Middletown transcript., 1897-05-29

u
country; however, to encourage poor SER
wants to go, and be laborious, i haYe abated
the Id to Id. per acre, W hen they are out
of their time. Now if any about thee will
engage and buy. there may be ten, yea
twenty, toone share, which will be but 45
piece, for which they each will have $50
acres. For those that cannot pay their
passage, let me know their names, and
number, and ages; they must pay double
rent to them that help them over; but this
know. that this rent is never to be raised.
and they are to enjoy it forever
In order to prevent masters from taking
advantage of their servants, 1t was stated in
the Charter of Laws. shat there shall be
register for all servants, where their names,
time, wages, and days of payment, shall be
registered" also 'sthat servants be not kept
longer than their time, such as are careful
be both justly and kindly used in their ser
vice, put in fitting equipage at the expia-
ton thereof, according to custom
Kahn. the Swedish traveller. who visited
Philadelphia in 174s, says that there were
two classes of servants in Pennsylyania.
Those of the first class were free to serve by
the year, received wages, but clothed them
selves "a man servant who has some
Abilities" he says, "gets between sixteen
and twenty pounds in Pennsylvania cur
rency, but those in the country do not get
SO much. A servant maid get eight or tens
pounds year" They were allowed to
leaye their service at the expiration of the
year, but if they left befors the year was
up, they were in danger of losing their
wages.
Those of the second class are thus de-
scribed: "The second class of free servants
consist of such persons as annually come
from Germany, England and other
countries, in order to settle here. These
new corners are very numerousevery year:
there are old and young ones, and of both
sexes; some of them have fed from oppres-
sion, under which they supposed them
selves to have laboured. Others have been
driven from their country by persecution
on account of religion; but most of them
are poor. and have not money enought to
pay their passage, which is between six and
eight pounds sterling for each person;there-
fore they agree with the captain that they
will suffer themselves to be sold for q few
years, on their arrival. In that case the
person who buys them, pays the freight for
them, but frequently very old people come
over who cannot pay their passage; they
therefore sell their children, so that they
serve both for themselves and for their
parents; there are likewise some who pay
part of their passage, and they are sold for
short time"
Some had to serve longer than others,
but each one received suit of new clothes
at the expiration of his time. Very young
children we're not sold. They were placed
in some family where they remained until
they reached their majority. The treat
ment OF these servents was not infrequent-
ly very harsh from the moment they en-
tered the ship bound for the Colony until
they had served out their time. Often af-
ter having been on the stormy sea in
crowded ship for weeks, they were not per-
mitted to land when their vessel had en-
tered port. Some Of these unfortunate per-
sons were on board the ship on which
Kahn arrived. He and the captain vent
ashore, but before the captain left the yes
sci, .he strictly charged the second mate,
to let no one of the German refugees out of
the ship, unless he paid for his passage, or
somebody else paid for him, or bought
him.
Notwithstanding these hardship and the
drudgery of servitude. some who were able
to pay their passage money preferred to
sell themselves, as will be seen from the
following:
Many of the Germans who come hither
bring money enough with them to pay their
passage. but rather suffer themselves to be
sold, with a view that during serYitude
they may get some knowledge of the
language and quality of the country, and
the like, that they may the better be able
to consider what they shall do when they
have got their liberty" Others had diff
ferent plan. They made bargain with
the captain before they embarked, and af-
ter landing they sold their children to the
highest bidder, paid the captain off and
perhaps had few dollars left. Kahn saws.
''The English and Irish commonly sell |
themselves for four years. but the Germans
frequently agree with the captain before
they set out, to pay him certain sum Of |
money, for certain number of persons: as
soon as they arrive in America, they 20 |
about and try to get man who will pay
the passage for them. In return they give
according to the circumstances one, or sew
eral of their children to serve certain
number of years, at last they make their
bargain with the highest bidder.n II would |
appear however. from the following adyer-
tisements taken from the Amerseaw Week
~ Mercury, Nov. 1880, 1727, that some of |
the captains had dificulty in collecting
their money &C cording to agreement.
"To all the Pallatines brought o0er 6y
Capt. WStitGm Lea, in the Ship William
and Sarah. sOho haze not paid their Pas
sage: Monies, or given security for ii. |
That II they do Forthaoith from the Dase
hereof make due Payment to Thomas
Sober, Mcrcht, IN Philadelphia, they sosll |
BE- Prosecuted for the same at Las.s
"This is to give Notice. to all such Pala- |
tines as came over Passengers in the Ship
MGlly, John Hodshoa Master, thai
If they do not forthwith from the Date
hereof come and make due Payment of |
their Respective Passage Monies according |
to Agreement. they win be Prosecuted. for |
the same at Law.
JoHE HoDsHoa.n
Keliey,s. For $3.50 $3.50
{ 80 DAYS EPEcIAL.-Fori Sc lIavs onlv. we |