LANCASTER COUNTY. 37 



&.C. arrived to the number of about fifty sail; among 

 these were German Quakers, from Cresheim, near Worms. 

 in the Palatinate. The banks of the Delaware presented 

 motion and life. "On landing, they set bustling about to 

 procure shelter. Some lodged in the woods in hollow 

 trees, some under the extended boughs of trees, some in 

 caves which were easily dug on the high banks of the 

 Wissahickon and the Delaware, and others in haste 

 erected huts. They were abundantly supplied with 

 wood, water, and fertile land." Nor had they been for- 

 getful to bring with them, the necessary implements for 

 building and husbandry. Having now housed, treed, or 

 caved, their provisions and portable property, under such 

 shelter as they could find, or had provided, some were 

 procuring warrants of survey for taking up so much 

 land as was sufficient for immediate settling, "others 

 went diversely further into the woods where their lands 

 were laid out; often without any path or road, to direct 

 them, for scarce any were to be found above two miles 

 from the water side ; not so much as any mark or sign o^ 

 any European having been there. All the country, fur- 

 ther than about two miles from the river, except the 

 Indians* movable settlements, was an entire wilderness, 

 producing nothing for the support of human life, but " the 

 wild fruits and animals of the woods."* 



They soon formed plantations of Indian corn and wheat. 

 The forest furnished deer, rabits, squirrels, young bears, 

 wild turkeys of enormous size, pigeons; the rivers 

 abounded with fish, such as sturgeons, shad, rock, her- 

 ring, perch, trout, salmon; the fruits of the woods were 

 chestnuts, grapes of diverse sorts; walnuts, cranberries. 

 ^'The first settlers endured some hardships, it is true, but 



♦Proud, I. 220. 



