among the combatants. For many years after that strife, the boys could supply themselves with leaden balls for their chuckers and pencils; and often they could gather iron balls to sell to the blacksmiths for a few spending pennies.

SETTLEMENT OF NORRISTOWN.

This place, now so beautiful and numerous in houses, is a town wholly built up since the war of independence. At that time, it was the farm of John Bull; and his original farm house is now standing in the town, as the inn of Richard Richardson.

As early as the year 1704, the whole manor, as it was then called, which included the present township of Norrington, was sold out by William Penn, jr. for £850. From Isaac Norris, one of the purchasers, the place has since taken its name.

The original settlers about the neighbourhood of Norristown, Swedes Ford, &c., were Swedes, who much inclined to settle along the banks of the Schuylkill, and like the Indians, to make free use of their canoes for travelling conveyances. The Swedes church not far off, was much visited by worshippers going there in their boats; and in still later times, when horses became a means of conveyance, it was common for a man and woman to ride together on one horse, the women wearing for economy "safe-guard petticoats," which they took off after arrival, and hung along the fence until again required.

There are still remains below Norristown, nearly fronting the Ford, of a long line of redoubts, made by the Americans under the direction of Gen. Du Porteuil,

to defend the passage of the Ford against the British approaching from the battle of Brandywine, and which had the effect to compel them to pass six miles higher up the river at "Fatland Ford." Some of the cannon in an angle of the redoubt have since washed into the river bank, and may at some future day surprise a discoverer!

It was on the river bank at Norristown, that the first spade was set to excavate the first public canal attempted in the United States! This should be remembered! It was indeed abortive for want of adequate funds, as well as economy; but it tested the early spirit of enterprise of our leading citizens,-acting a few years in advance of the age in which they dwelt. This fact in connection with the MS. account of Mr. John Thomson of Delaware county, of his early adventure in a boat, the White Fish, by a navigation from Niagara to Philadelphia, by the water courses in New York state; showing beforehand, the practibility of the Grand Canal of New York, are so many evidences of our early efforts in the "Canal system!" The boat, after so singular a voyage, was laid up in the Statehouse yard in the year 1795, and visited as a curiosity. A sight of that boat, and a knowledge of the facts connected with it, is supposed to have prompted president Washington, at that early period, to write of his conviction of the practicability of a union of the waters of the lakes with the ocean. A subject, happily for all, now no longer a problem.

FRANKFORD.

The site of Frankford was originally held as the sawmill seat of a Swede, before Penn's arrival. That mill

seat is the same now Duffield's Mill power and establishment. It was first deeded to Yeaman Gillingham, by Penn's Commissioners in 1695; and afterwards was constructed into a Grist Mill, Saw Mill, &c.

The aged Giles Gillingham, who died at Frankford in 1825, at the age of 93 years, said that when he was a boy there, was quite common for him to play with Indian lads in the neighbourhood. Frankford then had but very few houses, and was often called Oxford, after the name of its township. About the time of Braddock's defeat, there came an Indian from a distance, blowing a horn as he entered the Indians' place; they soon went off with him, and were no more seen near there.

There has been an opinion prevalent about Frankford village, that it derived its name from Frank, a black fellow, and his ford, where he kept a ferry for pas sengers on foot; but besides its looking too artificial to be true, there are obvious reasons against that cause of its name. I see it as early as 1701 referred to in a public petition concerning a road under the name of "Frankford:" besides, it lies on the creek, the Indian Wingohocking, which comes from the "Frankford Company's land" in Germantown. It was their proper water passage to the river.

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Jonathan Dickinson, in 1715, when writing respecting “Fairman's land at Frankford creek," says, a ford there will be very needful and very expensive, as the winds drive the waters from the Delaware over much marshy land there. For 200 acres he offers £400. He says it cannot be surveyed on the marsh (since all converted into productive meadows, &c.) until the winter is so advanced as to make the survey on the ice!

He speaks, even then, of its losing 100 loads of timber cut off, because it was untenanted, and borne off in moonlight nights-probably for ship timber use, and for

staves.

It appears by the minutes of council, 1726, that "the inhabitants then of Frankford," petition that the road may be so altered, as to have but one bridge in use, instead of the two then existing.

In the year 1814, C. Kuhn, in digging near the waterside, for a foundation for a small store, on the tan-yard premises, now of Kinsay & Hilles, discovered an interred earthen pot of silver coin, of about 100 pieces, of very old dates. Several were divided coins, cut into sections of dollars and quarters. Some dates were as

old as 300 years. One was an old Massachusetts coin of 1652. He sold them all for old silver.

SETTLEMENT OF GWYNEDD.

This township, originally settled by the Welsh, was taken up in 1698; the original purchasers being William, John, and Thomas Evans, who distributed portions among their associates,-to wit: William, John, Thomas, Robert, Owen, and Cadwallader Evans; Hugh Griffiths, Edward Foulke, Robert Jones, John Hughes, and John Humphrey. Only the two last named were Friends; all the others were churchmen. These latter were accustomed to meet at Robert Evans's; and there Cadwallader Evans was in the practice to read from the Bible to the people assembled. But one time, as Cadwallader Evans was accustomed to relate to the late venerable Jesse Foulke, he was going as usual to his brother Robert's, when passing near the

road leading to Friends meeting, held at John Hughe's and John Humphrey's, it seemed as if he was impressed "to go down and see how the Quakers did." This he mentioned to his friend at the close of his own meeting, and they all agreed to go to the Friends meeting the next time, where they were all so well satisfied that they never met again in their own worship. In 1700, the Friends built their log meeting house, on the site where now stands their present stone house, built in 1823. An intermediate stone house was built there in 1712.

Mrs. S. Nancarro, the kinswoman of the above mentioned Jesse Foulke, who lived to be 80 years of age, used to tell the story a little variant, saying that the brothers Evans used to read the public services of their church, in a summer house, constructed of boughs of trees; and that when one of the brothers was proceeding to his meeting, having to pass by where William Penn was speaking, he became so convinced, that he succeeded in bringing over all his brethren to the same profession.

The same Mrs. N. had often seen and conversed with her grandfather, Hugh Evans, who lived to be ninety years of age. When he was a boy of twelve years of age, he remembered that William Penn, with his daughter Lætitia and a servant, (in the year 1699 or 1700,) came out on horseback to visit his father, Thomas Evans. Their house was then superior, in that it was of barked and hewn logs, a refinement surpassing the common rank. At that house, William Penn ascended steps on the outside to go to his bed-chamber; and the lad of twelve, curious to see so distinguished a guest,