WILMINGTON.

Wilmington is fituated a mile and a half weft of Delaware river, on Chriftiana creek, twenty-eight miles fouthward of Philadelphia. It is much the largest and pleafanteft town in the State, containing upwards of four hundred houfes, which are handfomely built upon the gentle afcent of an eminence, and fhow to great advantage as you fail up the Delaware; it contains about two thousand four hundred inhabitants. In this town are two Prefbyterian churches, a Swedish Epifcopal church, a Baptift, and a Quaker meeting, and a few Methodifts. There is alfo a flourishing academy of about forty or fifty scholars, who are taught the languages, and fome of the fciences. This academy, in proper time is intended to be erected into a college. There is another academy at Newark in this county, which was incorporated in 1769. These academies were interrupted during the war, and their funds ruined by the depreciation of continental paper money. Since the peace learning feems to revive and flourish.

MILFORD.

Milford is fituated at the fource of a fmall river, fifteen miles from Delaware bay, and one hundred and fifty fouthward of Philadelphia. This town, which contains about eighty houses, has been built, except one houfe, fince the revolution; it is laid out with much good taste, and is by no means difagreeable. The inhabitants are Epifcopalians, Quakers, and Methodists.

DUCK CREEK CROSS ROADS

Is twelve miles north-west from Dover, and has eighty or ninety houses, which ftand on one ftreet. It carries on a confiderable trade with Philadelphia, and is one of the largest wheat markets in the State. Kent is alfo a place of confiderable trade.

LEWES

Is fituated a few miles above the light-houfe on Cape Henlo. pen; it contains about one hundred and fifty houfes, built chicfly on a ftreet, which is more than three miles in length, and extending along a creek which separates the town from the pitch of the cape. The fituation is high, and commands a full profpect of the light-house and the fea. The court house and gaol are commodious buildings, and give an air of importance

to the town. The fituation of this place muft at fome future time render it confiderably important. Placed at the entrance of a bay, which is crowded with veffels from all parts of the world, and which is frequently clofed with ice a part of the winter feafon, neceflity feems to require, and nature feems to fuggeft, the forming this port into a harbour for fhipping. Nothing has prevented this heretofore but the deficiency of water in the creek. This want can be cheaply and easily supplied by a small canal, fo as to afford a paffage for the waters of Rehoboth into Lewes creek, which would enfure an adequate fupply. The circumjacent country is beautifully diverfified with hills, wood, ftreams, and lakes, forming an agreeable contraft to the naked fandy beach, which terminates in the cape; but it is greatly infefted with mufketoes and fand flies.

POPULATION.

The population of Delaware, in the fummer of 1787, was reckoned at thirty-feven thoufand, which is about twenty-fix for every fquare mile, according to the cenfus of 1790, it was as follows:

If the population of this State has increafed fince 1790, in a like proportion, its prefent population must be upwards of one

hundred thousand.

RELIGION.

In this State there is a variety of religious denominations. Of the Prefbyterian fect, there are twenty-four churches; of the Epifcopal, fourteen; of the Baptift, teven; of the Methodist, a confiderable number, especially in the two lower counties of Kent and Suffex, the number of their churches is not exactly afcertained. Befides thefe, there is a Swedish church at WilVol. II. 30

Total.

mington, which is one of the oldeft churches in the United States. With refpect to the character of the people of this State, there is no obvious diftinction between them and the Pennsylvanians.

TRADE AND MANUFACTURES.

We have already mentioned wheat as the ftaple commodity of this State. This is manufactured into flour and exported in large quantities. The exports from the port of Wilmington, where a number of fquare-rigged vessels are owned, for the year 1786, in the article of flour, was twenty thousand seven hundred and eighty-three barrels fuperfine; four hundred and fifty-feven ditto common; two hundred and fifty-fix ditto middlings; and three hundred and forty-fix ditto fhip ftuff. The manufacture of flour is carried to a higher degree of perfection in this State, than in any others in the Union. Befides the well-conftructed mills on Red Clay and White Clay creeks, and other streams in different parts of the State, the celebrated collection of mills at Brandywine merit a particular defcription. Here are to be seen, at one view, twelve merchant mills (befides a faw mill) which have double that number of pairs of ftones, all of fuperior dimenfions, and excellent conftruction, These mills are three miles from the mouth of the creeks on which they ftand, half a mile from Wilmington, and twentyfeven from Philadelphia, on the poft road from the eastern to the fouthern States. They are called the Brandywine mills, from the stream on which they are erected. This ftream rises near the Welch mountains in Pennfylvania, and after a winding course of thirty or forty miles through falls, which furnish numerous feats (one hundred and thirty of which are already occupied) for every fpecies of water works, empties into Chriftiana creek, near Wilmington. The quantity of wheat manufactured at thefe mills annually is not accurately afcertained: it is estimated, however, by the best informed on the fubject, that these mills can grind four hundred thousand bufhels in a year. But although they are capable of manufacturing this quantity yearly, yet, from the difficulty of procuring a permanent fupply of grain, the inftability of the flour-market, and other circumftances, there are not commonly more than from about two hundred and ninety to three hundred thoufaid bufhels of wheat and corn manufic. tured here annually. In the fall of 1789, and fpring of 1790, there were made at the Brandywine mills fifty thoufand barrels of fuperfine flour, one thoufand three hundred and fifty

four ditto of common, four hundred ditto middlings, as many of ship stuff, and two thoufand ditto corn meal. The quan tity of wheat and corn ground, from which this flour, &c, was made, was three hundred and eight thousand bufhels, equal to the export in thofe articles from the port of Philadelphia for the fame year,

Thefe mills give employment to about two hundred perfons, viz. about forty to tend the mills, from fifty to feventy coopers, to make cafks for the flour, a fufficient number to man twelve floops, of about thirty tons each, which are employed in the tranfportation of the wheat and flour, the reft in various other occupations connected with the mills. The navigation quite to thefe mills is fuch, that a veffel carrying one thousand bufhels of wheat may be laid along side of any of these mills; and befides fome of them the water is of fufficient depth to adinit veffels of twice the above fize. The veffels are unloaded with aftonishing expedition, There have been inftances of one thousand bufhels being carried to the height of four ftories in four hours. It is frequently the cafe, that veffels with one thousand bufhels of wheat come up with flood tide, unlade, and go away the fucceeding ebb, with three hundred barrels of flour on board. In confequence of the machines introduced by the ingenious Mr. Oliver Evans, three quarters of the manual labour before found neceffary is now fufficient for every purpofe. By means of thefe machines, when made ufe of in the full extent propofed by the inventor, the wheat will be received on the fhallop's deck, thence carried to the upper loft of the mill, and a confiderable portion of the fame returned in flour on the lower floor, ready for packing, without the affistance of manual labour but in a very fmall degree, in proportion to the business done. The transportation of flour from these mills to the port of Wilmington does not require half an hour; and it is frequently the cafe, that a cargo is taken, from the mills and delivered at Philadelphia the fame day. The fituation of these mills is very pleafant and healthful. The first mill was built here about fifty years fince. There is now a fmall town of forty houfes, principally ftone and brick, which, together with the mills and the veffels loading and unloading befide them, furnish a charming profpe&t from the bridge, from whence they are all in full view.

Befides the wheat and flour trade, this State exports lumber and various other articles. The amount of exports for the year ending September 30, 1791, was one hundred and ninetynine thousand eight hundred and forty dollars,

PUBLIC IMPROVEMENTS.

BRIDGES, &c.

Juft before the commencement of the war, a work of confi derable importance was begun at Lewes, in the fouthern part of the State, viz. the erection of a bridge and causeway from the town, over the creek and marth to the oppofite cape. This expenfive work was juft completed when the British fhips first came into the road of Lewes. In order to prevent too easy a communication, they partially removed it; and it being afterwards neglected, it was in complete ruins at the clofe of the war. A bridge, upon the fame plan, but upon a new foundation, has lately been erected at the fole expenie of individuals; it extends about a quarter of a mile from the town to the beach, over a wide creek and marsh. The inhabitants are compensated for their expenfe by the facility of the communica tion between the town and the cape.

Several canals in different parts of this State are contemplated, one of which is down the waters of the Brandywine.

LIGHT-HOUSE.

The light-houfe, near the town of Lewes, was burnt in 1777. Since the war it has been completed and handfomely repaired. It is a fine stone structure, eight ftories high; the annual expence of which is estimated at about fix hundred and fifty pounds currency.

CONSTITUTION,

DECLARATION OF RIGHTS.

I. That all government of right originates from the people, is founded in compact only, and inftituted folely for the good of the whole.

II. That all men have a natural and unalienable right to wor fhip Almighty God according to the dictates of their own confciences and underfandings; and that no man ought, or of right can be compelled to attend any religious worship, or maintain any miniflry, contrary to or against his own free will and confent; and that no authority can or ought to be vested in, or affumed by any power whatever, that fhall in any cafe interfere with, or in any manner controul, the right of confcience, in the free exercife of religious worship.