I have all along thought 'til now that he
* he owes he says ₤50 or
₤60 —
had a pension of ₤30 sterling
per annum from
Esq. Thornton —
But he says he has had no pension or
allowance from
him, or any other quarter since he came from
England,
except two private donations from thence
amounting to ₤60 —. That before he
went to
England he was under the pay of the
Boston board
and since his return has been rejected by them and by
the School
too. And considering what Indian Genius and
temper are, has there not, Sir, been too much occasion for
him to
complain of neglect? he has had to encounter
many and great difficulties since his return and would it
not, Sir, been good policy if no more and will it not now be
good policy, to make him some
small allowance and let
him enjoy in some measure the benefit of the monies he
was
instrumental in obtaining for the use and benefit of
the design? So that he might be cut off from any occa
sion to repeat what he says
Mr. Whitefield told him
when he left
England; "that they had made him a tool to
collect monies for them in
England, but when he got to
America they would set him
adrift." His Character, as
far as I can learn in these parts is now good, and the Crimes
of intemperance with which he has been charged, are
very
much extenuated by the temptations he was under.
He appears calm and rational, more so than I expected to have
found him, respecting the Indian
design. I am more and
more persuaded of the expediency and advantage of his un=
dertaking a mission
and ardently hope that God in his
providence will so order and direct that he may
join us in the mission before us. It would very
much strengthen our hands and encourage us.
Rev.
Dr. Wheelock —
P.S. I wrote the Dr.
per.[illegible]
Mrs. Payne about 6 Days past — As Mr. Occom intends to write the Dr. in the proposed
mission we must refer to his Letter to know his mind more fully respecting it
— — have enclosed a number of the latest papers from different parts.