the queen's expense, and were invited hither in 1722, (as a state policy,) by Sir William Keith when he was at Albany, for purposes of strengthening his political influence by favouring them.

In another letter of 1725, he calls them crowds of bold and indigent strangers from Germany, many of whom had been soldiers. All these go into the best vacant tracts, and seized upon them as places of common spoil. He says they rarely approach him on their arrival to propose to purchase; and when they are sought out and challenged. for their rights of occupancy, they allege it was published in Europe that we wanted and solicited for colonists, and had a superabundance of land, and therefore they had come without the means to pay. The Germans in after time embroiled with the Indians at Tulpehocken, threatening a serious affair.* In general, those who sat down without titles acquired enough in a few years to buy them, and so generally they were left unmolested. Logan speaks of one hundred thousand acres of land so possessed, and including the Irish squatters also.

"Bold master-spirits, where they touch'd they gain'd

Ascendence-where they fix'd their foot, they reign'd!"

The character of the Germans then known to him, he states, are many of them a surly people-divers of them Papists,-the men well armed, and, as a body, a warlike, morose race. In 1727, he states that six thousand Germans more are expected, and also many from Ireland; and these emigrations he hopes may be prevented in future by act of parliament, else he fears these colonies will, in time, be lost to the crown!-a future fact.

In 1729, he speaks of being glad to observe the influx of strangers, as likely to attract the interference of parliament, for truly, says he, they have danger to apprehend for a country where not even a militia exists for government support. To arrest their arrival in some degree the Assembly assessed a tax of 20 shillings a head on newly arrived servants.

In another letter he says, the numbers from Germany at this rate will soon produce a German colony here, and perhaps such a one as Britain once received from Saxony in the fifth century. He even states as among the apprehended schemes of Sir William Keith, the former governor, that he, Harland and Gould, have had sinister projects of forming an independent province in the west, to the westward of the Germans, towards the Ohio-probably west of the mountains, and to be supplied by his friends among the Palatines and Irish, among whom was his chief popularity at that time.

In later time, say about the year 1750 to '55, the Germans having become numerous, and therefore powerful as make weights in the political balance, were much noticed in the publications of the day. They were at that period of time in general very hearty co-operators

• It was at Tulpehocken, Conrad Weiser, a German, so often employed as Indian inter preter, was settled and died-say at present Womelsdorf, where he had his farm.

with the Friends, then in considerable rule in the assembly. A MS. pamphlet before me, supposed to have been written by Samuel Wharton, in 1755, shows his ideas of the passing events, saying, that the party on the side of Friends derived much of their influence over the Germans through the aid of C. Sower, who published a German paper, in Germantown, from the time of 1739, and which, being much read by that people, influenced them to the side of the Friends, and hostile to the governor and council. Through this man, says he, they have persuaded them there was a design to enslave them; to enforce their young men [by a contemplated militia law] to become soldiers, and to load them with taxes, &c. From such causes, he adds, they came down in shoals to vote, and carry all before them. To this I may add, that I have heard from the Norris family, that their ancestors in the assembly were warmly patronized by the Germans, in union with Friends. His alarms at this German influence at the polls, and his proposed remedies for the then dreaded evils, as they show the prevalent feelings of his associates in politics, may serve to amuse the present generation. He says the bad effects of these successes of the Germans will probably be felt through many generations! Instead of a peaceable, industrious people as before, they are grown now insolent, sullen and turbulent,-in some counties threatening even the lives of all those who oppose their views, because they are taught to regard government and slavery as one and the same thing. All who are not of their party they call "governor's men," and themselves they deem strong enough to make the country their own! Indeed, they come in, in such force, say upwards of five thousand in the last year, I see not but they may soon be able to give us law and language too, or else, by joining the French, eject all the English. That this may be the case, is too much to be feared, for almost to a man they refused to bear arms in the time of the late war, and they say it is all one to them which king gets the country, as their estates will be equally secure. Indeed it is clear that the French have turned their hopes upon this great body of Germans. They hope to allure them by grants of Ohio lands. To this end they send their Jesuitical emissaries among them to persuade them over to the Popish religion. In concert with this, the French for so many years have encroached on our province, and now are so near their scheme as to be within two days march of some of our back settlements-alluding of course to the state of the western wilds, overrun by French and Indians just before the arrival of Braddock's forces in Virginia, in 1755.

The writer imputes their wrong bias in general to their "stubborn genius and ignorance," which he proposes to soften by education-a

It is true that the Jesuits at an early period founded a missionary station at Lancaster; and in 1734, Governor Gordon, from the fear of their being connected with French interests, brought the subject before the council. They also founded one at Cusshahoppen, near Summany town.

scheme still suggested as necessary to give the general mass of the inland country Germans right views of public and individual interests. To this end, he proposes that faithful Protestant ministers and schoolmasters should be supported among them-a scheme, as we shall presently see, which actually came to pass. Their children

should be taught the English tongue; the government in the mean time should suspend the right of voting for members of assembly; and to incline them the sooner to become English in education and feeling, we should compel them to make all bonds and other legal writings in English; and no newspaper or almanac be circulated among them unless also accompanied by the English thereof.

Finally, the writer concludes that "without some such measure I see nothing to prevent this province from falling into the hands of the French!" The paper, at length, may be seen in my MS. Annals, in the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, pages 198 to 202. There may be consulted also, in the City Library, several pamphlets, pro and con, concerning the Germans and Quakers, printed in 1747-8-one is "Plain Truth"-" An Answer to Plain Truth”and in 1764 appears "The Plain Dealer," and "An Answer" to it, &c.

The same writer gives a passing notice of a society in England, of noblemen and gentlemen, to raise funds for some English schools for the Germans among us; and in 1755, Benjamin Franklin published a book, entitled "A brief History of the charitable Scheme for instructing poor Germans in Pennsylvania." It is the same scheme. alluded to in the Pennsylvania Gazette of 1755, saying therein, that a great society is formed in Europe for the raising of money for instructing the poor German children, and giving them ministers, &c. It is patronized in Holland and England by the first nobility and gentry, and some of our first citizens are made trustees of the charity such as Hamilton, Allen, Franklin, Peters, &c. The Rev. Mr. Schlatter is made visiting and travelling inspector and agent, and the Rev. Dr. Smith, our provost, was charged with the publication of a German newspaper. The states of Holland and West Friesland grant 2000 gilders per annum, for five years. Much is given in Amsterdam. The general assembly of Scotland gave £1200 sterling. The king of England gave £1000-the Princess of Wales £100-the proprietaries also agreed to give annually, &c. The style of the whole forcibly reminds one of the popular missionary schemes of the present day. It is all done in the name of advancing the interests of the Protestant religion-giving pious educationteaching them "to read their Bible, to sing psalms, to write and cast accounts," and also "to furnish pious instruction where they have no ministers." The whole effect of this formidable array, now that the effervescence has subsided, and the means have been fully exerted, might tempt a looker-on to suggest cui bono!

. It appears from the Minutes of Council, of January, 1730, that the first settlers of Tulpehacka creek, were 33 families of Palatines, who came away from New York, nigh Albany, in 1713, under the alVOL. II.-2 H

22*

lurement of Sir Wm. Keith, the governor, headed by their chief, Conrad Weiser. It appears that they did not pay the government nor the Indians for their settlement. In 1728, the Indian chief makes a claim for it of Gov. Hamilton. The names of the first families are given on page 89 of the Minutes.

The emigration of the Palatines direct to Philadelphia, by sea, are recorded as often as thirty times in one volume!

Conrad Weiser was an early and respectable interpreter, who lived once at the present Reading, and also at Tulephocken. At Womelsdorf, a town in that district, he lived and died. It is situate between Reading and Harrisburg. Himself and father were among the first settlers of Schoharie, New York; they having gone out from Germany to New York in 1712, with other emigrants, in a seventeen months' passage, under a proclamation of Queen Anne, of 1709, to take up land free, and no taxes. When N. Bayard, the Queen's agent, came afterwards to enrol their names, to record their metes and bounds; they became alarmed and offered resistance. Strife and apprehension ensued, so that, with some encouragement from Governor Keith, of Pennsylvania, much of the population, thirty-three families, set out for Tulpehocken, in 1713, by way of the Susquehanna river, and settled when there at Muehlback, or Millbrook. The facts are well known in the early history of Schoharie; others of the same Germans settled on the German Flats, New York.

There was, as early as 1732, to 1740, a very remarkable religious sect of Germans, formed at Ephrata, intended to live in a monastic life. In time it also included a separate sisterhood. They formed a considerable town, and grew in wealth by their industry and rise of value in lands. At one time they were many in number, but now have dwindled away. They were undoubtedly sincere and exemplary in their religious principles and actions. Doctor W. M. Fahnestock, of Harrisburg, who lately united himself to them, and has probably become one of their preachers, has given a long and interesting historical sketch of this people, in Hazard's Register of 1835. They were remarkable as a community in being fine Latinists-writing and speaking Latin as readily as their vernacular tongue. Men of wealth in Philadelphia, who sought good classical education for their sons, used to send them there; and I have known some educated there who used to correspond with some of the brotherhood in Latin. But above all, they were peculiar for their superior music and singing. It was this last attraction which first allured young Doctor Fahnestock to their meetings, and when his heart was touched, like St. Augustin's, he readily fell into sympathy with their religion--a thing in itself found needful, in some way, for all men, who come to think considerately.

Their music was so peculiar as to deserve some special mention-"not as music for the ear, but as music for the soul." One of their leaders, Beissel, was a first-rate musician and composer. [See p. 111 of this volume.]

These people, in general principles of religion, have come nearest to the Tunkers, and have been called Seven-day Baptists. In their early state they wore the habit of the Capuchins, or white friars-a long white gown and cowl for the men, and a cowl for the women. The men wore beards. Their inmates all assumed new namessuch as Onesimus, Friedsam, &c.-after the monastic fashion in Europe. Their houses were all framed of wood, and the sides were shingled and covered. In 1740, the monks were 36 and the sisters 35 in number. The whole place is now nearly untenanted, only a few aged sisters linger about the place of their ancient recollections. Such of the society as still continue in the original principles of the first faith are settled at Snowhill, in Franklin county, where they have "married, and bring up families," and still try to execute the former enchanting style of singing and music.

THE IRISH.

THE Irish emigrants did not begin to come into Pennsylvania until about the year 1719. Those who did come were generally from the north of Ireland. Such as came out first generally settled at and near the disputed Maryland line. James Logan, writing of them to the proprietaries, in 1724, says they have generally taken up the southern lands, [meaning in Lancaster county, towards the Maryland line,] and as they rarely approached him to propose to pur→ chase, he calls them bold and indigent strangers, saying, as their excuse, when challenged for titles, that we had solicited for colonists, and they had come accordingly. They were, however, understood to be a tolerated class, exempt from rents by an ordinance of 1720, in consideration of their being a frontier people, forming a kind of cordon of defence, if needful. They were soon called bad neighbours to the Indians, treating them disdainfully, and finally were the same race who committed the outrage called the Paxton massacre. These general ideas of them are found in the Logan MS. collection. Some of the data is as follows:

In 1725, James Logan states that there are as many as 100,000 acres of land possessed by persons (including Germans) who resolutely set down and improve it without any right to it, and he is much at a loss to determine how to dispossess them.

In 1729, he expresses himself glad to find the parliament is about to take measures to prevent the too free emigration to this country. In the mean time the assembly had laid a restraining tax of twenty shillings a head for every servant arriving; but even this was evaded