WILMINGTON 378 WILSON railroads. There are also five suburban trolley lines, which lead in all directions from the city. Wilmington is the me- tropolis of Delaware, and is 27 miles S. W. of Philadelphia and 67 miles N. E. of Baltimore. It is most at- tractively situated in the valley of the Brandywine. There are within the city limits 148 miles of streets, of which over 80 miles are paved. There are 123 miles of sewers. The city is unusually well lighted. The main park system along the Brandywine creek covers over 500 acres, and there are 18 smaller parks in congested centers. There are many play- grounds and athletic fields throughout the city. Municipal swimming pools are maintained. The industries of the city are of great importance. They include sugar refineries, flour mills, paper mills, manufactures of knit goods, leather, ships, railroad cars, dynamite and other explosives, aluminum astings, valves, etc. The first railroad cars used in the United States were built at Wilmington. The city has daily steamboat communi- cation with Philadelphia and there is a motor transport service to Philadelphia, New York, and Baltimore. There are 10 banks and trust companies with de- posits of over $60,000,000. The bank clearings in 1919 amounted to $188,439,- 969. The great Du Pont powder works are located in the city. The harbor of the city has been greatly improved in recent years, and many docks and bulk- heads have been built which give excel- lent facilities for unloading cargoes. The city has an excellent school system, and also several important educational institutions, including the State Indus- trial School for Girls, State Asylum for Insane, and other public institutions. The first settlement was made by the Swedes in 1638. It was called Fort Christiana. This was captured by the Dutch in 1655, and called Fort Altena, and the town was named Christianaham. In 1731 the village of Willingtown, named thus in honor of Thomas Willing, was founded. The name was subsequently converted into Wilmington. The place received its city charter in 1832. The Old Swedes' church, erected in 1698, is still used. Pop. (1910) 87,411; (1920) 110,168. WILMINGTON, a city, port of entry, and county-seat of New Hanover cc, N. C; on Cape Fear river, and on the At- lantic Coast Line, the Seaboard Air Line, and the Cape Fear railroads; 214 miles N. E. of Charleston, S. C, and 26 miles W. of the Atlantic Ocean. It is the most important commercial port of the State. There are steamboat lines to Baltimore, Charleston, and points on the Cape Fear river. Here are a United States Government building, a State armory, United States Marine Hospital, high school, the Gregory Normal Insti- tute, waterworks, electric lights, street railroads, public library. National and State banks, and a number of daily, weekly, and monthly periodicals. The industries include the manufacture of cotton goods, lumber, flour, turpentine, fertilizers, foundry products, etc. Dur- ing the Civil War the city was one of the chief ports of the Confederacy, and a notable resort for blockade runners, until captured by General Terry in 1865. Pop. (1910) 25,748; (1920) 33,372. WILMOT PROVISO, a notable resolu- tion introduced into the United States Congress by David Wilmot. On Aug. 8, 1846, pending the consideration in Con- gress of a bill placing $2,000,000 at the disposal of President Polk to negotiate a peace with Mexico, David Wilmot, a rep- resentative from Pennsylvania, offered the following amendment: "Provided that,^ as an express and fundamental condition to the acquisition of any terri- tory from the republic of Mexico by the United States, by virtue of any treaty which may be negotiated between them, and to the use by the Executive of the moneys therein appropriated, neither slavery nor involuntary servitude shall ever exist in any part of said territory, except for crime, whereof the party shall be duly convicted." This was the famous "Wilmot Proviso," which became the source of great agitation throughout the country. It was adopted in the House by a vote of 94 to 78, and was under de- bate in the Senate when the hour ar- rived previously fixed for the adjourn- ment of the session. At the next session, Mr. Wilmot again introduced it, and a fierce and angry contest commenced. The House remained firm in favor of the amendment, and it was passed by a decided majority, but not acted on by the Senate. WILSON, a city of North Carolina, the county-seat of Wilson co., on the At- lantic Coast Line and the Norfolk Southern railroads. It is the center of an important farming, cotton growing, and tobacco raising region. Its indus- tries include the manufacture of car- riages, foundry products, lumber, cot- ton and oil mills, and tobacco factories. Pop. (1910) 6,717; (1920) 10,612. WILSON, ALEXANDEE, a Scotch- American ornithologist; born in Paisley, Scotland, July 6, 1766. In early life he was a weaver and teacher. He published a volume of poems in 1790, but being sentenced for a lampoon in 1793, emi-
