236 
vessels, which transport the emigrants te 
America. The ships made use of in this 
service are commonly of the worst quality, 
old, and unseaworthy, and the commanders 
sent in them, ignorant, inexperienced, and 
brutal characters. The American ships 
are the best, and deserve the preference be- 
fore the others. They sail quicker, the 
treatment is better, and the responsibility 
of the captains is greater. 
Several laws have been passed in the 
state of Pennsylvania for the Para: 
tion of the redemptioners, and M. de 
Furstenwarther expresses his opinion 
that the provisions of these laws are 
adequate. He complains, however, 
that they are scarce pretended to be put 
in execution against foreign ships, and 
that they are but imperfectly executed 
against the American captains. Among 
these laws is one, which obliges the 
captain of the vessel to susport the re- 
demptioners gratis for thirty days after 
their arrival; after this period he is 
allowed to charge their board. In case 
the captain is compelled to bind out his 
redemptioners for a less sum than the 
amount of the passage, then the per- 
sons so bound out are obliged to enter 
into a farther bond, to pay the remain- 
der of the debt after the expiration of 
the first indenture. These indentures 
are made under the inspection of an 
officer appointed for that purpose by the 
government of the state, who keeps a 
list of all the emigrants, with a note of 
the place where they are bound. The 
extreme terms of service in ordinary 
cases for adults is four years, and two 
years the shortest term. Children, 
under four years old, are not bound, 
but follow their parents, and are at li- 
berty when the parents are. Males, 
over four years, are bound to serve till 
they are twenty-one, and females till 
they are eighteen years old. Six 
weeks’ schooling annualiy is stipulated 
for the children, and two suits of 
clothes, one of which is to be new, at 
the expiration of their term of service. 
It is also provided by the law, that no 
redemptioner shall be bound out of the 
state of Pennsylvania without his con- 
sent; that man and wife shall not be 
separated but by mutual consent, nor 
children taken from their parents but 
in extreme cases. The efforts of the 
German societies are confined to pecu- 
niary relief of the emigrants, who are 
wholly destitute, and their activity has 
been checked for want of funds. There 
are two of these societies in Philadel- 
phia, one in New York, and one in 
Baltimore. 
German Emigration to America, 
[April 1, 
From the 12th of July, the day of 
the arrival of the first ship with redemp- 
tioners in 1817, up to the beginning of 
1818, there arrived nineteen vessels, 
bringing passengers of this class to the 
number of more than 6000. 
So far from looking upon this inden- 
ture as a hardship, our author expresses 
his opinion that it is a benefit to the 
needy emigrant, and says, that many 
even of those who pay their passage in 
Holland, bind themselves, in like man- 
ner, on their arrival here, for the sake 
of being immediately provided for in a 
strange land,—learning the language 
by going of necessity intoan American 
family, and laying up in the purchase 
money a little capital for future sup- 
port. Our author adds, that the treat- 
ment of the emigrants while in service 
is so kind and good, that just complaints 
are oftener made by the masters that 
their servants run away, than by the 
servants that they are ill treated. 
Among the classes of emigrants most 
likely to be employed, our author enu- 
merates masons, carpenters, cabinet- 
makers, waggoners, coopers, smiths, 
shoe-makers, tailors, and bakers; and 
as least likely to find employment, all 
those whose trades are connected with 
the arts of luxury. Persons of both 
sexes, from fourteen to twenty years of 
age, are most sought for, ‘and it is a 
great folly,’ says our judicious author, 
* when women of eighty years old wan- 
der over, ay happened in one instance 
last summer.’ The greater part of the 
German emigrants remain in Pennsyl- 
vania, from which, without their con- 
sent, they cannot be carried. Our au- 
thor however informs us, that he saw 
a letter from forty such persons, whe 
had entered into indentures in Ohio, 
and who were contented with their 
treatment and condition. The follow- 
ing observation will show the correct 
and discriminating character of our 
author’s observations. 
A great part of the population of the 
United States consists of blacks, especially 
in the southern states. The German agrees 
but poorly with them. He is regarded by 
them with envy and jealousy. It is de- 
erading to the German name and character 
to have the German stand ona similar foot- 
ing with them. Zhe nalural cunning of 
the Negro, his superior dexterity and 
Jluency in English, give him too great an 
advantage over the simple, good-natured 
German peasant. He consider himself (the 
Negro) as of a higer nature, and looks 
down upon the poor German. The latter 
is. 
