To the Surprize of all the Inhabitants on Delaware, who live above Philadelphia, the Water about a Fortnight since, chang’d to a dark dirty Red, so thick that ’tis said the Fish could scarce see to get out of the Way of Boats, and were frequently struck by the Oars. Those who have lived here above these forty Years, say they never saw or heard of the like before. It was accompanied with a Fresh, ’tis true, but not very considerable when compar’d with such as come down almost every Year without such Change of Colour; and ’tis advis’d from Places 40 Mile above the Falls, that they have had no great Rains there. Those who have caused some of the Water to settle, find a Sort of fine brown Earth at the Bottom; but it must be a prodigious Quantity to colour this vast River in such a Manner. The Conjectures of People are various concerning the Cause of it; some imagine an upper Creek, dam’d by Logs, has chang’d its Course and dug a new Bed; others, (hearing from New York, that about the same Time a Flood came down that River from the Mountains, though they had had no Rain, and overflow’d the low Lands, doing great Damage) conceive, that an Earthquake near the Head of both Rivers, has forced out a Quantity of subterraneous Water into them. These however are only Conjectures, Time may possibly make us wiser. In the Interim, we have the Satisfaction to observe, that the River clears sensibly, and we hope will soon recover its wonted purity.