> Parts of letter from Rev. Adres Sodnell coming to America: Volume 34 PA Magazine > > > After leaving Stockholm in the ship two months on the way between Sweden and England, from the 21st ofAugust to the 17th of October [1701]. > When we came to Virginia we dropped anchor at a place called > Patuxent, where the ship had to clear customs, etc. This was on a > bay (a broad inlet Virginia and Maryland, and is two Swedish miles long, though > becoming ever narrower. It runs to the west of north, is called > Kesenpigg widest point. > Up these waters we sailed, through Virginia and into Maryland, > where, on March 1, we came to anchor at a place called Herring > Bay. And there I left the ship. > This Herring Bay is a place where Englishmen dwell, here and > there along the shore, planting tobacco and nothing else. They > don't take time to sow grain, except for a little wheat and maize. > They drink water, and most of them have a very hard life. Those > who possess greater means and are of a higher standing buy > cornand malt from Pennsylvania. Tobacco is to them what cabbage is > to Sweden. Tobacco isn't expensive there, but the cost of getting it > from skalpund.(though ways of doing so could be found). Secondly, if a person > should be permitted to send over one hogshead [sic] England is high, and it > sells for 3 ore, in copper coin, a36 First, it is forbidden to send over a small > quantity[literally, "oxhead"],about 200 dr., > to be paid just for freight to London, after the English King takes > for each pound 18./., copper coin, in duty. > From Herring Bay I went by shallop to a little town called > Annapolis, which is in Maryland. The Governor of Maryland > lives there. > On March 10 we arrived at Bohemia, and were guests of an > Englishman who had a Swedish wife. She spoke pure Swedish, but > he taught their children English. > From this point I now had to proceed by land, although I sentmy baggage across, > in a cart, to the bay called Delaware River, > which runs to Pennsylvania. Here the land is narrowest, not more > than one Swedish mile, and there are always boats to carry goods > to Philadelphia. 37 copper coin, reckoned in Swedish money, would have[wijk]) > which goes up into the country through[Chesapeake], and is about 7 Swedish miles > across. > When I first got here I engaged board and room for three weeks > in Philadelphia Town, in order to become acquainted with the > English and also because I found, as soon as I arrived, much work > to do in connection with the approaching Easter holy days. I stayed > in the home of a physician, Dr. Sober, > also had room and board. > After this I moved into the parsonage at Passyunk, which lies > three quarters [of a Swedish mile] from the church, > my meals to the home of a Swedish widow, Maria Rambo, > for board alone, 5 dr., copper coin, every week. > Philadelphia is, a very pretty town, not more than 20 years old, > but having, nevertheless, 500 large, stone houses and many > distinguished people. The governor and his court, the mayor, > the magistrates, officers, secretaries, lawyers, etc., and many merchants, > go splendidly dressed, and all those who are of the English > Church, or Protestants, are very friendly toward us. They are > exceedingly sorry to have Magister Rudman leave them. > > Our Swedes, of whom there are over ninety families, or households, > in my congregation, are for the most part prosperous, praise God! > for this is a very fruitful land for wheat, rye, corn, and oats, which > they sell to the English for a good price. One of our people is a > magistrate, and sits in the court in town here. > They till the fields, dress very nicely, live soberly, and are > diligent in their work. > Everything here is very costly, and most expensive of all, or > nearly so, are laborers. One cannot hire a farmhand for a year, if he > is to clothe himself, for less than 300 dr., copper coin. There aren't > many, however, who employ farmhands, for they have another > means, bought slaves, or bondmen, whom they call servants. Most > of these come from England. > To such matters as the weather and food and drink. I can > find no difference between the food and drink here and that in > Sweden except that here they have a greater variety of good beverages. > One, made from apples, is called > flip, punch, etc., which they make of beer or water, spirits, and sugar. > It is now quite warm here, but I can remember many times when > I have felt it just as warm in Sweden. > I haven't had much fish, although it is plentiful here—herring, > for example, as large as Swedish bream, and perch in three varieties, > one that is not red. The red perch is therefore called Swedish perch. > Neither the tiny Baltic herring nor salmon is found here. > Among the birds there are no larks, but most of the other kinds found. > There are gray and black squirrels, but no red ones. > > As for the savages, they are of different tribes, those who live in > Pennsylvania being of one tribe, those in Maryland of another, etc., > and they speak differently and so one cannot understand the other. > These in Pennsylvania really have no government at all. > They wear a square piece of cloth, red or blue, thrown around their > body, covering their loins. Otherwise they are naked. All of them > smear themselves all over with an oily substance, bear grease, which > makes them brown. When they wish to adorn themselves for coming > into town they daub broad red streaks across their faces and paint > themselves accordingly. And then they think they look pretty fine. > They have only one wife, but when the husband no longer loves > her he abandons her and takes another. > They cradle their children between two boards put together on > their back. All the savages have very straight, fine bodies. > Do you wonder how these heathen folk survive the winter, when > it gets so cold here, and they go so bare? When a child is little the > mother takes it every morning to some place where there is water > with ice, and washes the child in the cold water, to toughen it. > These are quite hardy people, and they eat all sorts of coarse food > have no horses, cows, goats—only swine; and they maintain > themselves by fishing. > The men go off into the forest and stay the > whole winter, five or six months at a time, hunting, and then in the > spring they come home and sell the skins to the Christians. > The men do not concern themselves about farm lands, but then > they don't care to cultivate much ground, only enough so that they > can plant a little maize. > The forest wilderness is so great that these savages tell many times > of running for three or four months toward the west without finding > any sea. A savage runs so hard in the forest he could tire out a horse > in a day, being able to keep on running all day without faltering.can > always find their way, wherever they are. Even if they > were in wild forest a hundred miles away and left something there, > they could find it again the next year. > A Swede, when he was a little boy, went out to pick berries in the > forest, and a savage seized him. Now he lives among these wild > heathen and won't return. > No one can persuade a savage to become a servant to a Christian. > They are more loyal to us than to the English. When some Swede > arrives and the heathen hear of it, they come and take him by the > hand. They are so faithful to the Swedes that if one of them should > hear that a Swede was in any kind of danger he would be willing to > run a hundred miles to warn him. > [Canada], Virginia, etc., are said to have better order, with > these savages have houses made of bark instead of logs. Their money > is red and brown stones, small and round, which they string on a cord. > What I have written about the heathen applies only to those who > live in Pennsylvania. >