Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1895-12-16

winch nave been lent to me Tor few
days, and which, think, could hardly
fail to interest any Pennsylvania; so I
shall endeavor to describe them as well
rs can. as most people can never see
them. both of them being rare and one
being absolutely unique.
The first of these is small duodecimo
OF not more than 100 pages, though the
following title page might easily mis-
lead one to expect rather a larger vol
ume:
IAN Historical and Geographical Ac-
count Of the Province of PENNSYLVANIA
and Of West New Jersey In America;
the Richness of the Soil, the Sweetness
of the Situation, the Wholesomeness Of
the Air, the Navigable Rivers and 9th
ers, the Prodigious Increase of Corn, the
Flourishing Condition of the City of
Philadelphia, With the Stately Build
ings and Other Improvements There;
the Strange Creatures. as Birds, Beasts,
Fishes and Fowls, With the Several
Sorts of Minerals, Stones and Purging
Waters Lately Discovered; the Natives,
Aborigines. Their Language, Religion,
Laws and Customs; the First Planters,
the Dutch, Swedes and English, With
the Number of Inhabitants; as Also a
Touch Upon George Keith's New Re-
ligion In His Second Change Since He
Left the Quakers; With a Map Of Both
Countries. By Gabriel Thomas. Who
Resided There About Fifteen Years.
London: Printed and Sold by A. Bald
win, at the Oxon Arms, in Warwick
Lane, $685.
there never has been fair or full ac-
count of PENNSYLVANIA, he thinks
the curious will be gratified with an
ample description. He explains why
more has not been heard of it, predicts
a thriving future and says he "could
say much in praise of that sweet tract
of land" but reserves it for the body Of
the book.
| After this comes q small folded map,
very interesting and signed Philip Lea,
London. 1t represents "Pennsilvania"
as consisting of only four counties
Bucks, Philadelphia, Chester and New
Castle, with Virginia on the west, West
New 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, on the Delaware, is q
Dutch fort, and just back of that is a
place called demonstrating. In
our own state the chief places seem to
be Haverford, Darby. Plymouth, Ger
mantown, West Town, Radnor, New
town ard Lewiston.
After the map 55 small pages are de-
voted to the description of Pennsylva-
mia, from which we learn that, though
the province is 800 miles in length by
$50 in width, by far the greater part of
it is still in the hands of the natives,
who are supposed by most people to
have been Of the Ten Scattered Tribes. +"
The Dutch came and traded, the
Swedes and Firms came and settled, and
finally William PeIn came and founded
Philadelphia, "a aoble and beautiful
city, which contaios above 9, 900 houses,
all inhabited and most of them stately
and Of brick-gsnerally three stories
high, after the Mode in London.
Moreover, in this province are four
great market towns-viz. Chester, the
Germantown, New Castle and Lewis
town"
Among the laws-for this author
gives synopsis Of those also-perhaps
the most striking is this "Thieves of all
sorts are obliged to restore fourfold.
after they haze been whipped and i'm
prisoned, according to the nature of
their crime, and if they be not Of abil-
| g., 90, fa1I ~ -,
servitude til tits satisfied. 3"
I coEid give many more curious ex-
cerpts, bu. will content myself with one
before passing on to the other book:
1.-THE Christian children born here are
generally we'll favored and beautiful to
behold, being in the general observed to
ne better natured, milder and more ten
der hearted than those born in Eng
land. >
Tie other book is still more rare. 1t
is cslled "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 the Youth of This
Province and Likewise For Those Who
From Foreign Countries and Nations
Come to Settle Among Us. ByF F. D. p.
Printed by William Bradford in New
York and sold by the Author in Pennsil-
vania.'
The printed book itself is curious
little schoolbook, and is so rare that il
is not mentioned by Allibone, who was
himself a Philadelphian. But this par
ticular copy is Of especial and extraor.
binary interest because it has been
bound up with about 80 blank pages.
upon which the author. in most cleal
a1d beautiful manuscript, has written
some very quaint things 1t was es.
pecially bound for William Penn, with
his initials and the date l7OI on the
cover. and inside is book plate bearing
the Penn arms and motto, and Evil.
liam Penn, Esquire, Proprietor of Pen.
sylvania, 1903" It is worthy noting
the three different forms of spelling the
name Of the province used by thoss two
different authors and by Penn himself
-Riryuinohau fEnu1apdl Crr pstfc