The first objection was, that our religion was not defigned for Indians. In anfwering this, I availed myfelf of the declarations and promifes of fcripture to the contrary, and the command of Chrift, to preach it to every creature (which I told them I could fhow them) and the fuccefs which he had given to the miniftry. The fecond objection that I noticed was, that our religion was not good for them. Ia replying to this, I fhowed them what effects it would have on their children, on their young men, who it was faid, did not mind the chiefs as they used to, and on fociety in general; how it would fit them for heaven, and give them a fure title to it that it must be good for them if God had defigned it for them-that other Indian nations, to whom we had fent minifters, had tried it, and found it to be good, and that they would do wrong to condemn it, or reject it without trying it. excited their curiofity, and ferved; tions which I fuppofed they flood to give them an idea of Connecti-ready to offer, I brought them cut, the number of our minifters up and anfwered them. and the regularity of our towns; and it helped them to understand thofe parts of the addrefs which fpake of the General Affociation, the Miffionary Society and the Legiflature. And it helped me likewife, to give them a more juft idea of the importance of the different characters which compofe the honorable Board of Trustees, as I could point them to the great houfes to which the different civilians belonged; and tell them what important flations they held in them-I informed them that the other fix were as great in the miniry. I had taken care before this to let them know that I had a written recommendation from one of the great chief warriors of the United States. I was the more particular with refpect to fuch characters, as they feel the moft dependent on thefe, and have the greateft refpect for them. At the conclufion of the addrefs I obferved to them, that if their patience was not exhauled I hould be glad if they would hear what I had to fay to them. And as they readily complied, and feemed to pay better attention, I delivered them a pretty lengthy fpeech, in which I carefully noticed every thing of importance, that appeared to me to be to the purpose. Suppofing that they might want to know why we had not fent them a minifter before, fince we were fo urgent to have them receive one then, I informed them we had been prevented by wars, by a want of minifters and by their living at fuch a great diftance from us; but that we had fent minifters to the other Indian nations who lived nearer to us. Having heard of four objec The third objection was, that by liftening to me they would expofe themielves to the fate of the poor Moravians, whọ were deftroyed by our people, in confequence of their embracing our religion. In anfwering this, I obferved to them, that they could have nothing to fear from having me among them, or from liftening to me, becaufe that our bad men would not be allowed to hurt them now, as our people were at peace with them, and their great fathers in congrefs were difpefed to treat them as their children. The fourth objećtion I thought to be much the most important, and the most difficult to answer. It was this, that they could not live together fo as to receive any inftructions on account of their fighting and killing one another when intoxicated. Two had been killed but a few days before at the trader's above; and I found that they feldom got together without killing fomethat their villages there were little more than places of refidence for fall and fpring, as they were obliged to be abfent in the winter on account of hunting, and as they found it neceffary to live apart in the fummer on account of liquor; and that the most of them were going to difperfe in a few days for planting, when they would be from ten to fifty miles apart, and not more than two or three families in a place. To remove this objection, I acknowledged the difficulty of their living together while they made fuch free use of fpirituous liquor; and propofed to them to begin and build a new village upon this condition, that no one fhould be allowed to get drunk in it; that if they would drink, they fhould go off and ftay till they had it over, and that if any would not comply with this law, they should be obliged to leave the village. I then showed them the advantages of adopting the plan-that they would live in peace, as they never quarelled when they were fober-that, with my affiftance, they would be able to give their children an education; for want of which they were going on blindfold in their bufinefs with white people, who frequently impofed upon them; but who would not have it in their power, if they once had eyes of their own, to fee for themselves; as would be the cafe if their young chiefs and others should get an educatida and learn to fpeak English; and that then, they might have books printed in their own language for them to read-that I would fhow them and affift them what I could about making carts and ploughs, and about ploughing their ground, fo that they might improve their horfes, which were then almoft ufelefs to them; and raise a plenty of corn and wheat, potatoes, fquafhes and tobacco, horfes and cattle, fheep, hogs and poultry— that I would fhow them and affift them what I could about building a mill, building houfes and making furniture for their houfes that I would make them wheels and fhow them about making looms; and that my wife would learn their young women to make their own cloth-that our good people would fend them on school mafters enough to school all their children for nothing--that I would try to have them fend on a blackfmith, who was a good man, and would mend their guns and do all their work for them in the beft manner, and at a much more reafonable price than what they had to give for it then; befides faving them the trouble of going a great diftance for it. I told them that, as their land was excellent, if they would adopt this plan, and their young men would affift their women and children, they might enjoy all these privileges within a few years without working hard; and that then they would have a comfortable home for their old people, and for those who were fick, where they could remain through the winter whilst the others were gone to their hunting grounds; and, what was infinitely more than all the reft, they might then enjoy the religion of God's word, which, if they would rightly attend to it, would make them Iing, but that, if they would ftrive against it, and pray to the Great Spirit to help them, that he would enable them to keep from unspeakably happy forever. gard to their welfare, the leaft that they could think of doing, would be to accept of my affiftance, and follow my advice with refpect to the village I had propofed, and not fuffer any liquor to come into that. I told them that I might have lived much happier at home, among my dear friends and acquaintance, where we had every thing that was com fortable around us; but knowing how much they needed my affiance, and having a great love for them, and being commanded by God, I had for faken all, and had come a great diftance to fend my days with them, in order to make them happy in this world and in the I told them that game was grow-it-that, if they had any reing fearce, and that, as the white people were fettling round them, it would foon be too fcarce for them to live by hunting-that if they did not teach their children to cultivate the land, and raife their living out of it as we did, that they would foon be fo poor and hungry that they would not know what to do that at beft, they would fell their excellent land for little or nothing, and be obliged to leave that pleasant river, and delightful country, and feek a home in fome diftant and unknown wilderness. And I obferved to them, that, fince it was thus, I hoped they would liften to my advice; and that they would not only prevent liquor from being brought into the pro-world to come-that I had come pofed village, but that they by the defire of God's ministers would entirely defift from drink- and good people, who tenderly ing it that I would have them loved them, who had always been more afraid of thofe who brought their beft, and only true friends, it among them, than thofe who both in time of war and in time came against them with fire-guns. of peace; and had always been To convince them of this, I af- praying to God for them, that fured them that the country be- they might enjoy thofe great pritween them and the Atlantic, vileges which they had now been which was once thickly inhabit- at fo much pains and expenfe to ed with Indians, had become al help them to-that I had not moft entirely depopulated, prin- come merely of my own accord, cipally by means of this deftroy- or by the defire of thofe good ing liquor. And I added that people, but that I was fent there this univerfal drunkennefs was by God himfelf, who commanded very difpleafing in the fight of them to liften to me--that fince it God, and had provoked him to was thus, if they did not receive give them up to die, as it were, me, and attend to the good things by their own hands; and that, if which I was fent to teach them, they continued to go on as others they would make me very forrowhad done, they muft expect ere ful, exceedingly grieve the hearts long, to be univerfally fwept from of God's minifters and people, the earth in like manner. I told and, what was inconcievably worse, them, that they might think that they would dreadfully offend the they could not keep from drink-God who had fent me, and make VOL. III. No. 4. U him very angry with them. To conclude my fpeech to them, I told them that they were not to blame for not having this good religion fent to them before; but that if they rejected it now it was fent, rejected the goodness of God in fending it to them, and all our kind offers to them, which had coft us so much trouble and expenfe, they would certainly be inexcufable; and that I therefore hoped they would give me a favorable anfwer. I was thus urgent with them, because I fufpected that the moft of them were determined not to receive me. They heard me with the more patience on account of my having furnished them, in the first place, with as much tobacco as they could fmoke. As the Trustees' addrefs took up so much time, I fhould have been glad to have been much fhorter; but, as I thought the cafe doubtful, I was unwilling to omit any thing which might be to the purpose. The most of the chiefs remained together that night. They affembled on the grafs the next day, at about 12 o'clock, and fent for me. Little Otter was well enough to attend; and he delivered me the following speech, with feveral of the ideas often repeated. your red brothers. When we go on any great bufinefs, and have any great things to say, we fay them in few words. Brother, we understand that you are sent out here by the Great Spirit, and by his good people, who live in one of the fixteen fires. Brother, we believe that you have not come alone, or of your own accord; but that you are fent out here, as you fay, by the Great Spirit, and by fome of his great black-gowns* and great men who make laws.And we thank thofe great Fathers for being fo kind to us. Brother, we like what you have faid to us. We know that it is all true, and all very good.When you was talking, you kept looking up, and faid a great deal to us about the Great Spirit.We believe that there is a Great Spirit, who has made the world, the fun, the moon, the ftars, the ground, the water, the trees, and all the men, creatures and things that are in the world. Brother, we understand that you have come to teach us and our children how to worship the Great Spirit ; and what we must do to please him, and be happy in this world and in the world to come. We understand that you want to have us raise a plenty of corn and wheat, horfes and cattle, and all the other creacures and things that you raise; and that you want us to live like the people that wear hats. And we believe that you and our great fathers that fent you, wish to do us all the good you can-that you want to make us happy not only here, but in the other world. Brother, we know that you spoke true when you told us that our Brother, We listened to you yesterday, and heard all you had to fay to us. Since that, we have been thinking of what you faid to us, and have been talking it over among ourselves, and have made up our minds. Now Brother, if you will liften to us, we will give you an anfwer. But it is our way to be very fhort. Our white brothers, when they make fpeeches, are very lengthy. They read and write fo much, that they get in a great many lit-ifters, was probably taken from the gowns worn by the Roman Catholic tle things. But it is not fo with pricfts. . Black-gowns, their name for min game was growing scarce, and that it would foon be fo that we could not live by hunting, as we ufed to. We feel very poor; and we do not know how we are a going to live, or what we fhall do. Now Brother, if you and your great black-gowns and chiefs want to help us, and make us happy, why dont you ftop your people from fettling fo near us ? If you would do this, we might have game enough, and do very well. to us is all true, but we would not wish to steal these good words or keep them to ourfelves. We understand that you was fent out to travel round and vifit the Indians in order to find out their minds refpecting this bufinefs, You have feen but a few Indians yet. There are a great many that live away back of us. If you was to go and fee them all, it would take you two or three years. We think you had better go and talk with them all, and fee what they think about it. And if they will agree to have blackgowns, we will agree to have one too. This is all that your red brothers have to say to you. I fuppofe they meant to require me to ftop all the liquor, and get the confent of all the Indians to receive minifters, before they would reeeive me. This, they doubtlefs thought, would be putting the matter off far enough for the present; and that it would be a more polite way of anfwering me, than to fay no. But I was not difpofed to take even no for an anfwer, till I had a farther trial. Therefore, as foon as he had finifhed his fpeech, I begged another hearing, and delivered them another fpeech, as lengthy as my firft, in which I was enabled, with the greatest ease, to remove every difficulty which they had artfully flung in my way; to reprefent things in the cleareft light, and to prefs the matter Brother, We know that it is all true what you say to us about the ftuff the white people make, which we like fo well. We know that it makes us foolish, and quarrelfome, and poor; and that it deftroys us, and has greatly diminifhed our number that we ufed to be much happier before it came among us, and that it would be much better for us, to be entirely without it. We don't make it; Indians don't know how to make it, and have nothing to make it of. If your people did not make it and bring it to us, we should not have it. And if we did not fee it we fhould not care any thing about it. But when we get a tafte of it, we love it fo well, we do not know how to ftop drinking. Brother, fince it is fo, why do you not stop your people from bringing it among us? If you would do this, then perhaps you might get us to come and live together in one village, fo that you might have an oppor-home, in fuch a manner, as forced tunity to inftruct us, and do us good. But until this liquor is Ropped, we fhall quarrel fo among ourfelves, when we get it, that we cannot many of us live together in the fame village; and you will not be able to do any thing with them to a fair explanation. But time and patience require me to be very brief in my account of it. I told them the fault with refpect to our people's fettling fo near them, was their own, as they fold them the land-that their obferv ations against liquor, were very encouraging; efpecially as the |