assistance was dealt out with almost equal freedom to an utter stranger as to his bosom friend. Numerous are the instances of men restored, by his kind cares and attention, to their families, from the very jaws of death.-In various cases has he been obliged to put dead bodies into coffins, when the relations had fled from the mournful and dangerous office. The merit of Andrew Adgate, Joab Jones, James Wilson, Jacob Tomkins, and Daniel Offley, in the same way, was conspicuous, and of the last importance to numbers of distressed creatures, bereft of every other comfort. The Rev. Mr. Fleming, the Rev. Mr. Graessel and the Rev. Mr. Winkhause, exhausted themselves by a succession of labours, day and night, attending on the sick, and ministering relief to their spiritual and temporal

wants.

Of those who have happily survived their dangers, and are preserved to their fellow citizens, I shall mention a few. They enjoy the supreme reward of a self-approving conscience; and I readily believe, that in the most secret recesses, remote from the public eye, they would have done the same. But next to the sense of having done well, is the approbation of our friends and fellow men; and when the debt is great, and the only payment that can be made is applause, it is surely the worst species of avarice, to withhold it. We are always ready, too ready, alas! to bestow censure—and, as if anxious lest we should not give enough, we generally heap the measure. When we are so solicitous to deter by reproach from folly, vice, and crime, why not be equally disposed to stimulate to virtue and heroism, by freely bestowing the well-earned plaudit? Could I suppose that in any future equally-dangerous emergency, the opportunity I have seized of bearing my feeble testimony, in favour of those worthy persons, would be a means of exciting others to emulate their heroic virtue, it would afford me the highest consolation I have ever experienced.

The Rev. Henry Helmuth's merits are of the most exalted kind. His whole time, during the prevalence of the disorder, was spent in the performance of works of mercy, visiting and relieving the sick, comforting the afflicted, and feeding the hungry. Of his congregation, some hundreds have paid the last debt to nature, since the malignant fever began; and I believe he attended nearly the whole of them. To so many dangers was he exposed, that he stands a living miracle of preservation. The Rev. C. V. Keating, the Rev. Mr. Ustick, and the

Rev. Mr. Dickens, have been in the same career, and performed their duties to the sick with equal fidelity, and with equal danger. The venerable old citizen, Samuel Robeson, has been like a good angel, indefatigably performing, in families where. there was not one person able to help another, even the menial offices of the kitchen, in every part of his neighbourhood. Thomas Allibone, Lambert Wilmer, Levi Hollingsworth, John Barker, Hannah Paine, John Hutchinson, and great numbers of others have distinguished themselves by the kindest offices of disinterested humanity. Magnus Miller, Samuel Coates, and other good citizens, in that time of pinching distress and difficulty, advanced sums of money to individuals whose resources were cut off, and who, though accustomed to a life of independence, were absolutely destitute of the means of subsistence. And as the widow's mite has been mentioned in scripture with so much applause, let me add, that a worthy widow, whose name I am grieved I cannot mention, came to the city-hall, and, out of her means, which are very moderate, offered the committee twenty dollars for the relief of the poor. John Connelly has spent hours beside the sick, when their wives and children had abandoned them. Twice did he catch the disorder-twice was he on the brink of the grave, which was yawning to receive him-yet, unappalled by the imminent danger he had escaped, he again returned to the charge. I feel myself affected at this part of my subject, with emotions, which I fear my unanimated style is ill calculated to transfuse into the breast of my reader. I wish him to dwell on this part of the picture, with a degree of exquisite pleasure equal to what I feel in the description. When we view man in this light, we lose sight of his feebleness, his imperfection, his vice -he resembles, in a small degree, that divine Being, who is an inexhaustible mine of mercy and goodness. And, as a human being, I rejoice, that it has fallen to my lot, to be a witness and recorder of a magnanimity, which would alone be sufficient to rescue the character of mortals from obloquy and reproach.

Distress increases.

CHAPTER V.

Benevolent Citizens invited to assist the Guardians of the Poor. Ten Volunteers. Appointment of the Committee for relief of the Sick. State of Philadelphia.

In the mean time, the situation of affairs became daily more and more serious. Those of the guardians of the poor, who continued to act, were quite oppressed with the labours of their office, which increased to such a degree, that they were utterly unable to execute them. I have already mentioned, that for the city there were but three who persevered in the performance of their duty.* It must give the reader great concern to hear, that two of them, James Wilson, and Jacob Tomkins, excellent and indefatigable young men, whose services were at that time of very great importance, fell sacrifices in the cause of humanity. The other, William Sansom, was likewise, in the execution of his dangerous office, seized with the disorder, and on the brink of the grave, but was so fortunate as to recover. The mortality increased daily. Owing to the general terror, nurses, carters, and attendants could not be procured but with difficulty. Thus circumstanced, the Mayor of the city, on the 10th of September, published an address to the citizens, announcing that the guardians of the poor, who remained, were in distress for want of assistance, and inviting such benevolent people, as felt for the general distress, to lend their aid. In consequence of this advertisement, a meeting of the citizens was held at the City-Hall, on Thursday, the 12th of September, at which very few attended, from the universal

* With respect to the guardians of the poor, I have been misunderstood. I only spoke of those for the city. Those for the Liberties, generally, continued at their post; and two of them, Wm. Peter Sprague, and William Gregory, performed, in the Northern Liberties, the very same kind of services as the committee did in the city, viz. attended to the burial of the dead and the removal of the sick. In Southwark, the like tour of duty was executed by Clement Humphreys, John Cornish, and Robert Jones. Far be it from me to deprive any man of applause so richly and hazardously earned. I only regret, that want of leisure prevents me from collecting the names of all those who have nobly distinguished themselves, by their attention to the alleviation of the general calamity.

consternation that prevailed. The state of the poor was fully considered; and ten citizens, Israel Israel, Samuel Wetherill, Thomas Wistar, Andrew Adgate, Caleb Lownes, Henry Deforest, Thomas Peters, Joseph Inskeep, Stephen Girard and John Mason, offered themselves to assist the guardians of the poor. At this meeting, a committee was appointed to confer with the physicians who had the care of Bushhill, and make report of the state of that hospital. This committee reported next evening, that it was in very bad order, and in want of almost every thing.

On Saturday, the 14th, another meeting was held, when the alarming state of affairs being fully considered, it was resolved to borrow fifteen hundred dollars of the Bank of North America, for the purpose of procuring suitable accommodations for the use of persons afflicted with the prevailing malignant fever. At this meeting, a committee was appointed to transact the whole of the business relative to the relief of the sick, and the procuring of physicians, nurses, attendants, &c. This is the committee, which, by virtue of that appointment, has, from that day to the present time, watched over the sick, the poor, the widow, and the orphan. It is worthy of remark, and may encourage others in time of public calamity, that this committee consisted originally of only twenty-six persons, men mostly taken from the middle walks of life; of these, four, Andrew Adgate, Jonathan Dickinson Sargeant, Daniel Offley, and Joseph Inskeep, died, the two first at an early period of their laboursand four never attended to the appointment. "The heat and burden of the day" have therefore been borne by eighteen persons, whose exertions have been so highly favoured by Providence, that they have been the instruments of averting the progress of destruction, eminently relieving the distressed, and restoring confidence to the terrified inhabitants of Philadelphia. It is honourable to this committee, that they have conducted their business with more harmony than is generally to be met with in public bodies of equal number. Probably there never was one, of which the members were so regular in their attendance; the meetings, at the worst of times—those times, which, to use Paine's emphatic language, "tried men's souls," were composed, in general, of twelve, thirteen, and fourteen members.*

It is a fact worthy of physiological consideration, that several of the members, of whom the writer of this pamphlet was one, have declared that

Never, perhaps, was there a city in the situation of Philadelphia at this period. The President of the United States, according to his annual custom, had removed to Mount Vernon with his household. Most, if not all of the other officers of the federal government were absent. The governor, who had been sick, had gone, by directions of his physician, to his country seat near the Falls of Schuylkill-and nearly the whole of the officers of the state had likewise retired. The magistrates of the city, except the mayor,* and John Barclay,† Esq. were away, as were most of those of the liberties. Of the situation of the guardians of the poor,‡ I have already made mention. In fact, government of every kind was almost wholly vacated, and seemed, by tacit, but universal consent, to be vested in the committee.

some of the most pleasurable hours of their existence were spent during the height of the fever. They were released from the cares of business—their duties in the Committee fully occupied their minds, and engrossed their attention for the entire day; as they went to the State-house (the place of meeting) in the morning after an early breakfast-took a cold collation there at dinner time, the materials of which were constantly spread on a sideboard-and remained there till night, when they returned to their families. Custom robbed the situation of its terrors. The only interruption to this state of their feelings arose from the death of some friend, or intimate acquaintance, or of some person whom they had perhaps seen alive a few hours or a day before. But even these impressions, though for the time strong and afflictive, soon wore away, and the tranquil state returned.

* This magistrate deserves particular praise. He was the first who invited the citizens to" rally round the standard" of charity, and convened the meeting at which the committee for relief of the sick was appointed, as well as the preceding ones; of this committee he was appointed president, and punctually fulfilled his duty during the whole time of the distress.

+ This gentleman, late mayor of the city, acted in the double capacity of alderman and president of the Bank of Pennsylvania, to the duties of which offices he devoted himself unremittingly, except during an illness which threatened to add him to the number of valuable men of whom we have been bercft.

The managers of the Alms House attended to the duties imposed on them, and met regularly at that building every week.