NAMES OF STREETS.

P. 492.-In 1854, Councils ordered finger-boards to be placed at the corners of Arch and Race streets with those names upon them instead of Mulberry and Sassafras, although Mulberry street was commonly called "the Arch street" as early as 1720; and ordered also the north and south streets to be designated numerically west of Broad street-Fifteenth street instead of Schuylkill Eighth street, and so on to Twenty-third street. Broad street, though actually Fourteenth, retains the old name.

In 1856-57 a new arrangement was made by ordinance of Council for numbering houses-west of Front street, south side, as 100; west of Second street, 200; of Third street, 300; and so on to the Schuylkill, the odd numbers on the north side; intermediate numbers to correspond numerically; old numbers to be removed.

Cable Lane, called so as early as 1701, from the ropewalk of Joseph Wilcox near by, is now called New Market street.

King's street." At a meeting of Councils held at Philadelphia 7th of June, 1694, present His Excell. Benj. Fletcher, William Markham, Lt.-Gov., Andrew Robinson, Robt. Turner, William Clark, and William Solway, the petition of sundry inhabitants of Philadelphia, praying that the street upon the Bank in Philadelphia of 30 foot breadth, as the same is agreed upon by the inhabitants and possessors under hands and seals by indentures, may be laid out, and surveyed, and cleaned, and afterward held and reputed a street of the said town of Philadelphia, by the name of Delaware street; and it is ordered thereupon that the said street shall be laid out and surveyed forthwith, and afterward, as soon as possible, may be cleaned according to the said indentures and agreement, to be held, reputed, and taken as a common street of the town of Philadelphia, by the name of King's street."

Eighth or Garden street.-Eighth street before 1802 was called Garden street north of Callowhill street; and as late as 1818 was Garden street, now Delaware Eighth street; and Spring Garden street was called Spring street.

Hazle or Cherry street, in deeds of 1787.

Sixth street, is called Sumach street, in Record A, 1, p. 11, at Harrisburg.

Sugar alley, changed to Farmer street, Dec. 22, 1842, ran from Sixth to Seventh, between Arch and Market.

Greenleaf's court, to Merchant street, Jan. 14, 1841.

Relief alley, to Relief street.

Blackhorse alley, Second above Chestnut street, was originally Ewer's (or Yower's) alley, after Robert Ewer.

Carter's alley, the first street below Chestnut and Third streets,

after William Carter. At a meeting of Councils in 1854 it was proposed to change the name to "Jayne" street, after Dr. David Jayne, who erected fine buildings on Chestnut and Dock streets, connected by a passage-way across and under Carter's alley. It was negatived out of regard to Carter, but the alley was dignified with the name of street. (This Carter was, I believe, the same who left a small legacy to be dealt out by the Guardians of the Poor one day in every year. He owned an adjoining lot on Second street.) It was opened from Exchange place to Third street within the present century. It originally only extended from Second street to Goforth alley, now Exchange place.

Goforth alley, now Exchange place, running from Chestnut to Dock street, derived its name from Jeremiah Goforth, a silversmith, who lived adjoining on Chestnut street. About fifty years ago Goforth alley was built over on Chestnut street, from which it was entered through a dark arched passage.

Jones's lane, or alley, was the first above High street, running from Front to Second, adjoining a lot of Griffith Jones. It was afterward called Pewter Platter alley, from a noted tavern with that sign, a real pewter dish of large size, that stood at the corner of Front street. It after that was again called Jones's alley, then Church alley, and now Church street. A slice was taken off Christ Church ground to widen it, and it now extends to Third

street.

Hudson's alley, or Whalebone alley, afterward Franklin place, in Chestnut street above Third, was ordered to be laid out by Samuel Hudson in his will dated February 11, 1724. He died in 1726. It was to adjoin his lot, where was already a four-foot alley between his ground and that of John Brientnall on the west, on which stood the house in which Anthony Benezet afterward lived. By Brientnall's will the alley was widened twelve feet. Though named Hudson's alley, it was popularly called Whalebone alley, from the fact that a large whalebone was fastened upon Brientnall's house. This bone was preserved by Arthur Howell, who kept a leather store there, and afterward by Andrew Scott, printer.

William Hudson, the father of the above Samuel, came in 1682 from Reedness, Fogerbury Manor, Yorkshire. He was a tanner, and acquired considerable property on Third street at and below Chestnut street, and a whole square on Market street between Fifth and Sixth, and extending to Arch street, which was known as Hudson's Square. His tanyard was upon the end of a lot fifty feet wide extending from Chestnut street to Dock Creek, east of Third street. His house, a fine old-fashioned brick, stood back from the street near Chestnut street, and had some large buttonwood trees in the courtyard in front. In 1694 he added to his property the house and lot south-east corner of Third and Chestnut streets. He also owned the tanyard, afterward Ashburner's, on Third street from the Girard Bank to Harmony

court, and extending back to Hudson's alley; Dock Creek came up to the property then. He was one of the original Common Councilmen appointed by the charter of 1701; was a member of the Assembly in 1706 and 1724; an alderman in 1715; and mayor in 1725-26. He died in 1742, leaving many descendants, among whom are those bearing the names of Hudson, Howell, Burr, Owen, Emlen, Kinsing, Wharton, Ridgway, Metcalf, Fisher, Carman, Lewis, Sykes, and Rawle.

THE HISTORICAL SOCIETY.

OWING to the diversity of nations represented by the early people of Pennsylvania, to the early struggles in enlarging the settlements, and to the lack of any history to record, the minds of the citizens were not much turned to thinking of forming an historical society, such as is now common in every new-settled State. For nearly two hundred years time passed without any organized effort to preserve our historical records. True, the American Philosophical Society in 1815 had an Historical and Literary Committee, but its efforts and results were small.

In 1824, George Washington Smith being in New York and intimate with Governor De Witt Clinton, the New York Historical Society was a subject of public interest, as well as with the governor. Mr. Smith on his return suggested the formation of a similar society, and there met at the residence of Thomas I. Wharton, December 2, 1824, Roberts Vaux, T. I. Wharton, Dr. Benjamin H. Coates, Stephen Duncan, William Rawle, Jr., Dr. Caspar Wistar, and George W. Smith, who agreed to organize the Historical Society of Pennsylvania.

At the next meeting, December 27th, the following additional members were enrolled: Joseph Hopkinson, Joseph Reed, Thomas C. James, John Sergeant, Thomas H. White, Gerard Ralston, William Mason Walmsley, William M. Meredith, Daniel B. Smith, Charles J. Ingersoll, Edward Bettle, and Thomas McKean Pettit.

It was resolved that the constitution and by-laws should be in force from February 25, 1825, when an election was held, and William Rawle elected president. It was incorporated June 2, 1826. The first place of regular meeting of the new association was in the rooms of the American Philosophical Society, in Fifth street below Chestnut. Here for twenty years they quietly existed, and slowly gathered together books and manuscripts, and published a volume of Memoirs.

In 1844 the society moved to quarters of their own, at 115 (now 211) South Sixth street, and bought a bookcase and furnished the room at a "cost not to exceed $100." When, three

years later, the Athenæum had finished their commodious building, the society moved to the upper rooms of it, and there remained twenty-five years.

In 1872 the society moved to their new and present hall, No. 820 Spruce street, and it was inaugurated by an admirable address from their president, John William Wallace, March 11, 1872. At that time, nearly fifty years from their organization, the society had 600 members, a library of 12,000 volumes, a collection of 80,000 pamphlets-of which 70,000 were bequeathed by Mr. Fahnestock a gallery of 65 portraits, 12 historical pictures, numerous engravings, relics and curiosities, and manuscripts innumerable. Among the latter are the collections of Penn and some of his descendants at Stoke in England, recently purchased for $4000 by some of the members and presented to the society. The building fund now amounts to $13,852, the publication fund to $25,000, the binding fund to $3300, and the life-membership fund to $7000. The library contains now nearly 20,000 volumes.

The publication fund, which amounted in 1878 to $25,000, of which only the interest is used, has given to our citizens ten volumes of valuable Memoirs, including the Correspondence of Penn and Logan; the History of the Swedish Settlements upon the Delaware, by Acrelius; Heckewelder's History of the Indian Nations; and the Historical Map of Pennsylvania. In this year also they have commenced the issuing quarterly of The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography, with a view of fostering and developing the interest that has been awakened in historical matters, of furnishing means of communication between those interested in such subjects, and of preserving and circulating important and isolated materials relating to the State and nation.

In the account of the Pennsylvania Hospital, on p. 331, on whose ground the Historical Society is now located, will be found a notice of the Picture-House, which it now occupies. The managers of the hospital having placed at the command of the society for a long term of years their building on Spruce street, the society raised the sum of $15,000, and adapted it to their uses by considerably enlarging the building, building large fireproof closets or rooms, and making various other improvements. The building is sixty-eight feet wide and forty-two deep.