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 Opp
ty
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 y
e 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
Ind
n
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 y
m.
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 Child
n
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, w
h
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 Gent
n. — 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, D
r Sir,
[illegible]with high Esteem,
your very Sincere Friend & unworthy Brother,
Joseph Fiſh
P.S. My hearty Regards to the Rev
d
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.—
y
rs
&
his
J. F.—
I know not of any Other Man, that I am acquainted with in
Londn or Europe, except the Rev
d
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.—