PHILADELPHIA, the chief city and sea-port of Pennsylvania, and the second city in population and importance in America, is situated on the w. bank of the Delaware river, at the mouth of the Schuylkill, on a plain 2 to 4 m. wide between the two rivers; lat. 39' 56 59" n., long. 9' 54" w.; 125 m. n.e. of Washington, 87m. s.w. of New York. Its greatest length is 22 in., its breadth is from 5 to 10 m., and its area 129 miles. The city is neatly but plainly built of red bricks and marble, with fine squares laid out as parks. The picturesque eminence of Fairmount, with its reservoirs of water raised from the Schuykill, and the Laurel hill and other ornamental cemeteries. are favorite public resorts. Among the finest edifices are the Girard (formerly United States) bank, custom-house, mint, the Public Ledger building, the city ball, and the huildizors of the Girard college, most of then'[ built of white marble, the last, in the Corinthian style, having cost $2;000,000. The most noted building is Independence hall, waapied in the revolution of 1776 by the continental congresS, in which was voted and si the declaration of independence. The Philadelphia library, founded by Benjamin Franklin, con tains 100,000 vols., and the mercantile library has 112,000. Philadelphia, in fact, possesses some of the most valuable libraries in the Milted States. The academy of fine arts has, in connection with it, a gallery exhibiting upwards of 1000 pictures. For the centennial exhibition, held here in 1870, a main building 1876 ft. long, with numerous and extensive supplementary halls and galleries, ,was erected in Fairmount park at a cost of about $4,500,000.
The medical schools of Philadelphia have long been held in high esteem, and attract every year a large body of students. There are 6 medical colleges; 15 other colleges (one entitled a university); more than 40 hospitals-3 for the insane, 1 for deaf-mutes, and one for the blind; 91 charitable and benevolent instinitions;' besides numerous liter racy, scientific, and art associations; Bible, tract, and missionary offices and agencies. The Girard college, a free school for orphans, founded by Stephen Girard, a Philadel• phia merchant, supports and educates 550 boys, on a foundation of $3,000.000. • Next to
New York, Philadelphia is the largest publishing center in the United States, issuing as it does, 17 daily, 2 Ili-weekly, 1 semi-weekly newspapers; 40 weekly, 6 semi-monthly, 37 monthly, and 2 quarterly publications. It contains 63 halls and theaters, this Quaker city; and 424 churches, of which, in 1870, 90 were Presbyterian, SO Episcopal, 72 Metho dist, 44 Baptist, 38 Boman .Catholic, 25 Lutheran, 16 German 14 Friends. and 33 belonging to minor sects. In 1874, the public schools numbered 424 (two of which were high schools), with an average attendance of 79,555 pupils; there were 41 night-schools for adults, with 16,631 pupils. There are 47 banks-29 of which arc national, 12 state banks, and 6 savings-banks—and, according to the census of 1S70, 961 foundries and factories, 73 mills, and 1435 workshops of various kinds. In the yea ending June 30, 1874, the foreign imports were valued at $33,121,337; and the exports at $26',447,037. The city is divided into 31 wards, and is governed by a mayor aml councils. Its assessed value of real and personal property, for 187", was 594,983.897, and its debt $60,781,984. The climate is milder than other parts of Pennsylvania.. Pop. '76, 818,448.
Pennsylvania was founded in 1682 by William Penn, on "a spot that seemed to have been appointed for a town," and of which he wrote, " Of all places in the world, I remember not one better seated." Its early settlers were mostly of the society of Friends. In 1684 it had 2.500 inhabitants. It grew•rapidly by large immigrations from Germany and the north of Ireland. In 1719 was here printed the first American newspaper. the Weekly Mereatv. In 1728 was established the Gazette, afterward edited by Franklin. The first colonial congress met here in 1774; in 1777 the town was occupied by the British forces under gen. lord Howe, when the city contained 21,767 inhabitants. It was the seat of the United States bank, the capital till 1300, and the first city in America, until surpassed by New York.