a writer of the ancient comedy, was Pherecydes a native of Athens, and contemporary of Plato, Aristophanes, Phrynichus, and Eupolis. According to Suidas, he was a soldier in his youth, but afterwards attached himself to the stage, and became one of the most successful dramatic writers. We know that he exhibited a play entitled Savages (Αἰγεῖς), B.C. 420 (Plato, Protag. 327, d; Athen. v. 218, d). He invented a species of verse, called from his name Pherecratic, consisting of a spondee, and the two last feet of an hexameter line. Suidas attributes seventeen plays to him, referring probably to those only which he considered as genuine, since the titles of twenty are found in Athenaeus. The fragments of Pherecrates have been collected by Hertel in Vetusissimorum Comicorum Sententiae, p. 340-57. Of all the fragments of Pherecrates, the most remarkable is that entitled Cheiron, in which he introduces music, clad in rags, to which state she says she has been reduced by Melanippides, Phyroris, and Timotheus, the authors of some innovations on that art. (See Mem. de l'Acad. des Inscrip. xv. 330.)

**PHERECDÉS,** a Greek philosopher of the island of Syros, one of the Cyclades, was the son of Badys, and the pupil of the celebrated Pittacus of Mitylene. The exact date of his birth and death is unknown, but he flourished B.C. 544, being a contemporary of Thales, Anaximenes, Anacreon, and Hippocrates. There is some doubt whether he is not the astronomer Pherecydes who constructed a sun-dial at Syros; but as this person is said to have been the master of Thales, it is more likely that there was another of an earlier date. The philosopher was the instructor of Pythagoras, and is said to have foretold earthquakes by observing the movement of water in wells (Cic. Tus. i. 16; Die. i. 50). There were various accounts respecting his death, but most are agreed that he was devoured by worms and insects like Sylla; and the reason assigned was, that he had offended Apollo, because he said that he lived very happily though he had never sacrificed to the gods. (Ælian. V. H. iv. 28.) Pherecydes was the author of a work on Nature and on the Gods, being the first of the Greeks who wrote on this subject. (Diogenes Laertius, Life of Pherecydes.) The fragments of Pherecydes have been collected by Auguste Wolf, in the first part of his Litterarische Analekten, Berlin, 1817.

**PHERECDYDES,** an historian of the island of Leros, in the Aegean Sea, is satisfactorily proved by Vossius (De Hist. Graecis, p. 444) to be the same who is called an Athenian by some. He flourished B.C. 480, in the reign of Darius Hystaspes, and preceded Herodotus by a few years. He is said to have made a collection of the poems of Orpheus, to have written on the genealogy of the gods (Theogonia) in ten books, on the mythological part of the history of Athens (Αἰγεῖς) in ten books, and moral maxims in hexameter verse. The fragments of Pherecydes, along with those of Acusilaüs, have been published by Sturz, Gera, 1789, 1798, with a learned dissertation.

**PHIDIAS,** a celebrated Greek statuary, was the son of Charmidas, a native of Athens, and flourished B.C. 444, in the age of Pericles, being the contemporary of Alcamenes, Critias, Hegias, and Nestocles. In his representations of the gods he was so successful that it was said he must either have visited heaven, or the gods must have descended to him. (Analect. Brunck. vol. ii. p. 225.) One of the finest of his works was his statue of Jupiter Olympus, in the temple of Olympia. It was made of ivory and gold, and was of such colossal size, that being seated, it appeared, that if it rose up, it could carry away the roof. Being asked by his brother Panenus what model he had followed in his representation of the god, Phidias referred him to the portrait of Jupiter given by Homer (Iliad. i. 528-530). His statue of Minerva at Athens was also very much admired, and the shield of the goddess presented a fine specimen of bas-relief. Along the edge was sculptured the battle of the Amazons, and in the hollow part the battle of the gods and giants. (Strab. viii. 353; Plin. xxxvi. 4, 7; Paus. v. 10, 2; Quint. xii. 10, 1; Val. Max. iii. 7, 4.) In the time of Pliny, there was a Venus by him, in the portico of Octavia; and at present there is a magnificent colossal statue of a man curbing a fiery steed, placed before the palace of the Vatican at Rome, which is inscribed with the name of Phidias, but the group has no right to be considered as his production. Phidias was the teacher of Alcamenes, Agoracritus, and Colotes. (Plin. xxxiv. 19, 1-5, xxxv. 34, 1.)

**PHIDITIA,** in Grecian antiquity, feasts celebrated with great frugality at Sparta. They were held in the public places and in the open air. Rich and poor assisted at them equally, and upon the same footing; their design being to keep up peace, friendship, good understanding, and equality amongst the citizens, great and small. It is said that those who attended this feast brought each a bushel of flour, eight measures of wine, five pounds of cheese, and two pounds and a half of figs, with some money.

**PHILA,** in Mythology, one of the attributes of Venus, which distinguished her as the mother of love; from φιλος, to love.

**PHILADELPHIA,** in Antiquity, were games instituted at Sardis to celebrate the union of Caracalla and Geta, the sons of Septimius Severus.

**PHILADELPHIA,** the second city in size and importance in the United States of North America, and the commercial metropolis of Pennsylvania. It is situated on the west bank of the Delaware, five miles from its junction with the Schuylkill, and extending from the one river to the other. From the city to the estuary of the Delaware, the distance is a hundred and twenty-six miles, including the bendings of the river; but the stream is so broad and deep at Philadelphia as to afford sufficient water for vessels of any size except those of the first class. Originally it formed a parallelogram, extending west about two miles from the Delaware, beyond the Schuylkill, and north and south a little more than a mile. As commerce increased, Philadelphia of course was enlarged, the buildings naturally extending along the Delaware, and now forms an oblong square reaching from the lower part of Southwark to the upper part of Kensington, nearly four miles, and, as we have said, from the one river to the other. It is noted for the regularity with which it is laid out. The main streets, twenty-five in number, and running from north to south, are intersected at right angles by others stretching east and west. There is an immense number of squares, it is supposed above three hundred and fifty. Some of the streets are a hundred feet and upwards in breadth; they are all well paved, and kept remarkably clean, being mostly furnished with common sewers. The houses altogether exhibit an appearance of neatness, uniformity, and commodiousness, and most of them are ornamented with white marble steps and window-sills. The most conspicuous buildings are some of the churches, the state-house, the United States and Pennsylvania banks, the institution for the deaf and dumb, and the Pennsylvania hospital. There are above a hundred places of public worship, but, with the exception of the first Presbyterian church, and two or three Episcopal chapels, which are noble edifices, they are neither remarkable for their architecture nor their size. The front of Pennsylvania hospital is two hundred and seventy-three feet in breadth; and in connection with it there is a building sufficiently large to contain above fifty patients. There are a number of other institutions for the sick and the destitute, the buildings of which, together with the former, occupy an entire square, in the centre of which is a leaden statue of the founder of the city. The building for the reception of the deaf and dumb was erected in 1824, and is constructed of granite. It is of considerable size, and, having received handsome dona- tions from various quarters, the managers of the institution are enabled to receive pupils from other states besides that in which it is situated. The object of this school is to give a common education to the deaf and dumb, and to train them to industrious habits, the course of instruction varying from four to six years.

The bank of the United States was established in the year 1816, with a capital of thirty-five millions of dollars. The banking-house is a splendid structure, built on the plan of the Parthenon at Athens, and is considered as the most finished specimen of pure Grecian architecture in America. It is constructed of white marble, having in front eight fluted Doric columns, four feet and a half in diameter. On each of the fronts is a portico projecting ten feet and a half. The whole length of the edifice, including the portico, is a hundred and sixty-one feet; its breadth being eighty-seven feet. The banking-room, which occupies the centre of the building, is eighty-one feet in length by forty-eight feet in breadth. The whole immense structure is arched, and rendered bomb-proof from the cellar to the roof, which is covered with copper. The bank of Pennsylvania is likewise a fine specimen of classical architecture, and built of the same material as the former. The state-house is a large brick building, comprising a centre and two wings, and presenting altogether a venerable appearance, never having been altered since its first erection. In the eyes of the Americans it will remain a feature of great interest as long as it lasts; for it was here the continental congress held its meetings, and from it the declaration of independence was first promulgated. There are several theatres, which are esteemed highly respectable buildings. The masonic hall, built in the Gothic style, is a large edifice, but more remarkable for its size than for its architectural beauty. The arcade is an imposing stone structure, containing the best museum in America; and the academy of arts is likewise a respectable edifice, enriched internally with a large number of paintings and some very fine statues.

The university of Pennsylvania is distinguished by the celebrity of the medical school attached to it. The new halls, which were erected in the year 1830, are spacious, and built in a handsome style of architecture. The number of medical students who attend it vary from 400 to 500 annually. The hall of the Jefferson medical college is also a spacious building. There are three prisons in Philadelphia, one of which is built in the style of the castles of the middle ages, and is considered as a great ornament to the city. It is called the New Penitentiary, and occupies ten acres of ground, being designed to carry the principle of solitary confinement completely into effect.

The United States mint was established in Philadelphia in the year 1791, and by several successive acts of congress has been continued in the same place ever since. The old buildings, however, have been supplanted by a spacious new edifice, which was commenced in 1829. This splendid structure is faced with marble, and presents a front of a hundred and twenty-two feet, divided into a portico sixty-two feet long, and two wings each of thirty feet in length. The building is of the Ionic order, taken from the celebrated Grecian temple on the river Illisus, near Athens. The total value of the gold, silver, and copper coinage struck at this mint during the year ending January 1837 was $7,704,900 dollars. The report for that year states that great and important improvements had been introduced into every department of the mint. Changes have been made in the arrangements for assaying, which place this part of the establishment upon a footing with the most perfect in Europe. The marine asylum stands on the eastern bank of the Schuylkill, a short distance south of the city line. It is three hundred and eighty-six feet in length, consisting of a portico of ninety feet, supported by eight Ionic columns, and two wings, each a hundred and forty-eight feet in extent. But of all the public works of Philadelphia there are none of which its inhabitants are so justly proud as those at Fair Mount, by which the city is supplied with water of the best quality, and in the greatest abundance. Nothing of the kind has been executed on the American side of the Atlantic that will bear any comparison with the arduous and expensive operation of introducing the Schuylkill water. At two different times plans were adopted for the purpose of supplying Philadelphia with water; but both having proved inefficient, the present magnificent undertaking was commenced in 1819, and completed at an expense of about one million and a half of dollars. Fair Mount is in the rear of the city, upon the bank of the Schuylkill, the neighbourhood of which presents some remarkably beautiful and romantic scenery. The reservoirs are situated on the top of a hill rising from the river, a part of it perpendicular rock, to the height of a hundred feet. They are calculated to contain thirty millions of gallons of water, which is sufficient to supply the city for ten days. It was formerly forced into the reservoirs by means of steam, which is no longer used; it is now raised by machinery propelled by the river. There are five large water-wheels turned, one of which, made of iron, weighs twenty-four tons. If all are put in motion at once, they will raise seven millions of gallons in twenty-four hours, which is more than double the quantity required even in summer. To turn them, the Schuylkill has been dammed in its whole breadth, by which the water is thrown back into a reservoir lock, whence it is admitted as required to operate upon the wheels, and is discharged into the river below the dam. The iron pipes through which the water is conveyed to the city and districts are about sixty miles in extent. The water thus circulated so abundantly through the city is of immense service in cases of fire, as it is only necessary to screw the hose to hydrants, which are placed at convenient distances, to secure a constant stream of sufficient force to reach any ordinary height. There are sixteen hose companies, and about thirty engine companies; in short, the arrangements made in Philadelphia for the speedy extinction of conflagrations are of the first order.

The city library is indebted for its origin to Benjamin Franklin. It was commenced as early as 1731, and incorporated eleven years afterwards. In 1790 the present neat and ornamental edifice was erected opposite to the state-house square; and over the front door is placed a fine marble statue of its founder. In 1837 it contained 44,000 volumes. There are other institutions of the kind, which contain upwards of ten thousand volumes. Opposite the Philadelphia library is the Athenaeum, a valuable institution, established in 1814. Attached to it is a library, and a spacious reading-room, well supplied with newspapers from Europe and other quarters of the world, besides nearly a hundred from various parts of the United States. The university of Philadelphia was founded in the year 1755, and is one of the most respectable and flourishing institutions of the kind in the union. Academies and other seminaries of education are numerous, and efficiently conducted. The city and county of Philadelphia constitute a school district, under special regulations. By the report for the year 1837, it appears that the schools in it were attended by above eleven thousand children; and from the same document we learn that the arrangements for the general diffusion of instruction are very extensive and highly efficient. There are in this city a number of benevolent societies, various institutions which have for their object the relief of the sick, the helpless, the destitute, and other objects of compassion. In this respect it is upon a level with any city of the same size in Europe.

The harbour of Philadelphia, from the peculiar nature of the Delaware River, is more liable to be impeded by ice than those of New York and Baltimore; but otherwise it possesses perhaps as many natural advantages as either of them. Its trade is very great, as will be seen in the article Pennsylvania. The navy-yard situated on the Delaware is of great extent, and fitted up with first-rate appurtenances for building frigates and ships of the line. Shipbuilding is briskly carried on; and this city has also a high reputation for the extent and excellence of its breweries. It is, besides, famous for its manufactures, paper-making, printing, and publishing establishments, and its periodicals and journals of every description.

Philadelphia was founded by William Penn in the year 1682. On the 5th of September 1774 the members of the first congress assembled here, and adopted that celebrated declaration of rights, the preface to the declaration of independence which was promulgated from the state-house about two years afterwards. Congress continued to sit in this city until the approach of the royalists in September 1777, when it fell into their hands, and was retained by them until June following. During the remainder of the war it happily escaped the ravages of hostile operations. It was also the seat of the state government until the year 1800. For municipal purposes the legislature has from time to time established corporate governments in different parts of the suburbs, so that Philadelphia is now divided into several districts. The municipal government of the city proper is vested in a mayor, a recorder, fifteen aldermen, and a select and common council, besides subordinate executive officers. The recorder and aldermen are appointed by the governor of the state; and the mayor is chosen by the councils, from the body of the citizens. The members of the select and common council are annually elected by the people. They receive no compensation, sit in separate chambers, and each body has a negative on the legislative acts of the other. The city proper sends seven representatives and two senators to the state legislature. The population of Philadelphia, according to the census of 1810, was 96,664; in 1820 it was 119,325; in 1830 it was 167,811, and at present (1838) it is estimated at about 200,000 souls.