The principal fish found in the rivers are, rock, perch, roach, trout, pike, and catfish ; of the latter, some have been taken in the western waters, weighing from fifty to one hundred pounds. Shad and herring are very plenty in the spring, and come in from the sea in large shoals.
The principal article of agricultural cultivation is wheat. The next in value is Indian corn. Buckwheat, rye, barley, and oats, arc extensively cultivated ; as are also German spelts, chiefly as food for horses. Potatoes thrive and are plentiful ; also turnips, cabbage, beans, parsnips, carrots, and peas. The culture of meadows is also a very consi derable object in this state. Those on the rivers are bank ed, drained, tussocked, plowed and harrowed, and sown with timothy, grass and clover. The summer is long enough to admit of two mowings, and even three in rich ground. I lorses are raised in great numbets. The ele gant saddle and coach horses have mixtures of the bh-tod of breeders imported from Europe and Africa. The num ber of sheep is very considerable, and The merino breed are succeeding very well. I logs far exceed home consumption. Mules and asses are rare. Flax and hemp are cultivated extensively; the growth of hops is constant, but not considerable. Bees are objects of atten tion. Cherries, apples, and plumbs, are plenty. Wine is made to some extent of the wild grape, and a large quantity of maple sugar is annually manufactured by the farmers.
The general style of architecture in this state is neat and solid. Stone buildings are most common in the old settlements; brick are frequent ; log and frame houses abound in the new country. Towns have a considerable proportion of brick houses. Shingles cover the roofs.
The inhabitants are principally the descendants of Eng lish, Irish, and Germans, with some Scotch, French, Swedes, and a few Dutch. The Friends, Episcopalians, and Presbyterians are chiefly of English extraction. They live principally in the counties of Philadelphia, Chester, Delaware, Bucks, Montgomery, and Luzerne. The Irish, and the descendants of Irish,, are chiefly settled in the western and frontier counties ; a large portion of them are Presbyterians from the north of Ireland. There are like wise many Roman Catholics from this nation. The Ger mans are numerous, and compose about one quarter of the inhabitants of the state. They consist of Lutherans, who are the most numerous sect ; Calvinists, or reformed church ; Moravians, Catholics, Mcnonists, Tunkers, and Zevingfelters. They are all distinguished for their tem perance, industry, and economy. The baptists, except the Menonists and Tunker Baptists, arc chiefly descend ants of emigrants from Wales, and are not very numerous.
The congregations of the different denominations of chris tians, in 1816, were supposed to be in the following pro portions : Presbyterians, 86 ; German Calvinists, 94; German Lutherans, 74 ; Friends or Quakers, 97 ; Epis copalians, 26 ; Baptists, 60; 'Ionian Catholics, 14; Scotch Presbyterians, 8 ; Moravians, 2 ; Free Quakers, 1 ; Uni I ; Covenanters, 2 ; Methodists, a large num besides two Jewish synagogues, amounting in all to about 500. The number, at the present time, probably exceeds 600.
Liberty of conscience is allowed in this state in its full est extent. A perfect equality in the enjoyment of rights and privileges, religious as well as civil, was a fundamen tal article in its first frame of government. Nor have these rights been abridged since the revolution, except by those laws that relate to military services, which subject Friends, Menonists and some others, to heavy fines for non-attendance.
This state is distinguished for a great number of hu mane, literary and other useful institutions. We shall here merely enumerate a few of them. They are the American Philosophal Society, founded in 1769 ; the So ciety for promoting Political Inquiries, instituted 1787; the College of Physicians, instituted the same year, and incorporated in 1789; an Academy of Medicine; an Alms house, and house of Employment ; a hoard of health ; a Magdalen society ; the Pennsylvania Hospital, established in 1751; the Philadelphia Dispensary, instituted 1786; a Chamber of Commerce ; the Pennsylvania Society for the Abolition of Slavery, and the relief of free Negroes, unlaw fully held in Bondage; the Society for Alleviating the Mise ries of Public Prisons; societies for the encouragement of of manufactures and useful arts, instituted 1787; the Phi ladelphia society for the information and assistance of per sons emigrating from foreign countries. Besides these there arc:several insurance companies, and banks, an humane so ciety, for the recovery of drowned persons, instituted 1770; an agricultural society; a society for the relief of Germans; and others for the relief of English, Welsh, and Irish emigrants. We may also enumerate the University of Pennsylvania ; the Pennsylvania and Philadelphia asy lums for deaf and dumb persons; Franklin College, at Lancaster ; Dickinson College, at Carlisle. There are also academies at Germantown, Pittsburg, Washington, West Chester, and other places. The United Brethren, or Moravians, have academies at Bethlehem and Naza reth. And the society of Friends have an extensive board ing school for both sexes at Wcstown, in Chester county.