PHILADELPHIA. 
82 
longer than that of a coach, but of the fame fhape; in the 
Front it is left quite Open down to the bottom, and the 
driver fits on a bench under the roof of the carriage. 
There are two feats in it for the paffengers, who fit 
with their faces towards the horfes. The roof is fup- 
ported by fmall props, which are placed at the cor¬ 
ners : on each fide of the doors, above the pannels, it is 
quite open 5 and to guard againft bad weather, there are 
curtains, which are made to let down from the roof, and 
fadened to buttons placed for the purpofe on theoutfide. 
There is alfo a leathern curtain to hang occafionally be¬ 
tween the driver and the paffengers. The light waggons 
are on the fame condruflion, and are calculated to ac¬ 
commodate from four to twelve people. The roads from 
this city are in a (fate of progreffive improvement; dage- 
coaches perform the journey to Lancader, the diftance 
being fifty-eight miles, on the new' turnpike-road, in u 
hours. The fleam-boats are very adlive on the Schuyl¬ 
kill and Delaware rivers : a voyage of 300 miles is per¬ 
formed in about 56 hours ; fare and board, 3I. 7s. 6d. 
This city is governed by a mayor, recorder, eight 
aldermen, and fixteen common-council men, who make a 
quorum to tranfadl bufinefs : they have full power to con- 
ftitute and appoint laws and ordinances for the govern¬ 
ment of the city. The mayor, recorder, and aldermen, 
are juftices of the peace, and judices of oyer and termi¬ 
ner. They hold a court four times a-year, to take cog¬ 
nizance of all crimes and mifdemeanors committed with¬ 
in the city 5 and two aldermen, appointed by the mayor 
and recorder, hold a court on Mondays and Thurfdays in 
every week, to determine matters cognizable before a juf- 
tice of the peace. The trade of Pennfylvania is chiefly 
carried on from this city, and there are few commercial 
ports in the world where fhips from Philadelphia may not 
be found in fome feafon of the year ; but the amount of 
the exports and imports has varied at different periods, 
and under different circumfrances. Accordingly the 
trade fuffered an interruption in 1793, which halted nearly 
five months, in confequence of the yellow fever, of three 
months’ duration, to which nearly 5000 inhabitants were 
vidlims. 
progrefsof the population of Philadelphia is dated 
Palmer as follows: 
Houses. Inhabitants. 
1683 there were in 
the city 80 
and 600 
1700 
- - 700 
5,000 
1749 " 
2,076 
15,000 
1760 
2,969 
20,000 
1769 - 
4>474 
30,000 
1776 
5,460 
40,000 
1783 - 
6,000 
42,000 
1806 
13,000 
90,000 
1814 - - - 
- 22,769 
100,000 
Now (181S.) it is computed there are at lead 120,000 in¬ 
habitants in the city and fuburbs, of which 10,000 are 
free coloured people. Palmer's Travels in the U. S. 
Philadelphia is the grand refidence of the Quakers, or 
Friends, in America ; but their number does not bear the 
fame proportion now to that of other citizens which it 
did formerly. At prefent, it is faid, they form about 
one-fourth only of the inhabitants. This is not owing 
to any diminution of the number of Friends, becaufe, on 
the contrary, they have coniiderably increafed, but to the 
great influx into the city of perfons of a different per- 
Thafion. The inhabitants confifc of Englifh, Irifh, Scots, 
Germans, Friends, and America-born citizens defcended 
from people of thefe different nations, who are of courfe 
by far the mod numerous clafs. They are all, for the 
mod part, engaged in fome fort of bufinefs; few living, 
without any oftenfible occupation or profeflion, on the 
fortunes which they themfelves have raifed. The pur- 
chafe and fale of lands conditute objects of peculiar at¬ 
tention in Philadelphia as well as in other parts of Ame¬ 
rica. It may naturally be expelled, that amongd a peo¬ 
ple affetnbled from fo many different quarters, there 
fltould be a great diverfity of manners. It is a remark* 
however, fays Mr. Weld, very generally made, not only 
by foreigners, but by perfons from other parts of the Uni¬ 
ted States, that the Philadelphians are extremely defi¬ 
cient in hofpitality and politenefs towards drangers. 
This author obferves, that in the uppermod circles of 
Philadelphia, pride, haughtinefs, and odentation, arecon- 
fpicuous; fo that it fhould feem they would be rendered 
happy if an order of nobility were edablifhed, which 
would ferve to exalt them in rank as much above their 
fellow-citizens as they are in their own imagination. It 
is obferved further, that in the manners of the people in 
general there is a coldnefs and referve, as if they were 
fufpiciousof fome defign againd them, which chill to the 
heart thofe who come to vifit them. It is added, that in 
their private focieties a trijlejfe is apparent, near which 
mirth and gaiety can never approach. The women, it is 
faid, when young, are generally very pretty; but when 
they become mothers, in advancing age, they lofe their 
beauty. Their complexions fade, their teeth begin to 
decay, and they manifed a wonderful change. In a few 
ir.dances only, fays Mr. Weld, it would be poffible to 
find a fine woman at the age of 40, who has had a large 
family. Thefudden decay of the teeth is a circumdance 
that has aftradled attention, and that has been made the 
fubjedt of invedigation. It has been afcribed to various 
caufes, and particularly to the immoderate life of confec¬ 
tionary ; but it is more probably owing to the very ge¬ 
neral ufe that is made of falted provifions. 
The greater number of fervants in Philadelphia con- 
fids of emigrant Europeans, who only remain in that 
condition till they can lave a little money, and gain that 
kind of independence which every perfon, who is induf- 
trious, may enjoy in America. The wages of thofe who 
are retained in fervice are exorbitant. The Americans 
themfelves confider fervitudeas fuitableonly to negroes. 
Amongd the generality of the common fort of people in 
the United States, and particularly amongd thofe of Phi¬ 
ladelphia, there is, fays Mr. Weld, a want of good man¬ 
ners, which excites the furprife of almod all foreigners. 
He adds, “ civility cannot be purchafed from the lowed 
claffes of people on any terms: they feem to think that 
it is incompatible with freedom, and that there is no 
other way of convincing.a dranger that he is really in a 
land of liberty but by being furly and ill-mannered in his 
prefence.” Hence fervants, labourers, and mechanics, 
from Europe, who carry fome civility over with them, are 
well received, and get good wages, till they become as 
infolent as thofe they find there, which, by the force of 
example, they foon do. We are told that bricklayers 
get from 37s. 6d. to 45s. per w-eek ; while meat is from 
3d. to 6d. the pound, and board and lodging can be had 
for from 13s. 6d. to 15s. 9d. per week. 
Among the fervices rendered to humanity by the bene¬ 
volent Howard, it w'as not one of the lead important that 
he recommended, and endeavoured to promote, the intro- 
dudlion of a mild fydem of penal laws. The wifdom as 
well as the humanity of this plan has been fully proved 
in Philadelphia ; where, for feveral years pad, the expe¬ 
riment has been tried with fuccefs. The duke de Lian- 
court, a French emigrant of very refpedlable character, 
who fettled in America as a farmer, has given a very dif- 
tindl and intelligent narrative of the date of the prifons 
in Philadelphia from the time when the new regulations 
were firll carried into effect. His pamphlet is called, “ A 
Comparative View of Mild and Sanguinary Laws.” 
In 1776 the legiflature of Pennfylvania undertook the 
reformation of the penal laws : they referved the punifh- 
ment of death, which had been infiidled upon almolt every 
fpecies of theft, for murder and a few other great crimes; 
and, for fmaller offences, fubdituted in its dead, whip¬ 
ping, imprifonment, and public labour. The experience 
of a few years demonftrated the numberlefs inconveni¬ 
ences of public labour: crimes became fo numerous, that 
the prifons were found incompetent to Gontain the in- 
creafing 
