The Cook County herald. [volume] (Grand Marais, Minn.) 1893-1909, 1899-07-15
nJ a OLD TONI S.
TWO BOOKS WHICH "a NEWSPAPER
MAN FOUND IN ENGLAND.

|
Eew Psnnsylvania Was Doomed In yA
OIslen TINS Its Climate, Soil and Peo.
pie Praised--A sc.,colmastcr's Textbook
That Belonged to William Penn.
have before menow two little books
which have been lent to me for few
days, and which, think, could hardly
eail to interest any Pennsy lvanian $50 Z
shall endeavor to describe them as well
as can, as most people can never see
them, both Of them being rare and one
being absolutely unique.
The first Of these is a small duodecilno
Of not more than 100 pages, though the
following titlo page might easily mis-
lead one to expect rather a larger vol
uuie: .-as.. T.. ~
''An Historical and Geographical Ao.
count Of the Province Of PENNSYLVANIA
and Of West New Jersey In. America
the Richness Of tho Soil, the Sweetness
Of the Situation, the Wholesomeness CT
the Air, the Navigable Rivers and 9th.
ers, the P:odigious Increase Of Corn, the
i 4Ou1 lSJliuSS JULIA Vi CAO c1ty Ol
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 i, His Second Change Since He
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
Zane, 1G38."
He explains in the preface that, al
there never has been fair or full &C.
count Of "Peunsilvania," he thinks
the curious will be gratiied with an
ample description. He explains why
more has not been heard Of it, predicts
thriving future and says he ''could
say much in praise Of that sweet tracs
Ct 9and," but reserves it for the body OF
the book.
After this comes a small folded map,
rsry interesting and signed Philip Lea,
London. It represents PENNSYLVANIA"
as consisting OF only four counties
Bucks, Philadelphia, Chester and New
Castle, with Virginia On the west, West
New Jersey Oh the east, Maryland OF.
the south and Canada on the north.
Some OF the names ara rather surpris
ing. For instance, Immediately opposite
Philadelphia, en- the Delaware, is o
Dutch fort, and just back Of that is
place called YacomanslaSbkings. IL
o'lr own state the chief places seem t.
be Haverford, Dasoy. plymouth, Ger.
mantown, West Town, Radnor, Nevs
town and Lewiston.
After the map IS small pages are dc
7oted to the description CT Penneylva
Ma, from which we learn that, though
the province is 500 miles il length l.,
$50 i'll width, By far the greater part q.
it is still in the hands ct the natives
who are supposed by most people tc
havo been Ct 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 3, 0G0 houses,
ali inhabited and most Of then, stately
and Of brick-generally three storie
high, after tho mode in London.
Moreover, in this province are fou,
great market towns-vi2. Chester, tina
Germantown, New Castle and Lewis
town.
Among the laws-for this authes
gives q synopsis Of those also-peEhaps
the most striking is this 'Thieves Of al
sorts are obliged to restore fourfold
after they have been whipped and i'm
prisoued, according to the nature al
their crime, and if they be not Of abil
ity to restore fourfold they must be in
Eervitude till tits satisfed.''
I could give many more curious ex
cerpts, but will content myself with one
before passing on to the other book:
''The Christian children born here are
generally we'll favored and beautiful to
bOdOAA, Oo1io LII t1IC Ss6Aoldi CUSCIFtu ~
be better natured, milder and more ten
der hearted than those born in Eng
land''
The other book is still more rare I,
is called "a Now Primer, Or Methodica]
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 ana Nations
Come to Settle Among U.s., By r. D. P.
Printed by William Bradford in New
York and sold by the Author In Pennsil
vania. y
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 clear
and beautiful manuscript, has written
some very quaint things. It was es-
pecially bound for William Penn, with
his initials and the date 17O1 on the
cover, and inside is a book plate bearing
the Penn arms and motto, and evil