avenue so that it was almost impossible to pass. The stalls were furnished with excellent meat and there was every kind of vegetable and fruit which the season afforded. The crowds of people seemed like the collection at the last day for there was every rank and condition in life from the highest to the lowest, male and female, of every age and color." "Several of the market-women, who sold fruit," said Dr. Cutler, "had their infants in their arms and their children about them, and there seemed to be some of every nation under heaven. The ladies indeed are the principal purchasers but are in a dress not easily to be known by their most intimate acquaintance and are always attended by a servant with his basket. What would the delicate Boston ladies think if they were to be abroad at this hour? There is I presume as much real delicacy in Philadelphia as Boston. . . . This scene was so novel that I could not deny myself the pleasure of attending to it for a little time. I made myself very busy in traversing from one end of the market to the other viewing every thing that was going on and gazing at the numerous strange faces which appeared wherever I turned my eyes. At length I found myself obliged to give up this pleasure for another."

The company that visited Bartram at his gardens, west of the Schuylkill, below Gray's Ferry, consisted of Dr. Cutler, Mr. Strong, Governor Martin, George Mason and son, Dr. Williamson, Mr. Madison, Mr. Rutledge, Alexander Hamilton, Mr. Vaughn, Dr. Clarkson and his son. This early party evidently took the botanist by surprise, for they found him "in a short jacket and trousers and without shoes or stockings," hoeing his garden. He was, no doubt, blessing Dr. Clarkson, the only one he was acquainted with, for having brought such a company down upon him at such an unseasonable hour, when he was introduced to Dr. Cutler, who, he was told, wished to converse with him on botanical subjects, while the other gentlemen only desired the pleasure of walking through the gardens. All embarrassment soon vanished, and the two botanists were before long deep in their favorite science. Dr. Cutler de

scribes very minutely the gardens of Bartram and those at Gray's Ferry, where the company breakfasted. But as the doctor saw almost as much on the second day of his visit as he did on the first, we are obliged to refer the reader, for this part of his visit, to the volumes in which his journal is printed. Suffice it to say that Gray's garden, which our ancestors delighted to visit in the fine weather to drink tea and escape the heat of the city, called forth from our New England visitor expressions of the greatest admiration. Its grottos and water-falls, Chinese bridges and pagodas, hermitage and shaded walks, are in sad contrast with the railroad tracks and oil-tanks that meet the eye from the same spot to-day, and make one regret that the march of improvements demand such sacrifices or that park commissioners were not of earlier origin.

Returning to Philadelphia, the members of the convention repaired to the State House, and Dr. Cutler was conducted to the Hospital, where he was met by Dr. Rush, and was shown through the building. By this time Dr. Rush's students had arrived, and the sick wards were visited; everything was in the most perfect order, and although the department for the insane did not fail to excite feelings of distress, Dr. Cutler could not help recording that the place "seemed more like a palace than a hospital and one would almost be tempted to be sick if he could be so well provided for." The Bettering House at Eleventh and Spruce Streets was then visited, and then Dr. Cutler, Dr. Clarkson, and son dined with Dr. Rush.

Soon after dinner the bell of a church rang to inform the citizens who subscribed to the Library that it was then open for the purpose of receiving and delivering books. At that time it occupied the second story of Carpenters' Hall, and to that place Dr. Cutler and his friends repaired, where he examined the books and a number of other interesting objects then deposited there.

At half-past six he left the city to return to New York, and after noting this, gives a few additional facts regarding his visit. "Philadelphia," he says, "is the capital city of VOL. XII.-8

America. It is large elegant and populous, . . . with a good harbor in which there is a great number of large ships besides numerous smaller vessels. It contains 10,000 thousand1 inhabitants and covers twice the quantity of ground to that of Boston. The State House, Hospital and most of the public buildings are magnificent, but it is singular that there are only two steeples in the city where there are upwards of twenty houses for public worship. There is an academy belonging to the members of the Episcopal Church and an Infirmary which is said to be of more utility to the city than the Hospital. . . . Whatever may be said of the private benevolence of the Philadelphians, there is certainly a greater display of public charity here than in any other part of America. The streets of this city are at right angles. The buildings on a straight line. They are well paved and at a distance of ten feet from the house is a row of posts and in this range of posts are all their pumps. It is well furnished with lamps, the pavements between the posts and houses are laid with freestone or large tile, and entirely smooth, which makes the walking on them delightful. They are kept perfectly clean being washed every day and here all of the foot passengers pass. While I was walking with Mr. Strong I happened to step without the posts, and walk a few steps in the street. He desired me to come within the posts, for he said they would certainly call me a New England man if I walked there."

[In the foregoing pages we have endeavored to give the spirit of the impression made upon Dr. Cutler by his visit to New York and Philadelphia. But we have by no means exhausted the interest of the volumes even in this particular. Space has obliged us to omit considerable relating to the two cities. Nor are other portions of the book less interesting. Some, indeed, are of greatly more importance in the field of history than what we have given. His account of the Ohio Purchase is of the highest value, and the publication of it, coming as it does immediately previous to the Centennial Anniversary of the arrival of the first settlers at Marietta, will necessarily attract a number of readers. Too much praise cannot be accorded to Dr. Cutler for the energy and tact

1

This is clearly a mistake. By the census taken three years afterwards, Philadelphia and suburbs contained 42,520 inhabitants.

he showed in the cause of the Company in transacting their business with Congress and in pushing forward the settlement. We do not agree with the editors of the volumes in the influence accorded to him in forming the ordinance of 1787. But of this we will speak on another occasion.

As our readers will observe, Dr. Cutler was a keen observer, and in his several journeys gives us many interesting facts regarding the country through which he passed and the experiences of a traveller at that day. A good tavern where well-cooked meals and clean, comfortable rooms could be had was noted with an interest that showed how highly it was appreciated, and as those of the opposite character are also spoken of, it is probable that the memorandums were made for the future guidance of the traveller. In 1801 Dr. Cutler was elected to Congress, and served until 1805, and his observations on the men and manners of the times are intensely interesting. Among Dr. Cutler's correspondents were Dr. Ezra Stiles, Dr. Jeremy Belknap, General Benjamin Lincoln, Dr. Benjamin Smith Barton, Jedediah Morse, Dr. Henry Muhlenberg, C. S. Rafenesque, Timothy Pickering, Ebenezer Hazard, and others. The two volumes contain the most readable historical matter that has been published for some time.-F. D. S.]

CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN WILLIAM STRAHAN AND DAVID HALL, 1763-1777.

DEAR DAVIE

(Continued from Vol. XI. page 490.)

LONDON June 15, 1771.

I wrote you the 8th and 14th of last Month by Captain Williams.

...

It is an agreeable Circumstance, that your two Sons are so far advanced in Life, that the eldest is already fit to assist you, and the other nearly so. There will be room. enough in your own Business for them both; and nothing is easier for a young Man than to pursue the Path, which his Father hath chalked out, and successfully trod before him. I am very happy in the Prospect we have that our Descendants will be connected, when we ourselves are gone to rest. The State of my Family and Business is briefly this. My eldest Son William is now, you know, settled by himself, and will, I dare say, do very well; tho' the Printing Trade is by no means a very profitable one. It requires great Industry, Oeconomy, Perseverance, and Address, to make any great Figure in it. However he is very clever, has already a good Share of Business, and will, in time succeed to some of the more profitable Branches of it, as his Seniors drop off. My second Son George is now in Orders, and will, I am convinced, make a good Figure in that Walk of Life. My youngest Andrew is the only one now with me, and from whom I receive any Assistance in Business: But his Time is almost totally taken up in the Printinghouse, in looking after 7, 8, or 9 Presses, which are constantly employed there: For besides the Chronicle and Monthly Review, I have always a pretty large Share of Book-work, in many Articles of which I am myself a Proprietor. I have also one half of the Law Printing-house,