The missionary. (Mt. Zion, Hancock County, Ga.) 1819-182?, May 30, 1821, Image 2

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A question w* then laid before the meeting, whether it were .expedient to take any measured to raise a school-fend for orphan children. This wa* new to many; but unobjectionable. Decided in the affirmative*; and a committee was ap pointed to recommend a plan for that pur pose. Adjourned. This was doubtless the first meeting of the kind, that has ever been held in these islands. Whatever might be the feeling* of some of the number, it was truly animat ing to see the chiefs of the islands, the principal foreigners who are settletThere. with a number of intelligent gentlemen of business now in port, assembled to. concert in aid of the missionary catlse, plans of usefulness, the happy influence of which will doubtless be as lasting as time, and the fruits of which can be tally known only in eternity.- Agitation o f Hanaroorah. 11. To day the village of Hanaroorah has been in an uproar; but we have been unmolested. There has been considera ble commotion in the streets; but our hab itations have enjoyed peace. We are hap py in the assurance that neithersve, nor the efforts which were made yesterday to promote our benevolent objects, were the cause of this commotion : though the lion might take to roar, at this time, to prevent the good intended. The pre valence of multiplied jealousies gives cur rency to invidious declarations and reports; and the collision of opposite interests is often followed, by agitation and violence. Correspondence nrith the South-Sea Missiotis. 12. Sent letters, books, and clothes washed here, to our friends at Owhyhee, by capt. Gyzelaar, of the American brig Cla rion. This gentleman has often called on ns x and treated us politely. He ofTers to carry letters, books, or baggage, gratis, for missionaries wherever they :nay wish to send by him. He will probably soon go to Otaheite and. return. By him we also wrote to our missionary brethren at the Society Islands, and sent them copies of our * Instructions,’ of Reports, Missionary Ser mons, &c. [The journal here enumerates many pamphlets.] Thus we have tlje vpportunity and the happiness early to make them acquainted with the Christian operations in our own country; our arrival and prospects; and the late interesting events in these islands. We gladly avail ourselves of the privilege 6f requesting them to correspond, to favour us with cop ies of their important papers and pamph lets, elementary books, and their transac tions, together with such information and friendly counsel, as we need, and hope to receive from their superiour wisdom and experience. With fond anticipation we cherish the desire, that this may be the commencemen* of a long and happy cor respondence between the two establish ments. , Visit to a dying Countryman. To day Mr. Bingham was called to visit Mr. Hamjin, a young man of Yarmouth, Ms. apparently in the last stages of the consumption;—to lead his mind to the Great Physician, and communicate to him the opinion of ms friends, that he cannot con'inur- many days. He, seems resigned to hiJin>ation ; bnt fears to have his moth er kr -v it, lest it should break her heart. The affecting interview closed with prayer. 13. Today capt. Best, of the Princess Mary, took leave-of ns. He has our warm est thanks fop his attention and kindness. [To be continued.] MISSION AMONG THE CHOCTAWS. Letter from Mr. Kingsbury to the Treasurer of the A. B. C. F. M. Mayherto, March 26, 18'21. My Dear Sir—On my arrival here last Saturday evening from Elliot, I found a let ter, in your hand writing, to brother Wash burn. As he had left the nation, 1 took the liberty so open the letter, that I might know whether it must be forwarded, or whether a duplicate had been sent to the Arkansaw. If 1 transgressed the bounds of propriety in doing so. f hope it will not be without its use to the cause. This was the direct information I have had of the very great embarrassments, which threaten the Treasury of thff Board. Judging from the receipts for a few months past, and knownir.g the heavy drafts which were made rt n you for the Arkansaw mis sion,—and that much money was wanted for the other missions, I had in part antici pated the result. But the-Mow has fallen heavier than 1 expected. We are indeed into difficulty,—and know not what to do. We would wish to do that, which, on the whole shall be thought best. Isl know my own heart, I have not a single desire shat our missions should be support ed at the expense of the other great be nevolent objects of the present day. It is mhst evident, that all these objects might be supported, if all the professed followers of Christ would make those exer tions which they might make without any sn ioos diminution of their property. Bui admitting that some self-denial is to be prac tised j—that some temporal advantages are to he given up ; is not the cause wor thy of such an effort ? 1 hope the present embarrassing circum stances, into which we are brought, will make us better missionaries; more eco nomical, more willing to conform to any circumstances, in which the providence of God may place us. And happy would it he, if Christians should he brought to fee! .that the kingdom of Christ is not to be! established on the ruins of Satan’s empir e, 1 without a struggle, —without a sacrifice ’ and that this sacrifice ought to be, and must he, made. , lam confident, that if the friends ofipis fltnew our situation, they would cheer fully grant that aid we so much need. But llr y cannot fully know it* unless they were I ILiix ihlhnJ v ; ew oflhe circumstan ces in which we are pieced. I, ?o feeble has been our strength of late, and so completely has our time been occu pied ih keeping along the indispensable la bours of the mission, that it has not been possible for us to make our coalition known as it might otherwise have bwn. After a long and fatiguing journey, and many unexpected delays, a part of our help ers have arrived, and the others are ex pected shortly. These dear brethren and sisters have come with hands and hearts prepared to do any thing, and to submit to any circumstances, which necessity may re quire. We havA been greatly strengthen ed and encouraged by their arrival.—At this very moment, —when every arm was nerved with fresh vigour for the work, — we learnt, that the pecuniary aid, on which we relied, was likely to fail; at least, no far as greatly to embarrass our operations, and render doubtful our ultimate succes--. At Elliot we have a flourishing school of 80 children, who are improving very fast; and we should soon be in a situation to pro vide fortbein with mfleh less expense than heretofore. At May hew we have ten buildings, for various purposes, erected, and nearly completed ; —and boards, shin gles, &c. in readiness for the school-house, dining-room, and kitchen. We have also about 70 acres of excellent land inclosed, and partly ploughed; and we have made every preparation, which our‘circumstan ces would admit, to commence a school in the autumn, with such a number of scholars,’ as we would be able to support. During the six months past, a considera ble debt has been accumulated. Several ’ hundred dollars will also be needed to pay | the freight of our applies from Tfew Or leans and Ohio. Two or three more hors es must be purchased, in order to till our plantations the ensuing season. In short, this is the season when our great expenses for the current year,except for labour must be increased. If we are not able to procure our supplies at New Orleans and Mobile, at the time when they can be brought up the river, we must purchase next summer, at double the expense. To meet all these demands, It would seem necessary to draw on you for at least $2,000. But, under existing circumstances, all payments, which can be deferred, will be j and every kind of business, not indis pensable to the existence of the mission, will be suspended. I shall not draw on you, except in case of absolute necessity. As to our own personal circumstances, we feci no anxiety. So far as our tempo ral comfort is concerned, we should consider it a sweet relief, to leave all the buildings and improvements we have made, and to retire to some part ofthe forest, where we could begin anew, and with our own hands supply our wants—But to the cause, in which we are engaged, we feel a strong attachment. It would be painful to see that property, which has been intrusted to us by the hand of Christian charity, and which we have been labouring for years to ! improve for the education of these chil dren; —sacrificed and lost, for want ofa lit tle more aid to keep it in successful opera tion. It would rend our hearts to see these children sent back again to roam their na tive forests, without one friendly hand to guide them. Should we not give the Indi ans reason to suspect, that we came only to deceive them? And that instead of doing them the good we had promised, we had only discovered to them more of their wretchedness ? It must be evident, that unless we have the means of paying our debts, and obtain ing provisions tor the family, and of making such Anther preparations at Mayhew, as will enable us to commence a small school in the autumn, we cannot retain our pre sent standing. We must also make vigor, ous exertions to raise provisions for both establishments. It wc lose our present advantages, they must be regained by more vigorous efforts and additional expense, or the missions, in their present form at least, must be given up. We are still confident in the opinion, tnat when the buildings are completed, and the plantations in full cultivation, thee missions may be supported without drawing large sums of money. We believe, that with the common blessing of Providence ‘ the appropriation of the natives, together wilh the aid, which may be expected from the government, and the donations in cloth mg and provisions, will go far towards sup plymg our wants. We shall look with anxiety to the indication* of Providence, to know whether we shall be considered wor u °. cc “Py onr present station. Will the Christian publick see those, whohave volunteered to wear out their days in a sickly climate, sinking under a burden, whicn alone they cannot sustain—but which with the assistance of their brethren through out the country, could be easily borne ? Shall we be hurried to an untimely grave for want ofthat friendly aid, which might so well be afforded? We are certain this would not be the case, could our circum stances be fully known. , —-aozo:-;;<-;oro PE NILS OF THE FOREFATHERS. From the New-York Advertiser. A short time since, we informed oar rea ders, that the family of the late President Dwight, of Yale College, intended in the ensumfg manner to publish his travels in he state of New-York, and the New-Eng and States; and stated that we should pub lish, occasionally, some extracts from the manuscripts 9 specimens of the manner in which the work is executed. The author took great pains m the course of his vari liirjr' 0115 , to col, ect as much informa tion of the early history of our country, and as many facts and anecdoles of the inhabi tants, particularly during the period of In dian warfare, as was in hie power. In this he was ooro successful than could have I been ejected ,’ and it will probably be oil ing to his exertions, that m=oy very intep eating events, which occurred mine first century after the settlement of the country by white inhabitants, are not in great measure lost even to the present genera tion. The following accoust of the suffer ings and heroism of one family in Massachu setts, will, we have no doubt, be read with interest. The qvtnts here narrated took place a little more than one hundred and twenty years ago. The mint 1 cnr. scarcely realize the fact, that the oldest parts of our country were, even at that period, liable to these savage invasions. And yet, such was the case ma<y years subsequently to the time here mentioned. One <jrcat ob ject of the author of these travels was, to shew the progress of our country, in all the interests and circumstances of civilization and improvenent, from its first settlement to the date of’ his observations. STORY OF MR. AND MRS. DUSTAN. From President Dwight's Travels. [l 01. I. Letter XL.] “ Maverlilt wns settled in the year 1637, and incorpvrated in 1645. During the first seventy-five .years from its settlement, it suffered often, and greatly, by savage dep redations. The story of these depredations is, however, imperfectly known at the present tine. Even the facts which are still knotvu, are so dispersed in the possession of different persons, as to render it very difficult to obtain them correctly. This kind of knowledge is daily becoming less, and wilßoon be lost. It is much to be wished, tint inquisitive men throughout this countr would glean and preserve the little whici is left. It is a se rious and unfortunate erour of men in gen eral to suppose, that cents, familiarized to themselves by firesidi repetition, will be uninteresting to others; and that efforts to preserve them will be mnsideed as either trifling or arrogant. In no country, probably are the inhabitants more inquisitive than in New-England. But their inquiries termnate, or have until latuly terminated chiefly in things remote in time or place ; and have been very little occupied by subjects pertaining to their own country. It is peihaps natural to man to teej, that his owa concerns, or any con cerns which are familiar to him, will be little regarded by those who come after him. Few parents are solicitous to have their own portraits taken ; yet, after their decease, scarcely any legacy is thought more valuable by their children. In the year 1697, on the sth day ofMarch, a body of Indians attacked this town ; burnt a small number of houses; and killed, and captivated about forty of the inhabitants. A party of them, arrayed in all the terrors of the Indian war dress, carrying with them the multiplied horrours of a savage invasion, approached near to the house of Mr. Dus tan. This man was abroad at his usual la bour. Upon the first alarm he flew to the house, with a hops of hurrying to a place i of safety his family, consisting of bis wife,! i ,v h° had been confined a week only in child-; bed; her nurse, a Mrs. Mary Tuff, a wid ow from the neighbourhood, and eight chil dren.—beven of his children he ordered to flee with the utmost expedition, in the ! course opposite to that in which the danger was approaching; and went himself to assist his wife. Before shecould leave her bed, the savages were upon them. Her hus-j band despairing of rendering her any sei**?) vice, flew to the door, mounted his horse, and determined to snatch up the child with which he was unahle to part, when he should overtake the little flock. When he came up to them, about two Infndred yards from his house, he was unable to make a choice, or to leave any one of the number. He therefore determined to take his lot wilh them, and to defend them from their murderers, or die by their side. A body nfthe Indians pursued, and came up with him; and from near distances fired at him and his little company. He returned the fire, and retreated alternately.—For more than a mile, he kept so resolute a face to his enemy, retiring in the rear of his charge; returned the fire of the savagps so often, and with so good success; end sheltered so j effectually his terrified companions,that he finally lodged them all, safe from the pur- ! suing butchers, in a distant house. When it is remembered how numerous bis assail-1 ants were ; how bold when an overmatch for their enemies;*how active, and what! excellent marksmen; a devout mind will consider the hand of Providence as unusu- 1 ally vi.jhle in preserving this family. Another party of the Indians entered the house immediately after Mr. Dustan had quitted it; and found Mrs. Dustan and her! nurse, who was attempting to fly with the infant in her arms. Mrs. Dustan they or dered to rise instantly; and before she j could completely dress herself, obliged her and her companion to quit therhouse ; after- 1 ward they plundered it and set it on fire. In j company with several other captives, they . began their march into the wilderness ; she | feeble, sick, terrified heyond measure, par tially clad, one of her feet'hare, and the 1 ■ season utterly unfit for comfortable travel ling. The air was chilly and keen, and the earth covered, olternately with snow and deep mud. Her conductors were Un feeling, insolent and revengeful. Mtirder was their glory, and torture their sport. Her infant was ia her nursti’s arms : and infants were the customary victims of sav ; age barbarity. r^'^e company had proceeded but a short distance, when an Indian, thinking it an in* I cumbrance, took the child out of tne nurse’s tfr?*’ 3n< * <^as * * ts head against a tree. | What were then the feelings of the j mother? I Such of the other captives as began to ;° e to lag, the Indians toma i hawked. The slaughter was not at* act of .revenge, nor of cruelty. It was a mere I conve,,| cnce ; an effort so familiar m uot ever to excite an emotion, 1 Feeble as Mrs. Dujtun was, the and! her nurse su t,lined* without the ftftjgle of the journgy. Thljtr iatemoHlra* tress for the death wUi* companions ; anxiety for those whom they had left behind, and unceasing terror for themselves, raised these unhappy women to such a degree of vigour, that, notwith standing their fatigue, their exposure to cold, (heir sufferance of hunger, and their sleeping on damp ground under an inclem ent sky, they finished an expedition of about one hundred and fifty miles, without losing their spirits or injuring their health. The wigwam to which they were con ducted, and which belonged to the savnge who had claimed them as his property, was inhabited by twelve persons. In the month of April this family set out with their cap ; tives for a settlement still more remote; i and informed them, that when they arrived at the settlement, they must be slripped, scourged, and run the gauntlet, naked, be tween two files of Indians, containing the whole number found in the settlement; for such they declared was the standing custom of their nation. This information, you will believe; made a deep impression on the minds of the captive women, and led them irresistibly to devise all possible means of escape. On the 31st of the same month, very early in the morning, Mrs. Dnstan, while the Indians were asleep, having awa ked her nurse, and a fellow prisoner, (a youth taken some time before from Wor cester) despatched, with the assistance of her companions, ten of the twelve Indians. The other two escaped. With the scalps of these savages they returned through the wilderness; aqd having arrived safely at Haverhill, and afterwards at Boston, re ceived a handsome reward foMheir intrep id conduct, from the Legislature. Whether all their sufferings, and all the danger of suffering anew, justified this slaughter, may probably be questioned by you, or some other exact moralist. Prece dents ii.rumerable, and of high authority, may indeed be urged in bebalfof these cap tives ; but the moralist will equally ques tion the rectitude of these. Few persons, however, agonizing as Mrs. Dustan did, under the evils she had already suffered, and in the full apprehension of those which she was destined to suffer, would have been able to act the part of nice casuists; and fewer still, perhaps, would have exercised her intrepidity. That she herself approv ed of the conduct which was applauded by the Magistrates and Divines of the day, in the cool hour of deliberation, cannot be doubted. The truth is, the season of In dian invasion, burning, butchering, captivi ty, threatening, and torture, is an unfortu nate time for nice investigation and critical moralizing. A wife tvho had just seen her house burnt, her infant dashed against a tree, and her companions coldly murdered, one by one; who supposed her husband and her remaining children had shared the same fate ; who was threatened with tor tore, and indecency more painful than tor-1 ture; and who did not entertain a doubt that (he threatening would* W; fulfilled; would probably feel no..necessity, when she found it in her power to despatch the authirs of her sufferings, of asking ques tions concerning any thiqg but the success of the enterprise. But, whatever may be thought of the rectitude of her conduct, that of her hus band is in every view honourable. A finer succession of scenes for the pencil was hardly ever presented to (he eye, than was furnished by the efforts of this gallant man, with their interesting appendages. The artist must be destitute indeed of talents, who could not engross every heart, as well as every eye, by exhibitions of this husband and father, flying to rescue his wife, her infant, and hor nurse, from the approaching horde of savages; attempting on his horse to select from his flying family the child which be was the least able to spare, and unable to make the selection; facing in I their rear, the horde of hell-hounds; alter nately, and sternly retreating behind his inestimable charge, and fronting the enemy j again; receiving and returning their fire, j and presenting himself equally as a barrier against murderers, and a shelter to the flight of innocence and anguish. In the back ground of some or other of these pic tures, might be exhibited with powerful | impression, the kindled dwelling; the sick- Ily mother; the terrified nurse, with the new-born infant in her arms ; and the furi ! ous natives surrounding them, driving them | forward, and displaying the trophies of savage victory and the insolence of savage triumph.” Scraps from History. —ln the former part of the reign of Henry VII. there did not grow in England, cabbage, carrot, turnip, or other edible root ; and it has been noted that even Queen Catharine herself could not command a saljad for dinner, until the king bro’t over a gardener from the Netherlands. About the same time the ar tichoke, the apricot, the damask rose, made their first appearance in England. Turkies, carps and hops were first known there in the year 1524 The currant shrub was brought from the island of Zante, anno 1553, and in the year 1540, cherry .trees from Flanders were first planted in Kent It was in the year 1503, that knives were first made in England. Pocket watches were brought there from Germany, anno 1577. About the year 1580 coaches were introduced ; before which time Queen Elizabeth, on publick occasions, rode behind her chamberlain. A saw-mill was erected near London, anno 1633, but afterwards demo)- ished, that it might not deprive the labouring poor of employment. ■ How crude was the sci ence of politicks, even in this late age'! A tat. Ini. A French journal asserts, that there is a peri odical paper published at Ceuta, in Africa, called the Liberal African, and another at Tripoli, on the Kadishka, eighty miles from Damascus, in Sy ria, called the Hermit of Mount Libanvs. The Students of-Darmouth College have ob tained afield which they propose to cultivate the ensuing season, and appropriate the avails to Missianary purposes. THE MISSIONARY ..... . mb w.— h*/MOlftiTlsK>N, MAY 30. NOTICE. The subscribers, farmer proprietors of “ The Missionary,” having sold out their interest to N. S. SHBeman & Cos. do this day, by mutual con sent, dissolve their copartnership, benjamin Gilderslceve and Jssac M. Wales are to settle all the business relative to the paper during the first two years of its publication. Demands of money duo from the office, may be made of Isaac M. Wales, at Mount Zion, and mo ifes due to'the office may be paid to him or to the several agents heretofore appointed. NATHAN S. S. BEMAN, BENJ. GILDERSLEEVE, ISAAC M. WALES. May 29th, 1820. - NOTICE. A Copartnership for continuing the publication of “ The Missionary,” is this day formed betweeu the Subscribers, under the firm of N. S. S. Be man & Cos. They have purchased the Printiug Establishment, and will conduct the paper as heretofore. Desiriousof supporting the existence and reputation of “ The Missionary,” they look to a liberal publick for patronage. Advertising and Job Work will be executed on ns reasonable terms as at any press in the State, i NATHANS. S. BgMAN, JACOB P. NORTON, EBENEZER COOPER. Is the prosecution of our labours for the pub lick, we this day present our readers with the First Number of the Third Volume of The Mis sionary. Every station in life is attended with .its peculiar duties ami trials: but few persons have more difficulties to -encounter than the cor. due tor* of Weekly Journals. The pursuits, opin ions and tastes of men are so various and discor dant, that to please all would be a hopeless un dertaking. Could a writer or printer so far re nounce bis self-respect and the convictions of his own understanding as to present to the eye of the publick only what their conflicting sentiments would appear to demand, he might without aid of inspiration predict, that the same produc tion which would be elevated by the approbation of one, would be depressed by the reprobation of another. This remark is equally true in relation to matters of science, taste and morals. The first grand requisite, then, in one who moves in this sphere of life, is to secure the correctness of his own deductions and to increase the stock of his ana information, and then to present to others the deep lines and the bold features of truth and propriety as they are drawn upon his own mind. Aud to - please ourselves is not always an easy at tainment. , But when instruction, and that of a religious character, is to be combined with amusement, or, to speak more pertinently, to reign as the pre dominant spirit of the work, the impediments to a successful execution are multiplied rather than diminished. The more we multiply the subjects of discussion, the njore numerous are the points on which men will be found to entertain a mate rial and essential difference of opinion. Cut the bustle of business—the prejudices of opiuion—the diversities of taste—and the fastidiousness of crit icism, are not the only obstacles which hedge up the way to publick attention and confidence.. The motives presented to those who write or com pile for the perusal of others, are often too weak arid inefficient to overcome the languor of indo lence, and tp inspire that intellectual activity requisite to impart an uniform merit to a publica tion which must issue weekly from thd press. The pledges of honour, profit or usefulness, are , alone adequate to give to our mental labours an intrinsick and sterling value. And these pledges j are not given, with competent vouchers, to every 1 wight who can stand at the case or hold a pen. , The brows of few writers, indeed, are entwined with wreaths—with too many the printer’s bill is I the last which becomes due—and to dream of ’ being the successful instructed of men without , the prerequisites of experience, information and taste, is to undertake a wilder crusade than that, once prosecuted against the Holy City. The press is every day crammed with too n./ip crude materials for the intellectual and mom health of (he land. , The present age, especially in our own country, is the age of business rather than of mental re finement ; and if it be asserted, that a taste for reading is general, this Assertion must be accom panied with the acknowledgement, that it is only reading of the lighter kind vvhich has usurped the throne and received the sanctions of fashion. Fancies are more easily pursued than facts; and a Novel or a Drama are read and disposed of with greater facility than a volume on national policy, or a treatise on Christian benevolence. Shhuld the present fashionable reading produce its legiti- and mate and full effect, we might expect most?of onr young men—we mean those of sup eriour genius— to turn out downright knights-errant, fully quali ! fied for the achievement of the most surpassing wonders. And if we add to this the influence oj > certain Exercises better known in our county ’ villagas than elsewhere, and which appear, at the i present period, to be floating on upon a full tide to perfection, not a few of our brilliant youth may io time become male and female actors on the stage, i Perhaps future generations are to look back upon the present period as the Augustan Age of out Republick! But we retrace the steps of this in voluntary digression. The writers who now enjoy the greatest ce lebrity, are the authors of Fictions which con tain, it is true, in many traits, a fair delineation of human character, and exhibit the features of real | life : —these are followed, in the order of publick i, estimation, by the spinners of poems either of a J sprightly, or blasphemous or licentious cast;—and l the triumvirate is completed by the Reviewers I who have seated themselves upon their self-erect- ft ed tribunal of criticism, and surveying the extend-1 ed field of morals and of letters with a single I glance of the inteNectuU eye, enjoy the. iautanl.l