while together at school, may, and if they are zealously affected will, be improved much for the advantage and furtherance of the design of their miffion; 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 case of English miffionaries; 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, counselled or conducted by them; especially fo long as they shall be so 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 ftand in fuch 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 repose 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 so save the vast expence and trouble of interpreters; and their ministry be much more acceptable and edifying to the Indians.

8. There is no such thing as fending English miffionaries, or setting up and maintaining English schools to any good purpose, in most places among them, as their temper, state and condition have been and still are. It is poffible a school may be maintained to fome good purpose, at Onoboquagee, where there have been heretofore several faithful miffionaries, by the bleffing of God upon whose labours the Indians are in some measure civilized, fome of them baptized, a number of them in a judgment of charity, real Chriftians; and where they have a sachem, who is a man of understanding, virtue, steadiness, and entirely friendly to the design of propagating the gospel among them, and zealous to promote it. And where the Hon. Scotch Commiffioners, I hear, have fent two miffionaries, and have made fome attempt to fet up a school. But 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 Christian 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 defign 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 Susquehanah River. Another school or two may possibly be fet up with success among the Mohawks, where Mr. Ogilvie and other Episcopal missionaries have bestowed much labour, to good purpose; and where they have got into the way of cultivating their lands for a living, and so have more ability to support their children, and less 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 Commifsioners have with pious zeal, set up and maintained among the several tribes in these parts, I am much confirmed in such sentiments. These parties live amongst, and are encompassed by the English, have long had good preaching, and numbers of them appear to be truly godly. Yet such 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' skilful and faithful men, constantly complain they can't keep the children in any measure constant at school. Mr. Clelland the school-master 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 waste much time, by which means they don't learn so much in several 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 instruction. I the rather mention this instance, 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 so disaffected towards a good and necessary government, that as gentle an exercise of it as may be, and answer the design of keeping up order and regularity in any measure among them, will likely so disgust them as to render the cafe worse rather than better. Captain Martin Kellog complain'd of this as his great discouragement in the school at Stockbridge, notwithstanding he understood as well as any man the disposition of Indians, and had the advantage of knowing their language and customs, having been so 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 most places, there is no such thing at present as introducing either English schoolmasters or missionaries to continue with them; such 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 besides all this, they are so extremely poor, and depend so much upon hunting for a livelihood, that they are in no capacity to support their children at school, if their disposition for it were ever fo good.

Mr. Occom informed me by a letter from the Oneida country last summer, 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 so indigent as of these, nor the condition of these at all times quite so bad as it was then, yet it is well known that they universally depend upon roving and hunting mainly for their support; and whoever has heard the conftant complaint of missionaries, and the matter of their difcouragement, or has only read what the Reverend Messi'rs. Sergeant and D. Brainerd have wrote upon this head, can't charge me with writing without fufficient evidence, and good authority, if I had no other but theirs.

And what are a few instances, where schools may possibly 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 missionaries; 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 such as are suitable for the business, and such as may be introduced in a way agreeable to the savages, and so 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 business, to be had. Mr. Occom found great difficulty last year in his mission 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, some ignorant and perhaps vicious person, who has been their captive, and whom it is utterly unsafe to truft in matters of such eternal consequence. And how shall 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 fome 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 so. But who does not know that their leagues and covenants with us are little worth, and like to be so till they become Christians? And that the tender mercies of many of them are cruelty? Who is so unacquainted with the history of them, as not to know, there is reason to think, there are many among their lawless herds, who would gladly embrace an opportunity to commit a secret murder on such 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 Meff. 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 inftruct the girls in fuch manufactures as are proper for them, at certain hours, as a diversion 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 must 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 mistresses 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 sentiments of us, and encouraged to send their children, &c. ?

I am fully perfwaded from the acquaintance I have had with them, it will be found, whenever the trial shall be made, to be very difficult if not impossible, unless the arm of the Lord should be revealed in an eminent manner, to cure them of such savage 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 severe as shall be neceffary, without opposition from, or offence taken by, any. And who does not know, that evils so obstinate as those we may reasonably expect to find common in the children of savages, will require that which is severe? Sure I am, they must find such 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 fuch a genius and disposition, as most invite to bestow extraordinary expence to fit them for special usefulness.

II. We have the greatest security we can have, that when they are educated and fitted for it, they will be employed in that business. There is no likelihood at all that they will, though ever so well qualified, get into business, either as school-masters or minifters, among the English; at least till the credit of their nations be raised many degrees above what it now is, and consequently 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 compassion towards their “ brethren according to the flesh" will most naturally incline them to, and determine them upon such an employment as they were fitted and designed for. And besides all this, abundant experience has taught us, that such a change of diet, and manner of living as missionaries must generally come into, will not confist with the health of many Englishmen. And they will be obliged on that account to leave the service, 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 respect 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, promifing English youth of pregnant parts, and who from the best principles, and by the best motives, are inclined to devote themselves to that service; and who will naturally care for their state.

Divine skill in things spiritual, pure and fervent zeal for the salvation of fouls, shining examples of piety and godliness, by which pagans will form their first notions of religion, rather than from any thing that shall be faid 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 conversion and the way wherein it is wrought. Such were never under the governing influ