An Abstract of a LETTER FROM Thomas Paskell OF PENNSILVANIA To his Friend J. J. of Chippenham.  
MY kind love remembered unto Thee, and thy wife, and to all the rest of thy Family, hoping that you are all in good health, as through the goodness of God we all are at this present writing; Excepting one of my servants, who was a Carpenter, and a stout young man, he died on board the Ship, on our Voyage. I thank God I, and my Wife, have not been sick at all, but continued rather better than in England; and I do not find but the Country is healthful, for there was a Ship that came the same day with us into the river, that lost but one Passenger in the Voyage, and that was their Doctor, who was ill when he came on board? and those people that came in since continue well. William Penn and those of the Society are arrived. W. P. is well approved of, he hath been since at New York. and was extraordinarily entertained, and he behaved himself as Noble. Here is a place called Philadelphia, where is a Market kept, as also at Upland. I was at Bridlington-fair, where I saw most sorts of goods to be sold, and a great resort of people; Where I saw English goods sold at very reasonable rates; The Country is full of goods, Brass and Pewter lieth upon hand, That which sells best, is Linen cloth, trading Cloth for the Indians; I bought Kersey and it doth not sell, Broad Cloth is wanting, and Perniston, and Iron-potts: and as for the Swedes, they use but little Iron in Building, for they will build, and hardly use any other tool but an Axe; They will cut down a Tree, and cut him off when down, sooner than two men can saw him, and rend him into planks or what they please; only with the Axe and Wooden wedges, they use no Iron; They are generally very ingenious people, lives well, they have lived here 40 Years, and have lived much at ease, having great plenty of all sorts of provisions, but then they were but ordinarily Clothed; but since the English came, they have gotten fine , and are going proud. Let all people know that have any mind to come hither, that they provide Comfortable things for their passage, and also some provisions to serve them here, for although things are to be had at reasonable rates here, yet it is in far to fetch, that it spends much time, so that it's better to come provided for half a Year then to want one day, I thank God we have not wanted, but have fared well beyond what we did in England.  
The River is taken up all along, by the Sweads, and Finns, and some Dutch, before the English came, near eight score miles, and the Englishmen some of them, buy their Plantations, and get room by the great Riverside, and the rest get into Creeks, and small rivers that run into it, and some go into the Woods seven or eight Miles; Thomas Colborne is three miles in the Woods, he is well to pass, and hath about fourteen Acres of Corn now growing, and hath gotten between 30 and 40 li. by his Trade, in this short time. I have hired a House for my Family for the Winter, and I have gotten a little House in my Land for my servants, and have cleared Land about six Acres; and this I can say, I never wished myself at Bristol again since my departure. I live in the Se●●●ll Creek, near Philadelphia, about 100 Miles up the River. Here have been 22 Ships with Passengers within this Year, so that provisions are some what hard to come by in some places, though at no dear rate, there is yet enough in the River, but it is far to fetch, and suddenly there will be an Order taken for continual supply. Now I shall give you an impartial account of the Country as I find it, as followeth When we came into Delawarebay, we saw an infinite number of small fish in shoals, also large fi●●● leaping in the Water: The River is a brave pleasant River as can be desired, affording divers sorts of fish in great plenty, it's planted all along the Shore, and in some Creeks, especially in Pensilvania side, mostly by Sweads, Finns, and Dutch, and now at last, English throng in among them, and have filled all the Rivers and Creeks a great way in the Woods, and have settled about 160 Miles up the great River; some English that are above the falls, have sowed this Year 30 or 40 bushels of Wheat, and have great stocks of ; Most of the Sweads, and Finns are ingenious people, they speak English, Swead, Finn, Dutch and the Indian; They plant but little Indian corn, not Tobacco; their Women make most of the Linen cloth they wear, they Spinn and Wove it and make fine Linen, and are many of them curious housewives: The people generally eat Rye bread, being approved of best by them; not but that here is good Wheat, for I have eaten as good bread and drank as good drink as ever I did in England, as also very good butter and cheese, as most in England. Here is 3 sorts of Wheat, as Winter, Summer, and Buck Wheat; the Winter Wheat they sow at the fall, the Summer Wheat 〈◊〉 March, these two sorts are ripe in June; then having taken in this, they blow the same land, and sow Buck Wheat, which 〈◊〉 ripe in September: I have not given above 2 s 6 d. per skipple, (which is 3 English pecks) for the best Wheat and th●t in goods which cost little more than half so much in England; here is very good Rye at 2 s per skipple, also Barley of 2 sorts, as Winter, and Summer, at 4 Guilders per skipple; also Oats, and 3 sorts of Indian Corn, (two of which sorts they can Malt and make good bear of as of Barley,) at four Guilders per Skiple, a Guilder is four pence half penny. I have bought good Beef, Pork, and Mutton at two pence per pound and some cheaper, also Turkeys and Wild-geese at the value of two or three Pound of Shot● apeice, and Ducks at one Pound of Shot, or the like value, and in great plenty: here is great store of poultry, but for Curlews, Pidgons, and Pheasants, they w●ll hardly bestow a shot upon them. I have Venison of the Indians very cheap, although they formerly sold it as cheap again to the Sweads; I have four Dear for two yards of trading cloth, which cost five shillings, and most times I purchase it cheaper: We had Bears flesh this fall for little or nothing, it is good food, tasting much like Beef; There have been many Horses sold of late to Barbadoes, and here is plenty of Rum, Sugar, Ginger, and Molasses. I was lately at 
* In New- Jersey.  Bridlington-fair, where were a great resort of people, with Cattle and all sorts of Goods, sold at very reasonable rates.  
Here are Gardens with all sorts of Herbs, and some more than in England, also Gooseberries and Roasetrees, but what other Flowers I know not yet: Turnips, Parsnips, and Cabbages, beyond Compare. Here are Peaches in abundance of three sorts I have seen rot on the Ground, and the Hogs eat them, they make good Spirits from them, also from Corn and Cherries, and a sort of wild Plums and Grapes, and most people have Stills of Copper for that use. Here are Apples, and Pears, of several sorts, Cherries both Black and Red, and Plums, and Quinces; in some places Peach Stones grow up to bear in three Years: the Woods are full of Oaks, many very high and straight, many of them about two foot through, and some bigger, but very many less; A Swead will tell twelve of the bigger in a day; Here are brave Poplar, Beach, Ash, Lyme-trees, Gum-trees, Hickary-trees, Sassafras, walnuts, and Chestnuts, Hazel, and Mullberies. Here grows in the Woods abundance of Wortle-beries, or Whorts, Strawberries and Blackberies, better than in England, as also three sorts of Grape; and Plums; Here is but few Pinetrees, and Cedar; Here is good Firestone plenty enough in most places: and the Woods are full of runs of water. I have lately seen some Salt, very good to salt meat with, brought by an Indian out of the Woods: they say there is enough of it: but for Minnerals or Metals, I have not seen any, except it be Marcasite, such as they make Vitriol or Copperis with in England. Here are Beavers, Rackoons, Woolves, Bears, a sort of Lions, Polecatts, Mushratts, Elks, Mincks, Squirrels of several sorts and other small Creatures, but none of these hurt unless surprised: also Rattle Snakes and black Snakes, but the Rattle Snacks I have not seen, though I have rambled the Woods much these three Months, since the beginning of September. The Indians are very quiet and peaceable, having their understandings, and qualifications, and when abused will seek revenge, they live much better since the English came; getting necessaries as cheap again as formerly, and many of them begin to speak English, I have heard one say, Swead no good, Dutch man no good, but Englishman good. William Penn is settling people in Towns. There are Markets kept in two Towns viz. Philadelphia, being Chiefest, Chester, formrely called Upland. To write of the Seasons of the Year I cannot, bun since I came it hath been very pleasant weather. The Land is generally good and yet there is some but ordinary and barren ground. Here are Swamps which the Sweads prize much, and many people will want: And one thing more I shall tell you, I know a man together with two or three more, that have happened upon a piece of Land of some Hundred Acres, that is all clear, without Trees, Bushes, stumps, that may be Ploughed without let, the farther a man goes in the Country the more such Land they find. There is also good Land, full of Large and small Trees, and some good Land, but few Trees on it. The Winter is sharp and the  are hard to keep. The people that come must work and know Country affairs; They must be provided with some provisions for some time in the Country, and also some to help along on Board the Ship. I have more to write, but am shortened in time. Vale.  
Thomas Paskell. Pensilvania, the last of January, 1682/3   

London, Printed by John Bringhurst, at the Sign of the Book in Grace-Church-Street. 1683.