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DICKINSON COLLEGE.

In pursuance of previous notice, and an arrangement made with a committee of the Baltimore annual confer ence of the Methodist Episcopal Church, in which the Philadelphia Annual Conference subsequently united, the board of Trustees of Dickinson College met at the College chapel, on the sixth of June, A. D., 1833, to carry into effect the said arrangement; by which Dickinson College was to be placed under the patronage and superintendence of the Baltimore and Philadelphia Conferences. This arrangement was effected by the resignation of the following trustees, viz: Andrew Carothers, Esq. President, and the Rev. John V. E. Thorn, Frederick Watts, Esq. the Rev. George Duffield, Jacob Hendel, Charles B. Penrose, Isaac B. Parker, George Metzger, Esq. Dr. John Creight, the Rev. John S. Ebaugh, the Rev. Robert Cathcart, Commodore Jesse D. Elliott, Dr. Wm. C. Chambers, Sam. Alexander, George A. Lyon, James Hamilton, and Gabriel Heister, Esq. and the election of the Rev. John Emery, D. D. Bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church, the Hon. John M'Lean, Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, the Rev. Stephen G. Rozel, of Baltimore, Maryland, the Rev. Joseph Lybrand, of Wilmington, Delaware, the Rev. Alfred Griffith, of Baltimore, Maryland, the Rev. Samuel Harvey, of Germantown, Pennsylvania, the Rev. Job Guest, of Carlisle, Pennsylvania, Mr. Henry Antes, of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Dr. Theodore Myers, of Carlisle, Pennsylvania, Dr. John M. Keagy, of Philadelphia, Dr. Samuel Baker, of Baltimore, Maryland, John Davis, Esq. of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, John Phillips, Esq. of Carlisle, Pensylvania, Dr. Mathew Anderson, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Dr. Ira Day, of Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, Mr. Richard Benson, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Dr. Thomas Sewell, of Washington City, District of Columbia, Mr. Henry Hicks, of Delaware, George W. Nabb, Esq. of Baltimore, Maryland, Dr. Samuel H. Higgins, of Wilmington, Delaware, Charles A. Warfield, of Williamsport, Maryland, Dr. James Roberts, of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, James Dunlop, Esq. of Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, Benjamin Matthias, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Charles M'Clure, of Carlisle, Pennsylvania, Samuel E. Parker, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, William M. Biddle, Esq. of Carlisle, Pennsylvania, Thomas A. Budd, Esq of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Dr. Thomas E. Bond, of Baltimore Maryland, James Longacre, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Col. John Berry, of Baltimore, Maryland: of these gentlemen, the following appeared, were qualified, and took their seats as members of the board, to wit: Bishop, Emory, who was elected President of the board, and Messrs. Rozel, Lybrand, Griffith, Harvey, Guest, Antis, Myers, Keagy, Baker, Davis, Phillips, Anderson, Day, Benson, Sewell, Nabb, Higgins, Warfield, Roberts, Dunlop, Matthias, M'Clure, Parker, Biddle, and Budd.

The following resolutions were unanimously adopted by the Board.

Resolved, That a vote of thanks be presented to the late Board of Trustees of Dickinson College, for their noble and Philanthropic efforts in the cause of Educa tion, especially manifested in the arrangements to reestablish the institution and perpetuate its usefulness. Resolved, That entertaining as we do the fullest confidence in their intelligence, integrity and candour, their best wishes for the future prosperity of the institution over which they have watched for years, this Board deem it a privilege to avail themselves of the counsel of their predecessors in office, and hope still to enjoy their friendly influence in carrying forward the great objects

of Education.

Resolved, That the thanks of this Board be presented to the citizens of Carlisle, for their kind and liberal accommodation of ourselves, and our friends, during the present session.

Resolved, That deeply sensible of the importance

that a spirit of mutual friendship and co-operation should exist between the citizens of this borough, and the Board, and the officers of the College, in order to the full success of the great enterprise upon which we have entered, we cannot but hail with pleasure the deep interest the citizens manifest in the speedy restoration of the College, as an indication of the necessity there is for such an institution, as well as an assurance that it will receive their protection and patronage.

The board elected, by a unanimous vote, the Rev. John P. Durbin, A. M. of the city of New York, Principal of Dickinson College.

The board also founded a professorship of law, and unanimously elected the Hon. John Reed, President Judge of the 9th Judicial District of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Professor of Law of Dickinson College. They passed a resolution, raising a committee to make immediate arrangements to establish a preparatory school, and took measures for the re-opening of the College, with as little delay, as the nature of the necessary preliminary arrangements for the successful reorganization of the institution will require.

June 11th, 1833.

CHARLES B. PENROSE,
Secretary of the Board.

DREADFUL TORNADO.--A letter before us, dated Lit tle Britain Township, Lancaster county, 3d, June, con. tains the following paragraph:-"After three weeks of almost insessant rain, we have been visited with the most destructive hurricane ever witnessed in this neigh. borhood. It commenced yesterday afternoon, near the Susquehanna river in this township, accompanied with an unusually heavy rain, and passing eastwardly. It was about half a mile in width, and levelled in its course, dwelling houses, farms, orchards, fences, &c. Ten barns and five dwelling houses have been thrown down in its course through this township. Many orchards have been entirely destroyed. I am happy to state, that so far as I have heard, no lives are lost, though se veral persons have been seriously injured. I am not acquainted with the complete extent of its ravages beyond this township; but so far as I have heard, it has been alike destructive to all."

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HAZARD'S

REGISTER OF PENNSYLVANIA.

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

VOL. XII-NO. 3.

EDITED BY SAMUEL HAZARD.

PHILADELPHIA, JULY 20, 1833. NO. 290.

War.

A History of the early settlement of the Valley, and an account of the Battle. A list of as many of the names of those who fell in the battle as could be obtained. A the time by Col. Zebulon Butler to the Secretary of copy of the official account of the battle transmitted at Butler, Esq. The Muster Roll of a company comA copy of the Address delivered by Chester manded by Captain Samuel Ranson, made out in the Rev. Mr. May, at the celebration of the event, JuSeptember 1777. A copy of the Address delivered by ly 3d, 1832-and a copy of the remarks then made by the Rev. Mr. Murray. One piece of each denomination of United States coin. A copy of the President's Proclamation. And a copy of each of the papers published in Luzerne county.

THE WYOMING MASSACRE MONUMENT.
KINGSTON, Luzerne county, Penn. July 10.
The ceremony of laying the corner stone of a Monu-
ment to the memory of those who fell in the Massacre
on the 3d day of July, 1778, was performed on Wed-
nesday last, the anniversary of the day on which that
melancholy event occurred. The scene was interesting
and solemn. It was unlike the ordinary laying of a cor-
ner stone of a monument, where meditation upon some
patriotic event alone inspired feeling. The bones of
those who were massacred in an attempt to defend their
country, and their families, and to whose memory a
monument is to be erected, had been dug from the
earth, and were exhibited to the assembled multitude.
To look upon a great number of skulls, and other hu
man bones, some bearing the marks of the tomahawk
and scalping knife, and others, perforated with balls,
awakened a sense of the sufferings of those Wyoming
Heroes, and led the mind to reflect upon the cause in
which they lost their lives. Casting the eye over the
fertile Valley, viewing the luxuriant fields, the many
fine habitations, and other indications of prosperity,
happiness and plenty, and then looking upon the huge
mass of the bones of those who fell, in attempting to
defend it, was too much to meditate upon without feel.
ing the most solemn emotions. Nor did this alone make
the scene solemnly interesting. There were present
several aged veterans who were in the battle-and se-
veral who 55 years before had assisted in gathering and
burying the bodies, the remains of which were now be-
fore them. There were present several whose fathers
were slain, and whose bones were in the mass-and a
number of others who had lost brothers or other con-
nections, and whose remains they were permitted to
look upon, after they had lain beneath the sod more
than half a century. There were present many who,
in looking upon a bone, knew not but the eye was
resting upon the naked fragment of a parent, a brother,
or some other connection. Truly the scene was solemn
and interesting beyond description.

About 12 o'clock the Volunteer Battalion formed in line and marched some distance below the site of the monument, where a large box of bones had been arranged for the procession. Here a line was formed in the following order:

1st. The Battalion.

2d. The Citizens.

3d. The Clergy.

The ceremony of depositing the box was performed by Mr. S. Carey, another aged veteran who was in the battle. He was assisted by Judge Scott, who had been selected for that purpose, and who delivered a short and interesting extemporaneous address. Mr. Carey then spoke a short time, during which he evinced much feeling, and a greater degree of satisfaction with the proceedings of the day. The bones were then placed in the grave, in the foundation prepared for the Monument. During the time occupied in depositing these, the Battalion fired three rounds After prayer by the Rev. John Dorrance, the assemblage dispersed in good or

der.

Never, we presume, was there so large a multitude collected together in this county. The number of those present was estimated at from two to three thousand. Wyoming Republican.

The ceremony of laying the corner stone of the Wyobeing the 55th anniversary of the Wyoming Massacre. ming Monument was performed on the 3d instant, that The remains of those heroes who fell in defence of American liberty, were found scattered over Abraham's Plains, in various directions, from near Wintermoot to Forty Fort, and collected together by the survivors, some two months after the day of battle, and deposited in a large pit, serving as one common grave, over tears of grief. Most of the few survivors of that event. which many a widow wept, and many relatives shed ful day, yet residents of the valley, were present on the occasion. Of those who were in the battle, we noticed Elisha Blackman, Rufus Bennett, Samuel Carey, and George P. Ransom. (There may have been others

4th. The Orator and those who officiated in laying whose names we did not learn.) The Address, deliv

the corner stone, &c.

5th. The Carriers.

6th. The Box and Pall Bearers.

7th. The descendents and connexions.

ered by Chester Butler, Esq. was appropriate, and well suited to the occasion, and is deservedly spoken of in high terms of commendation. At the close of the Oration, Judge Scott addressed the assembled multitude, The line marched under American colors, and within his usual clear, lucid, and impressive manner. After solemn martial music. On reaching the site for the monument, the Battalion formed on the east of the grave, and the citizens on the west.

After prayer by the Rev. Samuel Carver, Chester Butler, Esq. who had been selected as Orator, deliver ed a very excellent address. The ceremony of laying the Corner Stone was performed by Mr. Elisha Blackman, an aged veteran who was in the battle. A box was deposited in the stone, containing,

VOL. XII.

which the ceremony of laying the corner stone, and
depositing the memorials selected for the purpose, was
performed by the few survivors present on the occa-
sion, preceded by a few appropriate remarks by one of
their number.--Herald.

See Reg. Vol. IX. p. 352.

† See Reg. Vol. X. pp. 13, 39, 52.

ADDRESS BY CHESTER BUTLER, ESQ. Pronounced on the occasion of laying the Corner Stone of the Wyoming Monument, July 3d, 1833. Fellow Citizens,-The committee who superintend the arrangement of the day have paid me the unexpected compliment of assigning me a part in its interesting ceremonies, by requesting from me a few brief remarks, before those ceremonies shall be closed. Brief and imperfect indeed they must be, and I must be indulged with the apology, that adequate time has not been allowed me to do justice to the subject or the occasion, or fulfil the just expectations of this numerous assemblage. Every feeling of my heart is embarked in the cause, and gladly would I have devoted weeks, instead of hours, in preparation for the task.

ercise of freedom an enjoyment. Motives and charac. teristics like these, first sent our forefathers into these remote abodes of the lone and wandering Indian. Unlike many who first invaded the secluded retreats of the natives of the forest, it was by honorable purchase, and not by force or fraud that our ancestors sought to possess themselves of the country. Unwilling to endure oppression themselves, they could not practice it against others. Planted here with principles like these, and which rendered them unfit subjects for despotic rule, they found no difficulty in governing themselves. The form of government which they adopted was purely democratic. They excelled even the boasted republics of the ancients in primitive simplicity and freedom. The people governed themselves, not by reThe subject is ample in materials, and replete with presentation, or by delegated power, but collectively, reflection. Melancholy, it is true, in its details, is the in their primary assemblies, where the vote of the ma story of Wyoming's massacre; but there is much in it jority was decisive of all questions at issue. So solicitupon which we can dwell with feelings of pride and ex-ous were they to preserve their original purity, and so ultation, while we mingle the tears of sorrow and re-efficient were the means adopted to prevent the inroads gret with the mouldering dust of the sufferers. Who of corruption and vice, that they were seldom disturbthat now hears me, connected though he be but by the ed by its incursions. At least one instance, however, is most distant ties of relationship with those brave men found on record, where it became necessary, by a pub. who so nobly fought and suffered on that fatal day, lic vote of the assembled people, to banish an indivi whose disasters have been the means of bringing us to- dual from the settlement, because he was, in the simple gether at this distant period, that does not feel elated but expressive language of the record, "an unwholewith the thought of such connection. Nay more, the some member of the community." Of such men, nursentiment takes a wider range, and reaches the heart of tured in such a school, was that heroic and devoted every inhabitant of our now happy valley. Though band, the memory of whose martydom wc have met to the struggle in which they bled and died was unsuccess- cherish and perpetuate. ful, there is nothing in it for us to regret, but its issue, and the consequences of misery which it entailed upon the survivors, for whose defence and protection they so bravely fought and fell. They could not command success, but where all was done that could be done to deserve it, no dishonor followed defeat.

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The faithful sketch of the incidents of the battle of July 3d, 1778, and of the preceding and subsequents events, which was delivered in your hearing on the last anniversary of this day, will render any attempt of mine to repeat the tale, wholly uninteresting and unnecessa ry. The story of Wyoming's virtues, of her patriotism and her wrongs, has been beautifully told, not only in the inspired breathings of the poet, but also in the gra ver relations of history and tradition, and is now familiar to all as "household words."

The occasion, too, of our assembling is one of deep and abiding interest, and which calls forth the feelings of every spmpathetic heart. It is to gaze on these mute mementos of violence and slaughter, to witness the reinterment of these mutilated bones of our ances- On this occasion we can take only a rapid glance at tors, while we perform the grateful duty of laying the these events, and the catastrophe which made so many corner stone of a monument to be erected by their de- mothers, widows-so many children, fatherless. Should scendants and others, possessors of the bloodstained soil, enquiry be made into the causes which led to the dewon and secured by their perseverance and their valor. struction of this flourishing settlement, they will be Not undeserved is this tribute to their memory, whether found in the patriotism of the people. It is known that we regard them as martyrs or as men. The hardy pio no just cause of enmity against Wyoming existed in the neers of this valley were a race of men who in simpli- breasts of the Indians, exciting their passions and goadcity of character and habits,-in sternness of purpose ing them on to the direful excursion. However much and steadiness of execution-in courage,-in virtue, they may desired to repossess themselves of this beau in intelligence, and in strong attachment to the true tiful and favorite spot, they had no peculiar feelings of principles of freedom, were seldom equalled and never hostility to gratify-no burnings of revenge to be surpassed. Wyoming was not peopled by the vices or quenched only in blood. We must look to those of our the follies of the old world, nor were her inhabitants own race for the origin of her misfortunes. To the driven by their crimes, or their misfortunes, from the eternal dishonor and disgrace of Great Britain, to guilt "busy haunts of men," to seek in the obscurity of this of exciting the natural thirst of the savage for bloodonce remote and distant frontier settlement, that securi- of inflaming his hellish passions, and turning his feroty and seclusion which were denied them among the cious arm against her American brethren, must ever repopulation of the Atlantic border. Such, I am proud to main a foul and ineffaceable blot upon her escutcheon. say, were not the causes or the motives which peopled It will cleave to her like the fatal disgusting plague our favorite valley. These are to be traced in that spot, till the hour of her dissolution. When the agents manly independence of character, which relies upon its of her oppressions learned, that the Patriots of Wyoresources for the accumulation of wealth, or the acquiming were also deeply imbued with the sentiments and sition of the luxuries or comforts of life, and which is the spirit which then pervaded the whole land,-and content with securing even its necessaries, if done with that they had sent forth their youth and strength to fight unaided arm; in that contempt of danger which re- the battles of liberty in the armies of their country, and gards not any hazard in the accomplishment of a lau- had left few besides the patriarchs of the land to guard dable and virtuous enterprise; in that patient courage their homes and firesides, then was her destruction reand hardy perseverance which is deterred by no obsta- solved on. And terrible was the execution of that recles however great, and which is delayed by no consid- solve. Apt and willing instruments of massacre and erations of personal risk; and above all in that genuine devastation were at hand, and they unscrupulously were spirit of freedom, and ardent love of rational liberty, employed. The cruel and relentless savage, whose na which seems to be the natural growth of every Ameri- tural element is blood and carnage, was let loose, and can bosom, and which carry with them the conviction in the ridiculous but ferocious language used on another that a freeman's every thought, word and act, ought to be occasion, by General Burgoyne, they were exhorted to free as the air he breathes, controled only by reason, and those wholesome restrictions which render the ex

* See Reg. Vol. X. p. 39,

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1833.]

THE WYOMING MASSACRE MONUMENT.

35

"go forth in the might of their valor and their cause- of horror disclosed to your aching sight would harrow strike at the common enemies of Great Britain and Ame. up your souls, and move every heart to rage and indigrica, disturbers of public order, peace and happiness nation. You behold the same sun which now rolls over parricides of the state." So inveterate was the deter- our heads rising in beauty and splendor above the summination of her foes, to strangle young liberty in her mit of the eastern hill. Casting your eyes to the left cradle, that they hesitated not at the means by which it you discover the assembled host of British, Indian, and was to be accomplished, and regarded not the misery Tory enemies already beginning the work of devastation. which they caused. Truly, indeed, was it said of trans-On your right you discern that little Fort which now atlantic liberty, that

"Her birth star was the light of burning plains,
Her baptism is the blood that flows
From kindred hearts."

encloses the strength and hope of the valley. The gates are thrown open, and you see the devoted band march forth to the doubtful conflict, not with all the pride and pomp and circumstance of war," but without any of the imposing trappings of military display, yet with as Had Wyoming proved recreant to the sacred "cause, firm a tread as ever stepped to exhilerating terms of had she pursued the even tenor of her way, and re- martial music, and with hearts as true as ever "breasted gardless of the event, refrained from taking part in the them to the shock" of battle. No mercenary motive glorious contest, (which the remoteness of her location urges them on;-no hireling soldier is found in their might in some measure have excused,) she would have ranks fighting the battle of conquest or oppression. escaped the ravages of war. Safe and unscathed, in- Cast your eyes again upon the scene, and you see them deed, but it would have been an inglorious safety. Her rush with ardor to the onset, and, sending the swift fields would not have been burning plains the blood messengers of death into the ranks of the foe, maintain of her sons would have continued its sluggish course in for a time the unequal contest with a courage and steaignoble veins, and her name have been, not only unho-diness worthy their character and their cause.

Wide raged the battle on the plain,

nored and unsung, but a term of reproach and scorn. Then would we have had cause to mourn as those who Spears shook, and falchions flashed amain. have no solace in their sorrows. But shame would have burned the cheek, and blistered would have been the tray the fatal issue of the fight! It would require an But here let us pause, for who will attempt to pourtongue of him who should have counselled such a course. True, the base adherent of the British cause would oc- the tragic conclusion. I might perhaps revive in the angel's voice and an angel's tongue to adequately tell casionally be found among them, vainly whispering his minds of these few venerable survivors, who have been ignominious proposals of loyalty and duty, mingled with promises of protection and threats of vengeance. But relics of that dread day, pleased but melancholy wit so long preserved and handed down to us as honored no son or daughter of Wyoming could be tempted to nesses of these solemn ceremonies, a recollection of purchase safety, or to avert the threatened vengeance, those events,-of their own hair breadth escape and of fiery and rapid as it proved, by such tame submission, what they saw of the struggle and death of their assoAnd I know that I speak but the feelings of these aged ciates. I might point them to these mutilated bones of veterans, the brave associates in arms of those whose slaughtered friends, once instinct with life, and animatbones are now exposed before us, marked and mutilated with a like spirit with themselves, and remind them, ed by the instruments of savage warfare, when I say, that perhaps that broken limb belonged to him they that, could the choice now be offered them, between the perils they have passed, and the exemption from passed. them which they could have purchased at the expense of honor, cheerfully would they again gird themselves for the contest, and act over the trying scenes of their youth. Again would they "follow to the field some warlike chief," again endure the dangers of the battle, -the mortification of defeat,-the perils of the retreat, -the sufferings of the flight, and the subsequent return to their once happy homes, made desolate and waste. Again would they perform the heart-rending duty of gathering together from the field of battle, and commit-shall evince to future ages the grateful sense we enterting to this common grave, the mouldering remains of their slaughtered friends.

Tradition and history have handed down to us in vivid colors, the events of the day we commemorate, but they must ever fail to make us realize the truth. We look abroad upon the cultivated fields and fertile plains, loaded with the products of peaceful agriculture and think not of the forests which once covered them, fur. nishing a secure retreat for the lurking savage. We gaze upon and admire the green hills which surround us, and forget that their sleeping echoes were ever wakened by the starting yell of the unnurtured Indian. We tread in the very footsteps of the combatants, without remembering the death struggle which crimsoned the ground with the life blood of our fathers, and we till the soil ignorant that their ashes rest beneath. We

now see nothing but the quiet pursuits of happy husbandry, and the avocations of civilized industry. Peace is indeed in all our borders, and our citizens each sitting under his own vine and figtree, with none to molest or make him afraid. But could I roll back the scroll of time, or tear from its pages the records of the last fifty five years, could I carry you back to that eventful day of strife and blood, which we commemorate, and placing you upon yonder hill, bid you raise your eyes to the view, how different would be the prospect. The scene

"In the lost battle borne down by the flying" vainly calling for that aid which none could render:that the fatal blow which bore to the earth that crushed skull, rang its death knell in their ears, the unheeded prayers for mercy cut short by the swift descending stroke. But I forbear. Let us draw a veil over the scene, and call back our thoughts to the more pleasing duties for which we are here assembled.

We have now laid the foundation of a structure which

tain of our obligations to the patriotic dead, and the ad-
miration we feel for their character and principles. Too
long have they slept in an unhonored grave. But when
we again commit their lifeless remains to the bosom of
this monument, we know that such cause of reproach
will forever be removed. This work of gratitude is
destined, in the language of the eloquent Webster, to
"rise till it meet the sun in his coming; till the earliest
light of morning shall gild it, and the parting day linger
and play upon its summit," and as it meets the eye of
present and future generations,all from lisping infancy to
withered age shall greet it with the song of

Hail! all hail! the Patriot's grave;
Valor's memorable bed,
Hail the memory of the brave!
Hail the memory of the dead!
Time their triumph shall proclaim,
And their rich reward be this:
Immortality of fame,

Immortality of bliss.

But we rear this memorial not alone to perpetuate the remembrance of the bloody events which transpired upon this spot, or of the achievements of those who repose beneath. Their fame has found in the classic page of history and of poetry, a monument more lasting than

brass, more durable than marble. This shall be the shrine to which children yet unborn will be led, while they learn from maternal lips the first lesson of patriotism, and upon which fathers will dedicate their sons, while they exhort them to go, and emulate the virtues it commemorates.

we mean to take a pretty general glance over the state, we have concluded to break our Essays into numbers. interest on the subject, that they will fancy themselves We have now only to request of those who feel an travelling in our company from Philadelphia, westward, by the line of the State Rail Road and Canal.

We set off, then, at the corner of Vine and Broad streets, upon the Pennsylvania Rail Road, and pursue our course round the base of Bush-hill, and back of Fairmount, using in a great degree the bed of the old Union Canal, until we strike the margin of the Schuylkill, a short distance below Peter's Island, and about two miles above Fairmount dam. Here the Schuylkill is crossed by a bridge of wood, with piers and abutments of solid masonry. The length of the platform is 984 feet, and its height 37 feet above the water's surface. It has six piers, some of which are sunk in water 24 feet deep. At the end of the bridge, we ascend, by a stationary steam engine, an inclined plane, the hill of Belmont, known as the residence of the late Judge Peters. The length of this plane is 42 chains, or a little over half a mile; and the perpendicular height above the bridge, 187 feet.

To us, too, the events this day thus brought to our own minds, and the recollection of the sufferings and sacrifices it cost to secure for us the blessings of civil and religious freedom we now enjoy, may furnish food for salutary reflection. To-morrow's dawn will bring with it another anniversary of our national independence. It finds us in its approach still a united and free people; but in view of the dissensions and jealousies which have sprung up among us, and the political heresies which have been promulgated to further the ambitious schemes of "bad designing men," the melancholy doubt of the permanency of our free institutions will obtrude itself upon the mind. Thanks to the intelligence, energy, and prudence of our rulers, the budding treason has been nipped, though it is to be feared its vitality is not destroyed. It never should be forgotten that our fathers planted the Tree of Liberty and watered it with their blood. That they fenced it round with the strong wall of the Union, upon which was inscribed "Union As the necessity of this inclined plane, and the proand Liberty,-one and inseparable,-now and forever." priety of crossing the Schuylkill at this point, were Safe and untouched by hostile hands, the tree still flou-subjects of long and earnest discussion in the newsparishes, and yet unbroken is the wall which protects it. pers, and the Legislature, it may be well to explain the And shall our father's sons be permitted to break down reasons which governed the Engineer in his choice. the wall of safety, put forth a sacrilegious hand to the Tree, pluck its foliage, and lop its branches, till it shall stand a lifeless trunk, shorn of its "leafy honors," a monument of our folly and degeneracy? Heaven forbid! | God grant that we may never be called to meet our brothers in mortal combat-but rather than see the Tree stripped of a single leaf, or one stone placed for its protection removed, here let us vow, here on the altar consecrated by the blood of martyrs-and with their bleached bones at our feet, while their pleased spirits are hovering above us ready to carry the grateful vow to Hea. ven's registry, here let us swear to offer up our fortunes and our lives a willing sacrifice for its defence. Let us annually renew the vow, and entail its obligations as a sacred duty upon our children. Future generations will read the pledge, and while time shall last, this monument shall remain proclaiming our adherence to the principles, our admiration of the character, and our respect to the memory of the honored dead to whom "a day-an hour of virtuous liberty, was worth a whole eternity of bondage."

From the Commercial Herald.
SKETCHES OF PENNSYLVANIA.
No. 1.

Rail Roads-Canals-Scenery, &c.

In a former paper, we attempted to furnish our readers with a general outline of the Pennsylvania system of Internal Improvement, and to demonstrate how favourably it must operate upon the commerce and prosperity of Philadelphia. We promised, also, that at some convenient season, we would examine that system with reference to the facilities of intercommunication which it will afford between the different sections of the State, and to the profit which may be expected from that source. It has since occurred to us, that a more accurate description of the localities through which the Pennsylvania Canals and Rail Roads pass, and of the country they are destined to accomodate, might prove interesting to our readers, while it would enable them better to appreciate the views which we promised to lay before them.

Approaching Philadelphia from the west, with this line of country, he found himself near the 20th mile stone upon the Lancaster road, on the top of the South Valley Hill, about 550 feet above tide. A spur from this hill, of somewhat irregular course and form gra dually diminishing in elevation as he proceeded eastward, and admitting of a graduation within the range of locomotive power, conducted him to the Schuylkill at Belmont. On either side of this spur, the waters divide-one division running to the Schuylkill, in a north easterly direction towards Norristown, and the other in a south westerly direction to the Delaware below the city. If the engineer had descended from this dividing ridge, and attempted to follow any one of the natural ravines, he must have come out far above Philadelphia, on the Schuylkill; or far below it on the Delaware-or, if having pursued one of the ravines a convenient distance, he had struck off in a direct line towards the city, he must have encountered a serious rise and fall be. tween the small streams on the route, requiring, probably several stationary engines. All this is avoided by keeping on the dividing ground, and that too with no material increase of distance.

Any one who has travelled the Lancaster turnpike, must recollect how remarkably undulating its surface is between the Permanent Bridge and the Warren tavern. The inclination is not unfrequently from two to three degrees, or at the rate of between two and three hundred feet in the mile. It repeatedly climbs to the submit of the dividing ridge, and then abruptly descends

from it.

Such must have been the character of the rail road

surface, if it had been carried in a direction towards the Permanent Bridge. By the route adopted, and which we are now travelling, the inclination never exceeds thirty feet in the mile, and is almost uniformly ascending to the summit of the South Valley Hill, near the Warren, where the elevation is 547 feet above tide, making a rise of 323 feet in about 20 miles.

The gradation of this part of the line has been rather expensive. It includes several heavy embankments, and bridges across ravines at points where the smaller streams have cut deeply into the dividing ridge. In several instances, also, it has been necessary to pass the summit, and transfer the line from one slope to the other, occasioning, generally, a considerable deep cut. The country between Belmont, and the Warren, a And for our own, and the reader's accommodation, as distance of 20 miles, is too well known to need descrip

We shall now attempt such a description, under the general head of

SKETCHES OF PENNSYLVANIA.

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