is only for feven years. Every man enrolled in the militia, officer or private, trooper or footfoldier, muft provide himself with arms and equipage, under the penalty of a fine. When the commanding officer of a regiment declares a man not to be in a condition to comply with this requifition, he is fupplied with arms by the state. The militia affembles twice in the year, either by companies or regiments.

The other articles of this voluminous law regulate the manner in which the fervice of the militia is to be performed; its pay, when employed by the state or the union, which pay is fix dollars per month for each foldier. They determine the fines for every fpecies of offence; the manner in which courts martial are to be compofed and fummoned. They apportion relief to every officer and foldier wounded in the fervice, and to the widows and children of the flain. When the militia is employed in the fervice of the union, it is fubject to the laws of the Congress; but offences committed by individuals are taken cognifance of by courts martial compofed of its own body,

The state of Pennfylvania includes twentythree counties, and the militia is computed at a hundred or a hundred and ten thousand men,

LAWS

LAWS RELATIVE TO THE ADMINISTRATION.

vernment.

Although the interior navigation of the State of Pennsylvania has not made fuch progrefs as that of New York, it is not for want of wifdom and forefight in the government. A law of 1778 declares the rivers Sufquehannah and Delaware, and all the rivers and creeks falling into them, to be public and free navigations, and places them under the guardianship and protection of the goIt prohibits the creating any new obftacle to navigation, and enjoins the removal of all old ones. The fame regulations were made fucceffively for the rivers Monongahela and Youghiogany, and all others in the State of Pennfylvania. Commiffioners were appointed to enquire and make reports concerning the means of removing all obstructions to the interior navigation, and to make communication by canals between the great rivers or lakes. The feveral companies who undertook to facilitate the navigation on the rivers, or to cut canals, were raised into corporations, and aided either by premiums from the state, or by an authority to establish tolls on the navigations or canals they formed; fometimes the ftate even gave them permiffion to raife money by lottery. In many of these undertakings the fums granted by the legislature

were

were expended with utility to the state, by com pleating the work. In others, they were mifemployed; fchemes being adopted without a fufficient examination of their obftacles. But the Jegiflature caufes an annual return to be made to them of the condition and progrefs of thefe works; and it is not to be doubted that in a few years the interior navigation of Pennsylvania will be carried to the highest degree of perfection. We may reasonably expect to fee Lake Erie and the River Ohio communicate with the Sufquehannah and the Delaware. The number of land-carriages that would ftill, from invincible obftacles to navigation, in fome parts be neceffary would in fact be few, and their length greatly diminished. The numberlefs creeks of Pennfylvania, cleared of the obftacles to navigation, would afford for all the productions of the interior part of the country a fure, fpeedy, and cheap conveyance to the great rivers and lakes of the state.

The roads are made and kept in repair by a levy on the townfhips. A furveyor of the roads is chosen by the township. When a new road is to be made, the furveyors of the feveral townfhips, through which it is to be carried, fuperintend its completion, and they have authority to levy a tax for this purpofe on the lands. The tax

mult

must not exceed fix fhillings and fix-pence in the pound of the annual income of the land, according to the valuation made for the levying of other taxes. Before the taxes for the roads can be raifed, they are to receive the fanction of two juftices of the peace of the county; and the neral court of juftices of the peace take cognizance of all disputes that arife on the subject of this tax.

ge

The furveyors are chofen annually; and receive five per cent on the tax, and are paid befides eighteen dollars per day when they are actually employed in the duties of their office. They hire labourers for the roads; for the law which regulates this matter difpensed with all perfonal fervice on the high roads. They buy all the materials for making and repairing the roads; and their accounts are audited and figned every year by four commiffioners chofen by the electors of the township.

This law, the principal provifions of which took place in 1772, was made only for feven years, but has fince been conftantly renewed at its expiration. Some of the claufes have from time to time been altered; the modifications however are included in the above statement.

The roads of Pennsylvania are in general better than those of the other ftates; especially the

roads

The

roads between the most populous towns. bridges are alfo conftructed in a more folid manner. The road from Philadelphia to Lancafter, made by an incorporated company, is not indeed fo good as the turnpike roads of England, but it is in very good condition; and, although the tolls are fo high that a broad-wheeled waggon pays nearly two dollars and a half between these two cities, which is a distance of fixty-fix miles, no complaint is made, because the waggons require only half the horses they did before the road was made a turnpike, and perform the journey in half the time. The company that conftructed this road is very flourishing; the fhares, which at the first subscription cost three hundred dollars each, produce between eight and nine per cent, and bear a premium in their price.

LAWS RELATIVE TO FINANCE.

The law which regulates taxes was paffed in 1795. Since the year 1789 no new taxes have been raised in Pennsylvania for the ftate, there being no other than taxes levied for the interior ufes of the counties and cities; but the principles on which the county rates are determined and levied, would in all probability be followed in any tax that it might be neceffary to levy for the state.

The