Stonington
July 30. 1766
Revd
& Dear
Sir,
It was my Unhappineſs that I could not find a
Lieſure hour or two, for free Converſation
[gap: hole][guess: wh] you, before you Em ‐barked for England. your Departure & important Deſign, lay wi[gap: tear][guess: th]
Weight upon my Mind, as it has done ever Since. And it was m[gap: tear][guess: y] fixed purpoſe to let you know my special Regard & Concern for you
&
Cauſe, by earlier writing: but have been so p[gap: worn_edge][guess: er] ‐petually crowded with Buſineſs, chiefly of a public nature; that I cant say I have [illegible][guess: had] been at Liberty
to write you, when Oppty
preſented, till now I snatch a few minutes for that purpoſe.
The Situation of the Indn Charity School, Doings of .y.e
Board, Miſsions
&c: I leave to the hands that are employd in thoſe public affairs; which, conclude, you will here‐ with, have
full Acc.t of.— Only Obſerve, That the day of the Dear &
excillent
Mr
Kirtlands Ordination, appeard to me very glorious, promiſing great & good events. — Can[gap: tear][guess: t] but hope the Iſsue will be, The Advancement of the Re‐ deemers Kingdom. —
While Such important Steps are taken, to carry the Gospel
among the Savages, of far distant Tribes, it may, perhaps afford you
&
Friends; some additional Pleaſure, to hear that Learning & Religion are hopefully, reviving, a‐ mong some of y.e Indians near at hand
Beſides the Indian School & Lectures, among y.e
Indns of my own Pariſh, which I've had ye Care of for Many years, At the earnest Request of the Honle
Commiſrs Boston, I have for nine months Past, been much engagd for y.e Indians of King Ninnegretts Tribe, in Charlestown
Rhode‐ ‐Island;
where there are above Seventy Indian Families & more than Three hundred Souls, pretty much in a Body together.— Authorizd as above, I appointed them an
Engliſh Schoolmaster, of good Capacity & well dispoſd, for
the Buſineſs, (to be Supported by the Commiſs.rs,)— Set them up a Commod.s
Schoolhouſe, in which, (tho'
unfiniſhd,) the Master lives & the School is Steadily kept. He had, laſt winter, (in a private houſe,) above Fourſcore
Indn
Schollars in a day, and about 120 that came to y.ethe School, at times, and their Proficiency at Reading & Writing was very conſi ‐derable. That Laſt being chiefly calld off to Buſineſs, this Summer, he has, of a Smaler
Claſs, about Thirty that generally attend his School &
y.e number is increaſing.
I Viſit
& Preach to them about once a month — Have a Conſiderable
Aſsembly of Serious, Attentive In‐ dian Hearers, who profeſs Satisfaction, beyound my Thought. For they have had Religion Among them theſe Twenty years, & an Indn
Ordaind Minister, for a number of years: but they are all of the Seperate Stamp,— Very Ignorant: scarce any of them able to read a
word,— unhappily leaven'd with, yea full of Falſe Religion, — tenacious of their ^wild^ Imaginations
&
Viſionary things, (which they cannot bear to hear touchd, though they'll readily hear y.e
Opoſite Truths,) And, till now, Set against, at leaſt, mortally afraid of y.e
Standing Ministers.— So that I must think my self
highly Favourd, by y.e Respect they Shew to my Perſon
& Regard for my Labours among ym. Am in hopes they will, by little & little, come off from their wild notions, and have a reliſh for nothing but Truth.
Oh that I may have no other View but their best good, and the
Redeemers Intrest. —
I have been much in Journeying, Since you left us.
Laſt Week, returning, with my Wife, from Viſiting our Childn
New Haven, we Spent
an hour at your Houſe, Chelſea. And had the Pleaſure of Dining &
Converſing with your Dear
Wife: It afforded us
real Satisfaction, to See Mrs Whitaker, with her Little ones all about her, [illegible] not only in ⅌fect Health, but more especially, to find her Chearfull, Sociable
& entertaining, (as uſual,) — Evidence that She has happily
overcome the late Severe Trials of parting with her beſt Friend. She Seems really to enjoy her Self as well as your Abſence can admit, — your very deſirable Children appear with that Decorum y.t be[illegible][guess: comes] a
well orderd Family. Tis rare to See So fine, So lovely a Child, as that
of yours, wh
you never Saw.
Mr
Woodward, (till now unknown to me,) appears to be Sui‐ tably attentive to y.e good of the Family. — I thought him quite an agreable, Obliging young Gentn. — On y.e Whole, was well pleaſd with the Oeconomy of your Houſe.— May you, in due Seaſon, return Succeſsfull, and happ[gap: tear][guess: ily]
find your Tabernacle in peace. —
My Time is Out— Have only to wish you much [gap: tear][guess: of] the Divine Preſence, The Smils of Heaven on your Im‐ portant undertaking,— The
Hearts & Hands of all
Brittain
Britain for newfull
Supplys.— That you may, in all res‐ pects, conduct with y.e utmost prudence & Fidelity, — Be kept unſpotted from y.e Vanities of y.e World, And return to us richly laden with the Vertues, the Rarities of our mother Country, And
am, Dr Sir, [illegible]with high Esteem,
your very Sincere Friend & unworthy Brother,
Joseph Fiſh
P.S. My hearty Regards to the Revd
Mr
Occum — am really glad to hear y.t he Stands firm, — be‐ haves so well, & meets with so much Respect. — The Lord keep him from Pride,
Self-Exaltation, and the Vices of y.e Place & Times.—
yrs
&
his
J. F.—
I know not of any Other Man, that I am acquainted with in Londn or Europe, except the Revd
Mr
Whitefield: Am very glad &
thank‐ full that he takes proper Notice of you, & So much befriends the
Cauſe. Let my k[gap: tear] Love & Service be acceptable to him. J.
F.—
Revd
N[gap: tear][guess: athanl
Whitakar]
From Revd
mr
Joſeph
Fiſh
Stonington
July 30 1766