while together at fchool, may, and if they are zealously affected will, be improved much for the advantage and furtherance of the design of their mission; while they send to, hear from, or visit one another, confirming the things which have been spoken. And this without fo much ceremony to introduce one another, as will be necessary in the cafe of English missionaries; and without the cumber and expence of interpreters.

6. Indian miffionaries will not difdain to own English ones, who fhall be affociates with them, (where the English can be introduced) as elder brethren; nor fcorn to be advised or reproved, counfelled or conducted by them; efpecially fo long as they fhall be fo much dependent upon the English for their fupport; which will likely be till God has made them his people; and then, likely, they will not stand in such need of English guides and counsellors. And they will mutually help one another, to recommend the defign to the favourable reception and good liking of the pagans, remove their prejudices, conciliate their friendship, and induce them to repofe due confidence in the English.

7. In this school, children of different nations may, and eafily will learn one another's language, and English youth may learn of them; and fo fave the vaft expence and trouble of interpreters; and their miniftry be much more acceptable and edifying to the Indians.

8. There is no fuch thing as fending English miffionaries, or fetting up and maintaining English fchools to any good purpose, in most places among them, as their temper, ftate and condition have been and still are. It is poffible a fchool may be maintained to fome good purpose, at Onoboquagee, where there have been heretofore several faithful miffionaries, by the bleffing of God upon whofe labours the Indians are in fome measure civilized, fome of them baptized, a number of them in a judgment of charity, real Christians; and where they have a fachem, who is a man of understanding, virtue, fteadiness, and entirely friendly to the defign of propagating the gospel among them, and zealous to promote it. And where the Hon. Scotch Commiffioners, I hear, have sent two miffionaries, and have made fome attempt to set up a school. at Feningo, a little beyond, they will by no means admit an English miffionary to refide among them. And tho' they were many of them under great awakenings and concern, by God's bleffing on the labours of a Chriftian Indian from these parts; yet fuch was the violent oppofition of numbers among them, that it was thought by no means fafe for an Englishman to go among them, with design to tarry with them. And like to this is the cafe with the parties of Indians, for near an hundred miles together, on the west side of Sufquehanah River. Another school or two may poffibly be set up

But

with fuccefs among the Mohawks, where Mr. Ogilvie and other Epifcopal miffionaries have bestowed much labour, to good purpofe; and where they have got into the way of cultivating their lands for a living, and fo have more ability to support their children, and lefs occafion to ramble abroad with them. But even in these places we may find it more difficult than we imagine before the trial be made (though I would by no means discourage the trial of every feasible method for the accomplishing this great design) but by acquaintance with the schools which the Hon. London Commiffioners have with pious zeal, set up and maintained among the feveral tribes in these parts, I am much confirmed in such sentiments. These parties live amongft, and are encompaffed by the English, have long had good preaching, and numbers of them appear to be truly godly. Yet fuch is the savage temper of many, their want of due esteem for learning, and gratitude to their benefactors, and especially their want of government, that their school-masters, tho' fkilful and faithful men, conftantly complain they can't keep the children in any measure constant at school. Mr. Clelland the school-mafter at Mohegan has often told me what unwearied pains he has taken by visiting, and discoursing with their parents, &c. to remedy this evil, and after all can't accomplish it. The children are suffered to neglect their attendance on instruction, and wafte much time, by which means they don't learn fo much in feveral years as they might, and others do in one, who are taken out of the reach of their parents, and out of the way of Indian examples, and are kept to school under good government and conftant inftruction. I the rather mention this inftance, because of the wellknown fidelity and skill of that good gentleman, and because that tribe are as much civilized, and as many of them Christianized, as perhaps any party of them in this government. And by all I can learn, it is no better in this respect with any other. They are fo difaffected towards a good and neceffary government, that as gentle an exercise of it as may be, and answer the defign of keeping up order and regularity in any measure among them, will likely fo difguft them as to render the cafe worse rather than better. Captain Martin Kellog complain'd of this as his great difcouragement in the school at Stockbridge, notwithstanding he understood as well as any man the difpofition of Indians, and had the advantage of knowing their language and cuftoms, having been fo long a captive among them, and was high in their affection and esteem; yet he was obliged to take the children home to Weathersfield with him, quite away from their parents, before he could exercise that government which was necessary in order to their profiting at school. But as to moft places, there is no fuch thing at present as introducing either English school

masters or miffionaries to continue with them; fuch are their prejudices in general, and such the malevolent, and ungovernable temper of fome, that none but an Indian would dare venture his life among them.

And befides all this, they are fo extremely poor, and depend so much upon hunting for a livelihood, that they are in no capacity to fupport their children at school, if their difpofition for it were ever so good.

Mr. Occom informed me by a letter from the Oneida country laft fummer, and the fame account I had also from the young man which I fent there, that the Indians were almost starved, having nothing to live upon but what they got by fishing, fowling and hunting, that he had no other way to come at them, to preach to them, but by following them from place to place in their hunting. And though the condition of all may not be quite fo indigent as of thefe, nor the condition of these at all times quite fo bad as it was then, yet it is well known that they univerfally depend upon roving and hunting mainly for their support; and whoever has heard the conftant complaint of miffionaries, and the matter of their discouragement, or has only read what the Reverend Meffi'rs. Sergeant and D. Brainerd have wrote upon this head, can't charge me with writing without sufficient evidence, and good authority, if I had no other but theirs.

And what are a few inftances, where fchools may poffibly be maintained to fome good purpose, compared with those tribes and nations of them, where there are no circumstances at present, but their misery and neceffity, to invite us so much as to make the trial.

By the bleffing of God on his late Majesty's arms, there is now, no doubt, a door opened for a hundred miffionaries; and (unless we can find fuch as can speak to them in their own language) for as many interpreters; and perhaps for ten times that number, provided we could find fuch as are fuitable for the business, and fuch as may be introduced in a way agreeable to the favages, and fo as to avoid the bad effects of their prejudices against the English. But,

9. There are very few or no interpreters, who are suitable and well-accomplished for the bufinefs, to be had. Mr. Occom found great difficulty last year in his miffion on this account. And not only the cause, but his own reputation fuffered much by the unfaithfulness of the man he employed.

I suppose the interpreters now employed by the Hon. Commiffioners are the best that are to be had at present. But how many nations are there for whom there is no interpreter at all, except, it may be, fome ignorant and perhaps vicious perfon, who has been their captive, and whom it is utterly unfafe to trust in

matters of fuch eternal confequence. And how fhall this difficulty be remedied? It seems it must be by one of these two ways, viz. either their children must come to us, or ours go to them. But who will venture their children with them, unless with some of the civilized parties, who have given the strongest teftimonies of their friendship? If it be faid, that all the natives are now at peace with us It may be, their chiefs, and the better-temper'd part of them are fo. But who does not know that their leagues and covenants with us are little worth, and like to be so till they become Chriftians? And that the tender mercies of many of them are cruelty? Who is fo unacquainted with the hiftory of them, as not to know, there is reafon to think, there are many among their lawless herds, who would gladly embrace an opportunity to commit a fecret murder on fuch English youth ?— Even Mr. Occom, though an Indian, did not think it safe for him, being of another tribe and language, and in fuch connections with the English, to go among the numerous tribe of the Seneca's, where he had no avenger of his blood for them to fear.

When, and as foon as the method proposed by the Rev'd Mess. Sergeant and Brainerd, can be put into execution, viz. to have lands appropriated to the use of Indian schools, and prudent skilful farmers, or tradesmen, to lead and instruct the boys, and mistresses to instruct the girls in fuch manufactures as are proper for them, at certain hours, as a diverfion from their school exercises, and the children taken quite away from their parents, and the pernicious influence of Indian examples, there may be fome good profpect of great advantage by schools among them.

And muft it be esteemed a wild imagination, if it be supposed that well-instructed, sober, religious Indians, may with special advantage be employed as masters and mistreffes in such schools; and that the design will be much recommended to the Indians thereby; and that there may be special advantage by such, serving as occafional interpreters for visitors from different nations from time to time; and they hereby receive the fulleft conviction of the fincerity of our intentions, and be confirmed and established in friendly fentiments of us, and encouraged to fend their children, &c.?

I am fully perfwaded from the acquaintance I have had with them, it will be found, whenever the trial fhall be made, to be very difficult if not impoffible, unless the arm of the Lord fhould be revealed in an eminent manner, to cure them of such favage and fordid practices, as they have been inured to from their mother's womb, and form their minds and manners to proper rules of virtue, decency and humanity, while they are daily under the pernicious influence of their parents example, and their many vices made familiar thereby.

10. I have found by experience, there may be a thorough and effectual exercise of government in such a school, and as fevere as shall be neceffary, without oppofition from, or offence taken by, any. And who does not know, that evils so obftinate as those we may reasonably expect to find common in the children of favages, will require that which is fevere? Sure I am, they must find fuch as have better natures, or fomething more effectually done to fubdue their vicious inclinations, than most I have been concerned with, if it be not so. And moreover, in such a school, there will be the best opportunity to know who has such a genius and disposition, as most invite to bestow extraordinary expence to fit them for special usefulness.

II. We have the greatest fecurity we can have, that when they are educated and fitted for it, they will be employed in that bufinefs. There is no likelihood at all that they will, though ever fo well qualified, get into business, either as school-mafters or minifters, among the English; at least till the credit of their nations be raised many degrees above what it now is, and confequently they can't be employed as will be honorable for them, or in any business they will be fit for, but among their own nation. And it may reasonably be supposed, their compaffion towards their "brethren according to the flesh" will most naturally incline them to, and determine them upon fuch an employment as they were fitted and defigned for. And befides all this, abundant experience has taught us, that fuch a change of diet, and manner of living as miffionaries muft generally come into, will not confift with the health of many Englishmen. And they will be obliged on that account to leave the fervice, though otherwise well disposed to it. Nor can this difficulty be avoided at present (certainly not without great expence.) But there is no great danger or difficulty in this refpect as to Indians, who will only return to what they were used to from their mother's womb.

And there may also be admitted into this school, promising English youth of pregnant parts, and who from the best principles, and by the best motives, are inclined to devote themselves to that fervice; and who will naturally care for their state.

Divine skill in things fpiritual, pure and fervent zeal for the falvation of fouls, fhining examples of piety and godlinefs, by which pagans will form their first notions of religion, rather than from any thing that shall be said to them, are most necessary qualifications in a miffionary; and promise more real good than is to be expected from many times the number who have never "known the terrors of the Lord," and have no experimental, and therefore no right understanding of the nature of converfion and the way wherein it is wrought. Such were never under the governing influ