Jeremiah Halsey, letter, to Eleazar Wheelock, 1768 April 25

Author Halsey, Jeremiah[pers0241.ocp]

25 April 1768[1768-04-25]

Call Number768275.2

[note (type: abstract): Halsey writes that he has seen a document in which Whitaker vastly overestimates the number of Indians in America, and that people unfriendly to the design will take advantage of the opportunity to ridicule the school.][note (type: handwriting): Handwriting is small and informal, yet mostly clear and legible. The trailer is in an unknown hand.][note (type: paper): Large sheet folded in half to make four pages is in fair condition, with moderate staining, creasing and wear. There is evidence of old repair work at the top of the central vertical crease.][note (type: ink): Black.][note (type: signature): The signature is abbreviated.]
Persistent Identifier
[Opener]

 [Revd | Rev.]RevdRev. [& | and]&and [Dr | Dear]DrDear Sir
I have been lately at [Boſton | Boston]BoſtonBoston[place0013.ocp]. There I had full
opportunity of [obſerving | observing]obſervingobserving the spirit that prevails [reſ:
pecting | res
pecting]
reſ:
pecting
res
pecting
your school[org0098.ocp]; I saw plainly that some gentle
men (for [reaſons | reasons]reaſonsreasons [beſt | best]beſtbest known to [themſelves | themselves]themſelvesthemselves) would
not be [diſpleaſed | displeased]diſpleaſeddispleased if the whole affair should drop
into non [exiſtence | existence]exiſtenceexistence. Mr. Mairhead[pers0349.ocp], who seems to be
a sincere [freind | friend]freindfriend of yours, communicated to me the
Scots magazine for June 1767; in the front[above] beginningbeginning of this
I [obſerved | observed]obſervedobserved a memorial of [Dr | Dr.]DrDr. Whitaker[pers0037.ocp]'s to the
Scots society for propagating [chriſtian | Christian]chriſtianChristian knowledge
in foreign parts[org0096.ocp]
; there to [impreſs | impress]impreſsimpress the gentlemen
of the society with the importance of his [miſsion | mission]miſsionmission,
he [aſserts | asserts]aſsertsasserts the number of Indians in the conti:
nent (the northern continent of America[place0003.ocp] he [muſt | must]muſtmust
mean, for he know we had no connections with the
southern) to be [illegible] [suppoſed | supposed]suppoſedsupposed to be twenty millions.
This number is undoubtedly twenty, if not forty
times too large. Nobody [above] to the [weſtward | westward]weſtwardwestwardto the [weſtward | westward]weſtwardwestward [Suppoſes | supposes]Suppoſessupposes that Indians in all
[thoſe | those]thoſethose parts of the continent to which we have any
[aceſs | access]aceſsaccess, to exceed five hundred [thouſand | thousand]thouſandthousand, if they come
[any thing | anything]any thinganything near to that number. This I think [muſt | must]muſtmust
be given up as a [miſtake | mistake]miſtakemistake: [& | and]&and you know, Sir very
well the wretched improvement that some will
make of it; the more candid will impute it to
[Dr | Dr.]DrDr. Whitaker[pers0037.ocp]'s ignorance, but I fear too many will
call it a pious fraud. This has given me much  [uneas.
ſinſe | uneas
iness]
uneas.
ſinſe
uneas
iness
: I cannot but look upon it as a [moſt | most]moſtmost

 unhappy blunder. We have no [reaſon | reason]reaſonreason to expect any
thing [elſe | else]elſeelse from the temper some men have [manifeſted | manifested]manifeſtedmanifested, [illegible]
but that they will do all the [miſchief | mischief]miſchiefmischief they can with it. If
your friends on the other side the water find that there
has not been given a true [repreſentation | representation]repreſentationrepresentation of facts either
by [yourſelf | yourself]yourſelfyourself or [Dr | Dr.]DrDr. Whitaker[pers0037.ocp], they will naturally grow
[suſpicious | suspicious]suſpicioussuspicious of the whole affair, and your [Truſt | trust]Truſttrust[org0103.ocp], to whom
you have conveyed such ample powers) may think it [un:
ſafe | un
safe]
un:
ſafe
un
safe
to [truſt | trust]truſttrust the many on this side the water. We may
certainly depend upon it that [perſons | persons]perſonspersons will not be wanting
to sow the seeds of prejudice and [illegible][guess (h-dawnd): [raiſe | raise]raiſeraise][raiſe | raise]raiſeraise them up to the
[moſt | most]moſtmost enormous height. Prejudices you know, if they once
take place, are not [eaſily | easily]eaſilyeasily eradicated, [eſpecially | especially]eſpeciallyespecially if they [reſ:
pect | res
pect]
reſ:
pect
res
pect
the management of public monies; [illegible]the greater part
of mankind are [illegible]villains in heart; their own [concien:
ces | conscien
ces]
concien:
ces
conscien
ces
tell them that if they had an opportunity of defraud;
ing, they should defraud. Hence they will not readily see
how another man can be [honeſt | honest]honeſthonest in like [circumſtances | circumstances]circumſtancescircumstances;
for few bad men are willing to believe there are any better
than [themſelves | themselves]themſelvesthemselves. Therefore I cannot but think it of [illegible]
great importance that this [miſtake | mistake]miſtakemistake should be rectified as
soon as [poſsible | possible]poſsiblepossible. Mr. Whitaker[pers0037.ocp] had better candidly [confeſs | confess]confeſsconfess
it by [somithing | something]somithingsomething [publiſhed | published]publiſhedpublished in the same magazine. It
certainly will not [anſwer | answer]anſweranswer to attempt to maintain it;
[illegible][guess (h-dawnd): B]B[becauſe | because]becauſebecause you [doubtleſs | doubtless]doubtleſsdoubtless know that it can never be [illegible][shewn | shown]shewnshown
to be [conſiſtent | consistent]conſiſtentconsistent with truth; such an attempt will surely
be regarded by the world as betraying either great ignorance
or great impudence. Your school may be [eaſily | easily]eaſilyeasily [repreſented | represented]repreſentedrepresented

in a sufficiently important light [withouth | without]withouthwithout exaggerat:
ing the number of the Indians. It is evidently the
[happieſt | happiest]happieſthappiest scheme that ever was contrived to [illegible] engage the af:
fections of the Indians, [& | and]&and so to prevent indian wars, [& | and]&and pro;
mote the rapid [extenſion | extension]extenſionextension of our settlements, [& | and]&and finally to
[eſtabliſh | establish]eſtabliſhestablish the pure religion of [Jeſus | Jesus]JeſusJesus in [theſe | these]theſethese uncultivat;
ed [deſarts | deserts]deſartsdeserts. [Excuſe | Excuse]ExcuſeExcuse [Dr | dear]Drdear Sir, the freedom I have [uſed | used]uſedused: [illegible][guess (h-dawnd): impart]impart
it to a tender concern [leſt | lest]leſtlest so [intereſting | interesting]intereſtinginteresting and benevolent a
[deſign | design]deſigndesign [shou'd | should]shou'dshould be in [any wiſe | anywise]any wiſeanywise [illegible][guess (h-dawnd): [burthend | burdened]burthendburdened ][burthend | burdened]burthendburdened or [obſtructed | obstructed]obſtructedobstructed.

[Closer]
I am [D.r | Dear]D.rDear Sir ever yours
 [moſt | most]moſtmost affectionately

 [Jer. | Jeremiah]Jer.Jeremiah [Halſey | Halsey]HalſeyHalsey[pers0241.ocp]
[Postscript]
P.S. My [kindeſt | kindest]kindeſtkindest regards to Mr. Kirtland[pers0315.ocp]. Tell him
[tho' | though]tho'though [abſent | absent]abſentabsent in body, I am often [preſent | present]preſentpresent with him in
spirit. My love to your Son[pers0578.ocp]: [& | and]&and to your worthy neighbou[below] rr
Mr. Lockwood[pers0335.ocp], to all enquiring friends in your parts.
[below] [Dr | Dr.]DrDr. Wheelock[pers0036.ocp][Dr | Dr.]DrDr. Wheelock[pers0036.ocp]
[Trailer]
[M.r | Mr.]M.r Mr. [Jer: | Jeremiah]Jer:Jeremiah Halsey[pers0241.ocp]'s
 April [25. | 25th]25.25th 1768

 To
The [Revd | Rev.]RevdRev. [Dr | Dr.]DrDr. Eleazar Wheelock[pers0036.ocp]
 at
 Lebanon[place0122.ocp]
Document Summary

People identified in this document:

id Text in document Role in header Authorized Name
pers0349.ocp Mr. Mairhead mentioned Mairhead
pers0037.ocp D r Dr. Whitaker mentioned Whitaker, Nathaniel
pers0037.ocp Mr. Whitaker mentioned Whitaker, Nathaniel
pers0241.ocp Jer. Jeremiah Halſey Halsey writer Halsey, Jeremiah
pers0315.ocp Mr. Kirtland mentioned Kirkland, Samuel
pers0578.ocp Son mentioned Wheelock, Rodulphus
pers0335.ocp Mr. Lockwood mentioned Lockwood, James
pers0036.ocp D r Dr. Wheelock recipient Wheelock, Eleazar
pers0241.ocp Jer: Jeremiah Halsey writer Halsey, Jeremiah
pers0036.ocp Rev d Rev. D r Dr. Eleazar Wheelock recipient Wheelock, Eleazar

Places identified in this document:

id Text in document Authorized Name
place0113.ocp Judea in Woodbury Parish of Judea
place0013.ocp Boſton Boston Boston
place0003.ocp northern continent of America America
place0122.ocp Lebanon Lebanon

Organizations identified in this document:

id Text in document Authorized Name
org0098.ocp your school Moor’s Indian Charity School
org0096.ocp Scots society for propagating chriſtianChristian knowledge in foreign parts Society in Scotland for Propagating Christian Knowledge
org0103.ocp your Truſttrust Trust in England

Dates identified in this document:

Standard Form Text
1768-04-25 April 25
1768-04-25 1768

Regularized text:

Type Original Regularized
modernization Revd Rev.
modernization Boſton Boston
modernization obſerving observing
modernization reſ:
pecting
res
pecting
modernization reaſons reasons
modernization beſt best
modernization themſelves themselves
modernization diſpleaſed displeased
modernization exiſtence existence
variation freind friend
modernization obſerved observed
modernization Dr Dr.
modernization chriſtian Christian
modernization impreſs impress
modernization miſsion mission
modernization aſserts asserts
modernization muſt must
modernization suppoſed supposed
modernization weſtward westward
modernization Suppoſes supposes
modernization thoſe those
modernization aceſs access
modernization thouſand thousand
variation any thing anything
modernization miſtake mistake
variation uneas.
ſinſe
uneas
iness
modernization moſt most
modernization reaſon reason
modernization elſe else
modernization manifeſted manifested
modernization miſchief mischief
modernization repreſentation representation
modernization yourſelf yourself
modernization suſpicious suspicious
modernization Truſt trust
modernization un:
ſafe
un
safe
modernization truſt trust
modernization perſons persons
modernization raiſe raise
modernization eaſily easily
modernization eſpecially especially
modernization reſ:
pect
res
pect
variation concien:
ces
conscien
ces
modernization honeſt honest
modernization circumſtances circumstances
modernization poſsible possible
modernization confeſs confess
variation somithing something
modernization publiſhed published
modernization anſwer answer
modernization becauſe because
modernization doubtleſs doubtless
variation shewn shown
modernization conſiſtent consistent
modernization repreſented represented
variation withouth without
modernization happieſt happiest
modernization extenſion extension
modernization eſtabliſh establish
modernization Jeſus Jesus
modernization theſe these
variation deſarts deserts
modernization Excuſe Excuse
modernization uſed used
modernization leſt lest
modernization intereſting interesting
modernization deſign design
variation any wiſe anywise
variation burthend burdened
modernization obſtructed obstructed
modernization Halſey Halsey
modernization kindeſt kindest
modernization abſent absent
modernization preſent present
modernization M.r Mr.
modernization 25. 25th

Expanded abbreviations:

Abbreviation Expansion
& and
Dr Dear
Dr dear
shou'd should
D.r Dear
Jer. Jeremiah
tho' though
Jer: Jeremiah

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Summary of errors found in this document:

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Number of nested "hi" tags: (consider merging the @rend attributes, or using other tags) 0
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