YALE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY

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AnHiftoricaland Geographical Account
OF THE
PROVINCE and COUNTRY
O F
PENSILVANIA; AND OF
Weft - New -Jerfey
AMERICA.
The Richnefs of the Soil, the Sweernefs of the Situation
the Wholefomrrefs of the Air, the Navigable Rivers.* and
others, the prodigious Encreafe-of Corn, the flourilhing
Condition of the Cily of Philadelphia*, with the ftately
Buildings, and other Improvements there. The ftrange
Creatures, as Bird,, Bea/is, Fijhes, and Fowls, with the
feveral forts of Minerals^ Purging Waters, dnd Stones,
lately difcoveved. The Natives, JborogmeS, their Lan
guage, \eUgion., Laws, and Cujloms ; The firft Planter*,
tht'Dutch, Sweeds, and Mngli/h, with the number of
its Inhabitants ; Asalfo a Touch upon George Keith's
New Religion, m his. fecond Chanee fince he Teft the
ajtAf^EliS

With .& Map of both Countries.

$y GABRIEL THOMAS,
"Who refided there about Fifteen Years.
London f Printed for, and Sold by A. Baldwin^ at
the Oxon Arms in Warwick-Lane^ 1 698.

LITHOGRAPH EI) FOR
lie nrt)3Utttm 18m&g,%ifmr^
rorxsEiLOR at law:
MEMBER OF THE MVV-YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETX&e.
/¦V r'ni/nur ,'Urt/ir//rr_J.
1848

THE
DEDICATIO N.
Friend William Penn ,
I Here prefent Thee with a mc-
cincT. (yet compleat) Account
ofthe late Improvement, and
Prefent State of the Noble Pro
vince, and Fertile Countrey of Ten-
JUvania ; with the ftrange things
that have been found there, as the
Salamander-Stone, and feveral others,
mentioned in this Treatife -9 difco* •
vered fince thou cameft out of thofe
Parts. I defire Thee to excufe me for
addretfmg to The-, fuch a Plain and
Peafknt-like Piece ; yet however
homely or coarfeit may appear,Th ou
wilt find here a true and genuine
A z De-

The 'Dedication.
Defcription of that (ontfe) obfcure,
tho' (now) glorious Place. So con
sidering how generous and candid
a Man Thouzxt, I know thou wilf
bear with my weak and imperfecr.
Performance, artd accept of my good
Meaning and kind Intention, which
may encourage me, in time to come,
to add fome more Memoirs to this
rough Effay oi mine. Being unwilling
to tire Thee wkh any long or tedious
Epiftle, I take my Leave of XW,
(Mod Noble and Excellent
Governor) and am
Thy hearty Weli-wijber } ever
rtady to [wye Thee on all
Occajioasy ( m the way of
Truth,)
Gabriel Thomas.

THE

THE

PREFACE, R eader,
THere never having been
any fair or full Account
given to the World of Pen-
filvania , I thought the Cu
rious wou'd he gratified with an
ample "Defcription thereof.
Bor tho this Country has
made little Noife in Story, or
td%en up hut frnall room in
Maps, jet thus much mtb
great fttflice may be- fmd of
it) that notmth/landing' the
A j Diffir

\

The Preface.
'Difficulties and Incoiwenien*
cies the Firft Englifh CoL
lorries met with before they 'were
Well fettled there , yet the
mighty Improvements, Additions,
and Advantages that have heen
made, lately there, are well north
Communicating to the TuhlicJL
and I am fenjible they will be
well receivd.
The late Tedious, Hazard
ous, and Expenfive War (in
which England, in ConjunUion
Voith the Allies was fo deeply en-
gdg'd) was without doubt no
fmall 'Bar or Oh (lack to the
Flourifhing of this Nevp Country.
The great Difcourtgemenls tbe
Traders thither lay under, (to
gether

The Preface.
gether with the frequent Capture
of their Ships out and home,coud
not chufe but baul\them in their
honeft Endeavours* which (now
Teace is refold) they may pur-
fue with greater Security and
Satisfa&ion. Nor is there the leafl aueftion
or doubt to he made, but this 'No
ble Spot of Earth will thrive ex
ceedingly , and that in afhort time
tQO) and advance confiderahly to
the mighty Advantage of theTre-
fent and Future Tropietors, who
have, and are willing to give all
due Encouragement to any that
fhall Tranfport themf elves thi*
. then I

The Preface.
I coud fay much here in
Traife of that fweet Trail of
Land, hut havinv fpoken fp
largely arid particularly thereof
in the Bool^ it felf, I [hallfoi-
bear the leafl mention in this
place. Nor will I Anticipate
or foreftai thee, hy prefenting
thee here with what thou wilt
find there, with the greater Sa-
tisfallion. And fo I bid thee
heartily fareiyel.

Gab. Thomas.

THE

r E UN ^ YIVAXTA^WEgT J URSIY

tTiT '"" "¦'  III'IJI

IB IS -t
ikIIIIM'IMIliU

tiitcs
l>j> Philip 'Xea Lon?on.

THE
HISTORY O F
Tenflvanid, &G

PEvfiliuama lies between the
Latitude of Forty and
Forty five Degrees ; Wefi-
Jerfey ontheEaft, Vtrgi-
xe'aon the W e\\.,Ma.iy-La?U South,
and Canada- on the North. In
Length three hundred, and in
Breadth one hundred and eighty
Mijes. The Natives, or firft Inhabi
tants of this Country in their Ori
ginal, are fuppos'd by moft Peo
ple to have been of the Ten Scat
tered Tribes, for they refemble
the Jews very much in the Make
B of

The tiiftory
of their Perfpns, and Tinttureofc
their Complexions : They obferve
New Moons, they offer their first
Fruits to aMandcfix fuppos'dDei-
ty, whereof they have two, one,
as they fanfie, above (good,) ano
ther below (bad^) and have a kind
of Veafl of TabervaclesfaymQ their
Altars upon Twelve Stones, ob
ferve a fort of Mourning twelve
Months, Caftoms of Women, and
many other Kites to be toucht
(here) rather than dwelt upon,be-
caufethey fhall be handled more
at large at the latter end of this
Treatife. They are very CharitabLe to
one another, the Lame and the
Blind (amongft them) living as
well as the beft ¦ they are alfo
yery kind and obliging to the
Christians. The next that came there,
were the Dutch, (who call'd the
Country New NeU'herla,n£) be
tween Fifty and Sixty Years a-

of Peirfilvania.
go, and were the fail Planters in
thofe Parts; but they made lit
tle or no Improvement, (apply
ing themfelves wholly to Tra-
fique in Skins and Furs, which
the Tndiaw- or Natives furniilfd
them with, and which they Bar
tered for Rum, Strong Liquors,
and Sugar, with others, thereby
gaining great Profit) till near the
time or the Wars between Eng-
/a7tda.T\& Tbem, about Thirty or
Forty Years ago.
Soon after them came the
Swedes and Fins, who apply 'd
themfelves to Husbandry, and
were the firft Christian People
that made any considerable Im
provement there.
There were fomeDifputes be
tween thefe two Nations fame
Years, the Dutch looking upon
the Swedes as Intruders upon
their Purchase and Poffefilon,
which way abfolutely terminat
ed in the Surrender made by John
B % TMzcing

4 The Hiftory
Rizeing, the Swedes- Governour,
to Peter Styr&ant, Governour
for theD^^, in 1655. In the
Holland War about the Year
1665. Sir Robert Carr took the
Country from the Dutch for the
EngUfh, and left his Coufm, Cap
tain Carr, Governor of that place ;
but in a fhort time after, the
Dutch re-took the Country from
the Engtifh] and kept it in their
Poffeflion till the Peace was con
eluded between the Englifh and
them, when the Dutch Surren
dered that- Country with £,2/? and
Weji-ferfey, New-Tork, (with the
whole Countries belonging to
that, Government) to the Englifh
again. ' But it remain 'd with ve
ry little Impovement till the
Year 1681. in which William-
Pe?m Efq; had the Country given
him by King Charles the Second,
in lieu of Money that was due
to (and fignal Service done by)
his Father, Sir William Pem^ and
from him bore the Name of Pen-
fylvtmia. Since

of Penfilvania. 5
Since that time, the Induflri-
ous (nay Indefatigable) Inhabi
tants liave built aivc^and Beau-
riftd City, and called it Philadel
phia, which contains above two
thoufand Houfes, all Inhabited;
and moft of them Stately, and of
Brick, generally three Stories
high, after the Mode in London,
and as many feveral Families in
each. There are ' very many
Lanes and Alleys, as firlt, Hut-
tons-Eane, Morris-Ea-ne, Jones' 's-
Lane, wherein are very good
Buildings ; Shorters- Alley, Towers-
Lane, Wallers- Alky, Turners- Lane,
Sikes-AUey^ and Fhwers-AUey. AH
fhefe Alleys and Lanes ex tend from
the Front Street to the Second-
Street. There is another Alley in
the Second Street, called Carters-
Alley. There are alfo befides
thefe Alleys and Earns, feveral
fine Squares and Courts within
this Magnificent City, (for fo I
may )uftly call it,) As for the
particular Names of the feveral
B 3 Streets

Ihe Hiftory
Streets contained therein, the
Principal areas follows, viz, Wal
nut-Street, Vine-Street, Mulhe-rry.
Street, Chefnwt-Slreet, Saffafrts-
Street, taking their Names from
the abundance of thofe Trees
that formerly grew there; High-
Street,BroaA.-Street,Dela.ivare-Str<?el,
FronuStreet, with feveral of lefs
Note, too tedious to infert here.
It hath in it Three Fairs every
Year, and Two Markets every
Week, They kill above Twenty
Fat Bullocks every Week, in the
hotteft time in Summer, for their
prefent fpending in that City,
befides many Sheep , Calt/es,
and Hogs.
This City is Situated between
Schoolkill-River and the great
River Delaware, which derives its
Name from Captain Delaware,
who came there pretty early:
Ships of Two or Three Hundred
Tuns may come up to this City,
by either of thefe two Rivers.
Moreover, in this Province are
Four Great Market-Towns, viz,
Chefier,

of PenhTvama.
Chefler, the German Town, Nerv-
C affile, and Lewis-Town, which are
mightily Enlarged in this latter
Improvement. Between thefe
Towns, the Water-Men con-
flantlyPly their Wherries; like-
wife all thole Towns have Fdrs
kept in them, befides there are
feveral Country Villages, via.
Dublin, Harford, Merioneth, and
Radnor in Carfthry; all which
Towns, Villages and Rivers, took
their Names from the feveral
Countries whence the prefent In
habitants came.
The Air here .is very delicate,
pleaJant, and wholefom; tbe
Heavens ferene,, rarely overcaft,
bearing mighty refemblance to
the better part of France ; after
Rain they have commonly a ve
ry clear Sky, the Climate is fome-,
thing Colder m the depth of
Winter, and Hotter iu the height
of Summer ; (the caufe of which
is its, being a Main Land or
Continent; the Days alfo are
B 4 two

g The iiijtory
two Hours longer in thefhorteft
Day in Winter, and fhorter by
two Hours in the longed Day
of Summer) than here in Eng
land, which makes the Fruit fo
good, and the Earth fo fertil.
The Corn-Harveft is ended be
fore the middle of July, and mofl
Years they have commonly be
tween Twenty and Thirty
Bufhels of Wheat for every
one they Sow. Their Ground
is harrowed with Wooden Tyn-
ed Harrows, twice over in a.
place is fufficient; twice mend
ing of their Plow-Irons in a Years
time will ferve. Their Horfes
commonly go without being
fhod; two Men may clear be
tween Twenty and Thirty A-
cres of Land in one Year, fit for
the Plough, in which Oxen are
chiefly us'd, though Horfes are
not wanting, and of them Good
and well lnap,d. A Cart or a
Wain may go through the mid
dle of- the Woods, between the
Trees

of Penfilyania. 9
Trees without getting any da
mage, and of men Land in a
convenient place, the Purchafe
will coft between Ten and Fif
teen Pounds for a Hundred Acres. *
Here is much Meadow Ground.
Poor People both Men and Wo
men, wul get near three times
more Wages for their Labour in
this Country, than they can earn
either in England or Wales.
What is Inhabited of this
Country, is divided into Six
Counties, though there is-not the
Twentieth Part of it yet Peopled
by the ChrijHans; It hath in it
feveral TSJavigable Rivers for
Shipping to come in, bendesthe
Capital Delaware, whereiria Ship
of Two Hundred Tuns may
Sail Two Hundred Miles up.
There are alfo feveral other fmall
Rivers, in number hardly Cre
dible; thefe, as the Brooks, have
for the moft part gravelly and
hard Bottoms ; and it is iup-
pos'd that there are many other
further up in the Country, which are

IO The Hfilory
Site not yet difcover'd; the
Names of the aforefaid Rivers,
are, Hoorkill-Ri'ver, alias Lewis
River, which runs up to Lewis
Town, the chiefeft in Suffey. Coun
ty; Cedar-River, MusimeMon-Ri-
ver, all taking their Names from
the great plenty of thefe things
growing thereabouts ; Mother-fall
alias Dover-River, §{. Jones 's alias
Cranbrook-River, where one John-
Curtice lives, who hath Three
Hundred Head of Neat Beafts,
befides great Numbers of Hogs,
Horfes, and Sheep; Great Duci-
River^ Little Duck-River, Black-
Bird-River, thefe alfo took their
Original Names from the great
Nfumbers of thofe Fowls which
are found there in van* quan
tities : Apequinemy-River , where
their Goods come to be Carted
over to Mary-Land. St. Georges-
River, Chriften-River , Brandy-
Wine-River, Vpland alias Chester-
River, which runs by Chester-
Toim, being the Shire or Court- \
ty-Town ; Schoolhid-River, Frank- *
ford-

of Penfilvania. 1 1
ford-River, near which, Arthur
Coek hath a moft Stately Brick- j
Houfe; and Ntfha?nany-Rix'^r) i1
where Judge Growd#n< hath a ve
ry Noble and Fine Houfe, very
pleafantly Situated, and likewife
a Famous Orchard adjoyn-
ing to it, wherein are con tain 'd
above a Thoufand Apple Trees
of various forts ; likewife there
is the famous Derby-Rifer , which
comes down from the Cumbry
by Derby-Tnwn, wherein are fe
veral Mills, viz. Fuiling-MiUs, \
Corn-Mills, &c,
There is curious Building-Stone
and Paving-Stom, alfo Tile-Stow,
with which latter, Governor Penn
covered his Greet and St airly
Pile, which he call'd Pennsh-ury-
Houfe, the Name it ftill Tetains.
There is likewife Iron-Stone or
Oar, (lately found) which far ex
ceeds that in England, being
RicheTandlefsDrofly; fome Pre
parations have been made to
carry on an lion-Work : There is

s z fix Hislory-
is alfo very good Lime-Stone in great
plenty, and cheap, of great ufe
in Buildings, and alfo in Manu
ring Land, (if there were occa-
fion) but Nature has made that
of it felf fufficiently Fruitful;
befides here are Load-Stones, Tfing-
Glafs,axid (thatWonder of Stones)
the Salamander-Stone, found near
Brtwdy-Wim-River, having Cotton
in Veins within it, which will
not confume in the Fire, though
held there along time.
As to Minerals, or Metals,
there is very good Copper, far
exceeding ours in England, be
ing much Finer, and of a more
glorious Colour. Not two Mile
from the Metropolis, are alfo Purg
ing Mineral-Waters, that pafs both
by Siege and Urine, all out as
good asEpfom; And I have rea-
fon to- believe, there are good
Cools alio, for I obferv'd, the
Runs of Water have the fame
Colour as that which pro
ceeds from the Coal-Mines in
Wales. Here -

of Penfilvania. | ,
Here is curious Diverhon in
Hunting, Fifhing, and Fowling,
efpecially upon that Great and
Famous River Suskahanah, which
runs down quite through the
heart of the Country to Mary-
Land, where it makes the Head
of Chefepeck-Bay, in which place
there are an Infinite Number of
Sea and Land Fowl, of moft
forts, viz. Swans, Duds, Ted,
(which two are the mofl Grate
ful and moft Delicious in the
Woild) Geefe, Divers, Brands,
Snipe, Curlew; as alfo > Eagles, Tur-
kies (of Forty or Fifty Pound
Weight) Pheafants, Partridges,
Pidgeons, Heath-Birds, Black-
Birds; and that Strange and Re
markable Fowl, cali'd (in thefe
Parts) the Mocking-Bird , that
Imitates all forts of Birds in
their various Notes. And for
Fifh, there are prodigious quan
tities of moft forts, viz,. Shadds
Cats He.ids, She^eps -Heads, Her
rings \ Sm^Us, Roach, Eels, perch. As

1 4 The HiStory
As alfo the large fort of Fifh, as
Whales (of which a great deal
of Oyl is made) Salmon, Trout,
Sturgeon, Rock, Oyjlers, (fome
fix Inches long) Crabs, Cockles,
(fome as big as Stewing Oyfers of
which are made a Choice Soupe
or Broth) Canok and Muff els,
with many other forts of Fifh,
which would be too tedious td
infert. There are feveral forts of wild
Beafls of great Profit, and good
Food ; viz. Panthers, Woolves,
Either, Deer, Beaver, Otter, Hares,
Musk-Rals , Minks , Wild Cats,
Foxes, Rackoons, Rabils, and that
ffrange Creature, the Poffam,
fhe having a falfe Belly to fwal-
low her Yonng ones, by which
means fhe preferveth them from
danger, when any thing comes
to diflurbthem.. There are alfo
Bears fome Wolves, are pretty
well deflroy'd by the Indians,
for the fake of the Reward gi
ven them by the Chriftian-. for
that

of Penfilvania. \ j
that Service. Here is alfo that Re
markable Creature the Flying-
Squirrel, having a kind of Skinny
Wings, almoft like thofe of the
Batt:, though it hath the like
Hair and Colour of the Com
mon Squirrel, but is much lefs iu
Bodily Subflance; I have (ray
felf ) feen it fly from one Tree
to another in the Woods, but
how long it can maintain its
Flight is not yet exaftly known.
There are in the Woods abun
dance, of Red Deer (vulgarly call
ed Stags) for I have bought of
the Indians a whole Buck, (both
Skin and Carcafs) for two Gills
of Gunpowder. Excellent Food,
mofl delicious, far exceeding that
in Europe-, in the Opinion of mofl
that are Nice and Curious People.
There are vaft Numbers of other
Wild Creatures, as Elks, Bufa-
los, &.c. all which as well Beafts.
Fowl, and Fifh, are free and
Common to any Perfon who can
moot or take them, without anv

1 6 The Hiftory
any lett, hinderanee or Oppofi-
tion whatfoever.
There are among other vari
ous forts of Frogs^ the Butt-Frog,
which makes a roaring noife,hard-
ly to be diftinguifhed from that
well known of the Beafl, from
whom it takes its Name: There
is another fort of Frogthat crawls
up to the tops of Trees, there
feeming to imitate the Notes of
feveral Birds, with many other
ftrange and various Creatures,
which would take up too much
room here to mention.
Next, I fhall proceed to in-
flance in the feveral forts of Wild
Fruits, as excellent Grapes, Red,
Black, White, Mufcadel, and Fox,
which upon frequent Experience
have produe'd Choice Wine,
being daily Cultivated by skil
ful Vin&rons ; they will in a fhort
fpace of time, have very good
Liquor of their own, and fome
to fnpply their Neighbours, to
their

of Penfilvania. 1 7
their great advantage, as thefe
Wines are more pure, fo much
more wholfom ; the Brewing
Trade of Sophifticating and
Adulterating of Wines, as in
England, Holland, (efpecially) and
in fome other places not being
known there yet, nor in all pro
bability will it in many Years,
through a natural Probity fo
fixed and implanted in the In
habitants, and (I hope) like to
continue. Wallnuts, Chefnuts,
FiU/erts, Hechery-Nuts, Hartleber-
rtes, Mulberries, (white and black)
Raslerrks, Strawberries, Cramber-
ries, Plumbs oi feveral forts, and
many other Wild Fruits, in
great plenty, which are common
and free for any co gather; to
particularise the Names of them
aIl,would take up too much time ;
tire, not gratifie the Reader,
and. be inconfiftent with the in
tended Brevity of this little Vo
lume . C The

18 Tin Fftttory
The common Planting Fruit-
Trees, are Affhs, which from a
Kernel (without Inoculating)
will fhoot up to be a large Tree,
and produce very delicious, large,
and pleafant Fruit, of which
much excellent Cyder is made, in
tafte refembling that in England
prefs'd from Pippins and Pear-
mains, fold commonly for be
tween Ten and Fifteen Shillings
per Barrel. Pears, Peaches, Sec.
of which they diflil a Liquor
much like the tafle of Rumrn,
or Brandy, which they Yearly
make in great quantities : There
are Oainces, Cherries, Goosherries,
Currants , Squafhes, Pumfkins ,
Water-Mellons , Muskmellons , and
other Fruits in great Numbers,
which feldom fail of yielding
great plenty. There are alfo
many curious and excellent Phy-
fcal Wild Herbs, Roots, and Drugs
of great Vertue, and very fana-
tive, as the Sajfafras, and Sarfa-
farilU, fo much us'd in Diet-
Drinks

of Penfilvania. 19
Drinks for the Cure of the Ve-
neral Difeafe, which makes the
Indians by a right application
of them, zsahh Bafflers and<SWr-
geons as any in Europe, perform
ing celebrated Cures therewith,
and by the ufe of fome particu
lar Platan only, fmd Remedy in
all Smllings, Burnings, Cuts', &C,
There grows aifo in great plenty
the Black Snake-Root, (fam"d for
its fometimes preferving, but of
ten curing the Plague, being in-
fufed only in Wine, Brandy or
Rumrn) Rattle-Smke-Roor. Poke-
Root, called in England "^allof,
with feveral other beneficial
Herbs, Plants and Roots, which
Vhyfioims have approved of, far
exceeding in Nature and Vertue,
thofe of other Countries.
The Names of the Comities
are. as followeth ; Firft, Phtla-
ddphia/' County; Second, Backs
County; Third, Chejler. County;
Fourth, New-Cafih County; Fifth,
JQnt County ; Sixth, Suffex Coun-
C 1 ty.

zo The Htftory
ty. The chiefeft and moflcom-
modious places for raifmg Te-
bacco, as alfo for Breeding and
Improving all forts of Cattle,
are the Counties of Kent and
N&w-Cafih ; the other chiefly de
pend upon Railing and Improv
ing Engtifb Gram-, of which they
have a prodigious Encreafe,
which I have particularly- in-
flanced in the beginning of this
Book, both as to their Quality
and Quantity: All thofe Coun
ties alfo very much abound in
all forts of Cattle, both fmall
and great, for the Ufe and
Service of Man.
Their forts of Grain axe,Wheat,
Rye, Peafe, Oates, Barley ', Buck
wheat, Rice, IrUtan-Corn, Indian.
Peafe, and Beans, with great
quantities of Hemp and Flax ; as
alfo feveral forts of eating Roots,
as Turnips, Potatoes, Carratsf Parf-
ntps, Sec. all which are produe'd
Yearly in greater quantities than
in England, thofe Roots heing
much

of Ftn (il van ia. 21
much larger, and altogether as
fweet, if not more delicious;
Cucumbers , Cofhaws, Artichokes,
with many others ; moil forts of
Saladings, befides what grows
naturally Wild in the Country,
and that in great plenty alfo, as
Muflard, Rue, Sage, Mint, Tanzy,
Wormwood, Penny ^Royd and P-ur-
Jlain, and moft of the Herbs
and Roots found in the Gardens
in England. There are feveral
Husband Men, who fow Yearly
between Seventy and Eighty
Acres of J^^^each, befides Bar
ley, Oates, Rye, Peafe, Bea-ns, and
other Grain.
They have commonly Two
Harvefts in the Year ; Firft, of
EnglifhJVheat, and next of Buck,
(or French) Wheat. They have
great Stocks both of Hogs and
Horfes, kept m the Woods, out
of which, I faw a Hog kill'd, of
about a Year old, which weigh'd
Two Hundred weight; whofe
Flefh is much fweeter, and even
C 3 more

21 The Hifiory
more lufcious than that in Eng
land, becaufe they feed and fat
ten on the rich (though wild)
Fruits, befides thofe fatned at
home by Peaches, Cherries and
Affles. Their Horfes are very
hardy, infomuch that being ve
ry hot with riding or other-
wife, they are turn'd out into
the Woods at the fame Inliant,
and yet receive no harm ; fome
Farmers have Forty, fome Sixty,
and from that Number to Two
or Three Hundred Head of
Cattle : Their Oxen ufually weigh
Two Hundred Pounds a Quar
ter. They are commonly fatter
of Flefh, and yield more Tal
low (by feeding only on Grafs)
than the Cattle m England.
And for Sheep, they have confi-
derable Numbers which are ge
nerally free from thofe infectious
Difeafes which are incident to
thofe Creatures in England, as
the Rot, Scab, or Maggots ; They
commonly bring forth two
Lambs at once, fome twife in one
Tear,

of Penfilvania. zj
Tear, and the Wooll is very fine,
and thick, and alfo very white.
Bees thrive and multiply ex
ceedingly in thofe Parts, the
Sweeds often get great flore of
them in the Woods, where they
are free for any Body. Honey
(and choice too") is fold in the
Capital City for Five Pence per
Pound. Wax is alfo plentiful,
cheap, and a confiderable Com
merce. Tame Fowls, as Chickens,
Hens, Geefe, Ducks, Turkeys, &c.
are laTge, and very plentiful
all over this Countrey.
And now for their Lots and
Lands in City and Countrey,
in their great Advancement
fince they were firft laid out,
which was within the compafs
of about Twelve Years, that
which might have been bought
for Fifteen or Eighteen Shillings,
is now fold for Fourfcore Pounds
in Teady Silver ; and fome other
Lots, that might have been then
C a Pur-

24 The, Hiflory
Purchafed for Three. Pounds*
within the fpace of Two Years,
were fold fora Hundred Pounds
a piece, and likewife fome Land
that lies near the City, that
Sixteen Years ago might have-
heen Purchas'd for Six or Eight
Pounds the Hundred Acres, can
not now be bought under One
Hundred and Fifty, or Two
Hundred Pounds.
Now the true Reafon why
this Fruitful Countrey and Flo-
rifhing City advance fo confi-
derably m the Purchafe of Lands
both in the one and the other,
is their great and extended TTaf-
\ fique and Commerce both by
Sea and Land, viz>. to JVew-Tork,
New-England , Virginia , Mary-
Land, Carolina, "Jamaica, Barba
does, Nevis, Monferat, Antego, St.
Criftophers, Barmudoes , New-Found-
Land, Maderas^ Saltetudeous, and
Old-England; befides feveral o-
ther places. Their Merchandize
chiefly confifts in Horfes, Pipe-
Stavesj

of Peniilvanu. 25
Staves, Pork and Beef Salted and
Barrelled up, Bread, and
Flower, all forts of Grain, Peafe,
Beans, Skins, Furs, Tobacco, or
PotAJhes, Wax, 8tc. which are
Barter'd for Rumrn, Sugar, Mo-
lajfes, Silver, Negroes, Sals, Wine,
Linen, Houfhold-Goods, SdC.
However, there ftill remain
Lots of Land both in the afore-
faid City and Country, that a-
ny may Purchafe almoft as cheap
as they could at the firft Laying
out or Parcelling of either City
or Country; which is, (in the
Judgment of moft People) the
likeheft to turn to account to
thofe that lay their Money out
upon it, and in a fhorter time
than the aforementioned Lots
and Lands that are already im
proved, and for feveral Reafons.
In the firft place, the Countrey
is now well inhabited by the
Chrifhans, who have great
Stocks of all forts of Cattle, that
encreafe extraordinarily, and up- 071

2 6 The Biftory
on that account they are oblig'd
to go farther up into the Coun
trey, becaufe there is the chiefeft
and beft place for their Stocks,
and for them that go back into
the Countrey, they get the
richeft Land, for the beft lies
thereabouts. Secondly, Farther into the
Countrey is the Principal Place
to Trade with the Indians for
all forts of Pelt, as Skins and
Furs, and alfo Fat Venifon, of
whom People may Purchafe
cheaper by three Parts in four
than they can at the City of
Philadelphia.
Thirdly, Backwards in the
Countrey lies the Mines where
\s Copper and Iron, befides other
Metals, and Minerals, of which
there is fome Improvement
made already in order to bring
them, to greater Perfection; and
that will be a means to ere£t
more Inland Market-Towns, which

of Penfilvania. ij
which exceedingly promote
Traffick. Fourthly, and laftly, Becaufe
the Countrey at the firft, lay
ing out, was void of Inhabi
tants (except the Heathens, or
very few Chriftians not worth
naming) and not many People
caring to abandon a quiet and
eafie (at leait tolerable) Life in
their Native Countrey (ufually
the mofl agreeable to all Man
kind) to feek out a new hazard
ous, and careful one in a Fo
reign Wildernefs or Defart Coun
trey, wholly deftitute of Chri-
ftian Inhabitants, and even to
arrive at which, they mufl pafs
over a vaft Ocean, expos'd to
fome Dangers, and not a few In-
conveniencies : But now all
thofe Cares, Fears and Hazards
are vanifhed, for the Countrey
is pretty well Peopled, and very
much Improv'd, and will be
more every Day, now the Dove is

28 The Hifiory
isreturn'dwith the Olive-branch
of Peace in her Mouth.
I muft needs fay, even the
prefent Encouragements are ve
ry great and inviting, for Poor
People (both Men and Women)
of all kinds, can here get three
times the Wages for their La
bour they can in England or
Wales. I fhall inftance in a few,
which may ferve ; nay, and will
hold in all the reft. The firft
was a Black-Smith, (my next
Neighbour) who himfelf and
one Negro Man he had, got
Fifty Shillings in one Day, by
working up a Hundred Pound
Weight of Iron, which at Six
Pence per Pound (and that is the
common Price in that Coun
trey) amounts to that Summ.
And for Carpenters, both
Houfe and Ship, Brick-layers, Ma-
Jons, either of thefe Trades-Men, will

of Penfilvania. 2p
will get between Five and Six
Shillings every Day conflantly.
As to Journey-Men- Shooe-Makers,
they have Two Shillings per
Pair both for Men and Womens
Shooes: And Journey-Men Tay
lors have Twelve Shillings per
WTeek and their Diet. Sawyers
get between Six and Seven Shil
lings the Hundred for Cutting
of Pine-Boards. And for Wea
vers, they have Ten or Twelve.
Pence the Yard for Weaving of
that which is little more than
half a Yard in breadth. Wooll-
Combers , have for combing
Twelve Pence per Pound. Por
ters have Sixteen Pence for an
Earthen Pot which may he
bought in England for Four
Pence. Tanners, may buy
their Hides green for Three
Half Pence per Pound, and
fell their Leather for Twelve
Pence per Pound. And Curriers
have Three Shillings and Four
Pence per Hide for Drefling it ;
they buy their Oyl at Twenty Pence

jo The HiStory
Pence ?#• Gallon. Brick-Makers
have Twenty Shillings per Thou-
fand for their Bricks at the Kiln.
Felt-Makers will have for their
Hats Seven Shillings a piece,
fuch as may be bought in Eng
land for Two Shillings a piece;
yet they buy their WooU com*
monly for Twelve or Fifteen
Pence per Pound. And as to
the Glaziers, they will have
Five Pence a Quarry for their
Glafs. The Rule for the Coo
pers I have almofl forgot; but
this I can affirm of forne who
went from Briflol, (as their
Neighbours report) that could:
hardly get their Livelihoods
there, are now reckon'd in Pen-
ftlvania^ by a modeft Computa
tion to be worth fome Hun
dreds, (if not Thouiands) of
Pounds. The Bakers make as
White BTead as any in London,
and as for their Rule, it is the
fame in all Pans of the World
that I have been in. The But-
chers for killing aBeaft, have Five
Shillings

of Penfilvania. j l
Shillings and their Diet; and
they may buy a good fat large
Cow for Three Pounds, or there
abouts. " The Brewers fell fuch
Beer as is equal in Strength to
that in Lotidon, half Ale and
half Stout for Fifteen Shillings
per Barrel ; and their Beer hath a
better .Name, that is, is in more
efteem than Knglifh Beer in Bar
badoes, and is fold for a higher
Price theTe. And for Stiver -
Smiths', they have between Half
a Crown and Three Shillings an
Ounce for working their Silver,
and for Gold equivalent. Pla.-
jterers have commonly Eighteen
Pence per Yard for Plaftering.
Lajl-Makers have Sixteen Shil
lings per dozen for their Lafts.
And Heel-Makers have Two
Shillings a dozen for their Heels.
Wheel and Mill-Wrights, Joyners,
Br afters, Pewter ers, Dyers, Fullers,
Comb-Makers, Wyer-Draivers, Cage-
Makers, Card-Makers, Painters,
Carters, Rope-Makers, Carvers,
Bdock-Makers , Turners , Button-
Makers,

^i The Hi/lory
Makers, Hair and Wood Sieve-
Makers, Bodies-Makers, Gun-
Smiihs, Lock-Smiths, Nailers, File-
Cuter s, Skinners^ Furriers, Glovers,
Patten-'MaJters, Watch-Makerss
Clock-Makens, Sadler s ,C 'oiler-Makers ¦,
Barbers, Printers, Book-Binders,
and all other Trades-Men, their
Gains and Wages are about the
fame proportion as the fore-
mentioned Trades in their Ad
vancements, as to what they
have in England.
Of Lawyers and Phyficians I
fhall fay nothing, became this
Countrey is very Peaceable and
Healty; long may it fo continue
and never have occafion for the
Tongue of the one, nor the Pen of
the other, both equally deilruc-
tive to Mens Eftates and Lives ;
befides forfooth, they, Hang-
Man like, have a Licenfe to Mur
der and make Mifchief. Labour
ing-Men have commonly here,
between 14 and 15 Pounds a
Year, and their Meat, Drink,
Wafhing

of Penfitvania. 3 3
Wafhing and Lodging; and by
the Day their Wages is general
ly between Eighteen Pence and
Half a Crown, and Diet alfo ;
But in Harveft they have ufual-
ly between Three and Four Shil
ling each Day, and Diet. The
Maid Servants Wages is common
ly betwixt Six and Ten Pounds
per Annum, with very good
Accommodation. And for the
Women who get their Livelihood
by their own Indufhry, their
Labour is very dear, for I can
buy in London a Cheefe-Cake
for Two Pence, bigger than
theirs at that price when at the
fame time their Milk is as cheap
as we can buy it in London, and
their Flour cheaper by one half.
Corn and Flelh, and what
elfe ferves Man for Drink,
Food and Rayment, is much
cheaper here than in England,
or elfewhere ; but the chief rea-
fon why Wages of Servants of
all forts is much, higher here
D than

3 4 The Fliftory
than there, arifesfrom the great
Fertility and Produce of the
Place; befides, if thefe large
Stipends were refufed them,
they "would quickly fet up for
themfelves, for they can have
Provifion very cheap, and Land
for a very fmall matter, or next
to nothing in comparifon of the
Purchace of Lands in England;
and the Farmers there, can bet
ter afford to give that great
Wages than the Farmers in Eng
land can, for feveral Reafbns ve
ry obvious.
As Firft, their Land cofts
them (as I faid but juft now)
little or nothing in comparifon,
of which the Farmers com
monly "will get twice the en-
creafe of Corn for every Bti-
fhel they fow, that the Farmers
in England can from the richeft
Land they have. In

of Penfilvania. ^
In the Second place, they hav e
conflantly good price for their
Corn, by reafon of the great
and quick vent* into Barbadoes
and other Iflands ; through which
means Sih'er is become more
plentiful than here in Eng-
lmdi confidering the Number
of People, and that caufes a <
Juick Trade for both Corn and
iattle; and that is the reafon
that Corn diners now from the
Price formerly, elfeit would be
at half the Price it was at then ;
for a Brother of mine (to my
own particular knowledge) fold
within the compafs. of one Week,
about One Hundred and Twen
ty fat Beafts, moft of them good
handfom large Oxen.
Thirdly, They pay no Tithes,
and their Taxes are mconfideta-
ble ; the Place is free for all Per
flations, in a Sober and Civil
way ; for the Church of England
and the Quakershevx equal Share
Pa in

36 The History
in the Government. They live
Friendly and Well together;
there is no Perfecution for Re
ligion, nor ever like to be ; 'tis
\ this that knocks all Commerce
\ on the Head, together with high
ilmpofrs, IfrifrLaws, and cramp -
ling Orders. Before 1 end- this
Paragraph, I fhafl add another
Reafon why Womens Wages
are fo exorbitant ; they are not
yet very numerous, which makes
them ftand upon high Terms
for their feveral Services, in
Sempftering, Waffling, Spinning,
Knitting, Serving, and in all the
other parts of their Imploy-
ments; for they have for Spin
ning either Worfted or Linen,
Two Shillings a Pound, and
commonly for Knitting a very
Courfe pair of Yarn Stockings,
they have half a Crown a pair;
moreover they are ufually Mar-
ry'd before they are Twenty
Years of Age, and when once in
that Noofe, are for the moft
part a little nneafie, and make their

of Penfilvania. 37
their Husbands fo too, till they
procure them a Maid Servant
to bear the burden of the Work,
as alfo in fome meafure to wait
on them too.
It is now time to return to
the City of Brotherly- Love (for
fo much the Greek Word or
Name Philadelphia imports)
which though at prefent fo ob-
fcure, that neither the Map-
Makers, nor Geographers have ta.-
ken the leaft notice of her,
tho fhe far exceeds her "Name-
fake of Lydia, * (having above
Two Thoufand Noble Houfes G*r^j/-/
for her Five Hundred Ordinary) Miks
or Celifia, or Ccelefyria; yet in a^om
very fhort fpace of time fhe b'myma-
will, in all probability, make a
a fine Figure in the World, and
be a moft Celebrated Emporeum.
Here is lately built a Noble
Town-Houfe or Guild-Hall, alfo a
Handfom Market-Hook , and
a con venien t Prifon-. The Num
ber of Chriftians both Old and
D 3 Young

3 8 The Hifiory
Young Inhabiting in that Coun
trey, are by a Modeft Compu
tation, adjudged to amount to
above Twenty Thoufand.
The Laws of this Countrey,
are the fame with thofe in Eng
land; our Conftitution being on
the fame Foot: Many Difputes
and Differences are determined
and compofed by Arbitration ;
and all Caufes are decided with
great Care and Expedition, be
ing concluded (generally) at fur-
theft at the Second Court, unlefs
they happen to be very "Nice and
Difficult Cafes ; under Forty Shil
lings any one Juftice of the Peace
has Power to Try the Caufe.
Thieves of all forts, are oblig'd
to reftore four fold after they
have been Whipt and Impri-
fon'd, according to the Nature
of their Crime ; and if they be
not of Ability to reftore four
fold, they muft be in Servitude
till 'tis fatisfied. They have
Curious Wharfs as alfo feveral large

of Penfilvania: ^9
large, and fine Timber- Yards,
both at Philadelphia, and Neti-
Caflle, efpecially at the Metropo
lis, before Robert Turner's Great
and Famous Houfe, where are
built Ships of confiderable
Burthen; they Cart their Goods
from that Wharf into the City
of Philadelphia, under an Arch,
over which part of the Street is
built, which is called Chefnut-
Street-Wharf, befides other Wharfs,
as High-Street Wharf, Mulberry-
Street Wharf, and Vin&-Sreet
Wharf, and all thofe are Com
mon Wharfs; and likewife there
are very pleafant Stairs , as
Trus and Carpenter-Stairs ; befides
feveral others. There are above
Thirty Carts belonging to that
City, Four or Five Horfes
to each. There is like-
wife a very convenient Wliarf
called Carpenter's Wharf which
hath a fine neceffary train be
longing to it, with fuitable
Granaries, and Store-Houfes. ' A
Ship of Two Hundred Tun may
D 4 load

40 The Hifiory
load and unload by the fide of-
it, and there are other Wharfs
(with Magazines and Ware-Houfes)
which front the City all along
the River, as alfo a Curious and
Commodious Dock with a Draw-
Bridge to it, for the convenient
Reception of Veffels; where
have been built fome Ships of
Two or Three Hundred Tuns
each : They have very Stately
Oaks to build Ships with, fome
of which are between Fifty and
Sixty Foot long, and clear from
Knots, being very ftraight and
well Grain'd. In this famous
City of Philadelphia there are fe
veral Rope-Makers, who have
large and curious Rope-Walks e-
ipecially one Jofeph Wilcox. Al
fo Three or Four Spacious Mdt-
Houfes, as many large Brew-
Houfes, and many handfom Bake-
Houfes for Publick Ufe.
In the faid City are feveral
good Schools of Learning for
Youth, in order to the Attain ment

of Penfdvania. 41
ment of Arts and Sciences, as al
fo Reading, Writing, &c. Here
is to be had on any Day in the
Week, Tarts, Pies, Cakes, &c.
We have alfo feveral Cooks-Shops,
both Roafting and Boyling, as in
the City of London; Bread, Beer,
Beef, ana P<?r/£,are fold at any time
much cheaper than in England
(which anfes from their Plenty)
our Wheat is .veiy white and
clear from Tares, making as
good and white Bread as any
in Europe. Plappy Bleflings, for
which we owe the higher! Grati
tude to our Plentiful Provider,
the great Creator of Heaven and
Earth- The Water-Mills far ex
ceed thofe in England, both for
quicknefs and grinding good
Meal, their being great choice of
good Timber, and earlier Corn
than in the aforefaid Place, they
are made by one Peter Deal, a Fa
mous and Ingenious Workman,
elpecially for inventing fuch
like Machines.

4^ The Hiftory
All, forts of very good Paper
are made in the Gemnan+Town;
as alfo very fine German Linen,
fuch as no Perfon of Quality
need he afham'd to wear ; and
in feveral places they make very
good Druggets, Crapes, C*™hlets,
and Serges, befides other WooUen
Chathes, the Manufacture of all
which daily improves : And iri
moft parts of the Countrey there
are many Curious and Spacious
Buildings, which feveral of the
Gentry have erected for their
Country-Houfes. As for the
Fruit-Trees they Plant, they ar
rive at fuch Perfection, that
they bear in a little more than
half the time that they com
monly do in England.
The Chrifiian Children, born
_here are generally welt-favoured,
and Beautiful to behold; I ne
ver knew any come into the
World with the leaft blemifh on
any part of its Body, being in the
general, obferv'd to be better
Natur'd, Milder, and more ten der

of Penfilvania. 43
der Hearted than thofe born in
England. There are very fine and de
lightful Cardens and Orchards, in
moft parts of this Countrey;
but Edward Shippey (who lives
near the Capital City) has an
Orchard and Gardens adjoyning
to his Great Houfe that equa
lizes (if not exceeds) any I have
ever feen, having a very famous
and pleafant Surnmer-Houfe e-
rected in the middle of his ex
traordinary fine and large Gar
den abounding with Tulips, Pinks,
Carnations, Rofes, (of feveral forts)
Lilies, not to mention thofe
that grow wild in the Fields.
Reader, what I have here
written, is not a Ft&ion, Flam,
Whhpi, or any finifler Defign,
either to impofe upon the
Ignorant, or Credulous, or to
curry Favour with the Rich and
Mighty, but in meer Pity and
pure

44 The H&ory
pure Compaffion to the Num
bers of Poor Labouring Men,
Women, and Children in Eng
land, half ftarv'd, vifible in their
meagre looks, that are continual
ly wandering up and down
looking for Employment with
out finding any, who here need
not lie idle a moment, nor "want
due Encouragement or Reward
for their WTork, much lefs Va
gabond or Drone it about. Here
are uo Beggars to be feeu (it is
a Shame and Difgrace to the
State that there are fo many in
England) nor indeed have any
here theleaftOccafion or Temp
tation to take up that Scandalous
Lazy Life.
Jeaioufie- among Men is' here
very rare; and Barrennefs among
Women hardlv to be heard of,
nor are old Maids to be met
with ; for all commonly Marry
before they are Twenty Years
of Age, and feldom any young
Married

of Penfilvama.. 45
Married Worrian but hath a
Child in her Belly, or one upon
her Lap.
What I have deliver'd con
cerning this Province, is indif-
putably true, I was an Eye-Wit-
nefs to it all, for I went in the
firft Ship that was bound from
England for that Countrey, fince
it received the Name of Penfd-
vania,, which was in the Year
1 68 1. The Ship's Name was
the John and Sarah of London,
Henry Smith Commander. I
have declin'd giving any Ac
count of feveral things which I
have only heard others fpeakof,
becaufe I did not fee them my
felf, for I never held that way
infallible, to make Reports from
Hear-fay. I faw the firft Cellar
when it was digging for the
ufe of our Governour WM. Penn.

46 The Hiftory
I fhall now hafle to, a Con-
clufion, and only hint a little
concerning the Natives or Abo
rigines, their Perfons, Language,
Manners, Religion and Govern
ment; .Oi Perfon- they are ordi
narily Tall, Straight, well-turn'd,
and true Proportion'd ; their
Tread ftrong and clever, gene
rally walking with a lofty Chin.
Of Complexion Black, but by
defign, Gypfie-like, greafing them
felves with Bears-Fat Clarified,
and ufing no defence againft the
Injuries of the Sun and Wea
ther ', their Skins fail not to be
Swarthy. Their Eyes are fmall
and black. Thick Lips andftat Nofes
fo frequent with Negroes and
Eajk Indians, aTe rare with them.
They have Comely Faces and
Tolerable Complexions, fome
of their Nofes having a rife like
the Roman. Their

of Penfilvania. 47
Their Language is Lofty and
Elegant, hut not Copious >, One
Word ferveth in the flead of
Three,, imperfect and ungram-
matical, which defects are fiip-
ply'd by the Underftanding of
the Hearers. Sweet, of Noble
Sound and Accent. Take here
a Specimen.
Hodi hit a -net husk a a-peechi, nee,
machi
Penfilvania huska dogwachi. ke-
fhow a peechi
Novna, huska hayly, Chetena ioon
peo. Thus in Engtifh.
Farewel Friend,I will very quick
ly go to
Penfilvania, very cold Moon will
come prefently,
And very great hard frofts will
come quickly.

48 The Hittory
I might Treat largely of their
Cufloms and Manners, but that
will not agree with my pro-
pofed Brevity.
As foon as their Children are
born, they wafh them in cold
Water, efpecially in cold Weather.'
To harden and embolden them,
they plunge them in the River ,
they find their Feet early, ufual
ly at Nine Months they can go.
The Boys Fifh till Fifteen, then
Hunt, and having given proof
of their Manhood, by a large
return of Skins, they may Mar
ry (elfe 'tis afhame to think of
a Wife) which is ufually at the
Age of Seventeen or Eighteen ;
the Girls flay with their Mothers,
and help to hoe the Ground,
Plant Corn, bear Burdens, and
Marry about Thirteen or Four
teen.

of Penfilvania. 45?
Their . Houfes are Matts, or
Barks of Trees fet on Poles,
Barn-like, not higher than a
Man, fo not exposed to Winds.
They lie upon Reeds or Grafs.
In Travel they lodge in the
Woods about a great Fire, with
the Mantle of Dufrils they wear
wrapt about them, and a few
Boughs ftuck round them.
They live chiefly on Maze, or
Indian Corn- rofted in the Afhes,
Ovnetimes beaten and boyl'd with
Water, called Homine. They have
Cakes, not unpleafant; alfo
Beans and Peafe, which Nourifh
much, but the Woods and Ri
vers afford them their Provifion;
they eat Morning and Evening;
their Seats and Tables are the
Ground; they are, referv'd, apt
to refent and retain long: Their
Women are Chafte (at leaft af
ter Marriage) and when with
Child, will not admit of their
E Hus-

jo The Hiftory
Husbands Embraces any more
till Dehver'd. Exceeding Libe
ral and Generous; Kind and
Affable; uneafie in Sicknefs, to
remedy which, they drink a De
coction of Roots in Spring- Wa
ter, forbearing Flefh, which if
they happen to eat, it rnuft be
the Female; they commonly
bury their Kettles and part of
their Goods with their Friends
when they die, fufpecting (poor
Souls) they fhall make ufe of
them again at the Refurrection.
They Mourn a whole Year,
but it is no other than black'
ing their Faces.
Their Government is Mo
narchical, and Succeflive, and
ever of the Mothers (the fureft)
fide, to prevent a Spurious Iflue.
The Diftaff (as in France) is ex
cluded the Regal Inheritance.
Their Princes are Powerful, yet
do nothing without the Con
currence of their Senate, or
Councils,

of Penirivania. 51
Councils, confifting chiefly of
Old, but mixt with Young Men ;
flow and deliberate, {Spaniard-
like) in refolving, naturally wife,
and hardly to be out-witted.
Their Punifhmentsare Pecuniary.
Murder may be aton'd for by
Feafts and Prefents, in Propor
tion to the Quality of the Offence,
Perfon, or Sex injur'd; for if a
Woman be kilfd, the Mulct
is double, becaufe fhe brings
forth Children. They feldom
quarel. when Sober, and if
Boozy, (which of late they are
more apt to he, having learn'd
to drink, a little too much
Rum of the Chriftians, to their
lhame) they readily pardon it,
alledging the Liquor is Criminal
not the Man.
The way of Worfhip the
SmedsMicin this Countrey, is the
Lutheran; the Englifh have four
forts of Aflemblies or Religious
Meetings here : as firft, The
E 2 Church

52 The Hi/lory
Church of England, who built
a very fine Church in the City
of Philadelphia in the Year 1695.
Secondly, the Anabaptifls : Third
ly, the Presbyterians, and two
forts of Quakers (of all the moft
numerous by much) one Party
held with George Keith', but
whether both Parties will joyn
together again in one I cannot
tell, for that Gentleman hath
alter'd his Judgment fince he
Came to England, concerning his
Church-Orders in Penfilvania,
by telling and fbewing them
Precepts that were lawful in the
time of the Law, but forbidden
under the Gofpel to pay Tithes,
or Minifters to Preach for
Hire, eye. As alfo to fprinkle
Infants ; and he tells the Presby
terian Minijler, That he muft go
to the Pope of Rome for his"
Call, for .he had no Scripture
for it, and that Water-Baptifm
and the Outward Supper are not
of theNature of the Everlafling Gofpel ;

of Penfilvania. j*
Gofpel ; nor effential Parts of it,
fee his Truth Adv anced-'page 173
He gives likewife a ftrict Charge
concerning plain Language and
plain Habit, and that they
fhould not be concern'd in the
compelling part of the World
ly Government, and that they
fhould fet their Negroes at Liberty
after fome reafonable time of Ser
vice ; likewife, they fhould not
take the Advantage of the Law
againft one another, as to pro
cure them any Corporeal Pu-
nifhment : Thefe Orders he tells
his Followers,' would make Di-
ftinction between them and
Jews and Moral Heathens, this
was in the Year 169J. in Pen
filvania'. But now the Year 169-7.
fince he came to England, his
Judgment is chang'd, for he
tells his Difciples, that Water-
Baptifm is come in the room of
Circumcifion ; and by fo doing,
they would diftinguifh them
felves from either Jews, Pagans,
E j or

*4 The Httlory
or Moral Heathens: He keeps
his Meeting once a Week at
Turners-Hau in Fill-Pot-Lane,
London, on Sundays in the After*
noon ; he begins between Two
and Three of the Clock and com
monly ends between Four and
Five. Friendly Reader, by this thou
mayft fee how wavering and
mutable Men of great Outward
Learning are, if the Truth of
this be by any Body queftion'd,
let them look in the Creed, and
the Paper againfl Chriflians being
concern d in Worldly Government,
and the Paper concerning Negroes,
that was given forth by the Ap
pointment of the Meeting held
by George Keith at Philip Jameses
Ftoivfe in the City of Philadel
phia, in Penfilvania; and his
Letter alfo in Mary-Land againft
the Presbyterian Catechifm, Printed
at Bojton in New-England in 1695.
with the Anfaer to it bound up
to-

of Penfilvania . er
together in one Book and in
Truth Advanced, page 173. And
for what relates to him fince in
England, let them look into the
Quakers Argument Refuted, Con
cerning Water-BapUfm and the
Lord's Supper, page 70. And
now Reader, I lhall take my
leave of thee, recommending
thee with my own felf to the
Directions of the Spirit of God
in our Conference, and that will
agree with all the Holy Scrip
tures in its Tight place ; and when
we. find our felves fo, we have
no need to take any Thought
or Care what any Body ffiall
fay of us.

Th End of the Hifiory of
Penfilvania.

An Hiftorical Defcripticm
OFTHE
PROVINCE and COUNTRY
O F
Weft-New- J er fey
AMERICA.
A ihortView of their Laws, Cuftoms and l{elig%m: As
alfo the Temperament of the Air and Climate; The
(itnefs of the Soil, with the vaft Produce of I{rce, gcc.
The Improvement of their Lands (as in E^gfaad) to
Vaflure. Meadows. 8cc. Their making great quanti
ties of Pitch and Tar, as alfo Turftntine, which -pro
ceeds from the Vine Trees, with Ro^tn as clear as
Gum-Arabick, with particular Remarks upon their
Town}, Fairs ami Mar\ei s ; with the great Plenty of
Orl and Wheat-Bone made from the great number of
Whales they yearly- take : As alfo many other Profita
ble and New Improvements.

Never made Publick. till now.
<By GABRIEL THOMAS.
L OlsTJD ON:
Printed in the Tear 1698.

IITHO GPvAPHED POPv
COUNSELLOR AT LAW;
MEMBER OF THE W-YDMBISTOBIUI SOCIETY &c
1848.

To the Right Honoura
ble Sir John Moor,
Sir Thomas Lane,
Knights and Alder
men of the City oj
London, and to u
reft of the Worthy
Members of the
Weft-Jerfey "Pro.
frietors. Worthy Friends,
TO whom can the
Hiftory of ,
ferfey with more
ftice pertain, than to
F 2 you

t

T'he Epifile.
you the Noble and
Generous Proprietors,
That was the chief
Motive that inclined
me to this Dedica
tion, which I hope
will be the more ac
ceptable to you, be
caufe the Account of
that Country is fo
Sincere and Candid.
I have endeavour'd
(by letting forth) the
great Encouragements
there are) to perfuade the

The Efijlle.
the Poor, the Idle, the
Lazy,& the Vagabonds
of thefe Kingdoms and
of Wales to haften thi-
ther,that they may live
plentifully and happi
ly ,and 1 doubt not but
they willhearken to it,
becaufe it is their true
lntereft. I have done
my beft endeavours to
pofTeis them and others
of the great Fertility
and Plenty in thofe
Parts, which I need
not repeat to you, who
muft needs be well ac,
F 3 quainted

The Epiftle.
quainfed with the
State of that Place.
That it may Flourifh
and mightily tend to
your Advantage, as
alfo to the Benefit of
England^the hearty de-
fire of your Friend,

Gabriel Thomas.

THE
PREFACE

To THE

READER Courteous Reader,
MT Chief Defign
in writing this
fhort Account of
Weft-New-Jerfey, is
to inform all (hut efpe-
cially the <Poor) what
Ample and Happy Live.
lihoods Teople may gain
b 4, m

The Preface.
in thofe Parts, whereby
they may fuhfifl very
well -without either 'Beg
ging or Stealing, for if
they $tea\they are Whipt^
and obligd to pay Four
Fold\ and if they are
not of Ability to do that,
they muft abide in Ser
vitude till they haroe
made Satisfaction to the
injur d Perfon : And if
they fhould be Lazry and
turn to Beg, they mil
gel nothing by that Bafe
and Scandalous Imploy-
ment 5 Bui if they be fo
¦ Toor

The Preface.
Poor that they have not
of their own to fupply
their Wants and Necef
fities, nor are able lo
WorT^, they will have
no need to Beg, for 'Peo
ple out of their own free
Compaffion andpure Chari
ty mllrelieve them in their
Necejfiiies. Now if this
were all, (though it is
nof) it would be a fujfi*
dent Encouragement fo
the Idle, the Sloathful,
and the Vagabonds of
England , Scotland,
and Ireland to hafien
thither*,

The Preface.
thither, where befides this,
they have a fair pro-
fpe& of gelling confide,
rable Eflates, al leaf
of living <very 'Plenti
fully and Happily, whifih
Medium of Life is far
better than lingering out
their Days fo mifera-
bly 'Poor and half Star
ved 5 or Whipping,
Burning, and Hanging
for ViUanies, they mill
have little Temptation,
may or Inclination to per
petrate here. The French
Refugees or Proteftant 'People,

The Preface.
People, wou'd foon find
it their Interefh to re
move thither, where they
woud live far better than
in Germany, Holland,
Ireland or England.
Written by one who ear-
neftly wifheth thy Well-
fare and Brofperity in the
ways of the Lord, and
then thm canft not do
ami) sin this World.

Gab. Thomas THE

THE
HISTORY OF
Weft - New -jferfey.

WEJl-New-Jerfey lies
between the La
titude of Forty,
and Forty two
Degrees •, "having the Main Sea
on the South , Maft-Jerfiy on
the

The Mfiory
the North, Hud/bn's Bay on the
Bail , and Venfilvania on the
Weft. The firft Inhabitants of
this Countrey were the In
dians , being fuppofed to
be part of the Ten difperfed
Tribes of Iftael ; for indeed
they are very like the Jews in
their Perfbns, and fomething in
their Prattices and Worfhip
for they ( as the Penfilvanian
Indians) obferve the New Moons
with great Devotion , and Re
verence : And their firft Fruits
they offer , with their Corn
and Hunting-Game they get in
the whole Year , to a Falle
Deity or Sham-God , whom
they mull pleafe , elfe ( as
they fancy) many Misfor
tunes will befal them, and great
Injuries will be done them.
When they bury their Dead,
they put into the Ground with
them

of Weft-New- Jerfey.
fchern fbme Houfe-U tennis, and
fome Money, (as Tokens of
their Love and Affection) with
other Things , expecting they
fhall have Occafion for them
again, in the other World.
And if a Perfon of Note dies
very far from the Place of his
own Refidence they will carry
his Bones home fbme confide-
rable time after , to be bu
ried there. They are alfo ve
ry curious , nay , even nice in
preferving and repairing the
Graves of their Dead. They
do not love to be asked twice
their Judgment about one Thing.
They are a People who generally
delight much in Mirth, and are
very iludious in obferving the
Vertues of Rods and Herbs, by
which they cure themfelves of
many Dhtempers in their Bo
dies , both internal or exernal.
They will not fufFer their
Beards to grow \ for they will

The Hittory
will pluck the Hair off with
their own Fingers as foon as
they can get hold of it , hold
ing it great Deformity to have
a Beard. They are very lo
ving to one another ; for if
three or four of them come in
to a Chriftian's Houfe, and the
Mafter of it happen to give
one of them Victuals, and none
to the reft , he will divide it
into equal Shares among them :
And they are alfo very kind
and civil to any of the Chri
ftians ; for I my felf have had
Victuals cut by them in their
Cahbins, before they took any
for themfelves., Their chief
Imployment is in Hunting ,
Fifhing , and Fowling , and
making Canows, or Indian Boats
and Bowls , in all which Arts
they are very dexterous and
ingenious: Their Womens Bu-
finefs chiefly confifts in plan
ting of Indian Com, and pound ing

of WeiWSIew-Jerfey.
ing it to Meal , in Mortars ,
with Peftils, ( as we beat our
Spice ) and make Bread , and
drefs their Victuals , which
they perform very neatly and
cleanlily. They alfo make
Indian Mats, Ropes, Hats, and
Baskets , ( fome of curious
Workmanfhip) of their Hemp,
which there grows wild, and
Natural ; in the Woods , in
great Plenty. In fhort } the
Women are very ingenious in
their feveral Imployments as
well as the Men. Their young
Maids are naturally very mo-
deft and fhamefac'd : And their
young Women when newly
married , are very nice and
fhy , and will not fuffer the
Men to talk of any immodeft
or lafcivious Matters. Their
Houfes are , for the moft
part , cover'd with Chejhutt
Bark, but very clofe, and warm,
infomuch that no Rain can
G go

5 The Hiftory
go through. Their Age in
Computation may be com
pared with the Chriftians.
Their wearing Habit is com
monly Deer-Shns , or Duffies.
They don't allow of mention
ing the Name of a Friend
after his Death ; for at his
Deceafe, they make their Face
black all over with black
Lead ; and when their Affairs
go well with them, they paint
their Faces with red Lead, it
being a Token of their Joy,
as the other is of their Grief.
They are great Obfervers of
the Weather by the Moon.
They take great Delight in
Cloaths of various Colours.
And are fo punctual that if
any go from their firft Offer
or Bargain with them, it will
be very difficult for that Par
ty to get any Dealings with
them any more , or to have
any farther Converfe with
rhem;

of Weft-New- Jerfey.
them ; And moreover ft is
worthy of Remark, that when
a Company of them are got
together , they never interrupt
or contradict one another , - 'till
two of then! have made an
end of their Difcourfe; for if
never fo many be in Compa
ny only two muft difcourie
at a time, and the reft muft
keep Silence. The Englifb and
they live very peaceably, by
reafon the Englifb fatisfies them
for their LancL
As to the manner of their
Language , it is high and
lofty , with a Short Sentence.
Their way of counting is by
Tens , as to fay Two Tens ,
Three Tens , Four Tens, Five
Tens, crc.
I fhall now proceed to fhow
fbmething of the manner and
way of Difcourfe that happens
G 2 between

8 The ffiftary
between them andcheNeighbour-
ing Chriftians that ufe to deal
and traffick with them, or when
they meet one another in the
Woods accidentally , one
a looking for his Car
tel , and the other a Hun
ting the Wild Deer , or o-
ther Game , by way of
Queftions and Anfwers. I
fhall put the Indian, Tongue
on one fide of the Leaf, and
the Englifb juft oppofite. Their
Difcourfe is as followeth.

The Indian The Englifb of
Tongue. it.
Queft. Hi- ^/.Friend,
l ah lahoman ? from whence
com'ft ?
Anfw. Ando- Anfiv. Yon-
gowa neeweekin. der.
Queft. Tony Queft. Where
andogowafaeivee- yonder ?
bin ? Jnfa.

of Weft-New-Jerfey. p

Ar-

Kjco "kee
Nee

Anfw.
¦waymoufe.
Queft.
kee hatah
wee&m? Anfw.
hatah huska wees
youfe og huska
chetena chafe og
hu,sika oril che-
kenty.
Queft. CUn-
go kee leto nee
chafe og youfe
etka chekmip.

Anfw.
lopa stka
kifbquicka.

Ha
ni fh a

Oueft. Kjco
kee hata, kee wec-
hin?

Anfw. My
Houfe. Queft.Where
is thy Houfe?
Anfw. Jrway-
moufe , which
is the Name
of an Indian
Town.
Queft. What
haft got in thy
Houfe? Anfw. I have
very fat Veni-
fon, and good
ftrong Skins ,
with very good
Turkeys. Queft. When
wilt thou bring
Skins

me

anc

Venifon , with
Turkeys ?
Anfw. To
morrow , or
two days hence-
G 3 Queft.

lo

Anfw. Nee
hata orit foonk
og huska horit
haloons eika ne-
skec og march-
~ke& ochqueon.

(0 huskia orit.)
Queft. Kje
namewneskec Ita-
hay og Tnarch-
keo moos eika
opeg zvegis?
Anfw. Ma-
ta namen megis
nee namen ne-
skec iabay ¦un*
dogwa tekany.
Queft. Kje
Tiamtn march-
kec 7noos -undo-
gwa tekeny*

The Biflory Queft. What
haft thou got
in thy Houfe ?
Anfiv. I have
good Powder,
and very good
Shot, with red
and blue Mach-
cots. (Very well.)

Queft. Did'fr
thou fee black
Horfes and red
Cows , with
white Sheep ?
Anfw. I faw
no Sheep : I
did fee black
Horfes yonder
in the Woods ?
Queft. Did'ft
fee red Cows
yonder in the
Woods?

Anfw,

of Weft-New- Jerfey. 1 i
Mo- Anfw. Yes.

Anfw
gy. Queft. £«
fqua og enychan
hatah ?
Anfw. Mo-
83- Queft. /O-
£&z- hatah ?
Anfw. Neo.
Queft. B*-
noingtid etka
fquabid ?
Anfw. Ni-
fba henoiniid og
nifha fquaiid.
Queft. Tong-
iid e?iyohan ha
tah? '
Anfw. Mo-
gy.
Queft. Etka

Neo

aroolt e

Queft. Haft
thou a Wife
and Children ?
Anfw. Yes.
Queft. How
many haft ?
^#/w\ Four.
Queft. Boys
or Girls ?
Anfw. Two
Boys and two
Girls.
Queft. Haft
got a young
Child ?
Anfw

Anfw.

Queft.
old? Anfw.
months.

Yes. How Four

G

Queft.

iz The IliUory
Queft. Etka Queft. How
aroofifelee? old art thou?
Anfw. Eele- Anfw. Fifty
nacheenckan ka- years old.
tingan- aroofts.
In the next Place I fhall give
an account of their way in
counting or numbering; which
is as followeth.
The Indian The Englifh to
Counting. it.
Kjoty vifhi One , Two,
nacha neo Jiele- Three , Four ,
nach Kciotafb ni- Five,Six,Seven,
fhafh choefh fe- Eight , Nine ,
skonk teien. Ten.
Nifhinehkan Twenty ,
nachinohkan neo- Thirty, Forty,
chinohkan pelen.' Fifty, wc.
chinchhan. The

of Weft»New»Jerfey. \ ^
The Names of fome of the
Indians.
Anachkooting, Buffabenaiing^ 0-
konycan, Potasko, Quindamen, La
mes , AlpoongaM, Xfihank, Hiton,
Temeny. The Dutch and Sweeds in
form us that they arc great
ly decreafed in number to what
they were when they came
firft into this Country : And
the Indians themfelves fay ,
that two of them die to ' e-
very one Chriftian that comes
in here. Reader, 1 fhall not in-
fift any farther upon this Subje£t,
becaufe what is deficient or
fhort here , is inferted already
in the preceding Hiftory of Pw-
filvama; for the Natives both
of that, as well as of this Coun
try, fpeak the fame Language,
and live after the fame manner; for

14 The Hittory
for my chief aim , in the
next place , is to acquaint thee
how', and after what manner
the Chriftians live there And
I hope I have pleafed thee fo
far , as it may prove a means
to encourage me to give a lar
ger Defcription hereafter.
The next who came there
were the Dutch; "which was
between Forty and Fifty Years
agoe, though they made but
very little Improvement , only
built Two or Three Houfes ,
upon an Bland (called fince by
the Englift ) Sraciez-Iftand ; and
it remained fo , till about the
Year 1675. in which King
Charles the Second ( or the
Duke of Tork ( his Brother )
gave the Countrey to Edward
Bitting , in whofe time , one
Major Eenwick} went thither ,
with fome others , and built
a pretty Town , and call'd it
Salam;

Weft-TSJew-Jerfey.
Salam; and in a few Years
after a Ship from London, and
another from Hull, iail'd thi
ther with more People , who
went higher up into the Coun
trey, and built there a Town,
and called it Burlington, which
is now the chiefeft Town in
that Countrey, though SdUm is
the ancienteft ; and a fine
Mariet-Town it is , having fe
veral Fairs kept yearly in it;
likewife well furnifhed with
good flore of moft Neceffaries
for humane Support , as
Bread , Beer , Beef, and Pork •
as alfo Butter and Cheefi _,
of which they freight feve
ral VefTels , and fend them
to Barhadoes , and other I-
flands. There are very many fine
fla.leh Brick-Houfes built, and a
commodious Dock for Veffels to come
in at , and they claim equal
Privi-

l6 The Hiftory
Privilege with Burlington for
the fake of Antiquity ; tho'
.that is the principal Place ,
by reafon that the late Go
vernor Cox , who bought that
Countrey of Edward Bitting, en
couraged and promoted that
Town chiefly , in fettling his
Agents aji&Deputy-Governors there,
( the fame Favours are conti
nued by the New -Weft -Jerfey
Society , who now manage
Matters there ) which brings
their AfTemblies and chief Courts
to be kept there ; and , by
that means it is become a
very famous Town , having
a great many ftately Briok-
Houfes in it, ( as I faid before)
with a delicate great Market-
Houfe , where they keep their
Market: It hath a noble and
fpacious Hall over-head, where
their Seftions is kept, having the
Prifbn adjoining to it. Like-

of Weft-~New- Jetfey. l j
Likewife in the faid Town
there are very many fine
Wharfs and large Timber-Tards,
Malt-Houfes, Brew-Houfes, Bake-
Houfis; and moft forts of Trades-
Men, (whofe Wages are upon
the fame Foot with the Pen-
fthanians) viz. C loath-Worker sy
who make very good Serges,
Druggets, Crapes, Camblets, (part
Silk or Worfted, and part Camels
Hair) and good Plujhes, with
feveral other Woollen C loathes, be
fides Linnen.
There are many Fair and
Great Brick Houfes on the out-
fide of the Town which the
Gentry have built there for their
Countrey Houfes, befides the
Great and Stately Palace of John
Tateham Efq; which is pleafant-
ly Situated on the North fide
of the Town, having a very fine
and delightful Garden and Or
chard

, s Tbe Bifiory
chard adjoyning to it, wherein
is variety of Fruits, Herbs,
and Flomrs; as Rofes, Tulips,
"luly-Flowers, Sun-Flowers (that
open and Ihut as the Sun Rifes
and Sets, thence taking their
Name) Carnaiions, and many
more; befides abundance of
Medicinal Roots Herbs, Plants,
and Flowers, found wild in the
Fields. There are kept alfo in this
Famous Town feveral Fairs
every Year-, and as for Pro-
vifions, viz. Bread, Beer, Beef,
Pork, Cheefe, Butter, and moft
forts of Fruit here is great Plenty
and very Cheap ; all thofe Com
modities are to be bought every
Market-Day. A Ship of Four Hundred
Tuns may Sail up to this Town,
in the River Delaware; for I
mv felf have been on Board a
3 Ship

of WefVNew-Jerfey. jp
Ship of that Burthen there :
And feveral fine Ships and
VefTels (befides Governour Cox's
own great Ship ) have been
built there.
There are alfo two handfom
Bridges to come in and out of the
Town, called London and Tork-
Bridges. The Town Hands in an
Iftand, the Tide flowing quite
Tound about it. There are
Water-Men who conftantly Ply
their Wherry Boats from that
Town to the City of Philadel
phia in Penjilvania, and to other
places. Befides there is Glo-
cefter-Town, which is a very Fine
and Pleafant Place, being well
ftor'd with Summer Fruits, as
Cherries, Mulberries, and Straw
berries, whither Young People
come from Philadelphia in the
Wherries to eat Straberries and
Cream, within fight of which
City it is fweetly Situated ,
being

lo The Hiflory
being but about three Miles
diftance from thence.
There are feveral Meetings of
Worfhip in this Country, viz,
the Presbyterians, Quakers, and
Analaflifts •. Their Privilege as
to Matter of Law, is the fame
both for Plaintiff and Defendant.
as in England.
The Air is very Clear, Sweet
and Wholefom ; m the depth of
Winter it is fome thing colder,
and as much hotter in the
heighth of Summer than in
England. Commonly (with them)
the Days differ two Hours in
length from ours here. The
longeft Day in Summer
is fhorter by two Hours
than the longeft Day in Eng
land, and the fhorteft Day lon
ger by two Hours than with
us here. As

of Weft-New- Jerfey. % \
As for Corn, they have Wheat,
Rye, Peafe, Oaies, Barley, Rice, 8cc.
in vaft quantities: Alfo Indian-
Corn, Peafe and Beans, like-
wife Englifh Hemp and Flax,
which profpers there exceeding
ly. Eating Roots, Pumpkins,
Cufhews, Water-Melons, Muskmel-
lons, Cucumbers, Squafhes, Carrots,
Artichokes, Potatoes, Turnips, Gar-
lick, Onions, and Leeks grow
there in greater Plenty than in
Enland. And for Herbs, they
have Cabbages, Coleworts, Savoys,
Lettice, Pur/lam, and other Sal-
lads in abundance; befide Wild
Herbs which are there very
commom, as Penny-Royal, Mint,
Muftard, Sage, Rue, Tanfey, &c.
and likewife there are choice Phi-
fical Roots, as Saffafras, Sarfa-
pariUa, Black-Snake-Root, Rattle-
Snake Root, and Poaie-Root, with
divers others, which there is
great flore of. H Of

it The &i(lory
Of Fiih,they have Whales,Stur-
geon, Cod, Scale-Fifh, Cole and
Hale-Fifh, large Mackeril, Flat-
fifh, Rock, Shadds,Caites, Eels, Perch,
and many other forts in pro
digious Shoals : And Wild-Wa
ter-Fowl, as Geefe, Ducks, Swans,
Divers, &c. are very numerous,
even beyond all expecta
tion. As to Land-Fowl, Tur
keys, Geefe, Pheafants, Partridges,
Pigeons, Woodcocks, Blackbirds, etc.
they, are there in extraordinary
great abundance, and very large.
There is alfo that uncommon
and valuable Bird (being near
thebignefs of a Cuckoo) called
the Mocking-bird (known, but
not very well in England, being
fo very Nice and Tender, that
they ufually die by the way)
with feveral other Charm
ing and Curious Birds, too te
dious here to fpecifie.

As

of Weft-New- Jerfey. 2\
As to the Wild Vermin,
There are Otters, Beavers,
Foxes, Mush-Rats Minx's, Wild-
Cats, Raokoons , Pollcats , and
alfo that cunning Creature the
Poffom , particularly mention'd
and diftinguiih'd in the an-
nex'd Account of Penfilvania for
its remarkable Qualities, whi
ther I Tefer the Reader, not in
the leaft being fond of Tauto
logy. This Creature is about the
bignefs of an Englifb Cat, be
ing of a light gray colour. Like-
wife there were fome Wolves
and Bears, but now they are
very rare to be feen, by Tea-
fon the Indiana . deftroy them
(as before). Alfo that ftrange
Creature the Flying Sguirril,
mention'd in the foregoing
Book. There are great num
bers of Wild Deer, and Red
Deer alfo ; and thefe wild Crea
tures are free and common for
,H 2 any

24 The Hi (lory
any to kill and take. And for
Wild Fruits, there are Chefnuts.
Filberts , Hickery-Nuts , . Grapes ,
Mulberries, Strawberries, Rasberries,
Hucklelerries!2.Ti&Craneberries,~wiih.
feveral forts of Plumbs, and all
thofe Fruits in great plenty being
free foT any Body to gather.
Now I am a coming to the
Planted Fruit-Trees, as Apples,
Pears, Apricocks, Quinces, Plumbs,
Cherries, Goofeberries , Currants , and
Peaches ^rova which laft they diftil
a liquor as mPenfilvania,much like
Rumrn or Brandy,m the tafte ; and
all thofe Trees will come to bear
in a little more than half the time,
they do in England, the Soil is
fo rich; they have great plenty
of the aforementioned Fruits ,
which are exceeding delicious.
Thefe, as alfo many other Fruits
that come not to any pitch of
Perfection in England, are the
Natural Product of this Coun
try, which lies warmer, being mote

oj Weft-New -Jerfey. 25
more befriended by the Sun's
hot and glorious Beams, which
without doubt is the chief
Caufe and true Reafon, why
the Fruit there fo far ex-
cells the EngUfh. They have
likewife great Stocks of Horfes
and Hogs, raifed in the Woods ;
of the latter of which I have
feen fome of a Prodigious-
Weight that only fed there, their
Horfes are very hardy ,ftrong,and
of good Spirit for Labour or Tra
velling; they commonly go un-
fhod (which in many Years
faves much Money). Their
Plow-fhears require hut fmall
Reparation, wearing out but
little. They Harrow their
Ground with a Wooden-tyned-
Harrow, and twice over does
the bufinefs.

Of Bees alfo they are well pro
vided^ aboundin Sheep naturally
H 3 Very

^6 TheJUftory
very found, and that ftand well,
the Rot, Scab, Maggots, osrc. rare
ly invading them ; they ufually
bring forth two Lambs at once,
and their Wooll is very fine,
white, and thick; they have
great Stocks of Cattle, as Cows,
Oxen, &c. Their Oxen com
monly weigh, well.
Tame Fowl there are (almoft)
incredible in numbers, vis. Geefe,
Turkeys, Hens, &c.
In this Country alfo is great
Plenty of working Timber , as
Oaks, Afh, Chefnuts, Pine, Cedar,
Walnut , Poplar , Firr , and
Mafts for Ships , with Pitch and
Roftn , of great Ufe and much
Benefit to the Countrey. Here
are feveral good Navigable Ri
vers , befides that famous Ri
ver Delaware ( which I have
mentioned elfewhere, and where
the Tobacco is excellent ) being deep

of Weft=New-Jeriey. 2.7
deep enough for Veffels to
come in : Firft , Prince Morife's
River, where the Sweeds ufed
to kill the Geefe in great num
bers, for their Feathers (only)
leaving their Carcaffes behind
them ; Coha?tJey River, by which
they fend great ftoTe o^Cedar
to PloiUdelphia-City ; Allaway-
Rirver ; Salam-Rtver, which runs
by. Salanv-Town ( of greater!
Antiquity ;) Naman-River, Rack-
coon- River, which had its Name
from the great numbers of
thofe Creatures that . always
abound thereabouts ; Old Man's
River ; Manto-Riroer ; Wood-
berry-Rroer ; Great Eggharbor
River ( up which a Ship of
two or three hundred Tuns
may fail) which runs by the
back part of the Country in
to the Main Sea ; I call it
back , becaufe the firft Im
provement made by the Chri
ftians , was Delawar River-fide :
H4 This

28 The Hiftory
This Place is noted for good
flore of Corn , Horfes , Cows ,
Sheep , Hogs, &c. the Lands
thereabouts being much im-
prov'd, and built upon : Little
Egg- Harbor-Creek, which take their
Names from the great abundance
of Eggs, which the Swans-, Geefe,
Ducks, and other wild Fowls or!
thofe Rivers lay thereabouts.- Tim
ber-River , alias Glocefter-~River,
which hath its Name ( alfo )
from the great quantity of curi
ous Timber , which they fend
in great Floats to Philadelphia,
a City in Penfilvania , as Oaks,
Pines , Chefnut , Afh , and Ce
dars. This River runs down
by Glocefter-Town, which is the
Shire-Town ; And Newton-Ri
ver, that runs by Newton ; Coo
per-River ; Penfokin-River ; Nor
thampton-River , with feveral o-
thers, at a convenient diftance
upon the Sea , the Shores
where-

of Weft-New-Jerfey. 29
whereof are generally deep and
bold) of lefs Note, as Wiffahifi
konk-River , that runs down
into the great River IDelaware,
by Burlington. The Countrey
inhabited by the Chriftians 'is
divided into four Parts or
Counties, tho"' the Tenth part
of it is not yet peopled ; 'Tis
far cheaper living there for Eat
ables than here in England ;
and either Men or Women that
have a Trade, or are Labourers,
can , if induftrious , get near
three times the Wages they com
monly earn in England.
Courteous Reader , As yet
I have given, thee no Account
of Eaft-Jerfey , becaufe I never
was there , fo in reality can
not properly or pertinently fpeak
to that Matter. I will not
pretend to impofe any thing
on the World , but have all
along,

30 The Hi (lory
along, and fhall ftill declare
nothing but Verity ; therefore
one Word of that by and by.
I might have given thee a much
larger Account of this Coun
trey , and have ftretch'd this
( now ) Pocket Volume to an
extraordinary Bulk and Size ;
and yet without ftrainmg or
deviating in the leaft from the
Principles of my Profeflion ,
which are Truth it felf. I- have .
no Plot in my Pafe , or deep
Defign, no , not the leaft ex
pectation of gaining any thing
by them that go thither , or
lofing by thofe who flay here.
My End chiefly in Writing ,
nay, indeed my great Aim, is
to inform the People of Bri
tain and Ireland in general, but
particularly the Poor, who are
begging, or near it, or ftar-
ving, or hard by it (as I be
fore took notice in my Pre
face) to encourage them (for
their

of Weft-New- Jerfey. ? ,
their own Good, and for the
Honour and Benefit of their
Native Countrey , to whom
they are now a Scandal and
Difgrace ; and whofe Milk and
Honey thefe Drones eat up, and
are befides a heavy Burden to the
Commonwealth, in the Taxes
paid by every Parifh in Eng
land, &c. to fupport them.
Law-Caufes are here ( as in
Penfilvania ) fpeedily determi
ned , in the fecond Court at
leaft , unlets in fome difficult
Bufinefs. One Juftice of the
Peace hath Power to try a
Caufe, and give Judgment there
in , if the Original Debt be
under forty Shillings. And for
Thieves and Robbers (as I hin
ted before in the Preface) they
muft reftore fourfold ; which, if
they are not able to do , they
muft work hard till the in
jured Perfon is fatisfied. I fhall

;i The Hifiory
I fhall conclude with a Word
or two on New-Eaft-ferfey. This
Countrey is exceeding fruitful in
Caiiel, of which I have feen
grreat numbers brought from
t- "~*ce, viz. Oxen, Cows, Sheep ,
Hogs, and Horfes, to Philadel
phia, tlie Capital of Fenfihxutia,.
The chiefeft Manufactory (be
fides Englifb and Indian Grain)
fit for Traffick that this Coun
trey affords.
Now I fhall give thee an
Account of the Englifb Manu
factory , that each County in
Weft-New-Jerfey affords. In the
firft Place I fhafl begin with Bur-
linglcn-Counly,as for Peltage, or Bea
vers Skins, Otter-Skins, Minks Skins,
Musk-rats Skins, Rackcoon, Wild
Cats , Martin , and Deer-Skins ,
8ac. The Trade in Glocefter-
County confifts chiefly in Pitch,
Tar, and Roftn; the latter of
which

of Weft-New-Jerfey. $ $
which is made by Robert Styles,
an excellent Artift in that fort
of Work, for he delivers it as
clear as any Gum-Arabtik. The
Commerce carried on in Sdam-
County, is chiefly Rice, of which
they have wonderful Produce
every Year; as alfo of Cran
berries which grow there in
great plenty, and which in
Picle might be brought to Eu
rope. The Commodities of Cap-
may-County, are Oyl and Whale-
Bone, of which they make pro
digious, nay vait quantities eve
iy Year, having mightily ad-
vanc'd that great Fifhery, tak
ing great numbers of Whales
yearly. This Country for the
general part of it, is extraordi
nary good, and proper for the
railing of all forts of Cattel,
very plentiful here, as Cows,
Horfes, Sheep, and Hogs, &c.
likewife itis well Stor'd with fe
veral forts of Fruits which make very

34 The HiHory, &c.
very good and pleafant Liquors,
fuch as their Neighbouring Coun
try before mention'd affords.
Now Reader, having no more
to add of any moment or im
portance, I falute theeinChrift;
and whether thou ftayeft in
England, Scotland, Ireland, or
Wales, or goeft to Penfilvania,
Weft or Eaft-Jerfey, I wifh thee
all Health and Happinefs in this,
and Everlafting Comfort (in
God) in the World to come.
Fare thee well.

FINIS.