston, and other towns of New England. It had therefore likewise reached several miles.

The count Sinzendorf [5] arrived here in the December of the year 1741, and continued till the next spring. His uncommon behaviour persuaded many Englishmen of rank, that he was disordered in his head.

I have not been able to find the exact number of the inhabitants of Philadelphia. In the year 1746, they were reckoned above ten thousand, and since that time their number is incredibly encreased. Neither can it be made out from the Bills of mortality, since they are not kept regularly in all the churches. I shall, however, mention some of those which appeared either in the gazettes, or in bills printed on purpose.

Year. Dead.

1730 227
1738 250
1739 350
1740 290
1741 345
1742 409
1743 425
1744 410
1745 420
1748 672
1749 758
1750 716

From these bills of mortality it also appears, that the diseases which are the most fatal, are consumptions, fevers, convulsions, pleuresies, hæmorrhagies, and dropsies.

The number of those that are born cannot be determined, since in many churches no order is observed with regard to this affair. The quakers, who are the most numerous in this town, never baptize their children, though they take a pretty exact account of all who are born among them.

It is likewise impossible to guess at the number of inhabitants from the dead, because the town gets such great supplies annually from other countries. In the summer of the year 1749, near twelve thousand Germans came over to Philadelphia, many of whom staid in that town. In the same year the houses in Philadelphia were counted, and found to be two thousand and seventy six in number.

The town is now quite filled with inhabitants, which in regard to their country, religion and trade, are very different from each other. You meet with excellent masters in all trades, and many things are made here full as well as in England. Yet no manufactures, especially for making fine cloth are established. Perhaps the reason is, that it can be got with so little difficulty from England, and that the breed of sheep which is brought over, degenerates in process of time, and affords but a coarse wool.

Here is great plenty of provisions, and their prices are very moderate. There are no examples of an extraordinary dearth.

Every one who acknowledges God to be the Creator, preserver and ruler of all things, and teaches or undertakes nothing against the state, or against the common peace, is at liberty to settle, stay, and carry on his trade here, be his religious principles ever so strange. No one is here molested on account of the erroneous principles of the doctrine which he follows, if he does not exceed the above-mentioned bounds. And he is so well secured by the laws in his person and property, and enjoys such liberties; that a citizen of Philadelphia may in a manner be said to live in his house like a king.

On a careful consideration of what I have already said, it will be easy to conceive how this city should rise so suddenly from nothing, into such grandeur and perfection, without supposing any powerful monarch’s contributing to it, either by punishing the wicked, or by giving great supplies in money. And yet its fine appearance, good regulations, agreeable situation, natural advantages, trade, riches and power, are by no means inferior to those of any, even of the most ancient towns in Europe. It has not been necessary to force people to come and settle here; on the contrary foreigners of different languages, have left their country, houses, property and relations, and ventured over wide and stormy seas, in order to come hither. Other countries, which have been peopled for a long space of time, complain of the small number of their inhabitants. But Pensylvania, which was no better than a desart in the year 1681, and hardly contained five hundred people, now vies with several kingdoms in Europe, in number of inhabitants. It has received numbers of people which other countries, to their infinite loss, have either neglected or expelled.

A wretched old wooden building, on a hill near the river somewhat north of the Wickako church, belonging to one of the Sons of Sven, of whom, as before-mentioned, the ground was bought for building Philadelphia upon, is preserved on purpose, as a memorial of the poor state of that place, before the town was built on it. Its antiquity gives it a kind of superiority over all the other buildings in town, though in itself the worst of all. This hut was inhabited, whilst as yet stags, deers, elks, and beavers, at broad day light lived in the future streets, church-yards, and market-places of Philadelphia. The noise of a spinning wheel was heard in this house, before the manufactures now established were thought of, or Philadelphia built. But with all these advantages, this house is ready to fall down, and in a few years to come, it will be as difficult to find the place where it stood, as it was unlikely at the time of its erection, that one of the greatest towns in America, should in a short time stand close up to it.

September the 7th. Mr. Peter Cock, a merchant of this town, assured me that he had last week himself been a spectator of a snake’s swallowing a little bird. This bird, which from its cry has the name of Cat bird, (Muscicapa Carolinensis, Linn.) flew from one branch of a tree to another, and was making a doleful tune. At the bottom of the tree, but at a fathom’s distance from the stem, lay one of the great black snakes, with its head continually upright, pointing towards the bird, which was always fluttering about, and now and then settling on the branches. At first it only kept in the topmost branches, but by degrees it came lower down, and even flew upon the ground, and hopped to the place where the snake lay, which immediately opened its mouth, caught the bird and swallowed it; but it had scarce finished its repast before Mr. Cock came up and killed it. I was afterwards told that this kind of snakes was frequently observed to pursue little birds in this manner. It is already well known that the rattle snake does the same.

I walked out to day into the fields in order to get more acquainted with the plants hereabouts, I found several European and even Swedish plants among them. But those which are peculiar to America, are much more numerous.

The Virginian maple grows in plenty on the shores of the Delaware. The English in this country call it either Buttonwood, or Waterbeech, which latter name is most usual. The Swedes call it Wattenbok, or Wasbok. It is Linnæus’s Platanus occidentalis. See Catesby’s Nat. Hist. of Carolina, vol. 1. p. 56. t. 56. It grows for the greatest part in low places, but especially on the edge of rivers and brooks. But these trees are easily transplanted to more dry places, if they be only filled with good soil; and as their leaves are large and their foliage thick, they are planted about the houses and in gardens, to afford a pleasant shade in the hot season, to the enjoyment of which some seats were placed under them. Some of the Swedes had boxes, pails, and the like, made of the bark of this tree by the native Americans. They say that those people whilst they were yet settled here, made little dishes of this bark for gathering whortleberries. The bark was a line in thickness. This tree likewise grows in marshes, or in swampy fields, where ash and red maple commonly grow. They are frequently as tall and thick, as the best of our fir trees. The seed stays on them till spring, but in the middle of April the pods open and shed the seeds. Query, Whether they are not ripe before that time, and consequently sooner fit for sowing? This American maple is remarkable for its quick growth, in which it exceeds all other trees. There are such numbers of them on the low meadows between Philadelphia and the ferry at Gloucester, on both sides of the road, that in summer time you go as it were through a shady walk. In that part of Philadelphia which is near the Swedish church, some great trees of this kind stand on the shore of the river. In the year 1750, on the 15th. of May I saw the buds still on them, and in the year 1749 they began to flower on the eighth of that month. Several trees of this sort are planted at Chelsea near London, and they now in point of height vie with the tallest oak.

September the 18th. In the morning I went with the Swedish painter, Mr. Hesselius, to the country seat of Mr. Bartram, which is about four English miles to the south of Philadelphia, at some distance from the high road to Maryland, Virginia, and Carolina. I had therefore the first opportunity here, of getting an exact knowledge of the state of the country, which was a plain covered with all kinds of trees with deciduous leaves. The ground was sandy, mixed with clay. But the sand seemed to be in greater quantity. In some parts the wood was cut down, and we saw the habitations of some country people, whose corn-fields and plantations were round their farm-houses. The wood was full of mulberry-trees, walnut-trees of several kinds, chesnut-trees, sassafras, and the like. Several sorts of wild vines clasped their tendrils round, and climbed up to the summits of the highest trees; and in other places they twined round the enclosures, so thick, that the latter almost sunk down under their weight. The Persimon, or Diospyros Virginiana, Linn. sp. pl. p. 1510, grew in the marshy fields, and about springs. Its little apples looked very well already, but are not fit for eating, before the frost has affected them, and then they have a very fine taste. Hesselius gathered some of them, and desired my servant to taste of the fruits of the land; but this poor credulous follow, had hardly bit into them, when he felt the qualities they have before the frost has penetrated them. For they contracted his mouth so that he could hardly speak, and had a very disagreeable taste. This disgusted him so much that he was with difficulty persuaded to taste of it during the whole of our stay in America, notwithstanding it loses all its acidity and acquires an agreeable flavour in autumn and towards the beginning of winter. For the fellow always imagined, that though he should eat them ever so late in the year, they would still retain the same disagreeable taste.

To satisfy the curiosity of those, who are willing to know, how the woods look in this country, and whether or no the trees in them are the same with those found in our forests, I here insert a small catalogue of those which grow spontaneously in the woods which are nearest to Philadelphia. But I exclude such shrubs as do not attain any considerable height. I shall put that tree first in order, which is most plentiful, and so on with the rest, and therefore trees which I have found but single, though near the town, will be last.

1. Quercus alba, the white oak in good ground.
2. Quercus rubra, or the black oak.
3. Quercus hispanica, the Spanish oak, a variety of the preceding.
4. Juglans alba, hiccory, a kind of walnut tree, of which three or
four varieties are to be met with.
5. Rubus occidentalis, or American blackberry shrub.
6. Acer rubrum, the maple tree with red flowers, in swamps.
7. Rhus glabra, the smooth leaved Sumach, in the woods, on high
glades, and old corn-fields.
8. Vitis labrusca and Vulpina, vines of several kinds.
9. Sambucus canadensis, American Elder tree, along the hedges and
on glades.
10. Quercus phellos, the swamp oak, in morasses.
11. Azalea lutea, the American upright honey-suckle, in the woods
in dry places.
12. Cratægus Crus galli, the Virginian Azarole, in woods.
13. Vaccinium ——, a species of whortleberry shrub.
14. Quercus prinus, the chesnut oak in good ground.
15. Cornus florida, the cornelian cherry, in all kinds of ground.
16. Liriodendron Tulipifera, the tulip tree, in every kind of soil.
17. Prunus virginiana, the wild cherry tree.
18. Vaccinium ——, a frutex whortleberry, in good ground.
19. Prinos verticillatus, the winterberry tree in swamps.
20. Platanus occidentalis, the water-beech.
21. Nyssa aquatica, the tupelo tree; on fields and mountains. [6]
22. Liquidambar styraciflua, sweet gum tree, near springs.
23. Betula Alnus, alder, a variety of the Swedish; it was here but
a shrub.
24. Fagus castanea, the chesnut tree, on corn-fields, pastures, and
in little woods.
25. Juglans nigra, the black walnut tree, in the same place with
the preceding tree.
26. Rhus radicans, the twining sumach, climbed along the trees.
27. Acer Negundo, the ash-leaved maple, in morasses and swampy
places.
28. Primus domestica, the wild plumb tree.
29. Ulmus Americana, the white elm.
30. Prunus spinosa, sloe shrub, in low places.
31. Laurus sassafras, the sassafras tree, in a loose soil mixed
with sand.
32. Ribes nigrum, the currant tree, grew in low places and in
marshes.
33. Fraxinus excelsior, the ash tree in low places.
34. Smilax laurifolia, the rough bind weed with the bay leaf, in
woods and on pales or enclosures.
35. Kalmia latifolia, the American dwarf laurel, on the northern
side of mountains.
36. Morus rubra, the mulberry tree on fields, hills and near the
houses.
37. Rhus vernix, the poisonous Sumach, in wet places.
38. Quercus rubra, the red oak, but a peculiar variety.
39. Hamamelis virginica, the witch hazel.
40. Diospyros virginiana, the persimon.
41. Pyrus coronaria, the anchor tree.
42. Juniperus virginiana, the red juniper, in a dry poor soil.
43. Laurus æstivalis, spice-wood in a wet soil.
44. Carpinus ostrya, a species of horn beam in a good soil.
45. Carpinus betulus, a horn beam, in the same kind of soil with
the former.
46. Fagus sylvatica, the beech, likewise in good soil.
47. Juglans ——, a species of walnut tree on hills near rivers, [7]
called by the Swedes Butternustræ.
48. Pinus Americana, Pensylvanian fir tree; on the north side of
mountains, and in vallies. [8]
49. Betula lenta, a species of birch, on the banks of rivers.
50. Cephalantus occidentalis, button wood, in wet places.
51. Pinus tæda, the New Jersey fir tree, on dry sandy heaths.
52. Cercis canadensis, the sallad tree, in a good soil.
53. Robinia pseudacacia, the locust tree, on the corn-fields.
54. Magnolia glauca, the laurel-leaved tulip tree, in marshy soil.
55. Tilia Americana, the lime tree, in a good soil.
56. Gleditsia triacanthos, the honey locust tree, or three thorned
acacia, in the same soil.
57. Celtis occidentalis, the nettle tree, in the fields.
58. Annona muricata, the custard apple in a fruitful soil.

We visited several Swedes, who were settled here, and were at present in very good circumstances. One of them was called Andrew Rambo; he had a fine house built of stone, two stories high, and a great orchard near it. We were every where well received, and stayed over night with the above-mentioned countryman. We saw no other marks of autumn, than that several fruits of this season were already ripe. For besides this all the trees were yet as green, and the ground still as much covered with flowers, as in our summer. Thousands of frogs croaked all the night long in the marshes and brooks. The locusts and grasshoppers made likewise such a great noise, that it was hardly possible for one person to understand another. The trees too, were full of all sorts of birds, which by the variety of their fine plumage, delighted the eye, while the infinite variety of their tunes were continually re-echoed.

The orchards, along which we passed to-day, were only enclosed by hurdles. But they contained all kinds of fine fruit. We wondered at first very much when our leader leaped over the hedge into the orchards, and gathered some agreeable fruit for us. But our astonishment was still greater, when we saw that the people in the garden were so little concerned at it, as not even to look at us. But our companion told us, that the people here were not so exact in regard to a few fruits, as they are in other countries where the soil is not so fruitful in them. We afterwards found very frequently that the country people in Sweden and Finland guarded their turneps more carefully, than the people here do the most exquisite fruits.

September the 19th. As I walked this morning into the fields, I observed that a copious dew was fallen; for the grass was as wet as if it had rained. The leaves of the plants and trees, had contracted so much moisture, that the drops ran down. I found on this occasion that the dew was not only on the superior, but likewise on the inferior side of the leaves. I therefore carefully considered many leaves both of trees and of other plants; both of those which are more above, and of those which are nearer to the ground. But I found in all of them, that both sides of the leaves were equally bedewed, except those of the Verbascum Thapsus, or great Mullein, which though their superior side was pretty well covered with the dew, yet their inferior had but a little.

Every countryman, even a common peasant, has commonly an orchard near his house, in which all sorts of fruit, such as peaches, apples, pears, cherries, and others, are in plenty. The peaches were now almost ripe. They are rare in Europe, particularly in Sweden, for in that country hardly any people besides the rich taste them. But here every countryman had an orchard full of peach trees, which were covered with such quantities of fruit, that we could scarcely walk in the orchard, without treading upon those peaches which were fallen off; many of which were always left on the ground, and only part of them was sold in town, and the rest was consumed by the family and strangers; for every one that passed by, was at liberty to go into the orchard, and to gather as many of them as he wanted. Nay, this fine fruit was frequently given to the swine.