The chief are Broad-street, better built, after the English Manner. King-street, and High-street, tho' there are several other handsome Streets that take their Names from the Productions of the Country; as Mulberry, Walnut, Beech, Sassafras, Cedar, Vine, Ash, and Chesnut Streets. From these Streets run great Numbers of Courts, Yards, and Allies, with well-built Houses in 'em. There are several Coves and Docks where large Ships are built; and by a moderate Computation, there has been launch'd from the Stocks of this City in forty Year, near 300 Sail of Ships, besides Small-Craft, which may in some sort give us an Idea of the Opulency of the Place. Many of their Merchants keep their Coaches, and the Tradesmens Shops and Streets are well frequented. All Religions are tolerated here, which is one Means to increase the Riches of the Place. The People of the Church of England as by Law establish'd, have a neat, well-built Church, founded in the Year 1695, and I am inform'd the Foundation is laid for another. The Quakers (who are the major Part of the Inhabitants) have several Meetings. There is a Swedish reform'd Church, Mr. Rudman the Incumbent, a Man of singular Learning and Piety; who is as much follow'd by the Quakers, when he preaches, as the Protestants. I shall beg leave to give one Instance of his Humility and Piety. When Subscriptions were taking in to build the Church, he subscrib'd a considerable Sum; but when call'd upon for the Money, he had it not in his Power to pay it; yet to keep his Word, he contracted with the Master-Builder for so much a-day, to carry the Hod, till he had work'd his Subscription-Money out. This was an Instance of his Piety and Zeal for Religion; and I fancy if Churches were to be built after the same Manner in a certain Island, the Work would go but slowly on. There are single Houses upon the Key that have cost 6000 7. the Building. Mr. Badcock's Brewhouse is a noble, large Building, and has in it one single Vessel that will hold eight Ton of Liquor. In this City is held the Courts of the Province, and the Assembly meet here, which is in the nature of a dependant Parliament, as in those Cities of France that are distant from the Capital. There are three Fairs in the Year, and every Week two Markets. In time of the Fairs the City is so throng'd, as well as the adjacent Plantations, that it is hard to find a Lodging. . . . ... The Number of the Inhabitants is generally suppos'd to be upwards of 15000, besides Slaves. There is hardly any Trade in England but the same may be met with in Philadelphia; and every Mechanick has better Wages; a Journeyman Taylor has twelve Shillings a Week, besides his Board; and every other Trade in Proportion has the same Advantage. There is a Post-Office lately erected, which goes to Boston in NewEngland, Charles-town in Carolina, and the other neighbouring Places. The uncultivated Ground, which is not grubb'd, sells for ten times the Value it did at first; though there is none of that sort within ten Miles round the City: And that within the Neighbourhood that was sold for ten Pound at first, will fetch above three hundred now. All Women's Work is very dear there, and that proceeds from the smallness of the Number, and the Scarcity of Workers; for even the meanest single Women marry well there, and being above Want are above Work. The Proprietor of this fine Country (as I said before) is William Pen, Esq; who has a fine Seat call'd Pensbury, built on three Islets, if I may so call 'em; for a Branch of the River Delaware runs thrice round it. . . . In the Heat of the Day I sometimes took a Walk with some of the Town to Fair Mount, a pleasant Place shaded with Trees on the River Schuylkill.... I continu'd at Philadelphia near four Months, and was very well entertain'd by the Gentlemen of the Place: I am pleas'd I have it in my Power to pay 'em my publick Acknowledgment of Thanks for all their Favours; particularly the Reverend Mr. Brooks, whom I met with by Chance at Philadelphia: His Business there was to raise Subscriptions for a new Church near New-York: When he heard of my Misfortunes, he was so generous and charitable as to offer to lend me a Sum of Money he had in his Hands, upon my bare Word only, which I was to return to him from England by the Society for Propagating the Gospel in Foreign Parts. As I was not in want of it, I did not accept his intended Favour, but I shall ever gratefully remember his kind Intentions. I must not forget the many Obligations I had the Honour to receive from his Excellency Governor Evans, nor Mr. Evans the Commissary, who was particularly civil to me. These Gentlemen, tho' of the same Name, are no otherwise related than by marrying the Daughters of Mr. Moor, the Collector of the King's Customs. The Commissary is just gone for Philadelphia again, having been in England near a Twelvemonth, about an Affair between the present Governor Sir William Keith and him, relating to the King's Customs. Among the rest of my Friends, I must not forget the facetious Mr. Staples, Dancing-Master, who was the first Stranger of Philadelphia that did me the Honour of a Visit, and to his merry Company I owe the passing of many a dull Hour, that probably might have lain heavy upon the Hands of a Man under my Circumstances, depriv'd of Fortune, in a strange Country, having no Friends, in whose Power it was to assist me, nearer than England; for Mr. Jones was too much involv'd in his own troublesome Affairs at Bermuda, to expect any thing from him. But the Generosity of the Philadelphians is rooted in their Natures; for it is the greatest Crime among them not to show the utmost Civility to Strangers: And if I were oblig'd to live out of my native Country, I should not be long puzzled in finding a Place of Retirement, which should be Philadelphia. There the oppress'd in Fortune or Principles may find a happy Asylum, and drop quietly to their Graves without Fear or Want. The Voyage, Shipwrack, and Miraculous Escape of Richard Castelman, Gent. (appended to The Voyages and Adventures of Captain Robert Boyle, London, 1726), 363-369 passim. 29. The Settlement of the Palatine Germans in New York (1709-1720) BY JOHN CONRAD WYSER AND OTHER PALATINES Wyser (or Weiser) was a German, a leader of his countrymen. The Palatines came from the "Pfalz," in the middle Rhine valley, and were forced to emigrate by the miseries of the wars of Louis XIV of France. - Bibliography: Channing and Hart, Guide, § 105.- For a previous account of German immigration, see Contemporaries, I, No. 163. TH HE Case of the Palatines, and others Germans, in the Province of That, In the year 1709. The Palatines, & other Germans, being invited to come into England about Four Thousand of them were sent into New York in America, of whom about 1700. Died on Board, or at their landing in that Province, by unavoidable sickness That before they went on Board, they were promised, those remaining alive should have forty acres of Land, & Five pounds Not true vide sterling p' Head, besides Cloths, Tools, Utensils & other contract. necessaries, to Husbandry to be given at their arrival in America That on their landing their they were quartered in Tents, & divided No promise but into six companies, having each a Captain of their own allowance made. Nation, with a promise of an allowance of fifteen Pounds per annum to each commander That afterwards they were removed on Lands belonging to Mr Livingstone, where they erected small Houses for shelter during the winter season That in the Spring following they were ordered into the woods, to make Pitch & Tar, where they lived about two years; But the country not being fit to raise any considerable quantity of Naval Stores, They were commanded to Build, to clear, & improve the ground, belonging to a private person That the Indians have yielded to Her late May of pious memory a small Tract of Land called Schorie for the use of the Palatines, they in fifteen days cleared a way of fifteen miles through the woods & settled fifty Families therein That in the following Spring the remainder of the said Palatines joined utterlie false the said fifty families so settled therein Shorie But that country being too small for their encreasing families, they were constrained to purchase some Neighbouring Land of the Indians for which they were to give Three hund Agt Acts not knowen it pieces of Eight And having built small Houses, & Hutts there about one year after the said purchase some gentelmen of Albani, declared to the Palatines, that themselves having purchas1 the said country of Schorie of the Gov of New York they would not permit them to live there, unless an agreement were also made with those of Albany; But that the Palatines having refused to enter into such an agreement, A Sheriff & some officers were sent from Albany to seize one of their Captains, who being upon his Guard; The Indians were animated against the Palatines; but these found means to appease the Savages by giving them what they would of their own substance. That in the year 1717 the Governour of New York having summoned the Palatines to appear at Albani, some of them being deputed went thither accordingly, where they were told, that unless they did agree with the Gentlemen of Albany, the Governor expected an order from England to transport them to another place, And that he would send twelve men to view their works & improvements to appraise the same & then to give them the value thereof in money But this not being done the Palatines to the number of about three Thousand, have continued to manure & to sew the Land that they might not be starved for want of Corn & food Fictions of knows not. For which manuring the Gentlemen of Albani have put in prison one man and one woman, & will not release them, unless they have suffic' security of One Hundred Crowns for the former Now in order that the Palatines may be preserved in the said Land of Schorie, which they have purchased of the Indians, or that they may be so settled in an adjoining Tract of Land, as to raise a necessary subsistance for themselves & their families, they have sent into England Three Persons one of whom is since dead humbly to lay their Case before His Maj, not doubting but that in consideration of the Hardships they have suffered for want of a secure settlement, His Majestys Ministers and Council will compassionate those His faithful Subjects; Who, in the first year after their arrival willingly and cheerfully sent Three Hundred men to the expedition against Canada, true. not true & afterwards to the Asistance of Albani which was threatened by the French and Indians, for which service they have never received One Penny tho' they were upon the Establishment of New York or New Jersey nor had they received one Penny of the five pounds per head promised at their going on board from England Neither have their commanders received anything of the allowance of fifteen pounds per Annum, and tho' the arms they had given them at the Canada expedition which were by special order from Her late Majesty, to be left in their possession, have been taken from them, yet they are still ready to fight against all the enemies of His Mat & those countrys whenever there shall be occasion to shew their hearty endeav's for the prosperity of their generous Benefactors in England as well as in America Therefore they hope from the Justice of the Right Hônble the Lords Commissioners of Trade and Plantations, to whom their Petition to their Excellencies the Lords Justices has been referred That they shall be so supported by their Lordships Report, as to be represented fit objects to be secured in the Land they now do inhabit or in some near adjoining lands remaining in the right of the Crown in the said Province of New York 2 Aug: 1720. And they shall ever pray as in duty bound &c E. B. O'Callaghan, editor, Documents relative to the Colonial History of the State of New-York (Albany, 1855), V, 553-555. |