Lebanon
July. 4th 1761.
Rev.
and dear Sir.
I hope you have received mine from
Boston
last
May, enclosing a letter of Thanks to the noble
Marquess of Lothian
for £50 Sterling which I received of
Mr. 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.
Mr. 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 10th
of last month.
David Fowler one of my Indian scholars
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 expense of the
Scottish
Commissioners
in
Boston
; the other Three I take in addition to the Six Boys
now with me, at my
own risk. The Journey which
David is upon if
he goes to the
Senecas 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 killed 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
Susquehanna 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 commu
nicate it to them. The
London commissioners in Boston have ap
pointed
Mr. Amos Thompson
missionary, and
Mr.
Elisha Gunn Interpreter to the Tribe at
Onohoquage, on
said 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 particular
persons. Our Government have done nothing yet, nor do I hear of any Proposals
of a public 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
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
Mr. 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.
Mr. Kirtland of
Norwich
into this
School as a Charity scholar; 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 was 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 clothes
but what they wear, nor will they without much Pains be brought
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
con-sequences 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 and use of the Particles. A, an, the etc. and they are as unpolished
and 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 communicated 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 Lothian
as an earnest of further and greater Benefits
to the great design. You will easily
believe
the 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 and 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, and
female who will live only on the Charities of Such as desire
the enlargement of the Redeemers Kingdom.
The Honourable
London Commissioners
have made several Grants for
my Help. and last fall they settled £20. proc. per annum upon
this
School; which with the
private Donations I have had
have enabled me to Scrabble along hitherto.
The
Scottish
Commissioners
have but little to do with at present;
The first Laying out of that new formed Commission is for the
Support of the Three Boys before mentioned. nor was that received from
the
Society but the
contribution of
Mr.
William
Hyslop
one of their
members. they hope soon to be enabled
by
the Society to do something greater.
I hear
I hear that a large number of Captives whom the Indians have
taken at one time and place and another are lately brought into
Albany; among which there are 29. who have forgotten 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 choose 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 and 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 that
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 ointment) 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 expense of getting the Gospel among them must
needs be very great, their Different Languages being almost
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, and commonly vicious 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
ru-
mors they have heard, are now
persuaded there is something to
be known which nearly concerns them and are very desirous
to be taught —
#
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
Lieut.
Gov. a number
of
his Majesty's
counsel, all the associated
ministers
and Others, had
been upon the like design, but were then stopped by reason of some
differing Sentiments etc. when they came to understand my design
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 account of your Death in the public Prints. I supposed you had seen the End of your Faith. and had arrived 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
swallowed up in and feasted to the full with, that goodness which Eye hath not seen nor Ear heard etc. and that I must think no more of an Interview with you 'til I come to the world of Spirits. but now my dear Sir I
hope a little to
Mr. 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
feel the Benefit of Your Prayers for, My Dear Sir,
P.S.
July. 9. my letter waiting for conveyance gives me
opportunity to add. that the night before last I received yours of
February
[illegible].
and yesterday I received one from
Mr. Occom Dated
New York
June 24. wherein he informs me that
the
Sabbath Evening before there
was a Collection at
Mr.
Bostwick's
meeting House for him of £60:15:7.
and the Evening
following at the Baptist meeting House of
£13. and that he and
David
designed to pursue
their Journey
to
Oneida the next morning: and by another Hand I am informed
that
antecedent to said Collection
Mr. Occom
preached to the most numerous
assembly that was ever known in those parts:
and this day I have received a Letter from
Mr. 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
by another at the Same Time from dear
Mr. Amos
Thompson
I'm informed
that he was on his way from the
Jerseys
to
Boston
to
[gap: tear][guess: conclude] on
the business of his
mission
and was taken sick, his physician
says going into
a consumption
so that there is no hope of his serving
in that Capacity. Gods Judgments are a great deep
# 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 honoured him to be the steward of in this
Life, would not be acceptable to him, whose Heart is so
much set upon the success
and
progress of this work.
yours etc.
Eleazar Wheelock
†
Joseph Woolley
and:
Hezekiah Calvin. will now read
Tulley, Virgil and the Greek Testament very handsomely.
David Fowler who is gone into the
Mohawk 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
letters when he came to me last fall. aged about 10 years.
he begins to read in the Bible.
Copy of
Letter to
Mr.
Whitefield.
July 1761