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1830.]

DEATHS-CONTINUED.

127

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NOTE. Of the foregoing there were Males of 20 years and upwards 1,128; 1,201 under twenty years; Females of twenty years and upwards; and 1,041 under twenty years.

There were 424 returns received at the Health Office of persons who died in the Alms-House of the City during the year; and 643 people of Colour are included in the statement of Interments.

Agreeably to returns made at the Health Office, and collected from 141 Practitioners of Midwifery, there have been born in the City and Liberties, from the 1st of January, 1829, to the 1st of January, 1830, 3,638 Male, and 3,357 Female Children; making the total number of births 6,995; leaving a difference between the births and interments of 2,702.

Deaths in each month of the within period.

Adults.

Children. Total.

208

178 386

August,

January,

February,

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September,

March,

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405

October,

April,

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November,
December,

May,

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June,

July,

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Total,

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By order of the Board of Health,

Health Office, Philadelphia, January 1, 1830.

JOSEPH PRYOR, CLERK.

Remarks.

The whole number of deaths is 4294, viz: Males 2329, and Females 1965-of whom 643 were blacks and 3651 whites. There were only 2 more deaths in 1829 than in 1828; which when it is considered, that the population must have increased several thousand, would appear to indicate a year of unusual health. 41 more males died in 1828 than in 1829, and 43 more females died in 1829 than in 1828; and 63 more blacks died in 1828, than in 1829, and 135 more whites in 1829, than in 1828. In the Alms House, there were in 1829, 68 more deaths

than in the year preceding. Deducting the still born, Casualties and deaths by old age, from the whole number leaves deaths, actually from disease 3734, and taking 424, (the number of deaths in the Alms-house) from the whole number will leave 3870 deaths in the City &c. strictly speaking.

Died under the age of 15, 2150 more than one-half. from 15 to 40, 1082 about one-fourth. Making, 3232 or more than of the whole under 40 years Ad. Ch. Total.

Ad. Ch. Total.
During the Spring months

died in 1828, 449 413 862 In 1829, 522 534 1056
Summer, 492 835 1327
473 741 1214

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Autumn,
Winter,

587 583 1170

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523 495 1018
532 474 1006

2050 2244 4294

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The number of deaths of children in August 1829 was nearly double of that of adults in the same month.

In 1829 we observe a considerable increase in the proportion of deaths by consumption over that of 1828, to the whole number of deaths, which in both years was the same excepting two. In 1828 there were 581 deaths by consumption, in 1829, 638 difference 57, or an increase of nearly 10 per cent. on the deaths of 1828-the increase appears to have been greatest on the ages between 30 and 40, and between 60 and 70; of the deaths by this disease in 1829 there were under 20, 118

Between 20 and 40, 321
Between 40 and 60, 148
Between 60 and 90, 51

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In volume 3, page 128 will be found the number of births each year from 1820 to 1828 inclusive; during that period the proportion of males to females was as 27 to 25, in 1820 as 36 to 33.

There were about 19 births and 11 deaths in every 24 hours during the year.

MISCELLANEOUS.

The Delaware and Schuylkill rivers remain frozen over with ice, and the navigation entirely suspended. [Friday.)

The mail stage line on Thursday last, left Philadel. phia at four o'clock in the morning, and arrived in this borough at half past four in the afternoon; and the new line left Philadelphia at five o'clock, and arrived at the same time-the one performing the trip of 88 miles in 11 hours and a half, and the other in 12 and a half hours. Miners Journal.

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Roberts Vaux,
John B. Gibson,

of Carlisle.

Thomas C. James,
James Ross,
of Pittsburg.

Recording Secretary-Job R. Tyson,

Corresponding Secretary-Thomas I. Wharton.
Treasurer-Wm. Mason Walmsley.
Curator-Samuel Hazard.

Peter S. Duponseau,
George B. Wood,
Gerard Ralston,
Thomas M. Petit,
Caspar Wistar,
John J. Smith, Jr.

John

Council.

Joshua F. Fisher,
G. Washington Smith,
Edward Bettle,
Benjamin H. Coates,
Wm. B. Davidson,
Richard Penn Smith,
Vaughan,

THE

REGISTER OF PENNSYLVANIA.

DEVOTED TO THE PRESERVATION OF EVERY KIND OF USEFUL INFORMATION RESPECTING THE STATE.

VOL. V.-NO. 9.

EDITED BY SAMUEL HAZARD.

PHILADELPHIA, FEBRUARY 27, 1830. NO. 113.

UNION COUNTY.

town of Middleburg passes the line of Mifflin county.The fourth range commences two miles below SelinsThe following sketch of Union County is extracted grove, passing south of the town of Freeburg, and likefrom the "Union Times," and is the first of a series on wise enters Mifflin county. These are our chief ranges They exhibit considerable variety of the subject; which we are glad to see, and hope the of limestone. structure, some of them being composed of coarse Editor will forward the others as they are published.granular stones resembling brown sandstone, others af fording fine building materials, and almost all containing remains of marine animals, chiefly bivalve and spiral shells.

If the Editors of papers in each county would imitate this example we should soon be able, to present a satisfactory description of the whole state.

The

There is no great variety in our mineral productions; This county which, although mountainous is not rug those above enumerated forming the greater portion of ged, lies in the range of the Alleghenies, the branches our stock. For some years the attention of the public of which traverse it in a direction about east, north cast. has been directed to the discovery of iron ore. The chief ridges are the White Deer, Nittany, Buffaloe, external indications of this useful mineral present themJacks, and Shade Mountains; of which Jacks Mountain selves in many places; but as yet no considerable body is considered the highest ground in the county. White of ore has been discovered. In Buffaloe Valley, in Deer Mountain forms part of our northern boundary. White Deer Valley, in Hartley township, and many othBetween this and Nittany, lies the narrow valley of er places iron ore of a good quality has been found in White Deer Creek.. South of Nittany is Buffaloe Moun-rolled masses and geodes on the surface of the ground. tain, between which and Nittany the valley is also very Mines have been opened, but in no instance has the narrow. South of Buffaloe Mountain, lies the fertile quantity found, been sufficient to encourage the miner and beautiful valley of Buffaloe, which is bounded south- to prosecute his labours. We are, however, of opinion wardly by Jacks Mountain and Shamokin Ridge, South that perseverance will be rewarded and a superior of Jacks Mountain lies Moser's valley. The country be- water power, be extensively employed in the manutween this valley and the southern boundary of the coun- facture of iron. Of bog iron ore, a large body lies in ty, is with the exception of some limestone ranges hilly, the flat extending from the Sunbury ferry, to the neighand rather unproductive. The western part of the bourhood of Selinsgrove. Of its quality we are not able county is the highest: the whole lying on the slope, to judge, but believe it to be good. It is cellular and which descends from the Allegheny to the Susquehanna. of a light brown colour. Another bed of bog ore was Lying in the great transition range the character of our discovered on Philip Herrold's farm, ten miles below mountains is precisely similar. They do not appear to Selinsgrove. This also is cellular, of a darker colour, and contain any large bodies of rock; so far as examinations much harder and heavier than the first mentioned. We have been made, they appear to consist of red, and yel- do not know what may be the extent of this body, as it low clay slate, greywacke and greywacke slate. The has never been carefully examined. It was accidentally sides of the mountains are covered with loose blocks of discovered in digging a drain connected with the canal. millstone grit, very hard and so full of irregular fissures A few days ago we were shown a piece of lead ore, as to be of little use to the builder. To this rule there which answered the description of Antimonial Sulphuret are, however, some exceptions, for in a few places, par- of lead. It was of a dark steel colour-of lamellar ticularly at the foot of Shade Mountain, the blocks are of structure, affording very brilliant planes of a strongly sufficient firmness and size to be worked into good mill-metalic lustre; it was soft and brittle. The fragment stones. There is no appearance of regular stratifica- appeared to have been part of a cube or rectangular tion of these rocks until you approach the summits of the crystal. A piece having been smelted, yielded about mountains where the strata are seen crossing them at seventy per cent. of soft lead. The person who exhib. right angles, and at considerable intervals. The spaces ited it, refuses to tell where he found it but says it is in between the ledges of rocks are covered with soft grey his neighborhood and in this county. There are indicawacke in small pieces with some slate. There is some tions of lead ore in the long narrows in Hartley town. sandstone fit for building, but not much in this county, ship. the material chiefly used being limestone, which is abundant. In the southern part of the county, on the banks of the Susquehanna, most of the good buildings are constructed of a species of trap rock taken from the bed of the river. Finer stone for rustic work could not be found, as they are taken up in large regularly shaped masses of a handsome bluish colour.

The largest body of limestone is that which forms the bed of Buffaloe valley, embracing an area of about one hundred square miles. This we believe to be the most northerly bed of limestone in the county. The next range of limestone commences in Dry valley, near the West branch of the Susquehanna, and passing, in a direction corresponding to the mountains through New Bertin and Moser's valley is lost among the hills of Beaver township, The third range commences about two miles north of Selinsgrove, and passing through the VOL. V.

17

A body of iron pyrites was some years since, accidentally discovered in digging a mill race on Jacob Kehr's land on Penns Creek, about four miles above New Berlin. A spring issues from the rock the water of which immediately blackens any tin or iron vessel into which it is put. We heard some years since of another spring of this kind, but cannot recollect where it is situated.

These are we believe all the metallic minerals which have been discovered; but many people, here as elsewhere, on finding sulphuret of iron have been deluded with the idea that they had found gold or silver ore.

Mineral coal has of late been eagerly sought for, and lands supposed to contain it have risen greatly in price. Black slate and bituminous shale, which are considcred indications of coal, have been found in places.— A range has been traced from a point about one mile below New Berlin to the distance of about eight miles

towards Moser's Valley. How much further it extends | territory to Britain. The earliest information we have has not been ascertained. Another range commences about four miles above Selinsgrove on Penns Creek, and bas been traced westwardly about three miles. On each of these ranges mining operations have been commenced, and on the first range a small quantity of what appeared to be good anthracite coal was picked from the interstices between the layers of slate. We are informed that miners are also at work on Middlecreek, and Mahantongo. The vicinity of limestone has been hithererto considered inimical to anthracite coal. If this rule holds good we must look for the bituminous only, which is found in limestone countries.

INDIAN HISTORY.

Extracted from a paper drawn up in Boston, and sent to London
to be laid before the King's Council,
[COMMUNICATED.]

ABOUT the year 1615, a settlement was made by the
Swedes, Fins, and Dutch, in that part of North Ameri-
ca lying within the present bounds of New Jersey, New
York, and Pennsylvania.

In the year 1618, the Governor of Virginia complained to the Dutch Commandant of his interference with the rights of his British Majesty. This alarmed the Swedes, and caused them to throw themselves into the protecting arms of the Dutch. The country, hereafter, received the appellation of New Netherlands.

The King of England demanded of the States "By what authority they had dared to appoint a Governor." The States declared, in reply-"They had made no appointment; that the settlement was not made under their countenance or authority, but was the act of a private adventurer, an Amsterdam West India Merchant." James the 1st, then gave a commission to Sir Edmund Pleyden, who called the country New Albion, to whom the Dutch is said to have submitted. But during the popular ascendancy in the reign of Charles the 1st, the Dutch contrived to throw off their allegiance to the British authority, and declared themselves under a free ereignty of their own formation-but they again were reduced to submission by the English in 1664.

been able to obtain of the residence of the Iriquois, appears to have been that part of the country extending south of St. Lawrence from the north of the Sorel or Iriquois as high up St. Lawrence as the west end of Sacrament lake, around said lake, and that of Iriquois or Champlain, and including the river Iriquois to its confluence opposite St. Peter's Bay. The Iriquois became involved in a war with the Algonkins, who drove them from their original possessions, and compelled them to fly and take refuge on the waters of the Hudson, Dela ware, Susquehanna, and Ohio-which they continued to occupy in 1754, except certain grants made to the English on Mohawk river, and on lake Ontario, where fort Oswego was erected in 1727, and that part of Pennsylvania sold to the proprietaries of that State.

The Iriquois in their turn attacked the Satanas or Shawnans, who resided on lakes Ontario' and Erie, and drove them to the Mississippi, which gave them confidence in arms, and induced them to pour their whole power on the Algonkins, whom they effectually subdued, The Iriquois settled themselves on their original possessions, and the remains of the Algonkins placed themselves under the protection of the French near Quebec. The Iriquois were displeased with the French for granting relief to the Algonkins, and no inducement by treaty or presents could prevail with them to trade with the French. The French finding that the Iriquois resisted all means of negotiation and were determined to support a hostile attitude, influenced all Indian nas tions then at peace with them, to form a confederacy for the purpose of subduing and destroying the whole of the Five Nations. The French were not aware that the Iriquois possessed a vast superiority, in numbers, strength, and discipline. The action which took place on the banks of the river Iriquois, between the Confederated Nations and the Iriquois, would have terminated in the discomfiture of the Allies, but at the critical mo. ment when the confederated Indians were thrown into confusion by the impetuous and deadly rush of the Irisov-quois, the French poured forth from a thicket, (in which they were concealed,) a destructive fire that so alarmed, intimidated, and disconcerted the Iriquois that they hastily retreated. The Iriquois had been taught prudence by the late action, and afterwards made up for their want of skill in fire arms by ingeniously plotting and cutting off whole detachments of the enemy. The Iriquois could not again be drawn by the-French into an open battle, but preferred either acting on the defensive, or attacking in a secret manner or covered position. The French Governor, for the purpose of entrapping them, made an offer to them that he would send some French Priests among them; the proposition was acceded to by the Iriquois, who very cordially received the Priests; but detained them as hostages for the neutrality of the French-which act of the Iriquois compelled the French to preserve a rigid and strict neutrality, or the lives of the Priests would fall a sacrifice. The Iriquois having obtained fire arms from the Dutch, and acquired the use of them with skill, turned their vengeance upon the Quatoghies or Hurons, then upon the Algonkins, whom they defeated with great slaughter.This destruction of the Allied Indian Power was a decisive blow to the confederacy. The Nepicerinians, who lived on the north of St. Lawrence fled as far north as Abitibis. The Quatoghies or Hurons, and the Utawawas, were driven a southerly direction. In the year 1650, the Iriquois had either destroyed or adopted and made tributary all the nations of Indians contiguous to the St. Lawrence, Ontario, Erie, and Huron. In 1672 they attacked and conquered the Illinois, and adopted them, (the Illinois resided near Michigan,) also the Satanas, whom they formerly had driven from the lakes Ontario and Erie.

In 1667, at the peace concluded between England and the United Provinces, by the third article of that treaty the Dutch retained Surinam and gave up all claim to New Albion. In 1672, the Dutch recovered possession of New Albion; but in 1673, by the treaty of Westminster, it was again ceded to England.

By the treaties of Breda and Westminster, no limits are mentioned, but all rights and possessions of the Dutch in North America were yielded up and granted to England. The Dutch, when they made their first settlement, entered into a regular treaty with the Indian Nations known to the English by the names of Mohawk's, Cayuga's, Seneca's, Inondaga's, and Oneyda's, and to the French by the more general name of Iroqouis. This treaty remained in force until the year 1664, when a new treaty was formed with the Five Na tions-who by that treaty gave up their lands and submitted to the King of England. This treaty, you will remark, was made prior to any contracted with the French nation, who had been constantly at variance with them, from the year 1603, when they formed the first settlement of Canada, to 1667, when they entered into a treaty of friendship; which was dissolved in 1683.

The Five Nations confirmed the supremacy formerly granted to England in 1684, and again at Albany in 1687; and made a deed of sale, finally, of all their hereditary and conquered country for a valuable consideration in 1701; renewed in 1726, and especially in a treaty made at Lancaster, in Pennsylvania, in 1744. The treaties and grants of the Iriquois to England, were confirmed to Great Britain by the treaties of Utrecht and Aix-la-Chapelle; and by them the French surrendered the five great lakes, the country between the lakes, all the country and river of the Ohio, with a vast extent of

The rivers Illinois and the Mississippi became the western bounds of their territory; 'is designated as such in the deed of sale to England in 1701. In 1673 they

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