Boston
July 27th
1767—
Dear Sir
When
Mr Kirtland left me laſt Spring, he
ſuppoſed that I had ſupplied him ſufficiently to
make him and the School Maſters comfortable till
the Fall. A few Weeks after his Arrival
Joſeph
Johnſon and
Jacob Fowler
ſat out for
New England,
and arrived
as you may ſee by ſome late Letters
I wrote you, the Copies of which I have not here
with me.
They informed me, that
Mr Kirtland was
like to be ſhorter of it for Money than he expected.
I was then ſick— and determined, as ſoon as I was
able, to take this Tour, to try to ſupply him, without
ſending home, as I was loth to draw any more Bills
till I could have Advice from you. But last
Even
eing
David Fowler came to me, fatigued with
a Journey of
upwards above 400 Miles on foot,
which he performed in 10 Days, and
brings Let
ters, containing an affecting Account, from
Mr Kirtland— (which are too tedious to tranſcribe) in
forming me of his diſtreſsing
Circumſtances on
Account of the great Scarcity of Proviſions, or
Famine, in that Country—
In a Letter of the
5th
inſtant he writes—
—"I want the Bosom of a Father beyond
"Expreſsion— I am diſtreſsed to know what I shall
"do— The preſent extreme Poverty of theſe poor
"People cries aloud for the Charity of God's Children—
"Two
years ago their Corn was cut off by the Froſt—
"Laſt year deſtroyed by the Vermin— and Worms
"threaten the Deſtruction of one half of the preſent
"Crop— Many of them for a Month past have
"eat but once a Day,
and yet continue to work
"Corn and Wheat at the
German Flats from ſix
"Shillings to a Dollar a
Skipple, (i.e. 3
Pecks)
"and little to be purchaſed for Love or Money.
"Eight of the poor diſtreſsed Creatures ſat out this
"Morning for the
Tuſcaroraes to buy Corn for their
"hungry Families. They carry each a new ſtroud
"Blanket, worth twenty Shillings, and tell me they
"expect to get no
more than a Skipple of Corn a piece
"What a fine Opportunity is here for the People of
"God to diſtinguish
themſelves from the World by Expreſ
"sions of their Charity at this Juncture towards theſe
"periſhing Creatures. A little of it would ring thro'
"
the Nations, and raiſe their Esteem of Chriſtianity—
—"From Week to Week I am obliged to go
"eeling with the
Indians at
Oneida Lake for my
"Subſiſtence. I have lain and ſlept with them till
"I am as louſy as a Dog— feaſted and ſtarved with
"them as their Luck depends upon Wind and Weather.—
"If it ſhould be asked, why they don't ſupport me, the
"Anſwer is ready, they can't ſupport
themſelves.
"They are now half ſtarved. Some of them have no
"more than two Quarts of Corn—
—"
David Fowler
ſat out about 12 Days ago for
Fort Stanwix by Way of the Lake for the Sake
of
"eeling. His
Wife's Hour being ſomewhat
ſooner
"than was expected, called for Women's Help— and
"is now hearty,
with a ſtately young Boy in her
"Lap— will probably move from the Lake
tomor
"row to
Fort Stanwix, where I expect to ſupport
"her a Month or longer.—
— "I fear my appearing in ſuch a ſervile
"beggarly Manner, will very much diſserve the
"Deſign in View— But I muſt
deſiſt— must
"go down to the Lake for Eels this Day, and return
"to morrow to hill my Corn and Potatoes. But
"one Thing I may not omit. I shall be diſtreſsed for
"£20— the
1st of Auguſt, or ſell my Cows, and make
"over my Horſe and Watch—
— "The Indians generally abide by the
Agree
"ment they made laſt Winter to leave off their Drun
"kenneſs in this Town."—
The
13th
Inſtant he writes—
—"Through the tender Mercies of God I
enjoy
"ſome degree of Health amidſt all my Trou
"bles and Diſtreſses, though my Strength begins
"to fail— can't ſubſiſt long without Relief—
"I have eat no Fleſh in my own Houſe for nigh
"8 Weeks. Flour and Milk with a few Eels has
"been my
living— Such Diet with my hard
"Labour abroad, don't ſatisfy Nature— My poor
"People are almoſt
ſtarved to Death. I am grieved
"at the Heart for them. There is one Family con
ſiſting of four I muſt
ſupport (after my Fashion)
"till Squashes come on, or they muſt
periſh. They
"have had nothing theſe 10 Days but what I have
"given them, They have only each an old
Blanket
"not worth ſix pence wherewith to buy any Thing,
"and begging here at this Seaſon would be very poor
Buſineſs. I would myſelf be glad of the Opportunity
"to fall upon my Knees for ſuch a Bone as I have
"often ſeen
caſt to the Dogs—
—"My leaving the People, and rambling
"ſo often, very much hurts the Deſign of my Miſsion,
"and gives me ſo much Diſtreſs, that I enjoy very
"little Peace— Glad ſhould I be, if it were con
ſiſtent, to reſign my Commiſsion— But I had rather
"die than leave theſe poor Creatures alone in their
"miſerable
periſhing Condition— I beg for God's
"Sake the Goſpel may be ſupported
amongſt them
"as it ought to be, for a Trial, and the Lord ſend
"by whom he will— I believe there are two Chriſ
"tians,
^here^ and hope I have
found a third to day. Bleſsed
"be God for this Encouragement. My Heart revives—
"I had a
Meeting with the Indians laſt Evening—
"might tell you ſome Things very agreeable and encou
"raging, had I Time. But
I am quite beat out—
"have had little or no Sleep theſe 3 Nights for
"the Gnats and Moſchettoes— I cannot keep my
"Eye open to write—
"P.S.
the 14th— I was never more
fatigued in my
"Life than laſt Evening—
David is going down
for
"Relief, without which I shall periſh
ſoon. My
"Nature is almoſt broke— My Spirits low— My
"Heart bleeds for theſe poor miſerable Wretches—
David Fowler informs me, that the
Oneidaes have laboured more this Year on their Lands
than they ever
did before— that just before he
came away they unanimously agreed to help
Mr Kirtland in howing his Corn, Potatoes and
Beans— and performed it well—
[right]July 29..th this Day Sent David Fowler
away the Shorteſt
courſe to onida with £4[illegible]5.4..8.
Sterling,, for
M.r Kirtlands preſent
releif. but I apprehend that it is not
beſt that ^no^
School Maſters be not Sent ^back^ till their preſent
preſsing
Neceſsities for Support of the Indians be Supplied. Who knows w[illegible]hat Good God ^may^ mercifully
deſign
^for^ them by their preſent
diſtreſses.— } I have Sent duplicates of my accots with many Letters & copies But ha' had nothing f.r y.o Since march 22— hope to hear before
I leave these parts pray dear ſir let me hear f.r
y.o as ſoon as may be. pray without ceaſing for, dear ſir, yrſ most heartily [illegible][guess: Brth.r] Salute in my name moſt
reſpectfully
thoſe worthy
Gentn of y.e Trust
wth
D.r
[illegible][guess: Mſsrs] w[illegible] d. Smith w.m I hope to ſee
yſ fall—
[left]Letter to M.r Keen
July. 28. 1767. from
Boſton—