STATE OF

PENNSYLVANIA.

SITUATION AND BOUNDARIES.

THIS State is fituated between 0° 20' eaft, and 50° weft longi

tude; and between 39° 43′, and 42° north latitude. Its length is two hundred and eighty-eight miles, and its breadth one hundred and fifty-fix. It is bounded east by Delaware river, which divides it from New-Jersey; north, by New-York, and a territory of about two hundred and two thousand acres, on lake Erie, purchased of Congrefs by this State; north-weft, by a part of lake Erie, where there is a good port; weft, by the western territory, and a part of Virginia; fouth, by a part of Virginia, Maryland, and Delaware. The State lies in the form of a parallelogram.

FACE OF THE COUNTRY, &c.

This part of the Union is well watered, here are fix confiderable rivers, which, with their numerous branches, peninfulate the whole State, viz. The Delaware, Schuylkill, Sufquehannah, Youghiogeny, Monongahela, and Allegany. The bay and river Delaware are navigable from the fea up to the great or lower falls at Trenton, one hundred and fifty-five miles; and are accommodated with a light houfe, on cape Henlopen, and with buoys and piers for the direction and safety of ships. The distance of Philadelphia from the fea is about fixty miles across the land in a fouth-west course, to the New-Jersey coaft, and one hundred and twenty miles by the ship channel of the Delaware. So far it is navigable for a seventy-four gun fhip. Sloops go thirty-five miles farther, to Trenton falls. The river is navigable for boats that carry eight or nine tons, an hundred miles farther, and for Indian canoes, except several small falls or portages, one hundred and fifty miles. At Easton it receives the Lehigh from the weft, which is navigable thirty miles. The tide fets up as high as Trenton falls, and at Philadelphia

3

rifes

rifes generally about five or fix feet. A north-east and east wind raises it higher.

Between cape Henlopen and cape May is the entrance into the Delaware bay. The entrance into the river is twenty miles farther up, at Bombay Hook, where the river is four or five miles wide, from Bombay Hook to Reedy-liland is twenty miles. This ifland is the rendezvous of outward-bound fhips in autumn and spring, waiting for a favourable wind. The courfe from this to the fea is S. S. E. fo that a N. W. wind, which is the prevailing wind in these seasons, is fair for veffels to put out to fea. This river is generally frozen one or two months in the year at Philadelphia, fo as to prevent navigation, but veffels may at all times make a secure harbour at port Penn, at Reedy-Inland, where piers have been erected' by the State. Veffels are generally from twelve to twenty-four hours in afcending this beautiful river to Philadelphia; and the navigation is fafe, and in the milder seasons, especially in the fummer, is indefcribably pleasant.

From Chester to Philadelphia, twenty miles by water, and fifteen by land, the channel of the river is narrowed by iflands of marth, which are generally banked and turned into rich and immenfely valuable meadows.

. Billinsport, twelve miles below Philadelphia, was fortified in the late war for the defence of the channel. Oppofite this fort, several large frames of timber, headed with iron fpikes, called chevaux de frizes, were funk to prevent the British fhips from patling. Since the peace, a curious machine has been invented in Philadelphia to raise them.

The Schuylkill rifes north-west of the Kittatinny mountains, through which it paffes, into a fine champaign country, and runs, from its fource, upwards of one hundred and twenty miles in a fouthcaft direction, and paffing through the limits of the city of Philadel phia, falls into the Delaware oppofite Mud-Ifland, fix or feven miles below the city. It is navigable from above Reading, eighty-five or ninety miles to its mouth. There are four floating bridges thrown across it, made of logs faftened together, and lying upon the water, in the vicinity of Philadelphia.

The north-east branch of the Susquehannah river rises in lakes Otfego and Otego, in the State of New-York, and runs in fuch a winding course as to cross the boundary line between New-York and Pennsylvania three times. It receives Tyoga river, one of its prin

cipal branches, in latitude 41° 57', three miles fouth of the boundary line. The Sufquehannah branch is navigable for batteaux to its fource, whence to Mohawk river is but twenty miles. The Tyoga branch is navigable fifty miles for batteaux; and its source is but a few miles from the Cheneffee, which empties into lake Ontario. From Tyoga point, the river proceeds fouth-eaft to Wyoming without any obftruction by falls, and then fouth-eaft, over Wyoming falls, till at Sunbury, in about latitude 41°, it meets the weft branch of Sufquehannah, which is navigable ninety miles from its mouth, and some of the branches of it are navigable fifty miles, and approach very near fome of the boatable branches of the Allegany river. This noble river is paffable to Middletown, below Harris' ferry, with boats, carrying feveral hundred bufhels, and with rafts of boards, &c. from the State of New-York, as well as down the Tyoga, and Juniata branches, feveral hundred miles, in their different windings, but it is attended with difficulty and danger on account of the numerous falls below Middletown. About fifteen miles above Harrisburg, it receives the Juniata from the north-west, proceeding from the Allegany mountains, and flowing through a moun tainous, broken, yet cultivable country. This river is navigable one hundred and twenty miles from its mouth.

The Swetara, which falls into the Sufquehannah from the northeaft, is navigable fifteen miles. About half a mile from the mouth of this river, and a mile from Middletown, is a grift mill, which merits particular notice. It is a very large and handsome stone building, has four pair of ftones, and is, perhaps, in every respect one of the most complete in the State. But the most remarkable circumstance relative to it, is the race, which is a canal from twenty to thirty feet wide, and carried with such a degree of boldness to a length of four hundred and seventy-fix rods or perches, through rocks and hills, and every obstacle in its courfe, as cannot fail to excite a very high idea of the enterprize and perfevering industry of Mr. George Frey, the undertaker and owner.

From Swetara to the Tulpehoken branch of Schuylkill, a canal and lock navigation is undertaken, and the works commenced, by an incorporated company whofe capital is four hundred thousand dollars. This leads through the Schuylkill to Philadelphia. When this shall be effected, a paffage will be open to Philadelphia from the Juniata, the Tyoga, and the east and weft branches of the Susquehannah, which waters at least fifteen millions of acres. From