Page:Early western travels, 1748-1846 (1907 Volume 3).djvu/346

, April 15

this morning arrived at, a post-town in Pennsylvania, and the capital {40} of Alleghany County. It is built at the point of land formed by the junction of the two rivers; and is in N. Lat. 40° 26['] 15["], and Longitude (in time) 5 hours, 19 minutes, and 53 seconds W. of Greenwich.

on the point was erected the old French garrison Du Quesne, built by M. de la Jonquier at the command of the Marquis du Quesne, Governor of Canada, in 1754.[27] General Forbes, who took it Nov. 25, 1758, built a new fort, which he called "Fort Pitt," in honor of the Earl of Chatham; adjacent to the former, but higher up the Monongahela. It was formerly a place of some consequence in the annals of frontier settlements; but fell into decay upon its being given up by its founders. Being included in one of the manors of the Penn family, it was sold by the proprietaries, and is now laid out in house-lots as a part of the town of Pittsburg, which was built in the year 1765.

local situation of this place is so commanding that it has been emphatically called "the key to the Western Territory;" and it has rapidly increased in population, business, and prosperity within a few years past. It contains upwards of four hundred {41} houses, several of them large and handsomely built of brick; forty-nine are occupied as stores and shops. There are three congregations; an Episcopalian, a Presbyterian, and a Seceder. The number of inhabitants is about two thousand.

are two printing-offices, each of which issue a weekly news-paper; and many mechanics, who carry on