together with the instructions, to be also given to the said governor, may contain such powers, authorities and directions, as may be necessary for the establishing there a regular constitution of government, by a governor, council, and general assembly, with other civil and military officers; and for securing to the proprietors and inhabitants, all their properties and civil rights, in as full and ample manner, as the like are enjoyed by any plantation, under governors appointed by his majesty's immediate commission; together with such clauses and further provisions, as may be thought reasonable, in order to prevent the interfering of that colony with the interest of his majesty's other plantations; as the proprietary governments in America have generally done.

Samuel Smith, The History of the Colony of Nova-Cæsaria, or New-Jersey (Burlington, New Jersey, 1765), Appendix, 566-570 passim.

27. The Separation of Delaware (1703)

BY SECRETARY JAMES LOGAN (1709)

James Logan acted as secretary and agent for William Penn during the many years in which the proprietor was absent from his colony. - Bibliography: Tyler, American Literature, II, 233-235; Winsor, Narrative and Critical History, V, 208-209; Channing and Hart, Guide, § 108.- For previous accounts of Delaware, see Contemporaries, I, ch. xxiv.

HENRY GOLDNEY,

I

Esteemed Friend,

Philadelphia, 3d Month the 12th, 1709.

WAS favored last fall with thine and other Friends' answer to mine of 3d month last; the contents of which were extremely satisfactory, and, on my part, I shall not be wanting to discharge my duty to the utmost of my power. . . .

I now design, through the greatest confidence in thy friendship both to him and me, to be very free with thee in an affair that nearly concerns him and this country in general, in which I shall request thee to exercise thy best thoughts, and, according to the result of these, heartily to employ the necessary endeavours. The case is briefly as follows;

This government has consisted of two parts; the Province of Pennsylvania, and the Three Lower Counties on Delaware. To the first the proprietor has a most clear and undoubted right, both for soil and government, by the King's letters patent or royal charter; for the latter he has much less to show; for the soil he has deeds of feofment from

the Duke of York, but for the government not so much as is necessary. After his first arrival, however, in these parts, he prevailed with the people both of the province and those counties to join in one government under him, according to the powers of the King's charter, which nevertheless extended to the province only, and so they continued, not without many fractions, till after the time of his last departure, when some disaffected persons took advantage of a clause, which he had unhappily inserted in a charter he gave the people, and broke off entirely from those lower counties; since which time we have had two assemblies, that of the province, acting by a safe and undisputed power, but that of the other counties without sufficient (I doubt) to justify them. Last fall the assembly of those counties took occasion to inquire into their own powers, upon a design to set new measures on foot, and have sent home an address by one of their members, Thomas Coutts's brother, who is to negotiate the matter with the Lords of Trade and the ministry, to obtain powers to some person or other, who the Queen may think fit (though Coutts designs it for himself), to discharge all the necessary duties of government over them. This, I doubt, will give the proprietary great trouble; for when the Council of Trade is fully apprized, as by this means they will be, that those counties are entirely disjoined from the province, it is probable they may more strictly inquire into the proprietor's right of government and legislation with the people there; and it is much to be feared, that they may advise the Queen to dispose of the government of those parts some other way, which would be exceedingly destructive to the interest of the province in general. . . .

Upon the whole, what I have to propose is this, whether it would not be most advisable for the proprietor to consider in time what measures are most fit for him to take for his own and the country's interest, before the blow falls so heavy that it may prove difficult, if at all practicable, for him to ward it off; whether, therefore, it may not be most prudent to part with the government of both province and lower counties together, upon the best terms that can be obtained, before it proves too late for him to procure any. If he should hold the government of the province, nay even of the whole, during his life, he will never gain any thing by it; and, after his decease, it will be lost, or at least be put out of the hands of Friends, and perhaps without any previous terms at all, when now he may be capable himself to negotiate a surrender, both to his own particular interest, and greatly to the advantage of the profession; but, whenever this is done, he should remember

our present lieutenant-governor, who will be a sufferer (I fear, at best) by undertaking the charge; and, if any thing fall of course in the way, I wish he would not quite forget an old trusty servant of his, who has been drudging for him these ten years; (but that is not the business.) This I thought necessary to advise thee of, considering thee as one of his best and heartiest friends, and desire thee to communicate the matter to such others as may be most serviceable, but by no means expose this letter, for I would have that kept very private.

I have wrote to the same purpose to the proprietary himself very fully; but finding, by long experience, how little it avails to write to himself alone of matters relating to his own interest, I now choose this method, and give this early notice before the addresses from hence shall come to hand, which, with the address already gone from the lower counties, will certainly do our business, whether the proprietor will agree to it or not, and therefore best take time while it offers. I shall commit this to thy prudence and discretion, and conclude, Thy real loving friend.

JAMES LOGAN.

Benjamin Franklin, Works (edited by Jared Sparks, Boston, 1836), III, 573– 575 passim.

28. Philadelphia, "a Noble, Large, and Populous

City" (1710)

BY RICHARD CASTELMAN, GENT."

This account is appended to the early editions of The Voyages and Adventures of Captain Robert Boyle, the authorship of which is variously attributed to W. R. Chetwood, Benjamin Victor, and Daniel Defoe. Castelman's account, however, bears marks of authenticity. Bibliography: Winsor, Narrative and Critical History, V, 249. — For previous accounts of Philadelphia, see Contemporaries, I, Nos. 161, 163.

TH

HERE are many large, beautiful, well-built Towns in the Province of Pensylvania, of which, as I said before, Philadelphia is the chief. It is a noble, large, and populous City, standing on as much Ground as our English City of Bristol, seated upon a Neck of Land form'd by the Rivers Delaware and the Schuylkill, both navigable many Leagues above the City. It is built square in Form of a Chess-Board, with each Front facing one of the Rivers.

There are several Streets near two Mile long, as wide as Holborn, and

The chief are Broad-street,

better built, after the English Manner. King-street, and High-street, tho' there are several other handsome Streets that take their Names from the Productions of the Country; as Mulberry, Walnut, Beech, Sassafras, Cedar, Vine, Ash, and Chesnut Streets. From these Streets run great Numbers of Courts, Yards, and Allies, with well-built Houses in 'em. There are several Coves and Docks where large Ships are built; and by a moderate Computation, there has been launch'd from the Stocks of this City in forty Year, near 300 Sail of Ships, besides Small-Craft, which may in some sort give us an Idea of the Opulency of the Place. Many of their Merchants keep their Coaches, and the Tradesmens Shops and Streets are well frequented. All Religions are tolerated here, which is one Means to increase the Riches of the Place. The People of the Church of England as by Law establish'd, have a neat, well-built Church, founded in the Year 1695, and I am inform'd the Foundation is laid for another. The Quakers (who are the major Part of the Inhabitants) have several Meetings. There is a Swedish reform'd Church, Mr. Rudman the Incumbent, a Man of singular Learning and Piety; who is as much follow'd by the Quakers, when he preaches, as the Protestants. I shall beg leave to give one Instance of his Humility and Piety. When Subscriptions were taking in to build the Church, he subscrib'd a considerable Sum; but when call'd upon for the Money, he had it not in his Power to pay it; yet to keep his Word, he contracted with the Master-Builder for so much a-day, to carry the Hod, till he had work'd his Subscription-Money out. This was an Instance of his Piety and Zeal for Religion; and I fancy if Churches were to be built after the same Manner in a certain Island, the Work would go but slowly on. There are single Houses upon the Key that have cost 6000 7. the Building. Mr. Badcock's Brewhouse is a noble, large Building, and has in it one single Vessel that will hold eight Ton of Liquor.

In this City is held the Courts of the Province, and the Assembly meet here, which is in the nature of a dependant Parliament, as in those Cities of France that are distant from the Capital. There are three Fairs in the Year, and every Week two Markets. In time of the Fairs the City is so throng'd, as well as the adjacent Plantations, that it is hard to find. a Lodging.

.. The Number of the Inhabitants is generally suppos'd to be upwards of 15000, besides Slaves. There is hardly any Trade in England but the same may be met with in Philadelphia; and every Mechanick

has better Wages; a Journeyman Taylor has twelve Shillings a Week, besides his Board; and every other Trade in Proportion has the same Advantage.

There is a Post-Office lately erected, which goes to Boston in NewEngland, Charles-town in Carolina, and the other neighbouring Places. The uncultivated Ground, which is not grubb'd, sells for ten times the Value it did at first; though there is none of that sort within ten Miles round the City: And that within the Neighbourhood that was sold for ten Pound at first, will fetch above three hundred now. All Women's Work is very dear there, and that proceeds from the smallness of the Number, and the Scarcity of Workers; for even the meanest single Women marry well there, and being above Want are above Work. The Proprietor of this fine Country (as I said before) is William Pen, Esq; who has a fine Seat call'd Pensbury, built on three Islets, if I may so call 'em; for a Branch of the River Delaware runs thrice round it. . . . In the Heat of the Day I sometimes took a Walk with some of the Town to Fair Mount, a pleasant Place shaded with Trees on the River Schuylkill...

I continu'd at Philadelphia near four Months, and was very well entertain'd by the Gentlemen of the Place: I am pleas'd I have it in my Power to pay 'em my publick Acknowledgment of Thanks for all their Favours; particularly the Reverend Mr. Brooks, whom I met with by Chance at Philadelphia: His Business there was to raise Subscriptions for a new Church near New-York: When he heard of my Misfortunes, he was so generous and charitable as to offer to lend me a Sum of Money he had in his Hands, upon my bare Word only, which I was to return to him from England by the Society for Propagating the Gospel in Foreign Parts. As I was not in want of it, I did not accept his intended Favour, but I shall ever gratefully remember his kind Intentions.

I must not forget the many Obligations I had the Honour to receive from his Excellency Governor Evans, nor Mr. Evans the Commissary, who was particularly civil to me. These Gentlemen, tho' of the same Name, are no otherwise related than by marrying the Daughters of Mr. Moor, the Collector of the King's Customs. The Commissary is just gone for Philadelphia again, having been in England near a Twelvemonth, about an Affair between the present Governor Sir William Keith and him, relating to the King's Customs. Among the rest of my Friends, I must not forget the facetious Mr. Staples, Dancing-Master, who was