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Letter XLI.

New York, 7th March, 1821.

WE left Hartford in Connecticut, on the 2nd of March, 1821, in the Albany stage or sleigh, to visit the Missionary School at Cornwall; and at the distance of about six miles, crossed what is called "the Mountain," from the summit of which we had a charming view of the Connecticut valley on the one side, and of another extensive and very beautiful valley on the other. The descent into it was very steep; and soon after we had crossed the high land, which forms its opposite boundary, we passed through some very romantic glens, in one of which New Hartford is situated. Here we dined; and as the road to Cornwall now branched off from the Albany road, we were obliged to obtain a private sleigh. It was an open one; and although the day was extremely cold, we were not sorry to have nothing to interrupt our view. The country became dreary and uninteresting as we approached Goshen; but

on drawing near to Cornwall, about sunset, we had some beautiful mountain scenery, very similar to some of the mountain scenery in Tennessee, near Brainerd. In one respect, indeed, there was a striking contrast. In both cases, the hills were clothed with wood; but the vallies, which in Tennessee were hidden under a sombre mantle of unbroken forest, were here enlivened with the appearance of cultivation, and animated with all the cheering indications of civilized life.

As we descended into the little valley in which the Mission School is situated, the distant mountains were fading from our view; but we had just daylight enough to see the steeple of the church, and the very few houses which seemed to compose this little village, or rather this little detached part of a little village. The snow contributed to prolong our twilight, and assisted us in discerning, about a quarter of a mile before we reached the school, a retired burying-ground, with many upright slabs of white marble, over which the evening star, the only one which had yet appeared, was shedding its mild light. Here, as we afterwards learned, lay the remains of the lamented Henry Obookiah, a pupil of peculiar promise, from the Sandwich Islands. His companions, Hopoo,

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Tennooe, and Honooree, returned some months since, to their native island, with the mission which was sent thither. Tamoree, king of Atooi, in a letter to his son at Cornwall, had expressed himself very desirous that missionaries should be provided, and great expectations are excited of the success of the mission.

Being informed that a Mr., though not keeping a regular inn, sometimes received those who visited the school, I applied to him, in preference to taking up my quarters at a very uninviting tavern. I soon obtained admittance into a neat little chamber, where I sat up till a late hour, indulging the very interesting reflections naturally excited by my situation, in a deep retired romantic valley, where so many heathen youths were collected from different parts of the world, to be instructed in the principles of the Christian religion, and qualified, as far as human effort could qualify them, to diffuse the light of the Gospel over the benighted lands of their nativity. I thought of the nights which I had passed at the missionary settlements of Elliot and Brainerd, in the southern forest, where I heard this school mentioned with deep interest. Indeed, some of the Indian children at those distant settlements, had brothers or sisters here,

with whom they maintained a constant and affectionate correspondence. I saw some of their letters, written with great feeling and simplicity, in which they were encouraging each other in their Christian course, and dwelling on the importance of improving their present advantages, in order to be prepared to become blessings to their native tribes, by introducing civilization and Christianity among those sons of the forest.*

* For many interesting particulars respecting the present state of the Indian tribes, see Dr. Morse's valuable Report to the Secretary at War of the United States, on Indian Affairs.

See also, Appendix F, in which are several extracts which I have made from that Report, as it has not been republished in this country.

See also the very interesting publications of Mr. Hunter, from whose benevolent and intelligent exertions, the happiest result may be anticipated.

In a letter, dated 5th June, 1822, which I had the pleasure of receiving from the late Mr. Lowndes, whom I have so frequently mentioned in the preceding letters, he observes, "I am afraid that you give us credit which we do not deserve, when you suppose that we are familiarly acquainted with the present state of our Indian tribes. Our ignorance is extraordinary and voluntary, and from our own fault, incurable. I have received information of most interesting memoirs, written by men who had spent their lives among them, being deposited among the public archives at Washington. I have inquired for them, but have learned, that though they were permitted to be deposited there, from courtesy, so little value had been attached to them, that they had been taken out and

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I rose early, and at six o'clock, when the bell. rang, went to the school to prayers. A chapter in the New Testament was first read, each pupil, or rather several of them, taking a verse in succession; afterwards, David Brown, alias Awik, (a half-bred Cherokee,) the brother of Catherine Brown, whose name you often see in the missionary reports, led the devotions of the assembly; they then all dispersed to their

own rooms.

You will perhaps remember my mentioning Catherine Brown, in my account of Brainerd; it was a great a great disappointment to me not to see her there, as I had heard much of her interesting character. She left Brainerd, I believe, the very morning I arrived, to take the superintendence of a new missionary settlement, established near Creek Path, determined to devote her life to the improvement of the social, moral, and religious condition of her Indian sisters.*

lost, nobody knowing when, or by whom. The effect of the character and condition of our Indian Tribes, even upon the present state of society in America, has always appeared to me a subject of most interesting investigation."

* I lately observed the following particulars in two American newspapers, which accidentally fell into my hands..

"Some time since, the Tennessee papers informed us, that a young Choctaw Indian, attending an English school at Nashville, delivered an eloquent oration in the language of

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