Evening journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1888-1932, 1901-08-28

Several historical writer's have been
busily devoting themselves for some
years past to the Pennsylvania Ger
mans, and they have brought together
much interesting material about a very
interesting people. says the Philadel-
delphia Times Judge Pennypacker
j. +. Sachse and Mr.. Diffenderfer are
the best-known members of this little
group of historians. Mr.. Diffenderfer
OF Lancaster, who has been very
prominently connected with the Penn
sylvania German Society, has prepared
at the request of that society an his
torical account of the immigration of
the Palarines and other Germans into
Pennsylvania in the eighteenth CEN
tury. The edition is limited and is
meant for a rather narrow public, but
the results of the authors studies de-
serve to be more widely known.
Although the German eagle screams
now and then as we turn the pages
Of the book, it is understood by this
time that the Pennsylvania Dutch"
must have their representative in lit
erature. like every other important
racial element of which the American
nation is composed. The Puritans.
the ScCtch-Irish, the Hollanders, the
Quakers-all have had their histori-
ans. For the good they have done
they have been glorifed, and for their
shortcomings they have been justified,
so that a little unseemly zeal will have
10 be overlooked in Mr.. Diffenderffer
when he takes up his quill in behalf
of the Pennsylvania Germans. They
have introduced strong elements Of
character into this nation, such as
honesty, industry and frugality, and
their praises should be sung by some
one.
Mr. Diffenderffer goes back to Europe
to find out what were the causes of
this great movement of the German
population to Pennsylvania. For a
fun century Germany had been torn
and rent by devastating wars In this
clash of arms the peasant was no
more considered than the cattle in his
fields.
The first party of Germans TO arrive
were those under Pastorius, who came
in 1858, Immediately after Penn. This
party, numbering between thirty and
forty, settled in Germantown, and
their countrymcn were rather slow to
follow them. The movement began in
earnest. however, about 1710; and it
was kept UP with slight interruption
until the revolution. In 1749 no less
than twenty-one immigrant ships ar
ffr in To- 1rI1a. l.. IL q
them from Germany; and there were
nineteen in 1852, and the same number
in 1853. Some of these brought as
many as 600 passengers, though most
of the vessels were much smaller i'm
size. There was such an influx of Ger
mans, indeed. that the Quaker govern
ment took alarm Soon all foreigners
were required to register, and each
had to pay a head tax of forty shill-
ings, equal TO about $40.
Travel by sea was at that time at
best a very uncomfortable experience,
and for the Germans it was more I'M
pleasant than can be well imagined.
There were many, of course, who were
able to pay their pas sage money, but
not few had to bind themselves out
to service on arriving on these shores,
in order to indemnify the ship cap
tains. transportation, poor as it was,
was by no means cheap. Most of the
ships set sail from Rotterdam. though
some were loaded at Amsterdam and
ether Continental ports. The immi-
grants were chiefly Palatines, and they
found it necessary to leave their
homes in central Germany early in
May in order to reach Pennsylvania
by the end of October They were
obliged to go down the Rhine by boat,
and this voyage to Rotterdam often
lasted as long as six weeks. The i'm
migrants and such goods as they car
ried with them must pass through
thirty-six custom houses. which the
German princes whose ruined castles
now adOrn the Rhine had set up at
will on the riverside. The boats We're
frequently detained a long while at
these custom stations. and when they
came at last TO Rotterdam, FIVE or six
weeks more We're spent in waiting for
the ship to complete it's cargo.
From Rotterdam the vessel proceed
ed to Cowes. i'm the Isle of Wight
where there was another custom