native, useful, and considerate. In January, 1840, it was merged into the North American.

The Pennsylvania Ledger, and Weekly Advertiser.

This Ledger was first published in January 28, 1775, by James Humphreys, Jun., at 10 shillings a year. He started to act impartially, but after the British got possession of the city, it was turned to their interest. The last number was published May 23, 1778.

The Pennsylvania Evening Post.

Was first published Jan. 24, 1775, by Benjamin Towne, in quarto, three times a week; price three shillings a quarter. This was the third evening paper in the colonies. It continued to be published till the year 1782.

Story and Humphrey's Pennsylvania Mercury, and Universal

Advertiser.

The Mercury came before the public in April, 1775, and was published weekly, on Fridays, on a demi sheet, folio, with home-made types. It was short-lived, for the whole establishment was destroyed by fire in December, 1775.

The German Newspapers printed previously to the year 1775,

were these:

As early as May, 1743, a German newspaper was started in Philadelphia, by Joseph Crellius, entitled the "High Dutch Pennsylvania Journal."

By an advertisement in the Pennsylvania Gazette, of September, 1751, I find there was at that time "A Dutch and English Gazette, in both languages, adapted to those who incline to learn either.-Price five shillings per annum.

Another German paper was established about the year 1759, by Miller and Weiss, conveyancers, the former ones being discontinued. It was printed for them about two years by Gotthan Armbruster.

Anthony Armbruster, in 1762, began a new German paper, which he published weekly for several years.

H. Miller's German newspaper was begun in 1762; and for some time there were two German and two English newspapers publishing in the city.

Der Wochentliche Philadelphische Staatsbothe.

This newspaper was first published in the German language, in 1762, by Henry Miller, weekly-afterwards twice a week, on demi size.

In 1768, the title was changed to "Pennsylvanische Staatsbothe," i. e., the Pennsylvania Post Boy. It thus continued until May, 1779, when the paper ended.

A public Journal was printed at Germantown, in the German lan

guage, as early as the summer of 1739, by Christopher Sower. Its name, Englished, read-The Pennsylvania German Recorder of Events. In 1744, it was continued by C. Sower, Jun., under the name of the Germantauner Zeitung; this continued till the year of the war of 1777.

It results from the foregoing notices of our newspapers, that sixty years ago there were only three newspapers published in the city, viz.-two in English and one in German. In contrast with the present numerous sentinels, watching the public weal, and their own, how diminutive the two weekly affairs of that day appear! At the present day the greatest innovation in these "folios and maps of busy life," which meet the eye, as a change for the worse, are the numerous wood-cut signs hung out from the columnar lines, like signs from their street-posts, and like them interrupting and disfiguring the whole perspective view. It is an inconsiderate as well as annoying display; for in the very nature of things it ceases to arrest attention whenever it becomes so common as to be like a wooden block set at every man's door.

The first in the colonies was the "Boston News Letter," begun in 1704; the second was also in Boston, and called the Boston Gazette, begun in 1710. The third was commenced in the same year, in Philadelphia, and called the American Weekly Mercury. New York began its first paper in 1725; Maryland in 1728; Rhode Island and South Carolina in 1732; Virginia in 1736; Connecticut and North Carolina, in 1755. At the commencement of the Revolution there were thirty-nine papers in a course of publication; and of them but eight have a present continuance. In 1835, there were about 1200! It may be curious to add, that these vehicles, now so numerous here, are of so modern an invention, as that the first paper in England was nearly a century after the use of printing there. "The London Gazette" began in November, 1665, as a weekly concern, and has been published on to the present day. The original Gazette, signifying a little treasury of news, began at Venice about 260 years ago. For the first thirty years it was only published monthly, and in manuscript, such was the jealousy of the govern

ment.

The Progress of the Printing Press.

Philadelphia may claim some peculiarity under this article, for Mathew Carey for many years printed his quarto edition of the Bible in standing separate types, being the first and only instance of so great a collection of standing type in the world! Christopher Sower too, at Germantown, printed in German the first quarto Bible ever attempted in the United States. Both Sower and B. Franklin were ingenious in their profession, made their own ink, and cut their own wood cuts, before either of them were attempted by others. Franklin even cast some of his own type ornaments. Jacob Bay and Justice Fox, both made type for C. Sower, in Germantown.

You may see, in my MS. Annals, in the City Library, page 282, a specimen of R. Aitkin's small Bible, of 1781, made of importance enough to require the aid of congress, and by them most formally given. It is a curiosity. There were as many as four hundred and twenty-five books and pamphlets, in original works, all printed in Philadelphia before the Revolution, a fact in our literary annals but very little known.

I had before spoken of the press at Philadelphia being established earlier there than in Old Virginia, or in Old New York. I since observe a reason, of which I was not before aware. There was a fear (not felt at Philadelphia) of the too free use of it by the colonists for refractory purposes. I see that in 1683, (the time of the settlement of Philadelphia,) the governor of Virginia was instructed, not to allow any person to use a printing press upon any occasion. In 1686, Governor Randolph, of Massachusetts, forbade any one to print without his consent. Four years before, the general court of Massachusetts determined that there should be no press used but at Cambridge, and then only under the inspection of two licensers : this was "to prevent any abuse of the authorities of the country." Pennsylvania never had any such restrictions, and therefore William Bradford set up his press there as soon as the city was founded. The New York governor stopped the press in 1733, in the case of Zenger, the printer; and the governor of Virginia, when advertising a reward for pirates, had to send to Philadelphia to get the printing done, in 1718; and, on another occasion," he thanked God that they had no press !"

The first successful type foundry in America was by Ronaldson, at Philadelphia; begun in 1796. He was a Scotchman by birthacquired a fortune, and founded, near his foundry, a very tasteful public cemetery, the first of the kind among us.

Thomas Dobson gave the first impulse to book printing among us. He also came from Scotia, soon after the peace. Before his time, five or six printers used to club, to print a Testament, &c.

Robert Bell, in south Third street, in the house next north of St. Paul's church, had a bookstore and printed sundry works by subscription larger works, probably, than has been supposed-for instance I have his octavo edition of an Appendix to Blackstone, so printed in 1793, and he therein proposes to print his second edition of Blackstone's Commentaries, in four volumes, quarto, at three dollars per volume, and to allow gentlemen who may have his former edition in octavo, to return the same in part payment of the latter. At the same time, he announces that he is then publishing by subscription, in one volume, octavo, Furguson on Civil Society, for ten shillings.

The original printing press, used by Dr. Franklin when a journeyman in London, is preserved and owned by the Philosophical Society, in Philadelphia.

I had occasion to see and inspect the subscription list, and to note

the residences of the subscribers to Goddard's newspaper, for the year 1767. It consisted of 351 individuals south of High street, 284 on the north side, and 385 in the country and neighbouring provinces-making in all 1020 persons. These facts may be deemed desirable information to modern publishers, and therefore they are here preserved.

In looking at their names, they manifestly present the elite of the city, and the men of prosperity among the tradesmen. They besides, present to our present view their "whereabouts" then.

I observe that High street then presented but very few namesbut among them I see Charles Thomson, secretary, Dr. Benjamin Franklin, John Biddle. Water street is filled with the names of the gentry, such as, Reese Meredith, many of the Whartons, Sharp Delany, George Clymer, Robert Morris. Front street, too, was then a gentry place-having such as Nathaniel Allen, Benjamin Chew, Thomas Mifflin, James and Clement Biddle, William Peters, several Fishers and Whartons, Fishbournes, and Alexander Wilcocks. In Second street, Richard Penn, James and William Logan, James and John Pemberton, Thomas Bond, several of the Morris family, Benjamin Levy, Blair McClenachan. In Chestnut street, Benjamin and Christopher Marshall, Tench Francis, John Murgatroyd, Nathaniel Morris, Isaac Norris, John Lawrence, George Emlen, Dr. Thomas Græme, Israel Pemberton. In Walnut street, Joseph Galloway, Esq., Robert Harding, Priest, Joseph Beakes, Joseph Bullock. Persons "to the place native born" will readily recognize such names as among the old and respectable families of the city.

The present beautiful manner of binding books in cotton embossed cloth grew out of a case of necessity, induced by the war of 1812. The great deficiency of leather for book-binding induced those who made cheap spelling books and Testaments, and other small works, to put them up in cheap and coarse muslin. At first it was used for the backs only; finding them well received for their well-wearing, and exemption from mould, they began to use fine stuff and more tasteful colours, and as the favour to them increased, they went on producing better and better, until they have now become an elegance.

STATISTIC FACTS.

AN attention to the following facts, may serve to show the progress of society, by marking its increase in population, houses, exports, &c., at successive periods, to wit:

1683.-William Penn's letter of that year, says, "I mentioned in my last account, that from my arrival, in 1682, to the date hereof, being ten months, we have got up fourscore houses at our town, and that some villages were settled about it. From that time to my coming away, which was a year within a few weeks, the town advanced to three hundred and fifty-seven houses, divers of them large, well-built, with good cellars, three stories, and some balconies." Thus settling the fact, that they built three hundred and fifty-seven houses in the first year!

1685. Robert Turner, in his letter to William Penn, of this year, says, "The town goes on, in planting and building, to admiration, both in the front and backward; and there are about six hundred houses in three years' time."

1707.-Isaac Norris, in a letter to William Penn, says, "The province consumes, annually, of produce and merchandise of England, 14 to 15,000 pounds sterling. The direct returns were in tobacco, furs and skins; the indirect, in provisions and produce, via the West Indies, and southern colonies. In 1706, about eight hundred hogsheads of tobacco went from Philadelphia, and about twenty-five to thirty tons of skins and furs."

1720. The taxables are stated by Proud, at 1195 persons, in city and county.

1723. The imports from England were £ 15,992 sterling.

1728-9.-There were frozen up in the docks this winter, about the city, fourteen ships, three snows, eight brigantines, nine sloops, two schooners, besides shallops, &c. The whole number of churches then was but six.

1730. The imports from England were £48,595 sterling.

1727 to '39.-From an account of the highest and lowest number of votes given at the elections, and known by the return of members of Assembly, we ascertain the votes for the county of Philadelphia to have been as follows, to wit: