PKXX8YLVAN1A. 



Ill 



of Ik* state, ad iu uumsrahl. manufacturing, and 

 irk*, an prvi*>d witk .kattet Mo*, of internal 



M Hno. od eoBDeetod with Lake Kri* on Ik* on* side, 



i itAit -V 1 -. X.w York, and Ik* Atlantic oa Ik* other. Ti- 

 ~- u_ t^TL omt part Mlowth* peat valley, of the interior. 



Tk* railwayTof PeBMylvania ar* of great extent and importance; 

 ayllkMai.<>faDMr*ooattykmrMiterlkan tho*. of any other state 

 KM* S'.w York. Tk* loaf*** UM* ar* the*, carried quite acros. 

 .Vtete, from 1-biUdelpkU westward by HarrUburg to PitUburg. 

 to Cr***^OUo ; and the unRnUbed aerie* intended 

 pHf-Wi. north wretwanl by way of Sunbury to Lake 

 _ tkr s^wrfjuiiction luK. of oon*id*rable length and 

 BO mount all tk* kadinf town* of tk* state with each other. 

 Ike town, oo tk* line, of railway belonging to the neigh- 

 On the l*t of January 1855, there wore in Pennsylvania 



<Yf,V \NMA. 



Ill 



of railway in operation, and 1400 milea in progress or pro- 

 b* number of railway* waa 6 ; but many of the** are 



Itwt 



jected. Tb* 



aaelj ahori mineral Un* constructed for conveying the coal, *e, 



trota Ik* pita to th* ordinary peawoxer Hoe*. 



JtJmftltfff. Jx. Igneous and metamorphic rock* occupy 

 _ see* i in portion of the stata In the extreme south-east 

 ancU tk*r ar* chiefly of granite, sienita, Ac. ; but north of these the 

 nrevaleot rock* of thi* aeries are of gnriss, mica-*chist, talcoee nUte, 

 errrtallia* llmtetnn* Ac. ; whilst vein* of copper trap occur in several 

 rhrt- Bordering UM** on the west and north U a belt of Lower 

 aUortso strata, which stretch** acros* the state from Maryland to 

 tk* DiUwar* above Trenton, and consUU of thick beds of dark reddish- 

 brown argilUceou* sandrtonr, compact limestone, and over all slaty 

 clay*. West and north of this series and following iU outline i* a 

 narrower belt of Upper Silurian strata, consisting chiefly of light gray 

 miMatoML Beyond thorn occur widely extended strata of Devonian 

 rock*. The** occupy tb* middle and north-eastern part of the state, 

 attain a depth of *om* 14,000 feet, and consist of very fossiliferous 

 saad*ta*M*v thick bads of marl and cUy, aud surmounting all strata of 

 very deep red-.and.too*, corresponding to the Old Red-Sandstone of 

 Wales and Scotland, like whole of the western half of Pennsylvania 

 oniony to th* Carboniferous system a portion of the great coal-field 

 of Ike AlUgbanie*. Th* Lower Carboniferou* itrata arc chiefly repre- 

 sented by red *cbi*t and siliceous conglomerate, and form a narrowiah 

 band wvet of the Devonian rocks, and between them and the Upper 

 Carbaaifrrou* strata, or coal - measures, which occupy the entire 

 ~illm portion of the state, and recur in detached patches through- 

 oat tk* district assigned to the Devonian formation; it is indeed 

 ike** d*t*obd portions that th* most productive coal-mines 

 The Upper Carboniferou* strata consist chiefly of conglo- 

 . as the baa* of th* formation, and above Carboniferou* limestone, 

 MBoetoo*, and clay-slates, with vein* of true coal, both bituminous and 

 anthracite. 



Rich a* Pennsylvania is in minerals, by far the most important is 

 coal The anthracite coal i* found in the greatest quantity between 

 Ik* Blue Uidg* and the Susquchanna River, and chiefly in the Lehigh 

 and (.ackawanna valleys. The richest mines are near Mount Carbon 

 or PotUville, on the Schuylkill, and near Mauch Chunk on the 

 Lehigb, when bed* occur above 40 feet thick, and are worked in the 

 open air, the overlying aandstone, 40 feet thick, having been removed 

 bodily from th* top of the hill. The quantity of conl extracted from 

 tk* Schuylkill 6eld in 1851 amounted to 2,178,684 tons. Other very 

 productive bed* of anthracite occur in the Wyoming valley and else- 

 where. Tb* bituminous coal-fii Id. of Pennsylvania lie in the western 

 parU of the state, when the coal is found in beds varying iu thickness 

 from mo inch to six feet and upwards : and it is noteworthy that the 

 coal become* progrraaivdy bituminous as we advance westward in the 

 state. The coal-land* of PennsylvanU are said to occupy above 15,000 

 aquan n.ilea, or nearly one-third of the entire area of the state. The 

 quantity of coal now annually obtained from the coal-mines or quarries 

 of Peaniylvama averages nearly 6,000,000 tons, of which about 

 1,800,000 too* an bituminous. 



Next in vain* to the coal U the iron-ore, which i* abundant all over 

 Ik* state, but th* mon valuable kind* especially so in the bituminous 

 coal district* of PitUburg, when it ha* long been very extensively 

 worked. Nearly half of the iron manufactured in the United States 

 i* aaid to b* obtained from Pennsylvania. Copper-ore is worked in 

 various places of good quality. Rich argentiferous lead-ore is also 

 obtained. Some sine U found. Salt-springs an common all over the 

 refioo of to* brtominon* coal. Wherever the earth in thi* region has 

 kesn penetrated to any con.idrr.ble depth, aalt water ha* been found, 

 and then an nit-work, on a Urge seal* on tb* Conemaugh, an 

 fluent of th* All> ghany, and one or two other river*. Saline and 

 otker HMdininal pring* in various places have of late been much 

 resorted to by invalid* during the dimmer season. Marble of beautiful 

 variety and excellent texture, granite, and other excellent building 

 ton** an largely quarried. Bute and limestone abound in some places. 



The climate, tb* principal agricultural productions, forest trees, Ac., 

 nave been already noticed in describing the different sections of the 

 Tb* staple cereal* are wheat, maize, and oaU ; but rye and 



hnakwkest ar* also largely raised. Of other food crop* potatoes are 

 Th* culture of tobacco appear, to be greatly on the 



Ih* principal 



increase. Maple sugar U very extensively mnde. There are very 

 Urge quantities of hones, cattle, and swine in the state, but their 

 numbers decreased considerably between the censuses of 1840 and 

 1850. The waggon-bones of Pennsylvania are of extraordinary size 

 and strength. The cattle are generally of a good breed. Sheep are 

 kept in moat parts, but the wool is not fine. The wild animals have 

 much diminished. The elk has entirely disappeared, and the deer 

 begin* to b* scarce. In the northern and less cultivated district* are 

 still found the brown bear, the wolf, wild cat, &e. ; also squirrel*, 

 rabbits, hares, and minxes. Among the birds, the wild turkey ia the 

 largest. Several kind* of fish are plentiful iu the riven, as salmon, 

 trout, carp, shad, Ac. 



Manxfai-lurtt, Commerce, Ac. Pennsylvania i* one of the chief 

 manufacturing state* of the Union. Though the manufactures of cotton, 

 woollen, and linen stuffs are leas extensive than those of New York 

 and Massachusetts, those of iron are by far the most extensive in the 

 Union, amounting indeed in value to more than ouc-third of the whole. 

 In almost every county there are iron-works, but the chief seats of 

 the manufacture are PitUburg in the north-west, Lancaster in tho 

 south-east, and Armstrong, Chester, Berks, Blair, Columbia, and 

 Liuerue counties. Railway carriages and machinery, steam-engines 

 for the navigation of the Ohio and Miuinuppi, sugar-mills and machi- 

 nery, agricultural implements, tools, chain-cables, stoves, cutlery, etc., 

 are made to a very great extent. Qreat quantities of common glass 

 are made and sent to other states. The manufactures of paper are 

 perhaps almost equal in value to those of glass. Leather-making is 

 also a considerable branch of industry. The largest tan-yards are at 

 PitUburg, but they are numerous in the smaller towns in the north- 

 west region. There are also manufactures of sail-cloth, ropes, hats, 

 stockings, potash, tobacco, earthenware, china, candles, coaches, &c. 

 The distilleries are on a large scale; but New York alone brews a 

 larger quantity of ale, 



Pennsylvania ranks fourth among the states of the Union in respect 

 to foreign commerce. Philadelphia is the only sea-port iu the state 

 [PHILADELPHIA], and the only place through which foreign commerce 

 is carried on. The exports during the year ending June 30, 1853. 

 amounted to 6,527,996 dollars, of which 6,255,229 dollars were of 

 domestic produce. The imports during the same period amount 

 18,834,410 dollars, of which 10,454,563 dollars were carrii-.l in 

 American vessels and 8,379,817 dollars iu foreign vessels. Tin- 

 entrances during 1850 were 352 American vessel* of the aggregato 

 burden of 100,009 tons, and 185 foreign vessels of the aggregate 

 burden of 32,301 tons. The clearances during 1850 amounted to 479 

 vessels, of the aggregate burden of 111,618 tons. The total tonnage 

 owned in the state in 1850 was 257,939 tons, of whu-h by far the greater 

 number were employed in the inland and coasting trade. During the 

 year ending June 30, 1850, there were built in the state 191 v< 

 of the aggregate burden of 31,539 tons; of these 56 were steamers, 

 102 sloops and canal boats, 28 schooners, 4 brigs, aud only one a .-hip. 



Divisions, Totem, <tc. Pennsylvania is divided into 63 counties, 

 21 in Eastern and 42 in Western Pennsylvania. Harrisburg is the 

 political capital ; but Philadelphia is the chief city and the commercial 

 metropolis, and Pittsburg the principal seat of the iron manufactures 

 of the state. PHILADELPHIA forms the subject of a separate article : 

 some of the other more important towns are noticed below ; the 

 population is that of 1850 : 



Jlarritburg, the capital, occupies an elevated site on the left bank 

 of the Susquehanna, in 40* 16' N. lat., 76 50' W. long., 110 miles N. 

 from Washington : population, 7834. The chief public buildings are 

 the capital, or state house, a large and costly edifice of the Ionic 

 order; the court-house, prison, several churches, schools, &c. Con- 

 siderable manufactures are carried on. A handsome covered bridge 

 nearly 3000 feet long crosses the Susquehanna here. Like almost 

 every other town of any consequence iu the state, Harrisburg has 

 ample railway and canal facilities. 



I'ittiburg, the chief town of Western Pennsylvania, is a city and 

 port of entry; it stands at the confluence of the Alleghany and 

 Monougahela rivers, which uniting here form the Ohio : population, 

 46,601. Tbe city is regularly laid out, well supplied with wat*r, and 

 lighted by gas ; the wide streets are lined with well-built houses; and 

 several handsome bridges cross both rivers. Among the principal 

 buildings are the court-house, a large and costly Doric structure ; a 

 spacious Roman Catholic cathedral ; about 80 churches, some of con- 

 siderable architectural pretensions ; the western university of Penn- 

 sylvania ; several schools ; a museum ; market-houses ; besides banks, 

 hotels on a very sumptuous scale, railway stations, &c. The manu- 

 facturing establishmenU are very numerous, and of great magnitude ; 

 and PitUburg boasts of being known as the Birmingham of America. 

 The chief manufactures are of iron. There ore very large rolling- 

 mills, foundries of bar- and pig-iron, nails and other coarse goods, 

 lock*, latches, mills, tools, springs, gun-barrels, Ac. The other leading 

 manufacturing establishments are of gloss, soda, potash, white-lead, 

 Ac.; with breweries, saw- and grist-mills, Ao. A large wholesale 

 and retail trade is also carried on. Great quantities of bituminouH 

 coal are obtained hi the immediate vicinity of the city. Besides tho 

 commercial facilities afforded by the Ohio, which is navigable to 

 MtUburg by steamers of large size, the city U connected with Lake 

 Erie and tho Atlantic by canal aud railway. Alleghany City, on the 



