Arizona citizen., 1872-07-06
DELAYED LETTER. MIR. WASSON'S JOTTINGS.
General Improvement Throughout the Country and Philadelphia in PartfcuIar..SeVeral Personals.

| the country anu fHlduclpHId HI
 Partfcular--Severa Personals.
 PHILADELPHIA, PA, May 24, 1872. T arrived here yesterday, but hoped to have done so one day earlier-the opening day of the Centennial Com missioner's meeting. Save the tedious and stinking voyage of nearly five days between San Diego and San Francisco, the whole trip has been one of ease and pleasure. The country is in its loveliest attire - particularly from Nebraska to the Atlantic coast. Excepting the fields recently planted and about being planted with corn, all are covered with deep green grass or growing grain, and the forests and ornamental trees are in their freshest and greenest foliage. There has not been much rain up to date this year, and the streets and public highways are dry and smooth. The fowls and beasts seem happy with their pleasant surroundings, and only mankind fret ting and growing at their lot; which induces the remark that while a few have cause to complain, no amount of complaint alone can improve their condition, and the great mass of dis contented mortals don't deserve to live in a pleasant, good world as the present one.
 Within the past twenty years, l have several times passed over the country from the Pacific to the Allan tic shore, and I have never before seen so many absolute evidences of general prosperity among the people, and if they do not enjoy a correspondingly improved degree of comfort, it must surely be their own fault. The country, villages, towns and cities are all dotted with new buildings and in course of construction-in fact this condition is most observable. Neat, costly dwellings,, with tasty surround ings. are no longer quite exclusively works in cities, but are seen all over the country; but their number is rapidly increasing in the towns and cities. In this old city, the number of new buildings in progress is simply surprising, and many of them the most costly ever projected. The new ones, if set out in a body would con- stitute quite large city. Whole streets and blocks of them are in all incomplete but progressive condition, and the well posted Philadelphians can point out the sites whereon scores of the most imposing and costly ed ifces are soon to be commenced. And while other cities are whining about our decayed commerce, this one re- gently decided to construct four iron steamships at cost of $5OO,OOO each, to make line between here and European parts, and the decision was but made and put ill shape before the money was ready and now the visitor can see these vessels taking shape at the yard of W. B. Cramp & Go. The keels and ribs are in place and one ship so far plated that its finished form may easily be conjectured by @ land lubber. These are the first iron steamers constructed for civil pursuits in the United States, and are to be named respectively Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois. Phila- delphia has thus set the example of how to restore American shipping to its former extent. It is admitted that the ships could have been purchased at less cost ID England, but the diff ference in price is amply compensated n the labor their construction fur nishes to our citizens and the patron age bestowed in thousand ways upon home people and institutions.
 Passing over a thousand items of '! interest to myself and which ought to |