About a fortnit ago I returned from
my
Journey to
Portsmouth, in my Journey and Since I have
been in a poor State of health, I found on Trial I had underta
‐ken y.
e long Journey before I had
^Sufficiently^ recovered from
the Sickneſs
with which I had been confind for near a month — but God
has helped me hitherto, I this Day
enjoy
^feal more like^
more Health than
I
I have
had for 3. months past —
I viſited
M.r Oliver and deſired to See the Letter of that
Board to
M.r Mauduit of
Oct.r 2. before you
[illegible]
ſaild
he read it to me
^I found^ it
was So far
as I could remember
the Same in every
^material^ article as
you gave
[illegible] —
he declared
that there was
no Expreſsion in it unfavou
‐rable to me, or you or
M.r Occom, or to the Deſign
^wc you are upon^ I aſked him for a Copy he conſented I Should have one
if
the Board were
willing. he Said it was
^not^ drawn by
him but by a Clergy man — I waited on
M.r Pemberto[gap: worn_edge][guess: n]
and he readily confiſsed that he drew it and Said he
deſigned no hurt to any man's Character, nor any
thing unfavourable to
your
^the^
Deſign.
^which You are upon^. I aſked him if
I might have a Copy he Said he was willing but would
not
undertake to procure
^me^ one. he aſked me if there
was any thing in it that was not true I told him
I tho't there was one or two miſtakes but
^I^
choſe not
to Speak of them as material for fear it would
[illegible] prevent my having a Copy —
M.r Oliver being
then
^now^ gon
[gap: worn_edge][guess: e] out of Town I left a Letter for him and
the
Board
w
th
^Mr Peck^
deſiring that favour
of a copy with M.r Peck
[illegible]
^has^
ſince
in
[illegible]formed me he had delivered it to
M.r Oliver but
I
have no Copy yet —
I am truly Surprized at
thier
Solomn declaration that there was nothing it it
that tending to hurt
the Character of any one or unfriendly
to your deſign is very remarkable.
I wrote
M.r Keen from
Boſton
&
inclosd an abſtract
of a letter I there rec.
d by
David Fowler, from
M.r Kirt‐‐land informing me of the Diſtreſs he
[illegible]and his Indians
were in by reaſon of a great Scarſ
[illegible][guess: e]ty
^of proviſions^ or Famine Among
them — the
[illegible][guess: two] proceeding Crops
^of Corn^
having been cut of by the
froſt
& by Virmen
[illegible] — and also (which I Sho.
d have added
by y.
e Pigeons
[illegible][guess: leaving them] on which they had been
^ w.c have been their cheif Dependance at y[illegible][guess: t]
ſeaſon of ye Year^
wont to depend for their Principal Support at that
^almoſt wholly leaving those parts.^
ſeaſon of ye Year —
[illegible]
laſt week received a Letter from
M.r Kirtland informing me
^him adviſing^ that
^David^
Fowler had arived
ſafe with the money I ſent him — he also informd
me that he had lately been with
Sir William Johnſon who informd him that
M.r Forbes of
Brookfield
had
been with him in the name of
the board at Boſton
deſiring his Aſsiſtance in Setting up a School upon
my Plan
Sir
William told him that one School was
enough
[illegible]
^for^ these parts —
and that he perceived it
was a party deſign
[illegible][guess: and]
therefore he ſho.
d
ſhew
it no countenance, nor aſsiſt him in getting
Boys from
Onohoquage as they deſired —
nor nor would he ſo much as write them an anſw
r to thier Letter.—
M.r Kirtland proposes to Me
^his coming^ down
^this Fall^
ſoon with two of the cheifs of that Tribe
^this fall^
and that to make Applic
[gap: tear]n
to Our
Gen.l
Aſsembly for
^their^
aſsiſta
[illegible]nce — in Setting up
farming
^Huſbandry^ among
them, by providing them Teams, Carts, plows &c. I have incou‐
‐raged the proposal and hope we ſhall find the Temper of the
Government Such that we Shall not pray in vain. So
far
as I can learn the credit of the Deſign is yet riſing in this and
the Neighbouring Colonies. I have had many Teſtimonials of it
of late from Several lead
g
^Gentle^men in
N. York, and Several of
our Aſsembby have told me they thought I
might
^could^ obtain my fav.
r that I could
reaſonably
aſk for
^of them^— this is all y.
e Lords doings my dear B
r
[illegible] frequent Reports from the Indian Country laſt winter
and Spring that a Number of Miſsionaries
&
School Maſters
were Soon Expected
^from home^ viz. in the March
April and may Pacquett,
to Supply all the vacancies among the
6
Nations. And various
^Several^
acco
ts in the public Prints to the ſame purpose eg. that nine
were ordained at
Chappel Royal for that Purpoſe. togather
with many inſinuations that
ſir William was not cordial towards
the Deſign of Supplying them from hence, determined me that it
was
^not^
beſt
not to
send any more 'till
make any addition to those
who were then in that country (viz
M.r Kirtland
& 3 ſchoolM
rs and an Interpreter) 'till I co
d know further of y.
e Truth of those
Reports &c. — About 6 weeks ago
Col.o Phelps told me he ſent
one of those Nine Gent
n
^who were^
ordaind at
[illegible]Chappel Royal who was
come as Miſsion
ry.
to ye
^in^
Weſtern
p.
t of
this Government
^I have forgotten his name^ who aſsured
him
yt
he heard nothing of their
^[illegible]^
Miſsion to y
e Indians, and be‐
‐leived there was no truth in y
e Report — I
^therefore^
tho't it neceſsary
to Send
my Son to diſcourſe
Sir William fully upon the head and
and know the Bottom of his Heart, and ingage
& Secure his Friendſhip
^to^
& patronage
^of^ of the Affair
^if poſſible^ and accordingly to conduct
^himſelf^ in collecting
and Setting
^up^ the Schools
which have been neglected y
e
laſt
ſeaſon
and endeavour to penetrate further among the Savages than
any
^Schools^ have yet been Set up. Accordingly
my Son
ſat out Yeſterday
accompanied by
Aguſtine Hebard one of my Engliſh Pupils. & whom
I have thoughts of Imploying with Several Indian Youths,
^if Schools^
if [illegible] Shall be opened for them the
[illegible]Enſuing
[illegible]Winter &c — as Soon as
^may be after my Son)^
he returns you will hear further of the Affair — The Report of Your
great Succeſs in
England renders it an unfavourable
Time to beg
he
arre 'till it can be known what is wanted.
and I have heard
Nothing from
Home
^England^ Since
March 23.d however I expect ſoon
to be adviſed what I may Send for and then I Shall be
^better^ able to fix
[illegible]upon a Plan — the Affair I think looks in
general very incouraging
— I have a proſpect of obtaining the
Rev.d
Eben.r Cleveland of
Cape Ann to accompany
M.r Brainerd to
the Ohio
next Spring
I diſcourſed him on that Head in my Journey he manifeſted great
Inclination to it, and I expect to be determined as Soon as he
Returns from the
preſent Tour
^which he was determined upon had thots of making ſoon^ to the
Indians at S.t John's where
^at^ they informd me at
Newbury, there is great
Appearance
of Religious Concern in Numbers
of them —
M.r Cleveland has
a Daughter
married lately married
at^to a man who [illegible][guess: Coaſts] from Cape Ann to^
Philadelphia
to a [illegible][guess: Capt] Man who
Sails from Philadelphia to cape ann which is a favourable, Circum‐
‐ſtance in
M.r Clevelands undertaking as it may Save much Expence
in journeying
&c.
beſides the comfort &
aſsiſtance he may have from ſuch
ſituation of his Children ſo near him —
I inclose a Copy of
M.r Olivers Letter to me,
[illegible]
and one of mine to y.
et Board which they refer
s to in his.
the two Shattocks
which mine reſpects
are very promiſing young Men—
M.r Kirtland in a Letter lately rec.
d dated at
fort Stanwix
June 17. laſt writes "I came here yesterday by y
e
deſire
of y.
e
Commander Leiu.t Aylmer who is about leaving this
Poſt, which he enforms me is to be abandoned — this Officer
has been exceeding kind to me
— as has also the Cap.
t of y.
e
artilery — The abandoning of this
[illegible]Poſt I ſuspect will be of
bad conſequence — the Indians will inſiſt upon y
e Carrying
place, & allow no white perſon
[gap: stain]to reſide upon y
e Ground. You
may eaſily
gueſs how the
[illegible][guess: salloe] men
&c will agree with them w
n
there is rum plenty I dont Expect any will remove here but y
e
of
[illegible][guess: scouring] of
the
onoida
oriska Indians — None unacquainted
with my Situation can
conceive the Expence
y.
t will be neceſsary
to a moderate of any ways comfortabl Living here —
it is very Seldom
that a wild foul or Beaſt is killd under 70. miles —
good
good fishing
[illegible][guess: at]
^not under^ 70. or 80. — Tranſportation of Proviſions from
the Settlements very changeable —. no water carriage nearer
than
20 miles unleſs I croſs this carrying place enter
wood Creek
& then 60 or 70
miles bring me within 5 of y.
e Indian Village. if it coſt
M.r
Moſeley £100 Sterl
g at
Onohoquaguee a £150. wont Support me here for y
e
firſt two or three years and adds "
^y.t he is almoſt worn out wth
Lab.r
& fatigue & find his Conſtitn. demands a fuller ſupper^
^[right]yn he has had^
y
t
y.
e Indians are too poor to
do any thing for him — and beſides it wo.
d hurt the Cauſe at preſent
to deſire it — as they are just waking up to cultivate their Lands for
y.
r ow
[illegible]n Support
&c
^Some of ye
Neighbg Towns Come to attend his preachg
&c
&c^
they Stand to their Agreement — Some of y.
e
Neighbouring Town come to attend his
[illegible]preaching —
^&c &c^
He finds his
Fatigues are too great for his Conſtitution
&c &c"
Your Son
&
M.r Occom's ^with me^ are well & behave to my good Satiſfaction
Your ^Family &^
pp. in Statû quô. when I have a Thouſand thing ^[below]which are too long to write^ to
impart when
god Shall grant us ye Favourable Interview. The Lord be with you[illegible][guess: r Spirit]
^my dear Br
& dear m.r
^Love to
M.r Occom. &c and believe [illegible][guess: me to be] his Family were well the
laſt I heard from them. his Father Fowler
has loſt his Sight. &
Jacob is with him
I have sent for David to come and take care
of him. and deſign to Send Jacob
^[below]yours in the Deareſt Bonds^
up into a School if one Shall be agreably opened for him. Davids wife
is not well contented with y.e hard living in the Wilderneſs. — it may
^[below]Eleazar
Wheelock^
be David may get into a School on long Island while his
father needs
his Care of him ^[below]I continue writing tho'
^
Y.r Son
&
M.rOccoms with me are well, and behave to my good
Satiſfaction, y.
r Families are both well as usual, your pp. in
ſtatuû quo
[illegible][guess: have] a thouſand things to impart w
n
G. Shall mercifully grant us the
favourable Intervie
dw, w.
c are too long to write. the Ld be w
th
y.
o my
D.
r
Br.
&
D.
r
M.r Occom. I hope y
o. both live upon G.
& find
[illegible][guess: him]
to be
y.
r Sweet hid
g
&
reſting place amidſt a thouſ
d Temptations. Miſerable
indeed wo.
d my caſe be, if I had not ſuch a place of Retreat. Oh!
bleſsed Shelter in a Stormy world,
M.r Occoms
Fath.r Fowler has
near loſt his Eyeſight,
Jacob has been with him Sometime.
I
have Sent for
David to come and take care
of him, &
deſign
to ſend
Jacob up
[illegible]
his, or anoth.
r School, as Shall app.
r
beſt
w
n
my ſon returns.
D—ds wife is not well content with y
ehardſhips of y
e
Wilderneſs. it may be
David may get a School
in
Long Island while
his Father needs his care of him. You are
both always
upon my Heart, and I have peace &
quietneſs in
Leaving you, &
y
e
gr
t Affair y
[illegible]ou are ingagd in, w
th
y
e
gr.
t
Gov.
r
of all thing, w.
o
dos all things well, quite well—