PENSYLVANIA 11 



No stream is near-by which, giving an advantage of 

 trade, might have contributed to the rapid growth of 

 the town ; the Susquehannah flows 10 miles to the 

 south, and the little Conestoga is 2 miles to the east. 

 Indeed the town originally was to have been placed on 

 the Susquehannah, and a timber court-house and jail 

 were actually built at Wright's Ferry ; but Hamilton, 

 an esteemed lawyer, managed to change the site so that 

 the new town should rise on land belonging to him. 

 His family still owns the ground-rights, which yield 

 at least 1000 Pd. sterling a year. These ground-rents 

 are unequal, according as the several lots were taken 

 up earlier or later, or are situated in one or another 

 part of the town ; for those lots secured at the first 

 settlement of the place pay the least, and as the town 

 grew the price was increased. The town is regularly 

 planned ; the town-hall standing in the middle, where 

 the two chief streets cross, the good appearance of 

 which is thus greatly damaged. Not more than 50 

 English families live here, it is said ; and thus the 

 English is by no means the prevailing language, but 

 it is the legalized language. The inhabitants carry on 

 farming, crafts, and trade. But their trade is not very 

 considerable, the town lying too near to Philadelphia 

 (73 miles). There is here a handsome Lutheran 

 church, and a Latin school.* 



* Lancaster has now a college as well. Extract from a letter 

 from Philadelphia, 1787. " For the behoof of the German 

 "nation, which from one or another prejudice has hitherto 

 "neglected (except at Philadelphia) to join with their Eng- 

 " lish fellow-citizens in any sort of educational establishment, 

 " the Assembly granted in the autumn of 1786 a patent and 

 :l 10,000 acres of land for the setting-up of a college at Lan- 



