THIRTEENTH AND MARKET STREETS. ing the general care of the poor of the city. In 1829, the While upon the western bank of the lower Schuylkill we must not fail to visit two quaint, interesting old structures, whose occupants in the days gone by UNITED STATES NAVAL ASYLUM. were famous naturalists, and each in his day and way contributed to the history of our good old city. Alexander Wilson, the Ornithologist, has a world-wide renown, and we need not repeat the story of his life here; those desiring to peruse it in condensed but most interesting form will find a capital paper in POTTER'S AMERICAN MONTHLY for April, 1875. A native of Paisley, Scotland, a poor man, a weaver by occupation, he had come to this country in 1794. After working for a time at his trade, he was induced to undertake the Union School, Kingsessing, and the old schoolhouse still stands, now occupied as a blacksmith's shop; it is on the southwest side of the Darby Road, west of and near the depot of the | Darby Railroad. Then not far away is a curious old house, built of hewn stone, almost concealed in vines, and charming in its quaint beauty as in its history. A stone set in the wall, inscribed "JOHN AND ANN BARTRAM, 1731," enables us to identify the old house as the old-time home of John Bartram, the renowned botanist, and the home of his sons PHILADELPHIA ALMSHOUSE AND HOSPITAL. and descendants for a hundred years. The pious old naturalist engraved on a stone "'Tis God alone, Almighty Lord, The Holy One, by me adored, and this he built in the wall over the front window of his We have already spoken of the United States CustomHouse and the Post-Office on the adjoining ground, and it is not needful that we say a word to accompany the engraving of the same. We have likewise stated that the site of the as well as a business blessing to our city. We give also in this number a small engraving of the United States Naval Asylum. The grounds cover an area of twenty-five acres, and were bought by the Government in 1826, with a view to the erection of the Naval Asylum, which still remains and flounishes there, and a Naval School which was discontinued in 1845, or, rather, removed to Annapolis. The grounds are handsomely and usefully laid out, and appropriated partly to vegetables and a moderate portion to flowers and ornamental trees and plants. The build ings, completed and occupied in 1831, are admirably planned for their noble purpose, the care of old sailors; each inmate has a comfortable apartment for his separate use, is supplied bountifully with good food, and has besides a liberal annual allowance of money for clothing, a small monthly allowance for pocket-money, and a moderate supply of tobacco. There are suitable houses for the governor and chief resident surgeon. The Naval Hospital is upon the Asylum grounds, and in a sense it may be considered an adjunct of the Asylum, yet it is under separate control. The Gray's Ferry Branch of the Spruce and Pine Streets Railway passes the Asylum. The United States Arsenal will be noticed hereafter, as other subjects demand our present attention. In every community, and that of the Quaker City is ro exception, there is a more or less numerous criminal class of permanent and floating population, and we have commodious public houses for the special accommodation of all individuals of this class who are caught and convicted. EASTERN PENITENTIARY. actually finished at about the commencement of the war, but was not used by the county for some time afterwards. During the war the "Walnut Street Jail" was used by the patriot authorities for the incarceration of prisoners of war; while the British held the city, such unfortunate patriots as fell into their hands were confined here, under the wardenship of John Cunningham, who is said to have exercised his brutal instincts in abuse and ill treatment of the Americans thus placed in his power. The county subsequently took possession of it, and it was the regular County Prison for some years. The Prison fronted on Walnut street, facing Independence Square, and the enclosing wall took in the half block from Walnut to Prune and Fifth to Sixth street; on the corner of Sixth and Prune (now Locusts) streets was the famous "Debtors' Prison," in which the patriot Financier of the Revolution, Robert Morris, spent four miserable years of his old age [see POTTER'S AMERICAN MONTHLY, February, 1876]. In 1807 a large prison was erected upon the south In 1683 the only "prison" in Philadelphia was a cage side of Mulberry (now Arch) street between Broad and seven feet high, seven long, and five broad. Shortly after-Schuylkill Eighth (now Fifteenth) streets; it was intended wards two houses were rented, one adjoining Christ Church on the north, and the other also on Second street, but the site is not known. Then, in 1702, or earlier, the first prison built by the county of Philadelphia was erected in the centre of High street east of Second street, and it was of the diminutive size of twenty-four by eighteen feet. Then a considerably larger edifice was built on the southwest corner of Market and Third streets; this was completed in 1723, and was used as a prison until after the Revolution Some time before the war, the large building shown on page 70 was projected, and it was COUNTY PRISON. for State prisoners, but, a dispute having arisen as to its control, it was appropriated to debtors and persons accused of crime awaiting trial. The erection of " Moyamensing Prison," now the regular County Prison, was commenced in 1832, and it was finished in 1835. In 1836-37 the Walnut and Arch street buildings were torn down. Visitors can reach the Prison by the Tenth street cars or those of the Passyunk Avenue Branch of the Lombard and South streets Railway, and will find adjoining the building on the northeast an Egyptian style of structure not shown CUSTOM-HOUSE AND POST-OFFICE. in our engraving-this was the "Debtors' Apartment," under the old laws. The "Eastern Penitentiary," on the line of the Green Street and Fairmount Avenue Railway (the cars of which also run down Fourth and up Eighth street), is the "StatePrison" for the eastern portion of the State, and is controlled by Inspectors appointed by the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania. The famous "Pennsylvania plan" of solitary confinement prevails here, though materially modified-indeed, though the solitary plan was perfect in theory, experience soon demonstrated the impracticability of a rigid adherence to it; absolute seclusion for a protracted term produced insanity in some instances and imbecility in others; all the benefits of the solitary plan are now insured without the evils, by relaxing, according to circumstances, in its enforce ment. The House of Refuge for juvenile culprits and House of Correction for those requiring correction without the harsher rules of a regular prison, and for those whose chief crime is cor.stitutional repugnance to work, will receive notice in due time. We must now ask our reader once more out to the grand Park, of which we give herewith a capital map, the best on a small scale we have yet seen, which will facilitate the finding of the many points of interest in that beautiful resort. It must be borne in mind that the Exhibition Grounds extend all the way to George's Hill, and well up northward. We have in former trips taken the City Passenger Railways out to the Grounds; this time, starting a little earlier, let us take a car, on Arch street, of the Ridge Avenue Railer and ride out to the Lan! Hill Cemetery, not now o view the beautiful City d the Silent-that we fee to a more convenient s son; our present pape is simply to look out fo among the tombs up and across the Schuylkill. The beauty and pictures grandeur of the view w well repay the aber er ney out of our way to the Centennial. Stepping down to the river bark, we find a landing at whi a trim little steamer us; we step aboard, are borne to the La downe Ravine, or the Her ticultural Hall, Entrance to the Grounds. By-the-way, it may not be amiss to reas that among the many means of transit to the Exhib the Fairmount steamers form doubtless the most agreethe even delightful. If we do not go first to the Cemetery, w may take the steamer route by going out to the Park in a c of the Spruce and Pine Streets, the Green Street and Far mount Avenue, of the Union Railway. We must not am:. while upon this "transition" theme, to mention the enterpr of the Philadelphia and Reading and the Pennsylvania Ra. road Companies; the former runs trains every fifteen minutes from Broad and Callowhill streets, every fifteen minutes frica Ninth and Green streets, and every thirty minutes from Part Richmond, and charges but ten cents for a single passage, or six tickets for half a dollar; exchange tickets are sold on the Street Railways, including the ride to the depot and then. to the Grounds, for fifteen cents. The Pennsylvanta Com pany also runs Centennial trains at short intervals, connecting, at the intersections on Washington avenue, with the hone WILSON'S SCHOOL-HOUSE. cars running north and south, and with the Ridge Avenue Line These steam-roads offer the ad vantage of speed and the equa'y desirable inducement that pas gers are not subjected to the dscomfort of being crowded. We had arrived at the Lae downe Ravine, or the Hortic tural Hall, Entrance to the Ces tennial Grounds, when we pause! to speak of the steamboats and steam-railroads. We pass throug the stile, and are once more within the Centennial Grounds-While in the immediate vicinity, we mes visit Horticultural Hall, whic beautiful externally, is perfectly gorgeous within; the plants We propose to commence in the August MONTHLY a series are chiefly tropical, but they are in a fine condition, and of reviews of the more important exhibits in all parts of the and worth careful inspection. Then if we enter the annex on the north we shall be charmed with the superb display of Rhododendrons, one of the most elegant exhibits in the International Regions. The grounds connected with the Centennial Conservatory are themselves a study; some of the most eminent floriculturists of the world have done their best in the beautifying of this, their section of the Exposition Grounds, and the result is a vast garden, of palatial extent and style. BARTRAM'S HOUSE. great Exposition; this series will be illustrated so far as is practicable. We also hope to offer views of some of the State and other Buildings not yet given in the MONTHLY. We present but one illustration this month, and that of one of the edifices built by private enterprise. Upon a well-chosen site, close by the grand Memorial Hall, is a neat but show y building, attractive upon the outside and more upon the inside; it is the building of the Singer Manufacturing Company, and within are some of |