The Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1895-1897, 1895-12-10
QUAINT OLD TONES.
TWO BOOKS WHICH A NEWSPAPER
MAN FOUND IN ENGLAND.

That Belonged to William Penn.
havo before me now two little books
which have been lent to me for fow
days, and which. think, could hardly
fail to interest any Pennsylvanian SO
shall endeavor to describe them us well
rs can. as most people can never SEQ
them, both of them being raro and one
being absolutely unique.
Tho first of these is n small duodecimo
of not more than 100 pages, though the
following title page might easily mis-
lead ono to expect rather q larger vol
umc:
can Historical and Geographical Ac-
count of the Province Of PENNSYLVANIA
and of West New Jersey In America
tho Richness Of tho Soil tho Sweetness
of tho Situation, tho Wholesomeness Of
tho Air, tho Navigablo Rivers and 9th
crs, the Prodigious Increase OF Corn, the
Flourishing Condition of the City of
Philadelphia, With the Stately Build
ings and Other improvements There;
tho Strange Creatures, as Birds, Beasts,
Fishes and Fowls, With the Several
Sorts Of Minerals, Stones and Purging
Waters Lately Discoverod tho Natives,
iAborigines, Their Language, Religion,
Laws and Customs; the First Planters,
tho Dutch, Swedes and English, With
tho Number of Inhabitants; as Also
Touch Upon George Kcith's Now Re-
iliSion In His Second Change Since Flo
Left tho Quakors; With Map of Both
Countries. By Gabriel Thomas, Who
Resided There About Fifteen Years.
London: Printed and Sold by a. Bald
win, ut tho Oxon Arms, in Warwick
Lano, 1905"
He explains in tho preface that, as
there never has boon fair or full ac-
count of PENNSYLVANIA, he thinks
the curious will be gratifiod with an
ample description. He explains why
moro has not been heard of it, predicts
a thriving future and says he. could
say much in praise Of that sweet tract
lOf land" but reserves it for the body of
tho book.
After this comes small folded map,
very interesting and signed Philip Lea,
London. 1t represents PENNSYLVANIA"
as consisting Of only four counties
Bucks, Philadelphia, Chester and New
Castle. with Virginia Oh the west, West
Now Jersey on the east, Maryland on
the south and Canada on the north.
Some Of the names are rather surpris-
ing. For instance, Immediately opposite
Philadelphia, OH the Delaware, is a
Dutch fort, and just back Of that is a
place called Yacomanshaghkings- In
our own state tho chief places seem to
bo Haverford, Darby, Plymouth. Ger
mantown, West Town, Radnor, New
town and Lewiston.
After the map 55 small pages are de-
voted to tho description Of Pennsylva-
mia, from which wo learn that, though
tho province is 800 miles i'll length by
$50 i'll width, by far the greater part of
it is still i'll the hands of tho natives,
who arc supposed by most people to
have been of the Ten Scattered Tribes -
Tho Dutch came and traded, the
Swcdes and Firms came and settled, and
finally William Penn came and founded
Philadelphia, "a noble and beautiful
city, which contains above 2, 900 houses,
all inhabited and most of them stately
and of brick-genorally three stories
high, after the mode i'll London.
Moreover, i'll this province are four
great market towns-viz, Chester, the
Gormantown, Now Castle and Lewis
town"
Among tho laws-for this author
gives synopsis of those also-perhaps
the most striking is this: "Thicves OF all
sorts arc obliged to restore fourfold,
after they have been whipped and i'm
prisoned, according to the nature of
their crime, and if they be not of abil-
ity to restore fourfold they must be i'll
servitudo till tbs satisfied. :"
could give many more curious eX-
,cerpts, but will content myself with one
before passing OH to tho other book:
1.-The Christian children born hero are
generally we'll favored and beautiful to
behold. being i'll the general observed to
be better natured, milder and moro ten
der hearted than those born in Eng
land
The other book is still more rare 1t
is called "a New Primer, or Methodical
Direction to Attain the True Spelling,
Reading and Writing Of English, Where
unto Are Added Some Things Necessary
and Useful, Both For tho Youth of This
Province and Likowise For Those Who
iOLh oOuuGIlCS uuu IuGlULb
Come to Settle Among Us. By +. D. P.
Printed by William Bradford in New
York and sold by tho Author i'll Pennsil-
vania.
The printed book itsolf is a curious
little schoolbook and is so rare that it
is not mentioned by Allibone, who was
himself Philadelphian. But this par
ticular copy is Of especial and extraor-
binary interest because it has been
bound mp with about 30 blank pages,