Lebanon
July. 4.th 1761.
Rev.d
& dear Sir.
I hope you have rec
d mine from
Boſton
laſt
May, incloſing a letter of Thanks to the
^noble^
Marqueſs of Lothain
for £50 Sterling which I rec.
d of
M.r Smith. It came at
a Time when it was much needed and I dont
know how to
expreſs my Gratitude ſuitably either to God or man. I preſume
his good Lordſhip wants nothing
^in return^ more than I can
readily give
that is, the fulleſt
aſsurance that it was received thankfully,
and ſhall be improved in the beſt manner I am able for the
furtherance of the great Deſign of ſpreading the Gospel
among the poor Indians.
M.r Occom the Indian Miniſter went from hence on a Miſ
ſion to the
Oneida Indians,
at the Motion & Direction of a
number of Gentlemen in
New York Government, on the 10
th of Laſt month.
David Fowler one of my Indian Schollars
accompanied him in order to obtain if he could, and bring
hither to this
School
ſix Boys of the
Six Nations to be
:fitted
as ſoon as poſsible for Interpreters or Miſsionaries.
Three of the Six are at the Expence of the
Scotiſh
Com̅iſs.n
in
Boſton
; the other Three I take in addition to the Six Boys
now with me, at my
own Riſque. The Journey which
David is upon if
he goes to the
Seenecas is about 500. miles.
1200 Miles he will ride in our Wilderneſs if he accompliſhes
what he purposed when he ſet out. The Lord mercifully pre
ſerve him and make his way proſperous. I have heard nothing
from them ſince they left me. But I heard a few Day ago that
one of the
Oneida Indians had killd a Dutchman, and that
the whole Tribe were moving off under Apprehenſion that the
Engliſh will riſe and cut them off.
There is among ſeveral Tribes near
Seſquaanna River. a very
great concern, and Deſire to be taught the way of Salvation by
Chriſt. and ſuch a Door open to preach the Gospel among
them as never was before, if we
could find any way to com̅u
-nicate it to them. The
London Com̅iſsrs in Boſton have ap
pointed
M.r Amos Thompſon
Miſsionary, &
M.r
Eliſha Gunn Interpreter to the Tribe at
Onohoquagke, on
S.d River, and
beſides him I know not of one ſuitable for the Buſineſs of Inter
preter, nor is he a thorough Maſter of their Language.
There is a vaſt deal to be done, and at preſent it ſeems
it muſt be done by perticular
Perſons. Our Government have done nothing yet, nor do I hear of any Proposals
of a publick Nature in Favour of the Indians. The Diſpoſition
of a great number ſeems to be rather to riſe and cut them all off, than to do any thing to ſave their Souls. nothing can be done without money, and our people complain
much of the weight of
^[left]our^ charges of late years.
My
School is in a growing State;
though but one of the Girls
which
which I have been ſo long expecting is yet come. nor have
I heard a word from
M.r Brainerd
ſince
laſt Fall, when he
informed me that the Girls were detained by Sickneſs, but
might be expected early this Spring.
I have taken a
pious youth Son to
the Rev.
M.r Kirtland of
Norwich
into this
School as a Charity Schollar; who
is fitting as faſt as he can to accompany my Indian Boys
on a Miſsion to diſtant Tribes as ſoon as they are fit for
it. he and they deſign to learn the Languages of the
ſix
nations, of the Boys which
David
is gone for if they ſhall
come.
None know, nor can any, without Experience, well conceive of, the
Difficulty of Educating an Indian. They would ſoon
kill themſelves with Eating and Sloth, if conſtant care weres not exerciſed for them at leaſt the firſt year — they are used to ſet upon the Ground, and it is as natural for them as a ſeat to our children — they are not wont to have any Cloaths
but what they wear, nor will they without much Pains be bro.t
to take Care of any. — They are used to a Sordid Manner of
Dreſs, and love it as well as our Children to be clean. — They are not used
to any Regular Government, the ſad
Conſequences of Which You may a little gueſs at — they are used to live from Hand to Mouth (as we Speak) and
have no care for Futurity — they have never been used to the Furniture of
an Engliſh House, and dont know but that a wine glaſs is as Strong as an Hand Iron — our Language
[gap: tear][guess: when] they Seem to
have got it is not their Mother Tongue and they cannot receive nor communicate in
that as in their Own. — It is a long time before they will learn the
proper Place & use of the Particles. A, an, the &c. and they are as unpoliſhed
& uncultivated within as without. however Experience has taught us that it
may be done. and they be as open to Conviction of the Truth of their State, when
proper matter of Conviction is com̅unicated to them as any, and there is as much Ground to hope for their Converſion. and I am ſtill of Opinion that the Time of Gods Mercy to them is now near at Hand.
May'n't I, my Dear Sir, look upon the generous Grant of the
Marqueſs of Lothain
as an Earniſt of further and greater Benefits
to the great Deſign. You will eaſily
beleive
he weight of Change
is heavy upon me. It is now almost Seven years ſince I began
with two, and above four years I have had four and the moſt
of the Time five & Six, and now Eight upon my Hands
^as^
con
ſtantly devoted to School as their Health will allow. and if
all come which I now
expect, I ſhall have Eighteen, male, &
feemale who will live only on the Charities of Such as Deſire
the enlargement of the Redeemers Kingdom.
The Hon
le
London Com̅iſsrs
have made ſeveral Grants for
my Help. and laſt fall
^they^ settled £20. proc. p.
r annum upon
this
School; which with the
private Donations I have had
have enabled me to Scrabble along hitherto.
The
Scotiſh
Com̅iſsrs
have but little to do with at preſent;
[illegible]The firſt Laying out of that new formed Com̅iſsion is for the
Support of the Three Boys before mentioned.
I hope they
will ſoon
be enabled to do ſomething greater. nor was that received from
the
Society but y.
e
contribu.
n of
M.r
W.m
Hyſlop
one of y.
r
memb
rs. they hope ſoon to be enabled
by
y.e Society to do something greater.
I hear
I hear that a large number of Captives whom the Indians have
taken at one time & place & another are lately brought into
Albany; among which there are 29. who have forgotan their Names
and the Place they were taken from, and it cant as yet be known
what
Family they are of. I have a mind, if it may be, to chuſe out
a number of them for an Education for our Purpose
in this
School.
There is a
religious youth of
about 14 Years old of
The
Tribe at Farmington,
who has learnt to read & can
ſpeak
Engliſh, who has a great Thirſt for Learning, and
appears to be very Sprightly: his Mother brought him
hither while I was at
Boston
laſt may, with Hopes y.
t
I would take him into this
School. what ſhall I do for him?
If I knew how to addreſs the
Earl of Dartmouth (whoſe
Name among the Religious Part of our Country is like pre
cious Oyntment) I would pray his
Lordſhip to conſider,
among the many objects of his Charity, the vaſt Swarms
in this Land who are periſhing for Lack of knowledge and
that the Expence of getting the Gospel among them muſt
needs be very great, their Different Languages being almoſ
[gap: worn_edge][guess: t]
as numerous as their Tribes. and no Books to aſsiſt in
learning them — and few or none ſkillful enough to be
their Interpreters, eſpecially in matters of Religion. nor any
except ſome low lived ignorant, & commonly vitious Persons
who have been their Captives — I would also urge upon
his
Lordſhip, that divine Providence has now opened the Door
wide for that
purpose. and great numbers, by the
[illegible]
Ru
mours they have heard, are
^now^
perſwaded there is ſomething to
be known which nearly concerns them and are very deſirious
to be taught —
I would also urge ^w.t
his Ldſhp has ſo often tho't of^ that the Heart of the #
great Redeemer is
infinitely Set upon it, and [illegible]
^conſequently
^ an offering to this Purpose muſt needs be acceptable to him. and ^methinks^ I
ſhould
feal quite bold in the Cauſe, for it is none of my own, more than his. and I know if
his Lordſhip believes these things, he muſt have a Heart very Different from his Character if it be not ^disposed to^ moved with Compaſsion towards them
[illegible]. yea I am not afraid to rely upon his Lordſhips
Candour if you ſhall think fit to ſhew him what I have wrote.
as to an Incorporation for this Purpose when I went to
Boston I had in view ſomething Relative thereto. but found there that a
number of the Principle men in
Boſton
viz. The
Leiu.t
Gov.r a number
of
his Majeſty's
Councel, all the aſsociated
Miniſters
& Others, had
been upon the like Deſign, but were then ſtoped by Reaſson of ſome
differing Sentiments &c when they came to underſtand my
^Deſign
^
Buſineſs
Several who were principle movers in the affair earneſtly
deſired
we would not proceed without them. and you will likely hear
more about it
before long.
We had an acco.t of your Death in the publick Prints. I ſupposed you had ſeen the End of your Faith. and had arived to full viſion of thoſe
Glories of the Mediator, which all your Eloquence had but imperfectly
repreſented to your attentive admirers, and that you were now
ſwollowed up in and feaſted to ye full with, that Goodneſs which Eye hath not ſeen nor Ear heard &c. and y.t I muſt think no more of an Interview with you 'till I come to the world of Spirits. but now ^my dear Sir^ I
will hope a little to
M.r Pomeroy was well the laſt time I heard from him but from
Home and full of Buſineſs. Indeed Sir, I do love to pray for
you. and truſt I have, and ſhall
feal the Benefit of Your Prayers for, My Dear Sir,
P.S.
July. 9. my letter wait.
g for
opportunity for conveyance gives me
opportunity to add. y.
t the night before laſt I received yours of
Feby
[illegible].
and yesterday I received one from
M.r Occom Dated
New York
June 24. where
^in^ he informs me y
t
y.
e
Sabath Evening before there
was a Collection at
M.r
Boſtwicks
^meeting House^ for him of £60:15:7.
and the Evening
following at the Baptiſt meeting House of
£13. & that he and
David
deſind to purſue
[illegible] their Journey
to
Oneida the next morning: & by another Hand I am informd
that
previous
^antecedent^ to ſ
d Collection
he
^Mr
Occom^
preachd to the moſt numerous
aſsembly that was ever known in those parts:
and this
[illegible] day I
^have^ received a Letter from
M.r Brainerd which
Informed me that one of the Girls who were to
come
hither laſt fall was ſtill
ſick and not like to recover. but
that he ſhould
ſend me two by the firſt
veſsel. ſo that
now I expect my number very ſoon.
and
illegible
^by^ another at the Same Time from dear
M.r Amos
Thompſon
^I'm^ informed
ng
me that he was on his way from the
Jerſies
to
Boſton
to
[gap: tear][guess: conclude] on
the Buſineſs of his
Miſsion
& was taken ſick, his Physican
ſays going into
a Conſumption
ſo that there is no hope of his ſerving
in that Capacity. Gods Judgments are a great Deepe
# and would not
his Lordſhip think whether, or no, an offering
for this Purpose at leaſt of ſome
^Small^ part of that which the Lord
of all Lords has honourd him to be the ſteward of in this
Life, would not be acceptable to him, whoſe Heart is ſo
much ſet upon the ſucceſs
&
Progreſs of this work.
yours &
Eleazar Wheelock
†
Joseph Woolley
complains that diſuſe of their pen thro'
ſo
cloſe
an application to the[illegible] Languages and:
Hez. Calvin. will now read
Tulley, Virgil & the Greek Teſtament very Handſomly.
David Fowler who is gone into the
Mohawke Country is
a very Promiſing youth indeed.
Isaiah Uncas is Eldeſt
ſon and Heir apparent to the
Sachem of Mohegan. he but little more than knew his
Litters when he came to me laſt fall. aged about 10 years.
he begins to read in the Bible.
Copy of
Letter to
M.r
Whitefield.
July 1761