A. D. 1796. 393 



river, and may in no very long time abftrad a part of the trade from 

 New York. 



Perth-Amboy, the capital of New Jerfey, though pofTefling one of 

 the befl: harbours in America, has almoft no foreign trade, owing to 

 the vicinity of New York on the one hand and Philadelphia on the 

 other ; a proof (if proof Vv^ere necedary, in contradidion to the opinion 

 of fome political writers) that a fufficient extent of back country, and a 

 fufficient diftance from other principal ports, are more necefli^ry than a 

 good harbour, and even other local advantages, to the commercial 

 profperity of a town. 



Philadelphia, which has long been the commercial capital, as well as 

 lately the feat of government, of America, may, for regularity of plan 

 and general appearance of elegance, vie with many of the capital cities 

 of Europe, few, or perhaps none, of which can come into any degree 

 of comparifon with it for a liberal and enlightened fyftem of police. 

 In the year 1790 the population was reckoned at 42,000 perfons ; and 

 though 4,000 were fwept away by the yellow fever in 1793, it was fup- 

 pofed now to contain about 60,000 people. Philadelphia, like New 

 York, has the advantage of being fituated on the fide of a great river, 

 which conveys to it the produce of an extenfive, fertile, and populous, 

 country^ It has the additional advantage, in point of centrical iituation 

 with refpe^l: to the country conneded with it, and fafety from the at- 

 tacks of enemies, of being farther removed from the fea, and having at 

 the fame time an eafy accefs for fhips of the greatefi: burthen, and a 

 depth of water, which permits thofe large fliips to lay their fides to the 

 wharfs, without ever touching the ground. The inland trade of Phila- 

 delphia extends to all the back country to the diftance of feven or eight 

 hundred miles. Its foreign trade is that of the whole ftate of Pennfyl- 

 vania, the amount of which is already flated, and alfo that of Delaware, 

 and the weft fide of Jerfey. The duties on the tunnage of vefi!els, and 

 the cufl:oms on imports and exports, in the year 1795 amounted to- 

 2,961,204 dollars, being above the half of the whole fum colleded iit 

 thefe branches of revenue by all the United ftates. In 1796 



635 Square-rigged vessels and 990 boom-sail vessels arrived ; and 

 668 and 1,015 sailed. 



Philadelphia, befides exporting the produce of the interior country 

 conneded with it, and fome fhare of the furs and peltry obtained by 

 trading with the Indians, fliips for Europe a confiderable quantity of the 

 produce of the agriculture and fiflieries of the other ftates, and alfo re- 

 exports the tea and other goods brought from China and India, and,, 

 fince the commencement of the prefent war, a large quantity of Weft;- 

 India produce, as will appear from the following note of the chiel:" ar^ 

 tides of its exports in the year 1 796, 



Vol. IV. 3 D 



