STATE OF DELAWARE 379 



Twelve miles from Wilmington on this road and 

 14 from Philadelphia lies Chester, belonging to 

 Pensylvania ; a place of middling size to which the 

 ships lying there, going to Philadelphia or coming 

 thence, furnish some support. Here we saw a few fine 

 mulberry trees, not often found elsewhere. The asser- 

 tion has been made that these trees, like the walnut, 

 better the soil in which they grow. With a view to the 

 culture of, silk, the elder Bartram made a few small 

 but promising experiments ; also, as du Pratz relates, 

 successful experiments have been made by a lady at 

 New Orleans, so that there is reason to hope that this 

 domestic tree will one day be of great use to America. 



Farther on, nine miles from Philadelphia, is Darby, 

 a small village where in deep roads the grey rock was 

 still to be seen, overlaid with a coarse, slatey, white 

 stone. The 3ist of October in the evening we came a 

 second time to Philadelphia. 



Philadelphia. During our absence a company of 

 players had arrived. For many years America has en- 

 joyed these diversions at sundry places. Travelling 

 companies came from Europe to Philadelphia, New 

 York, Charleston, and the West Indies ; and Philadel- 

 phia, as also New York, had a special play-house, 

 although the Quakers have always protested. The 

 present company, under the direction of a Mr. Reyan, + 

 was formed several years ago from the remnants of 



Motacilla Sialis, Mot. Calendula, Loxia Cardinalis, Emberiza 

 hiemalis & nivalis, Trochilus Colubris, &c. and a few others 

 which are the more striking in the eye of the countryman 

 either for the great flocks in which they come and go or on 

 account of their distinct colors. But generally only a few 

 land-birds remain the winter through in this region. 



