4th
Nov. 1767.
Reverend, & dear ſir
The unmeritted
^friendſhip^ you have ſhewn to me, & the generous
regard you ſeem to have for Man-kind in general; eſpecia‐
ly
y
e poor Heathen of y
e Land, diſcover'd in yr
indefatuga‐
ble
endevours after thir
ſalvation, has, I confeſs, brought
me under ſome obligations of love &
friendſhip to yourſelf,
And I'
m
conſtrain'd to own, (that while you ſeem
diſintruſted
in yr views, while exerciſing
yr kind offices to others) that
I feel myſelf, ſtrongly
atteched to yr
Intruſt in all its Branch
es: accomponied, with my conſtent Prayers. for y
e
bleſsing of Heaven on y
r
Perſon, &
Famoly, and that
your
^endevours^ for y
e
convertion of y
e Poor Heathen might meet
with ſucceſs. I could willing, at this time give you
a Naritive of ſome
converſation which Paſ'd at a gentelman'
Tabel, the other Day, at
Middletown,
concerning yr
Perſon
and Intruſt, as alſo
ſome
acount, of y
e mortification, &
pain I induer'd
[illegible][guess: an]
[illegible]
[illegible][guess: account this Mallevelant] at y
e
diſcove‐
ry of that mallevelant
diſpoſition, harber'd in y
e
Breſt's of
^[left]too^ too many gentelmen, pretenders to honour, &
Chriſtianity.
Did I not foreſee how much my officiousneſs might be liable
to be miſconſtru'd into a meenneſs, which rather becomes
a meddling Fool, than a hearty Friend. but y
e confidence
I place in yr charitable diſpoſition, join'd with the Teſtemo
‐nies of
^my^
greatful
friendſhip as expreſ'd above ſhall
ſerve in
y
e room of any further apoligy at this time.
I Din'd the other Day with several Gentelmen
whoes
converſation ran for ſome time on indeferent things, and
finding my place quite at y
e lower end of y
e Table, I thought
my wiſeſt part to learn my Diſtence
& to uſe my Knife
& fork hanſomly, than to let my Tongue run, Eſpecially, as
^[left]I^ heard nothing utter'd
worthey of my attention untill
y
e
Reverand
Mr
Whelock's Name was brought on y
e Board
neither can I perſwaid
myſelf I ſhould then have ben
ſo
ſaucy, had you been Preſent to have ſpoake for yourſelf.
While the gentelman of y
e
Houſe was only Pleaſ
d
to to obſerve that
Mr
Whelock was a very cuning
Man, and one who took care to Look before he Leep'd
and that he did not commenly act with out
diſsigne
I dont know but I could have bourn that well anough
but when he came to deride yr Plan for Chriſtianiſing
y
e
Heathing, and
^to^
Inſinnuat
ting as tho
yr love for y
e
Heathing was
a pretence only, and ſpran
dg from y
e
meen Motives of
Avorice, & a deſire of worldly welth
Priccipelly, I muſt
confeſs I loſt all patience. 'T
iswas well y
e
ſeveral
gentelmen
were ſo well pleaſ'd with y
e
countenances of each other
as that they took no notice of mine: other ways they would
have diſcoverd
y
e emotion of my Heart by y
e Blood in my face
Whiſe I was chiding my Heart for having offered to have betray'
d an angrey perty— the aforeſaid
gentelman was giving it
as his humble Opinion; that y
e only way to Chriſtian‐
iſe
y
e Heathens was firſt to ſiveliſe them. The other gentelman
repli'd, that he humbly conciv'd that Powder & Ball ware
y
e
beſt
ingreediences to affect either. Havin
dg baniſhed as I
hoped, that
^officious^
g
[illegible] thing could anger, who is apt ſometimes
to intrude himſelf, when his componny would do more hurt
than good, and ſomened
reaſon into her office, I boldly de‐
manded of them what they
thought would have become of
us gentiles: if ſo be the Lord Jeſus
& his Apoſtels had ſayd
y
e
ſame of us &
ſo have denigh'd us y
e
Meens of ſalvation.
Upon this bold queſtion, the compony
ſem'd to ſtart, and look
at each other, as much as to ſay, who have we got here? but
y
e
gentelman who was juſt now, ſo free with his Powder & Ball,
having recollected himſelf, as boldly demanded of me if I ware a
Married Man? upon my anſwer in y
e
afermative, he demand
ed again; thaf if in caſe I ware
ſingle, could I conſent to Marry
an Indian ſquaw? I am ſure you will not blaim me, if I own
I took time to d
^e^liberate what anſwer to give. My Antagoniſt
perciving
me, firſt to paus, then about to reply; prevented me, with an heir of
inſult, Why (ſaid he) yr put to yr Trumps, now, it ſeems?
Why, I thought by ſhuch a queſtion, I ſhou'd
ſoon
f?proove
yr
Love to y
e Indians? but let me inform you (continued he)
that y
e only way to ſiviliſe
y
e Indians, is firſt to Marry & in‐
ter-marry with them: unleſs we have recorſe to Powder & Ball
as I juſt now hinted. Ah rejin'd
y
e other gentelman. you per‐
fectly acord with my Judgment, 'twas ever my opinion they
muſt in this way, firſt be ſiviliſed, before Chriſtianiſ'd: but
as I am
we
ſo well acquainted with human nater, as to know
the ireconſilable
avertion, that white people muſt ever have
to black, I think I'
m warranted to judge of
Mr
Whelock's attemps
as altogether abſurd
&
fruitlis. For continued he,— ſo long as y
e Indians
are diſpiſed by y
e
[illegible]Engliſh we may never expect ſucceſs in Chriſ‐
tianiſing of them. I reply'd that what he ſaid
laſt might
probably be true, but then I was at a loſs to acount for y
e
concluſion they ſeem'd to draw from this premiſe, viz. That becauſe
I could not Marry a ſquaw, I muſt therefore of
^neceſaty^
conſequence
deſpiſe
the Indians. They both warmly reply'd, that this muſt be
y
e
neceſary, &
unavidable
conſequ
yene of not Marrying and
inter-marrying with them, and that for thir own parts
they could never reſpect an Indian, Chriſtian or no Chriſtian
ſo as
to put him on a level with white people on any account eſpecially
to eat at y
e
ſame Table. no— not with
Mr
Ocham
himſelf be
he ever ſo much a Chriſtian or ever ſo Learned. I was not ſuffed
to make a reply neither can I ſay I much deſir'd it, but was more
glad to make my Exit ſo
ſoon as y
e Table was diſmiſ'd. I muſ
deſir giv‐
ing you my privet reflections on this diſcorſe
'till further opertunity
mean time beg leve, dear ſir— to ſubſcribe
myſelf
yr affectionate Friend & very Humble Sarv.t
David Croſby
Eaſt Hartford 1767.
PS I've not forgo't the incuregement
Mr
Whelock gave me of an honarable
Imployment, nor y
e
reaſons for which I ſoſpected he might alter his mind