CHRISTIAN HERALD.

VOL. II.

Saturday, March 8, 1817.

[No. 24.

DOMESTIC MISSIONS.

Extracts from the Report of the Society for propagating the Gospel among the Indians and others in North America. Read and accepted Nov. 8, 1816.

STOCKBRIDGE Indians.

THE labours of the missionary at New Stockbridge appear to be assiduous, and, in a degree, successful. From the journals of Rev. Mr. Sergeant, no very material change appears to have occurred in the mission. Sermons and expositions of the Scriptures are statedly continued on the Lord's day. It is gratifying to learn, that catechetical exercises are also uniformly attended on that day, for the instruction of the children; and that the Lord's Supper is duly administered. The missionary avails himself of favourable seasons and occurrences for giving religious advice or admonition.

At " a funeral among the pagan Oneidas, so called, a good num

ber being collected on the occasion," he “ improved the opportunity to give them a long exhortation on the important subject of religion, being assisted by a good interpreter All appeared very attentive and serious."-Among a people apparently" cast off," it is pleasing to find the missionary recording examples of the influence of the Gospel in regulating the life, and imparting hope in death. He attended the funeral of a young woman, "who hopefully died in the faith; and preached a sermon on the occasion." After preaching several times at a house "where was an amiable young woman, dangerously sick and under serious impressions, very anxious to hear the word of God,” at the close of the service, she "manifested, by her answers to questions, a humble, peni tent temper of mind; gained the charity of a number of members of the church who were present, that she was hopefully become a friend of Christ; and, at her most earnest request, he "administered the ordinance of baptism to her."-He afterwards wrote: "Attended the funeral of the above-mentioned young woman, who, I have good reason to believe, went to rest. Some of her last words were, "I die, I leave you. O my friends, forsake drinking poisonous liquors. O prize the great privileges you enjoy. Don't put off the concerns of your precious souls." At another time, he preached a funeral sermon, on occasion of the death of an aged woman and member of the church, who had maintained a Christian life for nearly forty years." On the 21st of December, he writes, VOL. II.-No. 24.

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My people agreed to unite with the people of New-England, in observing this as a day of thanksgiving and praise to God. mon was preached on the occasion My people spent the evening in singing, in which they have made great progress." After catechising a few children who live in his neighbourhood, at his own house, (" as I constantly practice," he observes, " every Lord's day,) an elderly man, born blind, who constantly attends on this exercise, and has for some time been under religious impressions, after the children were dismissed, asked me for a piece of bread. I gave it him. He then turned his face to the wall; I took notice of his lips, and was satisfied that, in a silent manner, he returned thanks to the Lord for the food he had taken. He then rose from his seat, and said to me, The seventh day from this I shall be here again to be taught my catechism." It is affecting to find a single instance (happy were there not many such!) of ignorance and stupidity among our own people, surpassing what is found even among Indians. The missionary writes, "Ey request, visited a white woman, who lay dangerously ill in the neighbourhood-endeavoured to impress religious truths upon her mind; but found her much more stupid and ignorant than the natives." In 1814, there were 13 births and 9 deaths in the town.

In March, 1815, Mr. Sergeant, with two of the Indian Chiefs, visited the schools. In the first school they found 20 or 30, mostly small children. They appeared well, and had made good progress in reading." Advice was given to the master, a young Indian well qualified for teaching, relative to some improvement that might be made; an exhortation was given to the children; and the visit closed with prayer. "In the second school we found," says the missionary, "about the same number of children, but older. Two classes read well in the Bible. Two girls, between 9 and 11 years of age, read and pronounced as well as any children of that age I have ever heard. They were from a family of the Delawares, who generally speak English in their houses. They had likewise made good progress in their writing." The examination was concluded, as in the former instance, with an exhortation and prayer. The third school had been kept by a white man, who was dismissed for unfaithfulness. It was the missionary's intention to put Levi Konkpot in his place. Having attended the funeral of a young woman, whom he had lately baptized, he remarks, that he had reason to hope she died in faith. The copy of a letter is inserted in the missionary's journal, “ addressed," he says, "to my children, from a young man and member of our church." It is subscribed "Jehoiakim Wanauwas;" and is an agreeable specimen of intellectual, moral, and religious improvement, acquired within the sphere of the Indian mission. In June last (1816) the Rev. Dr. Backus, president of Hamilton College, preached for the missionary," to very great acceptance." "In the forenoon his sermon was interpreted to the Indians by Capt. Hendrick." It appears that, about two years since, in consideration of the general inattention and indifference to religious

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concerns, Mr. Sergeant advised the church, or serious part of his people, to set up meetings for prayer. The advice was complied with; and to these meetings, with the divine blessing, he ascribes a revived and serious attention, which has extended to " the most abandoned." Several instances of serious inquiry and of hopeful piety are recorded. Mr. Sergeant mentions the accession of two Indian families from Kent, in Connecticut, where, they informed him, there were nearly one hundred Indians, principally brought up among white people, and taught to do all kinds of work. They could spin, and weave, and manufacture all kinds of cloth. As their old people were all dead, and their lands mostly sold, it was expected they would all move and settle among the Stockbridge Indians. They had been taught to read; and, from what little opportunity our missionary had had with them, they appeared to be the most civilized natives he had ever seen.” leaving the Indians, to visit his friends in New England, some of the most religious of them requested him, as he would have an opportunity to see many good white people, to express to them their desire," that all praying people would remember the poor Indians, and plead at the throne of grace for temporal and spiritual blessings to be bestowed on the poor natives."

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Capt. Hendrick Aupaumut and his companion have returned from the Indian country, about 700 miles to the west of NewStockbridge," having been absent six years, labouring to promote the peace and tranquillity of the Indian tribes." Soon after bis return, in a long speech, he reported all his proceedings to his tribe and people. Accompanying our missionary's journal is Capt. Hendrick's written "Sketch of the western Indians, who reside along the banks of the White River, and Wabash, on Indiana Territory," where, he says, he "resided six years by the appointment of the general government, to instruct the natives of that country the arts of agriculture, and to promote peace, &c." "Previous to that time," he adds, my nation had renewed the covenant of friendship, which was established between our fore-fathers and theirs." A few extracts from this aboriginal sketch, containing facts and hints that may be of use to the Society, are subjoined. "Those tribes, to wit, Delawares, Monsies, Nanticokes, ever consider my nation as their nearest friends; they live on the first-mentioned river. The Miamis on the Wabash, and the other tribes on the west, north, and east of the above-mentioned places, are all at peace, and linked together in a covenant of friendship." When he first became acquainted with those nations, "they were all strongly prejudiced against the people of the United States, whom they called Bigknives, which they look upon as a terrible name.' These prejudices he ascribes to the conduct of the Bigknives, in killing the natives or driving them from the sea-shore, violating the treaties made with the Indians, and taking away their land "without purchasing it from them," and particularly after having christianized some of those tribes, the nefarious conduct of “butchering and burning them both small and great, which took place at

or near Muskingum, in the late revolutionary war, at which time they killed 36 innocent people and have killed friendly Indians at differeut times since. The above horrid transactions have been sounded in the ears of the neighbouring tribes, and which the Indians have related to me several times." Having mentioned the very wicked conduct of the traders who have resided among them, and the enticements of the British, by presents and otherwise, to induce them to be on their side, Capt. Hendrick adds: "By what I have stated, that is by the conduct of British subjects while they control Americans, were such, much blood has been spilt in Indian country; and it creates what white people commonly call Savages. And by the conduct of the Bigknives toward the Indians, it made them still wild. . . . It may be proper to notice here, that the Delawares, and my nation, and Monsies, have been looked upon by the western tribes as their Grandfathers; that we have much influence among them; and that a little before the forementioned Christians were killed, the chief warrior of the Delawares, named Pokconchelot, determined to send a message to all the different tribes, to recommend the Christian Religion to them, to advise them to adopt or admit preachers in their towns in case they would come: But when the Christian Indians were destroyed, he gave it up. Thus it seems the devil had the advantage to frustrate the good designs of religious people. And I have known many instances when well-disposed white people spoke to the indians to give them good advice, the Indians would say, It is an intrigue. Indeed their prejudices were so great against the Bigknives, it was very difficult to make them believe that there are many good people among them. And after I found their real situation and feelings, then I began to take pains to correct their errors, inform them that there are many good people in the United States, and also among the English; that if the white people were all very wicked, my nation and the other nations on the east might have been all destroyed long ago; that it is true, there have been very wicked white people among both nations even to that day; that those wicked people ever have had the first chance to live on the borders of the Indians, to use the natives as they please. And I have often told them, that if the good religious people had had the first chance to settle among the natives, the destruction of so many thousands of both colours might have been prevented: and that since the United States have obtained Independence, the President and his great counsellors have taken measures to protect the natives; and many of their religious people are looking on Indians with an eye of pity. By talking to them repeatedly in this manner, they by degrees appear to be willing to lay aside their prejudices, and acknowledge what I have related must be true. And I have found that there are many well disposed Indians, who would be glad to hear instruction, but are still afraid. . and many of them have often told me, that if my people should come and live in that country, they would join them immediately, to live with them, and follow civilization, &c. HENDRICK AUpaumut.”

New-Stockbridge, March 4, 1816.

NARRAGANSET Indians.

Mr. SHORES, after an intermission of the Indian School from the 6th of Oct. 1814, (the date of our last account of it,) until the 26th of Dec. then resumed his instructions, and continued them until the 30th of March 1815. He appears to have been zealous in his endeavours and unwearied in his labours to diffuse useful knowledge among the Indian children and youth, and to promote Christian virtue and piety among the Indians at large. Having enumerated many difficulties, which he had to encounter, he adds: "Yet, in the midst of all these, it hath pleased GoD, in answer to the united prayers of his people, to crown in some degree with success the benevolent exertions made by the Society for propagating the Gospel. I feel highly gratified that I can say, the children have attended better than before, notwithstanding the unusual severity of the winter, which, in their circumstances, might have justified negligence; and that their improvement in reading, catechism, spelling, and a little in arithmetic, has been as great as in schools in general in Massachusetts. I have invariably attended morning and evening prayers in school, and, when the school was largest, heard them read four times, and spell twice out of the book, and catechised all or part each day, and, when the school was less, more times. I have employed not less, but more, than six hours a day, in teaching them at school; attended the Indian meeting on the Sabbath. I think I have met with them 50 Sabbaths-visited, in all, about 70 families, and some of them many times; distributed about 20 primers, and as many bibles, and a number of tracts, sermons, and other religious books, and occasionally taught children to read out of school. In short, it has been my whole business, every day, to teach what little I am capable of, reading and religion." The whole number of scholars, this term was 48; the most that attended at any one time was 28.

Mr. Shores now declined the service, and gave it as his opinion that it would better promote the object of this mission to have a master for the school who would be qualified and, authoriz. ed to give public religious instruction to the Indians. The Rev. Dr. Patten (who, with the Rhode-Island Missionary Society, of which he is President, has steadily and zealously co-operated with us in conducting the mission) having given us advices to the same purport, a new arrangement was made; and the Select Committee, on a recommendation from Rhode-Island, engaged Mr. Stetson Raymond for two months' service at Dartmouth and the vicinity, and for one month at Charlestown. The first of these missions he performed; the last, from obstacles that appeared insurmountable, he judged it necessary to decline,

Having inquired of Dr. Patten and the Rev. Mr. Hitchcock, at Newport, concerning the state of the Indians, the missionary proceeded to Charlestown, and called on their superintendent, whose disposition toward the object, and account of the state of the Indians, were alike discouraging. Toby Ross, however, an Indian of some education, when informed of the design of his mission, ap