sion of New Jersey near them being then but thin settled) however, some of the neighbouring colonies hearing of a people come to settle, came with such necessaries as they could spare, which was very scanty for the number of persons, which wanted them, and they took money for them; for they were not empty handed.

These hardships and difficulties continued several years; and having spent their money and other necessaries they brought with them, it seemed hard for some to bear; and they would often condole with one another, saying, they believed it would not do to stay, and they must seek some other place! But as they continued their industry, in a few years (having several artificers and tradesmen among them, which was their riches in fact!) they had got some few tolerable good houses in the city, and lands cleared for plantations, whereon they sowed and planted provisions, which was more plentiful every year, notwithstanding people continued coming in to settle; for the land being good and fertile, produced plentifully of excellent wheat and almost all other sorts of grain, with roots and fruits, and they got a stock of cattle, horses, sheep, and hogs; and in less than ten years [still a good long while to wait, to persons accustomed to comfortable livings] the country produce became considerably more than the inhabitants wanted for their own consumption, although they were very much increased in numbers; [Little could they in their actual need foresee the wonderful present improvements on the same soil!] so that they began to manufacture their wheat by bolting (having some few water-mills to grind the corn) which made excellent flour of several degrees. The first they sold for exportation; the other sorts made good bread and biscuit, and the bran made hearty food for working creatures.

By this time a report had reached the West Indies that a number of people had settled a new country which produced great plenty of provisions, on which they sent several vessels to trade with them, [It has not been heretofore understood that the West Indies began the commerce; yet in this way came the Norrises, Dickinsons, and other families from the West Indies, to settle in Philadelphia to pursue commerce,] and they brought quantities of coined silver and gold, besides the produce of those islands, to purchase provisions. By this means cash was plenty, for the number of people, and the inhabitants were enabled to build [thereby] vessels and to trade to sea.

Thus providence caused the country to increase in wealth, peace and plenty from year to year; so that the first 40 years it was the admiration of all people, who saw or heard of its flourishing condition, in lands, improvements in building houses and shipping, manufactures of many kinds, increase in plenty, commerce and trade, the great number of in habitants, the soil producing plentifully with their industry. [What a time to make fortunes, when lands and lots were cheap, and money abounded! and therefore we have seen all the original industrious and frugal inhabitants become in fact the nobility of the country. If they then admired to see their progress so sudden and so great; we also have had a time, even now, of admiring at our eclipsing of late years all that they thus did!]

Considerable numbers of shipping came yearly, besides vessels built not only for the inhabitants, but many others in remote parts, who readily

disposed of their cargoes and procured their full loading of the produce of this province, which was transported to the English plantations, and other foreign nations, by which means, all useful necessaries they had occasion for, were imported amongst them; and in every sense, the country still increasing more in settlements and improvements; many thousands of foreigners and others came hither and settled, whereby the produce of almost all kinds was much more increased, as well as commerce and trade both at home and abroad; and much good harmony continued amongst the inhabitants considering what a large number of mixed people were got together.

And it must be noted, that for many years, there subsisted a good concord and benevolent disposition amongst the people of all denominations, each delighting to be reciprocally helpful and kind in acts of friendship for one another, and (as it is said) there was no difference in forms of worship; for the Quakers, having built a large Meeting house about the centre of the city, [meaning, I presume, the corner of Second and High streets, and not the real centre Meeting house on Broad and High streets,] all came there, until a mischievous man who had imbibed vile notions of sacred things, and had more learning than sincerity, and wanting to form a particular sect of his own, [meaning George Keith's schism,] so divided the people, that they separated into different Societies; but at length he confounded himself and many of his adherents.

The proprietor's first and principal care was to promote peace with all; and accordingly he established a friendly correspondence, by way of treaty with the Indians, at least twice a year. [This is worth noticing,] and strictly enjoined the inhabitants and surveyors, not to settle any land to which the Indians had a claim, until he had first, at his own cost, satisfied and paid them for the same. [This peace lasted 80 years!] Which discreet method so effectually engaged their friendship, that they entirely loved him and his people,-when at the same time, several of the neighbouring colonies were at war and in great distress by the Indians. The proprietor, being called home to meet some grievous complaints and false insinuations, did not return till the year 1700, when he came with his family, to the great joy of the inhabitants in general, with intentions (as it was hoped) to settle therein; and often expressed his great pleasure of once more coming again, and seeing the flourishing and happy state of the province, where he greatly desired to continue. But his stay was short, for his enemies at home were still unwearied against him, and he embarked himself and family on board a mean ship in the winter season, and arrived safe in England, where he still retained his interest at court.

These complaints and troubles, not only proving very fatiguing but expensive, gave him such uneasiness, that in the reign of queen Anne he proposed to sell his right of Pennsylvania to the crown, on terms securing the people's rights. Yet, some would insinuate he had not regarded the people therein, which would be doing that worthy man's memory and integrity great injustice!

As the chief part of the inhabitants were Quakers, they, with others, were and are concerned in acts of government; but as the province intreased and prospered in every respect, many of other persuasions

came and settled here with worldly views; who have formerly attempted to wrest the civil power out of the Quakers' hands, as it is very probable they may, and will again. As they politically begin to think and observe, the country in its increased wealth and commerce cannot be safe under the conduct of men, who from their principles [of religion] would continue it in a defenceless state and leave it an easy prey to any enemy. Thus not regarding [the fact of] the peaceable introduction and continuing from the first settlement, both in time of peace and war."

Astrological Signs of Philadelphia at its Birth.—When Astrological science was much countenanced, Jacob Taylor, a good mathematician, who from keeping a small school near Abington, came to be the Surveyor General of the province, calculated the aspect of the planets when the city of Philadelphia was founded, and expressed the result in the following lines-written in the year 1723, to wit:

"Full forty years have now their changes made,
Since the foundation of this town was laid;-
When Jove and Saturn were in Leo join'd,
They saw the survey of the place designed :
Swift were these planets, and the world will own
Swift was the progress of the rising town.

The Lion is an active regal sign;

And Sol beheld the two superiors join.

A city built with such propitious rays

Will stand to see old walls and happy days.
But kingdoms, cities, men in every state

Are subject to vicissitudes of fate.

An envious cloud may shade the smiling morn
Though fates ordain the beaming Sun's return!"

FRAGMENTS OF OUR PRIMITIVE HISTORY.

64

•Colligite fragmenta, ut non quid pereat!"

Scraps of ancient lore, he culls from ev'ry store.

It is intended, within the compass of the present article, to col lect and arrange several items of a miscellaneous character, illustrative of our primitive history. The most of them having been derived from Mrs. Logan's MS. selections, and now first meeting the public eye, will give them additional attraction.

I take this occasion to acknowledge my obligations to my much valued friend for her generous indulgence, in allowing me freely to extract what I pleased from her valuable and voluminous selections -in five volumes quarto-compiled from numerous files of papers left by the honourable James Logan and by the kindred Norris family. To the future historian of Pennsylvania they will furnish documents of much value; and a grateful posterity will not fail to

commend the kindness of the heart, and the untiring patience of the hand, that has thus usefully laboured for their information and entertainment.

As many of the facts are derived from the frankness and unreserve of confidential letter correspondence, they will therefore partake of the minds of the writers, and let us into the double reward of learning more intimately the characters of Logan, Norris, Penn, &c. -for, as has been well observed, "there is nothing in general which can give a better opportunity of understanding a man's character, than those letters he never meant for the public eye."

Salaries to Officers in 1701.-William Penn, in his letter of 1701, to James Logan, says, "To Colonel Hamilton, as deputy governor, give him £200 per annum, of your money,-this, till I procure an approbation for him,-afterwards, let it be £300. To John Moore, as the attorney-general, give £30 a year. I hope the Assembly will take these charges off my hands. Use your endeavours. Judge (J.) Guest expects £100 a year;-I would give him 50. [James Logan was promised £200, but he never took but £100, because of Penn's embarrassments.]

The Value of the Customs.-In William Penn's letter of 1701, he writes, "This year the customs from Pennsylvania, for amount goods, amount to £8000. The year I arrived there, in 1699, it was but 1500-a good encouragement for me and the country. New York has not the half of it. [This is remarkable of a country then so much older!] But oh, that we had a fur trade instead of a tobacco Fur is almost any price,-I would say, 16 shillings,-ay, 20

one.

shillings."

Tobacco Cultivation.-Tobacco was much cultivated about Philadelphia at first, and much of it in the lower counties:-Penn's rents were chiefly paid in it. In 1702, eight vessels were loaded for England with 80 to 90 hogsheads each.

Fairmount.-William Penn, in 1701, in writing to James Logan, shows his fancy for the site of the present water works, and his intention to settle there if he returned, saying, "My eye, though not my heart, is upon Fairmount, unless the unworthiness of some spirits drive me up to Pennsbury or Susquehanna for good and all." He had before projected and published a scheme of making another city and settlement on the Susquehanna. One of the Penns afterwards built and occupied a country-seat at Springettsbury, near to Fairmount.

The Faction Against Penn.-These drove their opposition to Penn's interests to extremes. In 1700, Colonel Quarry, judge, and John Moore, advocate, of the admiralty, were the two ringleaders. "The faction (says James Logan) had long contended to overthrow the settled constitution of the government." At that time, David Lloyd, the attorney-general, (afterwards an opposition leader,

although a Friend) defended the measures of Penn's administra tion. James Logan remarks on these ungenerous hostilities to their patron, that Governor Penn "was sometimes warm enough to inveigh highly against past proceedings, not sparing several, in express words, that were concerned in them." Penn himself calls them "knavish and foolish enemies." It was a part of their regular business, as mal-contents, to send many idle and pernicious tales to England, and also to the government there.

In 1702, James Logan thus writes of them," We are here unhappily exposed to such malicious spies, who, sedulously to serve a dishonest cause, keep themselves constantly on the alert, and in their secret cabals dress up every trivial occurrence into a monstrous shape of malfaisance;-the real subject of which is so slight, that the persons concerned scarce ever think of it more, until they hear it roar from some mighty court or committee there," -in England.

In 1704-5, he says, "Some in America, who were lost here in the crowd of their superiors, having got into power there, in feeling their little eminency, think nothing taller than themselves but their trees! It might amend them to send them back to lose themselves again in the crowds of more considerable people!" [a cutting satire !]

Parties and factions ran high in the time of Sir William Keith, who promoted political divisions for his personal benefit. James Logan's letter to the proprietaries, of the year 1729, speaks of an intended mob or insurrection of about 200 people purposing to come in from the country with clubs, &c., and to be increased with such of the city as would join them, to overawe the Assembly, and to storm the government and council! In the mean time, the Assembly proclaimed the riot act as in force, with the penalty of death annexed. Three or four score of the mob came next day near to the town's end, but on hearing of the riot act they retired. Under a sense of such troubles, James Logan advises them,-even at that late day-to sell back to the crown!

In the 5th vol. of Mrs. Logan's selections is a long justification of 50 pages, by James Logan, of all his public measures, being in design a refutation of sundry malevolent accusations or insinuations prompted by the jealousy or bad motives of Governor Keith. It is dated the 29th of September, 1709, and is addressed to the Assembly in the name of a remonstrance. It shows that much of the perverseness of David Lloyd, in the Assembly, was caused by his personal pique against William Penn,-towards whom he acted apparently with much unfair dealing. It furnishes an ample portrait of Lloyd's general character.*

In 1734, James Logan gives a general history of the state of the

In the year 1774, John Reed, of Philadelphia, published a book of 60 pages, 8vo. avowedly to illustrate his large map of city lots. It would seem he had hostilities to the