N London
March 12th 1762
Revd Sir
Having opertunety of my good friendd Aſpow, I could not be restrain’d from troubling you with a few lines, as to our present Circumstances in
Mohegan, Our truly good and worthy Gentln Guardines to this trible is about Leaſing some of Lands, all of them is determined that none shall be tennants here, but thoſe that are men freindly to our ministry & willing to Support the Gospell amongst us, men that will both by example and Councill promote religion, virtue, Sobriety, & industry amongst our natives; —
Our Sechem and 2 more of his Councill are for men that are enemies to our worthy minister and would (in their
power) strarve all the Godly ministers in the Land, men that Deny our Christian Sabbath; A
standing Gospell ministry and the Christian Sabbath, seems to be the mark & Butt many of our Neighbours shoot at, I trust the Great King of ^his^ Church, will protect & Defend and Constent =ly provide this Land with a Learned Converted & Converting ministry
I am Sorrie to Say our Sechem grows worſe
&
worſe, [illegible] Drinking very much increaſes upon him, &
therby has got himself much out of Creditt, He is told he is a free people, & none can restrain him from Drink &c and indeed he goes on contrary to the repeated reproofs of Mr Jewett’ & others and against warm & affecting Letters from 2 of his overſeers, But Despiſes all admonition & regards neither the Laws of God or man. He is a Dead weight against every
thing that is good amongst us
King Ben is g about Sending over for
mr
Occum to aſsist in geting Quakers &c on the Land, I perswade
my Self
mr
Occum is a man of better
sence
then to join in such an affair, so says mr Jewett, so says our good
overſeers, if he interpoſes it will be very affecting to many of mr Jewetts Godly
parishoners who has given in a Memorial against such men to our guar= :dines,
as to further particulars, the Bearer can fully inform you —
It is the expectation of Esqr Adam’s (and mr Jewett who has wrote you) and who both desired me to write alſo, and had not the Bearer been going Directly to you should waited on you my Self, I say it is their expectation that you should write mr
Occum to uſe his intrest with Ben
&c not to contradict the overſeers, for their Heart is sett for the Good of the tribe, Theſe men the Sechem is for, has sett him against mr Jewett
& I and his over‐ ſeers
alſo, I trust you will see it proper to write a Letter for mr
Occum
& the [illegible: [guess: >reathar]] that mr Jewett will be at Boston, when mr
Occum comes to
Mohegan — as to our freind
Aſpow
tho he Differd as ^to^ church Government for= =merly, yet
I lov’d him, as a man of solid sence, and often converſed with him and uſed to say he had so much reason & sound Judgement, that he would see his mistake, & I believe he no sooner seed it but he acknowledged, in opp[gap: tear][guess:
oſi] :tion to all the clamour & reflections that has been unjuſtly cast on him, He — with the greatest Sedateneſs Answered all the calumny & accusations, his — people or accuſers laid against him, He with an undanted, Christian, meek, spirit, not only bears patiently, But even liek a Hero Despiſed
&
Despiſes their bitter and severe & unchristian reflections — turn over
Aſpow is a man the most examplary of any in the feilds
[illegible]none in it such a head of a family for
reading Gods word before them His Knowledge in Scripture is
Conciderable and I trust he will be of great Service amongst his Brethren Acc= =ording to ^the^ flesh, may God be pleaſed to open a Door for his uſefullneſs, He as well as mr Jewett
& I suffers the displeaſure of the Sechem, But he is impoſed upon
I could be of great Service here if duely encouraged by the Children’s regular atten dance, I am a
poor imperfected Creature, But I can truely say to the utmost of my
abilitys skill and prudence have I exerted my Self amongst them, as doth the Revd
mr Jewett, they are a people exalted to Heaven in point of priveledges, but most of them tredd them under foot, They many of them Isay after the example of their poor Sechem think them=^=selves^ Free to Serve their appitite
& wont be controll’d I have only one word further to trouble you with leaving you to further
Particu =lars to the Bearer, and that is that our Gentlm Guardines are determined to sett apart a Small Lott for the School:master. which Ben
& the forementioned 2 Counſe =lors
oppoſes, But I suppoſe they will doe it as they are all spiritted for the thing
I you think it proper to mention it to mr
Occum (if you write) I shall be thank= =full. It is melancholy to see the Life King
Ben lives, God Change him
May God be pleaſed to Lengthen out your valuable & precious Life to see further of the good fruits of your indefatigable &
unweared Labours for christianizing the Saveges in the Land, I Believe you will have a high Seat in the Houſe not made with hands, a great Degree of Glory, you are now acting your part
so well that at your exit & leaving this Stage of action the Spectator’s will clap their hands,
you will have a generall, applauſe, amaſsy weight of Glory is reserved for you, I Beg an intrest in your prayers that I may be
faithfull, and my desire is to be uſefull,
I am Revd
&
Dr Sir
yr most oblidged
Humle
ſervt
Robert Clelland
PS prudence will say tho the Sechem
ſhould know nothing as to this Letter
Blank page.
M.r S. Clelland’s
B. Uncas’ poor drunken Creature, wod
hda me write m.r
Occim not to Suffer bad folks to ſettle
Mohegan
March 1762