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multiply you. I speak this only for your good: I propose no advantage to myself nor to any other, but you and your posterity by it.

When you improve your land, and provide a living for yourselves and families in that way, you will live much easier and better than you now do or can do by hunting. And when your game is gone, you will not have occasion to remove to another place, or to go a great way to catch wild creatures to live upon, as Indians have been forced to do; but you will live as well without them as with them, by the produce of your own farms. And then you will be under circumstances to have ministers and school masters settled among you; and will be able to support them according to the laws of Christ, to teach you and your children the great things that cencern your peace with God, and the eternal salvation of your precious souls; and so you may soon become a learned and knowing people. And then you will be in no danger of being imposed upon and cheated, as you have been by bad men, who care not what becomes of Indians, if they can only get your lands, and cheat and wrong you in other things. I pity you greatly on these accounts; and I wish you would mind what I say to you. I greatly desire you may become a great, and good, and very happy people.

David Fowler can tell you how God has dealt with Indians in New England, and how they now begin to see their error, and amend their doings.

He denies

I thank you for the kindness, which some of you have shown to my dear Mr Kirkland, whom I sent into your country last fall. His heart is bent to do good to the Indians. himself all the pleasure and honors which he might have here among his friends, only to do you good. I hope you will continue your kindness to him, and treat him as my child. I hope God will make him an instrument of great good to the Indians.

I wish you all happiness in this world and the world to come. I design by God's help to do all the good I can to the poor miserable Indians as long as I live; and when you can pray to God for yourselves, then pray also for me. I hope I shall live in heaven with many of you, and that we shall rejoice together in beholding our glorified Redeemer forevermore. Amen. ELEAZAR WHEELOCK.

Lebanon, April 29, 1795.

From Mr. Dennis De Berdt.

London, June 20, 1765.

Rev. and Dear Sir,

Though I have not written to you a long time, I often both think and speak of you with affection and esteem, as the apostle of the Indians, and I trust God will prosper and reward your labors of love to those poor heathens.

General Lyman is aiming at a grant to settle a large tract of land in the heart of the Indian country, and intends to include a charter for you if he can obtain it in his grant; but the unsettled state of the king's ministry has been a great difficulty in his mind. And now he is at a stand in expectation of a thorough change, and we hope for the advantage of America, which has lately been very hardly borne upon, and not by them treated with the tenderness of an affectionate mother country, greatly to the embarrassment of trade, and hardships on the merchant.

Mr. Whitefield has paid me £100 for your use, which I have placed to Mr. S―'s credit, according to his letter, which he will pay you.

Rev. Sir,

Yours, in christian friendship,

DENNIS De BERDT.

Madam,

To the Right Hons the Countess of Huntingdon..

Lebanon, Connecticut, May 16, 1765.

Yours of August 9, 1764, came safe to hand March 19th ; and it animates and refreshes me much to find such fervent love to Christ, and earnest care for the perishing souls of poor savages, breathed forth by a lady of such distinction; and that you should from the same divine source, be moved to such an act of condescension as to encourage and comfort the heart of one, whom your charity fondly believes to be honestly engag ed to promote the great Redeemer's cause, and to which you could be moved by no other motive.

My Indian school yet lives and flourishes, only by the goodness of God. My number of late has generally been twenty six. Two young English gentlemen belonging to it, were ordained to the sacred work the 24th ult. with a view, as soon as provisions shall be made for their support, to a mission among the six nations. Three Indian young men are appointed to be school masters among those tribes; and six more, who by reason of their want of age, are appointed to teach school as masters, under ths direction and conduct of the missionaries, and to return to this school in the fall. And one, a young English gentleman, viz. Samuel Kirkland, I sent last fall to winter with the numerous and savage tribe of the Senecas, in order to learn their language, and fit for a mission among them; where no missionary has hitherto dared to venture. This bold adventure of his, which considered in all the circumstances of it, is the most extraordinary of the kind I have ever known, has been attended with abundant evidence of a divine blessing.

The aforesaid youth were all appointed to their respective services, not knowing that we had a penny in stock to support them; till a few days ago, we were informed by Mr. Whitefield's letter to Mr. Smith of Boston, of one hundred pounds by a lady unknown, devoted to the service of this Indian design.

My

soul blesses the benefactress, and the blessing of many ready to perish, I trust, will come upon her, and the everlasting mercy of God find her out, and in the end reward her openly. And then we, who can only conjecture by whom the favor is conferred, shall, by the account itself, and by the crown of glory given as the reward of it, be fully assured of the hand by whom it was done, when there will be neither a possibility nor occasion to conceal her liberality any more.

The openings in Providence appear more and more favora➡ ble to this design. It seems that now, if ever, is the time to bestir ourselves to do something effectual in the affair.

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I expect eight or ten boys very soon from remote tribes, and some of them, sons of their chiefs, procured by Mr. Kirkland and Sir William Johnson.

I thank you, madam, most heartily for the expressions of your friendship, and for all your care and kindness in this af fair, and hope by your influence, numbers may be moved to put a helping hand, and I feel the obligations upon me towards you, to be much greater than I seem to express, though in the most humble manner.

* I take the boldness, with much duty and esteem, to subscribe myself, Madam,

Your Ladyship's much obliged, and

most obedient humble servant,

ELEAZAR WHEELOCK.

From the Hon. Sir William Johnson.

Johnson-hall, May 18, 1765.

SIR,

I have received your letter of the 29th ult. and I herewith. enclose you a letter left by Mr. Kirkland, who is gone to the Seneca's country. The Indians, to the amount of nine hundred, who have been here for some time, and are not yet all de

parted, prevent me from writing fully upon any subject at this time.

David Fowler is set out for Oneida, and I hope he will be found useful. I have recommended him to the Indians, and will not fail to give all the countenance and encouragement in my power to Mr. Kirkland and his endeavors, as well as any others calculated for the instruction of the Indians.

I have seen something of the resolves you mention: they are well intended, and I dare say, will meet with encouragement in England.

Mr. Kirkland takes pains to ground himself in the language of the Senecas; which is the first step necessary. A great end to be acquired by religion among the heathen, is the bettering their morals. This I fear is very difficult to effect; for notwithstanding the pains taken by many zealous and well disposed persons, I find the spirit of avarice gains more ground than christianity; the latter is but in outward show, and will * scarcely resist a bottle of rum. They increase likewise too much in craft and dissimulation, which religion ought rather to destroy. However all this is but too certain with regard to the generality of the Indians, and it is therefore a subject which requires serious consideration, how religion shall be rendered serviceable to the improvement of their minds, and to their becoming honest and industrious, to mind their hunting and trade, and live in peace and friendship. I hope these ends may one day be effected, and that your endeavors may be in some measure instrumental thereto, as I am, Sir,

Your sincere well-wisher,

and very humble servant,

WILLIAM JOHNSON.

P. S. Please to tell the boys I am glad to hear they are well, and that I wish they may continue to deserve your good character.

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