A Brief Account of the Province of Pennsilvania in America, lately granted under the Great Seal of England to William pen, &c.  
THe King having been favourably pleased after a long Solicitation, in Right of my Fathers Services, and a considerable part of his Estate, to confer and settle upon me, and my Heirs, a Tract of Land in America, by the name of Pennsylvania; with the powers requisite to the well government thereof; I thought good to publish this abbreviated account of the former Relation, as less troublesome to sand or red, for their Satisfaction, that are soberly desirous and resolved for those parts of the World.  

I. Something of the Place.  
The Place lies 600 Miles nearer the Sun than England, for England begins at the 50th. Degree and ten Minutes of North Latitude, and this place begins at 40. which is about the Latitude of Naples in Italy, or Mompellier in France: I shall say little in its praise to excite desires in any; whatever I could truly writ as to the Soil, Air and Water, this shall satisfy me, that by the Blessing of God, and the Honesty and Industry of man, it may be a good and Fruitful Land.  
For Navigation, it is said to have two Conveniencies, the one by lying Ninescore Miles upon Delaware River, that is to say, about 70 Miles, before we come to the Falls, where a Vessel of 200 tons may Sail,( and some Creeks and small Harbours in that distance, where Ships may come nearer than the Rivers in the Country) and above the Falls for Boats, the other Convenience is through Chespapeak-Bay, the head falling within this Latitude.  
For Timber & other Wood, there is Variety for the use of man, as Oak, chestnut, Wallnut, poplar, Cedar, Beech, &c.  
For Fowl, Fish and Wild dear, they are reported to be plentiful in those parts, and English Provision grows there, and is to be had at reasonable Rates: The Commodities that the country is thought to be capable of, are Silk, Flax, Hemp, Wine, cider, Wood, Madder, Liquorish, Tobacco, Potashes and Iron; and it doth actually produce Hides, Tallow, Pipestaves, Beef, Pork, Sheep, Wool, Corn, as Wheat, barley, Rye, and also furs, as your Beaver, Peltree, Mincks, Racoons, Martins, and such like; store of which is to be found among the Indians, that are profitable Commodities in Europe.  
The way of Trading in those Countries, is thus, they sand to the Southern Plantations, Corn, Beef, Pork, Fish, and Pipstaves, and take their Growth and bring for England, and return with English Goods to their own country; their furs they bring for England, and either sell them here, or carry them out again to other parts of Europe, where they will yield a better price: And for those that will follow merchandise and Navigation, there is conveniency, and Timber sufficient for Shipping.   

II. The Constitutions.  
For the Constitution of the country, the Patent shows. First, That the People and governor have a Legislative Power; so that no Law can be made, nor Money raised, but by the peoples consent.  
2dly. That the Rights and Freedoms of England( the best and largest in Europe) shall be in force there.  
3dly. That making no Law against Allegiance( which should we, twere by the Law of England voided of itself that Moment) we may Enact what Laws we please for the Good, Prosperity and Security of the said Province.  
4thly. That so soon as any are engaged with me, we shall begin a invidiam or draft together, such as shall give Ample Testimony of my sincere Inclinations to Encourage Planters, and settle a Free, Just and Industrious Colony there.   

III. The Conditions.  
My Conditions will relate to three sorts of People. 1st. Those that will buy. 2dly. Those that take up Land upon Rent. 3dly. Servants. To the first, The shares I sell shall be certain, as to number of Acres; that is to say, every one shall contain five thousand Acres, free from any Indian encumbrance, the Price a Hundred Pounds, and for the Quit Rent but one English Shilling, or the value of it yearly for a hundred Acres, which such as will may now or hereafter buy of to an Inconsiderable matter; but as I hold by a small Rent of the King, so all must hold of me by some Rent, for their own Security, and the said Quit Rent not to be paid till 1684. Or such as can only reach to small parcels, may ten of them buy, each 500 Acres, or any other part of a share, so they be added together to make a Township. To the second sort that take up Land upon Rent, they shall have liberty so to do, paying yearly one Penny per Acre, not exceeding two hundred Acres. To the third sort, to wit, Servants that are carried over, fifty Acres shall be allowed to the Master for every Head, and fifty Acres to every Servant when their time is expired, as well Women as Men: And because some engage with me that may not be disposed to go, it were very advisable for every four Sharers to sand an Overseer, which would well pay the Cost.  
The dividend may be thus, if the Persons concerned please, a Tract of Land shall be surveyed; say fifty thousand Acres to a hundred Adventurers, in which some of the best shall be set out for Town, or Cities, and there shall be so much ground allotted to each in those Towns as may maintain some Cattle, and produce some Corn: Then the Remainder of the fifty thousand Acres shall be shared among the said Adventurers, whereby every Adventurer will have a considerable quantity of Land together; likewise every one a proportion by a Navigable River, and then backward into the country The manner of dividend I shall not be strict in; we can but speak roughly of the matter here, but let men Skilful in Plantations be consulted, and I shall leave it to the Majority of Votes among the Adventurers when it shall please God we come there, how to fix to their own content.   

IV. These Persons that Providence seems to have most fitted for Plantations, are  
1st. Industrious Husbandmen, and day Labourers, that are hardly able( with extreme Labour) to maintain their Families and Portion their Children.  
2dly, Laborious Handicrafts, especially Carpenters, Masons, Smiths, Weavers, Taylors, Tanners, Shoe-makers, Ship-wrights, &c. where they may be spared, or are low in the World; and as they shall want no encouragement, so their Labour is worth more there than here, and their Provision Cheaper.  
3dly. A Plantation seems a fit place for those Ingenious Spirits, that being low in the world, are much clogged and Oppressed about a livelihood, for the means of Subsisting being easy there, they may have time and opportunity to gratify their Inclinations, and thereby improve Science and help Nurseries of People.  
4thly. A fourth sort of men to whom a Plantation would be proper, takes in those that are younger Brothers of small Inheritances; yet because they would live in sight of their Kindred in some proportion to their Quality, and can't do it without a Labour that looks like Farming; their Condition is too strait for them, and, if married, their Children are often too numerous for the Estate, and are frequently brought up to no Trades, but are a kind of hangers on, or retainers to the Elder Brothers Table and Charity; which is a mischief, as in itself to be lamented, so here to be remedied; for Land they have next to nothing, which( with moderate Labour) produces Plenty of all things necessary for Life, and such an Increase as by traffic may supply them with all Conveniencies.  
Lastly, there are another sort of persons not only fit for, but necessary in Plantations; and that is, men of universal Spirits, that have an eye to the good of Posterity, and that both understand and delight to promote good Discipline and just Government among a plain and well-intending people; such Persons may find room in Colonies for their good Counsel and Contrivance, who are shut out from being of much use or service to great Nations, under settled Customs.   

V. The Journey and its Appurtinances, and what is to be done there at first coming  
Next let us see, what is fit for the journey and place, when there, and also what may be the Charge of the Voyage, and what is to be expected and done there at first That such as incline to go may not be to seek here, or brought under any disappointment there, the Goods fit to take with them for use, or sell for profit, are all sorts of Apparel, and Utensils for Husbandry and Building, and household-stuff. And because I know how much people are apt to fancy things beyond what they are, and that imaginations are great flatterers of the minds of men: to the end that none may delude themselves with an expectation of an immediate amendment of their Conditions; so soon as it shall please God they arrive there, I would have them understand, That they must look for a Winter before a Summer comes; and they must be willing to be two or three years without some of the Conveniencies they enjoy at home: And yet I must needs say, That America is another thing than it was at the first Plantation of Virginia and New-England; for there is better accommodation, and English Provisions are to be had at easier rates. However I am inclined to set down particulars, as near as those inform me that know the place, and have been Planters both in that, and in the neighbouring Colonies.  
1st. The passage will come for Masters and Mistresses to about five Pounds ten Shillings a Head, for Servants five Pounds a Head, and for Children under seven years of age fifty shillings, except they suck, then nothing.  
Next being( by the Mercy of God) safely Arrived in September or October, two men may clear as much Ground by Spring( when they set the Corn of that Country) as will bring in that time twelve Month forty Barrels, which amounts to two Hundred Bushels, which makes twenty five Quarters of Corn; so that the first year they must buy Corn, which is usually very plentiful: They may so soon as they come, buy Cowes, more or less, as they want, or are able, which are to be had at easy Rates; For Swine, they are plentiful and Cheap, these will quickly Increase to a Stock, so that after the first year, what with the Poorer sort, sometimes labouring to others; and the more able Fishing, Fowling, and sometime buying, they may do very well, till their own Stocks are sufficient to supply them and their Families, which will quickly be and to spare, if they follow the English Husbandry, as they do in New-England, and New-York, and get Winter Fodder for their Stock.  
To conclude, I desire all my dear Country Folks, who may be inclined to go into those parts, to consider seriously the premises, as well the present inconveniencies, as future Ease and Plenty, that so none may move rashly. nor from a Fickle, but Solid Mind, having above all things an Eye to the Providence of God in the disposal of themselves: And I would further advice all such, at least to have the Permission, if not the good liking of their near Relations, for that is both Natural, and a Duty Incumbent upon all, and by this means will Natural Affection be preserved, and Friendly and Profitable Correspondence be maintained between them; in all which I beseech Almighty God to direct us, that his Blessing may attend our Honest endeavour, and then the Consequence of all our Undertaking will turn to the Glory of his great Name, and the true Happiness of us and our Posterity, Amen.  
William pen.    

POSTSCRIPT.  
WHoever are desirous to be concerned with me in this Province, they may be treated with, and further satisfied at Philip Ford's in Bow-lane in Cheapside, and at Thomas Rudyard's, or Benjamin Clark's in George-yard in Lombard-street London.