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furnifhed as thofe of Paris or London. The tradesmen are polite and obliging; and not at all preffing for their money, when they are affured of the folvency of their customers, at least I have found it fo. The workmen are expert; but, as they can earn a great deal, they do not labour with the fame conftancy as workmen in Europe, and frequently make a purchaser wait long for the exccution of an order. Every thing in America, more particularly at Philadelphia, is much dearer than in Europe. A workman, hired by the day, receives a dollar per day, befides his board; the wages of ordinary domeftics, who are for the most part negroes, are from ten to twelve dollars per month, befides board and washing. A female fervant, of the moft-ordinary kind, has a dollar per week. Board is from eight to twelve dollars per week, without wine, fire, or candles. The rent of the fmalleft houfe, in a remote part of the city, is three hundred dollars per annum; the rent of large houfes, in good fituations, is from two thousand five hundred to three thoufand dollars. Beef cofts from ten to thirteen pence per pound; and a couple of fowls often more than a dollar. Other things are in the fame proportion. The value of the ground in Philadelphia differs according to its fituation; it is fold by the feet in front, according to its depth.

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A piece of ground of one hundred and fifty feet depth, in the most frequented part of the city, brings from one hundred and eighty dollars to two hundred and fixty per foot. At the end of streets not compleated, they ask only from twenty-four to thirty dollars per foot; and between these extreme fituations the medium price is from one hundred to one hundred and twenty dollars.

Of the lands in the vicinity of Philadelphia, thofe in the plain are fandy and steril, the hills near the Schuylkill are fandy and full of stones, although a little ftronger. But the badnefs of the lands does not prevent their felling for a high price, as they are almost entirely engroffed for country houfes by the wealthy inhabitants, of the city. Their price is from one hundred and fifty to one thousand two hundred dollars per acre, including the buildings, according to their fitua tion and other circumftances. To the fouth of the city the land, lying between the Delaware and the Schuylkill, having been formerly covered with water, is a fine foil from twenty to twentyfive feet in depth, but always very wet. It produces a natural grafs of the beft quality in great abundance, being enriched by the mud left from the overflowing of the rivers; and might be greatly improved by being drained, but this is not done

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for the want of hands. It is feldom that estates are to be fold in the neighbourhood of Philadelphia, the proprietors being tempted to keep them in their hands by their conftant encrease in value; and they are very rarely let to tenants for more than a year or two years. The grafs-lands are generally used to fatten oxen; their rent is from twenty-four to twenty-eight dollars per acre.. Lands that bear Indian corn, grain, and potatoes, are let at the fame price.

MANNERS OF THE PEOPLE OF PHILADELPHIA,.

Philadelphia is univerfally accused of poffeffing lefs hofpitality than any other city in the United States; and it may be allowed to deferve this reproach. The excufe of the inhabitants is, the great concourfe there is always here of ftrangers, who would too greatly occupy the time of their hofts if too much encouragement were given to vifits. The true reafon is, the inceffant attention that is paid in Philadelphia, more than in any other part of the world, to the accumulation of wealth; which paffion is not diminished even by the poffeffion of the greatest fortune. To mend his circumftances is the predominant idea of every man in this country. This mer-. cantile notion, of neceffity, confines within himfelf the man whom it influences; and gives him

no time nor tafte for the pleafures of fociety. What is justly called fociety does not exist in this city. The vanity of wealth is common enough. The rich man loves to fhew the stranger his fplendid furniture, his fine English glass, and exquifite china. But when the ftranger has once viewed the parade in a ceremonious dinner, he is difmiffed for fome other new-comer, who has not yet feen the magnificence of the house nor tafted the old Madeira that has been twice or thrice to the Eaft Indies. And then, a new face is always more welcome than an old one to him who has little to fay to either.

The real state of fociety at Philadelphia is included in invitations to great dinners, and tea, to all who arrive from Europe-English, French, inhabitants of every country, men of every clafs and of every kind of character, philofophers, priests, literati, princes, dentists, wits, and idiots. And the next day the idolized ftranger is not known in the street, except he be wealthy, especially in money; when, indeed, the politeness of the citizens of Philadelphia continues to exift as long as the stranger can purchase estates, and even beyond that term, for the homage paid to wealth is a worship in which all fects unite.

To the ordinary defects of fociety in Philadelphia, is to be added the intemperance of politics.

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The English influence prevails in the first circles; and prevails with great intolerance.

Perfons of wealth here, who careffed the agents of Robespierre, when that monfter extirpated all the worth his power could reach, are the avowed enemies of France, now that her government inclines to mildness and humanity. It is not to be denied that the American commerce has fuffered greatly from French privateers; and we cannot therefore be furprized, either at the ill humour of the merchants of Philadelphia, or their mode of expreffing it.

Having given this fketch of the temper of the people of Philadelphia, I am compelled to fay, however correct it may be, that many families are to be found who form exceptions, and are neither tainted with the general vices of this place, nor inflamed with the present spirit of party. What I have faid is without ill will I have no perfonal complaint to make. But I speak without reserve: for why should I write, if it were not to communicate truth?

Before all thofe to whom I feel myself indebted for their kindness, I have to place the family of CHEW. BENJAMIN CHEW, the head of this refpectable family, who is a man in years, unites to an understanding, naturally penetrating, and lively, great information, an amiable temper, a

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