evening by the side of the river, a
boat came by which I found was going towards Philadelphia,
with several people in her. They took me in, and, as there
was no wind, we rowed all the way; and about midnight, not
having yet seen the city, some of the company were confident
we must have passed it, and would row no farther; the others
knew not where we were; so we put towards the shore, got
into a creek, landed near an old fence, with the rails of
which we made a fire, the night being cold, in October, and
there we remained till daylight. Then one of the company
knew the place to be Cooper's Creek, a little above
Philadelphia, which we saw as soon as we got out of the
creek, and arrived there about eight or nine o'clock on the
Sunday morning, and landed at Market Street wharf."

The closing portion of this na[:i]ve narrative is as
interesting in its way as the opening. The idea that
Philadelphia could be passed in the darkness and not
discovered seems almost ludicrous when we consider its
present many miles of river front, and the long-drawn-out
glow of illumination which it casts across the stream.
Nothing could be more indicative of its village-like
condition at the time of Franklin's arrival, and its
enormous growth since. Nor are the incidents and conditions
of the journey less striking. The traveller, making the best
time possible to him, had been nearly five full days on the
way, and had experienced a succession of hardships which
would have thrown many men into a sick-bed at the end. It
took youth, health, and energy to accomplish the difficult
passage from New York to Philadelphia in that day; a journey
which we now make between breakfast and dinner, with
considerable time for business in the interval. Verily, the
world moves. But to return to our traveller's story.

"I have been the more particular in this description of my
journey, and shall be so of my first entry into that city,
that you may in your mind compare such unlikely beginnings
with the figure I have since made there. I was in my
working-dress, my best clothes coming round by sea. I was
dirty from my being so long in the boat. My pockets were
stuffed out with shirts and stockings, and I knew no one,
nor where to look for lodging. Fatigued with walking,
rowing, and the want of sleep, I was very hungry; and my
whole stock of cash consisted in a single dollar, and about
a shilling in copper coin, which I gave to the boatmen for
my passage. At fi