INTRODUCTION. 



The State of Pennsylvania is situated between 39 43' and 42 15' 

 north latitude, and between 74 42' and 80 35' west longitude from 

 Greenwich. It is bounded on the north by New York and Lake Erie; 

 on the east by New York and New Jersey, being- separated from the 

 latter state by the Delaware river. Its length from east to west is about 

 three hundred and ten miles, and about one hundred and sixty miles in 

 width (" except at the angle at Lake Erie where it is one hundred and 

 seventy-five "). It contains an area of 28,808,443 acres, of which only 

 about 15,004,962 were improved in 1889. 



"FACE OF THE COUNTRY. No state in the Union presents a greater variety of sur- 

 face than Pennsylvania. Though they do not rise to any great elevation (seldom 

 above 2,000 feet), its mountains spread over about one-fourth of the state in parallel 

 ridges, in a direction generally from northeast to southwest, and occupy the south- 

 ern, central and eastern counties. Though all forming parts of the great Appala- 

 chian chain, they are known by various local appellations. Commencing below 

 Easton, on the Delaware, we have the South mountain ; then in order, proceeding 

 wes.t or northwest, the Blue or Kittatinny mountain (both entering the state from 

 New Jersey, and passing southwest into Maryland), and the Broad mountain, 

 which lies south of the North Branch of the Susquehanna. We now cross the river 

 just mentioned, but still have with us the Broad mountain, under the name of the 

 Tuscarora ; passing which, we come (upon another ridge, lying mostly south of the 

 Juniata river, known as Sideling Hill ; which is succeeded in turn by the Allegheny 

 mountains proper, the dividing ridge between the Atlantic slope and the Mississippi 

 valley. Descending the very gradual Ohio slope, we cross two inferior but well- 

 defined chains, known as Laurel and Chestnut Ridges. As before stated, these 

 mountains do not rise to a great height ; the South mountain is within 1,000, and the 

 Blue mountains within 1,500 feet. Broad mountain is said to rise higher above its 

 immediate base than the Allegheny range, but to be inferior to them in elevation 

 above the sea. These different ranges are separated by valleys, now contracted 

 within narrow limits, and now spreading out to a width of from fifteen to thirty 

 miles. The entire belt in Pennsylvania spreads over a space of two hundred miles 

 the greatest breadth the Allegheny range attains in its whole course from Maine to 

 Alabama. In the southern part of the state the mountains become high and rug- 

 ged hills ; the west is also hilly, and the southeast and northwest moderately so, but 

 occasionally level. The rivers of the western part of the state, cutting their way 

 through the table-land, present sometimes precipitous shores of several hundred 

 feet in height, and many valleys bear evident marks of their having been formed 

 by running water." 



(xi) 



