german settlers. 
123 
together in one place, and, as may be sup¬ 
posed, in consequence keep up many of the 
customs of their native country as well as their 
own language. In Lancaster and the neigh¬ 
bourhood, German is the prevailing language, 
and numbers of people living there are igno¬ 
rant of any other. The Germans are some 
of the best farmers in the United States, and 
they seldom are to be found but where the 
land is particularly good; wherever they settle 
they build churches, and are wonderfully at¬ 
tentive to the duties of religion. In these and 
many other respects the Germans and their 
descendants differ widely from the Americans, 
that is, from the descendants of the English, 
Scotch, Irish, and other nations, who from 
having lived in the country for many genera¬ 
tions, and from having mingled together, now 
form one people, whose manners and habits 
are very much the same. 
The Germans are a plodding race of men, 
wholly intent upon their own business, and 
indifferent about that of others : a stranger is 
never molested as he passes through their set¬ 
tlements with inquisitive and idle questions. 
On arriving amongst the Americans,* how- 
* In speaking of the Americans here, and in the follow¬ 
ing lines, it is those of the lower and middling classes of th« 
people which I allude to, such as are met with in the coun¬ 
try parts of Pennsylvania. 
