340 HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY. [1784. 



The minutes of the meetings in this County, throughout the 

 whole course of the war, abundantly show that, as a Society, 

 the Quakers were perfectly passive. If they dealt with and 

 excommunicated those of their members who engaged in mili- 

 tary affairs, they were equally strict and impartial m the treat- 

 ment of other offences against their discipline. Those members 

 who continued to hold slaves received an unusual share of atten- 

 tion during the war, and such as did not promptly emancipate 

 them were disowned. The use or sale of intoxicating drinks, 

 the distillation of grain, being concerned in lotteries, and indeed 

 almost every species of vice, received a greater share of atten- 

 tion during the war than at any former period. 



Even Gen. Washington at one time harbored the unjust sus- 

 picion that 2:lans " of the most pernicious tendency were settled" 

 at the general meetings of the Quakers ; and while the British 

 occupied Philadelphia, issued orders to prevent the country 

 members from attending their yearly meeting, on that ground. 

 These orders required their horses, if fit for service, to be taken 

 from them ; but Gen. Lacey, to whom the orders were issued, in 

 his turn gave orders to his horsemen "to fire into those who 

 refused to stop when hailed, and leave their dead bodies lying in 

 the road."^ In a military point of view it may have been very 

 proper to prevent all intercourse with Philadelphia at the time, 

 but the idea that the Quakers would originate any treasonable 

 plot at their yearly meeting was utterly groundless. 



After lying dormant for four years, the removal question was 

 again revived by the passage of a Supplement to the original 

 Act. By this Act the names of John Ilannum, Isaac Taylor, and 

 John Jacobs, were substituted in place of the original Commis- 

 sioners, and they were endowed with the same authority, except 

 that they had no power to erect the new Court-house and prison 

 " at a greater distance than one mile and a half from the Turk's 

 Head tavern, in the township of Goshen, and to the west or 

 south-west of said Tui-k's Head tavern, and on or near the 

 straight line from the ferry, called the Corporation Ferry, on 

 the Schuylkill, to the village of Strasburg." This restricting 

 clause is said to have been introduced at the instance of Mr. 

 Hannum, the first named Commissioner, who was then a member 

 of the Legislature, under the belief that the restriction would 

 include his lands on the Brandywine ; and as these lands were 

 near the "straight line" from the ferry to Strasburg, they 

 would present a strong claim to be selected as the site of the 

 new county town. Actual measurement excluded Col. Han- 

 num's land from competition, and the Commissioners, who were 

 all active removalists, at once contracted for a tract of land near 

 the Turk's Head tavern, and commenced the buildings. 



' Principles and Acts of the Revolution, 334. 



