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A64548 An historical and geographical account of the province and country of Pensilvania, and of the West-New-Jersey in America ... with a map of both countries / by Gabriel Thomas ... Thomas, Gabriel.; Thomas, Gabriel. Historical description of the province ... of West-New Jersey. 1698 (1698) Wing T964; ESTC R2921 24,884 114

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Huttons-Lane Morris-Lane Jones's-Lane wherein are very good Buildings Shorters-Alley Yowers-Lane Wallers-Alley Turners-Lane Sikes-Alley and Flowers-Alley All these Alleys and Lanes extend from the Front Street to the Second-Street There is another Alley in the Second Street called Carters-Alley There are also besides these Alleys and Lanes several fine Squares and Courts within this Magnificent City for so I may justly call it As for the particular Names of the several Streets contained therein the Principal are as follows viz. Walnut-Street Vine-Street Mulberry-Street Chesnut-Street Sassafras-Street taking their Names from the abundance of those Trees that formerly grew there High-Street Broad-Street Delaware-Street Front-Street with several of less Note too tedious to insert here It hath in it Three Fairs every Year and Two Markets every Week They kill above Twenty Fat Bullocks every Week in the hottest time in Summer for their present spending in that City besides many Sheep Calves 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 these two Rivers Moreover in this Province are Four Great Market-Towns viz. Chester the German Town New-Castle and Lewis-Town which are mightily Enlarged in this latter Improvement Between these Towns the Water-Men constantly Ply their Wherries likewise all those Towns have Fairs kept in them besides there are several Country Villages viz. Dublin Harford Merioneth and Radnor in Cumbry all which Towns Villages and Rivers took their Names from the several Countries whence the present Inhabitants came The Air here is very delicate pleasant and wholesom the Heavens serene rarely overcast bearing mighty resemblance to the better part of France after Rain they have commonly a very clear Sky the Climate is something Colder in the depth of Winter and Hotter in the height of Summer the cause of which is its being a Main Land or Continent the Days also are two Hours longer in the shortest Day in Winter and shorter by two Hours in the longest Day of Summer than here in England which makes the Fruit so good and the Earth so fertil The Corn-Harvest is ended before the middle of July and most Years they have commonly between Twenty and Thirty Bushels of Wheat for every one they Sow Their Ground is harrowed with Wooden Tyned Harrows twice over in a place is sufficient twice mending of their Plow-Irons in a Years time will serve Their Horses commonly go without being shod two Men may clear between Twenty and Thirty Acres of Land in one Year fit for the Plough in which Oxen are chiefly us'd though Horses are not wanting and of them Good and well shap'd A Cart or a Wain may go through the middle of the Woods between the Trees without getting any damage and of such Land in a convenient place the Purchase will cost between Ten and Fifteen Pounds for a Hundred Acres * Here is much Meadow Ground Poor People both Men and Women will 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 Christians It hath in it several Navigable Rivers for Shipping to come in besides the Capital Delaware wherein a Ship of Two Hundred Tuns may Sail Two Hundred Miles up There are also several other small Rivers in number hardly Credible these as the Brooks have for the most part gravelly and hard Bottoms and it is suppos'd that there are many other further up in the Country which are not yet discover'd the Names of the aforesaid Rivers are Hoorkill-River alias Lewis River which runs up to Lewis Town the chiefest in Sussex County Cedar-River Muskmellon-River all taking their Names from the great plenty of these things growing there abouts Mother-kill alias Dover-River St. Jones's alias Cranbrook-River where one John Curtice lives who hath Three Hundred Head of Neat Beasts besides great Numbers of Hogs Horses and Sheep Great Duck-River Little Duck-River Black-Bird-River these also took their Original Names from the great Numbers of those Fowls which are found there in vast quantities Apequinemy-River where their Goods come to be Carted over to Mary-Land St. George's River Christen-River Brandy-Wine-River Vpland alias Chester-River which runs by Chester-Town being the Shire or County-Town Schoolkill-River Frankford-River near which Arthur Cook hath a most Stately Brick-House and Nishamany-River where Judge Growden hath a very Noble and Fine House very pleasantly Situated and likewise a Famous Orchard adjoyning to it wherein are contain'd above a Thousand Apple Trees of various sorts likewise there is the famous Derby-River which comes down from the Cumbry by Derby-Town wherein are several Mills viz. Fulling-Mills Corn-Mills c. There is curious Building-Stone and Paving-Stone also Tile-Stone with which latter Governor Penn covered his Great and Stately Pile which he call'd Pennsbury-House the Name it still retains There is likewise Iron-Stone or Oar lately found which far exceeds that in England being Richer and less Drossy some Preparations have been made to carry on an Iron-Work There is also very good Lime-Stone in great plenty and cheap of great use in Buildings and also in Manuring Land if there were occasion but Nature has made that of it self sufficiently Fruitful besides here are Load-Stones Ising-Glass and that Wonder of Stones the Salamander-Stone found near Brandy-Wine-River having Cotton in Veins within it which will not consume in the Fire though held there a long time As to Minerals or Metals there is very good Copper far exceeding ours in England being much Finer and of a more glorious Colour Not two Mile from the Metropolis are also Purging Mineral-Waters that pass both by Siege and Vrine all out as good as Epsom And I have reason to believe there are good Coals also for I observ'd the Runs of Water have the same Colour as that which proceeds from the Coal-Mines in Wales Here is curious Diversion in Hunting Fishing and Fowling especially 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 Chesepeck-Bay in which place there are an Infinite Number of Sea and Land Fowl of most sorts viz. Swans Ducks Teal which two are the most Grateful and most Delicious in the World Geese Divers Brands Snipe Curlew as also Eagles Turkies of Forty or Fifty Pound Weight Pheasants Partridges Pidgeons Heath-Birds Black-Birds and that Strange and Remarkable Fowl call'd in these Parts the Mocking-Bird that Imitates all sorts of Birds in their various Notes And for Fish there are prodigious quantities of most sorts viz. Shadds Cats-Heads Sheeps-Heads Herrings Smelts Roach Eels Perch As also the large sort of Fish as Whales of which a great deal of Oyl is made Salmon Trout Sturgeon Rock Oysters some six Inches
Barley Rice c. in vast quantities Also Indian-Corn Pease and Beans likewise English Hemp and Flax which prospers there exceedingly Eating Roots Pumpkins Cashews Water-Melons Muskmellons Cucumbers Squashes Carrots Artichokes Potatoes Turnips Garlick Onions and Leeks grow there in greater Plenty than in Enland And for Herbs they have Cabbages Coleworts Savoys Lettice Purslane and other Sallads in abundance beside Wild Herbs which are there very commom as Penny-Royal Mint Mustard Sage Rue Tansey c. and likewise there are choice Phisical Roots as Sassafras Sarsaparilla Black-Snake-Root Rattle-Snake Root and Poake-Root with divers others which there is great store of Of Fish they have Whales Sturgeon Cod Scale-Fish Cole and Hake-Fish large Mackeril Flat-fish Rock Shadds Cattes Eels Perch and many other sorts in prodigious Shoals And Wild-Water-Fowl as Geese Ducks Swans Divers c. are very numerous even beyond all expectation As to Land-Fowl Turkeys Geese Pheasants Partridges Pigeons Woodcocks Blackbirds c. they are there in extraordinary great abundance and very large There is also that uncommon and valuable Bird being near the bigness of a Cuckoo called the Mocking-bird known but not very well in England being so very Nice and Tender that they usually die by the way with several other Charming and Curious Birds too tedious here to specifie As to the Wild Vermin There are Otters Beavers Foxes Mush-Rats Minx's Wild-Cats Rackoons Pollcats and also that cunning Creature the Possom particularly mention'd and distinguish'd in the annex'd Account of Pensilvania for its remarkable Qualities whither I refer the Reader not in the least being fond of Tautology This Creature is about the bigness of an English Cat being of a light gray colour Likewise there were some Wolves and Bears but now they are very rare to be seen by reason the Indians destroy them as before Also that strange Creature the Flying Squirril mention'd in the foregoing Book There are great numbers of Wild Deer and Red Deer also and these wild Creatures are free and common for any to kill and take And for Wild Fruits there are Chesnuts Filberts Hickery-Nuts Grapes Mulberries Strawberries Rasberries Huckleberries and Craneberries with several sorts of Plumbs and all those Fruits in great plenty being free for any Body to gather Now I am a coming to the Planted Fruit-Trees as Apples Pears Apricocks Quinces Plumbs Cherries Gooseberries Currants and Peaches from which last they distil a liquor as in Pensilvania much like Rumm or Brandy in the taste and all those Trees will come to bear in a little more than half the time they do in England the Soil is so rich they have great plenty of the aforementioned Fruits which are exceeding delicious These as also many other Fruits that come not to any pitch of Perfection in England are the Natural Product of this Country which lies warmer being more befriended by the Sun 's hot and glorious Beams which without doubt is the chief Cause and true Reason why the Fruit there so far excells the English They have likewise great Stocks of Horses and Hogs raised in the Woods of the latter of which I have seen some of a Prodigious Weight that only fed there their Horses are very hardy strong and of good Spirit for Labour or Travelling they commonly go unshod which in many Years saves much Money Their Plow-shears require but small Reparation wearing out but little They Harrow their Ground with a Wooden-tyned-Harrow and twice over does the business Of Bees also they are well provided abound in Sheep naturally very sound and that stand well the Rot Scab Maggots c. rarely invading them they usually 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 commonly weigh well Tame Fowl there are almost incredible in numbers viz. Geese Turkeys Hens c. In this Country also is great Plenty of working Timber as Oaks Ash Chesnuts Pine Cedar Walnut Poplar Firr and Masts for Ships with Pitch and Rosin of great Use and much Benefit to the Countrey Here are several good Navigable Rivers besides that famous River Delaware which I have mentioned elsewhere and where the Tobacco is excellent being deep enough for Vessels to come in First Prince Morise's River where the Sweeds used to kill the Geese in great numbers for their Feathers only leaving their Carcasses behind them Cohansey River by which they send great store of Cedar to Philadelphia-City Allaway-River Salam-River which runs by Salam-Town of greatest Antiquity Naman-River Rackcoon-River which had its Name from the great numbers of those Creatures that always abound thereabouts Old Man's River Manto-River Woodberry-River Great Eggharbor River up which a Ship of two or three hundred Tuns may sail which runs by the back part of the Country into the Main Sea I call it back because the first Improvement made by the Christians was Delawar River-side This Place is noted for good store of Corn Horses Cows Sheep Hogs c. the Lands thereabouts being much improv'd and built upon Little Egg-Harbor-Creek which take their Names from the great abundance of Eggs which the Swans Geese Ducks and other wild Fowls on those Rivers lay thereabouts Timber-River alias Glocester-River which hath its Name also from the great quantity of curious Timber which they send in great Floats to Philadelphia a City in Pensilvania as Oaks Pines Chesnut Ash and Cedars This River runs down by Glocester-Town which is the Shire-Town And Newton-River that runs by Newton Cooper-River Pensokin-River Northampton-River with several others at a convenient distance upon the Sea the Shores whereof are generally deep and bold of less Note as VVissahiskonk-River that runs down into the great River Delaware by Burlington The Countrey inhabited by the Christians is divided into four Parts or Counties tho' the Tenth part of it is not yet peopled 'T is far cheaper living there for Eatables than here in England and either Men or Women that have a Trade or are Labourers can if industrious get near three times the Wages they commonly earn in England Courteous Reader As yet I have given thee no Account of East-Jersey because I never was there so in reality cannot properly or pertinently speak to that Matter I will not pretend to impose any thing on the World but have all along and shall still declare nothing but Verity therefore one Word of that by and by I might have given thee a much larger Account of this Countrey and have stretch'd this now Pocket Volume to an extraordinary Bulk and Size and yet without straining or deviating in the least from the Principles of my Profession which are Truth it self I have no Plot in my Pate or deep Design no not the least expectation of gaining any thing by them that go thither or losing by those who stay here My End chiefly in Writing nay indeed my great Aim is to inform the People of Britain and Ireland in general but particularly the Poor who are begging or near it or starving or hard by it as I before took notice in my Preface to encourage them for their own Good and for the Honour and Benefit of their Native Countrey to whom they are now a Scandal and Disgrace and whose Milk and Honey these Drones eat up and are besides a heavy Burden to the Commonwealth in the Taxes paid by every Parish in England c. to support them Law-Causes are here as in Pensilvania speedily determined in the second Court at least unless in some difficult Business One Justice of the Peace hath Power to try a Cause and give Judgment therein if the Original Debt be under forty Shillings And for Thieves and Robbers as I hinted before in the Preface they must restore fourfold which if they are not able to do they must work hard till the injured Person is satisfied I shall conclude with a Word or two on New-East-Jersey This Countrey is exceeding fruitful in Cattel of which I have seen great numbers brought from thence viz. Oxen Cows Sheep Hogs and Horses to Philadelphia the Capital of Pensilvania The chiefest Manufactory besides English and Indian Grain fit for Traffick that this Countrey affords Now I shall give thee an Account of the English Manufactory that each County in West-New-Jersey affords In the first Place I shall begin with Burlington-County as for Peltage or Beavers Skins Otter-Skins Minks Skins Musk-rats Skins Rackcoon Wild Cats Martin and Deer-Skins c. The Trade in Glocester-County consists chiefly in Pitch Tar and Rosin the latter of which is made by Robert Styles an excellent Artist in that sort of Work for he delivers it as clear as any Gum-Arabick The Commerce carried on in Salam-County is chiefly Rice of which they have wonderful Produce every Year as also of Cranberries which grow there in great plenty and which in Picle might be brought to Europe The Commodities of Capmay-County are Oyl and Whale-Bone of which they make prodigious nay vast quantities every Year having mightily advanc'd that great Fishery taking great numbers of Whales yearly This Country for the general part of it is extraordinary good and proper for the raising of all sorts of Cattel very plentiful here as Cows Horses Sheep and Hogs c. likewise it is well Stor'd with several sorts of Fruits which make very good and pleasant Liquors such as their Neighbouring Country before mention'd affords Now Reader having no more to add of any moment or importance I salute thee in Christ and whether thou stayest in England Scotland Ireland or Wales or goest to Pensilvania West or East-Jersey I wish thee all Health and Happiness in this and Everlasting Comfort in God in the World to come Fare thee well FINIS