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prudent; and we do not yet abound with men, in these woods, who are most skilful in matters of this kind.

I had proffered petitions to his Majesty, near a year ago, to the same purpose, as you prudently and kindly advise me to do, but have yet had no return. I fear that letters from home have miscarried.

Please, Sir, pardon my thus imposing on your patience, and be assured, that I am, with most sincere affection, and high esteem,

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I herewith enclose the first letters I have received from Messrs. McClure and Frisbie, since they arrived at the Indiancountry, and I send the original; as I think it must be more satisfying to you, than any abstract I can make of them. I hope the fortitude which Mr. M- has shown, will have like impression upon your minds as it had upon me.

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I desired a friend in Portsmouth to serve you with a copy of my Narrative, to last September, in an appendix, to which I give some short account of the success of Mr. Ripley's mission to Canada: which, I hope, will reach you in due time.

I think the affairs of this School, through the abundant goodness of God, appear with an agreeable aspect. Hitherto my Indian boys behave as orderly and well as can reasonably be expected of savages. They are seventeen in number.

Several of my English youths are preparing for their respective missions in the spring, if God shall prepare the way for them some to the Indians on or near the bay Funday; and others to visit the tribes in Canada. I shall endeavor to advise you, as fully as I can, of all the affairs, as fast as they are ripened.

The whole number of my students, dependent and independent, is about eighty. And they continue to be sufficiently studious, and quite orderly. But the growth of this School is now stinted, for want of room for my students. My memorial to the assembly of this Province, agreeable to what I wrote you, Oct. 22d, for liberty of a lottery, to enable me to build a large house, is now upon the carpet, and I have not yet heard, that they have acted any thing upon it; but I understand it is likely they will grant liberty for it. But I shall not choose to take a step further, till I know your pleasure, and have your approbation of my procedure therein.

I also proposed, and submitted to your advice, whether it would not be prudent and expedient to bring a large body of these lands under improvement, as soon as may be, for the support of the school. I hope you have received my letter, and that I shall soon receive your advice therein. For though I am fully persuaded myself of the propriety and expediency of it, I shall not dare to take the step, without your advice, further than I can do it, at the expence of my own little interest.

I have cleared above 200 acres the last fall and this winter, and sowed about 150 with hay-seed, besides about 20 acres I cleared and seeded with English grain and hay-seed. I have already felt the benefit of cultivating these lands the last year., Notwithstanding the crops in these parts in general, and mire in particular, were much cut short. The English, by a long, heavy, and unusual rain in harvest, and the Indian corn by an unseasonable frost..

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So far as I can learn of late, the opposition to this school, is much abated, on this side the water; as it appears, that at its e emies can find nothing but falsehoods to justify them in it. My hope and trust is in God alone, who has and will perform his pleasure, for it and by it.

If God should graciously preserve these youths, who are fitting for missions, and prepare their way into the wilderness, in

such a number, and succession as is proposed, there will, likely be occasion to send agents again to Europe, to solicit charitable contributions for their support. I look upon your patronage to be, under God, of the greatest importance.

Please, Honored Sirs, accept a renewed tender of,

Right honorable and worthy Sirs,

Your greatly obliged, most obedient and
Very humble servant,

Hanover 22d Feb. 1773.

Honored Sir,

ELEAZAR WHEELOCK,

To John Thornton, Esquire.

Hanover, Feb. 22, 1773.

I need not desire you to use the enclosed from Mr. D- -g, for the furtherance of the Redeemer's cause, on the islands, if you have an opportunity for it.

Mr. Occum, I hear, behaves to good and great acceptance, among good people. He has lately printed a sermon, preached to a very numerous audience, at the execution of an Indian; one of which I would send you, if I could: perhaps he, or some other friend, may have served you with one of them.

I think my affairs here are under the smiles of heaven, and they will be so, if we keep up a good account with God.

I have had occasion of drawing on you for more money, than I was aware beforehand, I should have occasion for; but have drawn for no more than has been absolutely necessary, for providing stores for food, apparel, lodging, instruction, &c. &c. for missioners and students, English and Indian. The enclosed is the account of the bills I have drawn since October last.

I have sent, some weeks ago, two petitions to his Majesty, through the hands of Lord Dartmouth, for two tracts of land in

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the province of New York, free of quit rent, containing 25000 acres each. The one for the use of the school, the other to be applied for the encouragement of missionaries, and support of their widows, and education of their children, &c.

I wish, my honored Sir, you could be instrumental to get all the lands, given to this school, and the officers of it, discharged from the burden of quit rent, and from the obligation on other lands to settle them within such a term, on penalty of forfeiture.

I am, with much duty and affection,

Your most abedient and very humble servant,
ELEAZAR WHEELOCK.

To the Right Honorable the Earl of Dartmouth.
Hanover, April 5, 1773.

May it please your Lordship,

I esteem it a singular favor of heaven, that I may apply to your Lordship, and especially in your late dignified capacity, with confidence, that I shall find the heart of a father; while I have no other higher motives, than the furtherance of that cause, which, I am confident, lies nearest your heart. And, I assure you, my Lord, it is only your well known character, your past condescentions, the nature and importance of the case, together with the consciousness, the singleness and uprightness of my intentions, that have inspired a boldness in my present application to you, and which are all I have to rely upon to excuse me, without any other apology for myself.

In my letter to your Lordship, of December 28th, 1772, with an address of a number of my pupils, on your advancement to the American administration, I also enclosed two petitions to his Majesty, for the royal favor, of two patents of his ungranted lands in this country, containing 25000 acres each, free of quit rents; the one for the use of this school, the other for encouragement of missionaries, the support of the widows, education

of their children, &c. And prayed that the royal mandamus for the same, might be given to the governor of New York, who, I then understood, to have the right of granting those lands, on the west side of this (Connecticut) river; which lands, were, till of late, supposed to belong to this province, and are situated nearer to this school, than any other of his Majesty's ungranted lands; on which I designed those patents should be laid, as being most convenient for the purpose designed, if the favor should be granted. But we have lately been advised, by reports from several quarters, which have gained such credit as to occasion great joy to the inhabitants, that his Majesty has given orders to the Governor of New York, to ratify all the former grants of those lands, made by the late Governor of this province, and of course, has vacated all the grants made by the Governor of New York; which has raised a hope, in all who had not a prospect of personal advantage of those new patents, that this step is an omen that all those controverted lands will revert to this province.

And this is that which has given me occasion to give your Lordship this trouble, which is humbly to bespeak your Lordship's favor, to alter those petitions, if you see it needful, and it be not too late, that the royal mandamus may be to the governor of this province, or to either of them as your Lordship shall think proper.

I would also beg leave to suggest to your Lordship, the present necessities of myself and family, on account of my having no visible means of support, adequate to my necessary expense. God has graciously provided for me and mine hitherto, and has not left me or them to suffer; nor am I yet afraid to trust him to provide for me, while I have a heart to serve him, and he has any thing for me to do here. Yet it appears to be duty, to let my case be known to friends of ability, while I wait upon God to perform the desire of my heart.

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