USA > Pennsylvania > A geography of Pennsylvania : containing an account of the history, geographical features, soil, climate, geology, botany, zoology, population, education, government, finances, productions, trade, railroads, canals &c. of the state : with a separate description of each county, and questions for the convenience of teachers : to which is appended, a travellers' guide, or table of distances on the principal rail road, canal and stage routes in the state > Part 10
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Of the fishes in the Delaware and Susquehanna we will only mention the yellow Perch (Perca flavescens,) the Gar, or bony Pike, (Lepidosteus osseus,) the Lamper-eel, (Petromyzon americanus,) and several species of Sturgeon, Catfish, Eel and Sunfish. The last genus (Pomotis) is remarkable for guarding the place where its spawn is deposited, and the Cat-fishes for accompanying and taking care of their young.
INSECTS. Pennsylvania is the northern limit of Scarabous tityus, the largest beetle found here, which is about two inches in length, of a yellowish-gray colour, spotted with black. We have met with but one native specimen. The next in size is Prionus lati- collis, of a black colour, with short strong jaws, a pair of large bearded antennæ (horns) and three spines upon each side of the thorax.
Of the order Coleoptera, (beetles,) Melsheimer, a German clergy- man, residing at Hanover in York county, published a catalogue at that place in the year 1806, wherein he records one thousand three hundred and sixty-three species, and many others have since been added to the list. During the warm days of summer, various species of Cicindela will attract attention by the rapidity of their movements; flying up from the dusty road or arid sand as the pedestrian approaches, to alight again a short distance in advance of him. They are from a half to three-fourths of an inch in length,
80
GEOGRAPHY OF PENNSYLVANIA.
with brown or brilliant green colours; and as they feed upon other insects, their long legs, strong jaws, and great activity, enable them to take their prey without difficulty. Passalus cornutus is a large flat black boring beetle, common in rotten wood. We have more than a hundred species of the genus Elater, beetles which use their head and thorax as a mallet. E. oculatus is the largest: it is black, sprinkled with white, and has a pair of large eye-like velvet black spots, margined with white. The tumble bug (Ateu- chus lævis) may be frequently seen in pairs, industriously employed in rolling a ball containing their eggs.
Among beetles with brilliant colours, the large Goldsmith (Gym- netis nitida) and the Calosoma scrutator are conspicuous. The lat- ter is very active, about an inch and a quarter in length, the elytra (wing covers) green, thorax and legs purple, the whole margined with reddish orange, having a metallic lustre. Should the young entomologist catch one in his fingers, and feel curious to know whether it has the power of making an impression upon his sense of smelling, the result would probably be the release of the captive. The Horn-bug (Lucanus capreolus) is generally known, and is one of the few insects which have received common names. It is dark reddish brown, nearly an inch and a half long; the jaws of the male project and curve inwards, bearing some resemblance to the horns of an ox. Scarites subterraneus is entirely black, less than an inch in length, and divided into two equal parts by a deep in- tersection. Its jaws are strong and projecting, and the thorax is wider than the wing covers. It burrows in the ground, and may be found beneath logs and stones.
The order Orthoptera includes cockroaches, crickets and grass- hoppers, of which we have many species. The male of the Katy- did (Platyphyllum concavum) enlivens the autumnal nights with a peculiar sound produced by its wing covers.
Of the Homoptera, the Locust ( Cicada septendecem) is remarka- ble for spending seventeen years in the grub state ; but it does not assume its perfect state in all parts of the country in the same year. As in the cricket family, the male locust alone is musical, its sounds being produced by a peculiar apparatus. In English books our locusts are called harvest flies, and our grasshoppers, locusts ; an example of the confusion which would result from the use of com- mon names alone. The locust, therefore, of the English Bible, was probably a large destructive species of grasshopper.
Of the Hemiptera, or bug tribe, we will only mention one species, that it may be destroyed wherever it appears. This is the Erioso- ma mali, or apple tree blight. It is wingless, and may be detected by the white cottony down with which it is enveloped. It is very injurious to young apple trees, and may be destroyed by pressure or by washing the tree with hot soapsuds.
It is not improbable that a thousand species of Lepidoptera, the butterfly family, inhabit this State. One of the most beautiful of those which fly during the day is the Papilio turnus, which is yel- low, striped with black, and of a large size. Hyalophora cecropia, a very large nocturnal species, measures six inches in the extent
81
ZOOLOGY.
of the wings, which are reddish brown, each marked with a whit- ish kidney-shaped spot, margined with reddish and black. Its co- coons have been carded and used as silk; but they cannot be un- wound. Catocala nupta (C. sponsa of some authors) is three inches and a half in the extent of its wings, dull brown, the lower pair of wings scarlet with two broad bands of black. It is remark- able as being one of the few species found on both sides of the At- lantic.
To those who have never attended minutely to this subject it may appear preposterous to suppose that we have nine thousand species of insects ; but upwards of twelve thousand are actually known to exist in Great Britain and Ireland, which, from their in- sular and northern position, seem to be less favourably situated than Pennsylvania, for the acquisition of a large number of species. One hundred and fifty species of Arachnidæ is a low estimate, when we consider that about two hundred and fifty species of Araneidæ alone, or spiders proper, are already known to inhabit the United States. Besides these we must take into account such genera as Phalangium, (long legs;) Chelifer, which may be recog- nized by its claws, resembling those of a scorpion or lobster ; and several genera found parasitic upon other insects ; Ixodes, (tick,) and the Acaridæ or mite family generally, including the nearly allied Hydrachnidæ, which inhabit the water and resemble minute spiders.
Of our CRUSTACEA, one of the largest is Potamobius affinis, which inhabits the eastern waters, and is three inches in length, re- sembling a small lobster. It jerks itself backwards through the water with great rapidity by means of its tail. The number is made up by much smaller, and indeed microscopic species, which inhabit puddles and stagnant waters in the greatest profusion. Some of these, constituting the genera Cypris, Limnadia, and Daphnia, are enclosed in a little bivalve shell like a mussel ; for the young of which these shells might be mistaken. This is particu- larly the case with a species named by S. S. Haldeman, Limnadia coriacea. It is a third of an inch long, inhabiting Pennsylvania and Indiana, and is a giant among the little Cyprides in whose company it is generally found.
ANNELIDES. These are worms with the body more or less plainly divided into rings, as in the various species of leech and earth-worm. The genus Tubifex constructs for itself a little tube, out of which it projects two-thirds of its body, waving it about in every direction in search of its food, but withdrawing itself in- stantly when disturbed. It resembles a thin translucent thread, attached to the mud by one end. A species has been detected by S. S. Haldeman on the margin of the Monongahela river at Pitts- burg, where it exists in great abundance, and which he has named Tubifex simplex.
The MOLLUSCA of Pennsylvania, although numerous, are con- fined to land and fresh-water shells, and number not less than eighteen genera. Of the land kinds, the largest species is a snail called Helix albolabris, about an inch and a quarter in diameter.
82
GEOGRAPHY OF PENNSYLVANIA.
Between this and the smallest, of which the full grown shell does not exceed the size of a pin's head, there are many intermediate species. At least two species of naked snail are found among us, which might be mistaken, without examination, for the common kinds deprived of their shells, were this possible. The fresh water varieties are found in all parts, and some of the bivalves possess great beauty. Of the bivalves, about fifteen species inhabit the Delaware and Susquehanna, and as many more the branches of the Ohio in the west.
STERELMINTHA. These worms differ from the Annelides in being of a soft homogeneous texture, and having a more simple organization. The genus Planaria bears some resemblance to a small leech, and may be observed in springs, gliding along with a uniform motion. The body has but one opening, which is in the middle of the under surface: through this the food is taken, and when digested, a quantity of water is drawn in, and the whole re- jected together. If cut into several pieces, each portion will repro- duce its lost parts, the tail getting a new head, and the head, a tail, as we have observed in Planaria gracilis. To this division belong the ENTOZOA, or those worms which are found in the internal parts of man, and animals generally. They are not always con- fined to the intestines, but are sometimes lodged in the muscles, lungs, kidneys, and even in the brain.
PROTOZOA. We do not particularize any of the species of ani- malcules, (Infusoria,) because they are not popularly known, and a good microscope is required to examine them. The number described in Ehrenberg's great work is seven hundred and twenty- three species, observed in Europe, Asia, and Africa. A con- siderable number of our native species have been observed; but where so many are minute, a great proportion of them must for years elude the most persevering search. A foreign species, known on the eastern continent, the Monas termo, is a living globule one twenty-four thousandth part of an inch in diameter,-and a drop of water may afford room for five hundred millions of them, or as many as there are human inhabitants upon the earth.
ZOOPHYTES. The genus Hydra may be detected in fresh quiet waters. It is in the form of a small tube, closed at one end; and from the margin of the open extremity about six arms, like fila- ments, are spread to take their living food, the remains of which are afterwards ejected. They may be readily seen with the naked eye, and, like Planaria, they have the power to reproduce their parts when cut off. Their method of reproduction is curious. A bud appears upon the side of an adult individual, growing out like the branch of a tree; its cavity being continuous with, and supplied with nourishment from the parent. stem; the arms at length appear and take their own food,-the base closes, and several animals are united together as one; finally, when nearly full grown, the young ones become detached and commence a separate existence.
In making the following estimate of the number of species com- posing the Fauna Pennsylvanica, we have had to rely upon our
83
ZOOLOGY.
own judgment, the existing materials being very scanty. Indeed the zoology and botany of the Commonwealth must remain in a state of comparative obscurity, until they shall be thought worthy of being investigated under the authority of legislative enactment. The legislatures of Massachusetts and New York made appropria- tions towards the natural history of those States when they orga- nized their geological surveys, and had the same been done in Pennsylvania, under the direction of a competent and skilful naturalist, much of the obscurity which now exists in relation to our animals and plants would have been removed. Future inves- tigation will perhaps prove some of our estimated numbers to be near the truth, although they are given only as an approximation, and in round numbers.
Species of Mammalia
50
Birds
240
500 Vertebrata.
Reptiles
60
Fishes at least
150
66
Insects
9000
66
Crustacea
50
9500 Invertebrata.
66
Worms at least
50
Mollusca
100
66
Animalcules
150
10,000
Species.
What animals of the class mammalia are mentioned as feeding upon in- sects ? Which are chiefly found in the unsettled parts of the state ? What is said of the fox and the raccoon ? What animals are next mentioned ? What is said of the beaver and others of the order rodentia ? Which kinds of squirrel are most common ? What is next mentioned ? What is said of the deer, elk and moose ? What birds of prey are noticed ? What is said of the whipperwill and night-hawk ? How many kinds of swallows ? What other birds are mentioned as common ? What scansorial birds have we ? What can you tell of the turkey, partridge and pheasant ? What water birds are found in this State ? What species of tortoise and terrapin have we ? Which of our snakes are poisonous ? What other kinds are mentioned ? What lizards ? How many kinds of frogs ? What is said of the salamander tribe ? What sea fishes enter our eastern rivers ? Men- tion the fishes belonging to the lakes. Which are found in the waters of the Ohio ? What streams do the trout prefer ? What kinds of fishes are noticed in the Delaware and Susquehanna ? Which kind of insects is first mentioned ? Describe some of them. What insects belong to the order orthoptera ? What is said about locusts ? What insects are next mentioned as being injurious to apple trees ? How many species of the butterfly family is it supposed we have ? What is said concerning the numbers of species of insects ? Tell what is mentioned about the crustacean animals. What are annelides ? What is said of the mollusca ?- Of the sterelmintha ? What curious property belongs to the genus planaria ? What is said of the infusoria, or microscopic animalcules, and of the size of some of them ? Describe the genus hydra, of the zoophytes, and the manner in which it is reproduced. What is the number of species of each class of animals, sup- posed to exist in the State ?
Arachnida
150
84
GEOGRAPHY OF PENNSYLVANIA.
9. POPULATION.
The people of Pennsylvania, deriving their origin from different sources and continually receiving fresh accessions from immigra- tion, present a mass of population having various distinctive shades of character; but a community of interest, daily intercourse, and the influence of education are constantly wearing away their dif- ference of habits, language and other peculiarities, and assimilat- ing them more and more to one another.
A few descendants of the Swedes and Dutch who dwelt on the shores of the Delaware before the arrival of the mild and benevo- lent Penn, are still found. near the same spot; and the ancient Swedish church of Wicacoa still stands as a place of worship near the navy yard in the lower part of Philadelphia.
The English followers of Penn settled in the south-eastern coun- ties, where we still recognise their descendants in the Pembertons, Morrises, Hollingsworths, Walns and Richardsons of Philadelphia ; the Puseys, Newlins, Darlingtons, Pyles and Mendenhalls of Ches- ter; and the Watsons, Kirkbrides, Yardleys, Swifts and Paxsons of Bucks.
The emigrants from Wales, a small but active and industrious band, located themselves near the Schuylkill in Montgomery and Chester, where many an Evans, Griffith, Jones, Morgan, Jenkins, Owen and Lloyd yet tills the fields trod by his ancestral fathers. There are also many Welsh, of more recent arrival, in Cambria and Schuylkill counties.
The palatine Germans, who came over in great numbers about the year 1727, spread over Lancaster, Berks and Northampton, wisely choosing some of the best land in the State, where they soon made themselves comfortable, and next grew quietly rich. The early records of the names of these worthy and industrious stran- gers, as naturalized by the provincial council, show among them the ancestors of many of our well known German families of the present day. We there find Schneider, Shultz, Wolf, Meyer, Ulrich, Fegeley, Reinhardt, Keller, Landis, Shaeffer, and many others whose descendants, flourishing by industry and economy, nave become numerous, and some of whom have filled the highest offices in our State. The German population of Pennsylvania, naturally increasing, and augmented by continual accessions from the " Fatherland," has since spread over a large portion of the State, still inheriting the economy and prudent foresight of their ancestors, and generally establishing themselves on the most fer- tile soils.
Ireland has also contributed largely towards the peopling of Pennsylvania; but not keeping so much together as the Germans, the Irish have become more blended with the general mass. Many of the early settlers from that country established themselves in the southern part of Lancaster county, also in York and Cumber- land. As their numbers increased by continual arrivals from the mother country, they spread westward across the mountains. Here they cleared and settled some of the fairest portions of our
85
POPULATION.
western counties, several of which are mostly peopled by immigrants from Ireland and Scotland, or their descendants. They are a fru- gal and industrious people, public-spirited and patriotic; and under their care western Pennsylvania has become prosperous and dis- tinguished for its productions in agriculture and manufactures.
Most of the northern counties have derived a considerable share of their population from New England, particularly Luzerne, Sus- quehanna and Bradford. Some of the first settlements here were made by people from Connecticut, under the authority of that pro- vince, which then claimed a large part of Pennsylvania as being within her limits, which were in those days asserted to extend from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean. And though Connecticut has long since moderated her claims, and contracted the boundaries of her actual jurisdiction to reasonable limits, yet her enterprising and restless sons, with their neighbours of Massachusetts and the other New England states, still push their settlements from the Atlantic towards the Pacific. Many a neat dwelling has been reared in the wilderness by this thrifty and careful people; many a smiling vil- lage has been built, and many a mill and manufactory set in ope- ration, which but for them would never have existed. The school- house and the place of worship are always found among them ; their early lessons of piety and morality are still remembered in their new homes, and among the deep forests or in the lonely valley, the voice of prayer and the song of praise ascend to Heaven from the dwelling of many an emigrant from New England.
We have also in Pennsylvania many French, and some Spanish and Italian families: these not being generally addicted to agricul- tural pursuits are found chiefly in the cities and larger towns. Some of the Huguenots or French Protestants who had fled from religious persecution in France, seeking a land where they might enjoy unmolested the right of worship according to their own faith, came to Pennsylvania soon after its first settlement. Many other French people have arrived from time to time, both from France and the West Indies. On the revolt of the blacks in St. Domingo or Hayti, in 1792, great numbers of the French inhabitants of that island, to escape death, fled to the United States, of whom many settled in Philadelphia.
The following statement of the population of Pennsylvania, at different periods since the first departure of William Penn for England in 1684, will show its progressive increase since that time.
Year.
Population. 7,000
Increase.
1684
1701
20,000
13,000 in 17 years.
1763
280,000
260,000 in 62 years.
1790
434,373
154,373 in 27 years.
1800
602,545
168,172 in 10 years.
1810
810,091
207,546
CC
1820
2
1,049,313
239,222
60
1830
1,347,672
298,359
66
1840
1,724,033
376,361
66
8
86
GEOGRAPHY OF PENNSYLVANIA.
An abstract from the census returns of Pennsylvania for 1840 gives the following results concerning the different classes of the population of this State.
White persons,
Males,
844,770
Females, 831,345
1,676,115
Free coloured persons, Males,
22,752
Females,
25,102
47,854
Deaf and dumb persons
832
Blind
636
Insane and idiots
2,143
Revolutionary and military pensioners .
1,251
Persons employed in mining
4,603
66 in agriculture
207,473
in commerce
. 15,338 105,883
66
in navigating the ocean .
1,815
in navigating canals, lakes and rivers
3,951
66
66 in learned professions
6,706
Students in universities and colleges
2,034
. 15,970
Scholars in common schools
179,989
White persons over 20 years of age unable to read and write
33,940
What is said of the difference of origin and of character in our population ? Where are the descendants of the first Swedish and Dutch settlers still to be found ? In what part of the State did the English followers of Penn settle ? The Welsh people ? The Germans ? What is said of the Ger- man population of Pennsylvania ? Where did the early settlers from Ireland chiefly establish themselves ? What is said of their descendants in the western counties ? In what part of the State have we many New England people ? From what other countries has a portion of our population been derived ? What was the total population of the State in 1840 ? How much had it increased in the last ten years ? (Other questions may be asked re- specting the number of the different classes of population.)
10. RELIGION AND MORALS.
The religious and moral character of Pennsylvania seems to have received an impression from the principles of order, justice, benevolence and toleration which were professed and practised by the wise and liberal Penn, and his sober and orderly companions. One of the first laws enacted in the colony provided that " none acknowledging one God, and living peaceably in society, should be molested for his opinions or his practice; nor be compelled to fre- quent or maintain any ministry whatever." Here breathes that spirit of tolerance and religious freedom, which has always distin- guished Pennsylvania, and which it is hoped may never be in-
in academies
in manufactures and trades .
87
RELIGION AND MORALS.
fringed. All men are here free to worship God according to the faith of their fathers, or the dictates of their own conscience; and no preference is given by our constitution and laws, or by public opinion, to any religious sect or denomination. The liberal sen- timents and wise regulations of Penn concerning civil and reli- gious liberty were soon duly appreciated, and the infant colony became an asylum for the oppressed,-a neutral ground upon which all denominations might dwell together in peace. This gave rise to the early establishment and the rapid increase of multiplied congregations belonging to various religious societies.
The immediate companions and followers of Penn were mostly of the society of Friends, commonly called Quakers, who have since spread into several parts of the State, but are most numerous in Philadelphia and the south-eastern counties. Many of the early English settlers were Episcopalians, who now have respecta- ble congregations in most of the counties. The Swedes, who were in the province before the arrival of Penn, were Lutherans, and these were soon greatly augmented by the arrival of Germans of that persuasion. The Presbyterians soon became numerous by arrivals from the north of Ireland and from Scotland; and were increased by the addition of the German and Dutch Calvinists. They are now said to be the most numerous denomination in the State. The Baptists had a small church in Bucks county as early as 1684, and have since greatly increased in Pennsylvania. The first Roman Catholic chapel was erected in Philadelphia about the year 1733, and the number of those professing this faith has been continually augmenting by immigrants from Ireland, Ger- many, France and other countries.
The Moravians, or United Brethren, established themselves in 1741 at Bethlehem, Nazareth, Litiz and other places, where their descendants still remain, and are distinguished for their industry, morality, and orderly conduct. The Methodists are numerous in Pennsylvania, and have congregations in almost every part of the State. Beside the sects already mentioned, the increase of popu- lation from the influx of immigrants from various countries has introduced many others, and Universalists, Unitarians, Menno- nists, Swedenborgians, Jews and several other religious denomi- nations are found among us.
But notwithstanding this diversity of religious belief in our community, it is pleasing to observe the almost universal harmony which exists between the different sects in relation to their public and private intercourse with each other. The spirit of Christian charity and benevolence seems to have general influence; and the establishment of many of our public charitable institutions has been effected, and their usefulness still continued, by the united zeal of benevolent and public-spirited individuals and clergymen of most of our various religious denominations. All seem to be united in the cause of religion, morality and education ; and though unprofitable public discussions or disputes upon religious subjects have sometimes occurred, yet the general harmony seems to have been but little disturbed by them; and the bitterness of sectarian
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