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PHILADELPHIA. 



monument of their victory. From Phidias that ele- 

 vated style, which is so much admired, is commonly 

 supposed to have been derived ; and modern antiqua- 

 rians maintain that after his death Grecian art be- 

 gan to decline. Phidias was, moreover, an architect. 

 By the exertions of Pericles, Athens was made the 

 most magnificent city in Greece. During his gov- 

 ernment, which lasted twenty years, the city was 

 adorned with more costly temples, colonnades, and 

 other works of art, than Rome, though mistress of 

 the world, could boast in seven centuries. Every 

 one was anxious to do something for the ornament 

 of the city of Pallas. The best materials and most 

 skilful artists were there in abundance. Phidias 

 superintended these improvements; and the sculp- 

 tures with which the Parthenon, for instance, among 

 other buildings, was adorned, were partly his own 

 work, and partly in the spirit and after the ideas of 

 this great master. Phidias received great honours 

 from the Athenians, for whose fame he was labour- 

 ing, while Pericles had the sovereign power; but 

 he was subjected to a change of fortune when the 

 popularity of his patron declined. He died in 

 prison. The cause of his death is unknown. See 

 Emeric David, Examen des Inculpations dirigees 

 contre Phidias (Examination of the Charges brought 

 against Phidias ; Paris,) and C. O. Muller, De Phi- 

 due Vita et Operibus, etc. (the Life and Works of 

 Phidias; Gottingen, 1827, 4to). 



PHILADELPHIA, the second city in size in the 

 United States of America, is situated in a county of 

 the same name, in the state of Pennsylvania, between 

 the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers, five miles above 

 their junction, in lat. 39 57' N., and Ion. 75 10' 

 59" W. from Greenwich, and is about 120 miles 

 distant from the Atlantic ocean by the course of the 

 river, and about fifty-five miles from it in a direct 

 line to the south-east. The name is composed of 

 two Greek words.^/Xa*, a friend, and aSiA.^;, a 

 brother. Proud, the historian (upon what authority 

 is not known,) states that the Indian name of the 

 place was Coaquenaku, which Heckewelder trans- 

 lates into " the grove of tall pines." The city was 

 founded by William Penn in the year 1682. The 

 original city was a parallelogram, extending west 

 about two miles from the Delaware, beyond the 

 Schuylkill, and north and south a little more than a 

 mile. As commerce and other business increased, 

 the buildings were naturally extended along the 

 Delaware, and now reach from the lower part of 

 Southwark to the upper part of Kensington, near 

 four miles, and from one river to the other. The 

 main streets, running north and south, are twenty- 

 five in number, and those from east to west fourteen, 

 in the city proper, all of which cross at right angles, 

 except Dock-street. These streets are handsomely 

 paved with round stones, and kept remarkably clean. 

 The foot-ways are paved with brick, and defended 

 from the approach of carriages by ranges of curb- 

 stone. Numerous smaller streets and alleys divide 

 the different squares, and are paved in like manner. 

 The whole number, in the city and districts, is about 

 600. The streets vary much in width. Broad-street 

 is 113 feet; High-street, or Market-street, 100; 

 Arch-street, 60 feet; and the others of various 

 width. Common sewers have been formed under 

 most of the main streets, which carry the filth into the 

 Delaware, and preserve the health, and contribute 

 to the comfort of the inhabitants. The houses ex- 

 hibit an appearance of neatness, uniformity, and 

 commodiousness, and most of them are ornamented 

 with white marble steps and window sills. 



September 5, 1774, the members of the first con- 

 gress convened at Philadelphia, where they adopted 

 that celebrated declaration of rights which may be 



considered the preface to the declaration of inde- 

 pendence. Within two years after, the eternal sepa- 

 ration of the United States from Britain was de- 

 creed by that august body, and proclaimed to the 

 people from the state-house. Congress continued to 

 sit at Philadelphia until the approach of the British, 

 at the close of the autumn of 1776, compelled them 

 to retire to Baltimore. The city fell into the posses- 

 sion of the British forces, September 26, 1777, and 

 they occupied it until the 18th of June following. 

 During the remainder of the war, it happily escaped 

 the ravages of hostile operations. It was also the 

 seat of the state government until the year 1800. 

 For municipal purposes the legislature has, from time 

 to time, established corporate governments in differ- 

 ent parts of the suburbs, so that Philadelphia is 

 divided into the following districts : The corpora- 

 tions of the city of Philadelphia, of the Northern 

 Liberties, Kensington, Spring-Garden, Southwark, 

 and Moyamensing. The municipal government of 

 the city proper is vested in a mayor, a recorder, 

 fifteen aldermen, and a select and common council, 

 besides subordinate executive officers. The recorder 

 and aldermen are appointed by the governor of the 

 state, and hold their offices during good behaviour. 

 The mayor was annually chosen by the councils froir- 

 among the aldermen until April 10, 1826, when the 

 legislature passed an act authorizing the councils to 

 elect him from the body of the citizens. The mem- 

 bers of the select and common councils are annually 

 chosen by the people on the day of the general 

 election. They receive no compensation, sit in 

 separate chambers, and each body has a negative on 

 the legislative acts of the other. The mayor, re- 

 corder, and aldermen, or any four of them, whereof 

 the mayor or recorder must be one, constitute the 

 mayor's court, which has the same jurisdiction of 

 offences committed in the city, as the quarter-sessions 

 in their respective counties. The aldermen have 

 respectively the powers, and perform the duties, of 

 justices of the peace, as to all matters arising within 

 the city. This form of government was established 

 in 1796. The city proper sends seven representa- 

 tives and two senators to the state legislature. The 

 population of Philadelphia, according to the census 

 of 1810, was 96,664 ; in 1820 it was 119,325 ; and 

 in 1830 it was 167,811. 



Philadelphia now contains about one hundred 

 places of public worship, few of which are distin- 

 guished for architecture or extent. Institutions for 

 the relief of the unfortunate, sick and helpless abound, 

 at the head of which is the Pennsylvania hospital, 

 which was founded in the year 1750. The buildings 

 occupy an entire square, and in the front of them 

 stands a leaden statue of William Penn. The public 

 alrns-house is built upon the square adjoining, the an- 

 nual expenses of which are about 50,000 dollars. The 

 asylums for widows and orphans, and the institution 

 for the deaf and dumb, deserve a passing notice. The 

 latter building was erected in 1824 ; it is construct- 

 ed of granite. The whole front is ninety-six feet six 

 inches, and sixty-three feet in depth. The annual 

 expenditures are about 11,000 dollars. The institu- 

 tion was established in April, 1820. In the follow- 

 ing year it was incorporated, received a donation of 

 8000 dollars from the state, and an additional appro- 

 priation, for the support and education of fifty indi- 

 gent pupils of the state, for the term of three years. 

 By subsequent acts, this grant for charity students 

 has been made to continue until April, 1833. In 

 1828, the legislature of Maryland nppropriated 3500 

 dollars annually, for five years, for the education of 

 indigent deaf and dumb persons, of that state, in this 

 institution. The legislature of New Jersey also has, 

 for several years past, provided for an indefinite 



