86 TRAVELS IN THE CONFEDERATION 



the only man at Philadelphia who manifests a taste for 

 natural history. Also he possesses the only collection, 

 a small one, of natural curiosities and a not incon- 

 siderable number of well-executed drawings of Ameri- 

 can birds, plants, and insects. It is to be regretted that 

 his activities, and his enthusiasm for collecting, should 

 be embarrassed by domestic circumstances, and that he 

 should fail of positive encouragement from the Ameri- 

 can publick. In his collection of curiosities, which is 

 adorned with many specimens of North American 

 fauna and a few Otaheitian, the Americans take most 

 pleasure in a pair of French courier-boots and a Hes- 

 sian fuseleer's cap. 



There had been begun in the so-called Fish House, 

 beyond the Schuylkill, a very respectable collection of 

 the natural products of America, but this was quite 

 destroyed in the year 1777 by the British army, at that 

 time passing. 



Libraries also Philadelphia possesses, those institu- 

 tions contributory to the general enlightenment. A taste 

 for reading is pretty wide-spread. People of all classes 

 use the library in Carpenter-street, of which I have 

 already made mention. Dr. Franklin, supported par- 

 ticularly by Quakers, began this library as early as 

 1732 by the foundation of a Reading-society. The 

 rooms are open to the public twice a week in the after- 

 noon, but the members of the society have access every 

 day. Books may be borrowed on the deposit of a read- 

 ing-fee. The number of books is not very great, but 

 there are in the collection many fine English works and 

 also some Latin and French books. Two librarians are 

 installed who, however, could not always find books 

 named in the catalogue. It was not the misfortune of 



