er between them; fire has the ascendant
in New York, while water reigns in Philadelphia. If a fire does break
out here, the housekeepers have not the fear of being _burnt_ to death
before them; for the water is poured on in such torrents, that the
furniture is washed out of the windows, and all that they have to look
out for, is to escape from being drowned.

The public institutions, such as libraries, museums, and the private
cabinets of Philadelphia, are certainly very superior to those of any
other city or town in America, Boston not excepted. Every thing that is
undertaken in this city is well done; no expense is spared, although
they are not so rapid in their movements as at New York: indeed the
affluence and ease pervading the place, with the general cultivation
which invariably attend them, are evident to a stranger.

Philadelphia has claimed for herself the title of the most aristocratic
city in the Union. If she refers to the aristocracy of wealth, I think
she is justified; but if she would say the aristocracy of family, which
is much more thought of by the few who can claim it, she must be content
to divide that with Boston, Baltimore, Charlestown, and the other cities
which can date as far back as herself. One thing is certain, that in no
city is there so much fuss made about lineage and descent; in no city
are there so many cliques and sets in society, who keep apart from each
other; and it is very often difficult to ascertain the grounds of their
distinctions. One family will live at No. 1, and another at No. 2 in
the same street, both have similar establishments, both keep their
carriages, both be well educated, and both may talk of their
grandfathers and grandmothers; and yet No. 1 will tell you that No. 2 is
nobody, and you must not visit there; and when you enquire why? there is
no other answer, but that they are not of the right sort. As long as a
portion are rich and a portion are poor, there is a line of demarcation
easy to be drawn, even in a democracy; but in Philadelphia, where there
are so many in affluent circumstances, that line has been effaced, and
they now seek an imaginary one, like the equinoctial, which none can be
permitted to pass without going through the ceremonies of perfect
ablution. This social contest, as may be supposed, is carried on among
those who have no real pretensions; but there are many old and
well-connected families in Philadelphia, whose claims are universally,