PENNSYLVANIA. 



263 



Philadelphia E^cliange. 



Railroad, from Harrisburg to Cliambersburg, 49 miles, and the Wrightsville and Gettysburg 

 Railroad, from Columbia to the latter place, 40 miles, are prolongations of the Columbia and 

 Lancaster railroads. The Baltimore and Susquehanna Railroad, extending from Baltimore to 

 York, has 20 miles of its route within this State ; from York to Wrightsville, 12 miles, it is 

 merged in the last-named road. The JVilliamsport and Elmira Railroad, connecting the West 

 Branch of the Susquehanna with the Tioga, and thus affording an easy exchange of the iron 

 and coal of central Pennsylvania, for the wheat, salt, and gypsum of western New York, is in 

 progress ; length 74 miles. 



4. Cities and Towns. Philadelphia, the second city of the United States in size, is situa- 

 ted on the west bank of the Del- 

 aware, 126 miles from the sea. 

 The river is navigable for ships 

 of the line up to the city. It 

 lies 3 miles along this river, and 

 its western limit is washed by the 

 Schuylkill, which falls into the 

 Delaware, about G miles below. 

 The ground on which the city 

 stands is an almost unbroken level, 

 so that it exhibits no striking ap- 

 pearance as the spectator approach- 

 es it. The streets are perfectly 

 rectangular, and Philadelphia is 

 probably the most regular and uni- 

 form city in the world. It is at 

 the same time one of the most 

 agreeable. The climate is fine, 

 the city remarkably clean, and abundant- 

 ly supplied with the best of water. To 

 this we may add, that the markets are 

 among the best in the country, while the 

 expenses of living arc one fourth less 

 than in Boston, and one third less than in 

 New York. The streets are from 50 lo 

 113 feet wide. The houses are mostly 

 of brick, much darker in color than in 

 the Eastern States, and resembling at a 

 short distance the common red sandstone. 

 The streets are generally paved and kept 

 clean. The handsomest of the public 

 buildings in the chy, and perhaps in this 

 country, ii tJ'rard College ; the main 

 building, ■ f white marble, is 169 feet by 

 111, entirely surrounded with Corinthian 

 columns. The United States Bank, in 

 Chestnut Street, is of white marble, with 

 a front on the model of the Parthenon. 

 It never fails to excite an agreeable emo- 

 tion when first seen by a stianger. The 



United States Mint, and Marine Asylum, 

 the Exchange, and the Bank of Penn- 

 sylvania, are also handsome marble edi 

 fices. The State House is a somewhat 

 antiquated structure, and is chiefly re- 

 markable for containing the hall in which 

 the Declaration of Independence was 

 signed ; adjoinmg this building is a beau- 

 tiful enclosed walk, planted with trees 



The Arcade. 



