The letter below is the translation by Aida Kraus, a contributor to the German Bohemian Heritage Society of a German letter written from Galizia in 1784 and published in Werner Hacker's book: "Auswanderungen aus dem Rheinland im 18. Jahrhundert" ISBN 3-8062-0487-X which she acquired through an Inter LIbrary Loan. - Rosina This is a letter of a settler in "Galizia" now Poland. His name is Chr. Schneickert and he writes this from German Kamin on March 18, 1784. Signed by his own hand. From the archives at Speyer C 14 "As promised , I shall report back to His most Honorable about the factual condition here in Galizien and Polen. This land has extremely fertile soil and grows wheat, corn, rye, oat, millet, hemp, flax, peas, and provides planted as well as wild fruit, Wiswachs? (I dont know what this is), has meadow water and wood to excess, and the grain is not damaged by wild animals. We received 40 Morgen arable land, one pair of oxen, 2 cows, 1 cart, plow, sled, harrow, (I don’t know what a Strohstuhl is) with a measure, (maybe a scale of sorts) , sythes, sharpener, a hay and dung fork, 1 ax, several hoes, shovel, dung hoes have been given to us as soon as we arrived at Poland. Our kk Majesty provides for us on a monthly basis with money and edibles. We receive 1 Forint for the man, 30 Kreutzer for the wife, 30 Kreuzer per child. We receive a quarter fruit (probably root vegetables) which would cost 2/1 Silver Rhenish coin until we can establish our own harvest of food and living support. Peter Graf, a Brick Master living here in the village has been elected by the village people and nobility as representative and judge (mayor) and we would like to report to you that he is a man of reliability. But what we think is the most noble gesture towards us, that is that we can worship in our own Augsburgisch Evangelical Lutheran faith quite in the open, without anyone refusing this Religion, be it Catholic or Polish. Nobody can put any disturbance in our way. We find that the "Polacks" are very slovenly, superstitious, very easy in thievery, and enamored of beerdrinking and distilled spirits, it is a pity that they populate such a very good land. We report to his Most Honorable Sir that our brother Matthäus Schneider, the mentally deficient, has died the 5th of March and was buried on the 7th in Christian earth in this year 1784. He leaves an inheritance to us, his rightful heirs, and for this purpose I am enclosing his certificate of death. Therefore, I, Christoph Schneickert am his heir and respectfully request that the 40 Florin "mother money" (his inheritance share from his mother, obviously) and 'Kelter Geld" (Weinpress fee in the Rheinland) be issued to me inclusive interests and any other provisions due me until next Martini. We are looking forward in receiving your esteemed reply and appropriate handling of the above mentioned money and I am signing as you most loyal and devoted T. Christof Schneichert"