2,94 7^^ D ISC O V E R I E s 
Duke of Tork propofed to take the Command of the 
Englijh Fleet upon himfelf in the Dutch War, as Lord 
. High Admiral ; he made Choice of Sir JVilliam Penn as 
the moll experienced, and the moft capable Officer to 
ferve under him, which he did with equal Satisfadlion to 
his Royal Highnefs, and Credit to himfelf ; eftabliffiing 
thereby fuch a Reputation at Court, as lafted during his 
Life, and proved no lefs ufeful to his Son. 
But Sir William Penn did not long enjoy his high Stati- 
on, and dying in the Weji Country where he was born, 
was buried in RedcUff Church in Brifiol^ having, in re- 
ward of his Services, had a Promife of the Grant of this 
Country from King Charles the Ild. Sir William had a 
Kinfman who was one of the firft Planters in hdew Eng- 
land^ and it is doubtlefs from him that he had exaft and 
particular Information of the Advantages that might be 
made of Lands and Settlements in this Continent of 
America. But young Mr. Penn did not for fome Years 
apply himfelf ftrenuoufly to folicit the promifed Grant, 
till at laft finding his Friends, the Quakers, were harraff- 
ed all over England by fpiritual Courts, he refolved to 
put himfelf at the Head of as many as would go with 
him and remove to this Country, of which he obtained 
the Grant in the Year 16^9. 
He gave it the Name of Penfyhania fome Time be- 
fore he was aftually invefted with it, and fo it is called in 
the original Patent, bearing date the 4th 1680. 
It contained all that Tra( 5 t of Land in America.^ with all 
“ the Iflands belonging to it, from the Beginning of the 
“ 40th Degree of North Latitude to the 43d Degree, 
“ whofe Eaftern Bound, from twelve Englijh'MEt^ above 
“ Newcafile., alias de la War Pown^ runs all along upon the 
Side of de la War River. So that ’tis bounded on 
the Eaft by that Bay and River, and the Eaftern Sea •, 
on the North by WeJi New Jerfey^ or rather New Tork^ 
for it runs a great Way above the Jerfeys \ on the Weft 
by the Indian Nations, .about the Heads of Sufquahanaugh 
and de la War Rivers, by which we fee it ftretches far 
within Land, that River running through it about two 
or three hundred Miles ; on the South ’tis bounded by 
Maryland., and reaching from Penpury near the Falls of 
the River to HanlopCy near the Mouth of the Bay, above 
one hundred and fifty Miles diredtly ^ but ’tis narrow all 
along, being very much crowded in the Breadth by Ma- 
, ryland. 
The Bounds and Extent we have mentioned are in the 
original Grant •, but Mr. Penn having afterwards obtained' 
Part of Nova Belgia of the Duke of Tork, it was added 
to the Country in the firft Grant, and both together cal- 
led Penfyhania, which is divided into three upper and 
three lower Counties *, the three upper Counties, Buck- 
ingham, Philadelphia and Chejier, are the Penfyhania, fo 
called in King Charleses Grant. The three lower Coun- 
ties, Newcaftle, Kent, and Sujfex, are taken out of Nova 
Belgia, or the Province of New York. The upper Coun- 
ties end at Marcus Hook, four Miles below Chejier T own ; 
the lower run along the Coaft one hundred and twenty 
Miles, and are forty Miles deep towards Maryland. Thus 
the whole Province of Penfyhania from Falls T ownpip, 
to twenty Miles below Hanlope or Cape William, is in 
Hength three hundred and thirty Miles, and in Breadth 
two hundred. The River de la War, above and below 
the Falls, for a good Length, is called the Frejhes, and 
near the Mouth are the Marfties, very fertile and pro- 
fitable. 
As foon as Mr. Penn had got his Patent, he invited fe- 
veral Perfons to purchafe Lands under it. Though he 
did not fatisfy himfelf with the Title granted him by 
Charles the lid. and his Brother. He alfo bought the 
Land of the Indians. The Swedes, who had encroached 
upon the Dutch, the firft Planters here, as well as at New 
York, fettled upon, or near, the FrePes of de la War. The 
Fins, or Inhabitants of Finland, part of the Kingdom of 
Sweden, applied themfelves chjefly to Hufbandry. The 
King^ of Sweden appointed a Governor here, who had 
often Difputes with the Governor that prefided over the 
Dutch. The latter applied themfelves moftly to traffic, 
living upon, or near, the Bay, and by the Neighbourhood 
©f Nm York, The Dutch alfo were too powerful for the 
and Settlements Book I. 
Swedes, who, finding they could not maintain their 
Ground, fubmitted to their ftronger Neighbours. Ac- 
cordingly John Rifeing, the Swedip Governor, made a 
formal Surrender of the Country to Peter Styerfont, Go- 
vernor for the States General, after which this Province 
continued fubjecft to their Republic till the Englp drove 
the Dutch out of New Amjlerdam or New York, which 
made the PolTeffion of thofe Territories the more eafy to 
Nlr. Penn. 
There were a few Englip here before Mr. Penn fent 
over the firft Adventurers under his Patent, over whom 
he placed, as Governor, Colonel William Markham, his 
Nephew, to whom both Dutch and Swedes fubmitted. 
Thofe that went over, were generally Diffenters, from 
London, Liverpool, and efpecially Brijiol, for the Weft 
of England abounded with Diffenters more than other 
Counties ; they fhipped themfelves at Briflol in great 
Numbers for Penfyhania. Mr. Yhomas Couldney, and 
Mr. Duddleftone, two Tobacco Merchants of that City, 
about this Time fitted out the Unuorn, a Ship of three 
hundred Tons, for this Voyage ; which putting into 
Start, took in a great many from Bridgewater. Mr. Penn 
had fold twenty thoufand Acres of his Property to Mr. 
James Claypool, Mr. Nicholas Moor, Mr. Phthp Ford, and 
others, who formed a Company, and had a Street, and 
a Side of a Street, fet out for them in Philadelphia, with 
four hundred Acres of Land in the City Liberties. They 
fet up a Tannery, a Saw Mill, a Glafs Houfe, and a 
Whalery, of the two latter I fiippofe they never made 
any great Profit. The Proprietors Conditions of Sale were 
thefe : Buyers purchafed after the Rate of twenty Pounds 
for one thoufand Acres, fo that he put four hundred 
Pounds in his Pocket immediately, but that was a Trifle 
fo what went out of it for the Grant and Experiments to 
people and fettle the Country •, the Quit-Rent was twelve 
Pounds for every hundred Acres. This was cheap 
enough, but I think the Renters were not fo well ufed, 
for they were to pay fo much an Acre yearly. Thus thefe 
twenty thoufand Acres which he fold the Company, 
would, if rented, have brought him one thoufand Pounds 
a Year. Since that Time the Value of Land is fo much 
rifen, that I have been credibly informed it has fold for 
twenty Years Purchafe, at feveral Miles diftant from. Phi- 
ladelphia ; and that near it has gone at a Pound an 
Acre, and in fome Places at more than a Pound an Acre 
yearly. 
We have mentioned near four thoufand Acres to be at 
this Time parcelled out for Sale, fome at fixty Miles dif- 
tant from Philadelphia \ but none of thefe Parcels will 
fetch a tenth Part of fuch Rates as thefe. Servants, Men 
and Women, were to have fifty Acres when their Times 
were out, and Owners of Land fifty Acres a Head for 
fuch Servants, Men or Women. In the Year 1681 Mr. 
Penn went himfelf to Penfyhania, and carried with him, 
and there went after him, two thoufand Souls a prodi- 
gious Augmentation in lefs than a Year ! And he might 
with Reafon fay as he did, it was made at once a Coun- 
try. As foon as he arrived he took the Government 
into his own Hands, and entred upon Treaties with the 
Indian Kings, for purchafing his Patent-Lands, and 
others, as is before hinted. One may affure one’s felf he 
gave but little for them, and if the French and Spaniards 
fcorned to pay fuch a Compliment to natural Right, and 
chofe rather to feize the Lands of the Indian Natives by 
Violence, it was what might have been expected from the 
Religion and Tyranny of the Countries from whence they 
came. Twenty Miles of Territory were thus bought of 
the Indians for lefs than an Acre of the beft Ground about 
Philadelphia would be valued at now. But the Indians, in 
a little Time, obferving what Profit the Enghp made of 
the Land they fold them, and that by the coming over 
of fuch Numbers every Year, it would be more and 
more wanted, they raifed the Price ten times as much as 
as it was at firft, and yet it was unconfcionably cheap, and 
for a long Time purchafed by the Mile, and not by the 
Acre. Indeed they knew not what to do with it, they 
had not Hands enough to cultivate a hundredth Part ; and 
if they could have raifed fuch a Produdl there was no 
body to buy it. The Purchafe was all clear Gains to them ; 
I and 
