The Emmett index. [volume] (Emmett, Idaho) 1893-1925, 1896-02-15
QUAINT OLD TONES.
TWO BOOKS WHICH A NEwspApe,
MAN FOUND IN ENGLAND.

Oiden Iime-iIs ciimnte, Soil and Peo-
pie Prsised-A schoolmaster's rerth,,.
That belonged to William Penn
have tefore me now two little booLs
which have been lent to me for a fez
days, and which, think, could bardlv
fail to interest any Pennsylvanian 80
shall endeayor TO describe them az we'll
as I can, as most people can never sea
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 larger vol
ume:
IAN Historical and Geographical Az.
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 PurQipo
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 Keiths New Re-
/ la. In, Go~np1 II
Left the Quakers; With 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, 1893.
He explains in the preface that, as
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 a small folded map,
very interesting and signed Philip Lea,
London Il represents PENNSYLVANIA"
as consisting of only four counties
Bucks, Philadelphia, Chester and New
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 a
Dutch fort, and just back Of that is
place called accommodating In
our own state the chief places seem to
be Haverford, Darby, Plymouth, Ger
mantown, West Town, Radnor, New
town and 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
1870 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 Penn came and founded
PHILADELPHIA, "a noble and beautiful
city, which contains above 2, 600 houses,
all inhabited and most of them stately
aud of brick-generally three stories
high, after the mode in London.
Moreover, in this province are four
great market TOWNSHIP, Chester, the
Germantown, New Castle and Lewis
= town. "
: Among the laws-for this author
gives q synopsis of those also-perhaps
the most striking is this: Thieves OF all
sorts are obliged to restore four1old'
after they have been whipped and I'M
? prisoned, according to the nature OF
their crime, and if they be not OF aoil-
! ity to restore fourfold they must be IN
. servitude till tbs satisfied.
r l could give many more curious ex-
= cerpts, but will content myself with one
} before passing ON to the other book;
g THE Christian children born here are
= generally we'll favored and beautiful TO
= behold, being in the general observed 10
be better natured, milder and more ten
D der hearted than those born IN Eng
{ land.
5 The other book is still more rare. IL
q is called "A New Primer, or Methqdicai
Direction to Attain the True Spelilng'
Reading and Writing of English, where
e unto Are Added Some Things Necessary
j and Useful, Both For the Youth OF ms
g Province and Likewise For Those VINO
From Foreign Countries and Nations
o Come to Settle Among Us. By +. u r.
o Printed by William Bradford in New
4 York and sold by the Author in Pennsil'
d vania "
!, The printed book itself is curious
n little schoolbook, and is SO rare that II
i is not mentioned by Allibone, who was
himself Philadelphian. But TINS par
ticular copy is of especial and ex'raor,
binary interest because it has oeen
bound up with about 80 blank pages
;, spon which the author in most cieal
y and beautiful manuscript, has written
: some very quaint things IL was 90
pecially bound for William Penn wiz
his initials and the date lfVl ON .n'
cover, and inside is book plate bearing
-, the Penn arms and motto ana WI
IL liam Penn, Esquire, Proprietor Oh ren
sylvania. 1908" II is worthy no'ine
y the three different forms OF spelnne 'u'