in the Philosophical Transactions, on the different kinds of air, which obtained for him a gold medal. This was followed by three volumes, the publication of which forms an era in the history of æriform fluids. He published several metaphysical works, and an edition of Hartley's Observations on Man, to which he annexed a dissertation savoring strongly of Materialism. This doctrine he still more forcibly supported in his Disquisitions on Matter and Spirit, in 1777. These works resulted in a dissolution of the connection between himself and his patron, and he took charge of a dissenting congregation at Birmingham. At length, when several of his friends at Birmingham were celebrating the destruction of the Bastile, a mob assembled and set fire to the dissenting meeting-houses and to several dissenters' houses, among which was that of Dr. Priestley, although he was not present at the celebration. He lost his valuable library and appa. ratus, and although he obtained a legal compensation, it fell far short of his loss. On quitting Birmingham he succeeded his friend Dr. Price as lecturer in the dissenting college at Hackney, where he remained some time in the cultivation of scientific pursuits, until he was goaded by party enmity to seek an asylum in the United States. His sons had already preceded him, and taken up or purchased a large body of land near Northumberland, where the doctor arrived and fixed his residence in 1794. Here he dedicated himself for ten years to his accustomed pursuits, until his death on the 6th Feb., 1804, in his 71st year.

Doct. Priestley was an ardent controversialist, chiefly in consequence of extreme simplicity and openness of character; but no man felt less animosity towards his opponents, and many, who entertained the strongest antipathy to his opinions, were converted into friends by his urbanity in personal intercourse. As a man of science, he stands high in the walk of invention and discovery: he discovered the existence of oxygen gas, and other æriform fluids. As a theologian, he followed his own convictions wherever they led him, and passed through all changes, from Calvinism to a Unitarian or Socinian system, in some measure his own; but to the last remained a zealous opposer of infidelity. In his family he ever maintained the worship of God. His works amount to about seventy volumes, or tracts; and embrace essays on history, politics, divinity, (practical and controversial,) metaphysics, and natural philosophy. His Life, edited by his son, was published in 1806. The memoirs are written by the doctor himself, down to the year 1795.

MILTON is situated on the left bank of the West Branch, at the mouth of Limestone run, 12 miles above Northumberland. It is a bustling town, by far the most flourishing and populous in the county, and forms the shipping-port for several rich limestone valleys around it. A large portion of the population is of German descent. There are here Presbyterian, German Lutheran, Methodist, Baptist, Episcopalian, and "Shiloh" churches; an academy, several foundries, and a number of extensive flouring-mills driven by the water of Limestone run. There is a stone bridge across the run, and a frame bridge across the West Branch. The West Branch canal passes through the town. Population in 1830, 1,274; in 1840, 1,508. Above is a view, taken from the Washington road, of

three of the churches-the Episcopal, the Baptist, and the Methodist. The former is nearly hidden among the trees, on the right.

Milton was first started as a town, about 50 years since, by Andrew Straub. Mr. Covenhoven remembers that, in the year 1778, at the time of the big runaway, there were but two houses on the site. Marcus Huling, a boatman, had built a cabin near the run, and kept a tavern there; and had afterwards sold out to Mr. M'Candless. Marcus Hulings, a blacksmith, had his shop on the river bank, just at the upper end of the present borough. He afterwards removed to Duncan's island, and eventually to Pittsburg.

M'CUNESVILLE is a small but flourishing village, which has grown up since 1825, about three miles north of Milton, on the stage-road to Williamsport. It contains some twenty or thirty dwellings, three taverns, stores, &c.

WATSONBURG is on the left bank of the West Branch, above the mouth of Warrior's run, and four miles from Milton. It contains some thirty dwellings, stores, &c., and several mills at the run, near the village. SNYDERSTOWN, a small hamlet, is about five miles northeast of Milton; and POTTSGROVE, a small village on Chillisquaque cr., is five miles southeast of Mil

ton.

On Warrior's run, during the revolution, was situated Freeland's fort, memorable for the scenes which occurred at its capture, in the early part of autumn, or, to use an old pioneer's expression, about the time peaches were ripe, in 1778. The following account of that event was received in conversation with the aged Mr. Covenhoven, of Lycoming co.; and another gentleman, a descendant of Mr. Vincent who was captured at the fort:*

Rumors had been received at Fort Muncy, (near Pennsborough,) where Col. Hepburn, afterwards Judge Hepburn, was commanding, that a hostile force of British and Indians might be soon expected down the West Branch. To obtain more definite information, Robert Covenhoven, who was then acting as a guide and scout for the garrison, was sent out to the mountains above Ralston, on the head-waters of Lycoming creek and Tioga river. He was offered one or more companions, but he preferred to go alone. He knew every defile of the wilderness, and he could better elude observation alone than with several men, who might not follow his counsel. He travelled all night, and when he arrived among the mountains, he heard at least 100 shots from the enemy encamped there, who were cleaning their guns. Without rest, and with no more food than he could eat as he ran, he returned immediately, and reported a large force approaching. Robert King also brought down word from Lycoming cr., that Ferguson, with a party who had gone up to cut hay, had been attacked by Indians, and three men had been killed. Fort Muncy was filled with women and children, who were immediately put into boats and sent down to Fort Augusta, under the charge of Mr. Covenhoven. They took with them also the families from Fort Menninger, at the mouth of Warrior's run; but Freeland's fort being four miles up that run, from its mouth, there was not time to wait for the families there to come down. A messenger, however, was sent to alarm them. While the party were descending the river, the women would often jump out to tug the boats over the ripples. Fort Muncy, being untenable, was abandoned.

About this time, and one or two days previous to the attack on Freeland's fort, Isaac, Benjamin, Peter, and Bethuel Vincent, brothers, together with Mr. Freeland, the owner of the fort, and

*The account of the capture of Freeland's fort, in one of the numbers by Kiskiminetas, in the Blairsville Record, of 1832, and since copied in the "Incidents of Border Life," is in many particulars incorrect, and has been so acknowledged by the author. He did not derive his information on this subject from the same authentic source from which he learned the other events of Capt. Brady's life, although, at the time of the publication, he supposed that his informer was fully acquainted with the facts. No blame, therefore, attaches to the respectable author of those numbers, who resided at a distance from the West Branch, and had no convenient means of veri. fying the statements furnished to him.

his son, were at work in a field. A party of Indians came suddenly upon them. Isaac Vincent and Freeland, the father, were killed. Benjamin Vincent was taken prisoner. Jacob Freeland, the son, ran towards the stone-quarry, and was speared by an Indian in his thigh: he fell near the edge of the precipice, at the quarry. The Indian pounced upon him, but Freeland suddenly raised him upon his shoulders, and pitched him over into the quarry; and would have killed him, but another Indian came up and killed Freeland, spearing him in several places. The other Vincents escaped to the fort.

The main force of the enemy now appeared, consisting of about 300 Indians and 200 British, under Col. McDonald. On their way down, they burnt Fort Muncy, and then laid siege to Freeland's fort, which was commanded by Capt. John Lytle. There were brave men in that fort, who would have defended it to the death; but it was also filled with women and children, whom it was not thought prudent to expose to the cruelties that might result from a capture by storm. When, therefore, the enemy were about setting fire to the fort, a capitulation was entered into, by which the men and boys, able to bear arms, were to be taken prisoners, and the women and children were to return home unharmed. There was a Mrs. Kirk in the fort, with her daughter Jane and her son William. Before the capitulation she fixed a bayonet upon a pole, vowing she would kill at least one Indian; but as there was no chance for fighting, she exhibited her cunning by putting petticoats upon her son Billy-who was able to bear arms, but had yet a smooth chin-and smuggled him out among the women.

The enemy took possession of the fort, and allowed the women and children to remain in an old building outside of the fort, on the bank of the run. At a preconcerted signal, Capt. Hawkins Boone, who commanded a fort on Muddy run, (about 600 yards above its mouth, and two miles above Milton,) came up to the relief of Freeland's fort, with a party of men. Perceiving the women and children playing outside of the fort, he suspected no danger, and incautiously approached so near that the women were obliged to make signs to him to retire. He retreated precipitately, but was perceived by the enemy, who with a strong force waylaid him, on the Northumberland road, at M'Clung's place. Boone's party fell into the ambush, and a most desperate encounter ensued, from which few of the Americans escaped. William Miles, (now of Erie co.,) was taken prisoner in Freeland's fort and afterwards, in Canada, Col. McDonald mentioned to him, in the highest terms of commendation, the desperate bravery of Hawkins Boone. He refused all quarter-encouraged and forced his men to stand up to the encounter; and at last, with most of his Spartan band, died on the field, overpowered by superior numbers.

Cornelius Vincent and his son, Bethuel Vincent, (father of Mr. Vincent of M'Cuneville,) Capt. John Lytle, William Miles, and others, were taken prisoners at the capitulation. Capt. Samuel Dougherty and a brother of Mr. Miles were killed in the flight. Peter Vincent escaped in the flurry occasioned by Hawkins Boone coming up. Sam Brady, James Dougherty, and James Hammond had cautioned Boone against keeping the road, in his retreat; and they themselves, refusing to accompany him along the road, took the route through the woods, and escaped.

Bethuel Vincent had recently been married, when he was taken prisoner. His wife returned to her home in New Jersey. Four years after the capture she had heard nothing from her husband. One evening, when she was out with a sleighing party, and had stopped at a tavern, a roughly dressed man inquired if a Mrs. Vincent lived in that vicinity. She was pointed out to him. He stated that he had known her husband in Canada, had lately seen him, and that he was well. He rode with the party in the sleigh, and was disposed to take Mrs. Vincent on his lap; but she indignantly declined the familiarity, until she discovered that the impertinent stranger was her husband.

PERRY COUNTY.

PERRY COUNTY Was separated from Cumberland by the act of 1820. Length 38 miles, breadth 14; area 539 sq. miles. Population in 1820, 11,342; in 1830, 14,257; and in 1840, 17,096. The county lies between two lofty and very distinct ranges of mountains, the Kittatinny on the southeast, and Tuscarora mountain and its continuation, Turkey mountain, on the northwest. The surface between these two prominent barriers is broken by a number of subordinate ridges, having the same general direction, but subdivided into isolated links; exhibiting the effects of those mighty subterranean forces that have upheaved the great anthra

cite coal region, lying in the same range northeast of the Susquehanna. These minor ranges are Bower's mountain, Quaker ridge, and Dick's hill; Mahoney ridge, Limestone ridge, Middle ridge, Racoon ridge, and Conococheague hill; and Cove mountain on the Susquehanna. Between these ridges are narrow, undulating valleys of limestone and slate lands, of great beauty and fertility. The effects of the forces above alluded to are strikingly exhibited in the apparently capricious manner in which the streams find their way through the mountains. The Susquehanna, here reinforced by the Juniata, as if proud of its augmented volume, breaks directly through the double barrier of Cove mountain, when it might apparently have found an easier course by turning the end of it, where it dies away only four or five miles west of the river. The Little Juniata, too, an humbler stream, instead of passing down the valley between Mahoney ridge and Dick's hill to the Susquehanna, or passing the depres sions at either end of Dick's hill, runs half way down the valley, and then turning suddenly to the right, cuts directly through the main body of the hill, and enters the Susquehanna at Petersburg. A glance at the map will illustrate these phenomena better than a prolix description.

Iron ore is found in many localities, and several furnaces are in operation in the county. The Susquehanna forms the eastern boundary of the county, breaking through its course five lofty mountain ranges. The Juniata emerges from the Tuscarora mountain near Millerstown, and joins the Susquehanna at Duncan's island. Sherman's creek, with its many branches, waters the southern side of the co. ; the Little Juniata is in the middle part; and Buffalo, Little Buffalo, and Racoon creek, water the northern side. The Harrisburg and Huntingdon turnpike runs along the left bank of the Juniata; and the county is intersected with many excellent common roads in every direction. The Pennsylvania canal crosses the Susquehanna in a pool, with a double towing-path attached to the magnificent bridge at Duncan's island, and there divides-one branch taking the Juniata, and the other the Susquehanna. Above Duncan's island the Juniata division crosses on an aqueduct to the right bank of the Juniata, and again recrosses by a curious rope-ferry just below Millerstown. There is a medicinal spring on the bank of Sherman's creek, in a romantic region at the foot of Quaker hill, about 11 miles north of Carlisle. A commodious house accommodates visitors.

The original population of this co. was Scotch, Irish, and English; but the Germans and their descendants now predominate. Iron and woollen manufactures are carried on to a considerable extent, but agriculture forms the prominent occupation of the citizens. Few details have been preserved respecting the early settlement of Perry co. The early pioneers were generally Scotch-Irish Presbyterians, with a few Quakers, who came over the mountains from the Conococheague and Carlisle settlements.

Mr. Magee, grandfather of the present sheriff of the co., settled at an early day among the hills in Toboyne township. He often had more visitors than friends. Hearing a screaming one dark night, near his cabin, he stepped out of the door with an axe, and killed a panther that was just ready to pounce upon him. There is still standing in Madison township a log-house belonging to the McMullen family, that was formerly a place of refuge for the settlers; it is full of bullet holes. The following

extracts are from the narrative of Robert Robison, a soldier in Col. Armstrong's expedition, and one of the early pioneers of Sherman's valley :

The next I remember of was in the year 1756, the Woolcomber family, on Sherman's creek: the whole of the inhabitants of the valley were gathered to a fort at George Robison's; but Woolcomber would not leave home; he said it was the Irish who were killing one another; these peaceable people, the Indians, would not hurt any person. Being at home, and at dinner, the Indians came in, and the Quaker asked them to come and eat dinner; an Indian answered that he did not come to eat, but for scalps; the son, a boy of 14 or 15 years of age, when he heard the Indian say so, repaired to a back door, and as he went out he looked back and saw the Indian strike the tomahawk into his father's head. The boy then ran over the creek, which was near to the house, and heard the screams of his mother, sisters, and brothers. The boy came to our fort and gave us the alarm; about forty went to where the murder was done, and buried the

dead.

In the second war, on the 5th July, 1763, the Indians came to Juniata, it being harvest time, and the white people were come back to reap their crops; they came first to the house of Wm. White; it was on the Sabbath day; the reapers were all in the house; the Indians crept up nigh to the door and shot the people lying on the floor, and killed Wm. White, and all his family that were there, excepting one boy, who, when he heard the guns, leaped out of the window and made

his escape.

The same party went to Robert Campbell's on Tuscarora cr., surprised them in the same way, shot them on the floor where they were resting themselves; one George Dodds being there harvesting, had just risen, and gone into the room and lay down on the bed, setting his gun beside him. When the Indians fired, one of them sprung into the house with his tomahawk in his hand, running up to where a man was standing in the corner; Dodds fired at the Indian not six feet from him; the Indian gave a halloo and ran out as fast as he could. There being an opening in the loft above the bed, Dodds sprung up there and went out by the chimney, making his escape, and came to Sherman's valley. He came to Wm. Dickson's and told what had happened, there being a young man there which brought the news to us, who were harvesting at Edward Elliott's; other intelligence we got in the night. John Graham, John Christy, and James Christy, were alarmed in the evening by guns firing at Wm. Anderson's, where the old man was killed with his Bible in his hand; supposed he was about worship; his son also was killed, and a girl that had been brought up from a child by the old people. Graham and the Christys came about midnight. We hearing the Indians had got so far up the Tuscarora valley, and knowing Col. lins's family and James Scott's were there about harvest, 12 of us concluded to go over Bigham's gap and give those word that were there: when we came to Collins's we saw that the Indians had been there, had broke a wheel, emptied a bed, and taken flour, of which they made some water-gruel; we counted thirteen spoons made of bark; we followed the tracks down to James Scott's, where we found the Indians had killed some fowls; we pursued on to Graham's, there the house was on fire, and burned down to the joists. We divided our men into two parties, six in each, my brother with his party came in behind the barn, and myself with the other party came down through an oats field; I was to shoot first; the Indians had hung a coat upon a post on the other side of the fire from us; I looked at it, and saw it immoveable, and therefore walked down to it and found that the Indians had just left it; they had killed four hogs, and had eaten at pleasure. Our company took their tracks, and found that two companies had met at Graham's, and had gone over the Tuscarora mountain. We took the run gap; the two roads meeting at Nicholson's, they were there first, heard us coming, and lay in ambush for us; they had the first fire; being 25 in number, and only 12 of us-they killed five, and wounded myself. They then went to Alexander Logan's, where they emptied some beds, and passed on to George M'Cord's.

The names of the 12 were Wm. Robison, who acted as captain, Robert Robison, the relator of this narrative, Thomas Robison, being three brothers, John Graham, Charles Elliott, William Christy, James Christy, David Miller, John Elliott, Edward M'Connel, William M'Alister, and John Nicholson; the persons killed were William Robison, who was shot in the belly with buck. shot, and got about half a mile from the ground; John Elliott, then a boy about 17 years of age, having emptied his gun, he was pursued by an Indian with his tomahawk, who was within a few perches of him, when Elliott had poured some powder into his gun by random, out of his powder horn, and having a bullet in his mouth, put it in the muzzle, but had no time to ram it down; he turned and fired at his pursuer, who clapped his hand on his stomach and cried, och! then turned and fled. Elliott had ran but a few perches further, when he overtook William Robison, welter. ing in his blood, in his last agonies; he requested Elliott to carry him off, who excused himself by telling him of his inability to do so, and also of the danger they were in; he said he knew it, but desired him to take his gun with him, and, peace or war, if ever he had an opportunity of killing an Indian, to shoot him for his sake. Elliott brought away the gun, and Robison was not found by the Indians.

Thomas Robison stood on the ground until the whole of his people were fled, nor did the In