visible from hence, by means of an intervening island, the lower end of which is nearly opposite the rocks. Just below them, at the bending of the river, is a deep eddy of water, which has been sounded by a line of thirty fathoms, and no bottom found. Above them, is a beautiful extent of bottom, containing five or six hundred acres, and the ground rising to the inland country with an easy ascent, so as to form an extensive landscape. As you ascend the river from these rocks, to the town of Pittsburg, you pass by on your right hand, the mouth of a brook known by the name of the Saw-mill run. This empties itself about half a mile below the town, and is overlooked by a building on its banks, on the point of a hill which fronts east, and is first struck by the beam of the rising sun. At a short distance from its mouth is a saw-mill, about twenty perches below the situation of an old mill built by the British, the remains of some parts of which are yet seen.

"At the head of the Ohio stands the town of Pittsburg, on an angular piece of ground, the two rivers forming the two sides of the angle. Just at the point, stood, when I first came to this country, a tree, leaning against which I have often overlooked the wave, or, committing my garments to its shade, have bathed in the transparent tide. How have I regretted its undeserved fate, when the early winter's flood tore it from the roots and left the bank bare?

"On this point stood the old French Fort, known by the name of Fort Duquesne, which was evacuated and blown up by the French, in the campaign of the British under Gen. Forbes. The appearance of the ditch and mound, with the salient angles and bastions, still remains so as to prevent that perfect level of the ground, which otherwise would exist. It has been long overgrown with the finest verdure, and pastured on by cattle; but since the town has been laid out, it has been enclosed, and buildings are erected."

"In the Pittsburg Gazette of the 9th of January, 1796, we find the following paragraph:

The number of inhabitants in the borough of Pittsburg, as taken by the assessors, during the last week, amounts to one thousand three hundred and ninety-five.' This is the earliest authentic account of the population of this place.

"In a description of the country at the head of the Ohio, published in the 4th and 5th numbers of the Pittsburg Gazette, on the 19th and 26th of August, 1789, we find some statements which may be interesting.

"1. It appears that there was then settled in the town, one clergyman of the Calvinistic church, Samuel Barr, and one of the German Calvinistic church, occasionally preached here.

"2. It is stated also, that a church of squared timber and moderate dimensions is on the way to be built.' This church stood within the ground now covered by the First Presbyterian church.

"3. There were two gentlemen of the medical family then here. One we know, was Dr. Bedford.

"4. There were also two lawyers here.

the late Judge Breckenridge and John Woods.

These, we presume, were

"5. Carriages from Philadelphia were then sixpence for each pound weight. The writer makes the following prediction. However im

proved the conveyance may be, and by whatever channel, the importation of heavy articles will still be expensive. The manufacturing them, therefore, will become more an object here than elsewhere.'

"Pittsburg was then (1783) in Westmoreland county, and the inhabitants had to travel to Hannah's town, about thirty miles to attend court. In the Pittsburgh Gazette of September 30, 1786, there is the following extract of a letter, dated

PHILADELPHIA, Sept. 14, 1786.

"Mr. Brison has just returned from New York, with orders to esta blish a post from this place to Pittsburg, and one from Virginia to Bedford. The two to meet at Bedford."

Prior to that time there was no regular mail to this place, and the then printers of the Gazette, and other inhabitants, had to depend upon casual travellers.

In the Gazette of March 10, 1787, it is mentioned that "a meeting of the inhabitants of Pittsburgh, had been held on the 1st inst., and that Messrs. Hugh Ross, Stephen Bayard, and the Rev. Samuel Barr, had been appointed a committee to report a plan for building a Market-house and establishing market days." The citizens were also invited to meet the committee in the public square, on Monday the 12th inst., to hear their report. Soon afterwards the first market-house was erected near the corner of second and market streets.

During the session of the Legislature of 1786-'87, an act was passed "for the establishment of an academy or public school at Pittsburgh, and another for the incorporation of the Church of Pittsburg," being in fact the first Presbyterian Church.

The first act for the incorporation of the borough of Pittsburg, was passed on the 22d of April, 1794. The act to incorporate the city of Pittsburg, was passed on the 18th of March, 1816.

"From 1790 to 1800, the business of Pittsburg and the West was small, but gradually improving; the fur trade of the West was very important, and Messrs. Peter Maynard and William Morrison were engaged largely in it, and from 1790 to 1796, received considerable supplies of goods, through Mr. Guy Bryan, a wealthy merchant in Philadelphia, and the goods were taken to Kaskaskia in a barge, which annually returned to Pittsburg, laden with bear, buffalo, and deer skins, and furs and peltries of all kinds, which were sent to Mr. Bryan, and the barge returned, laden with goods. At that period there was no regular drayman in Pittsburg, and the goods were generally hauled from the boats with a three horse wagon, until (in 1797) a Mr. James Rattle, an Englishman, settled in this city, and was encouraged to take up the business, and drayed and stored goods, until a box of dry goods was stolen from his yard, and shed, (for then we had no warehouse, nor regular commission merchant in Pittsburg,) and this broke the poor man up, and he died broken-hearted and unhappy.

"A French gentleman, Louis Anastasius Tarascon,* emigrated in 1794, from France, and established himself in Philadelphia, as a mer

*These facts have been furnished by Anthony Beelen, Esq. an early merchant.-1. Harris.

chant; he was a large importer of silks, and all kinds of French and German goods; being very wealthy and enterprising, in 1799 he sent two of his clerks. Charles Brugiere and James Berthoud, to examine the course of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers, from Pittsburg to New Orleans, and ascertain the practicability of sending ships and clearing them from this port, ready rigged, to the West Indies and Europe. Those two gentlemen returned to Philadelphia, reported favorably, and Mr. Tarascon associated them and his brother, John Anthony, with himself, under the firm of "John A. Tarascon, brothers, James Berthoud, & Co." and immediately established in Pittsburg, a large wholesale and retail store and warehouse, a ship yard, a rigging and sail loft, an anchor smith shop, a block manufactory, and in short every thing necessary to complete vessels for sea. The first year, 1801, they built the Schooner Amity, of 120 tons, and the Ship Pittsburg, of 250 tons; and sent the former, loaded with flour, to St. Thomas, and the other, also with flour, to Philadelphia, from whence they sent them to Bordeaux, and brought back a cargo of wine, brandy, and other French goods, part of which they sent here in wagons at a carriage of from six to eight cents per pound. In 1802, they built the brig Nanino, of 250 tons,-in 1803, the ship Louisiana, of 300 tons,-and in 1804, the ship Western Trader, of 400 tons.

"In or about the year 1796, three of the Royal Princes of Orleans came to Pittsburg, and stopped at a hotel, situated on the bank of the Monongahela, where John D. Davis' warehouse now stands; they were very affable and conversant, and remained for some time in the city; at length they procured a large skiff, part of which was covered with tow linen, laid in a supply of provisions, and (having procured two men to row the skiff,) proceeded on to New Orleans. One of these Princes was Louis Phillippe, the present King of France; who, in his exile, visited our city, and spent his time very agreeably with Gen. Neville, Gen. James O'Hara, and several other respectable families, who then lived on the bank of the Monongahela river.

PITTSBURG, principal city of Western Pennsylvania, port of entry, and capital of Allegheny county, is situated 42° 30' north latitude, and 79° 59′ west longitude; 297 miles north-west of Philadelphia; 230 west, north-west of Baltimore; 200 west of Harrisburg, and 225 west from Washington city, D. C. 120 south of Lake Erie; 1,100 by land and 2,029 by water, above New Orleans. The population in 1786, was about 500; in 1796, 1,395; in 1810, 4,768; in 1820, 7,248; in 1830, 12,542; in 1840, 21,115; being the second city in population in Pennsylvania, and the thirteenth in the United States. With the adjoining cities and boroughs of Allegheny, Manchester, Birmingham, Lawrenceville, and other suburbs of Pittsburg, there is a population of not less than 47,000.*

The city is situated at the confluence of the rivers Allegheny, 400

*A correspondent of the Pittsburg Chronicle, estimates, "The population of Pittsburg proper, in its six wards, at about 45,000. The population of our two cities-Pittsburg and Allegheny-which are connected together by three bridges and the aqueduct, the boroughs of Birmingham, Manchester, and Lawrenceville-the towns of East Liberty, Wilkinsburg, Sharpsburg, Arthurs

yards wide, and Monongahela, 450 yards wide, which by their union here form the Ohio river, which is here a quarter of a mile wide, and navigable by steamboats to the gulf of Mexico, through the Mississippi river. About a mile back of the point, it is surrounded by Grant's, Ayre's, and Quarry hills. It was laid out in 1765, on the north-east bank of the Monongahela river, with streets which run parallel with the river, and crossed by others at right angles, with other streets. The cross streets meet each other obliquely a few streets back from Allegheny river. Three covered bridges and an aqueduct cross the Allegheny river. One of the bridges has a walk on the top of the roof. A wire suspension bridge,† which cost about 45,000, also crosses the Monongahela river. Pittsburg has a fine harbor, chiefly along the Monongahela, where the water is deeper than on the Allegheny river. There are about ninety steamboats employed on the Ohio, and other connected rivers, with an aggregate of 14,000 tons, are carried either wholly or in part in Pittsburg.

The position of Pittsburg and adjacent city and boroughs, is peculiar in a manufacturing and commercial point of view. Perhaps its site is unrivalled in the world, commanding a navigation of about 50,000 miles, giving it access to one of the most fertile regions of the globe. The immediate region of country around it, possesses the varied gifts of nature, munificently bestowed by the hand of Providence. And the persevering hand of industry has been diligent in developing the latent natural resources of wealth and adorning the works of nature. Streams are spanned by magnificent bridges, innumerable steamboats are steadily plying to and fro," mines are opened on every hill side: long shafts bring up salt water from the bowels of the earth: substantial turnpike roads run in various directions: the Pennsylvania canal passes along the Allegheny, crossing at Pittsburg on a magnificent aqueduct, passing through a hill and connects with the Ohio, thus affording commercial facilities unsurpassed in the Union. As a manufacturing town, it can vie with any in the United States. Iron foundries, steam engine manufactories, rolling mills, and manufactories of bar iron and nails, glass works, cotton factories, steel factories, stean, flouring and steam saw mills, rope-walks, shops of various descriptions, factories of all kinds, establishments for boat building, ship-yards, and whatever may challenge industry, all are in successful operation, giving profitable employment, including several contiguous towns,-to many thousands of industrious persons.

In 1840, there were in the city 25 furnaces, producing 6,132 tons of cast iron; 5 bloomeries, forges, &c., produced 9,500 tons bar iron; 26,871 tons of fuel were consumed in the manufacture of cast and bar iron, and employed 658 men, including mining operations, with a capital of $1,219,000. Horses 493, neat cattle 169, swine 339. Value of mixed ville and Temperanceville, and the inhabitants all living within a circle of about five miles around our city, is 100,000, which may be classed and divided as follows: American and English, 60,000; Irish, 12,000; Germans, 18,000; French, Welsh, Scotch, &., 5,500; colored, 4,500."

+ A bridge had been built across this river, at a cost of $102,000, which was destroyed by fire in April, 1845.

manufactures, $24,217, employed 84 persons, with a capital of $13,027. Value of manufactured tobacco, $101,000, employed 166 persons, and $63,200 capital, Value of hats and caps manufactured, $182,060; 200 persons employed, with a capital of $125,000. Four tanneries, tanned 3,200 sides of sole and 37,000 of upper leather, and employed 49 men, and a capital of $38,000. Of all other manufactories of leather, 100; value of manufactured articles, $295,475, capital $95,625. Soap 201,600 pounds manufactured, and 255,000 pounds of candles; employed 9 men, capital $8,550. Five breweries produceed 222,000 gallons, employed 59 men, capital $148,000. Value of medicinal drugs, paints, dyes, &c., $152,800. Turpentine and varnish produced to the value of $1,675, employed 81 men, capital $203,300. Four glass houses, 2 glass cutting establishments, employed 125 men, value of manufactured articles, including looking glasses, $140,000, capital $250,000. Seven commercial houses in foreign trade, 32 commission houses, capital $1,241,110. Retail dry goods, grocery and other stores, 408, capital $4,165,190. Lumber yards 17, capital $167.000, employed 63 men. Men employed in internal transportation, 1,173. Butchers and packers 21, capital $21,000. Value of machinery manufactured, $443,500, employed 251 men. Value of hardware, cutlery, &c., manufactured, $276,500, employed 160 men. Five cannon cast, 1,350 small arms made, employed 13 hands. Value of manufactured precious metals, $14,860, employed 16 men. Value of various metals, $196,700, employed 220 men. Capital invested in the manufacturing of machinery, hardware, &c., $563,200.

Fulling mills, 1; 1 woollen manufactory, value of manufactured goods $20,000, employed 10 men, capital $10,000. Two cotton manufactories, with 3,000 spindles, value of manufactures $80,000, employed 115 persons, capital $70,000. Value of confectionary made, $30,000, employed 5 men, capital $10,000. Printing offices 18, bindries 7, daily papers 4, weekly 11, periodicals 10, employed 130 men, capital $98,000. Value of musical instruments manufactured, $1,000, 2 men employed, capital $800. Value of carriages and wagons manufactured, $111,400, employed 130 men, capital $36,000. Two flouring mills manufactured 380 barrels. Five saw mills, one oil mill, value of manufactures $72,000, employed 20 men, capital $49,000. Value of ships and vessels built, $43,000. Value of furniture manufactured, $228,900, employed 245 men, capital $82,250. Brick houses built 53, wooden 15, employed 222 men, value of buildings $161,200. Value of all other manufactures not before ènumerated, $354,800, capital $181,600. Total capital invested in manufactures, $2.057,952.

The progress of improvement in the mechanic arts, the increase of business in general, in Pittsburg and its environs, within the last twenty years is unparalleled in Pennsylvania, if not in the United States.

Prosperous as the Iron City has been, it met, a little more than twelve months ago, with a reverse of more than ordinary character. The 10th of April, 1845, forms an epoch in the history of the American Birmingham, that will never be forgotton. "In a few hours, more than nine hundred buildings were consumed, and the streets and alleys where they stood blocked up with smoking ruins; while upwards of sixty acres of ground