1736.] nrsTouY of Delaware county. 245 



was to gjiard Friends against becoming the dupes of this magni- 

 cent swindle.' 



Chester Particidar Meeting of Friends appears to be engaged 

 in the erection of a new nieeting-liouse. Permission was granted 

 to that meeting to sell their old house, which was accordingly 

 done.- 



The number of taxables in the County in 1722 was 500. The 

 number taken from an assessment made in 1735 is 800 — making 

 the population, on an estimate of six persons to one taxable, 

 4800, or an increase of 1800 inhabitants in 13 years. Owing to 

 the wretched system of farming adopted by the early settlers, 

 the lands at first j)lace<l under culture were exhausted, and many 

 families removed further into the interior, and encountered the 

 task of clearing new lands, rather than remain upon those that 

 had been exhausted, either by their fathers or themselves. 



The assessment or valuation in 1735 was no higher than in 

 1722. The tax was about one-third less, being at the rate of two 

 pence in the pound; the poll tax on single freemen was Os., while 

 in 1722 it was 9s. Upper Chichester and Upper Darby appear 

 as distinct municipalities in this assessment, though the latter was 

 not then organized as a separate township for all purposes. The 

 tax for the whole county was only =£160. 



After an unusually successful administration of about ten 

 years, Governor Gordon died in the summer of 1736, leaving to 

 his successor, James Logan, who was then President of the Coun- 

 cil, some unadjusted Indian troubles, and an almost endless series 

 of Maryland border disputes. Logan administered the govern- 

 ment for about two years. In the absence of a Governor, there 

 could be no legislation, and of course no laws were passed during 

 the administration of James Logan. 



The advice of the yearly meeting against the importation of 

 negroes, and buying them after being imported, and the advice 

 against "the freiiuent use of drams, or other strong liquors, in 

 families, and particularly giving them to children," was repeated 

 and enjoined by both Chester and Concord Monthly Meetings. 



1 There is a printed scheme of this lottery among the unlabeled files in the office of 

 the Surveyor-General at Harrisburg. The proposition was, "to sell by way of lottery 

 100.000 acres of land, and estimate the same at the settled price of £15 10s. current 

 money of this Province for 100 acres, which amounts to the sum of £15,500, and that 

 the same be purchased by the sale of 7750 tickets at Forty Shillings each, [which] like- 

 wise amounts to £15,500." 



The quit-rent on this land was to be reduced from 4s. 2d. sterling to Is. per 100 

 acres, but the usual reservation in respect to mines was to remain. There were 1293 

 prize", and 6457 blanks. The land was distributed thus among the prize tickets, viz.: 

 one of 3000 acres; 2 of 1500 each: 10 of 1000 ; 20 of 500: 140 of 200 ; 150 of 100; 

 250 of 50, and 720 of 25 acres each. The first ticket drawn was entitled to 200 acres, 

 and the last to 300 acres. 



'^ This was the buihling in which tradition baa erroneously convened the first As- 

 sembly of Pennsylvania. 



