Onoyda
June 24 1765
Hon,d
&
Rev,d Sir
I now write you a few Lines juſt to inform you that I am well at preſent, and have ^been^
ſo ever
ſince I left your Houſe, bleſsed be God for ithis Goodneſs to me. — — I am well contented here as long as I am in ſuch great Buſineſs. My Scoholars learn very well; I have put eleven into a, b,
[illegible][guess: absr:] I have
three more that will go to that Place this week; and ſome have got to the ſixth Page. — It is ten thousand Pities they cante keep togather, they are always ^often^ going about to get their Proviſion My Father ^one of the Chiefs at^ in whose Houſe I keep told me, he beleiv’d
ſome of the Indians would ſta^r^ve to Death thsis Summer; ſome of them have almoſt
conſum’d all their Corn already.
I came too tale this Spring. I could not put any thing
in the Ground, I hope I ſhall next Year —. I beleive I ſhall
get
^perswade^ all these
^the^ Men in
this Castle
^at^ least
the^the^
moſt of them to labour
next Year: They begin to ſee now that they would live better
if they cultivate their Lands than they do
now by Hunting &
fiſh
ing: These men
^they^
are the lazieſt Crew I ever ſaw in all my Days:
their Women
would^will^
get up early in the morning and be pounding
corn for Breakfaſt and they
^the men^
[illegible]lie ſleeping till the Victuals is al
moſt ready and as ſoon as the Breakfast is over the Women take
up their Axes and Hoes and way to
the Fields and leave their Chil
dren with the Men to tend; you
would
^may^
ſee half a Dozen walking
about
^with^ Children upon
their Backs: a lazy and ſordid Wretches,
but they
^are^ to be pitied not frown’d
I have been miſerably of for an Interpreter I cant ^can^
ſay but very little to them; I hope by next Spring I
ſhall be my own Interpreter.
It is very hard to live here without
the other Boon; I
^now am^
ob
lig’d to waſh, mend,
^my Cloaths^ cook all my Victuals and
^waſh^ all the things I
uſe, which is exceeding hard; I can’t
^employ
my^ go into a Feild as I ſho
^u^ld
do if I had a Cook here.
I ſhant be able to [illegible]employ my vacant Hours in
improving up Lands as I ſhould do
I receiv
d a Letter from
Mr Kirtland
laſt
Sabbath
^wherein he informs me that^ but he did not
inform me how he was, he only gave
an account how he was treated by Indians that
accompanied
him up. The Indians left him with all his heavy Pack; he had
the moſt
fatigueing Journey this Time he ever had before: —
He deſigns to come down to get Proviſion and if he dont, he will
eat no Bread till Indian Harveſt: and his Meat; mearly rotten
having no Salt. — “He has ſwap’d away the l
[illegible]ittle Poney
which I did not know before.”
“I beleive, I ſhall come down latter end of Au
guſt but I ſhall tarry a little while with you. I deſign to
haſten up here again; I ſ
[illegible]hall make this Place my Home as
long as I live. — Give my kind Respects to
Mrs Wheelock,
Love to your Children and to
all the Scholars.”
And may the Bleſsings of Heaven reſt on you, ^&c
&c^ and [illegible]conti^nue^ you a long & rich Bleſsing in the World, may the Heathen in the Wilderneſs feel ^the^
goodneſs of thy Labours — May ^you^ have double Meaſure of ^the^ Spirit of God, and fill your Heart with
Love of [illegible] God and Compaſſion to poor periſhing Souls. — and may the Giver of all things, give Strength and
Health, Wisdom and Authority to rule and govern and theach those thatwho are commited to your Care in Fear of the Lord: which is the ſincere
^Prayer^ of him who deſires the Continuance of your Prayers.
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