mayor's court for repairs to that bridge, to keep it from falling.

In 1740, they present "the common shore," at Second street and Walnut street bridges, as much broken. "Common shore" sounds strange in the midst of our present dry city! It is also found named on the same Dock creek as high as Fourth and High streets. In 1750, they present the Chesnut street bridge, as fallen down and extremely dangerous.

Some other facts concerning bridges will be found connected with other subjects, such as those over Pegg's run, the Cohocsink, &c. There was even a small bridge once at the corner of Tenth and High streets.

street.

BALCONIES.

In the early days of the city, almost all the houses of good condition were provided with balconies, now so rarely to be seen, save a few still remaining in Water Several old houses, which I still see, show, on close inspection, the marks, where from that cause they formerly had doors to them in the second stories—such a one is C. P. Wayne's, at the southwest corner of High and Fourth street; at William Gerhard's, at the corner of Front and Combes's alley; and at the corner of Front and Norris's alley.

As early as 1685, Robert Turner's letter to William Penn says, "We build most houses with balconies." A lady, describing the reception of Governor Thomas Penn on his public entry from Chester in 1732, says, "When he reached here in the afternoon, the windows and balconies were filled with ladies, and the streets with the mob, to see him pass." In fact, these balco.

nies, or their places supplied by the pent-houses, were a part of the social system of our forefathers, where every family expected to sit in the street porch, and these shelters over head were needed from sun and rain.

WINDOW GLASS.

The early buildings in Philadelphia had all their window glass set in leaden frames, and none of them to hoist up, but to open inward as doors. Gerhard's house at Combes's alley, and the house at the southwest corner of Norris's alley and Front street, still retain a specimen of them. When clumsy wooden frames were substituted, panes of six by eight and eight by ten formed the largest dimensions seen among us. It became, therefore matter of novelty and surprise when Governor John Penn first set the example among us of larger panes,such as now adorn the house, once his residence, in South Third street near the mansion house, and numbered 110. They are still but small panes in comparison with some others. The fact of his rare glass gave occasion to the following epigram by his sister-in-law, to wit:

Happy the man, in such a treasure,

Whose greatest panes afford him pleasure;
Stoics (who need not fear the devil)

Maintain that pain is not an evil;

They boast a negative at best,
But he with panes is really blest.

PORCHES.

Philadelphia, until the last twenty-five or thirty years, had a porch to every house door, where it was uni

versally common for the inhabitants to take their occasional sitting, beneath their pent-houses, then general

for then

"Our fathers knew the value of a screen
From sultry sun, or patt'ring rain."

Such an easy access to the residents as they afforded, made the families much more social than now, and gave also a ready chance to strangers to see the faces of our pretty ladies. The lively spectacle was very grateful. It gave a kindly domestic scene, that is since utterly effaced from our manners.

When porches were thus in vogue, they were seen here and there occupied by boys, who there vied in telling strange incredible stories, and in singing ballads. Fine voices were occasionally heard singing them as you passed the streets.

GENERAL REMARKS ON VARIOUS ITEMS OF CHANGE.

I notice as among the remarkable changes of Philadelphia, within the period of my own short observation, that there is an utter change of the manner and quantity of business done by tradesmen. When I was a boy, there was no such thing as conducting their business in the present wholesale manner and by efforts at monopoly. No masters were seen exempted from personal labour in any branch of business, living on the profits derived from many hired journeymen; and no places were sought out at much expense and display of signs and decorated windows to allure custom. Then almost every apprentice, when of age, run his equal chance for his share of business in his neighbour