286 HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY. [1775. 



security of this Province in the channel opposite or near to Mar- 

 cus Hook."^ 



In an official report on the condition of the Province, made by 

 the Governor to the Earl of Dartmouth, the population is esti- 

 mated at 302,000, of whom 2000 were negroes. The colored 

 population was greatly under-estimated, or the report was only 

 intended to include free blacks. The value of the several 

 offices, in sterling money, in the Province, is also set down in 

 the report. Those held by persons residing in Chester County 

 are given as follows : 



John Morton, Esq., Assistant Justice of the Supreme 



Court, ^100 



Henry Hale Graham, Prothonotary, Register, Recorder, 



&c., 120 



Nathaniel Vernon, Sheriff, 100 



John Bryan, Coroner, ....... 20 



Towards the close of the year, there was a reorganization of 

 the Committee of Safety made by the Assembly. All the names 

 from Chester County contained in the first appointment are in- 

 cluded in this, with the addition of that of Nicholas Fairlamb; 

 the whole number of members being increased to thirty-two. 



The county assessment of that part of Chester County now 

 constituting the County of Delaware, for the year 1775, makes 

 the number of taxables in that district 1622, and by estimating 

 five inhabitants to each taxable, our population, at this interesting 

 period of our history, amounted to 8110. The taxables of the 

 several townships were as follows : " Aston, 71 ; Bethel, 30 ; 

 Chester, 168 ; Upper Chichester, 57 ; Lower Chichester, 85 ; 

 Concord, 104 ; Upper Darby, 100 ; Darby, 90 ; Edgmont, 67 ; 

 Haverford, 71 ; Marple, 75 ; Middletown, 88 ; Newtown, 77 ; 

 Nether Providence, 48 ; Upper Providence, 58 ; Ridley (inclu- 

 ding Tinicum), 149 ; Radnor, 98 ; Springfield, 60 ; Thornbury, 

 61 ; and Birmingham, 69.^ 



The rate of the assessment was two pence in the pound, and 

 six shillings on single freemen ; and the tax for the whole 

 county only amounted to X310 13s. 9^, distributed among the 

 townships as follows : Aston, <£14 16s. 9d. ; Bethel, <£8 13s. 3c?. ; 

 Chester, .£26 Is. Zd.; Upper Chichester, £8 19s. 6d.; Lower 

 Chichester, £10 14s. lid. ; Concord, £23 2s. Id. ; Upper Darby, 

 £27 4s. M. ; Lower Darby, £14 lis. M. ; Edgmont, £13 12s. 

 6d.; Haverford, £11 Is. Sd.; Marple, £14 6s. Id.; Middle- 

 town, £20 13s. 6d. ; Newtown, £14 14s. ; Nether Providence, 



1 Col. Rcc. X. 404. 



2 An allowance has been made for the parts of Birmingham and Thornbury now 

 included in Cheater County. 



