189 
The Bank of the United States, which is situated in Chesnut 
street, is the handsomest building that I have yet beheld in this 
country; it is built of white marble, after the model of the 
Parthenon at Athens; its entrance is decorated by eight Doric 
columns, and large broad steps. White marble is very common 
here ; the steps of most houses are made of it. The railings 
are generally of iron with bright brass knobs ; even on the 
scrapers at the doors I observed these bright brass knobs. The 
private houses are generally built of brick, the kitchens, &c. 
are commonly in the cellar. I observed here a very good con¬ 
trivance, which I also remarked in various cities of the United 
States, that there are openings through the foot-pavement, covered 
by a locked iron grate, which serves to throw wood, coal, &c. in 
the cellar, so that they need not be carried through the houses. 
I visited several bookstores; the store of Messrs. Carey, Lea 
& Carey appeared to be well assorted; Tanner’s is the best 
mapstore. 
The Philadelphia Museum was commenced by an artist, 
Charles Willson Peale, and was subsequently incorporated 
as a joint stock company. The most remarkable curiosity it con¬ 
tains is undoubtedly the famous skeleton of the mastodon, which 
has rendered this museum so celebrated. The height of the 
shoulders is eleven feet; the length of the animal, including the 
stooping of the back, from the point of the head to the tail, mea¬ 
sures thirty-one feet, but in a straight line seventeen and a half 
feet; its two large tusks are ten feet seven inches long; one of the 
back teeth,—-for there are no front teeth,-—-measures eighteen 
and a half inches in circumference, and weighs four pounds ten 
ounces. The whole skeleton weighs about one thousand pounds. 
I was somewhat astonished that the knee of the fore-foot bends 
backwards and not forwards.* This skeleton was found in a 
swamp in the state of New York, and there is a painting repre¬ 
senting the colossalmachine and building, by which the skeleton 
where apparent. Then secure by your vote This Day, a continuance of the 
present happy state of things. 
Our mayor is independent, faithful, and vigilant:— Who will he mayor if 
•we fail!!! Think on this and hesitate no longer, but vote the whole of the 
enclosed ticket. 
(Naturalized citizens will please to take their certificates with them.) 
Tuesday , October 11 tk, 1825. 
* [This surprise originated from the almost universal mistake of considering 
the elbow of animals as a knee . The anterior extremities of animals are in all 
respects analogous to those of the superior extremities of man; hence the se¬ 
cond joint from the shoulder blade uniformly bends backward like the human 
elbow. It is not longer ago than the year 1810, that the present Sir Everard 
Home, whose pretensions as a comparative anatomist are well known, almost 
quarrelled with Mr.. Peale, in presence of Sir Joseph Banks and Dr. Heavisides, 
for insisting upon the similarity of the anterior limbs of animals to the human 
arm!]— Trans, 
