streams in this vicinity, have very much swollen, and have carried away almost every thing before them. Bridges, dame, water-wheels, fences, and we have been informed even of a frame saw manufactory, which was started, but lodged against a large water-wheel. The Wissahiccon has not been so high for several years, and has inundated all the low lands. The Schuylkill has risen six or eight feet, and has carried away considerable property by the overflowing of its banks. A manufacturer at Manayunk, we understand, has had something like a thousand dollars worth of cloth, and part of his manufactory, carried off. The large grist-mill opposite Manayunk, has sustained considerable damage from the swollen state of the river. Almost every mill and manufactory of which we have heard, has sustained more or less injury: and the crops of grain, which our farmers had just commenced cutting when the wet weather set in, are considerably damaged; and that which had been cut, almost destroyed. Fortuately, the hay-harvest was well nigh completed, and tolerable crops have been secured. The accounts we have received from different parts of the country, generally speak of the unfavourable condition of the grain crops, occasioned by the late heavy rains. It cleared up quite cool, however, on Saturday night - last, and the weather has every appearance of continuing settled for some time. A correspondent writes thus, in regard to the late heavy rains. "The water rose higher in the creeks, just before daylight, on Wednesday morning-breaking through numerous dams. The rain guages all run over; but a neighbour, on whose word I can rely, had placed two empty vessels in s situation to mark the exact fall during the night, Wednesday.) The more shallow of the two, ran over; and the other measured in the morning, exactly 5 inches. This quantity is not more than half, probably which has fallen within the four days it rained. The rain has done much injury to the grain, and disappointed the hopes of the husbandmen."-German. Tel. THE WEATHER.-For two weeks, we have had an unusual proportion of wet weather. The rain that has fallen in that period, is estimated at 12 inches. The harvest, a very light one, has suffered in many places, very seriously. On the night of the 6th, the water came down in torrents; and it is believed, to the depth of 6 inches. The damages on the mill streams, are immense; and of all the mills in this vicinity, none wholly escaped injury, though to some it is not material. The Messrs. Lindley's, and Wister and Fisher's have each a large dam swept away, and otherwise much injured. Large stones, weighing a ton or more, were carried down the strean The damage below, towards Frankford, we learn, has been very great.-Ib. WEST CHESTER, July 1. FRESHET.-During the last week we were visited with several very heavy rains. On Saturday afternoon it fell in such copious torrents, that the Brandywine rose more than five feet perpendicular in half an hour, and continued to swell until it overflowed all the adjoining meadow, and much that has heretofore been considered high land. The stream was in some places half a mile wide. The loss occasioned along the shores to the farmers, is very great: cultivated fields have been stripped of fencing; numerous crops of wheat, barley, corn, rye, oats, and hay, which beautified the borderland, have been levelled with the ground. Such as was standing is buried in the mud; and the flood has relieved the farmer of the pleasant toil of gathering that which was cut. Several bridges have been carried Away.-American Rep. (JULY showers of rain. Much of the clover and timothy grass has been cut down during this time, and we are informed that a great deal of it is so much damaged, that it is fit for nothing but the dung yard. Should the weather continue showery, we fear there will be a melancholy prospect for the wheat and rye crops; as we are told by some of our farmers, that the wheat, in particular, is already taking the second growth on the stalk. Very little grain has as yet been cut, and, perhaps, none put up in this county. The continued lowering aspect of the weather is truly alarming to the industrious farmer, and the community at large.—Perry Forester. The Conewingo Dam, near the head of the Susquehanna canal, about 33 miles below this place, was washed away on Sunday last, 15 feet below the level of the canal, which was also considerably injured and broken. The tavern and another house on the river, a short distance below the dam, were damaged and carried away in part by the flood. BELLEFONTE, Centre Co. July 7. In this section of the country rain has fallen for the last twelve days. The consequence is, a large amount of hay has been totally destroyed. On the other hand, the corn and potatoes are thriving most wonderfully, and bid fair to more than make up the loss sustained otherwise by the wet weather. Our farmers say that the wheat crop will be short of the usual yield. NORRISTOWN, (Pa.) July 12. GREAT FRESHET.-The immense quantity of rain which fell during the last week, caused serious damage in this part of the country. On Wednesday night last, two dams in Stony creek, one about a mile above this borough, known by the name of "Standbridge's dam,' and the other nearly opposite the borough belonging to Mr. Jacob Freedly, were entirely destroyed. Seven or eight thousand shingles, designed for the grist mill now being erected by Mr. Freedly, were swept away by the water, the sudden rise of which precluded any attempt to save them. The embankment between Mr. Freedly's race and Schuylkill, a short distance below his saw-mill, also gave way and a number of valuable logs were lost. Some of our farmers, too, must have sustained considerable loss, as a large number of sheaves of grain, were seen floating down the river Schuylkill, opposite this place, on Thursday last. It rained twenty-three days in last month, and its depth was 5.93 inches-a quantity quite unusual. It has been raining every day, more or less, since the beginning of this month, up to the present date, July 10.-Lehigh Pioneer. Our Harbour.-Since the construction of the piers, at the entrance of the harbour, by which a deep and safe channel has been formed, the water of the lake has been gradually wearing away the neck of the peninsula, at the head of the basin, and has at length formed a channel seven and a half feet in depth. Several schooners, and the steam-boat Sheldon Thompson, have passed through. We understand it is staked out, and that vessels can pass either way with safety. Vessels bound up or down, touching at our wharves, will save about six miles sailing by passing through the new channel. As it is still wearing, we may expect there will be water enough, shortly, for the largest craft that sails the lake. BLOOMFIELD, (Pa.) July 7. For the last eight or ten days, we have had continued | Erie Observer. 1831.] TEMPERANCE.-LAW OF PENNSYLVANIA. TEMPERANCE. 63 from time to time to make; and I regret that they would PHILADELPHIA, July 16th, 1831. involve so much labour to reproduce them as would Sir-Your note of yesterday, to which I now have the not suit your present purposes, and my avocations. I honour to reply, expresses a wish to obtain information would willingly be more circumstantial, but such inforin relation to the use of ardent spirits, in supplying sub.mation as I have here presented is the result of seven jects for our prisons, and requests of me to submit my years observation, and agreeable to my honest and firm observations, as an officer of the Walnut Street Peniten- convictions. tiary. This subject is one which has long engaged my attention, and has demanded of me much inquiry. All my investigation goes to prove, that ardent spirits is the most powerful agent in producing crime, and is the prolific source of nearly all the evils of which society has to complain. My official station makes it necessary, at times, to examine into the history of the lives of those who are brought under my notice, and it is my practice to put questions touching their nurture, education, and habits. In a vast majority of cases, the use of intoxicat-To ROBERTS VAUX, Esq. President of the Pennsylvania ing liquors has been, either in themselves, their parents, or guardians, the primary cause of their moral degrada tion. The very frequent answer to the question of what induced the commission of the immediate crime for which they were suffering, is, “I was in liquor, sir—in bad company-and knew not what I was about." It very rarely occurs, that an individual passes out of prison, and his degraded state made apparent by the contrast of the society he leaves, with that which he is about to meet, without feeling a wish to amend his life, or without declaring such to be his intention. My earnest advice to them, on these occasions, is to eschew the rum cup, impressing upon them, that while they remember the privations they have undergone, and the privileges they have thrown away, they will avoid becoming obnoxious to the law. But the facilities are so great, and the temptation so strong; and these, too, backed by the importunities of their falsely hospitable friends, that the exciting draught is again indulged, reason is dethroned, and vice and folly assume their reign. There are some individuals in our establishment, who have been frequent sufferers by the law, and yet who show themselves possessed of innate honesty, which almost renders their criminality a paradox. Two strong cases of this kind, are more immediately in my mind's eye. They were never known to be guilty of a crime while sober. One has been quoted in a pamphlet on prisons, and has been held up as an example and a dread to evil doers, as having had the misfortune to have eaten twenty Christmas dinners in Walnut Street Prison. This is true, and yet all the offences of this man were committed under the excitement of ebriety. His sentences were generally short, but his propensity for liquor always procured him a re-conviction within the year; and he thus was enabled to eat his twenty Christmas dinners within the walls of this prison. While in confinement, he frequently held posts of trust and responsibility, affording him means of procuring him small gratifications, could he have been induced to connive at the villainy of others. He was never known to betray his trust, or to break his word. His fidelity was proverbial. The frequency of this man's conviction has made his case a strong one, and I have used it as illustrative of the position I have assumed. He died in prison! Wishing every success to the efforts now making to arrest the progress of intemperance and crime, and gratified at being thus humbly instrumental in furthering the important work which has called forth the exercise of your philanthropy, and that of the society over which you preside, I remain, with great respect, Your most obedient, WM. M. HOOD. Society for Discouraging the Use of Ardent Spirits. LAW OF PENNSYLVANIA. An act relative to the liens of Mechanics and others Section 1. That from and after the passage of this act, all claims filed or entered in pursuance of the act to which this is a further supplement, within six months after performing the work or furnishing the materials, shall continue to bind the buildings or dwelling houses against which the saine are entered for the term of five years from the day of filing the same; and no claim so as aforesaid filed shall bind any building or dwelling house for a longer period than five years from the day of filing the same, unless within that time the person who has filed the same, his executors, administrators or assigns shall issue a scire facias thereon. Section 2. That in all cases where any claim or claims has or have been filed, or shall hereafter be filed, the legal or equitable owner or owners of the buildings or dwelling houses bound thereby, or any person interested, mav apply to the court on the proper docket of which the same is or are filed by petition, setting forth the facts; which said court shall order an issue to be formed and tried to ascertain if any and what sum is due upon such claim or claims, and shall have power to make orders in relation to such issue, and the mode of trying the same and the costs thereof as fully as any court of equity might or could do in relation to any issue ordered by such court of equity. Section 3. That in all cases where the amount of any claim filed has been paid and satisfied, and no satisfaction entered on the record thereof, the legal or equit able owner or owners of the building or dwelling house or dwelling houses bound by the same, may, in order to have satisfaction entered on the record, proceed against the persons filing such clam, his executors, administrators and assigns, in the same mannner, and shall have the rights and remedies provided for defendants and purchasers of real property, by the fourteenth section of the act of assembly of this commonwealth, entitled "an act to establish the judicial courts of this commonwealth, in conformity to the alterations and amendments in the constitution," passed the thirteenth day of April, 1791. And whereas, it sometimes happens that several Murder, manslaughter, rape and arson, can in almost houses and other buildings adjoining each other are every instance, be traced to the influence of ardent spirits; erected by the same owner, so that it is impossible for and I may say that the only exceptions to this malign the person who has found and provided materials for influence, in the commission of crime, are perhaps in a the same to specify, in his claim filed, the particular few cases of forgery, robbery and burglary; these being house or other buildings for which the several items of crimes requiring such self-possession in the operators his demand were so found and provided: And whereas is incompatible with the indulgence of the bottle.as, doubts have arisen as to the true construction in The high handed villain, whose schemes take a bold range, is calm and philosophical, specious in appearance and manners, seldom communicative, and always wary; and generally unwilling to hazard the garrulity incident to the "wet damnation." I am borne out in these opinions, which present circumstances compel me to be general in noticing, by the various statistical details which I have been called upon, such case of the laws of this commonwealth. Therefore, Section 4. That it shall and may be lawful in every such case, for the person so binding and providing materials as aforesaid, for two or more adjoining houses and the buildings built by the same person, owner of the same and debtor for the said materials, to file with his claim thereon an apportionment of the amount of the same among the said houses and other buildings, and At a meeting of the subscribers to the stock for a contemplated Exchange in the city of Philadelphia, held agreeable to public notice, on the 19th day of July 1831,at the Merchants' Coffee House, THOMAS P. COPE, was called to the chair, and Alexander Ferguson appointed Secretary. The committee appointed at a former meeting submitted a report, which, having been read by the Chairman, was adopted by the meeting. Mathew L. Bevan, Esq. submitted the following resolutions, which, after having been separately read and considered were adopted. Resolved, That this meeting proceed to the appointment of five trustees, who or the survivors of whom shall receive and hold in trust for the Stockholders, the real estate which it will be necessary to purchase for the location of the exchange, until the requisite act of incorporation can be obtained, when the said trustees, or the survivors of them, shall convey the property to the company so incorporated. Resolved, That a Board of managers be now appointed, to consist of nine members, who shall elect a president, secretary, and treasurer. Resolved, That it shall be the duty of this board to determine what percentage of the stock subscribed shall be called in, and at what periods to call in and receive such instalments, to purchase the property, and to adopt plans for the building, subject to the revision of the Stockholders, at a meeting hereafter to be called for that purpose, when such further measures shall be determined on as may he deemed best for the construction of the contemplated edifice. It was on motion Resolved, that the meeting proceed to the appointment of trustees, when the following gentlemen were proposed and regularly appointed: Stephen Girard, Robert Ralston, Jos. P. Norris, James C. Fisher, and Joshua Longstreth. It was on motion Resolved, that a board of managers be now appointed, when the following gentlemen having been proposed, were declared duly elected, Samuel Comly, John Siter, jr. Alexander Ferguson, Ashbel G. Ralston, William D. Lewis, John A. Brown, Samuel Grant, William Platt and J. Solms. It was on motion Resolved, that the board of Managers, shall have the power to fill all vacancies that may occur in their own body. On motion adjourned. THOMAS P. COPE, Chairman. ALEXANDER FERGUSON, Secretary. A LIST OF THE (JULY Pennsylvania-Fifth, between Chesnut and Library. HOSE COMPANIES. Columbia-Seventh, between Cherry and Race streets. Humane-Ann, between Vine and Wood. Niagara-Third, between Catherine and Queen. FLOUR AND MEAL. Inspection of Flour and Meal in the Port of Philadel phia for the quarter ending 30th June, 1831,compared with same period last year: Superfine Flour, barrels, Scraped, Do Condemned, Rye Flour, Condemned, Middlings, Corn Meal, Do 1831. 177,132 1830. 135,551 8,311 8,744 Do condemned barrels, [Philadelphia Price Current. THE REGISTER. JULY 23, 1831. Considerable excitement has prevailed during the past week, in consequence of a determination of the Victuallers, to withhold their usual supply of animal food. The grounds of complaint will be found in their memorial to councils, published in the present number. Since Saturday last, but one regular butcher has ENGINE & HOSE COMPANIES OF PHILAD'A. attended in the market, and the other stands have pre ENGINE COMPANIES. Assistance-Race, between Fifth and Sixth streets. Diligent-Filbert, between Tenth and Eleventh. Good Intent-Public Square, Kensington. Hand in Hand-Cherry, between Third and Fourth, Hope-Pine, between Sixth and Seventh. sented a melancholy spectacle of desertion; notwithstanding, the citizens have not suffered-a plentiful supply having been furnished the market by the country people the memorial was referred to a committee of Councils, who on Thursday evening last reported that it was not advisable for Councils to interfere. The report will be furnished at length, with the proceedings next week, and appears to give general satisfaction to the public. Printed every SATURDAY MORNING by WILLIAM F. GED. DES, No. 9 Library Street. Philadelphia; where, and at the PUBLICATION OFFICE, IN FRANKLIN PLACE, second door back of the Post Office, (back room) subseriptions will be thankfully received. Price FIVE DOLLARS per annum, payable annually by subscribers residing in or near the city, or where there is an agent. Other subscribers pay in advance. HAZARD'S REGISTER OF PENNSYLVANIA. DEVOTED TO THE PRESERVATION OF EVERY KIND OF USEFUL INFORMATION RESPECTING THE STATE. VOL. VIII.-NO. 5. EDITED BY SAMUEL HAZARD. PHILADELPHIA, JULY 30, 1831. COMPARATIVE VIEWS OF THE POPULATION OF THE CITY AND COUNTY OF PHILADELPHIA. NO. 187. rules for ourselves, derived from the facts within our The following calculations and statements have required much time and labour; and, after all, some errors Various methods have been adopted by different na- may be discovered in them—though we have endeavour. tions, to ascertain the number of inhabitants, but none aped to guard against them—and, perhaps, some of our pears to be so certain, as that of actual enumeration--this deductions may be erroneous. In all such cases, we mode was, therefore, adopted at the organization of our shall be happy to receive corrections. We have given government, and a census has been since regularly tak- the facts pretty much in detail, believing that they will en at each successive period of ten years. Had these been be more generally serviceable to those who may wish uniformly made, they would have served, not only their to make other uses of the information; and, to such as primary purpose—that of forming a representative ra- have any fondness for similar investigations, we know, tio-but also as a basis on which to erect numerous they will be the more acceptable on that account. Othother interesting, and important calculations. But, un- ers of our readers, will find them perhaps tedious; but fortunately, this not having been attended to, there is we will endeavour to compensate them at another time. scarcely any point of comparison between any two of the four, which have as yet been made-in each one a different classification of ages being adopted. Although the division of the last census is, upon the whole, the best, still, owing to the coloured population being arranged under ages differing from those of the whites, many comparative views cannot be taken, which would be interesting in regard to those two classes. Our present view is confined to the city and county of Philadelphia. We may, hereafter, make some comparisons of the other portions of the state. But we would be happy, if some of our friends would furnish us with statements, of this kind, relative to towns, or particular districts, throughout the state. COMPARATIVE CENSUS TABLE. Owing to the time allotted for taking the censusthe incompetence of some of the persons employed--North'n Liberties the low price paid for the time and services devoted Spring Garden, Penn Township, to it it is highly probable, there may be material erKensington, rors; yet, as they may be as favourable as otherwise, and as we have no other means of approximating to Total N. suburbs, the truth, we have made them the foundation of the calculations which are this day pres. nted to our readers, in reference to the population of the city and county of Philadelphia. Southwark East, Total S. suburbs, 1790. 1800. 1810. 1820. 1830. 12097 17586 20314 29003 Few subjects are of more interest to a state, than its population. The number of inhabitants indicating always a flourishing condition of the means of support, as well as of those necessary to carry on its agriculture, manufactures, and commerce, and to defend itself against any hostile force. It is therefore useful, when a census is taken, to make comparative views of the past and present condition of the population, in order to ascertain, whether it be in a progressive or languishing condition, Byberry, and to trace the causes of the one or the other. In this Frankford, country, facts upon this subject are deficient; and it is Germantown, only by collecting, and arranging them, for a series of Kinsessing, Lower Dublin, years, that any fixed theory can be confidently derived Moreland, from them. The rules adopted in foreign, and older Oxford, countries, where the population has become permanent, Roxborough, will not suit the meridian of a new country, which is receiving into its bosom the inhabitants of every other portion of the globe. We must, therefore, form new VOL. VIII. 9 Total rest of co. Total city & coun. 4243 4311 4642 903 1188 1068 2194 2640 2705 400 4431 418 973 1315 1502 1252 1682 3334 11871 10722 14546 17772 2115 54391 81009'111210137097 188961 Or, at the rate of 26.10 per cent,-per annum 2.34-respecting it cannot be expected-as, in order to it, evedoubling in 29.89 years. Number of inhabitants in the DISTRICTS in 1830, 87,353 Increase in ten years, Or, at the rate of 57.32 per cent.-4.62 per annumdoubling in 15.30 years. ry foot of ground that is occupied by a dwelling and inhabitants must be known. In the formation of this table, we have taken the dimensions, of the different squares, from the table published in our fifth volume, page 320. The space occupied by the principal streets is excluded; but that devoted to the smaller streets and alleys-as well as that which is occupied by churches and other public buildings, and also public squares and other open In the rest of the COUNTY, there were in 1830, 21,150 grounds--are all embraced in the calculation. Do. Increase in ten years, 1820, 17,772 In 1800, the city was divided into fourteen wardscontaining in the plot from Vine to South, and from river to river, 50,141,410 square feet. From east to Or, at the rate of 19.96 per cent.-per annum 1.76- west, the city was divided into two parts; of which doubling in 39.86 6 years. The increase in the CITY From 1790 to 1800 was 12,668, or 44.37 per cent. 1800 1810 12,502, 30.33 1810 1820 10,080, 18.76 City increase in 40 years, 51,906, or181.80 per cent. The WHITE inhabitants in the CITY and COUNTY 1820* Increase in ten years, 173,245 49,599 Fourth street was the dividing line-at which, the eastern wards terminated, and the western wards commenced. In 1825, this dividing line was removed to Seventh street. The first column of the table, therefore, contains the number of square feet in each ward, from 1800 to 1825; and the apportionments made in the second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth columns, are agreeably to that division of the wards. The ninth column shows the number of square feet in each ward, as existing since 1825-according to which, the subsequent apportionment is made. The twelfth column shows the value assessed in each ward, at the last triennial period; and the thirteenth Or, 40.08 per centum-3.42 per annum-doubling in gives the assessed value of each square foot. 20.56 years. Without further explanation we submit the table, The FREE COLOURED inhabitants in the CITY and COUNTY which, at one view, gives some idea of the different O, 31.41 per centum-2.76 per annum-doubling in division of the wards, we have, for that year, only given |