ORIGIN OF TOWNSHIPS, INCORPORATED DISTRICTS AND BOROUGHS IN THE CITY AND COUNTY

OF PHILADELPHIA.

Aramingo, a borough created out of the township of the Northern Liberties, incorporated April 11, 1850. It was shaped something like a broad V reversed. It was bounded on the northeast by a portion of the borough of Bridesburg and the Frankford Creek, which divided it from a portion of Oxford township and Frankford; on the north-west the Unincorporated Northern Liberties and the District of the Northern Liberties were boundaries, the latter partly on the southwest; and Richmond district on the south-east and south-west. The name is an abbreviation and alteration from the Indian name of the stream adjacent, called, by the Swedes and English, Gunner's Run. The original name was Tumanaranaming, the meaning of which is not now known. By cutting off a portion of the head and tail of the name, and omitting two letters in the centre and adding an o, the word "Aramingo" was fabricated.

Belmont, a district created by act of April 14, 1853. It embraced that part of Blockley township which lay along the river Schuylkill from the northern boundary-line of West Philadelphia to the northern boundary-line between Philadelphia and Montgomery counties, and had also its western boundary on that line. This district had scarcely time to be organized before the Act of Consolidation of Feb. 2, 1854, put an end to its franchises. The name was derived from Belmont, the country-seat of the Peters family, which is now a portion of Fairmount Park, The mansion was erected by William Peters about 1743, and the name was descriptive of the fine position of the property, and suggestive of the beautiful views of the river and valley of the Schuylkill visible from the site. The property became the estate of Judge Richard Peters of the United States District Court in 1786, and he lived there until his death, which happened Aug. 22, 1828.

Blockley, a township on the west side of the Schuylkill River, north of Kingsessing township; bounded on the east by the river; extending south from the county-line, opposite to, but a little below, the mouth of the Wissahickon, down to the Nanganesy or Mill Creek, below the Woodlands; thence by the same creek up to Chadd's Ford turnpike, known in later years as the Baltimore pike; along the same to Cobb's Creek; thence by the courses of the same to the countyline adjoining Lower Merion township, Montgomery county, and along the same to the river Delaware. It was traversed by the Darby road, the Chadd's Ford or Baltimore pike, the road to West Chester, to Haverford and to Lancaster. Within its boundaries were the villages of Hamilton, Mantua, West Philadelphia, Hestonville and Haddington. The greatest length, 4 miles; the greatest breadth, 5 miles; area, 7580 acres. The date of the formation of this township is not known. It was created at a very early period after the establishment of the provincial government. The name is supposed to have been derived from Blockley, a parish in England in the county of Worcester.

Bridesburg, a village south of Frankford Creek and upon a tract of land formerly belonging to

Point-no-Point. It took its name from Joseph Kirkbride, who for many years was land-owner Creek, and to whom the Legislature gave a right there and proprietor of a ferry over Frankford to build a bridge and receive toll for passage over the same by act of March 20, 1811. Ön April 1, 1833, the county of Philadelphia bought the Kirkbride bridge and two and a half acres of land annexed for $5500. Kirkbridesburg was considered too long a name for convenient use, and the shorter one was adopted. Bridesburg was incorporated as a borough on April 1, 1848. Bristol, a township at the north end of the county, at the intersection of the angle which runs down from the extreme point of the city boundary and Montgomery county. It was of irregular form, and was bounded on the northwest by a portion of Springfield township, Montgomery county; on the north-east by Cheltenham, Montgomery county. It extended along the latter to Oxford township, but was bounded mainly on the east by Tacony Creek, on the south partly by the Wingohocking and the township of the Northern Liberties, and on the west and south-west by Germantown township. The Old York road ran through it to Branchtown and Milestown, and thence to Bucks county. Greatest length, 51⁄2 miles; greatest breadth, 3 miles; area, 5650 acres. The time of its formation is unknown, but it takes date at an early period. The name is derived from the city of Bristol in England.

Byberry, a township in the extreme northeastern part of the county of Philadelphia; bounded on the east and north-east by Poquessing Creek and Bucks county; on the northwest by Montgomery county; and on the west and south-west by the township of Moreland. Its greatest length was estimated at 5 miles ; its greatest breadth, 21⁄2 miles; area, 4700 acres. It was settled by a few Swedes previous to the year 1675, and in that year by four brothers-Nathaniel, Thomas, Daniel and William Walton-who were all young and single men. They had arrived at New Castle from England early in that year, and, having prospected the land in the neighborhood of the Delaware, chose the country near Poquessing Creek, and settled there. They gave to it the name of Byberry, in honor of their native town, near Bristol in England. They were joined, after the arrival of the ship Welcome in 1682, by Giles and Joseph Knight, John Carver, John Heart, Richard Collet and their families, and others. The township of Byberry was established at a very early date after the coming of Penn. contained very few villages at the time of consolidation, and was the most rural of all the townships of Philadelphia county. Byberry Cross-Roads, once called Plumbsock and Knightsville, were the principal villages.

It

Delaware, a township formed out of a portion of Dublin township in 1853. Its inhabitants voted at one general election. Its officers were superseded in the next year by consolidation.

Dublin, commonly called Lower Dublin, a township in the upper part of the county, adjoining Moreland and Byberry on the south, extending south-east nearly in parallel line to Poquessing Creek and the Delaware River. Bustleton, Fox Chase and Holmesburg were in this township. It was 5 miles at the greatest length, 3 miles in breadth; area, 9500 acres. This town

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FEBRUARY.

(9) VENUS near the old Moon before sunrise of the 7th.

(4) Jupiter near the young Moon in the evening of the 12th.

() Mars near the bright Moon on the 17th and 18th.

ABOUT forty observations of the transit of Mercury, in 1879, by private observers, have been received at the Observatory in Washington.

FROM the observations and calculations of various astronomers, the existence of at least one planet between Mercury and the sun seems quite probable.

A REMARKABLE hailstorm passed near Toronto, Canada, in August, 1878. Hailstones weighing as much as one and a half pounds were found, while those weighing one half pound and upward 28 were very abundant.

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THE University of Wisconsin has a new re27 fractor, by Clark, with an aperture of fifteen and a half inches, and a focal length of twenty feet. There is an interval of about two inches between the two lenses of the object-glass. The astronomer in charge is Prof. J. C. Watson.

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