We take the earliest
opportunity
by direction of your
board of correspondents in the Colony of Connecticut to Inform you that upon receipt of
your commission the Gentlemen named
therein met
in
Lebanon
July 9
and
formed
themselves by choosing the
Proper Officers named,
to Enable them to act in
Capacity of your correspondents
and
give you an account of their doings and
present
prospects
and in the first Place to Return their warm and
sincerest
Thanks for the honour you have done them in com
missioning them to be Correspondents of
your honourable
society. We join our earnest Prayers with you and
shall
by Gods Grace unite our fervent Labours to Promote the
Excellent purpose your Pious hearts are set upon
the advancement of the kingdom of our blessed Redeemer
and
spreading the savour of his knowledge among them
who sit in darkness
and the Regions of Shadow
of Death, the most glorious object of your and our atten
tion. as the doing this will Serve also the interest of
our King So there is one circumstance Peculiarly ob
ligatory on us, that the success of it will be Greatly
beneficial to the Peace and
happiness of our own Country
we humbly take Leave to Inform your honourable board
that
the
best
prospect which at present lies in our vi
[illegible][guess: ew] is In the
School which has been for
some time under
the Care of the Rev.
Mr. Wheelock. and our present
prospects
and
purposes you
will See as follows. though we have no assurance of Peace
with the Indians but Entertain strong hopes that the
present troubles will be brought to a Speedy issue
and are
persuaded that when that Event happens it Concerns us to
be as speedy as possible in exerting our utmost Endeavors
to Send the Gospel
as far as may be into the bowels of the Pagan Country if possible before it is thronged with
unrighteous Dealers whose unbridled avarice threatens the
greatest
mischief to the cause. we have voted to take the Rev.
Mr. Occom into our Service if he may be freed from a
pre-engagement to the
London Commissioners which we Ex
pect may be without difficulty. we have also
referred
to our Committee the sending
Samuel
Ashpo a judicious and Pious
Indian when Providence shall open a door.
we have also the pleasure to Inform you that there are
Eight or ten Indian youth
in this
School of Good Moral Character
well accomplished for School masters Except their want of age
and fortitutude, we purpose to Send forth two or three of
these next Spring to Remote Tribes, in
the Capacity of schoolmasters
and Expect by the blessing
of God that in the course of a year they will be
so far
acquainted with
the
customs, and Languages of those na
tions that it may be probably Expedient to ordain and purpose them as ministers among them. we Expect
Mr. Charles Jeffery Smith will Return as soon as it will
be Safe for him on a mission to the
Six Nations. —
and The Union of all those in the Same plan we ap
rehend will afford a more
agreeable
prospect than has
ever yet appeared of this kind. but these Things
we have determined upon without a Shilling in
Stock, Relying
only on him whose the Earth is and the
fullness
thereof to Support the Same, who has hither
to appeared to own the Design and
increase it from Small
beginnings nor has suffered
those who have trusted in him
to be ashamed of their Confidence. — and
considering the Great
evidence of the Piety, and
generosity of
your honourable Society
we doubt not that when the Impor
tance of this
affair shall be maturely considered by you
you will agreeably to the Other expression of your
Pious Zeal do all that your wisdom
and Power Ena
bles you to do to Render as Capable to Execute these
Great and Good Designs. as the Expected openings will
probably Induce missionaries, and
schoolmasters to visit
Remoter Tribes than any of our missionaries have
hitherto reached
and
these
missionaries mostly Indians we conceive
will give them more convincing
proof of the
sincerity of our Intentions, and Incline them to Send their
promising youth when Invited to Receive an Education
with us, so we hope
the Honourable Society will think
this
school which subsists on no other Fund but the Care
and bounty of divine Providence to be an object worthy
of their Kind notice and
Encourgment —