I wrote my laſt from
Capt Butlers being
then down to Speak with
Sir William Johnston about Setting up
A School at y
e
Lower Mohawk Caſtle. In y
e afternoon of y
e day I wrote you, with
mr Kirtland,
I waited on his honour; but had
no Oppertunity so much as to propoſe my Buiſeneſs to him; and hav‐
ing promiſed the
Indians of Kanajohara to be there on Sunday, I
returnd
y
e next day without ever viſiting
y
e
lower Caſtle. the
ne next Tuſday, I returnd went to
Sir Willims again for his Advice.
found him Sick. could not speak with
him. The next day
mr Kirt‐land and I set out for
fort hunter. (
ye
Caſtle) met
mr
Occum,
he went over with us. a few Indians came together. it was pro‐
poſd to them leaving
Calvin who was with us a School‐
Maſter
amongſt them if they would maintain him, &, Send
there Children to School. they ansſwer they cant determine till
they love a meeting. at length they conclude to keep
Calvin
till they meet; so I muſt go down again to hear their Reſult
and intend to carry Paper for the School
Mr Kirtland says
the Indians think
^it^ very
hard that they muſt maintain
their Schoolmaſters; but
the Indians here say not a word
againſt it; which (I think) is a Sufficent Motive to us,
not to comply with the unreaſonable Ingratitude of the
other.— The same Day I rode up the River about
a
Dozen Miles.
Mr Occom comes up.
Great
Abraham comes crying to me, says, "
Peter says, I git
drink. I too
"much mad. I muſt go home. I perſwade him to stay. he
appears averſe to it. I tell
mr Occom
wat ails
Abraham
Mr Occom Joins me. at length in some Meaſure over‐
come he concluds to stay for the Preſent.
I go to
Peter. talk with him on y
e affair. he says, People tell him so.
"what he School‐Maſter, he git drunk too. I aſk
Peter when he got
drunk. he says he went to
Mowing to day and came out of the field
drunk.
Mr Occom and I both saw him coming out of the field, we
nither of us preceivd it. I am much perplext about the affair. fear
what the Event will be; but
Abraham behaves him so well in
other Reſpects, I hope it
^is^ all a
[illegible] flam. we ride to the
german flats to viſit
the Onoydas there, intending if poſible to set up a School
at thear hunting houſes. find them so scattered we think it imprac‐
ticable.
Saturday I return home,
Mr Occom stays to preach, if he
can get the Indians together.
Lords Day we have a Funeral this morning.
Three men wading the River the Night before laſt, one of them is
taken with the Cramp, and drownds. I attend the funeral. his
Wife, Children and friends howl like —
— — — — I dont know what.
I make a Prayer at the houſe. go to the grave intending there
to make an addreſs to the Indians on the Occation. An old
man makes a short speach in Indian. throws a handfull of
dirt into the Coffin; the young men fill up the grave.
Before this is half done the People scatter, every one his
way, home as I thought. I stay with an old man till the grayve is finiſhed, then return. aſk the old man, why the People go off so soon. he tells me they are gon to the houſe of
morning. It is I conclud to drink away their Sorrow, for they they come back merry, and some of them
come to meeting half drunk. In speaking to them from theſe Words except you repent you Shall all likewiſe
periſh, I indevourd to shew them, that all of them who had not repented of their Sins were in great
danger of being taken out of the world. ^by some suden
judgment of God^ and sent to hell. And if God lets them live and they dont
repent, they grow worſe and worſe and will be more miſerable at laſt, becauſe God has waited on them so long. But what signifies preaching to People
drunk. I would have intirly
omited it today, ^except to a few^ were it not for giving
offence.
This Practice of Drinking away Sorrow, as far as I can learn,
is very
frequent amongſt the Indians this way; and I don't
know but every where; and it being one of thoſe
heatheniſh
Practices
[illegible], which Chriſtianity alone can put an End to, it is so far
from being a diſcouradgment to thoſe who would spread the goſple
amongſt them; that I hope it will make me more erneſt
and induſterous in Spreding it.— Monday, a great wedding here
to day;
Joſeph Brant, marries
Nieggen Aoghyatonghſera,— Pegge daughter of
Isaac, from
Onohoquage. She is handſome, Sober,
diſcreet
& a religious young woman.
Kyaka, Brother
[illegible][guess: / per] Patrem/
to your
Willm major, mar
^r^ies a handſome
Engliſh girl.
said to be daughter to a Gentleman in
Virginia. she was taken
some years ago
by the back Nations, and brought in, to
Sir Willam
laſt fall. She Speaks a Number of Indian languages and
the Engliſh very well.
[illegible] a third
cupple I have this day to marry are common Indians. a
great feaſt is now making. an Ox is kild, all to be dreſsd.
seven or eight Cags
^holding two or three gallons each^ of Rum and Wine broght in; Corn boiling
Pies making. Indian flocking together.— but
mr Occom is
come I relieve your Patience
The mariage was attended without
a great deal of Indecency / I mean amongſt the Indians/ of any
Kind. how i conducted, upon this unuſual
occaſion you muſt
g
^u^eſs. the firſt of my marriing.
Mr Occom and I saw the new‐
married Pares at y
e Table with their Parents, aſked a Bleſs‐
ing for them, and having ourſelves before dind, we set off for
Cherry Vallye hoping to find
mr Smith and
Mr Gun there.
Tuſday we arived at
Cherry Valle.
Mr Smith and
Mr Gun left
this laſt friday for the Lake. Wenſday: we return to
Kanojohare without seeing them. we find there was a great drunken
frolic after we left this. two Indians were Stabd, one of them
very dangeroſly, in his Back and Breaſt
^if he dies a Relation kills his murder, it is said^. Another
accident wh
happened I leave
Mr Occom to tell you. Thurſday
Mr Occom stayed
with me expecting
Mr Kirtland. He dont come. to day we examine
a certain affair, find it not so bad as we feard. Friday
Mr Occom leaves me for
Sir Willms
&
fort Hunter. — — I viſit the Schools; find
nither
Maſter nor Scholars at
l Abrahams, at Night call the Boys
together, find yt the Neglect of
little Abrahams School
was thru
a miſtake between him and .
J[illegible]ohn. examine the Boys about
family Worſhip find they hear nothing of it in the Place. I
pray with them, order them to
come together every Night for
Prayers. which they have since done and I intend they shall
conſtantly. they read a Chapter in the Bible and sing a Pſalm.
Joſ. Brant
Jo
iyns with us. — — — Sunday I preach to y
e Indians;
but moſt of them pay but little reguard to Preaching. Monday
I muſt set off to day for
fort Hunter where I left
Calvin the Week
before laſt, to see him and to receive the Anſwer of the Indians
about a School there; thō I hope there has been one ever Since I
was there. In the mean Time: I shall Starve for Money in about
a Month. Six or eight Pound I shally
really want, and dont see
how I can do without it. — — — — Rev
d Sir, if I write too much, tell
me so, and I will curtaile my Accounts. — — I have had no oppertu‐
nity to mention
Capt
Ledles Affair, or even our own to
Sir Willm,
my duty to
Maddam, love to the family,
Mr Lathrop and School
I remain in due Reſpect to you and yours