settled along the Schuylkill. The Swedes used to go to the old church in considerable numbers, in antiquated and rude style of dress. The men went on foot, or in canoes, the women on horseback, often riding double, and always with coarse outside petticoats, which could be seen hung along the fences in dozens, while the owners were in church-their descendant daughters since scarcely know it.

COUNTRY SEATS.

IT is intended herein to revive the recollection of sundry country seats nigh the city, once known to all, and now no longer arresting attention, to wit:

Bedminster was a neat country place, having a fine collection of fruit trees, at the N. E. corner of Brewer's alley and Fourth street. The same house, now an inn there, with a new gable-end, having cut off about fourteen feet once upon Fourth street. That place, when "far out of town," was the summer residence of the celebrated Gilbert Tennant. It was at another time the summer seat of the Baynton family. In the year 1755, it was advertised as " a very rural, agreeable place." Its proper front was upon the present Wood street, formerly called Brewer's alley, because of a brewhouse once on that street, below Third street.

Samuel Birge had a country seat-the house still standing, with two corresponding out-houses, fronting westward, and themselves now a little west of New Fourth street, near Poplar lane. When occupied as a seat, it was surrounded with fields and woods-now it is shut in by common houses.

The Robin Hood Inn, in Poplar lane, near New Fourth street, was the summer residence of Abram Mitchell, and when occupied by a British officer in command of the British barracks, it was finely cultivated, and the woods in abundance near at hand.

Along the northern bank of Pegg's run, west of Sixth street, were several neat country houses, some of them still standing, but all their former scenery utterly obliterated by streets and houses placed near them. The present "Drover's Inn," on Sixth street, is one of them. Near the corner of Tenth and Vine streets is now the remains of what was once a distinguished seat and farm. The house even now, is surrounded by many old fruit and other treesat same time-opposite to it is a long row of new and fashionable city houses--a part of Palmyra row.

Wharton Mansion, in Southwark, fronting the river, back from

the present Navy-yard, was a country house of grandeur in its day. It was of large dimensions, with its lawns and trees-and, as a superior house, was chosen by the British officers of Howe's army, for the celebration of the Meschianza. Now the house and all about its grounds looks only like a deserted, decaying place.

Treveskin was the seat of Governor Gordon, down the Passyunk road, about a mile and a half below South street. It became the place of Israel Pemberton, and descended by his daughter, Mrs. Pleasants, to her family. The house is still standing.

Judge Kinsey's country seat, out South street, near to the Schuylkill, was a very superior place. The respectable looking house, surrounded by big cedars, was standing till lately, on the premises of the Naval asylum. It was, when built, the only good house between the city and Gray's ferry. It afterwards became the property of James Pemberton. On the other side of the road is now a similar country seat, built for Israel Pemberton, now the property of Mrs. Marshall, the daughter of Joseph Cruikshank, containing thirty-two acres, and used as a milk farm by Mr. Webster. Brick kilns are now all about near the place.

Wilton, the place once of Joseph Turner, down in the neck, was the nonpareil of its day. It was the fashionable resort for genteel strangers. Every possible attention was paid to embellishment, and the garden cultivation was superior. The grounds had ornamental clumps and ranges of trees. Many statues of fine marble [sold from a Spanish prize] were distributed through the grounds and avenues. Some of them are now on the place, mutilated and neglected, and others of them are at" Chew's house," Germantown. The mansion house and out-houses, still standing, show in some degree their former grandeur. The ceilings are high and covered with stucco work, and the halls are large. In the time of the war, when occupied by the British, it got much abused-even to chopping wood on the floors. The statues, too, made good marks for their sharpshooters, and Pan, now there in the cabbage garden, which long stood for the ideal presence of Diabolus himself, has many tokens of his fireproof. The property, now belonging to the heirs of Henry Hill, has long been used as a rented grazing farm, and shows much of desolation and neglect, created in some degree by a long and dubious point of legal ownership.

Springettsberry, called after the name of William Penn's first wife, was once cultivated in the style of a gentleman's seat, and occupied by the Penn fanrily. It was built, I believe, for Thomas Penn, about the year 1736 to '39, on a fine commanding situation, a little south-west of Bush-hill.

Celebrated as it was, for its display and beauty, now almost nothing remains. The Preston retreat is now on the premises, near the former house and gardens. Its former groves of tall cedars, and ranges of catalpa trees are no more. For many years the Penn family continued to have the place kept up in appearance, even after

they ceased to make it a residence. James Alexander, called Penn's gardener, occupied the premises; and old Virgil Warder, and his wife, servant-blacks, lived there to old age, occupying the kitchen as their home, on an annuity (as it was said) from the Penn familypaid to them till their deaths, about the year 1782-3. For many years, the young people of the city-before the war of Independence, visited Springettsberry in May time, to gather flowers, and to talk with and see old gray-headed Virgil, who had always much to say about the Penns of former days. It was all enchanted ground to the young

"Where once the garden smiled,

And still, where many a garden flower grew wild!"

In the year 1777, old Virgil had quite a harvest, derived from the blooming there a great wonder then-of the great American aloe, which had long been nursed in the green-house. It was visited by many-and all had their gifts ready for the old black man.

The garden had evergreens, made into arbours, and nicely trimmed and clipped in formal array. There was also a seeming wilderness of shade, with gravel paths meandering through, &c. The place was in the occupancy of Robert Morris, as a country retreat, and was so used in 1784, when the mansion took fire, and was consumed.

Bush-hill, the country seat of Andrew Hamilton, Esq., near to the former place, on an elevation, commanding a fine view of the then distant city, was once kept up in fine style as a distinguished country seat-built in 1740, for Andrew Hamilton. In the rear were avenues of stately cedars-some few still remaining; and in the front was a charmingly graceful descending green lawn, gradually sloping down to Vine street. The original farm consisted of many acres, and has since descended to the family as valuable building lots. In the year 1793, the mansion-house and out-houses were used temporarily as a yellow fever hospital-and afterwards it fell into the hands of Mr. M'Cauley, and was used as his carpet manufactory.

In excavating there a new cellar for Mr. M'Cauley's use, in 1832, they came to two lines of graves parallel to each other, with about fifteen graves in each line. They were deemed to have been aboriginal. No remains were found of either bones or ornaments, but a kind of residuum of decomposed substances, which was pronounced, by geological examiners, to have been animal deposit" it looked like gray earth in ashes.' The graves were all five feet long, by two feet wide, and put at one and a half feet below the surface, and thence two and a half feet to the bottom. The rows stood north and south.

Bushhill and Springettsberry were parts of the manor of Springettsberry. James Logan early saw the prospective value of this part of the manor, so near the city, and was very unwilling to part with any

portion of it, but the difficulties of the Penn family made it necessary to yield it to others. Jonathan Dickinson bought a part; and a part was given to Andrew Hamilton for needful professional services as a legal counsellor, &c., to the Penn family.

A few country seats were located along the Ridge road, having the rear of their grounds extending back to the beautiful banks of the Schuylkill. Among such were Mifflin's place, Francis' place, Peale hall, and others. Those named were all set fire to at the same time, by the British-saying, as their excuse, that they could or did serve for look-out shelters for their enemies. Two country scats on Germantown road were also burnt-say Norris' place at Fairhill, and Charles Thomson's at Sommerville.

Stenton, near Germantown, the residence of the Logan family, was originally taken up by James Logan, secretary, &c., of William Penn. The family mansion was built in 1727, in a very superior manner. At one time the fields there were cultivated in tobacco. It was used for a short time by General Howe, and at one time was preserved from intended conflagration by the British, by the adroit management of the house-keeper then there, in charge of it.

Familiar as I have been with the history and manuscript remains of the honoured proprietor, the first James Logan, I approach the secluded shades of Stenton, in which he sought retirement from the cares and concerns of public life, with such emotions as might inspire poetry, or soothe and enlarge the imagination.

In truth, I feel, with Sir Richard Steele, that on such an occasion, "I can draw a secret, unenvied pleasure from a thousand incidents overlooked by other men." A picture of the house, as now seen, is given in this work.

At the present time there are standing some three or four old brick country residences distinguished in their day. One of double front, from the road, in the lot on the northern side of the Arsenal; another stands opposite to the Arsenal, back from the road, having a circular window in the gable-end to the street, and a piazza around the whole square of the building. Another stands at the angle of the ferryroad, below the Arsenal, and shows its circular window to the road. It was built and resided in by Weiss, who inherited it from the Swedish family of Cocke. This Weiss was the first man to bring Lehigh coal to Philadelphia for experiment. He, bringing what he had, in his saddle-bags, and was laughed out of his hopes therein, on its being tried for ignition in his cousin Dupuy's silver-smith furnace! He died at Weissport, named Col. Jacob Weiss.

Strange to tell, a former country-seat is even now in the centre of Philadelphia! It is No. 2 South Thirteenth street. The same house where the five wheelbarrow men murdered a man, and were hung for it, on the Centre square.