■^ 
 
^ 
 
HISTORICAL SKETCHES 
 
 OF THE 
 
 MISSIONS 
 
 OF THE 
 
 UNITED BRETHREN 
 
 FOR 
 
 PROPAGATING THE GOSPEL 
 
 AMONG 
 
 THE HEATHEN, 
 
 FROM THEIR COMMENCEMENT TO THE YEAR 1817. 
 
 BY THE REV. JOHN HOLMES, 
 
 AUTHOR OF HISTORY OF THE PROTESTANT CHURCH OF THE UNITED BRETHREN. 
 
 SECOND IMPROVED EDITION. '. ; *.*'.• • '-; 
 
 LONDON: 
 PRINTED FOR. THE AUTHOR ^ 
 
 AND SOLD AT NO. 84 HATTON GARDEN, B5f J. NISBET, 21 BERNER'S-STREET, 
 
 OXFORD-STREET, AND BY SIMPKIN AND MARSHAtl,, OF STATIONERS' 
 
 court; WM. OLIPHANT, EDINBUIiGB ; R.M.TIMS, DUBLIN J 
 
 T. INKERSLEY, BRADFORD ; AND OTHBR BOOKSEtLERS, 
 

 /g^ 
 
 u^y 
 
 PREFACE 
 
 TO THE FIRST EDITION. 
 
 The Narrative of the Missions of the United Brethren, 
 contained in the following sheets, was undertaken in conse- 
 quence of many and repeated inquiries for such a work ; and 
 in consideration, that the cordial and active interest in the 
 missionary labours of the Brethren, excited, of late years, 
 among many sincere friends, who are not members of their 
 Church, seemed to require the publication of a work, which 
 should supply a concise history of all the attempts, made by 
 them, at different times, and in various countries, for the 
 propagation of Christianity among the Heathen. 
 
 Influenced by these considerations, and encouraged by many 
 of his friends, the Author entered upon the compilation of 
 this work ; and, after previous correspondence with several of 
 his Brethren in the ministry, and having obtained their appro- 
 bation, and the assurance of their assistance and prayers for 
 its success, prepared it for publication. Whatever shall be its 
 ultimate reception from the public, he feels the sincerest 
 pleasure in ascribing much of the success, which has attended 
 his labours in compiling it, under God, to the countenance 
 and faithful prayers of his brethren and friends. 
 
 Aware of many imperfections in his performance, the 
 Author must entreat indulgence, particularly with regard to 
 the style, which, in many places, especially where his informa- 
 tion has been derived from German works, may appear harsh, 
 and defective in ease and harmony, to an English reader. 
 For one thing, however, he can vouch, — and on this he would 
 
 !8 5-:2-«.^> Jfl f-rvrWf'W 
 
iv PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION. 
 
 rest his principal claim to the attention of the Public, — the 
 facts, he has related, are all derived from the most authentic 
 sources. Some of these are already before the Public ; e. gr. 
 the Histories of the Missions in Greenland and North America. 
 Others, though published several years ago in Germany, have 
 not yet been translated into English. 
 
 On the arrangement of the several parts of the work, he 
 deems it unnecessary to say much. His object has been, to 
 give a faithful relation of events in each mission, in chronolo- 
 gical order. While but cursorily noticing general occurrences, 
 which were nearly the same in every period and place, he Ikis 
 narrated, at greater length, those facts, which more strikingly 
 exhibit the benign effects of the gospel in the converts, or ex- 
 emplify the piety and fortitude of the missionaries. An apology 
 may be required for occasional repetition, and even identity of 
 expression, when occurrences, in every respect similar, formed 
 the subject of the relation, not only in different Missions, but 
 at separate periods in the same mission. 
 
 In some parts the narrative may perhaps appear redundant ; 
 a defect, which the author felt himself unable wholly to avoid, 
 without making his performance a mere register of names and 
 dates ; and thus depriving the reader of a knowledge of those 
 facts, which, even in their minuter circumstances, display the 
 operations of a divine hand. 
 
 The addition of a few prefatory remarks to each chapter, on 
 the geographical situation, the climate, and other particulars 
 of the country and its inhabitants, to which the subsequent 
 missionary history relates, as well as the Concluding Observa- 
 tions, appeared necessary to render the narrative more intelli- 
 gible to the less informed reader. This addition has unavoid- 
 ably increased the size of the book, and enhanced its price, 
 beyond the Author's original intention. He, however, hopes, 
 that he is still offering it at a price, sufficiently moderate, to 
 
PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION. V 
 
 suit the convenience of most purchasers, who feel an interest 
 in the subject. 
 
 If, by the Divine blessing, the work shall, even in the re- 
 motest degree, subserve the cause of Missions among the 
 Heathen, the Author's utmost wish will be granted. His 
 fervent prayer is, that the exertions, made in the present age, 
 by Christians of every denomination, for the propagation ot 
 the gospel, both at home and abroad, may be abundantly 
 blessed by the great Head of his universal Church, till every 
 part of the habitable globe shall see the salvation of God, and 
 all the kindreds of the earth join in one harmonious song of 
 praise to Him, who loved us, and washed us from our 
 
 SINS IN HIS own blood. 
 Dublin, June 5th, 1818. 
 
PREFACE 
 
 TO THE SECOND EDITION. 
 
 In preparing a second Edition of this work for the press, 
 the Author has endeavoured to improve the style, but he did 
 not feel himself at liberty to make any alterations in the nar- 
 rative, with the exception of introducing, in a Note, a few bio- 
 graphical notices of the late venerable Missionary, David 
 Zeisberger, and of enlarging the account of the unsuccessful 
 attempt, made by the Brethren, to establish a mission in Cey- 
 lon. The addition of an index, he doubts not, will by most 
 readers be deemed an improvement. 
 
 The idea, at first entertained, of continuing the history to 
 the present time, has been relinquished, chiefly, because the 
 volume would thereby be swelled to an inconveniefit size, and 
 the purchasers of the first Edition would have an incomplete 
 work. 
 
 If God shall bless the Author with a continuance of life and 
 health, and his official avocations shall allow him sufficient lei- 
 sure for the undertaking, he hopes some time hence to present 
 his readers with a continuation of the history of the missionary 
 labours of the Brethren, which, by the Divine blessing, are 
 yearly increasing in importance, extent, and interest. 
 
 rULNEK, NEAU LeEDS, 
 
 August I9th, 1826. 
 
LIST OF WORKS, 
 
 Used in the Compilation of the following Sketches. 
 
 1. History of Greenland, by David Crantz. Translated from the German. 
 
 2. History of the Missions among the Indians in North America, by G. H. 
 
 Loskiel. Translated from the German by J. C. Latrobe. 
 History of the Brethren, by David Crantz. Translated from the German 
 by Benjamin Latrobe. 
 
 4. Continuation of this work, in 3 volumes, in German. Not yet trans 
 
 lated into English. 
 
 5. Select Narratives, extracted from the History of the Unitas Fratrum, in 
 
 two parts, by Jeremiah Jlisler. Only the iirst part has been translated 
 into English. 
 
 6. Periodical Accounts, relating to the Missions of the United Brethren, in 
 
 6 volumes. 
 
 7. Brief Account of the Mission among the Esquimaux Indians. 
 
 8. Journal of a Voyage of Discovery from Okkak in Labrador, to Ungava 
 
 Bay. 
 
 9. Account of the Manner in which the Unitas Fratrum preach the Gospel, 
 
 and carry on their Missions. Translate4 from the German. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 Page 
 
 Introduction, 1 
 
 Ch Ar. I. Mission in Greenland, 5 
 
 II. in Labrador, ^^ 
 
 III. in North America, HO 
 
 IV. in South America, 230 
 
 Sect. I. Pilgerhut on the Rio dc Berbice, 232 
 
 II. Sharon ou the Saramacca, 245 
 
 III. Hope ou the Corentyn, 251 
 
 IV. Bambey on the Saramacca, 267 
 
 V. Paramaribo, 284 
 
 VI. Sommelsdykc, 289 
 
 Chap. V. Mission in the West Indies, 293 
 
 Sect. I. Danish West India Islands, 293 
 
 — — II. Jamaica, 331 
 
 ■ III. Antigua, , 338 
 
 IV. Barbadoes, 353 
 
 V. St. Kitt's, 359 
 
 Chap VI, Mission in South Africa, 366 
 
 VII. in Russian Asia, 420 
 
 VIII. Unsuccessful Missions , 437 
 
 1. In Lapland, 437 
 
 2. — Guinea, 438 
 
 3. —South Carolina, 439 
 
 4. —Ceylon, 439 
 
 5. — Persia, 444 
 
 6. —Egypt, 446 
 
 7. —East Indies, 450 
 
 8. —Tobago, 451 
 
 Concluding Observations, 453 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 The declaration of our blessedf Saviour, the kingdom of 
 God Cometh not raith observation ; may with great propriety be 
 applied to the Missions of the United Brethren. Their attempts 
 to impart to the Heathen the knowledge of God and of salva- 
 tion, commenced in a manner so obscure and unostentatious, as 
 generally to elude the notice of all, but their own immediate 
 connexions and particular friends ; and they had exerted them- 
 selves, for several years, in this labour of love^ before the atten- 
 tion of their fellow- Christians in other denominations was 
 attracted to this great object. But while the world at large, 
 either remained totally ignorant of these exertions, or treated 
 the scheme with silent contempt or open ridicule ; the Brethren, 
 unappalled by contempt and calumny and a thousand difficulties, 
 which impeded their progress, pursued with unabating zeal 
 what to them appeared the path of duty. The love of 
 Christ constrained them to obey his command : Go ye into all 
 the world and preach the gospel to every creature^ and the gra- 
 cious promises of his holy Word animated them in their arduous 
 work. 
 
 The origin of their Missions was attended with circumstan- 
 ces singularly interesting. Count Zinzendorf *, being gone 
 
 * This pious young nobleman was the instrument employed by God, for pre- 
 serving the small remnant of the ancient Church of the Brethren, and renew- 
 ing its constitution and discipline at the beginning of the eighteenth century. 
 In consequence of dreadful persecutions, stirred up against them by the papists, 
 the Brethi'en's congregations in Moravia, [upwards of 200 in number,] were 
 totally destroyed, their Ministers, together witli many noblemen and private 
 individuals of their Church, put to death, or exiled, and their bibles and other 
 religious books burnt. Those few, who survived the persecution and faithfully 
 adhered to their principles, were foi'ced to conceal themselves in cellars and 
 
 B 
 
2 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 to Copenhagen in the year 1731 to be present at the coronation 
 of Christian VI. King of Denmark, some of his domestics be- 
 came acquainted with a Negro, called Anthony. This man 
 told them mucli of tlie miseries endu»ed by the Negro-slaves 
 in the island of St. Thomas, and of the ardent desire of m.any, 
 especially ox his sister, to be instructed in the way of salvation. 
 This relation deeply affected the count, and served to revive the 
 hope, expressed by him some years before at a public meeting in 
 Herrnhut, that the Brethren would one day have it in their 
 power to ])roclaim the gospel to the Laplanders, Negros, and 
 Greenlanders. On his return, therefore, he took an early oppor- 
 tunity of mentioning this occurrence to the congregation. 
 
 Anthony, having soon after obtained leave from his master to 
 visit Herrnhut, repeated his former relation to many of the 
 inhabitants ; but added, that the labours of the Negros were 
 so incessant, that they could find no leisure for religions instruc- 
 tion, unless their teacher himself became a slave, for the purpose 
 of instructing them during their daily employment. 
 
 This representation roused the zeal of the Brethren for the 
 conversion of the Keathen, and they determined, that no obsta- 
 cle, however apparently insurmountable, should deter them, from 
 maktng the attempt. Two young men, in particular, Leonard Do- 
 ber, andTobiasLeupold, were so deeply impressed with the mag- 
 nitude of the object, that they publicly avowed their resolution 
 logo to St. Thomas, and even to sell themselves as slaves, 
 in order that they might have an opportunity of preaching the 
 gospel to the Negros, should they find no other way of ac_ 
 complishing their purpose. Tobias Lcupold repeated his re- 
 quest for permission to go to St. Thomas, in writing, and 
 
 other obscure places, in the caves of I'ocks aud the almost impervious thickets 
 of the forests, where they held their religious meetings in private, and chiefly in 
 the night, for fear of their eneiiiies. Being informed that there was greater 
 iberty of conscience in Saxony and Silesia, many sought an asylum in those 
 countries. Some of these eiiiigrants arrived in i722 at Bertholsdorf, in Upper 
 Lusatia, an estate belonging to count Zinzendorf, who, when he liad learned 
 the cause of their emigration, received them in the kindest manner, and en- 
 couraged and assisted tliem in forming a colony on a neighbouring hill, called 
 Ilntbi'rij. This colony afterwards received the name of Heurniu x, and became 
 the first congregation of tlie renewed Church of the Brethren. — See Hvbius^ 
 Uistvrij of Ihf Ihrthrcn's ClturtJi, Vol. 1. p. 166. &.c. 
 
INTRODUCTION. 3 
 
 while his letter was read to the congregation, the brethren, 
 Matthew Stach and Frederic Boenish formed the resolution of 
 offering themselves to go to Greenland.* 
 
 A sacred impulse to missionary labours was thus imparted to 
 the congregation at Ilerrnhut by the great Head of his uni- 
 versal Church, who, in the unerring counsels of his wisdom and 
 love, designed the Brethren to become the honoured instru- 
 ments of publishing the saving name of Jesus to many savage 
 tribes, and of sowing the gospel-seed on soils the most barren and 
 unpromising. The impulse, thus granted, operated most pow- 
 erfully, for though the colony at Herrnhut, at the time of com- 
 mencing this great work, consisted of only six hundred persons, 
 and these mostly poor exiles; yet neither their external po- 
 verty, nor the smallness of their number, could damp tbeir zeal 
 or relax their ardour. Having given themselves unto the Lord, 
 they were disposed to offer to him also all they possessed, fully 
 persuaded that it is nothing with the Lord, whether to help 
 with many, or with them that have no power, and that with his 
 blessing on their exertions, a little one would become a thousaad, 
 and a small one a strong nation. 
 
 Supported by this conviction they cheerfully encountered 
 every difficulty, and endured the severest hardships in distant 
 countries and among barbarous tribes, with a spirit of self-denial 
 patience, and fortitude, which clearly manifested that they were 
 willing even to hazard their lives for the name of the Lord 
 Jesus. 
 
 Within the short period of ten years missionaries went to 
 St. Thomas, to St. Croix, to Greenland, to Surinam, to the Rio 
 de Berbice, to several Indian tribes in North America, to the 
 Negros in South Carolina, to Lapland, to Tartary, to Algiers, 
 to Guinea, to the Cape of Good Hope and to Ceylon : and 
 since that time missionaries have been sent to the islands of St. 
 Jan, Jamaica, Antigua, Barbadoes, St. Kitt's and Tobago in 
 the West Indies ; to Paramaribo and other places in South 
 America ; to Persia, to Egypt, to Labrador, to Tranquebar, and 
 the Nicobar Islands. 
 
 * Hist, of B. Church, Vol. I. p. 215, &c. 
 
4 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 In several of these places their attempts have proved unsuc- 
 cessful. In some instances the missionaries, sent out, never 
 reached the place of tlieir destination ; in others the political 
 state of the country, to which they went, rendered their imme- 
 diate return an imperious duty ; and in one or two cases they 
 were compelled to relinquish their benevolent design, after years 
 of patient perseverance and heroic fortitude, spent in fruitless 
 endeavours to impress the wretched natives with the importance 
 of the gospel. 
 
 These partial failures, however, did not paralise their exer- 
 tions; for while the want of success, in some cases, had a ten- 
 dency to humble and preserve them from vain glory in their 
 own strength, the divine blessing, which attended their labours, 
 in other places, quickened their diligence, maintained their con- 
 fidence in the Lord, and disposed them to ascribe all the glory 
 unto Him. And the experience of nearly a hundred years, 
 during which they have been engaged in this noble work, has 
 furnished them with abundant proofs, that the cause is the 
 Lord's, and that he is able to carry it on even by the weakest 
 instruments. To Him they desire to express their warmest 
 gratitude for the present flourishing state of most of their Mis- 
 sions, where the Word of God is evidently glorified in turning 
 the Gentiles from darkness into light, andjromthejjozaerof 
 Satan unto God. * 
 
HISTORICAL SKETCHES, 
 
 &c. &c. 
 CHAP. I. 
 
 MISSION IN GUEENLAND. 
 
 Greenland is the remotest tract of land in the north, lying 
 between Europe and America, and is divided into east and west 
 Greenland. The eastern coast is wholly inaccessible, but the 
 western coast has been known to Europeans for above two hun- 
 dred years, though no colonies were formed there till within the 
 last century, when the Danes erected several factories for the 
 purpose of carrying on the whale-fishery. 
 
 The western coast, as far as it has been explored and occupied 
 by the Danes, extends from the 59th to the 73rd degree of 
 north latitude. It is very thinly peopled, the number of inha- 
 bitants probably not exceeding seven tliousand. The whole 
 coast is surrounded with steep and lofty cliffs, the summits of 
 which are covered with perennial snow and ice, intersected by 
 many bays and defended by innumerable larger and smaller 
 islands. In some of the latter and also in the valleys on the 
 main land, there is a little vegetation, consisting of grass, a few 
 hardy Howers, various kinds of berry-bearing shrubs and low 
 brush-wood, but in general the soil is barren and unproductive. 
 
 The want of large timber is in some measure compensated 
 by the Dri/l-wood, which floats in great quantities into the bays 
 and islands, and serves the Europeans for fuel, and the natives 
 for building their houses, tents and boats. 
 
6 MISSION IN GREENLAND. 
 
 The climate in tliis country is intensely cold, soinctimes so 
 severe that beer and even brandy freeze in a room heated 
 by a stove ; but the air is generally pure and serene, and 
 bracing to European constitutions. The bays and the water 
 between the islands are seldom frozen for any length of time, 
 and in some winters they remain open the whole season. This 
 is of great advantage to the Greenlandcrs, as their principal 
 subsistence is derived from fishing. In very severe winters, 
 therefore, they mostly experience a famine. The summer sel- 
 dom lasts above four months, and even then it frequently snows, 
 and the frost never leaves the ground entirely, as the rays of the 
 sun seldom penetrate above a foot below the surface. Yet the 
 heat in summer is as great as in any part of England or Ger- 
 many. In summer there is scarce any night, as the sun does 
 not remain above two or three hours below the horizon, and 
 from the tops of the mountains his beams are reflected even at 
 midnight, so that a person seated in a room, may read and write 
 without the aid of a candle. And though the winter nights are 
 proportionally long, yet the darkness is considerably lessened by 
 the stronger light of the moon, the prevalence of the aurora 
 borealis^ (or northern lights,) and by reflections from the ice 
 and snow. 
 
 The natives are of a tawny hue and low stature, with very 
 dark and black eyes, and strong flowing hair. They are clad 
 the whole year round in fur dresses, made of the skins of seals 
 and reindeer, very neatly sewed by the women. Their dwellings 
 are of two kinds ; first, tents, which are covered with seal-skins, 
 and constitute their summer habitations; secondly, winter houses 
 constructed of large stones, the walls being a yard in thickness, 
 and the crevices filled up with earth and sods. The roof is 
 made with a few uprights, cross-beams, and laths, every opening 
 being stopped up with heath. Over this are spread sods 
 and earth, and the whole covered with old skins. The inside 
 breadth of such a house is generally twelve feet, but its length 
 varies from twenty four to seventy two feet, according to the 
 number of its inmates. The ceiling is so low that it barely ad- 
 mits of a man standing upright in it. The entrance is by a 
 long, low passage, through which you must rather creep than 
 
MISSION IN GREENLAND. 7 
 
 walk ; but tliis is well calculated to keep out the cold. Four, 
 or even ten families live together in a house, each having its 
 own apartments, separated from the rest by a screen made of 
 skins. In every apartment a lamp is kept constantly l)urning, 
 which lights and heats it, and serves the purpose of cooking 
 their victuals. Great cleanliness must not be looked for in their 
 houses; and the constant smell of the train-oil is very disagree- 
 able to Europeans. Yet, the contentment of the Grccnlanders, 
 amidst this poverty, and the order and stillness observed among 
 them, where so many dwell together, cannot but excite ad- 
 miration. 
 
 They have two sorts of boats ; the one called icomwis or 
 filc'in-bont, and the other kojal\ The latter is eighteen feet 
 lonp-, terminating in a point at each end. In the middle 
 it is eighteen inches broad, and but one foot in depth. It is 
 covered on all sides, above and below, with seal-skins, leaving 
 an aperture in the middle, in which the Greenlander seats 
 himself, lacing the skin of the boat so tightly round his waist, 
 that no water can penetrate. Such is their dexterity in manag- 
 ing the kajak, that, if it even upset, they can right it again by 
 a single stroke of the paddle, which they use for rowing. In 
 this manner they scud over the waves, even in tempestuous 
 weather, with astonishing celerity, and not unfrequently make 
 a voyage of twenty leagues in a day. Seared in his kajak, 
 equipped with his bow and arrow, his harpoon and other imple- 
 ments for catching seals, the Greenlander feels not a little proud 
 of his skill, and looks down upon the arts of Europeans with 
 supercilious contempt. 
 
 The skin-boat is much larger, being from forty to fifty feet 
 long, and proportionally broad and deep. The skeleton is made 
 of thin laihs, tightly fixed together, and covered with soft lea- 
 ther of seal-skins, so that no water can penetrate. It is entirely 
 manaf^ed and rowed by women, and capable of containing ten 
 or twelve persons, together with their luggage and provisions. 
 In these boats the natives travel from one place to another, and 
 often perform voyages of several hundred leagues. The ske- 
 letons both of the skin boat and the kajak are constructed by 
 the men, but the covering of them is the work of the women. 
 
8 MISSION TN GREENLAND. 
 
 The women likewise have the management of all domestic con- 
 cerns, and very early accustom their daughters to industry. 
 The men and boys spend most of their time in acquiring the 
 art of managing the kajuk and catchig seals, which exposes 
 them to frequent dangers, and many perils at sea. 
 
 Nothing like a regular government, or organized system of 
 laws, exists among the natives ; they, however, adhere to cer- 
 tain traditionary usages, and exhibit more of a moral and 
 peaceable character than most other savage nations. Their 
 notions of God and religion are likewise extremely limited, 
 bein<T confined to some general but very indistinct ideas of two 
 great spirits ; the one good and benevolent ; the other evil and 
 wicked. In their pagan state, the Greenlanders, except the 
 cmgekoclis, or sorcerers, evince but little desire to obtain any 
 knowledge of either the good or the evil spirit. The migelcocks 
 are a set of deceivers, who pretend to have intercourse with thp 
 great spirit, by means of a torngak, or inferior spirit ; and who 
 by their tricks, play upon the ignorance and superstition of the 
 credulous. 
 
 To a foreigner the acquisition of the Greenland language is 
 not an easy task. For though very regular in its construction, 
 it has no affinity to any other known language. It is very 
 copious in words and phrases, relating to things about which 
 they are conversant, but for religious and scientific subjects it 
 affords scarce any terms, which rendered it exceedingly difficult 
 for the missionaries to discourse with the natives on such topics, 
 till after the conversion of some of them, who soon found 
 appropriate phrases by which to express the new ideas, awaken- 
 ed in their minds. 
 
 Notwithstanding the rigours of the climate and the sterility 
 of the soil, the missionaries have succeeded in laying out gar- 
 dens, in which they grow lettuce, cabbages, radishes, turnips, and 
 a few other early vegetables. However, as they cannot be sown 
 before June, and killing frosts commence again in September, 
 they remain small, but have a fine flavour. All their attempts 
 to cultivate oats and barley have hitherto proved ineffectual, 
 for though they spring up very fast, they never come to maturity. 
 The missionaries have also introduced the breeding of sheep 
 
MISSION IN GREENLAND. 9 
 
 and goats, though the procuring of hay for them for the long 
 winter is attended with much trouble and labour, as it must be 
 sought for in the valleys. In Lichtenau, which till lately was 
 the most southern settlement, they generally keep a flock of 
 ninety or a hundred sheep, as more grass grows there than 
 either in New Herrnhut or Lichtenfels, where they seldom have 
 more than twenty. 
 
 The different classes of animated nature furnish both the 
 natives and Europeans with several sorts of wild animals, ser- 
 viceable either for the table or for traffic ; such as reindeer, 
 hares, foxes, white bears, several kinds of winged game, a great 
 variety of fishes, especially herrings, which in the beginning of 
 summer come into the bays in such shoals, that whole boats 
 can be filled with them in a few hours. But of all animals 
 peculiar lo this country, none are of greater importance to the 
 (Jreenlanders than seals, of which there are five kinds. These 
 not only constitute their principal foed, but they furnish them 
 also with clothing and bedding, with covering to their boats, 
 tents, and houses, with oil for their lamps, and with various 
 implements for fishing and hunting, and even serve them 
 as a medium of traffic, instead of money. 
 
 Europeans, however, must derive their chief support from 
 Denmark, as not only their health, but their very life, is endan- 
 gered, if necessitated to live upon the food of the natives for 
 any length of time. Our first missionaries experienced all the 
 horrors of being driven to this necessity, of which the reader 
 will find afi^ecting proofs in the subsequent narration. But 
 their successors have for many years been happily relieved 
 from this distress, as an ample supply of provisions can uow be 
 regularly sent out to them, by the ships which annually arrive 
 from Copenhagen ; and for more than ninety years they have 
 only met with one serious and alarming disappointment in this 
 respect. 
 
 In the year 17S2, during a discussion of the Brethren at 
 Herrnhut, respecting the duty of Christians to send mission- 
 aries to Heathen nations, two young men, Frederic Boenish and 
 
 C 
 
10 MISSION IN GREENLAND. 
 
 INIatthew Stach, offered themselves to go to Greenland (as has 
 been mentioned in the Introduction). After minute inquiry 
 into their motives and qualifications for such an undertaking, 
 their offer was accepted. But nothing could be done that year 
 with regard to the Greenlanders, as the mission to St. Thomas 
 required all the attention and resources of the congregation. 
 The following year, however, it was resolved no longer to defer 
 the commencement of a mission to Greenland. 
 
 In order to effect this benevolent purpose, Matthew Stach, 
 and his cousin Christ. Stach*, pi-oceeded to Copenhagen early 
 in the spring of 1733, conducted by Christian David-f*. 
 Nothing can more strikingly exhibit the zeal of these devoted 
 servants of Christ, than the truly apostolic spirit, in which they 
 entered upon their arduous labour in his vineyard. They 
 literally obeyed the injunction of Christ to his disciples, when 
 he sent them out to preach the gospel . Take notMnyJbr your 
 journey^ neiiher staves nor scrip, neither bread, neither money, 
 neither have trco coats apiece. "There was' no need of much 
 time," says one of them, "or expense for our equipment. 
 The congregation consisted chiefly of poor exiles, who had not 
 much to give, and we ourselves had nothing but the clothes on 
 our backs. We had been used to make shift with little, and 
 did not trouble our heads how we should get to Greenland, or 
 how we should live there. The day before our departure a 
 friend in Venice sent a donation, and part of this we received 
 for our journey to Copenhagen. Now we considered ourselves 
 richly provided for, and therefore would take nothing of any 
 one on the road, believing, that he, who had procured us some- 
 thing for our journey at the very critical moment, would also 
 
 * Fr. Boenish, being absent from Hcrrnhut on a long journey, could not 
 then iiccompany bis friends, but followed them the next spring, and laboured 
 in that mission upwards of twenty-eight years. 
 
 f Christian David was a native of Moravia, and the person by whose inter- 
 position Count Zinzcndorf was induced to rceeive the Moravian emigrants on 
 his estate. God afterwards employed him as a blessed instrument of leading 
 many of his persecuted countrymen to a saving knowledge of the gospel, and 
 of promoting their emigration to Ilerrnhut. Further particulars of him nay be 
 read in Hist, of H. Church. Vol. 1. Part 2. 
 
MISSION IN GREENLAND. 11 
 
 supply us with every thing requisite for accomplishing our 
 purpose, whenever it shoukl be needful*." 
 
 On their arrival in Copenhagen they were kindly receired 
 by many friends, and met with particular cordiality from Profes- 
 sor Ewald, a member of the Danish Mission-College, and the 
 Rev. Mr. Reuss, one of the King's Chaplains. But to many 
 their design appeared romantic and unseasonable ; for as the 
 Danish mission in Greenland had been greatly reduced, the 
 government was inclined to withdraw the colony, and relinquish 
 the mission altogether. In this case, though our brethren 
 might proceed to Greenland with the ship, which must be sent 
 out to bring home the colonists, their settling on that inhospi- 
 table shore would be rendered extremely unsafe and dangerous, 
 as they would not only be left without a regular supply of 
 provisions from Europe, but be exposed to the cruelty of the 
 savages, who might even murder them. 
 
 This unfavourable prosj)ect, however, did not dispirit our 
 missionaries. They committed their cause to him who orders 
 all things according to the counsel of his own will, fully per- 
 suaded that if their intentions were pleasing in his sight, he 
 could be at no loss for ways and means of bringing them to 
 Greenland, and of supporting and protecting them when landed 
 there. In this confident hope they were not disappointed. 
 Affairs soon took a different turn ; the king consented that one 
 more ship should go to the colony at Godhaab, where the 
 Danish missionary, Hans Egede, resided, 
 
 The way being thus opened, the missionaries waited on count 
 Pless, first lord of the bed-chamber, entreating his interest in 
 their behalf. At first, their proposal did not meet with much 
 approbation. To a person of his rank and education, who was 
 not ignorant of the little success which had attended the labours 
 of the learned, indefatigable, and zealous Mr. Egede, it must 
 have appeared a wild scheme indeed, for young illiterate persons 
 to engage in so difficult, and seemingly hopeless, an undertak- 
 ing. He therefore raised many objections, and sent them to 
 some divines to be examined ; but being once convinced of the 
 
 • Crantz' Hist, of Greenland, Vol. i. p. 322. 
 
12 MISSION IN GREENLAND. 
 
 soundness of their faith, and the uprightness of their intentions, 
 he conceived a great regard for them, readily condescended to 
 present their petition to the king, and seconded it to the utmost 
 of his power. Among other arguments, he made use of the fol- 
 lowing, which deserves to be recorded: "God has in all ages," 
 said he, "employed the meanest, and in the eyes of the world, 
 the most unlikely and even despicable instruments, for accom- 
 plishing the grand designs of his kingdom, to shew that the 
 honour belongs to Him, and to teach mankind not to rely on 
 their own penetration or power, but on his benediction*." 
 
 His exertions had the effect of inducing the king to resolve 
 on promoting with renewed vigour the improvement of the 
 country, and the conversion of its inhabitants, and accordingly 
 he accepted the voluntary overture in the most gracious manner, 
 and desired that other Brethren might soon follow those now 
 about to sail. |His majesty even condescended to recommend 
 them to Mr. Egede, in a letter written with his own hand. 
 
 While the missionaries were preparing for their voyage, they 
 formed a pleasing acquaintance with many worthy characters 
 and persons of distinction in Copenhagen, who not only com- 
 mended their zeal ; but, without their solicitation, provided 
 them with the needful expenses for their voyage, and various 
 necessary articles for their first settlement in Greenland-f". 
 
 They sailed from Copenhagen on the 10th of April, and after 
 a safe and speedy voyage reached the place of their destination 
 on the 20th of May. Immediately on their arrival, they re- 
 paired to the Rev. Mr. Egede, who received them with much 
 
 * Crantz, Vol. i. p. 32J. 
 
 f In one of his conversations with them, count Pless asked: "How they in- 
 tended to maintain themselves in Greenland ?" Unacquainted with the situa- 
 tion and climate of the countrj- ; the missionaries answered : " By the labour 
 of our hands and God's blessing;" adding, "that they would build a house 
 and cultivate a piece of land, that they might not be burdensome to any." 
 He objected that there was no timber fit for building in that country. " If 
 this is the case," said our brethren, " then we will dig a hole in the earth and 
 lodge there." Astonished at their ardour in the cause in which they had em- 
 barked, the count replied: "No; you shall not be driven to that extremity ; 
 take timber with you and build a house ; accept of these fifty dollars for that 
 purpose." Crantz. I. 3'2ti. 
 
MISSION IN GREENLAND. 13 
 
 cordiality, expressed his joy at their undertaking, and promised 
 them all the assistance in his })ower, especially in their learning 
 the language. 
 
 As soon as their first interview with Mr. Egede was over, 
 they went to the sea coast to search for a habitable spot. Hav- 
 ing fixed on a place near BaWs river ^ to which they afterwards 
 gave the name of New Heebnhut, they kneeled down and 
 invoked the blessing of God on themselves and their undertak- 
 ing. Their first labour was to erect a small hut, as a shelter 
 against the inclemency of the climate. A few days after they 
 laid the foundation for their proper dwelling, for which they had 
 brought the timber with them from Copenhagen. The season 
 was remarkably in their favour, the ice and snow having melted a 
 month sooner than usual. Besides their own house, they built 
 one after the Greenland manner, for the accommodation of such 
 of the natives as might be induced to come to them for 
 instruction. 
 
 This first difficulty surmounted, others of a far heavier kind 
 daily pressed upon them. It became needful to think of some 
 method of maintaing themselves, and this was no easy task in 
 a country like Greenland, and among savages, whose mode of 
 living was filthy and disgusting in the extreme, and with whose 
 language they were unacquainted. Our brethren, however, did 
 not despond: they bought an old boat from the captain, who had 
 brought them over; but the very first time they put to sea in her, 
 to search for drift-wood among the islands, they were overtaken 
 by a storm, reached home with much difficulty, and in the night 
 their boat with her whole cargo of wood, was carried off by the 
 wind. Some Greenlanders indeed brought her back in a few 
 days, but greatly damaged. They obtained little by fishing 
 and hunting, being unaccustomed to these occupations, and 
 unable to manage their kajak. Considering these adverse cir- 
 cumstances, as a warning, not to enter too deeply into the cares 
 and pursuits of this life; they came to a resolution, when other 
 work failed them, to earn something by spinning. 
 
 The acquisition of the Greenland language was another dif- 
 ficulty they had to encounter. Mr. Egede afforded them all 
 the assistance in his power, but to men like our missionaries, 
 
14 MISSION IN GREENLAND. 
 
 whose education had been confined to that of a common school, 
 it proved no easy task. Unacquainted with the very terms of 
 grammar, the application of them to a barbarous language, be- 
 came doubly difficult, especially as that language contains a 
 variety of declensions and conjugations, diversified by new 
 moods, and perplexed by suffixes, both active and passive. 
 They had besides to commit to memory a large vocabulary of 
 words, as the Greenianders have often ten different words to 
 express the same thing. And if to this be added, that before 
 they could understand their instructors, they had to learn the 
 Danish language, their patience and perseverance will appear 
 truly great. 
 
 As yet they had few opportunities to engage in their proper 
 calling. They wisely resolved not to enter into conversation 
 on religious subjects with the natives for the present, lest their 
 deficiency in the language should lead them to employ phrases 
 which might convey erroneous ideas of divine things. The 
 Greenianders, indeed, shewed but little disposition to hold much 
 intercourse with them, for though nearly two thousand lived at 
 tliat time on Ball's river, they spent most of the summer among 
 the islands and hills, for the purpose of catching seals, and 
 hunting reindeer; and during the winter, they were accustomed 
 to go sixty and even two hundred leagues to the north or 
 south to visit their acquaintances. Few of them therefore 
 called upon the missionaries; and if any did come, it was chiefly 
 to see their buildings, or to beg nails, fish-hooks, knives, and 
 other articles, or even to steal them. If the missionaries visited 
 them, they seldom found any one willing to lodge and entertain 
 them, even though offered a recompense for it; and instead of 
 entering into discourse with them, they were continually ask- 
 ing, whether they would not soon go away again. 
 
 A trial, severer than any of these, was permitted to exercise 
 their faith and fortitude, at the very beginning of their labours. 
 A few months after their arrival the small-pox broke out among 
 the natives. As this disease was unusual in the country, it 
 was not understood at first, neither could the savages be pre- 
 vailed upon to apply proper remedies, or use any kind of pre- 
 caution to prevent the progress of infection. The contagion. 
 
MISSION IN GREENLAND. 1^ 
 
 therefore, spread rapidly, and made such ravages as threatened 
 the total depopulation of the country. It continued from Seji- 
 tember, 1733, to the following June, and spread forty leagues 
 north of the Danish colony, and probably as many south. In 
 the district of BalFs river only eight recovered, and Mr. Egede 
 computed that the number of the natives, carried off by this 
 distemper, amounted, probably, to two or three thousand. 
 
 The misery endured by the Greenlanders at this period is 
 inconceivable. Tormented by excruciating pain, a raging fever 
 and burning thirst, their patience entirely forsook them, they 
 would neither take medicine, nor use any regimen. The con- 
 sequence was, few survived the third day. Some stabbed them- 
 selves or plunged into the sea to terminate their sufferings, and 
 others fled to desert islands. In one of these the missionaries 
 found only one little girl, with the small pox upon her, and her 
 three little brothers. The father, having first buried all the peo- 
 ple in that place, laid himself and his youngest sick child in a 
 tomb, erected of stones, and ordered his daughter to cover them 
 with skins and stones, that they might not be devoured by foxes 
 and ravens ; and then gave her and her brothers two seals and 
 some dried herrings to live upon, till they could get to the 
 Europeans. 
 
 During this dreadful period our missionaries faithfully as- 
 sisted Mr. Egede in visiting and taking care of the sick. The 
 latter lodged all that fled to him, and the former accommodated 
 as many in their house, as they had room for. But they were 
 grieved to perceive that this severe affliction, generally speak- 
 ing, made no salutary impression upon the natives, and excited 
 no concern in them for the future and everlasting state of their 
 souls. In a few instances, however, their kindness touched the 
 savages, as it exceeded what they could have expected from 
 their own countrymen. One man, in particular, who had always 
 derided them in the days of health, made this confession before 
 his end to Mr. Egede ; " You have done for us what our own 
 people would not do, for you have fed us when we had nothing 
 to eat ; you have buried our dead, who would else have been 
 devoured by the dogs, foxes and ravens ; you have also in- 
 structed us in the knowledge of God, and have told us of a 
 
16 MISSION IN GREENLAND. 
 
 better lift." In some children, also, whom he had baptized, 
 he perceived resignation to death and a comfortable hope of a 
 resurrection to life eternal. 
 
 No sooner had the missionaries finished their labour of love 
 to the poor, sick, and dying Grecnlanders, than they were 
 themselves attacked by a violent eruptive disorder, which so 
 increased in the winter, that they nearly lost the use of their 
 limbs. Providentially, however, they were not both confined 
 at the same time. Mr. Egede behaved towards them like a 
 father and friend, and his excellent wife never omitted sending 
 them some refreshment or cordial, when she had any herself; 
 indeed so great was her kindness, that they were often ecrupu- 
 lous of accepting her presents. 
 
 Amidst such accumulated trials did the Brethren''s mission- 
 aries commence their career in Greenland ; yet, though their 
 ardour might at times be damped, their zeal was not extinguish- 
 ed. This is evident from their own declarations. In letters, 
 addressed to their brethren in Europe, they express themselves 
 to the following effect: "The present circumstances (referring 
 to the contagion) appear mysterious. We know not what to 
 pray for, whether for the life or death of these poor creatures. 
 Perhaps God intends to preserve a holy seed in a few persons 
 as he did at the deluge. May the Lord teach us to believe and 
 venerate the secret purposes of his will. At present we are in 
 the school of faith, and the prospect before us is clouded and 
 almost dark. We perceive no traces of any good work begun 
 among the heathen ; no, not so much as a sigh, and the poor 
 creatures find death where they should find life. As far as re- 
 spects ourselves appearances are equally discouraging. We 
 have not the strength and vigour of body, requisite for enduring 
 the hardships of this country, and at present we suffer much 
 from sickness; yet we have a persuasion that this may eventually 
 tend to enure our constitutions to the climate, and qualify us 
 for the Lord's service in this country. We are conscious of our 
 total insufficiency in ourselves ; every good of mere natural 
 growth, even our alacrity in learning the language, seems to 
 droop, and nothing remains but what grace hath wrought. 
 The Lord best knows, why he called to this station the most 
 
MISSION IN GREENLAND. 17 
 
 feeble and inexperienced of his servants. However we will re- 
 main on our post, and vie with each other in the exercise of 
 faith, though the prospect presents us with nothing but ap- 
 parent impossibilities: yes, here v/e will stay till Jesus our 
 Lord helps us ; and our only concern shall be to please Hhn. 
 We have one unfailing source of hope and comfort, that God 
 often suffers liis children to pass through straits to attain the 
 object in view, and that we are remembered in pi'ayer by many 
 children of God in Europe*." 
 
 Thus passed the first year of their abode in these polar 
 regions, and for the five succeeding years their circumstances, 
 both as 10 externals and their principal aim in residing in that 
 inhospitable country, were not materially improved. It is not 
 surprising, therefore, that they should at times be ready to 
 lose courage and even consider it more advisable to return to 
 Europe. 13ul when in the year 1734, tv/o new assistants, 
 Frederick Boenish and John Beck, arrived and brought them 
 the joyful intelligence, that it was the intention of the brethren 
 at Herrnhut to support the mission to the utmost of their 
 power, their drooping faith was revived, and the flame of holy 
 zeal in their arduous service rekindled. 
 
 They now redoubled their diligence in learning the lan- 
 guage, and by indefatigable perseverance conquered the prin- 
 cipal difficulties ; and so far became masters of it, as to under- 
 stand the natives, and to converse with them on common 
 topics ; but when they wished to speak with them on religious 
 subjects, they were greatly embarrassed. Herein they could 
 obtain little assistance from their instructers, who told them 
 that it would not be possible to translate any, but historical, 
 pieces from Scripture ; as the Greenlanders had no terms for 
 expressing spiritual and divine subjects, and were unable to 
 form even the least idea of them. In some time, however, by 
 the help of God and frequent intercourse with the natives, they 
 overcame this last and most formidable obstacle to their 
 usefulness. 
 
 * Crantz, Vol. i. p. 339. 
 I) 
 
18 MISSION IN GREENLAND. 
 
 The missionaries continued to make frequent visits among 
 the natives ; and as they were still defective in the language, 
 they read to them some pieces, translated by Mr. Egede, such 
 as the Ten Commandments, the Lord's Prayer, and the Creed: 
 reminded them of what he had formerly told them of the 
 creation of the world, and the redemption of man, and tried to 
 rectify what they had misapprehended. They readily gave 
 their assent to these things, but as yet attained no savmg 
 knowledge of divine truth. Once, when Matthew Stach read 
 a short prayer to them, they observed that the language indeed 
 was very good and intelligible, but they could not comprehend 
 the meaning of the words, Jesus Christ, of hchig redeemed by 
 his blood, and of hiorcing, loving, and receiving him. By 
 tliese visits, however, they gained one point of no small im- 
 portance. Their free and affable, but yet prudent and serious 
 deportment, equally removed from unbecoming levity and 
 austere moroseness, won the esteem and confidence of the 
 natives, so that they sought their company, constrained them 
 to come into their houses, requested frequent visits, and 
 promised to call upon them in return. The latter our brethren 
 gladly encouraged, though, as yet, it seemed to be attended 
 with little benefit, and often proved very troublesome. 
 
 The number of missionaries having been now increased to five 
 persons, they formed some regulations among themselves, 
 tending to their mutual edification, and the furtherance of 
 the work in which they were engaged. They m.ore especially 
 agreed maturely to weigh, as in the sight of God, whether they 
 felt a divine conviction, that he had called them to labour 
 among the Greenlanders. After some weeks' consideration, 
 they frankly disclosed to each other their sentiments on this 
 important subject. The result was, that Christ. David, having 
 only been appointed to conduct the first missionaries to the 
 country, and being already in years and not able to learn the 
 language, considered himself at liberty to return to Europe, 
 but pledged himself to support the mission, wherever he might 
 be, to the utmost of his ability. Christ. Stach, though he 
 did not feel himself bound to devote his xcliole life to the ser- 
 vice of the heathen, yet was willing to hold out ten years or 
 
MISSION IN GREENLAND. 19 
 
 longer, even if no fruit should arise from his labours. The, 
 three remaining missionaries declared, that they would bind 
 themselves in the strictest manner to this work, to believe 
 without seeing, to hope against hope, and even to sacrifice 
 their very lives to the service of the heathen. 
 
 Not long after this the faith of these devoted servants of 
 God was put to a new and very severe trial. Owing to some 
 untoward circumstances the ships, which arrived in 1735, 
 brought them no supplies from Europe. The whole stock of 
 provisions, they had in store, consisted only of a barrel and a 
 half of oatmeal, part of which they bartered for malt, dried 
 pease, and ship-biscuits, and from this scanty portion they had 
 to provide Christ. David with the needful sea-store for his 
 voyage home; and as there was a scarcity of provisions in the 
 Danish colony, they could receive little assistance from that 
 quarter. Add to this, that they obtained far less by hunting 
 and fishing this season, than any preceding year ; thus famine 
 stared them in the face. In this extremity of , distress, they 
 had no resource left them, but to buy seals of the Greenlanders, 
 as they themselves could not catch them. But these barbarians, 
 observing the want of the missionaries, not only rated their 
 seals very high, but even refused to sell them at all. Fre- 
 quently, after rowing round among them for two or three days, 
 their utmost entreaties could procure but a scanty portion, and 
 when that was consumed, they were obliged to pacify the 
 cravings of nature with shell-fish and sea-weed. While they 
 could procure a sufficiency of the former, they retained their 
 health and strength, but when obliged to live chiefly upon the 
 latter, they became greatly debilitated. 
 
 During their excursions the missionaries were often exposed 
 to the most imminent perils. Dire necessity forced them to 
 venture out to sea in their old leaky boat, sometimes in very 
 unsettled and stormy weather. Once, having almost reached 
 the land, they were driven back two leagues by a sudden squall, 
 drenched by the breakers, and obliged to remain four days on 
 an island without any shelter. Another time, having quite 
 exhausted their strength at the oars, they stopped over night 
 in a desert place, and satisfied the calls of hunger with some 
 
 d2 
 
20 MISSION IN GREENLAND. 
 
 seaFs-flesh, which they had procured from a Greenlandcr. 
 Having no tent, they dug a hole in the snow and lay down, 
 but were soon compelled to leave this retreat, as fresh snow 
 drifted and stopped up the entrance; thus no expedient was 
 left them, but to run up and down to keep themselves warm. 
 Even in fair weather these excursions were not without danger. 
 One of their number having embarked in a kajak, to angle for 
 fish, was, by a sudden gust of wind and rolling waves, upset, 
 and must inevitably have perished, if two Greenlanders, who 
 were near at hand, had not come to his assistance, and, after 
 tying him between their kajaks, towed him to land. 
 
 God did not forsake his faithful servants in these trying 
 circumstances. He strengthened their faith in his all sufficient 
 providence, when meditating on the examples recorded in holy 
 writ of his peo})le, v/ho were sustained in famine and dearth, in 
 weakness v/eremadestrong, andrescued out ofa thousand dangers. 
 They proved that the same gracious God still takes care of 
 his children, and knows how to deliver them from all their 
 fears. Help was often at hand when least expected. Thus 
 when they were brought to the last extremity, He, who sent a 
 raven to feed his prophet, disjioscd a strange Gveenlander, 
 called Ippagan, to come forty leagues from the south, and from 
 time to time to sell them all he could spare. This heathen, till 
 his resources were exhausted, was the instrument in God'^s 
 hand for preserving the missionaries from actual famine. 
 What rendered this Occurrence peculiarly remarkable was, that 
 in one of their summer excursions they accidently met with this 
 m.an, who received them witli much kindness, took notice of 
 their behaviour and conversation, and entered into serious dis- 
 course with them. Yet in their distress they did not recollect 
 him, and would hardly liave found him out, if they had even 
 made search for him. He came to them of his own accord, 
 towards the end of the year, and pitying their deplorable con- 
 dition, invited them to pay him a visit. 
 
 They now and then earned a little by writing for the Danish 
 missionaries, till the stock of provision at the colony began to 
 fail. By this time however they had not only learned to be 
 satisfied with gvery mean and scanty fare, but bad also enured 
 
MISSION IN GREENLAND. 21 
 
 themselves to the eating of seals'-flesh, mixing up a little oat- 
 meal with train-oil. Those, who know the nature of train-oil, 
 may form some idea of the hardships which they endured. 
 Yet even this was a delicacy, compared to the old tallow candles, 
 they were frequently compelled to eat. 
 
 Almost worn out with fatigue and hardships, and not with- 
 out anxious apprehensions as to their future prospects, our 
 missionaries entered into the fourth year of their residence in 
 Greenland. Now, at length, the Lord appeared for their 
 effectual relief, as to their temporal support. In May 1736, 
 they received intelligence from tlie Captain of a Dutch ship, 
 lying thirty leagues to the s{)uth, that he had some goods on 
 board his vessel, consigned to them, and which he was ordered 
 to deliver into their own hands. One of them immediately 
 repaired to the ship, where he was informed that Mr. Lelong 
 in Amsterdam had sent them several articles of provisions, and 
 that he and some generous friends intended, if they duly re- 
 ceived the present stores, to furnish them with a fresh supply 
 the following year. This seasonable help was the more wel- 
 come as neither they, nor the congregation at Herrnhut, had 
 in any way solicited the aid of their friends in Holland. They 
 gratefully accepted this generous offer, and particularly re- 
 quested, that in case nothing else could be forwarded, they 
 might be provided with a strong durable boat, an article they 
 needed more than any thing else for procuring the necessaries 
 of life, and which would render them less dependant upon 
 assistance from Europe. 
 
 They now anxiously waited for the arrival of the Danish 
 ships. At length the third of these ships reached their shore 
 on the 7th of July : and though they did not bring them 
 above half the supplies they wanted, they were greatly revived 
 and strengthened by many letters and accounts from their 
 brethren, and by the accession of new assistants. These were, 
 IVlatthew Stach's mother, a widow of forty five years of age, 
 with her two daughters, Rosina and Anna*, the former twenty 
 two, and the latter but twelve years old. Their conductor, George 
 
 * Both of them were in the sequel married : the elder to the missionary John 
 Beck, and the younger to Frederic Boenish. 
 
22 MISSION IN GREENLAND. 
 
 Wiesner, returned the next year to Europe. Their family 
 being thus increased to seven persons, they vt'ere enabled to 
 make a more regular arrangement in their housekeeping. 
 The management of their domestic concerns was allotted to the 
 sisters, and as it was intended that the two younger should be 
 trained for missionary service among their own sex, they re- 
 ceived instruction in the Greeenland language, in which they 
 acquired great proficiency*. 
 
 Their external affairs nov/ began to wear a more pleasing 
 appearance ; but with respect to the attainment of the bene- 
 volent object they had in view, the Lord in his infinite wisdom 
 saw fit to try their faith and patience a little longer. They had 
 scarce any opportunities for intercourse with the heathen. 
 Few called upon them, except when driven by necessity to 
 obtain victuals, and they shewed an utter aversion to religious 
 discourse. If a missionary tarried among them more than one 
 night, they used every diabolical art to entice him to join in 
 their dissolute practices ; and when they could not succeed in 
 this, they endeavoured to vex and irritate him by mockeries, 
 and by mimicking his reading, praying and singing, or by 
 interrupting his devotions by their hideous howling and the 
 noise of their drums. When the missionaries told them, that 
 
 * Having had repeated occasion to speak of Mr. Egede, and of his and his 
 wife's kind attention to our hretheru, it may here be mentioned, that having 
 requested his dismission, it was granted him in tlie most gracious terms, and 
 he returned to Copenhagen this season, after having labomcd in this country, 
 witli truly apostolical zeal for fifteen years, without seeing any abiding fruit 
 from his exertions. Towards the close of the preceding year his wife died. 
 Craiitz gives her the character of a brave, magnanimous woman, who might 
 with great propriety be called a Christsan furoinc, and adds, " I have never 
 heard her name mentioned by our brethren, but with the most respectful and 
 aflectionate expressions, for indeed she treated them on all occasions as if 
 they had been her children." Mr, Egedc was succeeded in his office, as 
 Danish missionary, by his eldest son who brought two assistants with him. 
 Soon after his return to Copenhagen the father was lionoured with an audi- 
 ence of the king, was made superintendent of the mission in (Jreenland with 
 a yearly salary of 100/. and ordered to found a seminary for students and or- 
 phans to 1)6 instructed in the Greenland language, and educated for mission- 
 ary services in that country. He spent his latter years in retirement, and 
 closed his useful and honourable life on the 5th of November 1758, in the 
 73rd year of liis age. 
 
MISSION IN GREENLAND. 23 
 
 they did not reside in their country for the sake of temporal 
 advantages, but to teach them the will of God, they would | y* 
 tauntingly reply, — " Fine fellows indeed, to be our teachers ! 
 we know very well that you yourselves are ignorant, and must 
 leaini your lesson of others.*" 
 
 When the savages found, that they could effect nothing in 
 this way, they resorted to other measures. They insulted and 
 maltreated their persons. They pelted them with stones, 
 climbed upon their shoulders, destroyed their goods, and even 
 attempted to spoil their boat, or drive her out to sea, which 
 would have deprived them of their chief means of svipport, and 
 must have proved fatal to them. Their cruelty did not stop 
 here. One night the missionaries perceived that some person 
 was endeavouring to draw aside the curtains of their tent, which 
 were fastened with a couple of pins. Going out to see who it 
 was, they beheld, to their amazement, a number of Greenlanders 
 with knives in their hands, who obstinately refused to go away, 
 till they threatened them with their fire-arms. The missionaries 
 supposed their only intention was to take away the skins which 
 covered the tent : but some years after they learned that the 
 savages had conspired against their lives, expecting that the 
 other Europeans would not deem it worth their while to revenge 
 the death of such poor despised people. And as it appeared 
 in the sequel, that they were instigated to this wicked attempt 
 by some malicious persons in the colony, our brethren sent a 
 strong remonstrance to the Danish missionaries and factor, 
 which was duly attended to, and had the desired effect. 
 
 Notwithstanding these overwhelming discouragements they 
 still persevered in the path of duty. They continued their 
 visits to the heathen, though without any visible success; 
 Those that lived at a distance were stupid, ignorant and void of 
 reflection ; and those in the vicinity, who had long been in- 
 structed, were not grown better, but rather worse, appearing 
 disgusted with religious discourse, and hardened against the 
 truth. Sometimes they urged their want of understanding as an 
 excuse, and would say : " Shew us the God you describe, then 
 
 * In these remarks they referred to their receiving instructions in the Green - 
 landic language. Crantz, Vol. i. p. 368. 
 
24 MISSION IN GREENLAND. 
 
 will we believe in him and serve him. You represent him too 
 sublime and incomprehensible, how shall we come to him ? 
 He will not trouble himself about us.'' At other times they 
 exerted their wit in shocking and profane jests at the most sa- 
 cred mysteries of religion. 
 
 Matthew Stach stayed once a whole month with some of 
 them. He describes their behaviour towards him as very 
 changeable. In the beginning they now and then suffered 
 him to read to them out of the New Testament ; but they 
 soon lost their relish for this. One day, while it was rai)iing 
 very hard, they desired him to pray to the Son of God, whom 
 he described as an almighty being, that he would give them 
 good weather, and not let the rain penetrate into their houses. 
 The missionary replied, there was no necessity for prayer in 
 this case, as they need only spread their tent-skins upon the 
 roof, and then the wet could not soak through ; they ought 
 rather to pray to God to have mercy on their souls. 15ut for 
 this they had no ears. Their conduct often became almost 
 insufferable. Once they kept up a dance, for two whole nights 
 successively, accompanied with the most hideous howling and 
 drumming*- The children, however, showed much fondness 
 for Stach, and used to run after him wherever he went. He 
 conversed familiarly with them, asked them a few questions, 
 and for a while ensacred their attention ; but this was soon 
 diverted, when any new thing attracted their notice ; and thus 
 the little they had learned was speedily forgotten. 
 
 In the beginning of 1738 many Greenlanders visited the 
 missionaries. Their chief inducement was to get provisions, 
 with which they were supplied as far as possible. Our breth- 
 ren did not neglect this opportunity, but endeavoured to excite 
 in them a hunger after that meat, which endureth unto life 
 everlasting. Yet, as in former cases, their admonitions still 
 failed of the desired effect. 
 
 One solitary instance, however, occurred, which served to 
 revive their drooping spirits- Among their hungry guests, 
 
 * The missionary judged the number of those present to fall little short of 
 one hundred and fifty. 
 
MISSION In GHKEiSLAND. 2f5 
 
 was a ycmig heathen, of the name of Mangek, ^ho oiTercd to 
 take up Ills rcKidcnce with them, if tiicy would maisUain him, 
 promising that he v/ould deliver to t];em whatever he caught. 
 Though they did not believe tliat he would remain longer with 
 them than while the present scarcity lasted, yet they willingly 
 admitted him, looking upon him as an instrument sent them 
 from above, for the purpose of acquiring greater proficiency in 
 the language. They instructed him daily, and endeavoured 
 more particularly to make him attentive to the state of his 
 soul. At first, their instructions seemed unavailing, but by 
 degrees they discovered some relentings of heart, and convic- 
 tions of sin ; and when they prayed with him tears generally 
 started into liis eyes. On this account his countrymen began 
 to persecute him ; and when they could not entice him to leave 
 the missionaries, and join in their heathenish practices, they 
 tried by various artifices to induce the brethren to put him 
 away, falsely accusing him of having purloined several articles. 
 •Though he left them in the sequel, yet this occurrence ani- 
 mated their hope, and confirmed their resolution to persevere 
 in sowing the seed of the gospel, looking to God for the 
 increase. 
 
 Five years had now elapsed since their arrival in Greenland, 
 and except the case just now related, which was but like the first 
 ' davv'u of the morning spread upon the mountain,'' they had 
 seen no fruit from their labours. They had tilled a soil ap- 
 parently unfit for culture, and in tears, had sown the seed on 
 hearts, seemingly as cold and barren as the coast where they 
 had pitched their tents. But, now. the Lord lieard their pray- 
 ers, and made it appear that their "judgment M'as with him, 
 and their work with their God." 
 
 " June the 2nd," (write the missionaries) " many South- 
 landers visited us. Brother Beck was, at the time, copying 
 a translation of a part of St. Alatthew's Gospel. The heathen 
 being very curious to know the contents of the book, he read 
 a few sentences, and after some conversation with them, asked, 
 whether they had an immortal soul, and whither that soul 
 would go after death .^ Some said : ' Up yonder ;' and others : 
 ' Down to the abyss.' Having rectified their notions on this 
 
26 MISSION IN GREENLAND. 
 
 point, he inquired, wJio had made heaven and earth, man, and 
 all other things ? They replied, they did not know, nor had 
 they ever heard ; but it must certainly be some great and 
 mighty Being. He then gave them an account of the creation 
 of the world, the fall of man, and his recovery by Christ. In 
 speaking on the redemption of man, the Spirit of God enabled 
 him to enlarge with more than usual energy on the sufferings 
 and death of our Saviour, and in the most pathetic manner to 
 exhort his hearers, seriously to consider the vast expense, at 
 which Jesus had ransomed their souls, and no longer reject the 
 mercy offered them in the gospel. He then read to them, out 
 of the New Testament, the history of our Saviour's agony in 
 the garden. Upon this the Lord opened the heart of one of 
 the company, whose name was Kayarnak ; who stepping up to 
 the table, in an earnest manner, exclaimed, ' How was that ? 
 tell me that once more ; for I do desire to be saved.' These 
 words, the like of which had never before been uttered by a 
 Greenlander, so penetrated the soul of brother Beck, that with 
 great emotion and enlargement of heart, he gave them a gen- 
 eral account of the life and death of our Saviour, and of the 
 scheme of salvation through him.'"' 
 
 In the mean time the other missionaries, who had been 
 abroad on business, returned, and with delight joined their 
 fellow-labourer in testifying of the grace of God in the blood 
 of Jesus. Some of the pagans laid their hands on their 
 mouths, which is their usual custom when struck with amaze- 
 ment. Others, who did not relish the subject, slunk away 
 secretly ; but several requ'^sted to be taught to pray, and fre- 
 quently repeated the expressions used by the missionaries, in 
 order to fix them in their memories. In short, they manifested 
 such an earnest and serious concern for their salvation, as the 
 missionaries had never witnessed before ; and at going away, 
 they promised soon to return, and hear more of this subject, 
 and also to tell it to their countrymen. 
 
 The impression made on Kayarnak was not transient, for the 
 Word had taken deep root in his heart. He frequently visited 
 our brethren, and at length took up his residence with them. 
 He told them, that he often felt a monition in his heart to pray, 
 
MlSSrOM IN GREENLAND. 27 
 
 and " when we speak to him," say they, " he is often so af- 
 fected, that the tears roll down his cheeks." Considering the 
 general stupidity of the Greenlanders, tlie missionaries were 
 not a little surprised at the quicknes;s with which he comprc-' 
 hended every thing which they told him, and at the retention 
 of his memory. He manifested very strong attachment to 
 them, and a constant desire for further instruction. 
 
 By means of his conversation those, who lived in the same 
 tent with him, were brought under conviction. Thus, before 
 the end of the month, three large families came with all their 
 property, and pitched their tents near the dwelling of the 
 missionaries, " in order," as they said, " to hear the joyful news 
 of man's redemption." They all appeared much affected, and 
 even some, who had formerly opposed the Word, declared 
 that they would now believe, and winter with the missionaries. 
 Most of them., howevei', soon went away to hunt reindeer ; but 
 Kayarnak refused to accompany them, feai'ing he should there- 
 by suffer harm in his soul. He was hereby brought into great 
 straits, as he had no tent of his own. This was the third 
 time he had been abandoned by his friends, who had now 
 taken the skin-boat and the tent, which, in part at least, were 
 his property. Our brethren were not without fear lest his 
 friends should entice him away, by exaggerating the difficulties 
 of his new mode of life, and the restrictions he would be under, 
 compared with the unbounded liberty, or rather licentiousness, 
 in which the heathen live. But he remaiiied firm to his pur- 
 pose, and, instead of long vindications, used to reply to their 
 mockeries and remonstrances by a short remark like this : 
 " Yes, I will stay with my teachers, and hear the Word of 
 God, which I have once found sweet to my taste." If they 
 were disposed to hear him, he discoursed with them ; if they 
 railed at him, he held his peace, after he had borne his testimony 
 to the truth in a few serious words. At length he prevailed so 
 far with some of his nearest relatives, that they resolved to 
 return ; and even some other fjimilies desired leave to settle 
 near the missionaries. 
 
 Thus in the beginning of October 1738, when the Green- 
 landers leave their tents and move into their winter houses, 
 
28 MISSION IN GREENLANH. 
 
 above twenty persons took up tlicir abode near tlie brethren'. 
 This induccd'them to commence regular morning and evening 
 devotions witli the two families of Kayarnak and his relation, 
 Simek, besides the reading and expounding of the lioly Scrip- 
 tures on the Lord's day. Five of these persons, who appeared 
 most serious, they selected as suitable candidates for baptism, 
 and gave them more frequent instruction in the truths of salva- 
 tion. They also began a school with the children ; but this 
 they found a most difficult and troublesome undertaking, for 
 their scholars were so entirely unaccustomed to any kind of 
 discipline, that it was nearly impossible to keep them to their 
 lessons, and the parents themselves did not comprehend the 
 use of reading and writing. They, however, succeeded so 
 far, that some of them were able to read easy passages. 
 
 Among other evidences of a real work of grace having been 
 begun in the hearts of some of the inhabitants in their little 
 settlement, our missionaries notice particularly their desire to 
 be instructed in prayer, and the remarkable change wrought 
 in them in the prospect of death. Many of them fell sick 
 during this period, but manifested comparatively little of that 
 horror, which generally seizes the natives when dangerously 
 ill. Kayarnak, in a severe fit of sickness, declared, that he 
 felt no freedom nor inclination to pray for his recovery, but 
 was resigned to the will of God. 
 
 The year 1739 was distinguished in the mission by the 
 baptism of the first Greenland converts. This interesting and 
 solemn transaction was performed on Easter- Sunday, March 
 ^9th. The candidates having, before the whole assembly, 
 given a full account of tlie ground of their hope, and promised 
 to renounce ail heathenish customs and superstitions, to re- 
 main with their teachers, and walk worthily of the gospel, were 
 in fervent prayer, with imposition of hands, commended to the 
 grace of God, and baptized in the name of the Father, and of 
 the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. The presence of the great 
 Head of his Church was felt in the most powerful manner 
 during this transaction ; the tears flowed in streams from the 
 eyes of those just baptized, and the spectators were so over- 
 come, that they earnestly desired to be made partakers of the 
 
MISSION IN GREENLAND. 29 
 
 same grace. The first fruits of the Greenland nation, who by 
 this sacred rite were publicly ingrafted into the Christian 
 Church, consisted of Kayarnak, his wife, his son, and his 
 daughter. 
 
 A month had scarce elapsed before the hope, excited by this 
 propitious event, received a very severe shock. A banditti of 
 murderers, coming from the north, killed Kayarnak's brother- 
 in-law, who also lived with the missionaries, under the pre- 
 tence, that he had by sorcery caused the death of the ring- 
 leader's son. They decoyed him out to sea, and most per- 
 'fidiously thrust a harpoon into his body ; and though he drew 
 it out and fled on shore, they pursued him, stabbed him in 
 thirteen places, and threw him aver the rocks, where, after 
 diligent seai'ch, his body was foiuid in a pit, and buried. This 
 occurrence spread a dreadful panic through the whole little 
 settlement, especially, as the murderers had threatened to kill 
 Kayarnak's other brother-in-law. The missionaries did all in 
 their power to allay the fears of the Gixenlanders ; and the 
 gentlemen of the Danish colony, likewise, interested them- 
 selves in the affair, and so far succeeded, as to take the ring- 
 leader and several of the gang prisoners, in the presence of 
 above a hundred of their countrymen. On his examination he 
 confessed, that besides Kayarnak's brother-in-law, he had 
 killed three persons with his own hands, and had been acces- 
 sary in corhniitting three otlier m.urders. But as he was sub- 
 ject to no human judicature, and ignorant of the divine law, 
 they only read to him the ten commandments, threatened him 
 severely, and let him go. This did not dispel the fears of 
 Kayarnak, but rather increased them ; and after spending 
 some time in great disquietude, he declared, that he considered 
 himself bound to conduct the brother of the deceased, whose 
 life the ruffians chiefly sought, to a place of safety in the south. 
 All the exhortations, remonstrances, and entreaties of the mis- 
 sionaries proved ineffectual to dissuade him from his purpose; 
 for though he wept bitterly at leaving them, his fears prevailed, 
 and he went to the south. Thus in the course of two weeks 
 they beheld, with deep sorrow, their territory forsaken by most 
 of its inhabitants, and had to endure the additional reproach, 
 
30 MISSION I\ GREENLAND. 
 
 tliat they could indeed baptize heatlien, but were not able to 
 make them real Christians^ and wean them from their roving 
 manner of life. They were little aware, that this occurrence, 
 which appeared so destructive to 4;heir hopes, would, by the 
 over-ruling hand of God, become the means of diffusing the 
 knowledge of the gospel in distant places, and increase the 
 number of believing Greenlanders beyond their most sanguine 
 expectations. 
 
 It was not long before they experienced some alleviation of 
 the sorrow which these disastrous events had occasioned. 
 Twenty-one boats of Southlanders passed by their settlement, 
 and brought them the pleasing intelligence, that they had met 
 the fugitives, who had told them many wonderful things about 
 God, of which they wished to be better informed. After some 
 time Simek and his fiuiiily, who had accompanied Kayarnak on 
 his flight, returned, and before winter nine families resided 
 with them. Thus they had again full scope for their exer- 
 tions ; and though in their labours among these people they 
 met with much to exercise their faith and patience, yet they 
 had upon the whole more cause to rejoice than to mourn, as 
 their instructions were evidently not without a blessing. The 
 young people, in particular, six of whom attended the school, 
 afforded them the most pleasing hopes. 
 
 Various circumstances concurred to render the year 1740 
 memorable in the annals of the Greenland mission. 
 
 A great change took place in the mode adopted by our 
 brethren in their endeavours to instruct the natives, The 
 method, hitherto pursued by them, consisted principally in 
 speaking to the heathen of the existence, the attributes and 
 perfection of God, and enforcing obedience to the divine law, 
 hoping by these means gradually to prepare their minds for the 
 reception of the sublimer and more mysterious truths of the 
 gospel : and it must be allowed that, abstractedly considered, 
 this method appears the most rational ; but, when reduced to 
 practice, it was found wholly ineffectual. For five years our 
 missionaries had laboured in this way, and could scarce obtain 
 a patient hearing from the savages. Now, therefore, they de- 
 termined, in the literal sense of the words, to preach Chbist 
 
MISSION IN GREENLAND. 31 
 
 ANP HIM CRUCIFIED, without first "laying the foundation of 
 repentance from dead works, and faith towards God." No 
 sooner did they declare unto the Greenlanders " the word of 
 reconciliation," in its native simplicity, than they beheld its 
 converting and saving power. This reached the hearts of their 
 audience and produced the most astonishing effects. An im- 
 pression was made, which opened a way to their consciences, 
 and illuminated their understandings. They no longer re- 
 mained the stupid and brutish creatures, they had once been ; 
 they felt they were sinners, and trembled at their danger ; 
 they rejoiced in the offer of a Saviour, and were rendered cap- 
 able of relishing sublimer pleasures than plenty of seals and 
 the low gratification of sensual appetites. A sure foundation 
 being thus laid in the knowledge of a Crucified Redeemer, the 
 missionaries soon found that this supplied their young converts 
 with a powerful motive to t!ie abhorrence of sin and the per- 
 formance of every moral duty towards God and their neighbour ; 
 taught them to live soberly, and righteously, and godly, in 
 this present world ; animated them with the glorious hope of 
 life and immortality, and gave them the light of the knowledge 
 of the glory of God, as the Creator, Preserver and moral 
 Governor of the world, in a manner far more correct and in- 
 fluential, than they could ever have attained, had they per- 
 severed in their first mode of instruction. The missionaries, 
 themselves, derived benefit from this new method of preaching. 
 The doctrines of the cross of Christ warmed and enlivened 
 their own souls in so powerful a manner, that they could ad- 
 dress the heathen with uncommon liberty and fervour; and 
 were often astonished at each other's powers of utterance. In 
 short, the happiest results have attended this practice, not only 
 on this occasion, and in Greenland, but in every other country, 
 where our missionaries have since laboured for the conversion 
 of the heathen. 
 
 In this year their external circumstances also took a more 
 favourable turn. Their supplies of provisions from Europe be- 
 came more regular, and they were in the sequel, subject to but 
 few disappointments ; and some restrictions, under which 
 
32 Mission iv grefnland. 
 
 the mission had liitherto laboured, were abrogated by a royal 
 rescript. 
 
 Tlic bright prospect of our missionaries, consequent on Kay- 
 arnak's conversion had been very much clouded by his sudden 
 flight, and by the very slender hopes they entertained of his re- 
 turn. Ijut tljese clouds were quickly dispersed. In about a 
 year Kayarnak returned, bringing his brother and his family 
 along v.'ith liim, whose instruction had been one principal object 
 of his journey. The missionaries perceived with inexpressible 
 joy, that lie had not lost ground in the knowledge and experi- 
 ence of the gospel, and that, during his residence among the 
 heathen, he had diligently declared to them the way of salva- 
 tion, and had daily engaged in religious exercises with his own 
 family. 
 
 Several olher Greenlanders settled at New Herun'kut 
 about this time, and evinced a serious concern for their salva- 
 tion, which drew upon them opposition from some of their 
 neighbours. This however did not deter them from extolling 
 the grace of God, and their exhortations, joined to a consistent 
 conduct, had very considerable influence on their countrymen, 
 who often ex})ressed their astonishment at what they he.ard. 
 Sometimes the missionaries took the young converts with them 
 on their visits to the heathen, which proved of material benefit. 
 In their absence. Kayarnak held meetings for prayer with those 
 Greenlanders who remaimed at home ; and a young woman, 
 who had been baptized about this time and called Sarah, was 
 very useful among her own sex. 
 
 Their new converts were likewise of use to them in acquiring 
 greater proficiency in the language. In hearing the natives 
 pray, they became familiar with expressions, which they would 
 not so readily have attained in any other way; and thus they 
 learned from their converts to spcak^ after these had been 
 taught by them to think. I'herefore they now began to trans- 
 late the Harmony of the four Evangelists. 
 
 It was not long, however, before a new trial befel them. In 
 February 1741 the first fruits of their labours, Kayarnak, was 
 seized with a pleurisy, which terminated his earthly pilgrimage. 
 
iMISSIOX IN GREENLAND. 33 
 
 During his illness he bore his sufferings with true Christian 
 patience and fortitude, being filled with the hope of glory and 
 immortality. When any of his friends began to talk with him 
 about worldly affairs, he begged them not to encumber him 
 with such things now, for his thous^hts and affections were 
 wholly engaged with our Saviour. Seeing some of them weep, 
 he said, " Don't be grieved for me ; have you not often heard 
 that believers, when they die, go to our Saviour and partake 
 of eternal joy .'' You know, I was the first of our nation, who 
 was converted to the Saviour, and now it is his will that I 
 should be the first to go to him If you remain faithful to the 
 end, we shall meet again before the throne of God and the 
 Lamb, and rejoice for ever at the grace conferred upon us. 
 He will know how to provide food for you, and especially for 
 ray wife." Contrary to the custom of the Greenlanders, both 
 his wife and his brother shewed much resignation at his death, 
 and requested our brethren to bury his corpse according to the 
 manner of believers. The gentlemen and other persons, be- 
 longing to the colony of God-haab, attended the funeral. 
 After singing some verses, one of the missionaries delivered a 
 short discourse in the house. Four Greenland youths then 
 carried the coffin to the place of interment. At the grave 
 one of the Danish missionaries gave a short exhortation ; and 
 the whole was concluded with prayer. This solemn scene 
 made a wonderful impression on those natives, who were pre- 
 sent. His death was a severe stroke to our brethren : they 
 lost in him a bright example of the efficacy of divine grace in 
 renovating the heart, a lively and active witness of Christ 
 among his countrymen, and a very useful assistant in translat- 
 ing the New Testament. 
 
 Our missionaries still proceeded with their usual activity in 
 visiting and instructing the heathen, in which they were faith- 
 fully assisted by their converts. Wherever these went, in 
 quest of food, they diffused the knowledge of the gospel, both 
 by their words and by their conduct, which the pagans them- 
 selves acknowledged to be consistent with their profession. 
 Thus, when our brethren followed them to these places, they 
 generally found the way prepared, which greatly facilitated 
 
M MISSION IN GREENLAND. 
 
 their labours among the savages. Indeed it appeared that a 
 general inquiry about the way of truth had been excited among 
 the natives inhabiting this part of the coast, which brought 
 many visitors to New-herunhut, and annually increased the 
 congregation of believing Greenlandcrs. The missionaries, 
 however, observed the utmost caution before they admitted any 
 to the sacred rite of baptism, not only because the impressions, 
 made on the Greenlandcrs by the gospel, often proved transi- 
 tory and evanescent, but because they were ever ready to grow 
 proud and self-conceited when they had attained the least 
 knowledge of divine things. 
 
 As a proof that the natives had been stirred up to inquire 
 into the truths of the gospel, the following may suffice. In 
 1744, when the believing Greenlandcrs returned from the 
 islands, they reported that they found many heathen, who 
 gladly listened to them, when speaking of the Saviour, and de- 
 sired to hear more ; and those, who were disposed to mock, 
 were generally silenced by the more sober-minded. Gne of 
 the baptized found a number sitting together and conversing 
 with much earnestness about the concerns of their souls. They 
 constrained him to bear them company, and join in their dis- 
 course. The awakening extended to a greater distance, than 
 the missionaries could conveniently visit. Of this they were 
 informed by one of their baptized Greenlandcrs, who had found 
 the savages, living many leagues to the north, very eager to 
 be instructed. A company of them urged him to sit down and 
 talk with them for a whole night ; and when he stole away the 
 second night, to get some rest, they followed and compelled 
 him to gratify their desire of further conversation. Even a 
 noted ano-ekoh, or necromancer, in that place, was much im- 
 pressed. He wept two whole days, and told the people he had 
 dreamed that he was in hell, where he saw and heard things, 
 not possible to utter, adding, that he would no longer deceive 
 them by his diabolical delusions. 
 
 In process of time this general stir among the heathen sub- 
 sided ; but the believing Greenlandcrs increased both in num- 
 ber and grace. At the close of 1748, no less than two hun- 
 dred and thirty resided at New Her.unhut, thirty-five of 
 
MISSION IN GREENLAND. 35 
 
 wliom had been baptized during that year. And though they 
 were not without their imperfections ; yet it was evident, that 
 they progressively attained to greater stability. In their in- 
 tercourse with one another, which became more and more 
 characterised by brotherly love, in their faithful improvement 
 of all the means of grace,, and in the composure, and not un- 
 frequently the triumphant hope, with which they met death 
 and looked forward to a glorious immortality, they gave many 
 pleasing proofs of the influence of the gospel on their hearts. 
 Impediments of one kind or other were indeed often thrown in 
 the way by Satan and his emissaries, the angekoks, who, fearing 
 they should entirely lose their reputation and profits, invented 
 all sorts of stories to deter their countrymen from believing the 
 gospel ; but their efforts were feeble and could not withstand 
 the power of divine truth. ^^■''' .^> /• 
 
 In 1747, the missionaries erected their first church, a wooden 
 building, the frame work and boards of which had been sent 
 from Europe. This proved a very great convenience, as the 
 auditory frequently amounted to three hundred persons. Store- 
 houses were at the same time built, both for the missionaries 
 and their converts, which, to the latter, were peculiarly useful, 
 as they could now keep their dried meat, fish, capelins and 
 other articles for winter consumption, in a place of safety, where 
 they were neither injured by the cold, nor devoured by beasts 
 of prey. In consequence of this and the good regulations in- 
 troduced among them, above three hundred persons could be 
 maintained at Nkw-herrnhut, a place, where it was formerly 
 deemed impossible for two families to subsist. They had it 
 even in their power to assist their poor neighbours in times of 
 scarcity ; and they were never deficient in this act of charity. 
 
 The year 1752, and the two following were marked by 
 circumstances of a most calamitous nature. The winters of 
 1752 and 1753 exceeded in severity any in the memory of 
 the natives. The cold was perfectly horrible, and all the in- 
 lets were frozen over and blocked u]) with ice, so that no kajak 
 could stir for many days ; and even when any of the Green- 
 landers went abroad they were not sure of their lives, and re. 
 turned with their hands and faces frozen, and mostly without 
 
 e2 
 
36 MISSION IN GREENLAND. 
 
 having caught as much as a single bird. Notwithstanding the 
 many perils to which they were exposed, when going out in 
 quest of food, only one of the inhabitants of New-herrnhut 
 perished at sea. Tempests, resembling hurricanes, were not 
 unfrequent. On one occasion the storm nearly threw down the 
 mission-house and chapel ; and the violence of the waves com- 
 pletely shattered their new and largest boat, although drawn 
 on shore. Famine succeeded this intense cold, and plunged 
 the savages into the utmost distress, many being starved to 
 death. Great as were the sufferings of the Christian Green- 
 landers, they were considerably mitigated by the solicitude of 
 the missionaries for their welfare, and the more provident 
 habits which they had acquired. A dreadful contagion fol- 
 loM^ed in the train of these calamities, which carried off great 
 multitudes, both natives and Europeans ; our missionaries, 
 however, escaped. It raged with great fury at Nkw-herrx- 
 HUT for .three months. Besides those members of the congre- 
 gation, who died in other places, thirty-five finished their 
 earthly race in the settlement. Many of these evidenced, in the 
 most striking manner, the powerful and elevating influence of 
 religion on the soul, not only leaving this world without re- 
 gret, but even rejoicing at the bright prospect beyond the 
 grave ; which is the more remarkable as the Greenlanders have 
 naturally an excessive horror of death. 
 
 During these disasters our brethren had almost daily proofs 
 of the astonishing power of true religion in meliorating the 
 condition of men even in this life, when comparing the situa- 
 tion of the Christian Greenlanders with that of their pagan 
 neighbours. In an account of one of their visits to the heathen 
 in 1757, they write, " We passed on to a house, which for 
 want of blubber, the people had long since forsaken. * Near 
 it we found fifteen persons half starved, lying in so small and 
 low a provision-house that we could not stand upright, but 
 were forced to creep in on our hands and knees. They lay one 
 
 * VNhcn the (Irccnlanders have burnt all their oil, or as their phrase is, 
 when the lam])s must go out, they move into a close hole, which rcijuires 
 I'ewer lamps to warm it. 
 
MISSION IN GREENLAND. 37 
 
 upon another, in order to keep themselves warm. They had 
 no fire, nor the least morsel to eat, and were so emaciated, that 
 they did not even care to raise themselves and speak to us. 
 At length a man brought a couple of fishes. A girl took one, 
 raw as it was, tore it in pieces with her teeth and devoured it 
 with avidity. She looked as pale as death, and her whole 
 countenance was truly ghastly. Four children had already 
 perished with hunger. We distributed among them a portion 
 of our own scanty pittance, and advised them to go to our 
 land, which however they seemed rather reluctant to do, as 
 they had never showed any inclination to hear the gospel, and 
 had very carefully avoided all intercourse with our (-ireenland- 
 ers *." Indeed so little did these external distresses lead the 
 heathen to a due sense of their spiritual need, and the benefits 
 arising from religion, that though many of them came to the 
 settlement and were hospitably entertained, and even acknow- 
 ledged the superior excellence of the way of life of their believ- 
 ing countrymen ; yet they manifested no real desire to become 
 Christians, and most of them went away again as soon as the 
 famine subsided. 
 
 The great mortality at New-herrnhut deprived the con- 
 gregation of some of its best providers, and increased the num- 
 ber of widows and orphans. This rendered it necessary for 
 the missionaries to make proper arrangements for the support 
 of the destitute. In those families, where there was still a son 
 left, the maintenance of the survivors was assigned to him. 
 When there was no provider, the children were distributed 
 among the rest of the families, to be trained to such kinds of 
 manual labour as are required in Greenland. Orphans of a 
 still younger age were confided to the care of some of the 
 sisters ; and infants at the breast were committed to those 
 mothers who were still nursing -f". It was pleasing to observe 
 
 • Crantz, Vol. ii. p. 258. 
 f There is nothing from which the Greenland women are more averse 
 than to nurse the child of a stranger, lest it should hecome a rival in their 
 affections to the prejudice of their own children. In this case the Green- 
 landers are totally devoid of feeling and compassion, and there is no alter- 
 native left for the unfortunate father, who cannot bear to witness the linger- 
 
38 MISSION IN GREENLAND. 
 
 that the Christian Greenlanders yielded the most cheerful 
 obedience to these regulations, and that many, who were less 
 able, put to shame their richer neighbours. Our missionaries 
 did not lighten the burden to themselves. They clothed 
 several destitute children, and provided boats and other neces- 
 sary implements for many of the boys, that they might be able 
 to support themselves and their poorer relatives. For it was 
 their constant aim to educate their young people in habits of 
 industry, and not to collect together a company of idle and 
 poor people, who must be burthensome to their friends in 
 Europe. 
 
 In their endeavours to bring the heathen to a saving know- 
 ledge of the gospel, our brethren met with many instances of 
 its transforming and ennobling influence. Among several in- 
 stances of this kind, related by Crantz in his history of the 
 Greenland mission, the following two, which occurred about 
 this time, are remarkable. 
 
 " One of their earliest acquaintances was a South Green- 
 lander, of the name of Kainack, whose intercourse with them 
 commenced in the year 1739, and their conversation seemed 
 even then to make some impression upon his mind. This he 
 endeavoured to shake off; for being of a good family*, and 
 making a great figure, he was regarded as a prince by his coun- 
 trymen, and feared to lose his fancied dignity and reputation, 
 by joining himself to the believers ; for in Greenland, as well 
 as elsewhere, decided adherence to the Lord and his people, is 
 connected with reproach from worldly men. His conscience, 
 however, was disquieted ; and with a view to get rid of this un- 
 easiness of mind, ho led a roving life. In tliis state he com- 
 mitted several outrages. One man he beat so severely that he 
 crippled him ; at another time he lay in wait for some of the 
 
 injr death of his motherless infant, but to bury it alive with its mother. It 
 affords, therefore, no small proof of tlie influence of divine grace, ^^hen a 
 Greenland woman, professing Christianity, conquers this savage disposition 
 and bceonaes a kind foster- parent to an orjjhan-child. 
 
 * In Greenland a nian is reckoned of noble family, if he is dcscenxled from 
 a fatiicr, grandfather, and great grandfather, wlio were renowned seal- 
 catchers. 
 
MISSION IN GREENLAND. 39 
 
 Christian Greenlanders, and threatened to set the house of the 
 missionaries on fire, because they took a woman under their 
 protection, whom he wished to marry against her will. In the 
 sequel, indeed, he accomplished his purpose, and this very 
 woman proved the means of his genuine conversion. She 
 brought him more frequently under the sound of the gospel, 
 and thus his early impressions, which, like a smothered spark, 
 had lain dormant in his breast, were rekindled. Having given 
 sufficient evidence of his sincerity, he was baptized together 
 with his wife, at New-heurnhut, in 1753. As soon as they 
 could leave their winter-houses, his whole household, upwards 
 of twenty in number, removed to the settlement, and the greater 
 part of them were, in the sequel, likewise baptized. As his 
 conversion excited a good deal of observation in the country, our 
 missionaries had for a while a large number of hearers, many 
 of whom prepared to follow him. As for Kainack himself, he 
 became as quiet and peaceable after his baptism, as he had 
 been wild and ungovernable before. He died rather suddenly 
 three years after, while he was among the islands, with his 
 family, who lost in him an industrious and faithful father, and 
 the congregation a respectable member and sincere follower of 
 Christ." 
 
 While this instance beautifully illustrates the care of the 
 good Shepherd, ingoing after his sheep, which was lost, until 
 he found and brought it to his fold ; the one which follows, 
 presents us with an example of true Christian charity. 
 
 " An account being read to the congregation at New- 
 Herrnhut, of the destruction of the Brethren"'s settlement 
 among the Indians at Gnadenhutten*, in North America, the 
 Greenlanders were so affected, that they burst into loud weeping, 
 and spontaneously made a proposal to raise some contributions 
 among themselves for their poor brethren. " I have a fine 
 reindeer skin, which I will give." said one ; and another, " I 
 have a new pair of reindeer boots, which I will send." A third 
 added : " I will send them a seal that they may have something 
 to eat and to burn." Now, although their contributions, when 
 
 * See Chapter III. 
 
40 MISSION IN GREENLAND. 
 
 turned into money, were of no great value, yet our missionaries 
 did not choose to reject them, but ordered the amount of the 
 whole to be remitted to the sufferers in America, as an evidence 
 of the benevolent influence of the gospel in Greenland.*"" 
 
 Though near two hundred Greenlanders, baptized by our 
 missionaries,had finished their earthly career; their congregation 
 consisted now of four hundred persons. Since the year 1742, 
 when the first general awakening of the natives commenced, 
 the increase had been considerable, at least in proportion to 
 the population of the country. The same rapid increase was 
 no longer to be expected ; for as several new colonies had 
 been established by the Danes and provided with mission- 
 aries from the royal Mission College in Copenhagen, most of 
 the heathen, living in the North and near Ball's river, attended 
 the preaching at Godhaab. Our Brethren had had regular 
 stations for preaching the gospel in the islands of Kook and 
 Kangek, to which the Greenlanders from the South generally 
 resorted, and where they sometimes, on their journeys to and 
 from the North, took up their abode for a year or two, and it 
 was chiefly from these people they had received their converts. 
 By them, also, our missionaries had been often invited to es- 
 tablish a settlement somewhere in the South, as many in that 
 part of the country were disposed to receive the gospel, but 
 did not incline to move to New-Herrnhut, being apprehen- 
 sive that they would not be able to support themselves there. 
 For though the country about Ball's river is one of the finest 
 districts in Greenland, the natives cannot easily resolve to 
 leave the place of their nativity and settle elsewhere, since the 
 mode of procuring a livelihood differs more or less in every place, 
 and a year or two are generally spent in acquiring the necessary 
 new habits and practices, during which time they mostly suffer 
 great want of provisions. Indeed the missionaries themselves 
 did not wish the settlement at New-Herhxhut to become too 
 numerous ; for though the experience of subsequent years has 
 shewn, that the place is capable of supporting a considerable 
 number of inhabitants; yet they found it difficult to main- 
 
 • Crantz, Vol. ii. p. 130, 255, 26ti. 
 
MISSION IN GREENLAND. 4l 
 
 tain px'oper regularity and discipline in a congregation, whose 
 number rendered attention to the individual members almost 
 impossible, a circumstance peculiarly necessary in the care of 
 converts from among the heathen. 
 
 For these reasons, and in the hope of extending their use- 
 fulness, they had for some years frequently deliberated on the 
 practicability of forming a second settlement, and several places 
 had been under consideration in this view, but none of them ap- 
 peared eligible. Meanwhile the Danes established a factory at 
 Fisher's bay, about one hundred miles to the south of Nfw- 
 HERRNHUT. This induced our brethren to transmit a memo- 
 rial to the President of the Greenland Trading Company in 
 Copenhagen, offering to form a settlement in tliat neighbour- 
 hood. Their offer was readily accepted ; but its execution was 
 for some time impeded. 
 
 Every needful arrangement being at length made, Matthew 
 Stach* and two other brethren, set sail for Greenland in 1758. 
 Having rested a few weeks at New Hkrunhut, and concerted 
 the needful measures with the missionaries there, they proceed- 
 ed to Fisher's bay, on the 19th July, accompanied by four 
 Greenland families, consisting in all of thirty two persons, des- 
 tined to make the beginning of the new congregation. It was 
 the wish of the Trading Company that they should settle as 
 near to the colony as they deemed most convenient for the Mis- 
 sion. After diligently exploring that part of the country, they 
 fixed on Akonamick^ where an old Greenland house was still 
 standing, as the most eligible spot. It is situate on an island, 
 about three miles from the main ocean, and nearly at an equal 
 distance from the factory, and though it affords no prospect to 
 the sun, which is peculiarly desirable in Greenland, and his 
 beams are entirely intercepted by a high mountain for three 
 months in the year ; yet they chose this spot, as it possessed 
 
 * He was one of the first missionaries who went to Greenland, but had 
 retired to Gerniany to spend his latter years among his friends there. He 
 however still felt tlie most lively interest in the mission. No sooner was it 
 proposed to him to undertake this new expedition, than he was ready to go, 
 especially as he had always felt a strong inclination to carry the gospel far 
 ther to the South, though he was avcU aware that new dangers and toil?. 
 awaited liim. 
 
-42 MISSION IN GREENLAND. 
 
 the following three advantages : fresh water, which is never en- 
 tirely frozen ; a secure harbour for their boats ; and a strand 
 which remains open the whole year, and is not at too great a 
 distance from the ocean. 
 
 In erecting their house they had to encounter various diffi- 
 culties, as they had not been able to bring the necessary ma- 
 terials for building with them, and the place itself supplied 
 them with very few; they could not even derive much assistance 
 from the Greenlanders, as they liad to build their own houses. 
 They were obliged to roll the stones to the spot, carry the 
 earth in bags, and fetch the sods by water from another 
 place. 
 
 At first the Greenlanders found it difficult to maintain them- 
 selves at LicHTEKFELs, wluch was the name given to the new 
 settlement : but discovering at no great distance a strait, 
 through which the seals ran into a narrow bay, they found it 
 practicable to prevent their escape, and thus they could often 
 kill several at a time. This not only afforded them a provi- 
 dential supply, but was the more remarkable, as the natives 
 declared they had never before seen seals in that inlet. Yet, 
 though it alleviated the difficulty, it did not entirely remove it. 
 A scarcity, little short of famine, ])revailed in that district, for 
 two or three years, and many of the heathen died of absolute 
 want. The inhabitants of Lichtexfels indeed suffered less, 
 yet they were often driven to great shifts, frequently having 
 nothing to eat, but a few crow-berries left on the ground during 
 winter, and some small meagre fishes. At other times they 
 lived upon muscles and sea-weeds, which they gathered on the 
 strand at low water. Yet amidst all their poverty they were 
 content, and never complained, but helped each other as far as 
 they could, and when one caught a seal, all the inmates of the 
 liouse received a share. The missionaries could not relieve 
 them to the extent of their wishes, being themselves reduced to 
 great straits, especially as they had not yet been able to erect 
 a store-house, in which to secure their provisions during the 
 bad weather. Till this defect was removed, the Greenlanders 
 did not reap the full benefit of their industry during the sum- 
 mer months. Yet, by means of their diligence they were even 
 
MISSION IN GREENLAND. 43 
 
 then able to dispose of a greater quantity of blubber to the 
 factor at the colony, than he received from the whole district 
 besides. 
 
 During the frequent voyages, which our missionaries as well 
 as their converts were obliged to make, they often encountered 
 most imminent perils, but likewise experienced the most won- 
 derful preservation of their lives. The following instances 
 may serve as examples. 
 
 In March 1759, four of the missionai'ies of Lichtenfels, 
 in one of their voyages, were overtaken by a dreadful snow- 
 storm, and obstructed by the drift-ice, so that they could 
 neither proceed nor return. After long and severe toiling, 
 however, they reached the shore, but the sea ran so high, that 
 they were afraid to land, lest they should be dashed to pieces 
 against the rocks. The only wish left them seemed to be that 
 one of them might escape, to tell what was become of the rest. 
 At length the tide made a sufficient opening between the mass- 
 es of floating ice, and thus they could proceed and land with 
 safety. 
 
 Two Greenlanders, being despatched with letters to Fred- 
 erick's-haab, were obliged to sit two whole nights in their 
 kajaks upon the ice, which at first constantly broke in 
 with them. It was the third night before they came to a 
 house. Had they not then been so fortunate, they would in 
 all probability have perished, as their thirst was intolerable, 
 having had no water for forty-eight hours. Their sweat, oc- 
 casioned by severe and incessant labour, oozed through their 
 clothes, and by the intense cold, was instantly congealed to ice. 
 One of them had his hands frozen. Both their kajaks were 
 also much damaged. 
 
 In November the weather was uncomm.only tempestuous. 
 At one time the storm shook the mission-house as violently 
 as if there had been an earthquake. Many Greenland houses 
 and boats were damaged, and eight persons were lost at sea. 
 Such was the violence of the wind, that it even split and tore 
 open the ice, but the holes were immediately filled by drifted 
 snow. Before and after the storm, balls of fire were observed 
 in the air in difi'erent places. One of them fell near a house 
 
44 MISSION IN GREENLAND. 
 
 and began to burn it A similar phenomenon was seen about 
 Christmas, at mid-day, while the sun was shining in its usual 
 splendour. 
 
 Our brethren had not been long settled at Lichtenfels, 
 before many of the natives visited them, especially those who 
 lived near the factory, and on the other side of the island, 
 though the way by land to both places is at least six miles 
 through rugged valleys and over steep cliffs. Besides some 
 widows and their children and some single women, two families 
 took up their abode with them, and diligently attended the 
 preaching of the gospel. Considerable impression was also 
 made on the minds of the neighbouring heathen, who by de- 
 grees obtained a general knowledge of the truths of religion, 
 but as yet, could not resolve to relinquish their pagan custom.s, 
 and embrace the gospel. When the necessity of conversion 
 was urged upon them, they always had some excuse or other 
 to make for deferring it to a more convenient season. 
 
 However the seed of the Word sown by the missionaries, 
 though it lay for a while buried in the earth, did not remain 
 unfruitful. Those, who resided near the factory, were for the 
 most part very desirous to hear the gospel, and when the mis- 
 sionary had preached in one house, they followed him into an- 
 other, in order to hear something more. One of the sailors 
 once remarked, that these Greenlanders acted much more like 
 Christians than the Europeans, since some of them joined to- 
 gether every evening, with great devotion, in praying and sing- 
 ing hymns. The visits to the heathen, living on the east side 
 of the island, in particular, seemed to promise a rich harvest. 
 In January 1760, the first heathen family was baptised 
 at LiCHTENFKLs. There was some resemblance between it and 
 that of Kayarnak,the first fruits of the mission at New Herrn- 
 HUT. Like the latter it consisted of father, mother, son, 
 and daughter, they all came from the south, and had but 
 lately settled with the brethren. The increase of this new 
 congregation was such, that in a few years two hundred and 
 ninety ])ersons resided at Lichtenfels. 
 
 To return to Nkw-herrnhut. The work of the Lord 
 prospered. Many heathen, especially Southlandcrs, visited 
 
MISSION IN GREENLAND. 45 
 
 the place. Some were quite savage and indisposed to list- 
 en to the gospel*. Others were not quite insensible to its im- 
 portance, yet were unwilling to make a profession. They even 
 forbade their relations to hear the gospel, alleging, that they 
 had seen too many examples of people, especially of young 
 persons, who after paying serious attention to the doctrine of 
 Christ's suffering and death, only once or twice, were so cap- 
 tivated, that they could never rest till they lived with the be- 
 lievers, and that often to the great grief of their nearest rela- 
 tives. If any one, therefore, resolved to live with the believers, 
 he might be considered as gained over to the faith, and in- 
 stances of leaving the brethren, after residing with them, be- 
 came more and more rare. In general they had weighed the 
 subject for years together ; their final determination in favour 
 of Christianity might, therefore, in most cases, be considered 
 as the effect of the operation of the Holy Ghost on their hearts. 
 Pleasing instances of this kind were not unfrequent. The num- 
 ber annually added to the Church by baptism was between 
 thirty and forty, and some years it exceeded fifty. The in- 
 habitants of this settlement, in 17C9, amounted to five hun- 
 dred and forty. 
 
 About this time our missionaries lost their most useful na- 
 tive assistant, Daniel. He received his first impressions of di- 
 vine truth, under a sermon of the Danish missionary, Mr. 
 Drachart, in the year 1745, and proving by his walk, that he 
 had sincerely embraced the gospel, he was baptized by that 
 gentleman in 1747, at God-haab, and the following year mov- 
 ed to New-herrnhut. Our missionaries soon discovered that 
 he was possessed of talents, far superior to the generality of 
 his countrymen, and as his conduct was consistent with his 
 profession, they appointed him to assist them in preaching the 
 
 * " It shocked me," says Crantz, who was then on a visit in (j reenland, "to 
 see many of them pierced to the heart, so that they trembled, snufl'ed, and 
 blew like frighted deer, and sometimes, like a man in strong convulsions, 
 tugged their coat, or boots, in order to stifle their convictions, and as soon as 
 the preaching was over, they ran off in haste, lest the subject should be more 
 closely applied to them." 
 
46 MISSION IN GREENLAND. 
 
 gospel and instructing the natives. In this he was indefatiga- 
 ble, and, when any heathen visited the settlement, he never 
 neglected speaking to them, and explaining all the regu- 
 lations of the place. Yet his zeal was tempered with pru- 
 dence, and when he met \vith people, who were disinclined to 
 hear, or turned the subject into ridicule, he did not obtrude 
 the gospel upon them, but left them, after giving them a gen- 
 tle, yet serious, reproof. In general, however, the heathen 
 heard him gladly. His manner, when addressing them, was 
 lively, engaging, and intrepid, but when speaking to his fellow 
 believex's, his discourses were simple, affectionate, and impres- 
 sive. He made frequent use of striking similes, and knew how 
 to apply them with good effect to the hearts and consciences of 
 his hearers. He felt truly interested in the salvation of his 
 countrymen, and spared no pains to promote it ; and for this 
 purpose, besides his constant labours near home, he once un- 
 dertook a journey of eight weeks to a considerable distance to 
 the North, the immediate fruit of which was, that all his rela- 
 tions, then living, followed him to New-Herrnhut, and be- 
 came worthy members of that congregation. He left the world 
 in sure prospect of a better inheritance. He was much respected 
 at the Danish colony, and the agents of the trade used to call 
 him the man ofGod^ and listened to his discourses with astonish- 
 ment. 
 
 Hitherto both the health and the lives of our missionaries 
 had been remarkably preserved. Even those who came first 
 to this country were still in full activity. Notwithstanding 
 the many privations they had suffered, the incessant toils and 
 hardships they had encountered, and the repeated dangers to 
 which they had been exposed, none of them had been afflicted 
 with any serious or alarming sickness. Now, however, a breach 
 was made among them, by the departure of brother Frederick 
 Boenisch, who entered into the joy of his Lord on July 29th, 
 17C3, in the fifty fourth year of his age, twenty eight of which 
 he had spent in the service of this mission. 
 
 A singular circumstance occurred in the year 1768. An 
 Angekok, or sorcerer, who had often heard the gospel, but 
 seemingly without effect, was so terrified by a dream, that from 
 
MISSION IN GREENLAND. 47 
 
 that time he altered his manner of life, preached repentance 
 and conversion to his former adherents, and despatched mes- 
 sengers to New-Herrnhut with the request, that a missionary 
 would come and instruct them in the doctrines of salvation ; 
 which request, was gladly complied with. It is not easy to 
 determine, how far this occurrence might tend to rouse the 
 attention of the natives, and thus pave the way for their recep- 
 tion of the gospel ; so much, however, is certain, that anew 
 awakening arose in those parts, and extended as far as Lich- 
 TENFELs and even farther, and many were in the following 
 year added to the Church by baptism.* 
 
 In 1773, brother Christopher Michael Koenigseer arrived in 
 Greenland, having been appointed to have the superintcndcncy 
 of the whole mission. Besides the faithful discharge of the 
 various and important duties of his office, he rendered essential 
 service to the mission, by the correct knowledge he acquired of 
 the language, though already far advanced in years. Being 
 the first missionary in that country, who had had the advan- 
 tage of a learned education, he was qualified to correct the 
 translations of his predecessors, and to add several new versions. 
 Among these were, a Greenland Hymn-book, a translation of 
 the Summary of Christian Doctrine, (a kind of catechism^ and 
 some smaller pieces. 
 
 Desirous still further to extend their benevolent labours, our 
 brethren in 1774, began a new settlement, to the south of 
 LiCHTENFELs, not far from Cape Farewell, to which they gave 
 the name of LiciiTENAU-f-. The first missionaries, labouring 
 on this station, were John Soerensen and his wife, and the 
 single brother Gottfried Grillich. Four families of Christian 
 Greenlariders had come with them to begin the new settlement. 
 From the very first many heathen attended the preaching of 
 the gospel, so that they frequently had a])ove one hundred and 
 
 * Here ends the history of Crantz. 
 f Ten years before this period, brother Mat. Stach had visited this part of 
 the country, which was then hut little known, though most of the inhabitants 
 in the two other settlements had come from it. He spent the winter in tliese 
 parts, and the immediate fruit o-f his zealous exertions in preaching the gos- 
 pel, was that a family of six persons moved to New-herrnhut. 
 
48 MISSION IN GREKNLAND. 
 
 fifty hearers, which obliged them to perform divine service in 
 the open air, till they could erect a house for that purpose. 
 During the winter of 1775, nearly two hundred persons resided 
 at LicHTENAU ; and in a few years the number of baptized 
 Greenlanders, belonging to that congregation, amounted to two 
 hundred and five. 
 
 Some new regulations which were made by the Directors of 
 the Greenland Trading Company in 1776, proved advantageous 
 to the natives in a temporal point of view, but were in other 
 respects detrimental to the mission. An order was issued at 
 the same time, directing that fewer Greenlanders should reside 
 together in one place, which, it vvas supposed, would promote the 
 trade. In consequence of this, the Christian Greenlanders 
 were in part dispersed, and obliged to take up their residence 
 in different places, at the distance of ten or twelve miles from 
 the settlements. This greatly increased the labour of our 
 brethren, as they considered it their duty, besides sending a 
 native assistant with each company, to visit them occasionally 
 themselves. But these journeys were often rendered extremely 
 difiicult, and at times even impossible ; and the converts 
 received spiritual injury, by being deprived of the regular 
 instructions of the missionaries.* 
 
 In 1782 the country was again visited by a dreadful conta- 
 gion, which occasioned great distress, both at New-herrn- 
 HUT and LiCHTKNFELS. In the former place the number of 
 deaths from April till August amounted to one hundred and 
 twenty five, among whom were several native assistants, and 
 some of the most expert and diligent providers. Many fami- 
 lies were in consequence reduced to great straits ; and some- 
 times there was scarce a sufficient number of healthy persons 
 to bury the dead. In Lichtenfels the disease broke out a 
 little later, but proved equally fatal. Under these afflicting 
 circumstances the missionaries had this great consolation, that 
 the patients looked forward to their dissolution in assured hope 
 of happiness beyond the grave. 
 
 • This regulation, being continued in the .sequel, led to the establishment of 
 several (Jreenland villages, or out-places, in the vieinity of eaeh of the set- 
 tlement.o. 
 
MISSION IN GREENLAND. 49 
 
 The period now under review passed without any striking 
 incidents. The settlements at New-herrnhut and Lichten- 
 FELS received but little increase from heathen embracing the 
 gospel, as few resided in those parts. Lichtenau, on the 
 contrary, still remained a gathering-place, where many pagans 
 attended the preaching, and by degrees were embodied with the 
 Church of Christ. Some of these came from a considerable 
 distance. Thus two men visited that settlement in October 
 1785, who had come from the east coast, probably a distance 
 of, at least, five hundred miles, having spent the whole sum- 
 mer on their journey. At other times several hundred savages 
 resided some monthsin their vicinity, forthepurpose of procurino- 
 provisions. These occurrences were zealously improved by the 
 missionaries, and they had the pleasure to find, that their tes- 
 timony of the truth as it is in Jesus, in several instances 
 evinced its saving power. 
 
 As various baneful effects were observed to arise from the 
 dispersion of the Christian Greenlanders, they resolved that a 
 missionary and his wife should winter with them in each of 
 their principal provision-places, in order that the regular min- 
 istry of the word and the ordinances, and the schools, might 
 not be interrupted. They made a trial of this measure in 
 1786, and found it of evident utility; but in the sequel in- 
 surmountable difficulties prevented its continuance. By deorees 
 however, the converts themselves became sensible, that they 
 suffered much harm in their souls by their long absence from 
 their teachers. Many therefore refused to leave the settlements 
 in future, and most, who had removed, gradually returned. 
 
 In 1786, brother Koenigseer fell asleep in Jesus, in the 
 sixty fourth year of his age, the last thirteen of which he had 
 spent in the service of this mission, being intrusted with the o-e- 
 neral superintendency of all its concerns. He was succeeded in 
 his office by brother Jesper Brodersen, a student of theology, 
 who had arrived about two years before. 
 
 l^rother Brodersen resided alternately at New-he rrnhut, 
 LiCHTENFELs, and Lichtenau*, devoting all the energies 
 
 ♦ New-herrnhut is the itiost northern, and Lichtenau the most southern set- 
 
 F 
 
52 MISSION IN GREENLAND. 
 
 A few instances of this kind, which occurred during this period, 
 will doubtless be interesting to the reader. 
 
 Two Greenlanders from Lichtenau, returning in their 
 kajaks from catching seals, were so jammed in by the fresh 
 ice, which was accumulating around them, that their destruc- 
 tion appeared inevitable. Their perilous situation was observed 
 from the shore, but it was impossible to come to their assist- 
 ance. Soon after the wind drove them along with the ice out 
 to sea, and their friends, completely losing sight of them, were 
 thrown into the utmost anxiety. In the mean time, however, 
 they had reached a large piece of the old ice, (the only one 
 remaining in the bay,) upon which they climbed, drawing their 
 kajaks after them. On this piece of ice, barely large enough to 
 afford room for them and their kajaks, they spent the night, 
 which was piercingly cold. The next morning the new ice had 
 attained sufficient firmness to bear their weight, and they 
 walked home on it in safety. 
 
 A company of four Europeans and three Greenland women, 
 travelling by land from Nappartok to God-haab, a distance of 
 only eight or ten miJcs, were so overcome by cold and hunger, 
 that three of the Europeans and one of the natives, belonging 
 to the Danish factory, fell down by the way, one after the 
 other, and were frozen to death. 
 
 But the hardships and dangers, unavoidably connected with 
 their situation in these frozen regions, are not the only diffi- 
 culties that must be encountered by a missionary. His very 
 voyage to this country, or back again to Europe, is replete with 
 perils. Of this brother Grillich made a most painful experience 
 on a voyage, which he made to Copenhagen on business of the 
 mission. He left Greenland in October 1798, with a ship be- 
 longing to Julianenhaab, but, after beating about five weeks, 
 the vessel was so much damaged by drift-ice, that she was 
 obliged to return to the colony. In February 1799 he again 
 set sail in the same ship, but the quantity of drift-ice at sea 
 was greater than before, and they were closely hemmed in by it 
 from the 18th to the 25th of that month. At length, findino- 
 the ship so clogged and injured by it, that she could not be 
 saved, the captain was under the necessity of quitting her, with 
 
MISSION IN GREENLAND. 53 
 
 all the property on board. On the last-mentioned day, there- 
 fore, the whole ship's company began their march over the ice, 
 dragging a boat after them. They spent two nights in the 
 open air, and had no means of quenching their thirst, but the 
 melted snow. On the third morning they came to open water, 
 put in their boat and sailed five leagues, when they again reached 
 the barren coast of Greenland. They had scarce landed, before 
 a tremendous storm arose with snow and sleet, so that had they 
 been still at sea, they must have all perished. But now they 
 were in a disastrous situation, without any food or covering for 
 the night. On the following day, however, it pleased God to 
 send them a favourable wind, with which they sailed five 
 leagues, and reached the colony at Frederick's-haab in safety, 
 where brother Grillich was detained till April, and could not 
 reach Lichtexfels till May. He at length arrived safe 
 at Copenhagen, October 29th, with the ship from God- 
 haab.* 
 
 After the return of brother Grillich to Greenland our three 
 settlements were again visited by a dangerous epidemic, in 
 consequence'of which many of the converts departed this life, 
 among whom were some of the most active and useful native 
 assistants. The sorrow, felt by the missionaries on account of 
 the loss thus sustained by the whole congregation, was more 
 than balanced by the happy frame of mind, with which the 
 patients bore their bodily sufferings, viewing death and the 
 grave as the avenues to immortality and eternal life. 
 
 But, it was not only when visiting the sick, or attending the 
 death-beds of their converts, that they had the pleasure to ob- 
 serve the gracious influence of the gospel on their minds. They 
 frequently beheld this influence in the secret operations of the 
 Spirit of God, convincing their hearers of sin, and leading them 
 to_our Saviour, as the only true source of happiness. Among 
 many instances of this kind, which came to the knowledge of 
 our brethren, they relate the following in their diary of 
 1804 
 
 " One of our people called upon us, in order, as he said, to 
 
 * Per. Acct. Vol. ii. p. 361. 
 
54 MISSION IN GREENLAND. 
 
 confess his abominable intention. He informed us, that on 
 account of many quarrels, which hitely occurred in his family, 
 (which he now aknowledged to have been mostly provoked by 
 his own inconsiderate language,) he had formed a resolution 
 to seclude himself from all society, by retiring into the wilder- 
 ness. ' With this intention,' said he, ' I left home and spent 
 some nights in a lonely place. But as I was about to proceed 
 to a still greater distance, I thought, O ! how happy are those 
 people, whom the Lord himself reproveth and chasteneth, when 
 they are going astray ; O that I were one of them ! As I was 
 rowing along the sea seemed to assume a most dreadful appear- 
 ance, and with all my exertions I could not get forward ; my 
 kajak appeared fixed to the bottom, though I was in the deepest 
 part of the bay. I was frightened, and immediately tried to re- 
 gain the shore. Here I spent the night in the greatest distress, 
 and as soon as it was day returned to my family with shame 
 and repentance. Now I most fervently thank our Saviour 
 that he delivered me from the ways of destruction. Never 
 more will I follow the impulse of my own heart, but He shall 
 be my enly Lord and Master.*"' 
 
 In the year 1804 the missionary Rudolph and his wife expe- 
 rienced an almost miraculous preservation of their lives, in 
 attempting to return to Europe, after a service of twenty six 
 years in the Greenland mission. They left Lichtknau on 
 June 18th and in the evening of that day went on board the 
 ship, which was lying off the Danish factory of Julianenhaab ; 
 but were detained by the drift-ice, whicli blocked up the bay, 
 till the 14th of July, when they weighed anchor. Having, 
 with great difficulty entered Dutch-haven, about two miles from 
 the colony, they were again detained for several weeks by the 
 ice and the continuance of southerly winds. 
 
 The captain being informed by some Greenlanders, that 
 the sea, at no great distance, was free from ice, once more 
 weighed anchor, on August ^22nd, resolved at least to make an 
 
 * Per. Acct. Vol. iii. p. lOi). Ciant/ relates in his History of Greenland 
 that incase of quarrels between husband and wife, one of them sometimes 
 runs away into tlic wilderness, abandoning for yeius, and even for life, all hu- 
 man society. Granz, Vol. i. p. 160. 
 
MISSION IN GREENLAND. •>! 
 
 attempt to get into clear water. The wind was contrary and 
 very high, and there was still much ice within sight. They 
 sailed between huge masses of ice, which made a roaring noise, 
 and caused a most uneasy motion in the ship. To secure her, 
 as far as possible, from damage, several large pieces of ice 
 were fastened to her sides with grappling irons. Thus they cut 
 their way through immense fields of ice, which sometimes rose 
 mountain-high. In this manner they proceeded for three days, 
 encountering many fears and dangers, but happily unconscious 
 of the still more dreadful calamities, which awaited them. 
 
 " Early on August 25th." writes brother Rudolph*, "a storm 
 arose from the south-west, which drove the ice-mountains close 
 to our ship. The scene was awful and horrible; and wc 
 expected that the ship would have been crushed to pieces. 
 Once she struck upon a small rock, but was got off' without 
 receiving any damage. But soon after she struck her bows 
 with such a force against a large field of ice, that several planks 
 started at once and the water rushed in. The captain imme- 
 diately jumped into a small boat, with part of the crew; and 
 having landed them on a large field of ice, he returned for 
 another party. The rest were employed in loosing the large 
 boat, in order to save themselves; for the ship was rapidly 
 filling with water, and perceptibly going down on her starboard 
 side, so that by the time the boat was let down only the 
 larboard gunwale appeared above water. The captain and all 
 the sailors having left the ship, my wife and I were alone, 
 standing above our knees in water, and holding fast by the 
 shrouds. At last, Capt. Kiar-f- came to our assistance saying, 
 * I cannot possibly forsake these good people."* By his help 
 we got into the boat, and likewise had our hammock and bed 
 secured. 
 
 '^ We left the wreck, being about a league from the land, and 
 about seventy-eight miles distant from Lichtenau. Our boat 
 
 *See his Journal, wliich contains a detaile^Z account of this perilous voyage, 
 in Per Acct. Vol. iv. p. 311—360. 
 
 f Capt. K. was not the master, of the ship, in which the missionaries sailed, 
 but belonged to one which had been stranded near Statcnhuck and was now 
 returning to Europe. 
 
66 MISSION IN GREENLAND. 
 
 being heavily laden, and having already taken in much water, 
 we feared she would sink, and were therefore obliged to steer 
 for the nearest island. It proved to be a rough, pointed, and 
 naked rock ; at a considerable height, however, we found a 
 small spot covered with short grass. We now endeavoured to 
 land the provisions saved from the wreck, but the waves beat 
 frightfully against the rock, and tossed the boat up and down 
 with such violence, that the rope broke, and she was driven out 
 to sea. In order to bring her back, eight men immediately 
 leaped into the small boat ; but though they came up with the 
 large boat, the fury of the tempest baffled all their efforts to 
 regain the landing place ; they were driven to the other side 
 among the ice, by which both our boats were crushed to pieces ; 
 nor did we entertain the smallest doubt that the sailors had pe- 
 rished, as it seemed impossible for them to get over the ice to 
 the shore, the waves rising so exceedingly*. All our hopes of 
 being saved now vanished, and the whole company gave vent 
 to their feelings in general and loud cries and lamentations. — 
 In the evening we lay down to rest, close together, without 
 tent or covering. As it continued to rain heavily the whole of 
 this and the following day and night, the water rushed down 
 upon us in torrents from the summit of the rock. We were 
 completely soaked in wet, and lay in a pool of water. But this 
 was in reality a benefit to us, as we were thus supplied with 
 fresh water. 
 
 " August 27th, the two captains and most of the sailors got 
 ready to try to gain the shore by walking across the ice; and 
 with great difficulty succeeded in their attempt. We would 
 willingly have gone with them, but having now been two days 
 without tasting any food, we felt ourselves too much enfeebled 
 for such an enterprise. Thus we were left alone on the rock, 
 with the ship's cook, who likewise was unable to follow his com- 
 rades. In this dreadful situation we had no hope, but what 
 we derived from the Lord our almighty Saviour. We now saw 
 no other prospect before us, than that of ending our days on 
 
 » Tlicir fears were fortunately unfounded, as all the sailors, excepting one, 
 succeeded in their cflbrts to v^cl tti hind. 
 
MISSION IN GREENLAND. 57 
 
 this barren rock. The thoughts of lying here unburied, as 
 food for ravens and other birds of prey, which were always ho- 
 vering around us, troubled usTor^'a short time ; but the conso- 
 lations of our Saviour preponderated, and we soon felt entirely 
 resigned to his will." 
 
 The captains and sailors, having meanwhile reached the land, 
 immediately dispatched some Greenlanders in 'search of brother 
 Rudolph and his wife. These Greenlanders, after rowing 
 about the whole day of September the 2nd, without seeing any 
 person on the rock, were on the point of returning, conclud- 
 ing that they had perished. Fortunately, however, sister 
 Rudolph, happening to raise herself, discovered the Green- 
 landers. From them our missionaries got a little seals'-fat and 
 a few herrings, having been without food for nine^days. As tliey 
 came in their kajaks, and had no other boat with them, brother 
 Rudolph and his wife were obliged to spend another night on 
 the rock, and wait till the evening of the next day, when a 
 skin-boat arrived. In her they embarked, and after enduring 
 several hardships, reached the colony of Juliancnhaab in 
 the evening of the 8th, and proceeded to Lichtenau on the 
 11th, where they were affectionately welcomed by their fellow 
 missionaries and the whole congregation, who joined them in 
 grateful praises to God for this wonderful preservation of their 
 lives. 
 
 Here they remained till the following May, when they again 
 prepared for their voyage to Europe. After a very tedious and 
 difficult passage in a Greenland boat, from Lichtknau to 
 LiCHTENFELs, they left the°latter place, on the 13th of Sep- 
 tember, in one of the Danish ships, and being favoured with 
 a very expeditious and pleasant voyage, arrived in Copenhagen 
 on the 3rd of October. 
 
 Little did our brethren in Greenland imagine that the war, 
 which during this period was raging with such violence on the 
 continent of Europe, would extend its ravages to the remote 
 corner of the earth, which they inhabited. But, though they 
 were happily out of the reach of contending armies, yet they 
 experienced some of the fatal effects of the contest. The 
 rupture between Great Britain and Denmark, occasioned a 
 
58 MISSION IN GREENLAND. 
 
 temporary suspension of the accustomed intercourse between 
 the latter country and hjer colonies, which are wholly dependant 
 upon Europe for support. This awakened many gloomy ap- 
 prehensions, both among our brethren and the other colonists; 
 and this fear was considerably increased, as one of the two 
 ships, sent out by the En^'^lish government in 1808, was lost in 
 the ice, and the provisions, prepared for them in London in 
 1809, could not be sent, as it was found inconvenient to fit out 
 ships from Great Britain to Greenland. Another misfortune 
 they experienced was the capture of a Danish provision-ship 
 by the British, and thus, only one small vessel arrived that 
 year, the cargo of which was by no means sufficient to supply 
 the many factories on the coast. Our missionaries in New- 
 HERRNHUT and LiCHTENFELs thus exprcss themselves on the 
 occasion: " though we have not yet felt absolute want of the 
 necessaries of life, yet we are obliged to measure (as it were) 
 every mouthful we eat, to make our provisions last as long as 
 possible." Their stock of wine was so reduced, that they could 
 but very seldom celebrate the Lord's Supper, which was a great 
 grief to their converts. Another very serious inconvenience 
 was the want of sufficient change of clothing, especially linen, 
 and of tobacco, which is the principal medium of traffic in this 
 country. 
 
 This distress was felt most severely at Lichtenau, as ap- 
 pears from the following extract of a letter, written by the mis- 
 sionary Beck in 1813. 
 
 " In 1807 we received the last regular supplies ; which 
 were sufficient, in addition to what we had spared in former 
 years, to maintain us for a considerable time ; and as we hoped, 
 that the interruption occasioned by the war would not last 
 lono-, we felt no anxiety, but when both the colonists and our 
 brethren at New-herrnhut and Lichteneels began to suffer 
 want, we even helped them out of our store to various neces- 
 sary articles, of which, however, we ourselves afterwards felt 
 the want. In the north there was yet some trade, by which 
 ])artial relief was obtained, but here nothing could be had from 
 that source. Yet we thanked God, that there still existed the 
 means of supporting life, though we suffered many privations, 
 
MISSION IN (;reenl,and. 59 
 
 such as of beer, cofiee, sugar, and wine, and afterwards of 
 butter and salt : wc made the latter last as long as possible, by 
 boiling fish in salt water; and though whatever was sent to us 
 in 1810, did not arrive here till 1812, we have to thank our 
 heavenly Father for having given us our daily bread. At 
 last we were the only people that had any tobacco. By this 
 we were enabled to purchase birds and fishes from the Green- 
 landers, as also furs for our boats and clothing. We had like- 
 wise some seed left, and got a small supply of garden-stuff". 
 The Greenlanders brought us scurvy-grass in barter for tobac- 
 co. The latter article, however, became at last so scarce that 
 a pound was worth 7s. 6d. *." 
 
 In this distressful situation the colonies continued till the 
 year 1811, when the British government generously afforded 
 every facility to the Danes to supply their Greenland factories, 
 by permitting Danish provision-ships, furnished with a proper 
 license, to sail thither. By this humane measure, on the part 
 of England, they were relieved from immediate distress, and 
 all anxiety respecting the future. 
 
 While this regulation continued in force, one of our 
 missionaries, John Conrad Kleinschmidt, whose wife had 
 entered into the joy of her Lord, after a residence of nearly 
 nineteen years in Greenland, resolved to bring his five 
 children to Europe, and for this purpose set saii in the 
 ship Freden, bound for Leith in Scotland. They left New- 
 HKKUNHUT on September 2nd, 1812, but owing to un- 
 ftivourable weather, did not lose sight of the coast till 
 the 25th. The wind was fair, and they had the prospect of 
 a speedy and pleasant voyage, when suddenly there arose from 
 the north-west a most tremendous storm, which raged with un- 
 abating fury for about three days and two nights. In the even- 
 ing of the 29th, when it was at its lieight, accompanied with 
 thunder and lightning, a flash struck the ship. Two sailors 
 were thrown down ; one of whom instantly expired. The cap- 
 
 Per. Acct. Vol. vi. p. 196. In some of the colonies the distress was still 
 greater. The colonists were reduced to the necessity of eating small herrings, 
 muscles, and even sea-weeds; many of them therefore left the country, Per. 
 Acct. Vol. V. p. 195. 
 
60 MISSION IN GREENLAND. 
 
 tain and all on board were filled with the utmost consternation, 
 and the former exclaimed : "AVe are all lost, and there is no 
 other ship near to save us." Fortunately, however, it was soon 
 discovered, that the ship had not taken fire, nor sustained any 
 very serious damage. In the sequel they encountered several 
 severe gales and contrary winds, which so prolonged the voyage 
 that they were put on short allowance of water, which was pe- 
 culiarly trying to the children. This privation, however, 
 lasted only five days, as they came in sight of the Scottish coast 
 on the 8th of October, and two days after cast anchor in Leith 
 Roads. During their stay there, one of brother Kleinsch- 
 midt''s daughters, a child only] three years old, died after 
 a short illness. On this, as well as on every other occasion, 
 he and his company experienced the most affectionate attention 
 from many worthy gentlemen at Leith and Edinburgh, who 
 proved themselves sincere and generous friends to our missions.* 
 
 During his absence a most tragical event occurred in the 
 congregation, which he had hitherto served in the gospel. A 
 party of Christian Greenlanders, having celebrated Christmas 
 at the settlement, were returning to one of the out-places, 
 where they resided by art order of government, intended to 
 promote the interests of trade. They set out in their skin- 
 boat, in January 1813, when the cold was so intense, that the 
 thermometer stood twelve degrees below Reaumur's freezing 
 point. They had soon to encounter the floating ice, by which 
 their boat was crushed to pieces. They however escaped 
 upon a large field of ice, and drove about for twenty four hours, 
 when during^the night a violent storm arose from the north, 
 which carried them out to sea. Here they must all have 
 perished, as nothing more was heard of them. They were 
 seventeen in number, old and youug, and all baptised members 
 of the conffreffation at Lichtenau. 
 
 After spending the winter at Fulnek in Yorkshire, and hav- 
 ing again married, brother Klcinschmidt and his wife, in com- 
 pany of the missionary Gorkc* and his wife and their infant 
 
 * For a circumstantiaraccount of this voyage, sec Per. Acct. Vol. v. p. 334, j 
 
 341. 
 
 t Brother Ciorke h;ul lived in Greenland before, but left it seven year.s aRo 
 
MISSION IN GREENLAND. GI 
 
 daughter, and of brother Mueller and sister Goll, sjviled from 
 Leith in the Danish ship Hualfisken for Greenland. They 
 left Scotland on May 24th, 1813 and, after a safe and expe- 
 ditous voyage of five weeks, arrived at Godhaven iu Diskobay, 
 the captain, contrary to his engagement, refusing to land them 
 near any of the mission settlements. This ungenerous con- 
 duct on his part was the more reprehensible, '^as there was 
 every facility of landing them either at Lichtenfels or New- 
 HERRNHUT. Even the mate and sailors remonstrated with him 
 on the cruelty of his behaviour ; but to no purpose, for he 
 continued his course day and night, and the only reply he made 
 was : " never mind, they have the summer before them." The 
 consequence was, tliat they had to travel back in a boat, coast- 
 ing it all the way, six hundred miles to New Herrnhut, 
 and ninety more to Lichtenfels, and Brother Kleinschmiot 
 and his wife, after reaching New-herrkhut, had still to per- 
 form a voyage of five hundred miles, before they arrived at 
 LicHTEXAU, their place of residence. But through the Lord's 
 mercy they all got home before winter set in, though brother 
 Kleinschmidt's party were four months in completing their 
 voyage along this rocky and dangerous coast*. All the toils 
 and perils of their journey were quickly forgotten, when tliey 
 found themselves again in the midst of their brethren and sis- 
 ters, and beheld the grace of God, which prevailed in the 
 Greenland congregation. 
 
 The affairs of the mission were now again brought into 
 their regular course. Each of the three settlements was 
 provided with the requisite number of missionaries, and every 
 anxious appprehension respecting their support was re- 
 moved, in consequence of the regular intercourse re-opened 
 with Europe. Hereby our brethren were animated to re- 
 newed exertions in promoting the cause of God, and the 
 best interests of their feilow-men, in these dreary regions. 
 
 Their time and attention were particularly occupied in de- 
 vising means for enlarging the acquaintance of the natives with 
 
 to pay a visit to Europe, where he had been thus long detained in consequence 
 of the war. The rest were new missionaries. 
 
 t Per. Acct. Vol. vi. p. 199. 
 
02 MISSION IN GREFNLAN'D, 
 
 the docti'ines of the Bible. A version of the Harmony of the 
 Four Gospels, together with select portions of the prophecies 
 of Isaiah had been in use among tliom for several years. To 
 add to their sources of .information on scripture-truths, brother 
 Gorke, about this time, translated a small work, entitled, Jesus, 
 the Friend of Children, being a short compendium of the 
 Bible, and recommended by a Society of pious ministers in 
 Denmark, for distribution among the GrecnJanders. But their 
 chief concern was to furnish them with a good and correct 
 translation of the New Testament ; to which they were greatly 
 encouraged by the kind offer of both the British and Foreign 
 and the Edinburgh Bible Societies, to get the work printed for 
 them. The execution of this important undertaking was com. 
 mitted to brother Kleinsehmidt, who had obtained great pro- 
 ficiency in the language by his long residence in the country. 
 His many other avocations, however, and his desire that the 
 manuscript should be previously revised by the other mission- 
 aries, who possessed a competent knowledge of the language, 
 in some measure, retarded its progress; but this temporary 
 delay eventually proved a real benefit, as it tended to render 
 the version more correct. 
 
 According to the latest intelligence received from Green- 
 land, and which brings down the history of this mission to the 
 spring of 1817, it appears^ that amidst the imperfections and 
 occasional deviations of individual members of the congrega- 
 tion, the work of God was prospering in all the three settlements, 
 and the word of the cross displaying its converting and trans- 
 forming power in old and young. The peace of God, unity of 
 spirit, and a determination to spend their lives for the Lord 
 Jesus Christ, prevailed among our missionaries ; and they lived 
 in habits of cordial love and friendship with the gentlemen of 
 the Danish factories and all the colonists. 
 
 In November 1816 they had the joy to baptize an adult 
 heathen at New-herknhut, a circumstance which had not 
 occurred in that settlement for sixteen years, and on this ac- 
 count made a deeper and more solemn impression on all who 
 witnessed this sacred transaction. In the same place the mis- 
 sionary, Henry Menzel, entered into the joy of his Lord, on 
 
MISSION IN GREENLAND. G3 
 
 the 21st of October, 1816. He had laboured thirty-three 
 years with zeal and faithfulness in the Greenland mission. 
 
 Since the commencement of this mission a very remarkable 
 difference has taken place in the state of the country, in a 
 moral point of view. In the neighbourhood of New-hkuun- 
 HUT and LiCHTENFELS scarce any heathen reside, most of the 
 inhabitants having been baptized either by the Danish mis- 
 sionaries or our brethren, and acquired a general knowledge of 
 the truths of Cliristianity. These settlements, therefore, may 
 be considered as forming two Christian congregations, the 
 children and youths of which are baptized in infancy, and from 
 their earliest years instructed in the doctrines of the gospel* 
 and upon giving sufficient evidence of the sincerity of their 
 profession, admitted to all the ordinances and privileges of the 
 Church. And our missionaries have had the plea£.'ure of 
 finding that liardly any of their young people, have entirely 
 forsaken the fellowship of the faithful ; for, though they might 
 for a season remain spiritually dead, they have sooner or later 
 been awakend by the Spirit of God, to a sense of their lost 
 condition by nature and their need of a Saviour, and by his 
 grace been taught to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts, and 
 to live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world. 
 Thus has God's promise to his Church been verified also in 
 this country : " Instead of thy fathers shall he thy children.''' 
 
 In LicHTENAU the case is in some degree different. Here 
 there is still a large field for missionary labours, as a very con- 
 siderable number of heathen still reside in that neighbourhood. 
 To them our brethren are daily proclaiming the unsearchable 
 riches of Christ. Many pagans also visit them and behave 
 with civility. For the most part indeed they come only to be 
 supi)lied with the necessaries of life ; now and then, however, 
 a desire is excited for the bread of life, and the seed of the 
 gospel falls on good ground, where it produces the fruits of 
 " repentance towards God, and faith in our Lord Jesus 
 Christ." Thus some heathen are annually added to the 
 Church by baptism. 
 
 T-he long intercourse of the natives with Europeans, added 
 to the more potent influence of the gospel, has effected the 
 
64 MISSION IN GREENLAND. 
 
 most pleasing and striking change in their manners and gene- 
 ral deportment. Along the whole extent of the western coast 
 the barbarities of savage life, and the enormities ever attending 
 paganism, where it is dominant, are now rarely to be met 
 with ; and the state of this country, compared with what it was 
 80, or but 50, years ago, may be called civilized. The nature 
 and climate of this dreary region, no less than the methods by 
 which the natives must procvire their subsistence, necessarily 
 preclude the introduction of most of the useful arts of civilized 
 society. They can neither till the land nor engage in manu- 
 factures. The former is denied them by the sterility of the 
 rocks they inhabit, and the rigours of a polar sky ; and the 
 latter, with very fev/ exceptions, are for the same reasons 
 rendered useless. A Greenlander can neither live in the Eu- 
 ropean manner, nor wear European clothing. But it may be 
 said with truth, that the converted Greenlanders, by the habits 
 of industry, which they have acquired since the introduction of 
 the gospel among them, by their contentment amidst many pri- 
 vations and hardships, and by the charity of the more affluent 
 of their needy brethren, strikingly exemplify the doctrine of the 
 great Apostle of the Gentiles, that in every circumstance of 
 life and in every nation, godliness is great gain, having the 
 promise of the life that now is, and of that tohich is to come. 
 
. < ji,f^.<4Laji 
 
 CHAP. II. 
 
 MISSION IN LABKADOR. 
 
 Labrador lies on the east side of Hudson's bay, extending 
 from latitude 51° to 60° north. Although this latitude is not 
 as high by several degrees as that of Greenland, yet the cold 
 here is far more intense.* During the winter Fahrenheit's 
 thermometer often falls thirty or more degrees below the O ; 
 and though the houses of the missionaries are heated by large 
 cast-iron stoves, the windows and walls are all the winter co- 
 vered with ice, and the bed-clothes freeze to the walls. Rum 
 freezes in the air like water, and rectified spirits soon become 
 thick like oil. From December to June the sea is so com- 
 pletely frozen over, that no open water is to be seen. Some of 
 the missionaries venturing once, during the month of February, 
 to make a journey from Nain to some Esquimaux, living at 
 the distance of forty miles, endured extreme hardships from the 
 cold. Though wrapped in furs, yet their eyelids froze toge- 
 ther in such a manner that they were continually obliged to 
 pull them asunder, and by constant rubbing prevent them from 
 closing. One of them returned with a pain in his side; another 
 with his hands frozen and swelled like a bladder ; and it was 
 only through God's mercy that their lives were preserved. It 
 is no uncommon case in winter for some of the natives to be 
 found frozen to death. The few summer months, on the 
 other hand, are so much the hotter, the thermometer sometimes 
 rising to the eighty sixth degree of Farenheit. Swarms of 
 musketoes infest the air, whose sting frequently causes painful 
 swellings. 
 
 * The reason assigned for this is, that the north-west wind, which is the 
 severest, comes over an arm of the sea to our settlements in Greenland, by 
 which means the cold is lessened : on the contrary this severe wind, which 
 prevails the greater part of winter in Labrador, comes to that coast over an 
 immense frozen cuniinent. Brief Account of Mission among Esquimaux In- 
 dians. 
 
66 MISSION IN LABRADOR. 
 
 The coast is but thinly inhabited ; and tlie Esquimaux differ 
 little in their general manners and mode of living from the 
 Greenlanders, of whose language theirs is only a dialect. In 
 summer they live in tents constructed like those in (ireenland, 
 but their winter habitations are built in a very different manner. 
 For this purpose they choose a large drift of snow, dig an oval 
 hole in it, in size corresponding with the dimensions of the 
 intended house. They then cut pieces of snow, three feet 
 long, two in breadth, and one foot thick. These they place in 
 the form of an arch over the hole. Instead of a window, they 
 cut an aperture in the arch, in which they fix a slab of ice, 
 and which admits sufficient light. The entrance into the 
 dwelling is long, winding and very low, and a slab of frozen 
 snow answers the purpose of a door. In the middle of the 
 house they leave an elevation of about twenty inches high, 
 which they cover with skins, and this serves them for a place 
 to rest and to sleep on. Since our missionaries have settled in 
 the country the natives have by degrees built wintcE-houscs for 
 themselves, constructed after the manner of those in Greenland, 
 described in page 6. 
 
 For the purposes of travelling they make use of a sledge 
 drawn by a species of dogs, in shape resembling a wolf. They 
 never bark, but howl very disagreeably. They are kept by the 
 Esquimaux, in greater or smaller packs, according to the wealth 
 of the proprietor. They quietly submit to be harnessed, and 
 are treated with no great mercy by the heathen, who make them 
 do hard duty for but a scanty allowance of food. This consists 
 chiefly of offals, old skins, entrails, &c. ; or should their owner 
 not be provided with these articles, they must provide for them- 
 selves, by seeking muscles or dead fishes. When pinched with 
 huno-erthey devour almost any thing; and on a journey it is 
 necessary to secure the harness during the night, for otherwise 
 the dofs woidd cat it, and thus render it impossible to proceed. 
 In the evening, after being unharnessed, they are left to burrow 
 in the snow wherever they please. They are sure of returning 
 at the call of the driver in the morning as they then receive 
 some food. In putting- them to the sledge they are never suf- 
 fered to go abreast, but are tied by separate thongs of une- 
 
MISSION IN LABRADOR. 67 
 
 qual lengths to a horizontal bar on the forepart of the sledge; 
 an old dog leads the way, running ten or twenty paces a-head, 
 directed by the driver's whip, which is often twenty-four feet 
 long, and can be well managed only by an expert Esquimau. 
 The other dogs follow like a flock of sheep ; if one of them 
 receives a lash, he generally bites his neighbour, and the bite 
 goes round. Their strength and speed, even without food, are 
 astonishing. The Esquimaux, however, find it more conve- 
 nient to go from place to place in their boats, when the sea is 
 open, being then much less exposed to the cold, than when 
 crossing the ice in their sledges. Their journeys, therefore, are 
 more frequent in summer than in winter. 
 
 In their pagan state the Esquimaux appear rather more de- 
 praved than the Greenlanders. Their ideas relative to God, 
 and religious and moral subjects, are as confind as those of the 
 latter ; and in their superstitious notions and practices there is 
 no discernible difference between the two nations. 
 
 Their kajaks, skin-boats and other implements are of the 
 same construction with those of the Greenlanders. 
 
 The missionary settlements lie on the eastern coast. 
 
 The disposition, on the part of the Brethren to attempt the 
 conversion of the Esquimaux, originated with our missionaries 
 in Greenland, who were led to conjecture, that the Esquimaux 
 were a branch of the Greenland nation. Matthew Stach, in 
 particular, entered with great ardour into this scheme, and for 
 that purpose applied, in the year 1752, to the Hudson Vbay 
 Company for permission to preach the gospel to the Indians 
 belonging to their factories : but no attention was at that time 
 paid to his application. In consequence of this failure some of 
 our Brethren in London, joined by several well disposed mer- 
 chants, fitted out a vessel to trade on the coast of Labrador, 
 four Brethren having declared themselves willing to settle there, 
 for the purpose of learning the language and preaching the 
 gospel to the natives. One Christian Erhard offered to go with 
 the vessel. In the capacity of mate on board a Dutch ship, he 
 had been several voyages to Davies' Straits on the whale 
 
 G 2 
 
68 MISSION IN LABRADOR. 
 
 fishery, and had visited at New-hcrrnhut, where he had learned 
 a little Greenlandic, and was now residing in the brethren's 
 settlement at Zeist in Holland. 
 
 This ^ company sailed from London on the 1 7th of May 
 1752, and on the last day of July entered a fine hay on the 
 coast of Labrador, which, in honour to one of the owners of 
 the ship, is still called Nishefs Haven. Here they resolved 
 to settle, and for this purpose erected a house, the frame and 
 materials of which they brought with them. They called the 
 place Hoped A I.E. A few weeks after Erhard sailed farther to 
 the north, for the purpose of trade. He could make himself 
 tolerably understood by the Esquimaux; and as they were 
 afraid to come on board, on account of the guns, he and five 
 of the crew went, in an unarmed boat, into a bay between the 
 islands. Here they were probably all murdered by the savages. 
 As the captain had not another boat, no search could be made 
 for them at that time ; but on the return of the ship the next 
 season, some of their remains were found, with evident marks 
 of their having been murdered. This melancholy event 
 obliged the captain to represent to those four brethren, who had 
 come out as missionaries, that having lost six of his men, he 
 could not return to Europe, unless they would consent to go 
 with him, and assist in working the ship. Though they deep- 
 ly regretted the necessity, yet under existing circumstances, 
 they could not refuse his request. The ship sailed again to 
 the coast the following year ; and the house was found still 
 standing, but it was not deemed expedient to renew the mis- 
 sion at that time. 
 
 The undertaking, however, though relinquished for a few- 
 years, was never lost sight of. Jens Haven, a missionary in 
 Greenland and acquainted with the language of that country, 
 who, before he went thither in 1758, had cherished an ardent 
 desire for the conversion of the Esquimaux, was induced again 
 to offer his services for this enterprise. His offer being accepted 
 by the directors of the missions, he came to England in 1764. 
 After many fruitless attempts to attain his object, he was at 
 length recommended to the governor of Newfoundland, Sir 
 Hugh Talliser, who received him with great kindness and of- 
 
MISSION IN LABRADOR. 69 
 
 fered him a passage on board his awn ship. This, however, 
 was declined by Haven, who only requested a^letter of re- 
 commendation to the governor of St. John's. This being 
 readily complied with, he went with the first ship sailing 
 for that colony. The governor immediately on his arrival 
 issued a proclamation in his favour, stating the object of 
 his voyage to Labrador, and ordering that every assistance 
 should be given him.* After various delays and vexations, 
 he at length landed on the coast of Labrador, at Quirpont, 
 where he arrived just in time to prevent a murderous plot. 
 Some people had collected there, and were holding a council 
 for the purpose of destroying the Esquimaux. He went boldly 
 up to them, shewed the governor's proclamation, and, though 
 not without difficulty, succeeded in diverting them from their 
 barbarous design. 
 
 His first interview with the natives aflTorded him the liveliest 
 joy, as appears from his own narrative. '* September 4th 1764,'' 
 saith he, " was the welcome day, when I saw an Exquimau 
 arrive in the harbour. I ran to meet him, addressed him in 
 the most friendly manner in the Greenlandic language ; and to 
 my inexpressible joy found he understood me. I desired him 
 to return, and bring four of the chiefs of his tribe with him, to 
 which he readily consented. Meanwhile I put on my Green- 
 landic dress, and met them on the beach, inviting them to come 
 on shore. They cried, ' Here is an Innuit (a countryman of 
 ours.') I answered, ' I am your countryman and friend.' They 
 seemed astonished, behaved very quietly, and I continued the 
 conversation for along time. At length they desired me to ac- 
 company them to an island, about an hour's row from the shore, 
 adding that there I should find their wives and thildren, who 
 would receive me as a friend. This appeared rather a hazard- 
 ous undertaking, but conceiving it to be of essential service to 
 
 * This proclamation contains the following sentence, " Hitherto the Es- 
 quimaux have been considered in no other light than as thieves and murder- 
 ers, but as Mr. Haven has formed the laudable plan of not only uniting these 
 people with the English nation birt also of instructing them in the Christian 
 religion ; I require, by virtue of the power delegated to me, that all men, 
 whomsoever it may concern, lend him all the assistance in their power." 
 Brief Account of Mission amonr/ Esquimaux Indiana. 
 
70 MISSION IN LABRADOR. 
 
 the missionary cause, that I should venture my life amongst 
 them and endeavour to become better acquainted with their 
 nation, I confidently turned to the Lord in prayer, and thought 
 within myself, ' I will go with them in thy name ; if they kill 
 me, my work on earth will be done, and I shall live with thee^ 
 but if they spare my life, I shall firmly believe it to be thy 
 will that they should hear and embrace the gospel.' I accord- 
 ingly went, and as soon as we arrived there, all set up a shout, 
 our friend is come. They carried me on shore and beset me so 
 closely on all sides, that I could neither stir nor turn. Having 
 prevailed on them to place themselves in rows before me, I 
 explained to them my object in coming to visit them, promising, 
 that if they were willing to be taught, I would return next 
 spring with more of my brethren, build a house on their land, 
 and daily discourse with them of the way to life and hap- 
 piness.*" 
 
 Having had much agreeable conversation with them. Haven 
 returned to Quirpont, where he stayed about a fortnight, and 
 several times preached to the crew of the vessel. On his arri- 
 val at Newfoundland, Sir H. Palliser and the Board of trade, 
 expressed their entire approbation of his proceedings, and their 
 wish soon to see a mission established there. Haven, therefore, 
 made a second voyage to that country the ensuing year, accom- 
 panied by Christian Laurence Drachart, formerly one of the 
 Danish missionaries in Greenland, and two other brethren. 
 They penetrated farther into the interior ; and on their return 
 to the Fnglish ships, met with several hundred Esquimaux, 
 to whom they preached the gospel, not without apparent im- 
 pression. Greatly, however, as the formation of a mission in 
 this country was desired, not only by the Brethren, but also 
 by several persons of rank in England ; various difficulties for 
 some years impeded its establishment. 
 
 During this season of suspense some Esquimaux came, in 
 17G8, to Chateau bay and renewed their practices of robbinn- 
 and murdering. They were attacked by a party of English ; 
 
 * I'ec. Accl. Vol. ii. p. 105. 
 
MISSION IN LABRADOR. 71 
 
 some were killed, others made prisoners and carried to New- 
 foundland. Three of the latter, a woman and her two sons, 
 the one about thirteen and the other six years of age, were 
 brought to England. The elder of these two boys, whose 
 name was Karpik, was presented by Sir H. Palliser to the 
 Brethren's Society for the Furtherance of the Gospel among the 
 Heathen. He possessed great vivacity, quickness of apprehen- 
 sion and docility, and, though he was at times rather sullen 
 ai\d obstinate, showed in general many good qualities. 
 Being placed in the Brethren's School at Fulnek in Yorkshire, 
 he was taught reading and writing, in which he attained consi- 
 derable proficiency. The instructions he received on religious 
 subjects likewise made a salutary impression on his mind ; he 
 was often greatly affected, and would ask many pertinent ques- 
 tions. Here he was taken ill with the small-pox. During this 
 sickness he was, according to his earnest request,. made partaker 
 of holy baptism. The ceremony was performed in the Esqui- 
 mau language by one of the missionaries, then waiting to 
 proceed to Labrador. Soon after, in the year 1769, he departed 
 this life, calling on the name of the Lord. Our Brethren 
 greatly regretted this event, because it disappointed their hopes 
 of seeing this youth become a useful servant of Jesus among 
 his countrymen. 
 
 His mother, Mikak, was treated with great kindness in Eng- 
 land, Und received many favours from some of the royal family 
 and other persons of distinction. Her joy was great at meeting 
 with the missionary Haven, as he could converse with her in 
 her native tongue. She importuned him to return and help her 
 poor countrymen, whom she described as being in the most 
 ruinous condition. Her repeated applications to those persons 
 in power, by whom she was noticed, had considerable influence 
 in forwarding the projected mission. The consequence was, 
 that, on the report of the Board of Trade to the Privy Council, 
 a resolution was taken in favour of the establishment of a mis- 
 sion in Labrador; and on the eighth of May, 1769, an order 
 in council was issued to this effect : " That the land in Esqui- 
 mau bay, desired by the Unitas Fratrum should be granted 
 
72 MISSION IN LABRADOR. 
 
 to them and their Society for the Furtherance of the Gospel 
 among the Heathen ; and they be protected in their laudable 
 undertaking." 
 
 Every facility being thus offered by government for estab-N 
 lishing a mission on this coast, some of our brethren in London 
 and other places formed a com.pany, in order to fit out a ship, 
 to convey the missionaries to Labrador, and make an annual 
 voyage thither for the purpose of supplying them witli provi- 
 sions, and carrying on a trade with the natives. They purchased 
 a brig of about a hundred and twenty tons burden. In her the 
 three missionaries, Jens Haven, LawrenceDrachart and Stephen 
 Jensen sailed to Labrador in 1770, merely for the purpose of_ 
 exploring the coast, and fixing on a proper spot where to build. 
 They landed on an island, where they met with a number of 
 Esquimaux, who behaved with'great insolence, till awed by the 
 report of the ship's guns. A couple of days after, they again ven- 
 tured to go on shore, met the natives in a friendly manner, and 
 preached the gospel to them. In sailing from the island to the 
 main land, though but a distance of a few miles, having to pass 
 between a number of islets and concealed rocks along an un- 
 known coast without chart or pilot, they were exposed to great 
 danger; but were mercifully preserved, and safely reached a 
 harbour on the eastern extremity of the continent, to which 
 they gave the name of Unity Harbour. Having discovered a 
 piece of land near this harbour, suitable for a missionary settle- 
 ment, they found the Esquimaux not only willing to sell it to 
 them, but very desirous that a company of Brethren might 
 come and take possession of it. Filled with gratitude to the 
 Lord, who had so graciously prospered their enterprise, they 
 returned to England, to spend the winter in making the needful 
 preparations for carrying their design into full effect. During 
 this interval, brother Haven married, and the offer of several 
 other brethren, besides those mentioned above, to join the 
 mission, was accepted with humble thanks to the Lord for in- 
 clining so many of his people, to sacrifice all the comforts of 
 civilized society, and venture themselves among savages, where, 
 besides a thousand other hardships, they might be hourly 
 
MISSION IN LABRADOR. 73 
 
 exposed to perish in their very attempts to humanize these 
 wretched barbarians, and teach them the knowledge of God 
 our Saviour. The wht)le company consisted of three married 
 couples, a widower and seven single brethren, in all fourteen 
 persons ; some of whom went out as assistants to the mission 
 for managing its external concerns. In this company was also 
 a physician. Having in a solemn meeting at the Brethren's 
 chapel in Fetter-lane been commended to the grace of God, 
 they left London on the -8th of ]\Iay, 1771, and sailed 
 in the brig, Amity, for Labrador, touching at St. John's in 
 Newfoundland. Their voyage was tedious ; and the latter 
 part of it rendered hazardous, as frequent storms obliged them 
 to run into unknown bays, where they were often environed 
 with large fields and mountains of ice. They however reached 
 the coast in safety on the 9th of August. 
 
 The next day they went on shore at the place chosen by 
 Haven the preceding year, and immediately commenced erect- 
 ing their house, the entire frame of which, together with bricks 
 and every other requisite they had brought with tliem from 
 England ; and towards the end of September the building was 
 so far completed, that they could inhabit two rooms. They 
 surrounded it with pallisades; for as one of them writes* 
 " their situation was critical, it was as if each zoith one of his 
 hands wrought in the work and with the other held a weapon ,-'' 
 for they found it needful to be constantly upon their guard 
 against a nation to whom robbery and murder had become ha- 
 bitual. These apprehensions were, however, at this time 
 needless, for they soon discovered a striking difference in the 
 disposition of the natives now, and at their first visit to them. 
 Formerly they were bold and impudent, looked upon the 
 Europeans as dogs, and called them barbarians while they styled 
 themselves men ; but now they were quiet and modest, ex- 
 pressed their desire to hear the Good News, and of their own 
 accord shewed that they had no deadly weapons secreted either 
 in their clothes or kajaks, 
 
 * Brief Account, &.c. 
 
74 MISSION IN LABRADOR. 
 
 The place our missionaries chose for their habitation, and to 
 which they gave the name of Naix, is so situated, that both 
 the Nuenguak tribe, who reside in the islands, and the other 
 Esquimaux, who usually travel from the South to the North, 
 can pass through the settlement. 
 
 The missionaries improved every opportunity for preaching 
 to the natives, especially brother Drachart, who was the greatest 
 proficient in the language, and devoted himself wholly to this 
 work. The Esquimaux generally listened to it with silence and 
 expressed their astonishment. And though a few treated it 
 with contempt, yet in some instances there was good reason to 
 hope, that the seed of the Word would not remain wholly un- 
 productive. Notwithstanding the excessive cold in winter, 
 some of them ventured to cross the ice and snow in order to 
 visit the heathen, who entertained them very hospitably, and 
 they, in their turn, in great numbers visited at the mission- 
 settlement. 
 
 This friendly intercourse between the missionaries and the 
 natives was attended at least with this good effect, that the 
 latter gained such confidence towards our brethren, that they 
 asked their advice in all diflScult cases, and even chose them as 
 arbitrators in their disputes, forming a resolution among them- 
 selves, in future to refer all their differences to the missionaries, 
 and submit to their decision. The fame of the settlement and 
 its inhabitants spread far into the country, as the following oc- 
 currence will serve to show. The Rev. P. E. Layritz agreeably 
 to the wish of the directors of the missions undertook a- visita- 
 tion to this new estsblishment, in 1773. As the sloop, in which 
 he and his company were, was approaching the southern side 
 of the coast near Camp island, several of the inhabitants met 
 them in their boats in the most friendly and peaceable manner, 
 though the tribe, occupying this part of the country, was for- 
 merly considered the most savage, thievish and murderous. 
 They invited brother Layritz and his company to come on 
 shore, listened with eager attention to his discourse, which was 
 interpreted by the missionary Beck, and promised to visit 
 Nain, in order to hear more of these good words. Some of 
 
MISSION IN liABBADOR. 75 
 
 them had been there last winter, and they now declared that 
 brother Drachart had told them the very same words. 
 
 During this visitation Lieutenant Curtis was sent by the 
 governor of Newfoundland to survey the coast, and to inquire 
 into the situation of our brethren. At his desire the heads 
 of families, about thirty in number, were convened, and informed 
 that the governor had given orders, that all who were guilty 
 of murdering or stealing, should in future be punished with 
 death, and that none of them should go to the South, without 
 acquainting the missionaries with it, and obtaining a certificate 
 from them. To these orders they promised willing obedience, 
 and added : " It is right that a murderer, or thief, be pun- 
 ished with death, for he deserves it ; but since we have heard 
 the gospel of Jesus, we have neither murdered nor stolen, and 
 we will not do it any more in future*." 
 
 The missionaries observed with pleasure, that the confidence 
 and attachment of the Esquimaux to them increased more and 
 more. When they undertook a journey they committed their 
 most valuable commodities to their care, and even left their 
 wives and children under their guardianship. This induced 
 our brethren to build a store-house for them, where they might 
 lay up provisions against the winter, and thus be able to reside 
 with them during that season, and daily hear the Word of God. 
 Although at the close of the second year of their residence 
 among them, they could not discover clear evidences of real 
 conversion in any of them, so as to render them proper subjects 
 for baptism ; yet appearances even then encouraged pleasing 
 hopes for the future. Many of those, dwelling near Nain, 
 were often much affected during the sermon, and expressed j)ro- 
 found awe and reverence for the name of Jesus ; but it was 
 difficult to convince them of the evil of sin, and the innate de- 
 pravity of the heart. Their moral habits, however, were consi- 
 derably ameliorated. Formerly no European would have ven- 
 tured to be alone with the Esquimaux, or spend a night with 
 them on any consideration; but now the missionaries often passed 
 several days and nights successively with them, preached the 
 
 * Briel Account, &c. 
 
70 MISSION IN LABRADOR. 
 
 gospel, boldly reproved tliem, and even silenced the Angelcoks, 
 or sorcerers, while performing their superstitious rites and in- 
 cantations. These of course employed all their diabolical arts 
 to prevent their countrymen from receiving the gospel. 
 
 This rendered the following occurrence the more remarka- 
 ble. A man, whose name was Anauke, departed this life, call- 
 ing on the name of Jesus. The first time the missionaries saw 
 him at Chateau-bay, four years before, he had all the appear- 
 ance of a thief and murderer ; but, after hearing the gospel se- 
 veral times, so striking a change took place in him, that his 
 very features lost their ferocity. In 1772 he pitched his tent 
 atNAiK, and stayed there till November, when he removed to 
 his winter house ; but some time after returned on foot,* with 
 no other view than to hear the gospel. As it is impossible to 
 travel during the first months of winter, they heard nothing 
 of Anauke till his wife came to the settlement in February, and 
 related, " that when her husband fell sick in December, he 
 prayed earnestly to the Saviour, and not only shewed no fear of 
 death, but even declared, that he had no wish to live any 
 longer in this world, but would rather go to his Saviour-""' 
 When his wife, observing his end to be approaching, began to 
 howl and cry, according to the custom of the heathen, exclaim- 
 ing, " O my dear husband, wilt thou leave me and thy two 
 children .?" he calmly replied, " Weep not, I go to the Saviour, 
 who loves men so much." He would not suffer an angekokt to 
 come near him during his sickness. This is the more striking, 
 as he had no Christian friend at hand to instruct him, and none 
 were present, whom he might wish to please by speaking of Je- 
 sus. The angekok himself related it to the missionary with 
 considerable displeasure. The deceased was ever after known 
 among the natives by the appellation of The man whom the 
 Saviour took to himsclf.\ 
 
 »This is a strong evidence of his eagerness to hear the gospel, as the Esqui_ 
 maux arc not accustomed to travel on foot ; in summer they go in their boats, 
 and in winter on sledges. 
 
 t These sorcerers are also the physicians of the Esquimaux, and make use 
 of certain siiells and incantations for the recovery of their patients. 
 [ Brief Account, &.c. 
 
MISSION IN LABRADOR. 77 
 
 This occurrence encouraged the missionaries to select from 
 among their hearers such as appeared the most seriously im- 
 pressed with divine truths, and to form them into a class of 
 Catechumens, in order to give them more particular instruc- 
 tion, snd to prepare them for holy baptism. They also resolved 
 to erect a proper chapel, as the room in their house, hitherto 
 used for their meetings of worship, was not sufficiently large to 
 accommodate their hearers, which occasionally amounted to 
 some hundreds. 
 
 They likewise began to build boats, and make various im- 
 plements and utensils for the Esquimaux, hoping thereby to in- 
 troduce a degree of civilization among them, to prevent their 
 going to the south to steal boats, and also to lessen the ex- 
 penses of the mission, by bartering these articles to the natives 
 for whalebone and blubber. 
 
 In the year 1771 four of the missionaries undertook a voy- 
 age for the purpose of exploring the coast to the north ofNAiN. 
 This expedition was attended with most melancholy conse- 
 quences. After enduring incredible disasters and escaping 
 many imminent dangers, they suffered shipwreck on their re- 
 turn, the vessel being driven on a rock, where she remained 
 fixed, and finally broke to pieces. After a most anxious night, 
 they early the next morning betook themselves to the boat. 
 This was likewise dashed against the rocks. Two of them, the 
 brethren Brasen and Lehman, lost their lives ; the other two, 
 Haven and Lister, together with the sailors, saved themselves 
 by swimming, and reached a barren rock. Here they suffered 
 incredibly from hunger and excessive cold, and must inevitably 
 have perished, had they not found it practicable to draw the 
 boat on the rock, and so far to repair the damage she had sus- 
 tained as, on the fourth day after their shipwreck, to venture 
 again into her. The wind was in their favour ; and they were 
 providentially observed by an Esquimaux in his kajak, who 
 towed them iuto the harbour of Nain. 
 
 Unappalled by this calamity. Haven and Lister, accom- 
 panied by brother Beck, the following spring ventured on an- 
 other reconnoitering voyage along the south coast, penetrated 
 
78 MISSION IN LABRADOR. 
 
 as far as Old Hopedale ; and after some search found a place 
 near Avertok, more eligible for a missionary settlement than 
 any yet discovered. 
 
 But, before the directors of our missions could consider the 
 expediency of occupying this station, they had commissioned 
 brother Haven to begin a new settlement at Okkak, about one 
 hundred and fifty miles to the north of Naix. Accompanied 
 by brother Stephen Jensen, he proceeded thither in the sum- 
 mer of 1775. They purchased the land from the Esquimaux, 
 fixed the boundaries of it, and the following year established 
 themselves in this place. They immediately began to preach 
 the gospel to the heathen in the neighbourhood, and though 
 the progress of conversion here as well as at Nain was but 
 slow, yet it was suflficient to preserve the zeal and animate the 
 hope of the missionaries. In 1781 there belonged to the con- 
 gregation at Okkak thirty eight baptized Esquimaux, and about 
 ten catechumens. 
 
 In the year 1782 two of the missionaries experienced a 
 very striking preservation of their lives. 
 
 Early on March the 11th the brethren Liebisch and Turner 
 left Naix to go to Okkak, a journey of one hundred and fifty 
 miles. They travelled in a sledge drawn by dogs, and ano- 
 ther sledge with Esquimaux joined them, the whole party con- 
 sisting of five men, one woman and a child. Every thing 
 seemed to favour the undertaking ; the weather was fine and 
 remarkably serene, and the track over the frozen sea was in the 
 best order, so that they travelled at the rate of six or seven 
 miles an hour. All therefore were in good spirits, hoping to 
 reach Okkak in two or three days. Having passed the islands 
 in the bay, they kept at a considerable distance from the shore, 
 both to gain the smoothest part of the ice, and to avoid the 
 high and rocky promontory of Kiglapeit. About eight o'clock 
 they met a sledge with Esquimaux driving towards the land ; 
 who obscurely intimated that it might be well not to proceed. 
 But as our missionaries saw no reason for it, they paid no re- 
 gard to these hints, and went on. In a while, however, their 
 own Esqijimaux remarked, that there was a swell under the ice. 
 
MISSION IN LAIJRADOR. 79 
 
 It was then hardly perceptible, except on applying the ear 
 close to the ice, when a hollow, grating and roaring noise was 
 heard, as if ascending from the abyss. The weather remained 
 clear, except towards the east, where a bank of light clouds 
 interspersed with some dark streaks appeared. But as the wind 
 blew hard from the northwest, no sudden change of weather 
 was expected. The sun had now reached his height, and there 
 was as yet little or no alteration in the appearance of the sky. 
 But the motion of the sea under the ice had grown so peixept- 
 ible as rather to alarm the travellers, and they began to think 
 it prudent to keep closer to the shore. The ice in many places 
 had fissures and cracks, some of which formed chasms of one 
 or two feet wide, but as they are not uncommon even in the 
 best state, and the dogs easily leap over them, the sledge fol- 
 lowing without danger, they are terrible only to new comers. 
 
 As soon as the sun declined, the wind increased and rose to 
 a storm, the bank of clouds from the east began to ascend, and 
 the dark streaks put theijiselves in motion against the wind. 
 The snow was driven about by partial whirlwinds, both on the 
 ice and from off the peaks of the high mountains, and filled 
 the air. At the same time the swell had increased so much, 
 that its effects upon the ice became very extraordinary and a- 
 larming. The sledges, instead of gliding along smoothly upon 
 an even surface, sometimes ran with violence after the dogs, 
 and shortly after seemed with difficulty to ascend the rising hill, 
 as the elasticity of the vast body of ice of many leagues square, 
 and in some places three or four yards in thickness, supported 
 by a troubled sea, occasioned an undulatory motion, not unlike 
 that of a sheet of paper accommodating itself to the surface of 
 a rippling stream. Noises caused by the bursting of the ice at 
 a distance, and resembling the report of cannon, were now 
 likewise heard in many directions. 
 
 The Esquimaux, therefore, drove with all haste towards the 
 shore, intending to take up their night-quarters on the south 
 side of the Nirak. But, as it plainly appeared the ice would 
 break and disperse in the open sea, Mark, (who drove the 
 sledge of the missionaries) advised to push forward to the north 
 
80 MISSION IN LABRADOR. 
 
 of the Nirak, from whence he hoped the track to Okkak might 
 still remain entire. To this proposal the company agreed, but 
 when the sledges approached the coast the prospect before 
 them was truly terrific. The ice, having broken loose from the 
 rocks, was forced up and down, grinding and breaking into a 
 thousand pieces against the precipices, with a tremendous noise, 
 which, added to the raging of the wind, and the snow driving 
 about in the air, nearly deprived the travellers of the power of 
 hearing or seeing any thing distinctly. 
 
 To make the land at any risk was now the only hope left, 
 but it was with the utmost difficulty the affrighted dogs could 
 be forced forward, the whole body of the ice sinking frequently 
 below the rocks, then rising above them. As the only moment 
 to land was that when the ice gained the level of the coast, 
 the attempt was extremely nice and hazardous. However, by 
 God's mercy, it succeeded ; both sledges gained the shore, and 
 were drawn up the beach, though with much difficulty. 
 
 The travellers had hardly time to reflect with gratitude to 
 God on their safety, when that part of the ice, from which they 
 had just now made good their landing, burst asunder, and the 
 water, forcing itself from below, covered and precipitated it into 
 the sea. In an instant, as if by a signal given, the whole mass 
 of ice, extending for several miles from the coast, and as far as 
 the eye could reach, burst, and was overwhelmed by the rolling 
 waves. The sight was tremendous and awfully grand, the 
 large fields of ice, raising themselves out of the water, striking 
 against each other, and plunging into the deep, with a violence 
 not to be described, and a noise like the discharge of innumer- 
 able batteries of heavy guns. The darkness of the night, the 
 roaring of the wind and sea, and the dashing of the waves and 
 ice against the rocks, filled the travellers with sensations of awe 
 and horror, and almost deprived them of the power of utter- 
 ance. They stood overwhelmed with astonishment at their mi- 
 raculous escape, and even the heathen Esquimaux expressed 
 gratitude to God for their deliverance. 
 
 The Esquimaux now began to build a snow-house, about 
 thirty paces from the beach, but before they had finished their 
 
MISSION IN LABRADOR. 81 
 
 work, the waves reached the place where the sledges were se- 
 cured, and they were with difficulty saved from being washed 
 into the sea. 
 
 About nine o'clock all of them crept into the snow-house, 
 thanking God for this place of refuge ; for the wind was pierc- 
 ingly cold, and so violent, that it required great strength to 
 stand against it. 
 
 Before they entered this habitation they could not help once 
 more turning their eyes to the sea, which was now free from 
 ice. They beheld with horror, mingled with gratitude for 
 their safety, the enormous waves driving furiously before the 
 wind, like huge castles, and approaching the shore, where, with 
 dreadful noise, they dashed against the rocks, foaming and 
 filling the air with spray. The whole company now got their 
 supper, and having sung an evening hymn in the Esquimau 
 language, about ten o'clock lay down to rest. The Esqui- 
 maux were soon fast asleep, but brother Liebisch could not get 
 any rest, partly on account of the dreadful roaring of the wind, 
 and partly owing to a sore throat, which gave him much pain. 
 
 The wakefulness of the missionary proved the deliverance 
 of the whole party from sudden destruction. About two o'clock 
 in the morning brother Liebisch perceived some salt water 
 dropping from the roof of the snow-house upon his lips. On 
 a sudden a tremendous surf broke close to the house, discharg- 
 ing a quantity of water into it ; a second soon followed, and 
 carried away the slab of snow placed as a door before the en- 
 trance. The missionaries having roused tlie sleeping Esqui- 
 maux, they instantly set to work. One of them with a knife 
 cut a passage through the side of the house, and each seizing 
 some part of the baggage, threw it out on a higher part of the 
 beach ; brother Turner assisting them. Brother Liebisch and 
 the woman and child fled to a neighbouring eminence. The 
 latter were wrapped up by the Esquimaux in a large skin, and 
 the former took shelter behind a rock, for it was impossible to 
 stand against the wind, snow and sleet. Scarcely had the com- 
 pany retreated, when an enormous wave carried away their now 
 forsaken habitation. 
 
 They thus found themselves a second time delivered from 
 
82 MISSION IN LABRADOR. 
 
 the most imminent danger of death ; but the remaining part of 
 the night, before the Esquimaux could seek and find another 
 and safer place for a snow-house, were hours of great distress. 
 Before the day dawned the Esquimaux cut a hole in a large 
 drift of snow, to serve as a shelter to the woman and child and 
 the two missionaries. Brother Liebisch, however, owing to the 
 pain in his tliroat, could not bear the closeness of the air, and 
 was obliged to sit down at the entrance, being covered with 
 skins, to guard him against the cold. 
 
 As soon as it was light they built another snow-house, and, 
 miserable as such an accommodation must be, they were glad 
 and thankful to creep into it. 
 
 The missionaries had taken but a small stock of provisions 
 with them, merely sufficient for the short journey to Okkak. 
 Joel, his wife and child, and Kassigiak the sorcerer had nothing. 
 They vvere obliged therefore, to divide the small stock into 
 daily portions, especially as there appeared no hopes of soon 
 quitting this place or reaching any dwellings. Only two ways 
 were left for this purpose, either to attempt the land passage 
 across the wild and unfrequented mountain of Kiglapeit, or wait 
 for a new ice-track over the sea, which it might require much 
 time to form. They therefore resolved, to serve out no more 
 than a biscuit and a half per day to each. The missionaries 
 remained in the snow-house, and every day endeavoured to boil 
 so much water over their lamps, as might supply them with 
 two cups of coffee a-piece. Through mercy they were preserv- 
 ed in good health, and quite unexpectedly brother Leibisch re- 
 covered of his sore throat on the first day. The Esquimaux 
 also kept up their spirits, and even Kassigiak, though a wild 
 heathen, declared that it was proper to be thankful that they 
 were still alive ; adding, that if they had remained a little 
 longer on the ice yesterday, all their bones would have been 
 broken in a short time. 
 
 Towards noon of the 13th, the weather cleared up, and 
 the sea was seen as far as the eye could reach, quite clear 
 and free from ice. Mark and Joel went up the hill to recon- 
 noitre, and returned with the disagreeable news, that not a 
 single piece of ice was to be seen in any direction, and that it 
 
MISSION IN LABRADOR. 83 
 
 had been forced away even from the coast at Nuasornak. They 
 were therefore of opinion, that they could do nothing but force 
 their way across the mountain of Kiglapeit. 
 
 Towards evening some flakes of ice were observed driving 
 towards the coast, and on the 14th, in the morning, the sea 
 was covered with them. But the weather being very stormy, 
 the Esquimaux could not quit the snow-house, which made 
 them very Iow-s})irited and melancholy. Kassigiak suggested, 
 that it would be well to attempt to make good weather, by 
 which he meant to practise his art as a sorcerer. This the 
 missionaries opposed, telling him that his heathenish practices 
 were of no use, but that the weather would become favourable 
 as soon as it should please God. The weather continuing ex- 
 tremely boisterous, the Esquimaux were ready to sink under 
 their disappointment. They, however, possess one advantage, 
 namely, the power of going to sleep when they please, and, if 
 need be, they sleep for days and nights together. 
 
 In the evening of the 15th the sky became clear, and their 
 hopes revived. Mark and Joel went out to reconnoitre, and 
 reported that the ice had acquired a considerable degree of 
 solidity, and might soon afford a safe passage. The poor dogs 
 had now fasted nearly four days, but in the prospect of a 
 speedy release, the missionaries allowed to each a few morsels 
 of food. The temperature of the air having being rather mild, 
 it occasioned a new source of distress, for by the warm exhala- 
 tions of the inhabitants, the roof of the snow-house began to 
 melt, which occasioned a continual dropping, and by degrees 
 made every thing soaking wet. The missionaries considered 
 this the greatest hardship they had to endure, for they had 
 not a dry thread about them, nor a dry place to lie in. 
 
 On the 16th early the sky cleared, but the fine particles of 
 snow were driven about like clouds. Joel and Kassigiak 
 resolved to pursue their journey to Okkak, by the way of 
 Nuasornak, and set out with the wind and snow full in their 
 faces. Mark could not resolve to proceed further north, be- 
 cause in his opinion the violence of the wind must have driven 
 the ice off the coast at Tikkerarsuk, so as to render it impossi- 
 ble to land ; but thought he might find a track to the south, 
 
 H 2 
 
84 MISSION IN LABRADOR. 
 
 and get round Kiglapeit, The missionaries endeavoured to 
 persuade him to follow the above-mentioned company to Okkak, 
 but it was in vain ; and they did not feel at liberty to insist 
 upon it, not being sufficiently acquainted with the circumstan- 
 ces. Their present distress dictated the necessity of venturing 
 something to reach the habitations of men, and yet they were 
 rather afraid of passing over the newly frozen sea, under Kig- 
 lapeit, and could not determine what to do. Brother Turner 
 went again with Mark to examine the ice, and both seemed 
 satisfied that it had acquired sufficient strength. They there- 
 fore came to a final resolution to return to Nain, committing 
 themselves to the protection of the Lord. 
 
 Notwithstanding the wind had considerably increased, ac- 
 companied with heavy showers of snow and sleet, they ven- 
 tured to set off at half-past ten o'clock in the forenoon of the 
 17th. Mark ran all the way round Kiglapeit before the sledge 
 to find a good track, and about one o'clock, through God's mercy, 
 they were out of danger, and reached the Bay. Here they 
 found a good track upon smooth ice, and made a meal upon 
 the remnant of their provisions. Thus refreshed, they re- 
 solved to proceed without stopping till they reached Nain, 
 where they arrived at twelve o'clock at night. 
 
 It may be easily conceived with what gratitude to God the 
 whole family at Nain bade them welcome. During the storm, 
 they had with some dread considered, - what might be the fate 
 of their brethren, though its violence was not felt as much 
 there as on a coast unprotected by any islands. Added to 
 this, the hints of the Esquimaux had considerably increased 
 their apprehensions for their safety, and their fears began to get 
 the better of their hopes. All, therefore, joined most fervently 
 in praise and thanksgiving to God, for this signal deliverance. 
 
 The ensuing summer the Brethren began a third missionary 
 establiohmcnt on the coast to the south of Nain, which they 
 called HopEDALE. For this purpose they purchased from the 
 Esquimaux, that tract of land, which had been formerly 
 reconnoitred and deemed peculiarly eligible for a settlement.* 
 They were encouraged to this extension of their labours, in 
 
 * See page 78. 
 
MISSION IN LABRADOR. 85 
 
 consequence of the eagerness then manifested by the heathen in 
 that vicinity to hear the gospel, and in the fond hope, that by 
 this means a communication might be opened between them 
 and the so-called Red-Indians, who live in the interior, and 
 now and then approach the coast in small parties. This 
 latter object, however, has hitherto remained unattainable. 
 And even with respect to the Esquimaux themselves, our 
 missionaries had several years to deplore their rejection of 
 the gospel, so that in 1790 it even appeared as if they had 
 entirely withdrawn from these parts. This unpromising state 
 of things led both the missionaries and the Society for the 
 Furtherance of the Gospel among the Heathen, to consider 
 the expediency of relinquishing this settlement altogether. 
 The Lord, however, dii ected otherwise ; and in the sequel, 
 HoPEDALE was the very place, where the new awakening 
 among the Esquimaux commenced, and from thence spread 
 to the other two settlements; 
 
 In 1790 many horrid murders were committed in the North^ 
 The natives fell upon each other in their tents by night, and 
 numbers were massacred in the most barbarous manner. 
 Amidst the alarm, which this event spread through the coun- 
 try, our missionaries were not a little encouraged by the re- 
 marks made by the Esquimaux, who resided on their land. 
 They expressed their gratitude, that the Brethren had settled 
 in the country, adding, " As many murders would certainly 
 have been committed here if you had not come and brought us 
 the good news of our Creator and Redeemer, of his love to us, 
 and our duty to love him and our neighbour." 
 
 About six years after our brethren had a very trying period. 
 An epidemical disease broke out among the natives, and raged 
 through the whole country for some months. All the settle- 
 ments were visited by it, and it attacked not only the Esqui- 
 maux, but also the Europeans ; in their case, however, its 
 violence was considerably mitigated. They were obliged for 
 several weeks almost totally to suspend their usual meetings 
 for worship, as the Esquimaux could not leave their dwellings. 
 It proved a source of great grief to them, to find that some of 
 their people, when the medicine administered did not imme- 
 
86 MISSION IN LABRADOR. 
 
 diately produce the desired effect, had recourse to their old 
 heathenish and superstitious practices for recovery. With few 
 exceptions, however, they afterwards confessed their sinful de- 
 viations, and with every mark of true penitency, begged to be 
 reconciled to the congregation. In the settlements the disor- 
 der was not generally fatal, only three or four dying in conse- 
 quence of it ; but among the heathen its violence was greater 
 and the deaths more frequent. Notwithstanding their exces- 
 sive dread of death, the gospel as yet found no entrance among 
 them. They indeed acknowledged the necessity of conversion, 
 if they would have any solid hope of happiness beyond the 
 grave; but the impression was soon effaced, and they seldom 
 came near the missionaries. 
 
 During this period the Esquimaux, William Tuglavina, and 
 his wife Mikak, died at Nain, the latter in 1794 and the for- 
 mer in 1799. They had been noted characters, both among 
 their countrymen, and at the mission. Mikak, who during her 
 visit in London, was instrumental in promoting the establish- 
 ment of the mission,* continued to render essential services to 
 the missionaries on their arrival in Labrador in 1771, and for 
 some time was an attentive hearer of the gospel. Expressing 
 an apparently sincere desire to obtain true conversion of heart 
 she was admitted to the class of candidates for baptism. But 
 removing soon after to the South, she lost her good impressions, 
 relapsed into heathenism and seldom came near our brethren. 
 The last ten days of her life she spent in Nain, where she was 
 faithfully attended by one of the missionaries. Her declaration 
 and conduct were such as to encourage the hope, that she had 
 found mercy with God our Saviour.f 
 
 Of her husband the missionaries give the following account . 
 " Tuglavina, now called V/illiam, was from the beginning well 
 acquainted with the missionaries. He was a man of great note 
 among the Esquimaux, and acquired extraordinary influence 
 and power, not only by his activity, dexterity and success in 
 hunting, his courage, bodily strength and hardiness, which are 
 considered the most essential qualifications of a great man among 
 
 * See p. 71. f Per. Ace. Vol. ii. p. 170. 
 
Mission in jlabrador. 87 
 
 the Indians ; but also by remarkable strength of mind, and 
 quickness of understanding, far superior to that of most of 
 his countrymen. He took advantage of their credulity and ge- 
 neral mental inferiority, to gain an astonishing ascendancy over 
 them ; and his word was absolute law. As a sorcerer, he was 
 believed to have extraordinary powers given him by the Torngal- 
 or familiar spirit, whom he pretended to consult on all occa- 
 sions ; and so little did the poor deluded savages mistrust his 
 inspirations, that it has often happened, that if he declared on 
 the word of his Tor7}g'ak, that such an one ought not to live> 
 the wretched object of his vengeance was instantly murdered by 
 the company. Thus he not only became guilty of the murder 
 of several persons by his own hands; but of many more through 
 his influence and insinuations. The missionaries would have 
 fallen an easy prey to his murderous disposition, had God per- 
 mitted him to disapprove of their settling in the country. But, 
 though a tyrant among his own nation, and in various ways a 
 great disturber of the peace of the mission, and the seducer of 
 many converts, he always respected and even loved the mission- 
 aries. He would submit and even tremble in their presence, 
 whenever reproved for his bad conduct; always confessing, that 
 he ought to be converted, and to forsake the ways of sin. 
 
 " As an instance of his submission to the missionaries, brother 
 Haven mentions in one of his reports, that when Tuglavina, 
 at the head of a party of Esquimaux, returned the first time 
 from Chateau Bay, having furnished himself with a sloop of 
 two mastSj European arms, and many other accoutrements ; he 
 stepped unexpectedly into the Mission-House, and into brother 
 Haven's room, dressed in an old officer's uniform, with a bob- 
 wig and a huge laced hat, a sword to his side, and altogether 
 in the habit of a European officer, uttering several threats, and 
 boasting of his valiant deeds in the South. Brother Haven 
 looking sternly at him, exclaimed, ' What, are you Tuglavina ? 
 depart this minute ; I have nothing to say to you in this dress ; 
 put on your old Esquimaux furs, and then return ; behave like 
 a sober Esquimaux, and I'll answer your speech.' Tuglavina 
 instantly left the room, as if thunderstruck ; and without re- 
 flecting on the degrading appearance he must make before his 
 
88 MISSION IN LABRADOR. 
 
 countrymen, in putting off his boasted ornaments, returned to 
 the missionaries, dressed in the plain Esquimau fashion ; who 
 then very seriously reproved him for the wicked practices and 
 the murders of which he had been guilty, and for inveigling 
 so many of the baptized to follow him to the South, where he 
 had seduced them into all manner of heathenish abomimations. 
 During this address, Tuglavina grew pale, trembled exceed- 
 ingly, confessed himself an abomimable sinner ; but said that 
 he must sin, for the devil forced him to it, and he could not 
 help himself. This gave the missionary a desirable opportunity 
 of preaching unto him Jesus as an Almighty Saviour. Such 
 opportunities became more frequent in the following years ; and 
 he often shed tears when confessing his wicked deeds, which 
 contrary to the general practice of the Esquimaux, he never 
 denied. In the sequel he became more attentive to the gospel, 
 did every thing in his power to serve the missionaries, and 
 though often hurried into the commission of sin, and by his great 
 reputation among his countrymen, beguiled into conceit, and 
 prevented from humblinghimself under the mighty hand of God, 
 yet it was apparent that the Lord followed him, to make him 
 a monument of infinite mercy. At length he gave such proofs 
 of his sincerity and firm resolution to turn with his whole heart 
 unto the Lord, and forsake the ways and even the conversation 
 of the heathen ; that our brethren could not but consider this 
 sinner, though so heavily laden with the most enormous crimes, 
 an object of God's mercy and pardon, and a candidate for eter- 
 nal life. After the usual time of trial as an inhabitant of the 
 settlement, and many serious conversations, and much previous 
 instruction, he was received into the fellowship of the believers, 
 on Christmas day 1793 ; renouncing the devil and all his works, 
 and promising, with heart and hand, to devote himself unto 
 that God, who made and bought him with his precious blood. 
 He had already during a dangerous illness been baptized in 
 Chateau l^ay by a Presbyterian minister.* 
 
 *' After his admission to the Lord's Supper his conduct and 
 expressions of gratitude for all the mercies bestowed upon him, 
 
 • Per. Actt. Vol. i. p. 254. 
 
MISSION IN LABRADOR. 89 
 
 jn-oved very pleasing and encouraging to the missionaries. He 
 evinced a cordial interest in the convereion of his countrymen, 
 and frequently addressed them on the concerns of their souls 
 with such earnestness as no Esquimau had ever done before. 
 The following year, however, he relapsed, and his conduct was 
 so grossly offensive, that it became necessary to exclude him 
 from the Lord's table for some time, till he shewed, not only 
 by his words but by his whole behaviour, that he sincerely re- 
 pented of his deviation. In his last illness, he declared, ' that 
 he was ready to go to Jesus, and hoped that the Saviour 
 would not reject him."" He repeatedly testified, ' that he was 
 happy and put his trust in God our Saviour alone.' As his 
 bodily pain increased, he frequently called on the Lord to re- 
 lease him and take him to himself. He was about sixty years 
 of age when he died*." 
 
 Towards the close of 1800 an event occurred at Hopedale 
 of the most melancholy nature. The missionary J. W. Rei- 
 man, having gone out on the 2nd of December to procure some 
 fresh provisions by shooting, returned no more, and as no one 
 was with him, his brethren covild only conjecture, that he must 
 have lost his life by the ice breaking under him. This con- 
 jecture received additional probability from the account given 
 by four Esquimaux, who, when he did not return in the even- 
 ing, went in search of him, and continued the search the 
 whole night. They reported that by the light of the moon, 
 they could discern the marks of his feet in several places, but 
 lost them again when they came to the ice. As soon as it was 
 light the next morning the missionaries, accompanied by all 
 the Esquimaux, set off to make a general search, and were 
 favoured with the continuance of fine weather ; but their search 
 was as fruitless as that of the preceding night. They keenly felt 
 the loss of him ; nor could any thing assuage their grief but 
 the divine consolations with wihch they were graciously fav- 
 oured. 
 
 In the diary of Hopedale, of 1803, a pleasing instance 
 is related of the mild and forgiving spirit of the gospel. In a 
 
 Par. Afct. Vol. ii. p, 436. 
 
90 Mission in Labrador. 
 
 conversation which took place among some of the converts, in 
 the presence of a missionary, many disputes were amicably set- 
 tled, and quarrels prevented. They showed a readiness to 
 confess their grievances and faults to each other, and a sincere 
 disposition mutually to forgive and forget them, and begin 
 anew to bear with each other in the spirit of true brotherly 
 love. " This circumstance was the more striking," say the mis- 
 sionaries, " as the custom of the Esquimaux is, to suppress 
 their displeasure, and even to feign indifference on receiving 
 injuries ; but to watch an opportunity for revenge, which if no 
 earlier opportunity presents itself, breaks out in the most 
 diabolical and murderous retaliation, perhaps ten or twelve 
 years after the offence has been given."" 
 
 The following horrible incident forms a melancholy contrast 
 to the benign influence of religion just mentioned. Intelligence 
 was brought to our missionaries at Okkak, in January 1806, 
 from Kivalek, that the old sorcerer, Uiverunna, had spent the 
 winter there, he and his family being the only residents- Here 
 his wife died; upon which the old monster seized a poor orphan 
 child, whom he had formerly adopted. Having murdered it, 
 he cut it across all the joints of the fingers and toes, ripped 
 open the belly and threw the body naked into the sea. 
 " Though we are not acquainted with his motives for so atro- 
 cious an act," write the missionaries, " yet we know, that it 
 belongs to that system of diabolical incantations, by which he 
 expects to appease the devil, by whom he pretends to do great 
 wonders, but who now,accordingto his notions, 'required agreater 
 sacrifice than usual, as he had not saved the life of his wife." 
 He did not long escape the punishment he so amply deserved. 
 Having of late endeavoured to render himself formidable 
 among the Heathen, by making them believe he had power to 
 kill whomsoever he pleased, as he never failed, when any died, 
 to have it reported, that he had sent them out of the world by 
 his torngak, or familiar spirit ; and being also known as an old 
 murderer, many had resolved to kill him as soon as a fit oj)por- 
 tunity should offer. Among other lies he some time ago pre- 
 tended, that by his sorceries he had killed Kugalek's two wives, 
 who died on one day. Ever since Kugalek sought for revenge ; 
 
MISSION IN LABRADOR. 91 
 
 .and being joined by another man, they succeeded in dispatch- 
 ing the old sorcerer, shortly after the above act of infanticide.* 
 
 Hitherto the conversion of the heathen in Labrador had not 
 only proceeded very slowly, but had been attended with many 
 discouraging circumstances. The missionaries had patiently 
 persevered in preaching to the natives, and watching every op- 
 portunity to make them attentive to the best interests of their 
 souls ; but had reaped little fruit from their labours. Visits 
 were frequent, and there was in general no want of hearers to 
 address, but they shewed no disposition to be instructed. If 
 even a salutary impression was occasionally made on their 
 minds, it was not abiding. Some families were indeed collected 
 in the different settlements, but after staying there during the 
 winter, they mostly moved away again in summer, and appa- 
 rently forgot all they had heard. A few had been baptized and 
 admitted to the Lord's table, yet even these caused the mission- 
 aries more grief than pleasure. They had no power to resist 
 the temptations placed in their way, when associating with the 
 heathen during their summer excursions. This often obliged 
 the missionaries to exclude them from the fellowship of the 
 believers. In case of sickness, they were but too ready to 
 have recourse to the superstitious tricks of sorcerers. Even 
 those who refrained from superstitious practices, and were 
 moral in their general deportment, had no true life of God in 
 their souls. They might in some degree observe the form of 
 godliness, but were destitute of its power. 
 
 One principal impediment to the progress of the mission 
 was the practice of the Esquimaux, especially those at Hope- 
 dale, to go to the'south to purchase fire-arms and other articles 
 from the Europeans. Here they associated with the heathen 
 and soon relapsed into their former impious practices. However, 
 as a scarcity began to prevail in that quarter, in consequence 
 of which many perished of hunger, a stop was at length put to 
 these rovings. 
 
 This was the state of the mission at the beginning of 1804; 
 but before the close of that year a new period commenced. A 
 
 * Per. Acct. Vol. vi. p. 258. 
 
92 MISSION IN LABRADOR. 
 
 fire from the Lord was kindled among the Esquimaux, accom- 
 panied with the clearest evidence of being the effect of di- 
 vine operations on their hearts. It commenced at Hopedale, 
 the very place, which presented the most discouraging pros- 
 pect. 
 
 When the Esquimaux of that place returned from their 
 summer excursions, the missionaries were delighted to find, 
 that they not only had been preserved from sinful practices, 
 bnt had greatly increased in the knowledge of divine truth. 
 They had obtained an humbling insight into the corruption 
 and deceitfulness of their hearts, and the wretched state of a 
 person void of faith in Christ. This constrained them to cry 
 for mercy and gladly to accept salvation on the terms of the 
 gospel : and some afforded encouraging hopes, that they had 
 found forgiveness of sins in the blood of Christ, by which their 
 souls were filled with peace in believing. Out of the abund- 
 ance of the heart their mouths spake of the love and power of 
 Jesus. Their artless, but energetic, declarations impressed 
 the rest of the inhabitants. They began to fed the necessity 
 of true conversion ; and in a short time all the adults appeared 
 earnestly to seek peace with God. Even several of the children 
 were awakened. Our missionaries were daily visited by people, 
 who either inquired, " what they must do to be saved," or 
 testified of the grace of God manifested to their souls. 
 
 The work of conversion, thus begun at Hopedale, soon 
 spread to Nain ; and was promoted by rather a singular occur- 
 rence. Two young men, Siksigak and Kapik, whose parents 
 were members of this congregation, went to Hopedale, where 
 the mother-in-law of the former resided. His intention was to 
 convey his wife back to his mother, and marry another, who 
 promised to second him in every heathenish abomination, and 
 to forsake the Christian Esquimaux altogether. This man, on 
 entering his own mother's house at Hopedale, found the 
 family engaged in their evening devotion. They did not 
 suffer themselves to be disturbed by his arrival ; he sat down, 
 quite astonished at what he saw and heard, being ignorant of 
 what they were doing. The whole company earnestly entreated 
 him, not to part from his wife, but pray for true conversion of 
 
MISSION IN LABRADOR. 03 
 
 heart. To these entreaties the missionaries added their ex- 
 hortations ; but all to no purpose ; he persisted in his deter- 
 mination. His relations, finding that advice and persuasions 
 had no effect, resorted to prayer. The following day they all 
 assembled in his mother's house, and, in his presence, joined in 
 fervent supplications for his conversion. His mother, among the 
 rest, uttered this petition ; " O Lord Jesus ! behold this my 
 child ; I now give him up to Thee ; O, accept him, and suffer 
 him not to be lost for ever !" A scene, so unprecedented and 
 unexpected, had an instantaneous effect on the young man; 
 he evidenced a real concern for his salvation, and his whole 
 heart appeared changed : he desisted from his wicked purpose, 
 and took his wife back, and became an humble enquirer after 
 divine truth ; to whom the Lord afterwards showed great 
 mercy. His companion, Kapik, also was powerfully awakened, 
 by the instrumentality of his relations. 
 
 On their return to Nain these two men, with energy and 
 boldness, preached Jesus to their countrymen. Some of their 
 friends heard them with astonishment, others mocked and hated 
 them ; but the impression made on the inhabitants of the set- 
 tlement was pleasing and permanent. " We saw several of our 
 people," say the missionaries, "' by degrees yielding to convic- 
 tion, and beginning to doubt whether their Christianity were 
 of the right kind, and whether they had not been deceiving 
 themselves and others. They came voluntarily and confessed 
 theij" sins, some with many tears, and in a manner of 
 which we had had no instances before. The more seriously 
 they reflected on their former life, the more deeply were they 
 convinced of the treachery of their hearts; they wept on ac- 
 count of the deceit they had so often practised, and confessed 
 to us things, of which we could have formed no conception. 
 Though we could not but feel pain on account of tlieir former 
 hyprocrisy, our grief was counterbalanced by the joy we felt at 
 the amazing power of our Saviour's grace, by which their 
 hearts were thus broken and softened. Our ftiith, which in 
 some cases, was indeed very vv^eak, revived, and we saw clearly 
 that with God nothing is impossible." 
 
 The news of these pleasing events at Hopedale and Nain 
 
94 MISSION IN LABRADOR. 
 
 soon spread to Okkak, followed by similcr effects. The work 
 of conviction and conversion here was greatly promoted by vis- 
 its of the Christian Esquimaux from Nain. These visitors 
 showed such an ardent desire to describe to their countrymen 
 the love and mercy of God, which they had so savingly ex- 
 perienced themselves, that they went from tent to tent, testi- 
 fying of the love of Jesus to sinners in so impressive and af- 
 fecting a manner, that their hearers could resist no longer, but 
 came to the missionaries and confessed the dangerous state of 
 their souls, earnestly enquiring what they must do to be saved. 
 Even the heathen visitors from the north, who passed through 
 the settlement, were struck. They frequently called on the 
 missionaries, and of their own accord came to the chapel and 
 listened to the gospel with silence and much apparent devotion. 
 They expressed their regret that they lived at such a great dis- 
 tance, and could not conveniently remove from their native 
 country, but said, if the missionaries could come to them, they 
 would gladly receive instruction. Many of the heathen also, 
 living in the neighbourhood of our brethren, were so astonish- 
 ed at the occurrences among their believing countrymen, that 
 they resolved to move to one or other of the settlements. 
 
 The progress of the mission in the sequel supplies sufficient 
 proof, that this effect of the gospel was not a wild fire, or the mere 
 consequence of a momentary impression, but a divine work, 
 wrought in the hearts of the natives by the Spirit of God him- 
 self. The missionaries frequently mention the attention and 
 diligence shown in the schools, both by adults and children, 
 and the delight and fervour, with which they eng.age in their 
 family devotions and in conversations with each other respect- 
 ing the influence of the gospel on their own souls. Their be- 
 haviour at public worship likewise very strikingly differed from 
 that of former years, with regard to the eagei'ness with which 
 they now attended the house of God, and their deportment 
 during the performance of divine service. On one occasion the 
 missionaries remark, " We no longer see bold, undaunted 
 heathen sitting before us, with defiance or ridicule in their 
 looks ; but people expecting a blessing, desirous of experienc- 
 ing the power of the word of life, shedding tears of repentance, 
 
MISSION IN L,ABRADOR. 95 
 
 and their wliole appearance evincing devotion and earnest in- 
 quiry." 
 
 Whenever any heathen Esquimaux obtained permission to 
 live on the land belonging to our brethren, their Christian 
 countrymen manifested the purest joy. The following occur- 
 rence, related in the report from Hopedale of 1805, will 
 serve to confirm this assertion. " As soon as it was known, 
 that some heathen had obtained leave to stay, there arose 
 among our Esquimaux such a spirit of joy and gladness, that 
 it was truly affecting to witness it. Since their arrival here, 
 our people had not failed to speak of the mercy which the Lord 
 had shewn in their own conversion, and to preach Jesus to them 
 as the only Saviour, who alone could make them happy both 
 here and hereafter ; and now, on being informed that they were 
 to be inhabitants of the place, they hardly knew liow to con- 
 tain themselves for joy. Young and old ran to help them with 
 their baggage, and to settle their little affairs. It happened 
 also, that early in the morning, a party of heathen Esquimaux, 
 who had declared that they would not live with the believers, 
 on departing, had left a man with his wife and child behind, 
 who refused to follow the heathen any longer, and begged to 
 be permitted to live here. He had pitched his tent at some 
 distance, but our people, tilled with love and ardour to serve all 
 those who manifested a sincere desire of being converted, went 
 immediately, took it down, and set it up in the midst of their 
 own dwellings. The new comers were quite humbled and 
 amazed by such proofs of love and attention on the part of their 
 Christian countrymen, and declared, that for the first time in 
 their lives they had found people, who loved them with disin- 
 terested sincerity*." 
 
 A proof, no less striking, of the transforming influence of 
 the gospel, appeared in the readiness of the believing Esqui- 
 maux to abandon those superstitious habits and practices, to 
 which they are apt to cling to the very last. A woman, who 
 had been called Magdalene at her baptism, resisted many temp- 
 
 * Per. Acct. Vol. iv. p. 115. 
 
96 MISSION IN LAB*RADOR. 
 
 tations, put in her way by her husband. Havhig formerly 
 been very ailing, the heathen used to give her a variety of 
 charms aud amulets which she wore about her clothes, when- 
 ever she went to sea. In the summer of 1806, being ready to 
 set out on a voyage with her husband, she threw them into the 
 water, saying to the whole company : " Now we shall see, whe- 
 ther there is a Jesus, who can save and preserve us in health 
 without this trumpery." She enjoyed remarkably good health 
 during the whole voyage ; which greatly confirmed her previous 
 convictions of the sinfulness of her past life, and her resolu- 
 tion to devote herself entirely to the Lord. Nor was this a 
 solitary instance ; the cases were now becoming less frequent 
 every year, in which, in consequence of their having been se- 
 duced to heathen superstitions during their summer residence 
 at a distance from the settlement, the missionaries found them- 
 selves compelled to exclude any of the converts from church- 
 fellowship ; a circumstance which in the early period of the 
 mission caused them so much sorrow and perplexity. 
 
 In 1811 the settlement at Hopedale suffered considerable di- 
 minution. A very unusual disorder broke out among the natives, 
 of which the missionaries give the following account : " Our Es- 
 quimaux had been for a long timepreservedfrom any particular ill- 
 nesses, except being subject to a kind of eruption and boils, which 
 however, though painful and unpleasant, were rather beneficial to 
 their general health. Rut on the 24th of July, as a boat filled 
 with our people was leaving Tikkerarsuk, one of their provi- 
 sion-places, to return to Hopedale, several of them, one af- 
 ter the other, were seized with a nervous paralytic disorder of 
 a most dangerous and deadly nature, insomuch that, during 
 the next eight days, thirteen of them departed this life, of 
 whom seven were communicants. Three of them were fishing 
 in perfect health in the morning, and in the evening lay as 
 corpses in the boat. Above thirty were taken ill, and some 
 brought nigh unto death, but now, thank God, the greater 
 number have recovered, though a few are still very weak. As 
 late as the 12th of September, we buried an old communicant, 
 called I^uke. Terror and dismay seized the people, but we 
 confidently believe, that those who departed this life are now in 
 
MISSION IN LABRADOR. 97 
 
 the presence of Him, whom they had known here as their 
 Saviour, and to whose holy will they expressed full resignation 
 at the approach of death. By this afflicting dispensation we 
 have how got a considerable number of widows and orphans, 
 depending entirely upon charity, and we cannot withhold from 
 them occasional assistance. We often commend them in prayer 
 to the Father of the fatherless, who will in mercy regard and 
 supply their wants.""* 
 
 The missionaries had not been long settled in Labrador, 
 before they discovered that the coast was very thinly inhabited. 
 They consequently conceived that the aim of the mission would 
 be better attained, if access could be had to the main body of 
 the nation, from which the roving Esquimaux on the coast ap- 
 pear to be mere stragglers. In this opinion they were confirmed 
 by those heathen who annually visited the settlements, and who 
 reported that the body of the Esquimaux nation lived near, and 
 beyond. Cape Chudleigh. These visitors conceived much 
 friendship for the missionaries, never failed to request, that 
 some of them would come to their country, and even urged the 
 formation of a new settlement, considerably to the north of 
 Okkak. 
 
 In order to determine the practicability of thus extending the 
 Labours of our brethren in Labrador, the directors of the mis- 
 sions, after mature deliberation, recommended them to under- 
 take a voyage for the purpose of exploring the northern coast, 
 which had hitherto remained unknown to European navigators. 
 
 The missionaries Kohlmeister and Kmoch cheerfully engaged 
 in this difficult and perilous enterprise, for which they were 
 well qualified. The latter, to other essential qualifications, 
 joined great cheerfulness and intrepidity. The former, having 
 resided seventeen years in Labrador, was complete master of 
 the language, and deservedly beloved both by the Christian 
 and heathen Esquimaux ; and his kind and affable manner was 
 eminently calculated to conciliate the affections of unknown 
 pagans, while his invincible zeal to promote their temporal and 
 spiritual welfare sustained his mind in every difficulty and 
 
 Per. Slot. Vol. v. p. 125. 
 I 
 
98 MISSION IN LABRADOR. 
 
 danger. He had besides acquii'cd some knowledge of mineral- 
 ogy, botany, the use of the quadrant and other sciences, ^hich 
 might be of advantage on sucli an expedition. 
 
 They engaged the Christian Esquimau, Jonathan, of 
 HoPEDALE, who possessed a two-masted shallop, for a liberal 
 recompense, to conduct them on their voyage. He was a man 
 of superior understanding and skill, and of uncommon presence 
 of mind in difficulties and dangers. At Hoi'kdale he was 
 considered the principal person, or chief, of his nation. On his 
 part it was no small sacrifice to accompany the missionaries» 
 for though an Esquimau roves a good deal during summer in 
 quest of food, yet in winter he always, if possible, settles in his 
 native place, where he is esteemed and beloved. But Jonathan 
 was willing to relinquish all these comforts, to reside among stran- 
 gers where he would have no pre-eminence, and expose himself 
 to unknown hardships and dangers, uncertain whether he should 
 ever return, sustained only by the hope that the projected voy- 
 age might pave the way for the introduction of the gospel into 
 that quarter. When any of his countrymen represented to him 
 the danger of the expedition he used to say, " Well, v^^e will 
 try ; we shall know better when we get there."'"' Once he said, 
 " When I hear people talk about the danger of being killed, I 
 think : Jesus died out of love to us, what great matter would 
 it be, if we were to be put to death in his service, should that 
 be his good pleasure concerning us." Nor did he ever, during 
 the whole voyage, forsake that generous principle, but his 
 cheerful, firm and faithful conduct under all circumstances 
 proved most honourable to the character of a convert to Chris- 
 tianity. 
 
 Besides the missionaries and the captain our travellers were 
 joined by the family of the latter and three other Esquimaux 
 families from Hoped ale, and a fifth from Okkak, who attended 
 the shallop in a skin-boat. The whole company, therefore, 
 consisted of nineteen persons, among whom were several young 
 children. They all met at Okkak, and waited there till the 
 bay was cleared of ice. 
 
 Having freighted the vessel with the things necessary for the 
 voyage, the travellers were commended to the grace and protec- 
 
MISSION IN LABllADOR. 99 
 
 tion of God in a meeting of the congregation at Okk ak, on the, 
 evening of the 23rd of June 1811. 
 
 At two o'clock the following afternoon they weighed anchor, 
 and for several days proceeded without any remarkable occur- 
 rence. The sea being still full of drift-ice, which it required 
 great care to avoid, they mostly approached the shore at night 
 and cast anclior. They frequently met with companies of 
 Esquimaux from Okkak and other places, who had their sum- 
 mer-station along the coast. With these the missionaries held 
 meetings for worship, whenever circumstances permitted, espe- 
 cially on Sundays. 
 
 Proceeding in a northerly direction the trayellers found their 
 passage completely occupied with floating ice, driving towards 
 them and forcing them to return. This brought them into 
 great distress, so that the captain himself repeatedly exclaimed 
 in a plaintive tone : " Alas, alas, we shall soon be without 
 boat !" With the utmost difficulty they sailed along the shore, 
 some being obliged to land and haul the boat with ropes round 
 the points, and others with hooks and spars to keep her off the 
 rocks. Two or three times she stuck fast on sunken rocks, but 
 by God's mercy was got off again without being damaged. At 
 length they got into Nullatartok bay, in the 59th degree of 
 North latitude. It is surrounded by high mountains, and so 
 shallow at the upper end, that no large ice-fields can float in it. 
 Here they pitched their tents and were detained twelve days ; 
 during which time they explored the country as far as they were 
 able. The mountains were covered with moss, alder, birch, 
 and various shrubs and plants ; and the vallies with grass and a 
 great variety of flowers. The rocks were slaty, easily splitting 
 into plates of from four to eight feet square. They discovered 
 three rivers abounding in salmon. 
 
 The sea being at length cleared of ice they embarked again, 
 on July the 15th, and steered towards Nachvdk bay, the mag- 
 nificent mountains of which aftbrded them a most enchanting 
 prospect, especially at sun-rise. A party of heathen Esqui- 
 maux, about fifty in number, had fixed their summer residence 
 on this bay. As soon as our voyagers approached loud shouts 
 of joy resounded from all quarters, and muskets, were fired in 
 
 I 2 
 
100 MISSION IN LABRADOR. 
 
 every direction. They had scarce patience to wait for their 
 landing, and were all eager to assist them in pitching their 
 tents. Their behaviour was modest and rather bashful, and 
 there was no reason to complain of any unpleasant intrusions ; 
 nor vr^^re any thefts committed. They rested here two days, 
 and did not neglect to acquaint the heatlieu with the design of 
 their voyage; and to preach the gospel to them. They were 
 evidently much impressed, and one of their chief men said : 
 " I am determined to be converted to Jesus."" The Christian 
 Esquimaux, in the travelling company, were likewise very zea- 
 lous in exhorting their countrymen to believe in Jesus, and on 
 every occasion exhibited the character of true believers. 
 
 On the 25th of July they arrived at OppernaviJc, lying be- 
 tween the 60th and 61st degree of north latitude, not far from 
 Cape Chudleigh. Plere they found Uttakiyok, with his two 
 wives and youngest brother, waiting for them lie and his fa- 
 mily are from the Ungava bay, the very place to which they 
 were directing their course. He was one of the two Esqui- 
 maux, from whom our missionaries received the first distinct 
 information respecting the Ungava country and its inhabit- 
 ants. Having learned, that it was the intention of our brethren 
 to make a voyage to that country in the jiresent year, he had 
 waited for their arrival in Oppcrnavi'k during the whole spring, 
 and had erected signals on all the heights surrounding his tent, 
 that they might not miss him. This man was of very essen- 
 tial service to them, as without such a steady and trusty guide, 
 they must have been wandering in the most painful and peri- 
 lous uncertainty in the desert regions to the west of Cape 
 Chudleigh, where, on a coast of one hundred miles in length, 
 they did not meet a single inhabitant. He executed the office, 
 he had thus voluntarily undertaken, with a degree of faithful- 
 ness and disinterested kindness, which excited their admiration 
 and gratitude. 
 
 After enduring much fear and difficulty on the first of August 
 from large shoals of ice surrounding them on all sides, they safely 
 passed the whirlpools and eddies in the straits, and doubled 
 Cape Cfmdleioh without meeting with any disaster, except that 
 the skin-boat, which they had in tow, with an Esquimau in her, 
 
MISSION IN LABRADOR. 101 
 
 was seized by the vortex and received a rapid twist ; but as the 
 towing-rope did not break, she was immediately, by the swiftness 
 of their course, rescued from danger. 
 
 Having thus entered the ocean on the western side of Cape 
 Chudleiyh they found themselves, as it were, transported into 
 a new world. The coast, which had hitherto taken a northerly 
 direction, now turned to the south-south-west. They soon got 
 sight of the Ungava country, and sailed briskly amidst the nu- 
 merous islands, lying along the coast, which is low with gently 
 sloping hills. They discovered three skin-boats, full of people, 
 standing towards them from the shore. They were inhabitants 
 of Ungava, and welcomed them with shouts of joy, and with 
 firing their pieces. The missionaries visited them in their tents, 
 informing them of the purpose for which they had undertaken 
 this voyage. As many of these Esquimaux had never before 
 seen an European, they did not know how to satisfy their curi- 
 osity with gazing at them, and even felt them all over. 
 
 August 7th they arrived at the mouth of the river of Kan- 
 gertlualuTxSoaJc, to which they afterwards gave the name of 
 George's-riveu. To this spot they had from the first di- 
 rected their attention. It lies about 140 miles S. S. W of Cape 
 Chudleigh, in lat. 58^, 5T North. Here they pitched their 
 tents and stayed several days for the purpose of exploring the 
 country. At a short distance from their landing place they dis- 
 covered a spot, which appeared well adapted for a missionary 
 station. It is a green slope, or terrace, overgrown with shrubs, 
 a woody valley extended on one side. Their conductor, 
 Uttakiyok, who had spent more than one winter in the Ungava 
 country, assured them that there was here an ample supply of 
 provisions, both in summer and winter, for the Esquimaux, and 
 expressed his conviction that they would collect from all parts 
 and settle here, if a missionary establishment were formed. As 
 to Europeans the missionaries entertained no doubt, that they 
 might find means of subsistence in this place, as it is accessible 
 for ships, and has wood and water in plenty. These considera- 
 tions induced them to erect high marks of stones, on the two 
 opposite hills at the entrance of the bay ; and on a declivity 
 of a hill on the right, they fixed a board, in which were carved 
 
102 MISSION IN LABRADOR. 
 
 ihe initials of the present King of Great Britain, those of the 
 two missionaries, and of the Society to which they belonged, 
 together with the day and year of their arrival. 
 
 Our travellers, after leaving this place, had proceeded but a 
 short way, when they were obliged to cast anchor in an exposed 
 situation, being detained several days by contrary winds : and 
 when the wind became more favourable, it blew so hard a gale, 
 that they were in imminent danger of suffering shipwreck. Their 
 situation now became critical and rather alarming. The season 
 was far advanced, and the Esquimaux expressed their fears, 
 that if they proceeded much farther, they might not llnd it 
 practicable to return to Okkak before winter, which would be 
 attended with most distressing consequences. 
 
 These circumstances threw the missionaries into a very per- 
 plexing dilemma. They were only seventy or eighty miles 
 distant from the western extremity of the Unga-oa country, 
 which they had fixed upon as the final object of their voyage, 
 and yet difiiculties now presented themselves, which seemed 
 to render it nearly impossible to reach this point. In this 
 perplexity they retired to their own tent, and, having maturely 
 weighed all circumstances, entreated the Lord's direction in 
 fervent prayer. They rose from their knees with a firm con- 
 viction in their minds, that they ought to proceed in His name, 
 relying on his help. And when they mentioned their deter- 
 mination to the Esquimaux, they found them cheerfully disposed 
 to prosecute the voyage. 
 
 Two days after the wind veered to the north-east, and be- 
 came favourable, so that after a sail of six days they arrived at 
 the mouth of the river KocJiSoaJc (Sand-river,) the very place 
 they had in view. Here they remained from August the 25th 
 to the 1st of September, exploring the circumjacent country, 
 and entering into conversation with the inhabitants respecting 
 the object of this expedition. The dilfcrence between these 
 Esquimaux and their countrymen living in the vicinity of our 
 settlements was very striking. The former are very poor and 
 miserably equipped, whereas the latter, by their intercourse 
 with our brethren and other Europeans, have aajuired many 
 conveniencics, and even comparative afHuencc. I'hcy appeared 
 
MISSION IN LABRADOR. 10-3 
 
 rather shy, but, alter receiving a few trifling presents, they be- 
 came more free and communicative, surveying the missionaries 
 from head to foot, as if they were a new species of animals. 
 They listened with attention to their discourses, repeatedly 
 expressing their wish, that they would come and settle in the 
 country, that they might hear more of the gospel and be 
 converted. 
 
 The estuary of the Koksoak lies in SS'', 36' N. latitude, at 
 the distance of from six to seven hundred miles from Okkak, 
 and is about as broad as the Thames at Gravesend. They gave 
 it the name of South-river. Having proceeded further up this 
 river, in the skin-boat, they arrived at a bay, surrounded on all 
 sides by gently rising ground, well wooded with trees of mo- 
 derate size. They gave it the name of Unity's bay. They 
 considered this a very convenient place for a missionary settle- 
 ment. A fine slope extends for about half an English mile, 
 bounded on each extremity by a hill, on which they erected 
 high signals. The land is level and dry, well watered by 
 several rivulets issuing from the wood, in which they found 
 various European plants and flowers, different kinds of shrubs , 
 such as junipers, currants, &c., and grass and trees in abund- 
 ance. 
 
 Our travellers now deemed it unnecessary to prosecute their 
 voyage any further as, from all the intelligence they could 
 gain from the natives, they were satisfied that no other place 
 suitable for a missionary establishment could be found. Further 
 west no wood grows along the coast, and there is no place, 
 except the two rivers before named, where a ship could with 
 safety approach the land; and at this season of the year they 
 would probably meet with no inhabitants, as they were all 
 gone into the interior to hunt reindeer. The object of their 
 expedition having been thus far attained, they prepared for 
 their return. They presented their faithful pilot, Uttakiyok, 
 with their skin-boat, with which he was highly gratified. Sep- 
 tember the 2nd they commenced their voyage home, and, with- 
 out meeting with any remarkable occurrence, arrived in safety 
 at Okk ak on the 4th of October, after an absence of fourteen 
 
^04 MISSION IN LABRADOR. 
 
 weeks, having performed a voyage of from twelve to thirteen 
 hundred miles*. 
 
 During the following years no very remarkable events oc- 
 curred in the three Settlements at Hopedale, Nain, and Ok- 
 KAK. The mission proceeded with a slow but steady pace, 
 and though the accession of new converts was not great, yet 
 our brethren had the pleasure to find that, with but few excep- 
 tions, those who came to reside with them, remained faithful to 
 their promise on admission, to forsake their pagan customs, and 
 improve all the means of grace for true conversion of heart. 
 They were cheered in their benevolent exertions by observing 
 clear evidences of a divine work in the children and young 
 people, born and educated in the settlements. They were sti- 
 mulated to increasing diligence at school by obtaining a new 
 spelling and reading-book in the Esquimaux language. The 
 progress of both young and old in scriptural knowledge was. 
 greatly promoted by the translation and printing of the Har- 
 mony of the four gospels, the Summary of Christian doctrine 
 for the use of the children, and the subsequent version of each 
 of the gospels separately, generously published at the expense 
 of the British and Foreign Bible Society. -f- The devotion of 
 the congregation has been much enlivened by the publication 
 of a Hymn Book in their native tongue. 
 
 The early commencement and extraordinary severity of the 
 winter of 1815 prevented the Esquimaux from procuring a 
 sufficient stock of provisions ; they were, however, preserved 
 from absolute famine, as the missionaries rendered them all the 
 assistance, which their own scanty stores allowed. This dis- 
 tress had in some measure an injurious influence on their s])iri- 
 tual course, as they were obliged to seek their food at a distance 
 from the settlements. Some were so reduced by want and distress, 
 
 * See an interesting and detailed account of this expedition in a little 
 work published by the Rev. C. I. Latrobe, and entitled Journal of a voyage 
 J'rum Ohlutk in Labrador to Ungava bay, Sc Sc. 
 
 t The same excellent society liaving oftered to print any other integral 
 parts of the Bible, in the Esqiiiniaux language, our missionaries have sent 
 the Acts of the Apostles to London for this purpose, and are diligently occu- 
 pied in translating and preparing for the press the remaining books of tJic 
 N«\v Testament, 
 
MISSION IN LABRAPOR. 105 
 
 that fliey seemed in a manner stupified, and scarce able to 
 attend to the concerns of their souls with becoming seriousness. 
 Many of them, however, manifested filial confidence in their 
 heavenly Father, and due resignation to his will. Notwith- 
 standing these trying circumstances the missionaries remark: 
 " It is clearly seen, that the Christian Esquimaux have a con- 
 sciousness of the necessity of knowing and relying on their 
 Saviour and Redeemer^ whom they are bound to love and serve; 
 and often have we seen them shed tears on hearing the gospel. 
 The conduct of our communicants has afforded us pleasure and 
 edification, by which we have been greatly encouraged. In 
 short, we rejoice in perceiving, that the work of God and his 
 Spirit has been carried on in the hearts of our people, with 
 manifest blessing, though amidst much weakness and imperfec- 
 tion on our part, and not distinguished by any extraordinary 
 and striking appearances from without." 
 
 A trial, severer than any which had hitherto exercised the 
 faith and patience of our brethren on this coast, was experi- 
 enced by them in the year 1816 in consequence of the late ar- 
 rival of the ship at Nain and Okkak and the complete failure 
 of all the captain''s attempts to reach the settlement at Hope- 
 dale. The following is the oflScial account of this disastrous 
 event: " October 28th 1816 the Jemima arrived in the 
 river from Labrador, after one of the most dangerous and fa- 
 tiguing voyages ever known. She arrived at the drift-ice on 
 the Labrador coast on the 16th of July. Captain Fraser found 
 it extending two hundred miles from the land, and after at- 
 tempting to get in, fii'st at Hoped ale, then at Nain, and 
 lastly at Okkak, he was at length completely surrounded by 
 ice, and in the most imminent danger during six days and nights, 
 expecting every momemt that the ship would be crushed to 
 pieces ; with very great exertion he at length got towards the 
 outer part of the ice. Yet he was beset by it for forty-nine 
 days, and to the astonishment of all our brethren as well as 
 the Esquimaux did not reach Okkak till August 29th. The 
 very next day the whole coast, as far as the eye could reach, 
 was entirely choakcd up by ice, and, after lying at Okkak 
 nearly three weeks, he was twice forced back by it on his pas- 
 
10(> MISSION IN LABRADOU. 
 
 siige to Nain, which i)lace he did not rcacli till Sept 2^^d. 
 After staying the usual time, Captain Fraser proceeded Oct. 
 3d towards Hopedale, though with fine weather, yet, on ac- 
 count of the lateness of the season and a great deal of drift-ice, 
 with but little prospect of reaching that settlement. Notwith- 
 ' standing he mentioned his fears to the brethren at Nain, bro- 
 ther Kmoch and his wife, and the two brethren Korncr and 
 Christcnsen, who were going to Hopedale, went on board, 
 and they set sail. In the evening the wind rose and blew very 
 hard, accompanied with a heavy fall of snow, and so dense a 
 fog, that they could not see the length of the ship. Being 
 within half a mile of a dangerous reef of rocks, the cap- 
 tain was obliged to carry a press of sail to clear them, which 
 he did but just accomplish, when the gale increased to such a 
 degree, the wind being right on shore, that he was obliged to lay 
 to, when the sea often broke over the vessel. Seeing every at- 
 tempt to reach HoPEDALE was in vain he was at last necessitated 
 to bear away for England on Oct. 5th. On the 8th, 9th, and 
 10th, he again experienced a gale, equal to a hurricane, which 
 during the night between the 9th and 10th was so violent, that 
 the captain expected the ship would have foundered. She was 
 at one time struck by a sea, which twisted her in such a man • 
 ner, that the very seams of her larboard side opened, and the 
 water gushed into the cabin, and into the mate's birth, as if it 
 came from a pump, and every body at first thought her side 
 was stove in ; the Lord however, was pleased to protect every 
 one from harm, and nothing was lost, nor has the ship suffered 
 material damage*." 
 
 * Per. Acct. Vol. \i. p. 270. — It deserves to be gratefully acknowledged, 
 that this is the first calamity of this kind, experienced by our brethren since 
 their arrival in Labrador. The ship, freighted for the purposes mentioned 
 in page 72, had made forty-seven voyages to and from this coast, without 
 suftering any serious disaster. Though some fears for her safety had been 
 excited once or twice before, the issue was such, as to awaken gratitude ra- 
 ther than repining sensations. In 1778 the vessel was captured by a French 
 privateer ; but as it happened on her return, it was attended with no detri- 
 ment to the missionaries ; and being soon after recaptured by the English, 
 she was restored to the owners. The captain, mate and two sailors, who had 
 been taken to Dunkirk, were soon liberated, and all the letters and papers 
 from Labrador transmitted unopened to our brethren in London. On herrc- 
 
MISSION In LABRADOR. 107 
 
 This disastrous event occasioned many fears and perplex- 
 ities, both to the missionaiies in Labrador and their brethren 
 and friends at home. It caused a very considerable expense 
 to the funds of the Society. It unexpectedly removed four 
 missionaries from the scene of their labours. And it awakened 
 the most painful feelings in our brethren and sisters at Hope. 
 DALK, who naturally concluded that the ship had been lost, as 
 a considerable time elapsed, before they heard of her arrival at 
 the other two settlements ; and even then their anxiety was but 
 partially relieved, being inclined to fear, that t!ie vessel had 
 foundered in her attempts to reach their harbour. 
 
 The four missionaries, who had thus unexpectedly been 
 brought to Europe, after spending the winter in England, re- 
 turned to Labrador in 1817- Their voyage was j^erilous, as 
 the j)assage was frequently obstructed by immense fields of ice 
 during heavy gales and thick fogs. But, though the vessel was 
 greatly damaged, she safely reached the harbour of Hopedale; 
 and, after receiving the needful repairs, proceeded to Nain and 
 Okkak. 
 
 turn in 1803 she escaped a similar danger. On the 18th of November she 
 was chased by a French frigatej brought to and forced to keep her company. 
 But the sea running very high, and continuing in that state for twenty-four 
 hours, it was impossible for the frigate to send out a boat to board her. The 
 second night proving extremely dark and boisterous the captain, setting as 
 much sail as the ship would carry, ventured to attempt his escape, and in the 
 morning saw no more of the frigate. Two days after, however, he had the 
 mortification to meet her again, and to be brought to a second time. Again 
 the I-ord interposed. The wind was so violent, that the frigate could notput 
 out a boat, and during the night the captain, crowding all the sails, fortu- 
 nately escaped and saw no more of the enemy. On her voyage from Nain 
 to Okkak in 1811 the mercy of God in her preservation was thankfully ac 
 knowledged by all on board. The cold was so intense, though only the latter 
 end of September, that the running rigging, being covered with ice, would 
 not work through the blocks, and had it been needful, the sails once set, 
 could not have been handed. Even the sails were stifi'ened by the frost, so 
 as to be quite unmanageable. But it pleased God to grant such favourable 
 wind and weather, that nothing was required but to steer the vessel. On 
 reaching Okkak, on the 29th of September, the sailors were obliged to go 
 aloft and knock oft' the ice and furl the sails. On her return to England she 
 encountered storms little short of hurricanes ; and though she sustained con- 
 siderable damage, the captain did not deem it necessary to put in for repairs 
 any where, and reached London in safety on the 2d. of December. 
 
108 MISSION IN LABRADOR. 
 
 From the intelligence, brought by the ship on her return to 
 England, the author is able to lay before his readers the fol- 
 lowing concise account of occurrences in this mission down to 
 the autumn of 1817. 
 
 The non-arrival of the ship at Hopkdale in the preced- 
 ing year had, as was anticipated, caused much anxiety to the 
 missionaries in that place. They had, however, suffered no 
 want of provisions, being sufficiently supplied from the stores 
 
 at Nain. 
 
 The most distressing consequence of the event, just alluded 
 to, was the obstacle, thereby thrown in the way of our bre- 
 thren in Okkak, to proceed during the summer of 1817 to the 
 Ungava country, and spend the following winter there. Bnt 
 the unexpected removal of the missionaries to Europe, so re- 
 duced the number of those remaining in the country, that they 
 were obliged, though very reluctantly, to relinquish that in- 
 tention. This was the more to be regretted, as they had re- 
 ceived previous information, that the inhabitants of the Ungava 
 country were anxiously awaiting their arrival. But time and 
 seasons are in the hands of the Lord ; " He does all things 
 well,'" and the duty of his servants is, " under every trial to 
 be resigned to his will*." 
 
 The peaceful and hopeful course of the Christian Esqui- 
 maux was unhappily disturbed by some pagan visitors from the 
 south, who inveigled eighteen of the inhabitants of Hopedale 
 and fifty of Okkak to leave the settlements, and remove witli 
 them to the residence of the Europeans in the south. Dis- 
 couraging as this was to our brethren, they were animated in 
 the prosecution of their work, by observing, that the major 
 part of their converts were progressively attaining more of the 
 Christian character, both in knowledge and practice. 
 
 A few general observations will very properly close this 
 chapter. The mission in Labrador, in many respects, bears a 
 strong resemblance to that in Greenland. Most of the con- 
 verts pass the winter in the settlements, dwelling in winter- 
 houses ; but the greater part of the summer they spend in their 
 
 * Per, Acct. Vol. vi. p. 27 2. 
 
MISSION IN LABRADOR. ' 109 
 
 provision-places on the islands, or along the coast, catching 
 seals, or in the interior hunting reindeer ; and when during 
 this season they come, for a week or two, to the settlements, 
 they dwell in their tents. During the winter the meetings for 
 religious worship, not only on Sundays, but every day in the 
 week, and likewise the schools, both for adults and children, 
 are held in regular order. 
 
 Our brethren have laid out gardens, which, however, do not 
 produce much except lettuce, spinnach and a few early turnips 
 and cabbages. The country supplies them with some game, 
 such as hares, wild geese, partridges, &c. and the bays furnish 
 plenty of fish ; in some years they have even caught more than 
 6000 large salmon-trouts at Nain, which, together with cod, 
 are prepared for winter's use. But, after all, their main sub- 
 sistence must depend on the provisions annually sent from 
 Europe. It is no wondei», therefore, that the arrival of the 
 ship is always considered as a most auspicious event, and never 
 fails to awaken the liveliest joy and gratitude. 
 
 They have one convenience not possessed in Greenland 
 The country supplies not only wood for fuel, but also timber 
 for most purposes of building. With a view to facilitate their 
 necessary labours of this kind, they have erected a saw-mill 
 in each of the settlements. 
 
CHAP. III. 
 
 MISSION IN NORTH AJIEHICA. 
 
 WHEN the first Europeans came to North America they 
 found it inhabited by numerous nations, comprehended under 
 the general name of Indians. The principal of these nations 
 are tlie Delawares and Iroquois'^, divided into several tribes. 
 Besides these there are numerous other tribes, but of inferior 
 
 note. 
 
 These nations occupy a territory extending from the 37th 
 to the 48th degree of north latitude, and from the 77th to the 
 92nd degree of west longitude from London; being in length 
 about eight hundred, and in breadth about eleven hundred 
 miles. It is bounded by New York and Pennsylvania on the 
 east, by the river Ohio on the south, by the river Misssisippi 
 on the west, and by Canada on the North. It includes the 
 five large Canadian lakes, and is intersected by some of the 
 noblest rivers in the world, besides a number of smaller 
 streams.f The climate, in general, is very cold in winter and 
 extremely hot in summer ; though in some parts of the coun- 
 
 • Iroquois is the name given to these nations by the French, and as it has 
 been adopted by Loskiel in his History of the Mission in North America, it 
 has been retained in the subsequent narrative. The appellation, generally 
 used by English Authors, is the Six 7iations, as the following six tribes are 
 united in a close league with each other, viz. Mohawks, Oneda, Onondago, 
 Cajuga, Sennehi, and Tnscarora. 
 
 f This geographical description of the Indian territory corresponds with 
 tlie state of things at the time, when the first missionaries arrived in tlic 
 country, and it continued so for a series of years. But many and important 
 changes have since taken place. The Indians have greatly diminished in 
 number ; several of the smaller Tribes have become nearly extinct, and ex- 
 tensive tracts of land, once occupied by them, are now in the possession of 
 Great Britain, or the United States. It must in general be observed, that 
 the introduction of Christianity and of the art of civili/ed life has gradually 
 produced a very striking diange in the character and habits of the Indians. 
 
MISSIOX IN NORTH AMERICA. Ill 
 
 try it is more variable. The soil is naturally rich, abounding 
 in trees and shrubs of almost every kind, and very fit for agri- 
 culture ; but the Indians bestow little labour on the cultiva- 
 tion of their lands, as they chiefly live by hunting and fishing, 
 and never manure their grounds, but, whenever the strength 
 of the soil is exhausted in one place, remove to another, and 
 lay out new plantations, 
 
 The men are mostly slender, of a middle size, handsome 
 and straight. They possess great dexterity and uncommon 
 swiftness in walking and running. The women are of low 
 stature, less handsome, and rather clumsy in their appearance. 
 Both men and women are extremely fond of dress, and bestow 
 much time and labour in decorating their persons. They 
 paint their faces and heads in the most fantastical manner, and 
 wear rings and other ornaments suspended from the ears and 
 nose ; but the most singular decoration consists in sacrifica- 
 tions, representing serpents, birds and other creatures, which 
 often cover the whole upper part of the body, and at a distance 
 resemble a coat of mail. Their dress is light, consisting for 
 the most part of a blanket, or a bear-skin, hung loosely over 
 both shoulders, or only over the left, that the right arm may 
 be free. Some wear caps, or hats, bought of the Europeans, 
 others go bareheaded. On festive occasions they ornament 
 their hair with plumes, silver rings, corals, &c. Their stock- 
 ings are made of blue and red cloth, very long but without feet ; 
 and their shoes of deer-skin, neatly sewed by the women. 
 Round the waist they tie a girdle, made of leather, or of the 
 inner bark of trees. In this they carry a small axe and a long 
 knife, besides a pouch, made of the whole skin of a young 
 otter, beaver, or fox, which contains a pipe, tobacco, pocket- 
 knife and tinder-box, and is considered the most essential part 
 of an Indian's furniture. The dress, which peculiarly distin- 
 guishes the women, is a petticoat, made of a piece of cloth of 
 about two yards long, fastened tight about the hips, and hang- 
 ing down a little below the knees. 
 
 Before their intercourse v/ith the Europeans, their dwellings 
 were nothing more than huts, made of bark, rushes or long grass. 
 The Iroquois and other nations at a distance from the White 
 
112 MISSION IN NORTH AMERICA. 
 
 People*, live still in huts of this description ; but the Dcla- 
 wares have learned the convenience of block-houses, which 
 they either build themselves, or employ white workmen. 
 
 The frame of an Indian hut is made by driving poles into 
 the gi'ound and strengthening them with crossbeams ; which 
 they cover within and without with bark. The roof runs up 
 into a ridge, also covered with bark, and has an opening to 
 emit the smoke. The light enters by small a[>rrtures, furnish- 
 ed with shutters. The door consists of a large piece of bark, 
 without bolt or lock ; a stick reared against the out-side, indi- 
 cates that its inhabitants are from home. These huts are neither 
 convenient nor well furnished, being mostly low. The fire-place 
 is in the middle, round which are placed benches, rudely 
 finished, serving also for tables and bedsteads, "^^he sameblanket, 
 which clothes them in the day, is their covering at night, and 
 the bed is a deer or bear-skin, or a mat made of rushes. Some line 
 the inside of their huts with these mats, partly for ornament 
 and partly to render them warmer. Their pi-ovisions and other 
 necessaries they hang on poles, fixed across the top of the hut. 
 The Indian-corn they preserve in pits in the ground. 
 
 A number of these huts, standing together, is called an In- 
 dian town, and, if surrounded by pallisades, a fortification. 
 These towns are not large, and in building them, no regular 
 plan is observed, every one following his own fancy. 
 
 The Indians are not remarkable for cleanliness. Their pots, 
 dishes, and spoons are seldom washed, but left for the dogs to 
 lick. A difference, however, exists in this respect in the 
 various tribes. Some of the dwellings of the Iroquois have 
 a clean and neat appearance, and afford a comfortable night's 
 lodging even to an European. 
 
 The men spend much of their time in warlike pursuits. 
 When not thus engaged their chief employments consist in 
 hunting, fishing and building canoes ; every other kind of 
 work being left to the women. In this respect, however, there 
 is a great difference between a Delaware and an Iroquois 
 family. A Delaware Indian hunts and fishes, provides meat 
 
 * The European settlers and their dcscentlants are called White Pcopl,; or 
 simply ^yhitcs, to distinG^uish them from the Indians. 
 
MISSION IN NORTH AMERICA. 113 
 
 for the household, keeps his wife and children in clothing, 
 builds and repairs the house, or hut, and makes fences round 
 the plantation. The woman cooks the victuals, fetches fire- 
 wood, and labours in the field and garden, though the husband 
 will occasionally assist in the latter. Thus among them the 
 women live as well as the situation of an Indian will allow. 
 
 But this is not the case among the Iroquois. An Iroquois, 
 in his savage state, is proud of his strength, courage, and other 
 manly virtues, and treats his wife with coolness, contempt, and 
 not unfrequently with abuse ; considering every occupation, but 
 that of a hunter or warrior, as beneath his dignity. His wife 
 must not only do all the business in the house and in the 
 field, but even make the fences, keep the house in repair, and 
 perform all kinds of drudgery. On a journey she must carry 
 the baggage, and sometimes her husband's gun, and even the 
 game he has shot. 
 
 A tacit understanding subsists among the married people, 
 that whatever the husband obtains by hunting belongs to the 
 wife. On the other hand, whatever the wife reaps from the 
 garden and fields belongs to the husband, from which she must 
 provide him with the necessary food, both when at home and 
 on a journey. Some men keep the skins of the deers and bears, 
 which they have killed, and with them purchase clothes for 
 their wives ahd children. The cows are the wife's property, 
 but the horses belong to the husband, who generally makes his 
 wife a present of one for her own use. 
 
 The children are always considered the property of their 
 mother, who has the sole management of their education while 
 young. Both father and mother endeavour to gain the affec- 
 tion of their children ; never use compulsion, or oppose their 
 inclinations, but leave them to their own will. Yet many well 
 bred children are found among them, who pay great attention 
 and respect to their parents, and are civil to strangers. By 
 the instruction and example of their parents the young people 
 learn from very early years to suppress their passions, and 
 acquire a command of temper truly astonishing. 
 
 The Delawares are renowned for their courage, peaceable 
 disposition and powerful alliances, for nearly all the nations 
 
114 MISSION IN NORTH AMERICA. 
 
 in their neighbourhood are in league with them, and call them 
 Grmidfather* . The Iroquois are a martial people, trained for 
 war from their infancy. There are few Indian nations, except 
 those living at a great distance, against whom they have not 
 carried on very cruel and long continued wars. Ever since the 
 year 1600 they have had frequent wars with the French. 
 
 As the chief occupation of Indians in time of peace consists 
 in hunting, they lead a roving life, and often spend months at 
 a distance from home. They are soon equipped for a journey, 
 and do not encumber themselves with much luggage. If to 
 their gun, tobacco-pouch and tinder-box, they add a little 
 flour of Indian corn, they think themselves sufficiently pro- 
 vided ; for the forests every where supply them with game. 
 
 No difficulties deter them : they travel through the woods 
 without the trace of a path, and yet never go astray ; and 
 swim across the most rapid current with great agility. If need 
 requires they build a canoe of the bark of trees, which does 
 not take much time, and though very light will carry a consi- 
 derable weight, but seldom is fit for use longer than a year. 
 When night approaches they take up their quarters in the 
 woods ; and if it rains, they peel a few trees and quickly build 
 a hut of bark. They are in no haste to proceed the next 
 morning ; but when they have once started they seldom stop 
 till after sunset. If they travel in company they appoint one 
 to be their leader, to wliom they yield unreserved obedience. 
 
 Though the Indians cannot be called a civilized people, yet 
 in point of moral character and mental powers, they probably 
 rank higher than most other pagan nations- In the common 
 intercourse of life they observe great decency, and treat each 
 other as well as strangers with kindness and civility. In affairs 
 of consequence they seem to speak and act with seriousness and 
 cool deliberation, avoiding all appearance of precipitancy ; 
 
 ♦ The several tribes of Indians consider themselves as standing in certain 
 relations to each other, as grandfathers, grandsons, fathers, sons, brothers, 
 uncles and cousins. A public speaker among them, therefore, must be well 
 accjuainted with every thing, relating both to the state of his own people and 
 that of the other nations, that he may be able to address each by the proper 
 title. 
 
MISSION IN NORTH AMERICA. 115 
 
 but on closer examination it is evident that their caution ori- 
 ginates in suspicion, and their coolness is affected ; for they 
 are perfect masters of the art of dissimulation. 
 
 Their hospitality is well known. They count it a most 
 sacred duty, and exercise it even towards strangers, who take 
 refuge among them. To refuse relief to any one is considered 
 a grievous offence, and not only renders the delinquent detest- 
 ed and abhorred by all, but exposes him to the chastisement of 
 the offended person. 
 
 In their conduct towards their enen\ies they are cruel and 
 implacable, and, when enraged, bent upon nothing but murder 
 and bloodshed. But they know how to conceal their passion, 
 and will patiently wait for a convenient opportunity of gratify- 
 ing it. In this case, however, their fury has no bounds. If • 
 they cannot gratify their resentment themselves, they call upon 
 their friends and posterity to do it. The longest space of time 
 cannot mitigate their wrath, nor the most distant place afford 
 security to their enemy. 
 
 They consider the honour and welfare of the nation as of 
 prime importance, and independence as the grand prerogative 
 of Indians. This public spirit produces the noblest exertions 
 in favour of their own people. In defence of their country 
 they dread no danger, suffer any hardships, and endure the 
 most exquisite tortures, and even death itself, with composure. 
 
 Being all equally noble and free ; difference of rank is little 
 known among them. The only difference consists in age, 
 wealth, dexterity, courage and office. They have no regular 
 political constitution and are subject to no magistracy, law, or 
 restraint. Each nation, however, considers itself as a united body, 
 and has a kind of government of its own choosing. Chiefs are 
 appointed in every nation, but they are in fact nothing more in 
 point of rank, than the most respected among their equals. 
 Each Chief has his counsellors, who are either renowned war- 
 riors, or aged and respectable fathers of families. These con- 
 stitute a Council, which guards the interests and promotes the 
 welfare of the tribe, or nation, to which they belong. The 
 dignity of the Chiefs is purely elective, and they can hold their 
 authority no longer than they are respected. Their power in- 
 
116 MISSION IN NORTH AMERICA. 
 
 deed is very limited ; for though a Chief is authorised and even 
 obliged, with the advice of his Counsellors, to keep good or- 
 der and decide in all quarrels and disputes ; yet he never ven- 
 tures to command, compel, or punish any one, for in that case 
 he would immediately be forsaken by the whole tribe. He 
 cannot even inflict punishment on murderers, or other atrocious 
 criminals, for this right belongs to the injured family ; nor can 
 he pardon a delinquent. He is indeed empowered to prevent 
 all disorders, proceeding from the use of spirituous liquors, and 
 even to prohibit their importation ; but few Chiefs have suffici- 
 ent inclination, or resolution, to do their duty in this respect, 
 or to set an example of sobriety. Though the Chief is obliged 
 to lodge and entertain all ambassadors from other tribes, yet 
 he must live at his own charges ; but as he has frequently a 
 great number of guests, his friends supply him with game, and 
 the women assist his wife in her plantations. 
 
 All affairs of importance are submitted to the whole Council, 
 without whose consent no proposed measure can be carried into 
 effect. The strings and belts of zcampojn* and the great seal 
 are in the custody of the Chief, and after his death they are 
 carefully preserved by the Council till a new Chief is elected. 
 
 * Wampom is an Iroquois word, signifying a muscle. A number of these 
 muscles strung together, is called a string of tvampom, and several of these 
 strings tied together, a belt of wampom. Every transaction of moment, either 
 between the Indians themselves, or with the White People, is ratified and 
 made valid by strings or belts of wampom. Upon the delivery of a string a 
 long speech is made ; but when a belt is given, a few words only are spoken. 
 Whenever the speaker has pronounced some important sentence, he delivers 
 a string of wampom, adding, " I give this string of wampom as a confirma- 
 tion of what I have spoken." But the chief subject of his discourse he 
 confirms with a belt. The answers returned must also be confirmed by strings 
 and belts of wampom of the same size and number with those received. Nei- 
 ther the colour nor other qualities of the wampom arc matters of indifference, 
 but have an immediate reference to tliose things \\ hich they are designed to 
 confirm. Brown or deep violet, (called black by the Indians) always means 
 something of severe and doubtful import ; but white is the colour of j)eace. 
 Thus a warning against evil, or a serious reproof, is confirmed by a blacJt 
 string or belt of wampom. In case of war the belt is black, or marked with 
 red, called by them tlie colour of hhod, having in tlie middle tlie figure of a 
 hatchet in white wampom. 
 
MISSION IN NORTH AMEKICA. 117 
 
 Among the Delawares, who are divided into three tribes, the 
 right of eleetion does not belong to the tribe, over which he 
 is to preside and of which he must be a member, but to the 
 two other tribes. Being properly elected, he is invested with 
 his office with due solemnity. If he is intelligent, and able to 
 gain the affection of the Captains and people, the former will 
 support his authority and assist him to the utmost, even at the 
 hazard of his life. But his principal endeavour must be to se- 
 cure the good will of his counsellors, for without their assistance 
 he is a mere cypher. 
 
 The Iroquois have such exalted ideas of their greatness and 
 liberty, that they will admit of no equal in rank, except the 
 King of England, considering the* English, in general, only 
 as subjects. Their political constitution nearly resembles a re- 
 public, as the six nations of which they are composed, are inde- 
 pendent of each other, or according to their phraseology, have 
 their own fire, round which their Chiefs, Captains and Coun- 
 sellors assemble to deliberate on the affairs of the community. 
 They have, however, one large common fire burning at Onan- 
 dago, to which the Great Council, consisting of all the Chiefs 
 of the six nations resort, and where all public business |[is tran- 
 sacted. Most of the nations beyond the territory of the United 
 States, are more or less connected with the Iroquois. Some 
 are called brothers ; others cousins, which implies a degree of 
 subordination. 
 
 The favourite occupation of the Indians consists in warlike 
 achievements. Hence they readily find a pretext for com- 
 mencing hostilities, either against one another or against the 
 white people. Formerly their wars were carried on with much 
 greater fury, and lasted much longer than at present ; some 
 were even hereditary. To begin war is called, to lift up the 
 hatchet. 
 
 The army of the Delawares and Iroquois consists of all 
 the young men, including boys only fifteen years old- The 
 strictest subordination is observed by an Indian army- All 
 the warriors implicitly obey the command of the Captain ; and 
 on no occasion leave the camp without his permission. They 
 yield him this obedience so much the more readily, as they 
 
118 MiSSIOxX IN NORTH AMERICA. 
 
 know that their life and honour.; in a great measure, depend 
 on his prudence and valour- 
 
 The cruelty of the victors is without bounds- All the slain 
 of the enemy are, if possible, scalped- This operation they 
 perform by placing their foot on the neck of the victim, seizing 
 the hair with the left hand, and twisting it very tightly to- 
 gether, in order to sever the skin from the head ; then they 
 cut it all round with a sharp knife and tear it off. This operation 
 is often performed in a minute, and when the person is alive 
 sometimes proves fatal- The scalps are painted red, placed 
 on a red pole, and carefully preserved as trophies of their 
 prowess and victory- They behave with great tenderness to 
 the wounded. Prisoners also are well treated while in- the 
 camp ; but when the victorious army reaches its own towns, the 
 captives are exposed not only to insults, but to acts of wanton 
 barbarity. 
 
 During war the authority of the Chief ceases and is vested in 
 the Captain. In point of rank he is more like a general, having 
 several inferior officers under him. The office of Captain is 
 neither hereditary nor elective ; but depends on mere contin- 
 gencies. The appointment to it not unfrequently originates in a 
 dream, which according to the wish of the dreamer, or his friends, 
 is interpreted as indicative of his future destiny. Having thus 
 far gained his point, the aspiring youth endeavours to qualify 
 himself for the office by feats of valour. The essential qua- 
 lifications for it, and without which no one can hold this dis- 
 tinguished rank, are prudence, cunning, resolution, bravery, 
 undauntedness, and especially good fortune. If an inferior of- 
 ficer has the good fortune not to lose a man of his «^roop, in 
 six or seven engagements, and to bring prisoners and other 
 trophies of victory to the camp, he is raised to the rank of 
 Captain without further ceremony. A.s promotion to tliis rank 
 mainly depends on good fortune, the number of Captains in 
 each tribe is very limited. 
 
 They never make peace till compelled by necessity. But as 
 soon as terms of peace arc proposed, the Captains lay down 
 their office, and deliver the government of the state into the 
 hands of the Chiefs. A Captain lias no more right to con- 
 
MISSION IN NORTH AMERICA. 119 
 
 elude peace, than a Chief has to begin war. If the Chief in- 
 clines to peace, he again exercises his power, takes the hatchet 
 from the Captain, and desires him to sit down, that is, to make 
 a truce. The Captain is then obliged to cease from all hostil- 
 ities ; and is generally chosen to be a deputy at the ensuing 
 treaty. 
 
 An embassy of peace is never committed to one man only. 
 Two or more,f and sometimes even fifteen or twenty ambassa- 
 dors, are chosen, according to the strength of the nation 
 with whom the treaty is to be made. One of them is appoint- 
 ed head of the embassy, who settles the preliminaries, makes 
 speeches and delivers the strings and belts of wampom. Such 
 an ambassador must not only be an intelligent man, and uni- 
 versally respected, but must possess great strength of body, 
 to endure the fatigue connected with his employ. 
 
 Such an embassy carries the pipe of peace before them, an- 
 swering to our flag of truce ; and the respect shown to it is 
 such, that an insult offered to the bearer is accounted a most 
 heinous crime, which the Great Spirit will surely revenge. 
 The commission is opened by the Head-chief, or President, 
 who smokes for a short time out of the pipe of peace, having 
 first, with great solemnity, turned it towards heaven and then 
 to the earth. This ceremony is so essential that no European 
 governor, or ambassador, can make peace with the Indians 
 without it. The pipe is then handed round among all the am- 
 bassadors and members of the Council. Upon this the princi- 
 pal ambassador opens his commission in a pompous speech, 
 displaying all the powers of Indian oratory ; confirming every 
 subject with giving a string, or belt of wampom. 
 
 If these strings and belts are handed about in the assembly 
 and attentively considered, it is a proof that the message is 
 well received. The answer is then given with the same so- 
 lemnity; and the ambassadors withdraw. The message having 
 been maturely considered and every thing necessary for its con- 
 firmation arranged, they again are called in and the speaker, 
 appointed by the Council, holding a string of wampom in his 
 hand, informs them that the terms are accepted. The treaty 
 being thus concluded to the satisfaction of both parties, a hatchet 
 
120 MISSION IN NORTH AMERICA. 
 
 painted red, or a war-club, is buried in the ground, in token of a 
 cessation of all hostilities. To denote the stability of peace thus 
 concluded, they pronounce the following sentence: "Upon this 
 hatchet we will plant a tree, which shall grow up and reach to 
 heaven." All strings and belts, exchanged on the occasion, are 
 carefully preserved by both parties, and serve as memorials of 
 the transaction even at a distant period. 
 
 Similar ceremonies are observed when two or more tribes 
 enter into any compact, or engagement, with each other. But, 
 if the message is not received, the President of the Council does 
 not accept the tokens of confirmation, but pushes them from 
 him with his stick, and no one is allowed to touch them, except 
 the person by whom they were brought. 
 
 In consequence of the long residence of Europeans among 
 them, the religious notions of the Indians at the present day, 
 probably differ in many respects from those of former times. 
 The prevailing opinion now is, that there is one God, or as 
 they call him, one great and good Spirit, who has created all 
 things, and whom they represent as almighty, able to do as 
 much good as he pleases, and mercifully disposed towards men, 
 because he richly supplies their temporal wants. They are also 
 fully convinced that God requires them to do good and abstain 
 from evil. Besides the Supreme Being, they believe in good 
 and evil spirits, considering them as subordinate deities. They 
 seem to have had no idea of the Devil till the Europeans 
 came into the country ; but now they look upon him as a very 
 powerful spirit, but unable to do good, and therefore call him 
 the evil one. Thus they now believe in two Beings, the one 
 supremely good, and the other altogether evil. 
 
 About the middle of the last century a great change took 
 place in their religious opinions. Some teachers of their own 
 nation pretended to have received special revelations from above, 
 to have travelled into heaven and conversed with God. 
 Thouo-h they differed considerably in their respective opinions, 
 and advanced some very ridiculous and absurd notions, yet 
 their discourses served to impress some great truths on the 
 minds of the people. They asserted the distinction between 
 the body and the soul of man, and taught the immortality of 
 
MISSION IN NORTH AMERICA. 121 
 
 tlie latter, and its abode in the next world, either in a place 
 of happiness or misery, according to the conduct of the in- 
 dividual in the present life. To heathen their system of morals 
 seemed severe, as they enjoined total abstinence from scandal- 
 ous vices, and the necessity of being thoroughly cleansed from 
 sin, before they could be admitted among the good spirits. 
 
 Sacrifices, made with a view to pacify the Divine Being and 
 other subordinate deities, are among the religious ceremonies 
 of the Indians. Some of them are of very ancient date and 
 held most sacred ; but they have neither regular priests 
 nor temples. At public and solemn sacrifices the oldest men 
 perform the sacerdotal office ; and in their private expiations 
 each man, bringing a sacrifice, officiates as priest. Instead of 
 a temple, a large dwelling house is fitted up for the purpose. 
 Most of their sacrificial festivities terminate with intoxication. 
 
 It cannot be said that rank polytheism, or gross idolatry, 
 prevails among them. They have, however, a kind of idol 
 which they call 3Ianito, which is a man's head carved in wood. 
 Maiiitocs, are likewise a kind of tutelar spirits, of which every 
 Indian has one or more. Like other Pagans they easily be- 
 come the dupes of various sorts of deceivers, who, practising 
 upon the credulity of the people, only seek their own gain. 
 
 From the researches of our missionaries it appears that the 
 Delaware and Iroquois are the two principal languages, spoken 
 by the natives of North America, the Esquimaux excepted, and 
 that the rest are only dialects of these. In things relating to 
 common life, the language of the Indians is remarkably copi- 
 ous ; but extremely defective in terms to express scientific, or 
 religious subjects. They take no pains, as their knowledge 
 enlarges, to enrich their language, but prefer expressing them- 
 selves in a figurative and descriptive manner. In general they 
 show an aversion to learning ; even the acquisition of reading, 
 writing and arithmetic, requires too much application for them. 
 Yet they are not defective in natural talents ; some, who have 
 long resided among the white people, have learned to work in 
 iron, and can make axes and other tools, without having been 
 regularly taught. 
 
 These introductory remarks may to some appear to have been 
 
122 MISSION IN NORTH AMERICA. 
 
 extended to rather too great a length ; but as the manners of 
 the Indians, in many respects, differ widely from those of 
 other pagan nations, among whom the missionaries of the Bre- 
 thren are labouring in the gospel, it seemed necessary to go a 
 little more into detail on this subject, in order to render the sub- 
 sequent history of the mission more intelligible. One addi- 
 tional remark will serve to explain the difficult situation of the 
 brethren during the contest between Great Britain and her 
 American colonies. Wishing to maintain perfect neutrality 
 they were, in turns, exposed to the displeasure of all the belli- 
 gerent powers, whether English or French, Americans or In- 
 dians : and this circumstance was the principal, if not the sole, 
 cause of the many migrations and cruel sufferings, to which 
 they were subjected for a series of years. 
 
 The Trustees of Georgia having offered Count Zinzendorf a 
 tract of land to be colonized by the Brethren ; this offer was 
 gladly accepted, in the hope that a way might thus be opened 
 for preaching the gospel to the Creeks, Chickasaw and Chero- 
 kee Indians. 
 
 A number of brethren being found willing to engage in this 
 undertaking, they left Herrnhut in November 1734, conducted 
 by John Toeltschig and Anthony Seiffart, and being joined in 
 London by Brother Spangenberg *, arrived in America the 
 following spring. The Trustees of Georgia accommodated 
 them with houses in the town of Savannah, till they had clear- 
 ed and cultivated a piece of ground and formed a settlement on 
 the river Ogache. Their number being increased the follow- 
 ing year by several new colonists, God blessed their endea- 
 vours in such a manner, that in a short time, besides maintain- 
 ing themselves and assisting their neighbours, they were able 
 to repay the money advanced for them in London. Among 
 their neighbours they bore the character of peaceable, quiet 
 and pious people, who were not seeking temporal advantages, 
 but merely the salvation of the heathen. 
 
 • He had held the office of Fheologus Adjunctus in the university of Halle 
 in Saxony, and having joined the Brethren, was afterwards consecrated a 
 bishop of their church. 
 
MISSION IN NORTH AMEUCA. 123 
 
 In the hppe of thereby attaining their object, they erected a 
 house for a school on the island of Irene, in the river of Savan- 
 nah, about five miles from the town. Many Indians resi-ded . 
 on that island, and most of them understood some English. 
 Here the missionaries, P. Rose and his wife, Seiffart and 
 Biener took up their abode ; preached to the Indians, and in- 
 structed their children. The llev. Benj. Ingham, an English 
 Clergyman, having come to Georgia, lodged with them for 
 some time, and rendered them important services, particularly 
 in studying the language of the Indians. 
 
 Their labours here, however, were soon interrupted. The 
 Spaniards endeavouring to expel the English from Georgia, 
 the Brethren were called upon to join the other colonists in 
 taking up arms against them. This they refused, having be- 
 fore their arrival obtained a legal exemption from personal mi- 
 litary service. But, as their refusal displeased the rest of the 
 inhabitants, they repaid all the money advanced to them, left 
 their flourishing plantations, and retired to Pennsylvania. 
 
 Being unwilling totally to relinquish this promising field of 
 labour, they availed themselves of the offer of the Rev. G. 
 Whitfield to assist him in his establishment in Georgia, and 
 for this purpose sent brother John Hagen thither in 1740. 
 But all the men of the Greek Indians having gone to the war 
 against the Spaniards, he could not effect much, and therefore 
 returned to Pennsylvania. 
 
 Brother Spangenberg had mean while visited Germany, and 
 excited such a lively intereet in the Indian mission, that sev- 
 eral brethren resolved to venture their lives in this benevolent 
 but arduous service. One of these, Christian Rauch, was im- 
 mediately dispatched to New York, where he arrived in July 
 1740, Some pious people endeavoured to dissuade him from 
 his intention, representing it as a fruitless and dangerous enter- 
 prise; but his zeal and confidence in God were not shaken. 
 
 Having heard that an embas.sy of Mahikans were in the city, 
 he went in search of them, and to his great joy found that they 
 understood the Dutch language. Their appearance was fero- 
 cious, and they were besides much intoxicated. When they 
 had become sober, he addressed two of them, Tschoop and 
 
124 MISSION IN NORTH AMERICA. 
 
 Shabash, inquiring, whether they wished for a teacher to in- 
 struct them in the way of salvation ? They approved of his 
 proposal, and with due Indian solemnity declared him their 
 teacher. At a subsequent interview arrangements were made 
 for his removal to the Indian town Shf.komeko, about twenty- 
 five miles east of North River, on the borders of Connecticut. 
 
 When Ranch arrived at the residence of these Indians they 
 received him with great kindness, and listened to his first ad- 
 dress with marks of serious attention ; but, when he repeated 
 his exhortations the next day, they derided his words, and 
 openly laughed him to scorn. Not discouraged by their taunts, 
 lie was indefatigable in visiting them in their huts, testifying of 
 the evil of sin and of the grace of God in Christ Jesus. On these 
 occasions he had to encounter many hardships. He had nei- 
 ther the means jto keep a horse, nor money to hire a boat, 
 and thus suffered from the excessive heat and fatigue in trav- 
 elling from one town to another ; and he was not unfrequently 
 denied admittance into their houses. 
 
 In a while, however, it pleased the Lord to open the ears 
 and hearts of some of them. Tschoop, one of the two Indians 
 whom he had met in New York, was the first who discovered 
 any serious conviction of sin, and a desire to be instructed in 
 the gospel. Soon after his companion, Shabash, was likewise 
 awakened ; and the work of the Holy Spirit in the hearts of 
 these two savages strikingly evidenced itself. Their eyes over- 
 flowed with tears when the missionary conversed with them on 
 the sufferings and death of our Redeemer and the efficacy of 
 his atonement. They lamented their former blindness in wor- 
 shipping dumb idols, and their ignorance of the true God and 
 the way of salvation. 
 
 These proofs of the power and grace of God soon became 
 public. The neighbouring Christians were roused and made 
 attentive to the gospel. They desired the missionary to preach 
 to them, and the Word was blessed to many. In this way he 
 laboured for a whole year, never omitting an opportunity of be- 
 seeching and encouraging Christians and heathen to come to 
 Jesus Christ. 
 
 But now some white people, conceiving their interests would 
 be injured, if the Indians were converted to Christianity, stir- 
 
MISSION IN NORTH AMERICA. 125 
 
 red up the heathen against him, and even instigated them to 
 threaten his life, if he did not leave the place. He therefore 
 deemed it most advisable lo remove for a while, and take shel- 
 ter with a farmer. This man, at first, raised various objections 
 against the conversion of the Indians ; but when he observed 
 the zeal and devotedness of the missionary, he offered him 
 board and lodgings in his house upon condition that he should 
 instruct his children, remarking : ' ' We white people are as 
 wicked and ignorant as the heathen." 
 
 In this family brother Ranch diligently discharged the du- 
 ties of a schoolmaster ; yet he neglected no opportunity of ful- 
 filling his missionary calling. In the execution of the latter, 
 however, he met with many difficulties and impediments. 
 Some of the white people sought opportunities to maltreat him, 
 even threatening to hang him; others tried to seduce the In- 
 dians to inebriety, that they might murder him in a drunken 
 frolic. In short, they employed every artful means to prepossess 
 their minds against him ; so that even Tschoop and Shabash 
 became mistrustful. To these wicked machinations he oppos- 
 ed a meek and peaceable deportment. He was prudent and 
 cautious in all his steps, firmly confiding in his Almiglity 
 Protector, he acted with undaunted courage, praying for his 
 enemies, and sowing the Word of God in tears. 
 
 By degrees his meek and humble behaviour, his persever- 
 ance and courage gained the admiration of the Indians, and 
 changed their conduct towards him. He went frequently 
 among them, ate and drank with them, and even lay down to 
 sleep in their huts with the greatest composure. This latter cir- 
 cumstance, in particular, excited their astonishment. Tschoop 
 once observing him asleep in his hut, confessed that he was 
 mightily struck, and thought : " This man cannot be a bad 
 man ; he fears no evil, not from us who are so savage, but 
 sleeps comfortably, and places his life in our hands." Being 
 upon further reflection convinced of the falsehood of the charges 
 brought against the missionary by the white people, he exerted 
 himself to remove the prejudices of his countrymen; and he 
 happily succeeded. 
 
 Having thus regained the confidence of the Indians, brother 
 
126 MISSION IN NORTH AMERICA. 
 
 Rauch was unremitting in liis labours for their good, and had 
 the joy to observe, that many were powerfully impressed by 
 his discourses of the love of Jesus to sinners. But, in no 
 instance did the Word reach the conscience with greater power, 
 or more strikingly display its saving efficacy, than in the case of 
 Tschoop. Before his conversion he was distinguished by every 
 act of outrage and sin, and had even crippled himself by his 
 debaucheries ; but now the lion was tamed, and the slave of sin 
 and Satan became a child of God and a preacher of righteous- 
 ness. The account he once gave of his conversion, will best 
 elucidate the striking change wrought in him. " Brethren,'"' 
 said he, " I have been a heathen, and have grown old amongst 
 them ; therefore I know how heathen think. Once a preacher 
 came and began to explain to us, that there was a God. We 
 answered, ' Dost thou think us so ignorant as not to know that .'* 
 Return to the place from whence thou camest.' Then again 
 another preacher came and said: ' You must not steal, nor lie, 
 nor get drunk. Sec' We answered, ' Thou fool, dost thou 
 think us ignorant of this ? Learn first thyself, and then teach 
 the people to whom thou belongest, to leave off these things. 
 For who steal, lie, or are more drunken than thine own people .'''' 
 And thus we dismissed him. After some time brother Rauch 
 came into my hut, sat down and spoke nearly as follows : ' I 
 am come to you in the name of the Lord of heaven and of earth : 
 He sends to let you know that he will make you happy, and 
 deliver you from the misery, in which you lie at present. For 
 this end, he bacame a man, gave his life a ransom and shed his 
 blood for sinners &c.'' When he had finished his discourse, he 
 lay down, fatigued with his , journey, and fell into a sound 
 sleep. I thought : What kind of man is this .'' There he lies 
 and sleeps ; I might kill him and throw him into the wood, 
 and who would regard it .'' But this gives him no concern. 
 However, I could not forget his words. They constantly re- 
 curred to my mind. Even when asleep I dreamt of the blood 
 Christ shed for us. I found this to be widely different from 
 any thing I had heard before; and I interpreted Rauch's words 
 to the other Indians. Thus, through the grace of God, an 
 awakening commenced among us. I say, therefore, brethren, 
 
MISSION IN NORTH AMERICA. 127 
 
 preach Christ our Saviour and his sufferings and death, if you 
 would wish your words to gain entrance among the heathen.""* 
 Count Zinzendorf, being come to America to inspect the va- 
 rious colonies and settlements of the Brethren in that quarter 
 of the world, also visited this infant mission. On this occasion 
 Tschoop, Shabash and two other Indians were admitted to the 
 Church of Christ by baptism, as the first fruits of that nation. 
 The Count made several journeys into the interior, whereby a 
 friendly intercourse was established with some other Indian 
 tribes. In one place he met with a numerous embassy of Su' 
 chems, or heads of the Iroquois, to whom he declared the pur- 
 port of his visit. After about an hour's consultation, two of 
 the ambassadors returned the following answer to the Count : 
 *' Brother, you have made a long voyage over the seas to 
 preach to the white people and to the Indians. You did not 
 know that we were here, and we knew nothing of you. This 
 proceeds from above. Come, therefore, to us, both you and 
 your brethren ; we bid you welcome, and take this fathom of 
 wampom in confirmation of the truth of our words." A kind 
 of league was thus made between the Brethren and the Iroquois, 
 which was at that time of great importance, as they might have 
 considerably obstructed the labours of the missionaries, had 
 they been enemies. 
 
 Shekomeko now became a flourishing little town. More 
 missionaries joined brother Ranch, endowed with the same pa- 
 tient fortitude, prudence, and ardent zeal, for the conversion 
 of the heathen. The young converts were filled with joy and 
 gratitude for the grace conferred upon them, testifying with a 
 warm heart, both to white people and to Indians, of the love of 
 God in Christ Jesus ; and their Christian deportment evidenc- 
 ed the reality of their profession. The gospel found attentive »^ 
 hearers not only in the neighbouring villages, but many sava- 
 ges came from a distance of twenty miles to hear the great 
 word, as they termed it, and were often so much affected during 
 the sermon, that they wept all the time, and some even fell on 
 
 * Loskiel, Part ii. p. 14. By comparing this relation Avith that of the con- 
 version of the first Greenlanders, the resemblance will be found tnily striking. 
 See p. 26 and 30. 
 
128 MISSION IN NORTH AMERICA. 
 
 their faces, and by other expressive attitudes signified, how 
 deeply the discourse had penetrated and humbled their hearts. 
 Meanwhile the other Indian nations were not wholly neg- 
 lected. Besides the endeavours of Count Zinzendorf and the 
 persons in his company, the Ikethren at Bethlehem * fre- 
 quently sent some of their number to preach in the Indian 
 towns in their vicinity, which were chiefly inhabited by Dela- 
 wares. No immediate success attended these endeavours, ex- 
 cept that the kind and affable behaviour of the brethren prepos- 
 sessed the savages in their favour, and thus paved the way for 
 better things at a future period. These journeys were often 
 attended with much fatigue and danger. On one occasion two 
 brethren were obliged to pass through a forest, which had been 
 set on fire, and to cross a large brook, which had overflowed its 
 banks. But the God, whom they served, delivered them, and 
 literally verified his promise: " When thou passest through the 
 xoaters, I will be with thee ; and through the rivers, they shall 
 not overflow thee : when thou walkest throitgh the Jlre, thou 
 shalt not be burned, neither shall the jlame Tcindle iipon thee.'''' 
 Isa. xliii. 2. 
 
 In externals the missionaries had to endure many difficulties 
 and trials. The enmity of many nominal Christians against 
 the work of God among the heathen had not wholly subsided. 
 They met with much opposition, and Satan was continually in- 
 stigating his emissaries to harrass and distress them. They 
 lived and dressed in the Indian manner, so that in travelling 
 they were often taken for Indians. As far as they could they 
 maintained themselves by the labour of their hands, being as- 
 sisted by the Jirethrcn in Bethlehem only when their own 
 resources proved insufficient. 
 
 As most of the Christian Indians, who visited at Sheko- 
 / MEKo, lived inPACHGATGocH in Connecticut, at a distance of 
 
 • Bethlehem lies in Pennsylvania, and forms a regular settlement of the 
 Brethren, scuh as Fairfield and Fulnek in England, and Gracehill in Ire- 
 land, and was originally huilt hy colonists from Germany, being members of 
 the Brethren's Church. To the minister, elders and warden of this settle- 
 ment, called the Flder\s Conference, the superintendency of the Indian mis- 
 sion was committed. 
 
MISSION IN NORTH AMERICA. 129' 
 
 about twenty miles, they requested the magistrates to provide 
 them with a preacher. Their petition being rejected, they ap- 
 plied to Bethlehem, when brother Mack and his wife were 
 sent thither. They were received with great joy even by the 
 heathen, who remarked that they must love them very much, 
 to undertake so long a journey in winter. Mack likewise made 
 a journey to Potatik, about seventy miles further in the country. 
 In both places the Lord evidently blessed his labours. Many 
 were awakened to a sense of their lost condition and their need 
 of a Saviour ; and six Indians were baptized at the latter place. 
 
 The congregation at Shekomeko continued to increase not 
 only in number but also in grace and knowledge ; but hitherto 
 the missionaries had been scrupulous of admitting any to the 
 Lord's Supper. Now, however, they thought it wrong to debar 
 them any longer from this holy ordinance. Having, therefore, 
 given their converts the needful instruction respecting its insti- 
 tution and the blessings thereby conveyed to true believers, 
 they admitted ten of the Christian Indians to partake with 
 them of this sacred repast in March 1743 ; and their number 
 was augmented each succeeding month. 
 
 In July the same year a new chapel was opened at Sheko- 
 meko. It was thirty feet long and twenty broad, and entirely 
 covered with smooth bark. This enabled them to regulate their 
 meetings for worship better. On Sundays and other festival 
 occasions Shekomeko seemed all alive, and it might be said 
 with truth that the believers evidenced their faith in Jesus both 
 early and late. Many heathen visited the place ; and once, 
 when above a hundred were there, the missionaries observed, 
 that wherever two or three were standing together, the love of 
 God and the sufferings of Christ formed the subject of their 
 conversation ; and such was the zeal of the Christian Indians, 
 that they often testified of Jesus to their countrymen till after 
 midnight.* At the request of the inhabitants the missionaries 
 
 • Mr. Weiser, a justice of the peace iu Pennsylvania, bears a pleasing 
 testimony of the grace prevailing at Shekomeko, in a letter written to, one of 
 the missionaries after he had visited that place. His words were : " The 
 faith of the Indians in our Lord Jesus Christ, their simplicity and unaf- 
 fected deportment, their experience of the grace procured for us by the suf- 
 
 '/ 
 
130 MISSION IN NORTH AMERICA. 
 
 drew up some rules for the regulation of their civil and social 
 intercourse with each other, and for the promotion of good order 
 in the settlement ; and they had the pleasure of finding, that 
 whenever any of their converts had been guilty of transgrcsshig 
 these rules, they were ready to acknowledge their misconduct, 
 and to listen to advice and instruction. Thus every thing 
 seemed to flourish at Shekomeko; the number of baptized 
 Indians, at the close of the year, amounted to sixty three, exclu- 
 sive of those residing in Pachgatgoch. Besides these they 
 had a great many constant hearers, some of whom were under 
 serious impressions of divine truth. Brother Mack and his 
 wife now took up their residence at Pachgatgoch and built 
 themselves a hut of bark after the Indian manner. The won- 
 derful effects, produced by the preaching of the gospel in this 
 place, soon roused the attention cf the whole neighbourhood. 
 Some white people, who had been accustomed to make the dis- 
 solute lives of the Indians subservient to their own advantage, 
 were exceedingly enraged, when they found them unwilling 
 any longer to abet their wicked practices. They, therefore, 
 resorted to every base artifice to seduce them, propagating the 
 grossest calumnies against the missionaries ; and as this did not 
 succeed, they persuaded a clergyman of the Church of England 
 to join in their measures. He ordered the Indians to send to 
 New England for a minister and schoolmaster; but they replied 
 that they were perfectly satisfied with the teaclier they already 
 had, and requested to enjoy the same religious liberty as all 
 other denominations of Chriistians in the state did. This answer 
 
 ferings of Jesus, have impressed my mind with a firm belief, that God is with 
 you. I thought myself seated in a company of primitive Christians. Thev 
 attended with great gravity and devotion ; tlieir eyes were steadily fixed upon 
 their teacher, as if they would eat his words. John [Tschoop] was the inter- 
 preter and acquitted himself in the best manner. I esteem him as a man 
 anointed with grace and spirit. — The text of scripture, Jemts Christ the same 
 yesterday, to day, and for ever, appeared to me as an eternal truth, when I 
 beheld the venerable patriarchs of the American Indian Church sitting 
 around me, as living witnesses of the power of our Lord Jesus Christ and 
 his atoning sacrifice. Their prayers arc had in remembrance in the sight of 
 God ; and may God fight against their enemies. May the Almighty give to 
 you and your assistants an open door to the hearts of all tlie heathen 
 •Lotkiel'g, History of the Indian Mission, Part ii. p. 33. 
 
MISSION IN NORTH AMERICA. 131 
 
 exasperated the adversaries still more. They publicly stigma, 
 tired the Brethren as papists and traitors. The missionaries- 
 Mack, Shaw and Pyrleus, (the two latter being on a visit in 
 Pachgatgogh,) were taken prisoners, and dragged up and 
 down the country for three days. The governor of Connecticut 
 having fully investigated the allegations brought against them 
 and found them false, they were honourably dismissed. How- 
 ever, as their enemies still continued to harass them, they 
 thought it most prudent to retire for a while to Shekomeko. 
 
 Not to mention several visits, paid about this time to other 
 Indian tribes, it should be here observed, that while, on the 
 one hand, the missionaries had to suffer many hardships and 
 much opposition, they met, on the other, with many proofs of 
 the power of the gospel in " turning the gentiles from darkness 
 unto light, and from the power of Satan unto God." In one 
 place, a most savage Indian publicly burned his idols, and in a 
 speech, delivered to his countrymen, lamented his former blind- 
 ness and ignorance with great energy, and exhorted them to turn 
 to the Lord Jesus. 
 
 Hitherto, though exposed to various vexations, they had not 
 met with any serious interruption to their labours; but in the 
 spring of 1744 a violent persecution was raised against them. 
 Some white people continued to employ every artful means to 
 alienate the affection of the Indians from the Brethren, and to 
 seduce them to drunkenness and other vices. They circulated 
 the basest insinuations against the missionaries, representing 
 them as dangerous to the state, pretending that they were in 
 league with the French, and intended to supply the savages with 
 arms to fight against the English. This report, false as it was, 
 spread such terror through the country, that the inhabitants of 
 the neighbouring town of Sharon, remained under arms for a 
 whole week, and some even forsook their plantations. The 
 missionaries were now called upon to serve in the militia ; but 
 this they refused on the ground that as ministers of religion, 
 they ought not to be compelled to bear arms. A second appli- 
 cation to the same effect being likewise resisted, they were for 
 several months dragged from one court to another, to be exa- 
 mined and answer to the allegation brought against them. 
 
132 MISSION IN NORTH AMERICA. 
 
 They punctually, though with very great inconvenience to them- 
 selves and their work, obeyed every summons, and were enabled 
 to disprove, by unimpeachable evidence, every charge brought 
 against them. At the same time they protested against the 
 restriction laid upon them in the prosecution of their missionary 
 calling, and avowed their firm resolution rather to suffer any 
 thing for conscience'' sake, than disobey God and the lawful au- 
 thority of the state. The magistrates were satisfied, dismissed 
 them with every mark of respect, and, as a protection against 
 the machinations of their enemies on their return to Sheko- 
 MEKo, they gave them an honourable acquittal in writing. 
 
 Their adversaries, finding their scheme firustrated, resorted to 
 other measures. Knowing the conscientious scruples of some of 
 the missionaries against taking an oath, they exerted all their 
 influence to obtain two Acts of Assembly in New York, which 
 were passed in October; the one enjoining all suspicious persons 
 to take the oaths of allegiance, and, in case of refusal, to be ex- 
 pelled the country ; the other positively prohibiting the Bre- 
 thren from instructing the Indians. December the 15th, the 
 sheriff and three justices of the peace arrived at Shekomeko 
 and, in the name of the governor and council of New York, pro- 
 hibited all religious meetings, commanding the missionaries to 
 appear before the court in Pickipsion, on the 17th of that month. 
 On their appearance, the Act was read to them, by which they 
 were expelled the country, under the old pretence of being in 
 league with the French. 
 
 The injustice of this Act was acknowledged by every candid 
 and unprejudiced person. Bishop Spangenberg, who visited 
 this settlement towards the close of the year, makes the follow- 
 ing remarks in his journal: " The nearer we approached to She- 
 komeko, the more veneration we found among all ranks of 
 people for the great work of God in that place. The justice of 
 the peace at Milsy accompanied us, and declared that he would 
 rather suffer his right hand to be cut off, than treat the Brethren 
 conformably to the Act passed against them, for he was tho- 
 roughly convinced, that the grace of God had, by their means, 
 wrought miracles in that place."* 
 
 ♦ Loskiel, Part ii. p. 64. 
 
MISSION IN NORTH AMERICA. 13* 
 
 The missionaries, however, deemed it not only prudent, but 
 their duty, to obey the lawful authority of the state, and there- 
 fore retired with a heavy heart, to Bethlehem in Tennsylva- 
 nia, yet they preserved unshaken confidence in the Lord, that 
 he would himself defend their cause and arise for the help of 
 his oppressed people. 
 
 After their removal from Shekomeko, the Christian Indians 
 continued their religious meetings as Usual, and were occasion- 
 ally, though at the risk of persecution, visited by brethren 
 from Bethlkhem. Once when a large company was returning 
 to Bethlehem, the circumstance of the wife of one of the mis- 
 sionaries being an Indian woman furnished some ill-disposed 
 justices at Sopus with a pretext for detaining them. They were 
 insulted by the mob, and had to suffer much in the open street 
 from cold and violent rain, and, when at length permitted to 
 proceed, they were loaded with curses and reproaches. On 
 another occasion two brethren were arrested at Albany, and, 
 after enduring many indignities, taken to New York and con- 
 fined in prison for seven weeks. 
 
 Amidst the grief, experienced in consequence of these disas- 
 trous events, the missionaries were greatly comforted by perceiv- 
 ing that their labour was not in vain in the Lord. Soon after 
 their expulsion from Shekomeko they had the joy to baptize 
 a man and liis wife, the first fruits of the gospel among the 
 Delaware nation. This solemn transaction was performed at 
 Bethlehem. Both of them belonging to the family of the 
 Chief, their relations were highly displeased, considering the 
 step they had taken as a disgrace to their rank, and, in order 
 to seduce them to apostacy, invited them to their houses ; but 
 the two baptized persons, fearing their souls might suifer harm, 
 declined the invitation. Upon this their relations resolved to 
 take them by force, and thirty six, among whom were several 
 young warriors, came to Bethlehem, with this intention. At 
 first they behaved in a very turbulent manner, but, being kind- 
 ly treated, their anger abated, their countenances softened, and 
 they even entered into conversation with their baptized friends 
 and other Christian Indians. Gottlieb, one of their baptized 
 relatives, gave them a plain account of his reasons for joining 
 
134 MISSION IN !<IORTH AMERICA. 
 
 the Christians, exhorting them also to believe in the Lord Je- 
 sus. During this conversation the savages seemed extremely 
 uneasy, and early the next morning set off on their return. 
 After some time they sent a message to Gottlieb, desiring him 
 to come and instruct them. With this he complied, and had 
 the satisfaction to see his own brother become a believer, and 
 by baptism join the Church of Christ. 
 
 Although the state of things at Shekomeko was such as to 
 afford sincere pleasure, yet the suspension of the regular servi- 
 ces of the missionaries could not but eventually prove injurious 
 to the congregation. It was, therefore, proposed to the Christi- 
 an Indians to remove from the province of New York, and set- 
 tle near Bethlehem, till a more eligible spot could be procur- 
 ed for their future establishment. But, contrary to expectation, 
 the inhabitants of Shekomeko shewed themselves averse to this 
 measure, and, among other reasons, alledged, that the gover- 
 nor of New York had expressly commanded them to stay in 
 their own town, promising them his protection ; and that, were 
 they even to remove, some of their relations, especially the 
 young, would still remain there and be easily seduced to their 
 former sinful practices. An event, however, occurred soon af- 
 ter, which induced them gladly to accede to the proposal of the 
 Brethren. Some white people came to a resolution to expel 
 the Christian Indians by main force, under pretence that the 
 ground on which Shekomeko stood, belonged to other people. 
 The governor of New York not attending to their petition for 
 his interference these white people seized upon the land and 
 appointed a watch to prevent all visits from Bethlehem. 
 The old accusations of disloyalty were renewed, and gained so 
 many supporters, that the inhabitants of Reinbcck demanded a 
 warrant of the justice to kill all the Indians at Shekomeko. 
 Though the warrant was not granted, yet the situation of the 
 people there became so very distressing, that they were glad to 
 emigrate. 
 
 Ten families of these emigrants, consisting of forty-four per- 
 sons, arrived at Bethlehem in April 1746. They immedi- 
 ately built some huts near the settlement, as a temporary resi- 
 dence, to which they gave the name of Friedenshuetten. 
 
MISSION IIV NORTH AMERICA. 135 
 
 But as an Indian town could not be supported so near to Beth- 
 lehem, the Brethren purchased two hundred acres of land, 
 lying at the junction of the rivers Mahony and Lecha, about 
 thirty miles distant. This situation pleased the Indians, and 
 they immediately began to plant, and lay out a town, calling it 
 Gnadenhuetten. The building of this place was attended 
 with considerable expense and much trouble. The land, being 
 overgrown with wood, had first to be cleared, and the Indians 
 having neither knowledge nor skill in agriculture, the heaviest 
 part of the labour fell upon the missionaries ; but they cheer- 
 fully endured every fatigue, considering it as done in the 
 service of the Lord. 
 
 When intelligence of this new settlement reached Sheko- 
 MEKo and Pachgatgoch, many Indians in those places were 
 induced to remove to it, so that, in a short time, it contained 
 more inhabitants than the two former; and soon became a re- 
 gular town. The church stood in a valley ; on one side, upon 
 rising ground, were the Indian houses, forming a crescent, and 
 on the other the mission-house and the burying-ground. Every 
 Indian family had a plantation. The road to Wayomick and 
 other Indian towns lay thrt)Ugh the settlement. 
 
 In Shkkomeko the prospect appeared daily more precarious. 
 The Indians in league with the French, having made inroads 
 into the country, had advanced within a day's journey of that 
 town, setting fire to the houses and murdering the inhabitants 
 on their way. By these circumstances, and being called upon 
 to join in the war, the Christian Indians, still remaining in 
 that place, were kept in constant fear and anxiety. The Bre- 
 thren could not come to their assistance till in July 1746, when 
 Hagan and Post went thither from Bethlehem. It was now 
 found necessary to give up every idea for^holding meetings for 
 divine worship in that place, but the chapel was, by a deed of 
 gift, secured to the Indians as their property. Thus the Bre- ■^ 
 thren with sorrowful hearts, yet praising God, who had first 
 caused the light of the gospel to shine to the heathen in this 
 place, conclnded their labours at Shekomeko. Within the space 
 of two years sixty-one adults had been made partakers of holy 
 baptism, exclusive of those baptized at Bethlehem. 
 
136 MISSION IN NORTH AMERICA. 
 
 Durin<T the troubles in Shekomeko various disorders had 
 occurred among the converts. Some had been seduced to 
 join in sinful practices, and others, through the calumnies of 
 adversaries, had imbibed prejudices against the missionaries. 
 The Brethren, however, had the joy to find, that most of them 
 became sensible of their errors, and with sincere penitence con- 
 fessed their deviations. Such penitents were received with op- 
 en arms at Bethlehem and Gnadenhuetten. As an ex- 
 ample of the figurative manner in which the Indians generally 
 express themselves, the language of one of these penitents may 
 be quoted : " I am like a child,"' said he, " whose father loves 
 him dearly, clothes him well, and gives him all he stands in 
 need of; afterwards the child becomes refractory, deserts his 
 parent and despises his counsel. At length, the child, through 
 his folly loses all the good things he possessed, his clothes be- 
 come ragged, and nakedness and want follow. Then remem- 
 bering how well he fared, he repents and weeps day and night, 
 scarcely presuming to return. This is precisely my case." 
 
 The Indian congregation at Gnadenhuetten continued 
 for several years in a pleasing course, and increased to about five 
 hundred persons. Besides other useful regulations, schools 
 ■were established. The place was often visited by heathen, who 
 were treated with hospitality and kindness, and no means were 
 neglected for directing their attention to the gospel. Nothing, 
 in general, made a deeper impression upon the savages, than the 
 peace and harmony prevailing among the Christian Indians, 
 . and their contentment amidst all difficulties. The sincerity of 
 their profession evinced itself in many ways. They diligent- 
 ly attended to their work and the cultivation of their fields, 
 and when necessary for their support went out to hunt. Their 
 firm confidence in our Saviour shewed itself in many trying 
 circumstances. Thus, when the small pox broke out among 
 them, they bore the sickness with patience, manifesting but 
 little fear of death ; and the cheerful and happy disposition of 
 those, who departed this life, was truly edifying. Their solici- 
 tude for the Christian education of their children was another 
 proof of the change wrought on their minds. Such is the ex- 
 cessive fondness of the Indians for their children, that they 
 
MISSION IN NORTH AMERICA. 137 
 
 hardly ever suffer them to be out of sight ; but now many of 
 them, seeing the temptations to which they would be exposed 
 at home, entreated the Brethren, even with tears, to receive 
 them into the schools at Bethlehem ; a request willingly ac- 
 ceded to whenever it was possible. 
 
 The labours of the Brethren for the conversion of the In- 
 dians at this period, were not confined to Gnadenhuetten. 
 They improved every opportunity that offered for propagating 
 the gospel, and undertook many difficult and perilous journeys. 
 The Iroquois more particularly engaged their attention, to 
 gain entrance among them they made several visits to Shomo- 
 Jcin and other towns on the Susquehannah, and by degrees es- 
 tablished themselves there. The inhabitants of Shomokin be- 
 ing noted for ferocity and licentiousness, the missionaries Wit- 
 nessed many barbarous and profligate scenes, and were more than 
 once in danger of being murdered by the intoxicated natives. 
 During a journey toOnondago,the chief town of the Iroquois and 
 the scat of the great Council, a solemn league, executed with 
 due Indian formalities, was made between the Council and the 
 Brethren, by which the latter obtained permission for two of 
 them to reside in that country for the purpose of learning the 
 language. But no permanent advantages were gained by all 
 these exertions. 
 
 Their endeavours in other places were more successful, espe- 
 cially at Pachgatgoch and Wechquetanl; in the neighbour- 
 hood of Shekomeko, where a few Christian Indians, who had 
 n9jt emigrated with the rest, were still residing. The mission- 
 ary David Bruce was appointed to this station in 1748 ; 
 and the year after had the pleasure of seeing twenty Indians 
 added to the Church by baptism. But that very year he finish- 
 ed his earthly pilgrimage, being succeeded by brother Abr. 
 Buninger. This little flock enjoyed rest and peace for several 
 years, and increased to upwards of a hundred in number. 
 
 Mentolagomekah, situate at no great distance from Bethle- 
 hem, was another promising station, occupied during this peri- 
 od, where many of the inhabitants became obedient to the gos- 
 pel In a few years, however, the white people seized upon 
 their plantations; and as the Brethren could not succeed in 
 
13S MISSION IN NORTH AMERICA. 
 
 making a purchase of the land, their converts were obliged to 
 remove to Gnadexhuetten in 1754. 
 
 In the summer of 1752 an embassy of Nantikoks and Shaw- 
 anose, consisting in all of one hundred and seven persons, arri- 
 ved'at Gnadenhuetten, and formed a solemn league of friend- 
 ship with the Brethren. Another embassy of these tribes, at- 
 tended by three Iroquois Indians and consisting of twenty-two 
 persons, came to Gnadexhuetten the following spring, and, 
 to the no small astonishment of the Brethren, proposed to them 
 to quit that settlement and remove to WayotniK-, a town belong- 
 ing to the Shawanose. They assigned no particular reason for 
 this unexpected proposal. It appeared, however, in the sequel, 
 that it was in reality an act of friendship. For as the savages 
 were secretly determined to join the French in hostilities 
 against the English, they wished to furnish a safe retreat to 
 their countrymen of Gnadenhuetten, that they might the 
 more easily fall upon the white people in those parts. In this 
 view the Iroquois had called the Nantikoks from Wayomik into 
 their neio"hbourhood, to make room for the Christian Indians. 
 
 However unpleasant the projected removal was, the Brethren 
 would not interfere in the business, lest the old calumny of in- 
 tending to enslave the Indians should be revived, and, there- 
 fore, left their converts to act entirely as they pleased. After 
 evincing considerable reluctance at quitting their pleasant set- 
 tlement, and real sorrow at being thus separated from their 
 teachers, upwards of eighty finally determined to remove to 
 Wayomik and Nesl-opeko. After their arrival in these place*?, 
 they were occasionally visited by some of the missionaries, who 
 found these poor exiles still walking in the fear of God, and 
 that, by their zealous testimony of Christ and his atonement, 
 they were made a blessing to their heathen countrymen. But 
 their external situation was by no means desirable. All the 
 people, residing on the Susquehannah, were in constant fear and 
 terror both of the Catawas and the French. The former being 
 at war with the Iroquois, who made frequent incursions into 
 the country, and the latter threatening the Indians with fire and 
 sword, unless they acted in concert with them against the En- 
 glisli. Besides this, ths people of New England, who laid 
 
MISSION IN NORTH AMERICA. 139 
 
 claim to Wayomik, were advancing with an intention of seizing 
 the land by force. These circumstances obliged the Indians 
 in 1756 to forsake that town. 
 
 The missionaries were still lamenting the emigration of so 
 many of their converts from Gnadenhuetten, when their 
 sorrow was unexpectedly turned into joy, by the arrival of the 
 Indians from Meniolagomekah. This enlivened the congre- 
 gation at Gnadexhuettkn, and animated the native assist- 
 ants with new zeal and fidelity in the discharge of their duties. 
 Their external troubles, however, did not yet terminate. They 
 had not only a kind of tax imposed upon them, to show their 
 dependence on the Iroquois , but the following very singular 
 message was sent them : " The great head, i. e. the Council in 
 Onondago, speak the truth and lie not : they rejoice that some 
 of the believing Indians have moved to Wayomik, but now 
 they lift up the remaining Mahikans and Delawares *, and set 
 them down also in WayomiTc ; for there a fire is kindled for 
 them, and thej'C they may plant and think on (irod : but if they 
 will not hear, the great head will come and clean their ears 
 with a red-hot iron (meaning they would set their houses on 
 fire") and shoot them through the head with musquet-balls." 
 The Chief of the Shawanose, who delivered this message, then 
 turned to the missionaries, earnestly demanding of them not to 
 hinder their converts from removing to Wayomik. 
 
 This message spread general consternation through Gna- 
 denhuetten, especially the concluding address to the mis- 
 sionaries. It was soon discovered, that this proposal did not 
 originate in the great Council at Onondago, but with the Onei- 
 da tribe and the warlike Mahikans and Delawares, aided by 
 some persons of consequence in Philadelphia, who thereby 
 hoped to obtain some sinister end they had in view. The 
 Brethren left the inhabitants of Gnadenhuetten to their 
 free choice, whether to go or stay, only warning them, in an 
 affectionate manner, of the dangers to which their souls might 
 be exposed by their removal. This warning was addressed to 
 them not without good reason, as some of the baptized had 
 
 4 The inhabitants of Gnadenhuetten bqlonged to these nations. 
 
1^0 MISSION IN NORTH AMERICA. 
 
 lately relapsed into heathenism, and even become the seducerg 
 of others. The address had the desired effect. Most of those, 
 wliosc conduct had been blameable, ingenuously owned their 
 transgressions, begging forgiveness of the rest : which was 
 granted with joy. The grace of God was, perhaps, nevermore 
 evident, than in seeing an Indian, naturally obstinate and in- 
 flexible to a high degree, appear before a whole body of people 
 as an humbled sinner, and ask pardon of God and those whom 
 he had offended. Thus most of them resolved to stay, and 
 they remained firm to their resolution. When, shortly after, 
 the message was repeated in a more stern tone, an Indian bro- 
 ther said: *' What can the Chief, of the six nations give me in 
 exchange for my soul ? They never consider, how that will fare 
 at last." Another remarked : " God who made and saved me, 
 can protect me, if he please ; I am not afraid of the wrath of 
 man ; for not one hair of my head can fall to the ground with- 
 out His will." And a third observed : " If even one of them 
 should lift up his hatchet against me and say, ' depart from the 
 Lord and the Brethren,'' I would not do it." 
 
 The congregational Gnadenhuetten had now a short sea- 
 son of rest, and, walking in the fear of the Lord and the com- 
 forts of the holy Ghost, was edified. The Brethren improved 
 this interval of repose for sending missionaries to preach and 
 administer the sacraments to the Christian Indians residing in 
 other places, and for propagating the gospel among the hea- 
 then. These journeys were attended with many dangers ; but 
 they thought themselves richly compensated by finding their 
 converts in most places walking worthily of the gospel, and by 
 the accession of new members to the Church. 
 
 The repose at Gnadenhuetten was of short duration. A 
 cruel Indian war, occasioned by the contest between the En- 
 glish and French, broke out, spreading terror and confusion 
 through the whole country. The first outrage was committed 
 near SItomoJcin, where three of the missionaries resided, but 
 through the mercy of God they were all preserved, though 
 exposed to continual danger. The inhabitants of Gnaden- 
 huetten were not so fortunate. Being considered as friends to 
 the British government, they were in the most imminent danger 
 
MISSION IN NORTH AMERICA. 141 
 
 of being attacked by the Indians, in league with the French, 
 and as the most dreadful reports reached them from all quarters, 
 some were so much intimidated, that they fled into the woods. 
 The greater part, however, staid in the settlement, resigned 
 to the will of God, giving the most encouraging assurances, 
 that they would not forsake each other, but remain united in 
 life and death. 
 
 But God had otherwise ordained. Late in the evening of the 
 24th of November, 1755, while the missionaries were at sup- 
 per, their attention was suddenly roused by the continual bark- 
 ing of dogs, which was followed by the report of a gun. On 
 opening the door of the mission-house, they observed a party 
 of hostile Indians standing before the house with their pieces 
 pointed towards the door. On its being opened they immedi- 
 ately fired, and Martin Nitschman was killed on the spot. 
 His wife and some others were wounded, but ran up stairs into 
 the garret and barricaded the door with bedsteads. Hither the 
 savages pursued them ; but, not being able to force open the door, 
 they set fire to the house, which was soon enveloped in flames. 
 Two of the brethren had previously made their escape by jump- 
 ing out of a back window ; and now a boy leaped down from 
 the flaming roof, though not till one of his cheeks had been 
 grazed by a ball and his hand much burned. Sister Partsch, 
 whose husband had escaped out of the window, likewise ven- 
 tured to leap down from the burning roof. Unobserved by the 
 enemies she hid herself behind a tree on rising ground, from 
 whence she had a full view of the tragical scene. Brother 
 Fabricius, in attempting to make his escape in the same man- 
 ner, was perceived by the Indians, and instantly wounded by 
 two balls. They then seized him, and having dispatched him 
 with their hatchets, took his scalp and left him dead on the 
 ground. Eleven persons, belonging to the mission, were burned 
 alive, among whom was a child only fifteen months old. Sister 
 Senseman, already surrounded by the flames, was heard to ex- 
 claim : " ' Tis all well, dear Saviour ! I expected notlmig else.'''' 
 The murderers now set fire to the barns and stables, by which 
 all the corn, hay and cattle were consumed; and, having made a 
 hearty raeal, they departed. 
 
142 MISSION IN NORTH AMKIUCA. 
 
 This melancholy occurrence proved the deliverance of the 
 Christian Indians; for, upon hearing the report of guns, seeing 
 the flames and learning the dreadful cause from those who es- 
 caped, they offered to attack the enemy without delay ; but, being 
 advised to the contrary, they all fled into the woods, and the set- 
 tlement was thus in a few minutes, cleared of its inhabitants. By 
 the exertions and persuasions of the missionary, Shebosh, who 
 alone remained at Gnadenhuetten, most of the fugitive con- 
 verts returned the next day. They now hoped to remain in 
 safety, as, in consequence of a petition, presented by the Bre- 
 thren at Bethlehem, the governor of Pennsylvania sent a 
 party of soldiers into these parts, for the protection of the 
 Christian Indians and the country in general. But on new 
 year's day 1 756 the savages attacked these troops, set fire to 
 the settlement, and laid waste all the plantations; by which both 
 the congregation and the missionaries were reduced to the 
 greatest poverty. 
 
 Disastrous as were these events, they served to avert a far 
 greater calamity. The adversaries of the Brethren had se- 
 cretly formed a design of overthrowing their whole establish- 
 ment in North America. The most unfounded reports of their 
 being in league with the French were industriously dissemina- 
 ted, and a base fabrication, purporting to be a letter written by 
 a French officer, was inserted in the Newspaper, in which he 
 was represented as saying, that " the Moravians were their 
 good friends and would give them every assistance in their 
 power against the English." A general suspicion was thus 
 excited against the Brethren throughout the country, which 
 went so far, that in the Jerseys proclamation was made, with 
 beat of drum, that Bethlehem should be destroyed; and 
 the most dreadful threats were added, that in Bethlehem, 
 Gnadenhuetten and other places, a carnage should be made, 
 such as had never before been heard of in North America. 
 It was afterwards ascertained, that a party of a hundred men, 
 who came to Bethlehem, was sent for the express purpose 
 of raising a mob: but the kind and hospitable manner in 
 which they were treated by the inhabitants, who were igno- 
 rant of their design, overcame their malice and softened their 
 
MISSION IN NORTH AMERCA. 143 
 
 rage. It was not, however, till after the burning of Gxaden- 
 HUETTEN that the public sentiment respecting the Brethren un- 
 derwent a complete revolution. Their adversaries were now 
 convinced of the falsehood of the charges brought against them, 
 as they were the first sufferers from the French. Many ex- 
 claimed even with tears : " How greatly have we sinned 
 against an innocent people ! What should we have had to answer 
 for, had we followed our design of exterminating the Brethren 
 and murdering their men, women and children, on the vague 
 supposition that they were our enemies." 
 
 After the destruction ofGxADENHUETTEN,a fewofthelndian 
 converts fled to Wayomik, which place they reached in safety; 
 but the greater part flocked to Bethlehem, where they were 
 lodged, clothed, and fed with brotherly kindness. But this 
 very circumstance rendered the situation of our Brethren 
 there peculiarly critical. The savages on the one hand, 
 insisted upon their taking up arms against the English, 
 threatening to murder them in case of refusal. On the other 
 hand, a set of fanatics arose, who demanded the total extirpa- 
 tion of all the Indians, lest God's vengeance should fall upon 
 the Christians for not destroying the Indians, as the Israelites 
 were commanded to do in the case of the Canaanites. These 
 people were greatly incensed against Bethlehem, on account 
 of the protection and assistance, which were there granted to a 
 race of beings, whom they considered accursed The inhabi- 
 tants of Bethlehem, therefore, looked upon themselves as 
 sheep ready for slaughter ; and never knew, when going to 
 bed at night, whether they would rise the next morning. 
 
 In this critical and alarming situation they preserved un- 
 shaken confidence in God. Their courage in maintaining their 
 station proved a comfort and protection to their neighbours ; 
 for, if they had fled, nothing could have obstructed the inroads 
 of the savages. But, while they firmly relied on the help of the 
 Lord, they neglected nothing that might tend to their safety. 
 The settlement was surrounded by pallisades, and guarded, both 
 night and day, by Europeans and Indians. This precaution 
 proved the means of preserving the settlement, while many 
 adjacent villages were laid in ashes. 
 
144 MISSION IN NORTH AMERICA. 
 
 The firmness of the Brethren and their good political regu- 
 lations, induced great numbers of their distressed neighbours 
 to take refuge with them. Several hundred women and chil- 
 dren came from a distance, and with tears begged for shelter. 
 All were admitted as long as there was any room ; and thus 
 not only Bethlehem, but the four contiguous settlements of 
 Nazareth, Christiansbrun, Friede:nsthal, and the Rose, 
 were crowded with fugitives. Though, in consequence of the 
 war, their own resources were greatly exhausted, the Brethren 
 exerted themselves to the utmost of their power to provide for 
 their numerous guests. Thus wonderfully did the wisdom of 
 God overrule passing events. The very people, who were but 
 lately suspected of a secret correspondence with the enemy» 
 now became the protectors and defenders of those, who through 
 ignorance had aspersed their character and meditated their des- 
 truction. 
 
 Under the wings of Bethlehem the Indian congregation 
 now enjoyed a season of repose. Some additional temporary 
 dwellings were erected for them ; the schools commenced anew 
 and were diligently attended, and three missionaries were ap- 
 pointed for their immediate service. Portions of the Scrip- 
 ture, the litany and several hymns were translated, and the 
 children often met together and in the German, Mahikan, and 
 Delaware languages sang the praises of God their Saviour. 
 Thus Bethlehem assumed the appearance of a missionary 
 settlement. Amidst much external poverty and distress the 
 grace of God ruled in the hearts of its inhabitants ; and both 
 the Indian converts and the original European colonists shewed 
 foith the paises of Him, -who had called them out of darkness 
 into hin marvellous light.* 
 
 The residence of the Indians at Be.thlehem, however, was 
 attended with various difficulties ; both the missionaries and 
 the Indians themselves, therefore, wished to have a settlement 
 of their own. Application being made to the governor, he 
 readily acceded to this measure ; and in June 1757 a piece of 
 land was assigned them, about a mile from Bethlehem, on 
 
 * Seo TTwtorv of the Brethren's Church. Vol. 1. p. 381, &c. 
 
MISSION IN NORTH AMERICA. 145 
 
 which they erected a tov.ii, and called it Nain. Most of the 
 Christian Indians, who, during the late troubles, had moved 
 to Wayomik, or fled to the Susquehannah, now sought per- 
 mission to live at N.vin ; and thus this new settlement rapidly 
 increased. Numbers of savages visited both Nain and Beth- 
 lehem, and the testimony of ('hrist and his atonement, second- 
 ed by the pious conversation of their Christian countrymen, 
 proved in many instances the means of conversion. 
 
 This period of difficulty and trouble was succeeded by four 
 or five years of peace and tranquillity. After the burning of 
 Fort Duquesne by the French, the scene of the contest was 
 ehauged, and from the beginning of the year 1759, neither 
 Pennsylvania, nor Ae neighbouring provinces, were disturbed 
 by the Indians. Thus all the settlements of the Brethren in 
 this district enjoyed rest and prosperity ; and so rapidly ad- 
 vanced in the esteem of their neighbours, that those, who form- 
 erly had been their bitterest enemies, and even sought their 
 entire expulsion, were now, in general, pleased with their form- 
 ing establishments in their vicinity. 
 
 The Indian congregation at Nain increased so fast, that it 
 was found expedient to purchase fourteen hundred acres of 
 land behind the Blue Mountains, in order to form an additional 
 settlement. The building of this place, called Wechque- 
 TANK, was begun the following spring 
 
 About this time David Zeisberger, accompanied by an In- 
 dian brother, undertook a journey to Machxoihilimng on the 
 Susquehannah, a report having reached the Brethren, that the 
 Indians in that place had been in a remarkable manner stirred 
 up to inquire the way of truth, and were very desirous of obtain- 
 ing a teacher to instruct them. When the travellers approach- 
 ed the town they found this report confirmed. For being met 
 by one of the inhabitants, he informed them, that their Council 
 had assembled six days successively, to consider how they 
 might procure a teacher of the truth. Under these favourable 
 circumstances Zeisberger and his companion entered the town, 
 and were reeeived with general demonstrations of joy, being 
 lodged by Fapunhank*. In the evening all the inhabitants 
 
 This Indian had for some time set np for a preacher of inoralily anion-- 
 M 
 
146 MISSION IN NORTH AMERICA. 
 
 met, and the missionary and his companion, through greatly 
 fatigued with their journey, testified to them of the grace of 
 God till midnight ; and resumed their labours by five o'clock 
 the next morning, the people being eager to hear the great 
 word, before they began their daily occupations. The result 
 was, that upon a regular application from the heads of families 
 to our Brethren at Bethlehem, brother Zeisberger was ap- 
 pointed to reside among them. 
 
 But, while rejoicing at the favourable reception given to his 
 testimony of the gospel, events occurred, which rendered his 
 recal to Bethlehem necessary. Intelligence had been re- 
 ceived, that the Indians had commenced fresh hostilities near 
 the Canadian lakes and on the Ohio, where they had murdered 
 several hundred settlers, and renewed their incursions into 
 Pennsylvania. From this a repetition of the dreadful scenes in 
 1755 was apprehended. 
 
 The settlements of Wechquetaxk and Nai\ were now 
 placed in the most critical situation. One alarming report af- 
 ter another reached them, which made it needful to keep up a 
 constant watch during the night. The Christian Indians, how- 
 ever, resolved to take no part in the contest, any further than 
 defending themselves against the savages. Under these cir- 
 cumstances the Indian brethren showed great faith and cou- 
 rage. One of them remarked : " Wicked people are as weak 
 as worms in the sight of our Saviour : he can and will protect 
 us, and cause fear to fall upon the wicked." His words were 
 verified on the very next day, being the 9th of October 1763; 
 
 liis people J but as his instructions had no influence, eitlier on hiniself or his 
 hearers, in changing their profligate conduct, the latter began to doubt whe- 
 ther his doctrines were true. Having afterwards himself visited Nain, heard 
 the gosj)el and been present at a baptism, he was so overcome, that he burst 
 into tears and exclaimed: " O Ciod! have mercy upon me, and grant that the 
 death of ray Saviour may be made manifest unto me." On his return he 
 thus addressed his countrymen : " My dear people, I have told you many 
 good things, and painted out what I considered a good way ; but I have now 
 learnt, that it was not the right way. If we wish to be saved, we must look 
 to that Saviour, whom the Brethren preach." He was the first in Maehwi- 
 hilusing that was admitted to holy baptism, and by his conduct and conver- 
 sation evidenced that a real change had taken place in him. 
 
MISSION IN NORTH AMERICA. 147 
 
 for, on that day about fifty white men assembled on the oppo- 
 site side of the Lecha, with a view to surprise Nain in the 
 night, and murder all the inhabitants. But, a neighbouring 
 friend representing in strong terms the danger and difficulty of 
 such an attempt, the enemies abandoned their design and re- 
 turned home. 
 
 The same day, on which Nain was in such imminent danger, 
 a party of Irish freebooters came to WEcnauETANK, intending 
 to murder all the Indians there, whom they accused of being 
 accomplices in a late murder committed in their colony. No 
 remonstrances of the missionary could restrain their fury, till he 
 at length pacified them by presents, and by plentifully supplying 
 them with meat and drink. Upon this they quietly quitted the 
 settlement, nothowever, without repeatingtheir threats to return 
 and execute their barbarous design, unless the Indians would soon 
 remove from that place. During the succeeding night all the 
 men were upon the watch, as several spies were lurking about 
 the settlement, and a fire at some distance betrayed a neigh- 
 bouring encampment. The Brethren, therefore, apprehended 
 a sudden attack, which was probably prevented by violent rain, 
 that fell during the night. 
 
 It now became sufficiently evident, that it would be extreme 
 temerity to postpone their flight any longer ; especially as a 
 messenger just then arrived from Bethlehem with the most 
 pressing solicitations to the Indians to break up immediately, 
 and retire to the settlement at Nazareth.* While preparing 
 for their departure, they were suddenly alarmed by the report 
 of several musquets. The Christian Indians, supposing that 
 the savages had attacked the white people, resolved to go and 
 defend them. But the missionary dissuaded them from this, 
 exhorting them to stand by each other and expect deliverance 
 from God. " Very true," replied one of them, " only don t 
 you stand before me, but go behind, for I will be shot first." 
 The party, from whom the attack was apprehended, suddenly 
 marched off with the Indian war-hoop ; and it was afterwards 
 discovered, that the firing proceeded from a party of soldiers. 
 
 • Nazareth, like Bethlehem, was a colony of European brethren and sisters. 
 
148 MISSION IN NORTH AMERICA- 
 
 Thankful for having escaped this clanger, the whole congrega- 
 tion leftWECHQUETAx^Kon the 11th of October, and arrived the 
 next day in safety at Nain, where they were welcomed 
 with joy, and provided with every comfort and accommodation, 
 which their circumstances required. 
 
 In the mean time Nain was closely blockaded. The sava- 
 ges continued to lay waste the country and murder the neigh- 
 bouring settlers. This increased the fury of the latter against 
 the Indians, so that the inhabitants of Nain could no longer 
 venture to go to Bethlehem, but were obliged to employ a 
 European brother to transact their business. No Indian even 
 ventured to fetch wood, or look after his cattle, except he was 
 accompanied by a white brother, or had a passport in his pocket. 
 Even at home the men were forced to keep strict watch, both 
 day and night. In this trying situation they remained for four 
 weeks ; but the peace of God and brotherly love ruled among 
 them, and supported their courage and patience. 
 
 Having made such regulations for defence, that the enemy 
 could not attempt an attack without danger, they flattered 
 themselves that government would have assisted them. But 
 very unexpectedly affairs took a different turn. Renatus, a 
 harmless Indian, was suddenly apprehended as the murderer of 
 one of the Irish settlers, and his person being sworn to by the 
 widow of the deceased, he was conveyed to Philadelphia, and 
 imprisoned. The news of this occurrence rapidly spread through 
 the country, and enflamed the rage of the settlers against the 
 Indians. The inhabitants, therefore, expected nothing but the 
 most cruel treatment. 
 
 In this dreadful emergency God appeared for their help, 
 and by inclining the chief magistrate to afford them protection, 
 rescued them from the hand of their enemies. November the 
 6th an express arrived from Philadelphia, vrith an order from 
 government, that all the Christian Indians from Nain and 
 Wechquetank should repair to that city, where they would 
 be protected on delivering up their arms. This measure was 
 indeed very painful to the Indians; who declared they would 
 rather die than leave their teachers. But, being assured that 
 the missionaries would not forsake them, they cheerfully acqui- 
 
MISSION IN NORTH AMERICA. 149 
 
 esced. And when the sheriff arrived, they delivered their arms 
 to him with a composure of mind, which strikingly evidenced 
 the change wrought in them through the gospel, for a heathen 
 Indian would rather part with his head than with his gun. 
 
 The Indians of Nain liaving joined their Christian coun- 
 trymen of Wechquetank, who had previously removed to 
 Nazaueth, the whole company set out on their pilgrimage in 
 the afternoon of the 8th of November, accompanied by the missi- 
 onaries Grube, Schmick, David Zeisbergerand John Rothewith 
 the wives of the two former, under the conduct of the sheriff, 
 who cared for them like a father. It was a most affecting sight 
 to behold these people, among whom were many aged, infirm 
 and sick, besides pregnant women and young children, pro- 
 ceeding patiently along the road, ignorant of their future fate. 
 Though waggons were provided for the sick, the aged, and the 
 children, yet they suffered much from fatigue and other hard- 
 ships, and still more from the malice of some settlers, who abu- 
 sed and loaded them with curses. 
 
 Having on the 11th of November arrived at Philadelphia, 
 they were ordered to be lodged in the barracks ; but, notwith- 
 standing the positive order of government, the soldiers forcibly 
 refused them admittance. The poor Indians were kept stand- 
 ing in the street for five hours. A mob soon collected, who de- 
 rided, reviled and charged them with all the outrages commit- 
 ted by the savages, threatening to kill them on the spot, which 
 they would no doubt have done, had the Indians returned evil 
 for evil. The zealous interference of the missionaries, in behalf 
 of their beloved converts, exposed them to the most imminent 
 danger from the fury of the populace. 
 
 The magistrates at length interposed, ordering them to pro- 
 ceed six miles further to Province Island in the river Delaware, 
 where they were lodged in some large buildings. In passing 
 through the city, thousands followed them with such tumultuous 
 clamour, that they appeared like sheep among wolves. Here 
 they settled as well as circumstances would permit, and regulated 
 their daily meetings for worship, which proved a great comfort to 
 them. Several gentlemen in Philadelphia, especially some 
 Quakers, humanely interested themselves in their behalf, and 
 
150 MISSION IN NORTH AMERICA. 
 
 they were kindly supplied by government with whatever they 
 needed. 
 
 They had not been here long when intelligence was received, 
 that Wechquetakk had been burnt by some of the settlers, 
 and that some incendiaries had endeavoured to set fire to 
 Bethlehem, and actually laid the oil-mill in ashes, the 
 adjoining water-work having been with great difficulty saved 
 from destruction. The Brethren, therefore, were truly thank- 
 ful, that the Christian Indians had found a safe retreat in Pro- 
 vince Island ; and their gratitude was increased when they 
 were informed of an act of horrid cruelty, committed by some 
 white people, calling themselves Christians. Fifty-seven of 
 these barbarians attacked a party of peaceable Indians in the 
 village of Canestoga near Lancaster, and murdered fourteen of 
 them in their huts. The rest fled to Lancaster, where the 
 magistrates lodged and protected them in the work-house, a 
 strong and well secured building. But the white savages pur- 
 sued them, marched into the town at noon day, broke into the 
 work-house, and, though the Indians on their knees begged 
 their lives, they inhumanly murdered them all, and threw their 
 mangled bodies into the streets. They then departed with a 
 dreadful shout of victory, threatening that the Indians in Pro- 
 vince Island should share the same fate. 
 
 So general and inveterate was the rage of the white people, 
 and such the state of anarchy and insubordination in the coun- 
 try, that in defiance of every proclamation from government, 
 they boldly avowed their determination to msssacre all the 
 Christian Indians. This induced the government to send tliem 
 by way of New York to the English army. Late in the even- 
 ing of January 4th, 1764, they received orders to this effect, 
 and before midnight embarked in some boats, proceeding by 
 water to a place about five miles from Philadelphia, which city 
 they reached almost unobserved early in the morning. The 
 commissary, Mr. Fox, having kindly supplied them with 
 blankets, and provided waggons for the aged, the sick and the 
 children, and for the heavy baggage, they set out accompanied 
 by the missionaries. The pressure of the immense crowd, which 
 had collected, was so great, that they could hardly proceed; the 
 
MISSION IN NORTH AMERICA. 151 
 
 mob in the most shocking manner cursed and reviled them ; 
 but, being escorted by a company of seventy Highlanders, no 
 one ventured to lay hands on them. In every town, through 
 which they passed, they were insulted by the populace ; but 
 God mercifully prevented serious mischief, and in about a 
 week they safely reached Amboy, where two sloops lay ready 
 to carry them to New York. They were just preparing to 
 embark, when very unexpectedly strict orders arrived from the 
 governor of New York, that no Indian should set foot on that 
 territory ; and even the ferry-men were prohibited, under a 
 severe penalty, from conveying them across the river. 
 
 They were now lodged in the barracks at Amboy, waiting 
 for further orders. Here they held their daily meetings ; and, 
 as great numbers of strangers attended, divine service was per- 
 formed in the open air. Their devotion and good behaviour 
 excited general admiration, and many conceived a more favour- 
 able opinion of them. A soldier once said : " Would God, 
 that all the white people were as good Christians as these In- 
 dians." 
 
 Orders having meanwhile arrived from Philadelphia for their 
 return to that city, the Indians cheerfully obeyed, confident 
 that the Lord, in his inscrutable wisdom, had directed their 
 toilsome peregrinations for some gracious purposes. This 
 journey was often rendered peculiarly dangerous in crossing 
 the frozen rivers, the ice not being every where sufficiently 
 firm. Their daily meetings, which they never suspended du- 
 ring their travels, were attended by many white people with as- 
 tonishment and edification. 
 
 Having safely reached Philadelphia on the 24'th of January, 
 1764, they were for security lodged in the barracks, and at- 
 tended by a military guard day and night. As the fury and 
 number of the mob still increased, the magistrates were obliged 
 to adopt more serious measures. The guard was doubled, 
 eight pieces of cannon were planted before the barracks, and a 
 rampart thrown up in the middle of the square. The citizens, 
 some of whom were young Quakers, took up arms and repaired 
 to the barracks in defence of the Indians. Twice the rebels 
 prepared for an attack, but being fully informed of the mea- 
 
152 MISSION IN NORTH AMEllICA. 
 
 sures of defence taken by government, abandoned tlieir mur- 
 derous design. Ujion this some gentlemen were deputed to 
 inquire into their complaints. After much insolent behaviour 
 they asserted, that there were several murderers among the 
 Christian Indians, whom they had seen at Pittsburg, and de- 
 manded that they should be delivered up. To pacify them, 
 one of the ringleaders was admitted into the barracks ; but 
 after very strict examination of all the Indians, he did not find 
 an individual chargeable with the smallest crime. Another 
 allegation, that the Quakers had secreted six of them, proving 
 equally unfounded, tranquillity was finally restored. 
 
 During their residence in the barracks, which lasted rather 
 more than a year, they regularly held their meetings for reli- 
 gious worship, which on Sundays were frequented by such 
 crowds of people, that the chapel could not contain them : yet 
 the greatest silence and order were preserved, and in several 
 instances the gospel was accompanied with saving power. At 
 stated times they observed the ordinance of the Lord's Sup- 
 per, and some were admitted to holy baptism. The missionary 
 Grube even commenced an English school, and the Indian 
 youths took great delight in learning. Though the visits of 
 strangers were occasionally attended with inconvenience, yet 
 they tended to convince many ill-disposed persons of the inno- 
 cence of the Indians and their true conversion to God. 
 
 To the Indians, however, their present situation was a severe 
 trial, and to some even more afflicting than all their past dan- 
 gers. The superior quality of their victuals, to which they 
 had not been accustomed, was no more conducive to their 
 health, than the want of exercise and proper emjiloyment was 
 congenial to their minds and habits. Their close conjfinement 
 became insupportable and revolting to tlieir notions of inde- 
 pendence and liberty. This was especially the case with the 
 young people ; some grew low-spirited, others dissatisfied and 
 even refractory ; and many suffered harm by their intercourse 
 with the unconverted Indians, quartered in the same barracks. 
 This caused the missionaries much grief and perplexity, being 
 on the one hand obliged to hear ail the complaints of the dis- 
 satisfied, and on the other hand aware that government justly 
 
MISSION In north AMERICA. 153 
 
 looked to them for the maintenance of good order'and subordi- 
 nation. As summer advanced fevers and the small-pox broke 
 out amongst them, which occasioned such terror, that many 
 meditated their escape from the barracks. But God so'evident- 
 ly blessed the endeavours of the missionaries, that their un- 
 easiness was changed into perfect resignation' to the will of the 
 Lord. No less than fifty-six persons departed this life, many 
 of them, not only with composure, but in full assurance of 
 eternal glory. 
 
 Among the Christian Indians, lodged in the barrecks, none 
 had a harder fate than one, called Renatus. This poor man 
 had been thrown into prison upon repeated accusations on oath, 
 that he was the murderer of Mr. S. in the Irish settlement. 
 During his confinement, which lasted eight months, three of 
 his nearest relations died by means of the infectious disease, 
 rife in the barracks. When informed of this he burst into tears 
 and exclaimed : " This is almost too much to bear ; to lose my 
 father, my wife and my child, while I myself am confined in 
 prison." The missionaries frequently visited him in his cell, 
 where he spent his time in reading and prayer. His trial took 
 place at Easton, and, after a most patient investigation of the 
 evidence adduced on both sides, the jury returned a verdict of 
 not gtiilty ; upon which he was immediately set at liberty. 
 This decision was of great benefit to the missionary labours 
 of the Brethren, as it entirely frustrated the aim of their ene- 
 mies, to cast an odium upon the believing Indians and render 
 the mission generally suspected. 
 
 Hostilities having at length terminated and peace being 
 restored, the directors of the mission lost no time in endeavour- 
 ing to obtain an eligible place for a settlement for the Christian 
 Indians, and for this purpose preferred the country on the banks 
 of the Susquehannah. The government readily acceded to 
 their proposal, permitting them to leave the barracks, and 
 liberally supplied them with all necessaries. Mr. Fox even 
 procured a grant, by which they were provided with flour from 
 the time of their arrival on the Susquehannah, till their new 
 planted Indian corn should be ripe, Ikfore their departure 
 the Indian brethren delivered an address of thanks to tlie 
 
lol MISSION IN .NORTH AxMERlCA. 
 
 governor, for the kindness he had manifested towards them, 
 which was signed by four in the name of the rest, and gracious- 
 ly received. 
 
 March 20th, 1765, they left the barracks in Philadelphia 
 and commenced their journey, resting a few days at NAiNand 
 Bethlehem. The animosity of the white people not having 
 yet wholly subsided, they were obliged to take a very circuitous 
 route, which rendered the journey tedious and difficult. The 
 road lay through extensive forests, frequently without a path, 
 so that they had to cut their way for miles through the woods, 
 and to ford many rivers. The men generally waded through, 
 and constructed rafts for the women and children. Some rivers 
 were so broad and deep, that they were obliged to encamp on 
 the banks till they had built a sufficient number of canoes to 
 cross them. In some places they were obliged to unload the 
 waggons, and carry the luggage over high, steep and craggy 
 hills. When they halted in the evening, every family erected 
 a hut for the night, keeping up a large fire. All the fatigue 
 and toils of the day were forgotten, when at night, they 
 assembled in the open air, round a large fire, to return thanks 
 to the Lord for his mercies during the day, and supplicate his 
 protection for the night. Their greatest difficulty arose from 
 the want of provisions, whenever they passed through a ter- 
 ritory which afforded neither game nor fish. Those who had 
 any thing in store were always ready to divide with the rest. 
 Their whole stock of flour being at length consumed, it was 
 a truly affecting sight, to see them receive their last portion. 
 They occasionally found wild potatoes, and hunger overcame 
 the unpleasant taste of these roots. At other times they peeled 
 chesnut trees, and sucked the juice oozing out under the bark, 
 which is very sweet, and was particularly palatable to the 
 children. Frequently they had no other drink than muddy 
 water found in puddles. One night they were greatly terrified, 
 the woods being on fire, and burning with great fury round 
 their encampment till one o'clock in the morning. Some died 
 by the way, in consequence of these various hardships. Hav- 
 ing, after many toilsome wanderings, reached the Susquehan- 
 nah, they got a few boats, some sailing up the river and others 
 
MISSION IN NORTH AMERICA. 155 
 
 travelling along its banks, and arrived at Machxoihihi.nng on 
 the 9th of May, after a journey of five weeks. 
 
 Having fixed on a convenient spot for a settlement, they 
 immediately began to erect a town, which, when completed, 
 consisted of thirteen Indian huts, and upwards of forty houses 
 built of wood in the European manner, besides a dwelling for 
 the missionaries. In the middle of the street, which was eighty 
 feet broad, stood a large and neat chapel. The adjoining ground 
 was laid out in gardens, and between the town and the river, 
 about two hundred and fifty acres were divided into regular 
 plantations of Indian corn. The burying-ground was situated 
 at some distance at the back of the buildings. Each family had 
 its own boat. To this place they gave the name of Fried- 
 
 ENSHUETTEN, 
 
 This new settlement soon assumed a very flourishing appear- 
 ance- The inhabitants were industrious, and dwelt together 
 in peace and unity. Many Indians visited the place, admiring 
 the fine situation and the good order maintained in the town. 
 But, what afforded the missionaries the greatest delight, was 
 the salutary impression which appeared to be made on some, so 
 that the number of the congregation was rapidly increasing, 
 which in less than two years rendered the erection of a larger 
 chapel necessary. Indeed the change observable in the believ- 
 ing Indians was so striking, that the heathen visitors were not 
 unfrequently constrained to confess ; " that the words of the 
 Brethren must be true, for otherwise it would be impossible 
 that the mere belief of them should make their converts willing 
 to deny the world and every ungodly lust, and at the same time 
 be so serene and cheerful in their looks and behaviour." 
 
 This pleasing and tranquil course was occasionally interrupt- 
 ed by the unbecoming behaviour of some of the heathen 
 visitors, and still more by the white traders, who dealt chiefly 
 in rum, and often came to the settlement for the purpose of 
 trafiic, occasioning much levity and dissipation among the 
 young people. The missionaries, not wishing to have the ap- 
 pearance of usurping any jurisdiction over the Indians, left it 
 to the native assistants and heads of families, to whom the 
 
156 MISSION JN NORTH AMERICA. 
 
 police of the toM'n was committed, to adopt such measures, 
 as might prevent this evil in future. And their exertions in 
 this respect in a great measure succeeded. 
 
 In autumn 1767 the missionary Zeisberger and two of the 
 Indian assistants made a journey to the Ohio, intelligence 
 having been received, that some Indians in that part of 
 the country were desirous of hearing the gospel. Their inten- 
 tion was first to visit Goshgoshuenh, though they every where 
 received the most unfavourable accounts of its inhabitants. 
 On this journey they had to encounter many difficulties, hav- 
 ing to travel through an extensive wilderness. 
 
 Their road lay partly through the territory of the Dela- 
 wares, and partly through that of the Seneka Indians. On 
 reaching the first town, inhabited by the latter, the appear- 
 ance of a white man was so unusual a sight, that one of the 
 inhabitants immediately rode off to announce his arrival to the 
 Chief of the next town, a distance of nearly thirty miles. 
 Having arrived at this place the Chief, taking Zeisberger for 
 a spy, at first treated him rather roughly ; but, won by his 
 conciliatory and affable manner and the disinterestedness of his 
 .-lews, he became very friendly; and conducted him,to his house. 
 Zeisberger seized this favourable opportunity to preach the 
 gospel to him ; but the Chief declared with great warmth, that 
 this Word of God was not intended for the Indians. He 
 however, granted them permission to proceed to Goshgoshuenl: ; 
 adding a serious caution against trusting the people of that 
 place, who had not their equals in wickedness and cruelty. 
 
 Not intimidated by this and similar reports, but rather con- 
 sidering the profligacy of the place the most cogent reason for 
 visiting it, they prosecuted their route and reached it in safety. 
 They soon found, that the reports they had heard were but too 
 true. Zeisberger remarks, he had no where seen the abomina- 
 tions of heathenism practised in such a horrid and shameless 
 manner as in this place ; it seemed to be the very seat of Satan. 
 Notwithstanding the crying wickedness of the inhabitants, the 
 missionary and his companions were well received, and their 
 doctrine, by its novelty, so engaged the attention of the inha- 
 bitants, that they could not hear cnougli of it, and requested 
 
MISSION IN NORTH AMERICA. 157 
 
 the Indian brethren to repeat and explain it to them more fully. 
 Before their departure the Indians assembled a Council, and 
 Zeisberger asked them, whether they would permit a teacher 
 to reside among them ? To this they gave their unanimous 
 consent, and even requested him to promote the attainment of 
 so desirable an object. 
 
 His journey proving thus far encouraging, the Brethren re- 
 solved to attempt the establishment of a regular mission at 
 Goshgosliuenh. In order to effect this, the brethren Zeisber- 
 ger and Senseman, together with some Indian families, moved 
 thither in the following spring. Immediately on their arrival 
 Zeisberger sent information of it to the Chiefs, who exhorted 
 their people to listen to the Word of God with attention. He 
 held regular morning and evening devotions, and preached 
 every day. These meetings were attended by great numbers, 
 whose behaviour was silent and decorous, and manifested an 
 eagerness to hear. 
 
 Soon, however, a violent opposition, originating in the jea- 
 lousy of the Chiefs, was raised against the missionaries. It 
 was augmented by the most ridiculous and unfounded accusa- 
 tions being propagated against the Brethren ; and it at last 
 rose to such a pitch, that they threatened to kill both them and 
 their converts. This intimidated even those who had hitherto 
 been their friends. 
 
 Notwithstanding these alarming appearances, the missiona- 
 ries resolved not to quit their post ; but built a small house, as 
 a place of retirement, where they might celebrate the Lord's 
 Supper and hold other meetings with the Christian Indians, 
 their present habitation being seldom free from visitors. Their 
 labour was not wholly in vain. Not a few attended their meet- 
 ings, and some heard the gospel with saving effect. Several 
 indeed came only by night, fearing the reproach of men ; for 
 those, who went boldly to the meetings, were abused and per- 
 secuted in various ways ; and in some instances tlie words of 
 our Saviour were literally fulfilled : a man's foes shall be tliey 
 of his omi household. Matt. x. 36. At length the inhabi- 
 tants of the town were divided into two parties ; one of which 
 opposed the gospel with all their might, and the other became 
 
158 MISSION IN NORTH AMERICA. 
 
 SO much attached to it, that they declared, they would rather 
 emigrate, than be deprived of it. These were exposed to the 
 hatred of the opposite party, who branded them with the names 
 of Sunday Indians and Shwonnaks, i. c, white people, the lat- 
 ter being the most opprobrious epithet they could apply. This, 
 however, did not deter them from their attendance on the meet- 
 ing. 
 
 However, as the opposition did not abate but rather increased, 
 the missionaries thought it prudent to retire to a place on the 
 opposite bank of the river, called Lawunahhannek , about fif- 
 teen miles distant from Goshgoshuenk. Here they formed 
 a temporary settlement, being followed by all those Indians, 
 who had sincerely embraced the gospel. In process of time 
 they had the pleasure of admitting several to holy baptism, 
 among whom was an aged Chief, who had lost his sight. By 
 degrees the hostility against them subsided, and in a Council 
 held at Goshooshuenk a great majority declared in favour of 
 the gospel. This rendered their situation more tranquil and 
 easy, a different spirit prevailed, and the desire of the Indians 
 to " know the grace of God in truth" increased. 
 
 Among the places, which were visited by the missionaries 
 from Frif.denshuetten, was a town about thirty miles higher 
 upon thebanksof the Susquehannah, called Tshechshequannbiky 
 in which a great awakening took place, occasioned by the ac- 
 counts concerning Friedknshuetten brought by those who had 
 visited there. At the request of the inhabitants, the mission- 
 ary Kothe went to reside among them. His testimony of Jesus 
 was accompanied with great power, the audience being fre- 
 quently melted into tears, which is very unusual among the 
 Indians, as they consider it unmanly to shed tears. One of 
 them remarked : " I would not have wept, if my enemies had 
 cut the flesh from my bones : that I now weep is of God, who 
 has softened the hardness of my heart."" For some time it ap- 
 peared as if the whole town would turn to the Lord and be 
 converted. 
 
 The tranquillity, enjoyed for a season, was again interrupted 
 in 1770. The Seneka Indians having broken the treaty, 
 lately made with the Cherokees, hostilities commenced in the 
 
MISSION IN NORTH AMERICA. 159 
 
 neighbourhood of Lawunakhannek. This rendered the Cliris- 
 tian Indians desirous of removing, and they therefore resolved 
 to accept the kind offer, repeatedly made to them by some 
 Chiefs, to settle near the Delaware town of Kaskaskunk. 
 
 In April the missionaries and their whole flock embarked in 
 sixteen canoes, passing down the river Ohio by Pittsburg to 
 the mouth of the Beaver Creek, which they entered, proceed- 
 ing up the falls, where they had several times to unload, and 
 transport their goods and canoes by land. On one of these 
 carrying places they were detained two days. After a tedious 
 and troublesome journey of a fortnight, they reached the place 
 allotted to them by the Chiefs. No spot could have been bet- 
 ter chosen, as there was good land, sufficient to support a 
 hundred families. They immediately began to build and plant, 
 and called the place Fuiedenstadt. 
 
 The Indians in the neighbourhood were astonished to see a 
 people settle among them, differing so much in their manners 
 and customs from the other natives, and to hear them propa- 
 gate a doctrine so contrary to any thing they had ever heard 
 before. In some this astonishment soon changed into animosity 
 and opposition, especially when the Chief of Kaskaskunk moved 
 to the settlement. This so enraged the adversaries, that they 
 annoyed the inhabitants in every possible way, disseminating 
 unfounded calumnies. They even forged messages in the 
 names of the Chiefs, ordering them to quit the country. These 
 impostures being detected, some of their own teachers violently 
 opposed the doctrine taught by the missionaries, asserting, that 
 emetics were the only infallible remedy to cleanse a man from 
 sin. The missionary endeavoured to convince them, that thouo-h 
 an emetic might benefit their stomachs, it could never cleanse 
 their hearts. Some malicious savages came late one evening to 
 Friedenstadt, tempting the inhabitants to get drunk. Find- 
 ing all their efforts ineffectual, they threatened to murder first 
 the missionaries and then the whole congregation, and made such 
 a hideous noise, that the women fled into the woods, and the 
 men were forced to keep strict watch round the mission-house. 
 
 While harassed by these external troubles, the missionaries 
 had abundant cause to praise God for the divine power which 
 
162 MISSION IN NORTH AMERICA. 
 
 name of Schoexbrunn. They were now joined by those 
 who had emigrated from Friedenshuettkn. 
 
 About this period the prospect at Frikbenstadt became 
 more and more alarming. The repeated encroachments of the 
 savages occasioned much perplexity, and the pernicious con- 
 sequences of the rum-trade became at length insupportable. 
 The savages frequently brought a quantity of spirits close to 
 the town, got intoxicated and behaved like madmen, commit- 
 ting various acts of mischief and outrage, even threatening to 
 kill the mission: y. It was solely owing to the restraining 
 hand of Providence, that they did not execute their barbarous 
 jmrpose. At one time a ruffian furiously rushed into the house 
 where the missionary lay sick, but, on seeing the fellow come 
 in, he raised himself and looked at him with undaunted compo- 
 sure. This completely disconcerted the savage, he stopped 
 short, and the Indian brethren, hastening to the assistance of 
 their teacher, easily secvu-ed him. These unpleasant occurren- 
 ces seeming to admit of no alleviation the inhabitants resolved, 
 though much against their inclination, to forsake the place, 
 and move into the neighbourhood of their brethren on the 
 iVluskingum, where they arrived after a journey of three 
 weeks. Here they established a colony, about ten miles below 
 ScHOENBRUNN, whicli they called Gnadenhuetten. 
 
 During the building of these two settlements Zeisbcrger, ac- 
 companied by two Indian brethren, made a journey into 
 the country of the Shawanose, who were generally considered 
 the most savage of all the Indian tribes. They were, however, 
 kindly received by the Chief, and lodged in the house of one 
 of the heathen teachers. This man, being informed by the 
 missionary that the object of their journey was to preach the 
 words of eternal life, replied : " This is what we want, and we 
 will hear you with pleasure." Having for several days atten- 
 tively listened to the discourses and conversation of the mis- 
 sionary and his companions, the heathen teacher made the fol- 
 lowing remarkable declaration : " I have not been able to sleep 
 all night, for I am continually meditating upon your words, 
 and will now open to you my whole heart : I believe that all 
 
M1S5IION IN NORTH AMERICA. 16$ 
 
 you preach is truth. A year ago I became convinced, that vre 
 are altogether sinful creatures ; and that none of our good 
 works will save us : but we did not know what to do to gain 
 eternal salvation. I have, therefore, always comforted my people, 
 that some person would come and show to us the true way to 
 happiness, for we are not in the right way ; and even the day 
 before your arrival, I desired them to have but a little patience, 
 and a teacher would certainly come. Now you are come and I 
 verily believe that God has sent you to make his word known 
 to us." The Council having formally declared their wish, 
 that the Brethren would come and reside among them, the 
 travellers, filled with gratitude to God for this hopeful pros- 
 pect, returned to Schoenbrunn. The more poignant was their 
 sorrow, when, on repeating their visit the next year, they met 
 with so much opposition and hostility, as fully convinced them, 
 that as yet no missionary establishment could be formed here. 
 About this time new troubles interrupted the tranquillity of 
 the congregations at Schoenbrunn and Gnadenhuetten. 
 Besides the continuance of petty wars among the Indian tribes, 
 the white settlers in Virginia were obliged to fly to arms, to de- 
 fend themselves against the savages. This rendered the year 
 1774 a period of great perplexity and confusion to the two set- 
 tlements. For many months the inhabitants had hardly a 
 single day of rest. Numerous troops of warriors passed through, 
 some upon murdering expeditions, others with scalps and pri- 
 soners, uttering frequent menaces that both places should be 
 surprised and laid waste. Owing to their enmity against the 
 white people, the missionaries in particular were in the most 
 imminent danger. One terrifying report after another was fly- 
 ing through the country. They were frequently so much 
 alarmed, that canoes were kept in constant readiness, in case 
 sudden flight should become necessary. The women were 
 more than once driven from the plantations at noon-day ; and 
 all the inhabitants were, for days and weeks, confined to their 
 houses, as several parties were strolling about the neighbour- 
 hood, for the purpose of seizing stragglers. At length the In- 
 dians were compelled to submit and make peace, and thus tran- 
 quillity was restored. 
 
164 MISSION IN NORTH AMERICA. 
 
 The missionaries found great reason to rejoice that, amidst 
 all these troubles, the two congregations continued to flourish. 
 They had not once been obliged to omit the stated preaching 
 . of the gospel, and the number of their hearers was often so 
 large, that the chapel at Schoenbrunn, though capable of ac- 
 commodating five hundred, proved too small. Among the 
 strangers, who attended, there were many warriors, and the im- 
 pression made on some was such, that, though they returned 
 home for a time, they could not rest till they obtained leave to 
 reside with the Christian Indians. Even one of the heathen 
 teachers was so struck with conviction of the truth of the gos- 
 pel, that he took up his abode in the settlement. One of the 
 Chiefs likewise embraced Christianity, was baptized, and be- 
 came a zealous witness of the doctrines of grace among the very 
 people, whose Chief he had been. And the Indian, appointed 
 his successor, declined the honor intended for him, choosing 
 rather to be an humble follower of Christ, than to occupy the 
 highest and most honourable rank among his countrymen. 
 
 During the war, there was a striking conti'ast between the 
 conduct of the Christian Indians and the savages. While the 
 latter neglected every thing, the former, though exposed to 
 many interruptions, continued to plant their fields, boil sugar, 
 and follow their various avocations with their usual diligence. 
 God blessed the labour of their hands, so that they could assist 
 those that were needy, and even provide many of the warriors, 
 who marched through their village, with food and other neces- 
 saries. This led a captain to remark : " I have found your 
 people very diff*erent from what I had heard. It was reported 
 in our town, that when a strange Indian arrives with you, he is 
 sent to make his fire in the wood, and gets nothing to eat. 1 
 now hear the contrary from all who have visited you, for they 
 have all been fed and lodged. In other places they make wry 
 faces at us, here men, women, and even children bid us wel- 
 come." 
 
 By this time, the Christian Indians had in a very great de- 
 gree gained the confidence and esteem of their pagan neigh- 
 bours; so that even some of the Captains and Chiefs interested 
 themselves in their behalf, demanding that they should enjoy 
 
MISSION IN NORTH AMERICA. 165 
 
 perfect liberty of conscience, and be protected in their posses- 
 sions against every intruder. This was formally ratified by an 
 act of the Council in the name of the whole Delaware nation ; 
 in which they gave full permission to any of their people, who 
 were so disposed, to go and hear the gospel. This act was 
 shortly after renewed, and accompanied with an urgent request 
 on their part, that the Brethren would form a third settlement. 
 
 This proposal was readily agreed to, and they fixed on a spot 
 on the east side of the Muskingum, to which they gave the 
 name of Lichtenau. In April 1776 the missionaries Zei^ 
 berger and Heckewaelder, with eight families of Christian In- 
 dians from ScHOENBRUNN, moved to this new settlement. It 
 soon increased in number and extent, by the accession of many 
 heathen, who became obedient to the gospel. The number of 
 inhabitants in the three settlements on the Muskingum 
 amounted how to four hundred and fourteen persons, and, as 
 they lay at no great distance from each other, a pleasing inter- 
 cuurse was constantly kept up between them, which contributed 
 not a little to the encouragement of the missionaries, and the 
 edification of their converts. 
 
 This prosperity of the mission received a sudden check, in 
 consequence of the rupture between Great Britain and her co- 
 lonies. By this time the contest had risen so high, that the 
 disturbances it occasioned reached to the Ohio and the Musk- 
 ingum. The Brethren indeed determined to take no part in 
 the war, yet they were placed in the most critical situation, as 
 their very neutrality served to render them suspicious in the 
 eyes of each of the belligerent powers, and threw a general odi- 
 um upon their character and conduct. 
 
 During the consecutive commotions the Chiefs of the Dela- 
 wares firmly adhered to their resolution not to interfere with 
 the war. But a tribe of that nation, the Monsy«, secretly se- 
 parated from the main body and formed an alliance with the 
 Mingoes, a set of idle thieves and murderers. They endea- 
 voured to gain a party among the enemies of the mission, and 
 even' ventured into the settlements in order to decoy some of the 
 mhabitants to join them, in which they were but too successful 
 They found a party of apostates, who seemed intent upon over- 
 
1(5(5 MISSION IN NORTH AMERICA. 
 
 throwing Christianity and replacing paganism in its room. 
 This was the severest stroke the missionaries had yet met with, 
 and occasioned them far more poignant grief, than all their for- 
 mer sufferings. They spared no pains, which love could dic- 
 tate, to recover these poor backsliders from this snare of the 
 devil ; but all in vain. It afterwards appeared, that the Mon- 
 eys and the apostate party had nothing less in view, than either 
 to murder the missionaries, or convey them to Fort Detroit ; 
 the firmness of the Delawares in maintaining peace being as- 
 cribed to the influence of the Brethren on their Council. And 
 when this attempt did not succeed, they spread the false, 
 though probable report, that the missionaries and their congre- 
 gations were daily in danger of being surprised and murdered 
 by the Huron warriors. 
 
 Rather, therefore, than enter into a dispute with so danger- 
 ous an enemy, they resolved to abandon Schoenbrunn, and 
 move to LiCHTENAU. They now found the contiguity of this 
 settlement to the Indian town of Goshachguenk of essential 
 advantage, as they could not have defended themselves against 
 the insults of the warriors, had they not met with constant 
 support from the Chiefs and Council of that place. A part of 
 the fugitive congregation settled at Gnadenhuettex. 
 
 In August 1777 intelligence reached Lichtenau, that two 
 hundred Huron warriors, headed by one of their Chiefs, called 
 by way of distinction the Half-king, were on their march to 
 that place. This caused considerable alarm ; but after mature 
 consideration the missionaries resolved, to betray no symptoms 
 of fear, but rather seek to conciliate their favour by kind treat- 
 ment. No time was lost to prepare provisions for them ; and 
 the liberality of the Christian Indians, on this occasion, was the 
 more remarkable, as they considered it the only means of sav- 
 ing the lives of their beloved teachers. The warriors expres- 
 sed no little surprise and pleasure on being met by a party 
 from Lichtenau, bringing provisions for them. This put 
 them into very good humour ; and the Christian Indians did 
 not neglect to improve this favourable opportunity , but sent a 
 formal embassy to the Half-king and the other Chiefs of the 
 Hurons, informing them that they had embraced C'hristianityj 
 
MISSION IN NORTH AMERICA. 167 
 
 and now wished to live in peace with all men ; and therefore 
 requested protection and safety for themselves and their teach- 
 ers. This message was well received by the Half-king, and he 
 exhorted the Christian Indians to obey their teachers, attend 
 to their worship, and not to mind other affairs ; promising that 
 no one should molest or hurt them. 
 
 While these negociations were pending, the inhabitants of 
 LicKTENAu were not without serious apprehensions, being un- 
 certain what turn affairs would take. The deputies had, there- 
 fore, agreed that should the Half-king speak in an angry tone, 
 they would immediately despatch a messenger to the settlement, 
 thereby affording dme to the congregation to take flight before 
 he had concluded his speech. The greater, consequently, was 
 their joy, when the embassy terminated so favourably. 
 
 The same day the Half-king, attended by the chief Captain and 
 eighty-two warriors visited Lichtenau. They were so amply 
 supplied with provisions, that they were able to carry a consi- 
 derable quantity home with them. Similar visits were repeated 
 in the sequel : and sometimes more than two hundred warriors 
 of different nations took up their night-quarters close to the 
 settlement, and behaved so quietly, that their presence was 
 hardly perceived. For the Half-king maintained strict disci- 
 pline, and took every precaution to prevent drunkenness, being 
 well aware that this would terminate in bloodshed and murder. 
 He was so pleased with the reception he and his retinue had 
 met with, that he took the missionaries by the hand and called 
 them Jhtlier^ desiring that they would consider him and 
 his people as children. He even sent messengers to the En- 
 glish government in Detroit and to the Chiefs in the Huron 
 country, informing them of the alliance made with the Chris- 
 tian Indians, adding, that he and his warriors had acknow- 
 ledged the white brethren to be their father, and would ever own 
 them as such. The maintenance of so many warriors, however, 
 was attended with considerable expense and trouble ; the inha- 
 bitants of the settlement, therefore, were glad, when towards 
 the end of August they finally removed from that part of the 
 country. 
 
 The situation of Lichtenau and Gnadenhuetten now be- 
 
168 MISSION JN NORTH AMERICA. 
 
 came every day more dangerous. It was, therefore, deemed 
 expedient to lessen the number of missionaries, leaving only one 
 in each of the settlements. As the distance between the two 
 places was only twenty miles, they kept up, as far as possible, 
 a regular intercourse, and in travelling through the country 
 found the friendship made with the Hurons of great advantage. 
 Yet they saw little before them but perplexity and distress. 
 Various terrifying reports were in circulation, which rendered 
 it necessary for the two congregations to hold themselves in 
 constant readiness for a precipitate flight. Canoes were pro- 
 vided and a place of rendezvous appointed ; and one night they 
 actually fled, in consequence of a report, that the enemy was 
 approaching. Fortunately this proved a false alarm ; and after 
 spending a day together in the place of rendezvous, the two 
 congregations could return in peace to their respective dwellings. 
 Every part of the country now exhibited scenes of the most 
 dreadful cruelty. The Hurons, who were in league with the 
 English, committed the most horrid murders and ravages on 
 the white people and their plantations, and the Americans 
 treated the Indians with little less ferocity. It was a melan- 
 choly spectacle to see the savages drag along men, women and 
 children, whom they had made prisoners, and many of whom 
 were severely wounded, and carry dead bodies and scalps, as 
 trophies of victory, through the settlements. The Christian 
 Indians showed the prisoners all the compassion and attention 
 in their power, and would never suffer them to be scourged, or 
 otherwise abused, while in the place, as is the custom in other 
 Indian towns Among the prisoners a venerable old man, and 
 two youths, more particularly excited their pity. When the 
 warriors arrived with them in their own town, the two youths 
 were tortured and burnt to death. The old man was condemned 
 to suffer the same punishment, but, receiving timely informa- 
 tion, he effected his escape. Some of the Christian Indians 
 found him in the woods, almost dead, having had nothing but 
 grass to eat for fourteen days. They brought him to Lichenau, 
 where he was well cared for, and after regaining his strength 
 they sent him to Pittsburg. The governor of that place ac- 
 knowledged the eonduct of the Ijidian congregation to have 
 
MISSION IN MORTH AMERICA. 169 
 
 been of real benefit to the whole country, and that the fury of 
 the warriors had been considerably mitigated by the example 
 and influence of their Christian countrymen. 
 
 Hitherto the Delawares had firmly adhered to their resolu- 
 tion to take no part in the war ; at length, however, they were 
 induced to join the English against the Americans. Their 
 friendship for the missionaries and the Christian Indians was 
 no»v changed into enmity, considering them, on account of their 
 peaceable disposition, as a check to their conduct. The Council 
 unanimously resolved, that the hatchet should fall on the head 
 of every one who refused to accept it ; and as the Indians in 
 league with the Americans formed a similar resolution, our 
 congregations were placed between two cruel enemies, and saw 
 nothing before them but inevitable ruin. The missionaries, in 
 particular, were exposed to the most imminent danger, as it was 
 ascribed to their authority and influence, that the young men 
 in our settlements had declined the challenge, repeatedly sent 
 by the Delaware Chiefs, to take up arms. The savages, there- 
 fore, reiterated their threats, that the missionaries should be 
 either killed or made prisoners, flattering themselves, that if 
 they were removed, the Christian Indians would soon be forced 
 to comply. 
 
 But God knew how to preserve his servants ; and his guar- 
 dian care over them was often displayed in a most striking 
 manner- llepeated attempts to carry them prisoners to Fort 
 Detroit were frustrated. At one time brother Shebosh got 
 between two parties, who were in pursuit of each other, and 
 did not know his danger till after his escape. The preserva- 
 tion experienced by Zeisberger was still more singular. I3eing 
 on a journey, with two Indian brethren, he was met by a white 
 man, who headed a murderous party of eight Mingoes and a 
 prisoner. As soon as he observed the missionary, he called 
 out to his party : " Here is the man we have long wished to 
 secure ; do now as you think proper." The Mingoe captain 
 shook his head and, after asking a few questions, walked off. 
 The English indeed acknowledged, that the missionaries had 
 done no harm, but were even useful in civilizing the Indians ; 
 yet they wished to carry them away prisoners, being persuaded 
 
170 MISSION IN NORTH AMERICA. 
 
 that if they were removed, not only the Delawares but many 
 «ther tribes would join the army. 
 
 It has already been mentioned, that Schoenbiiunx was for- 
 saken by the faithful part of the congregation, almost at the 
 very beginning of these troubles ; and as they were now chiefly 
 felt at Gnadenhuettkn, it was deemed expedient to remove 
 that congregation also, and to concentrate the whole mission 
 at LiGHTEXAU. This was effected in April 1778; and, in 
 order to make room for this increase of inhabitants, several 
 new houses were built, and the chapel was enlarged. In the 
 sequel, however, it appeared, that this settlement was too much 
 crowded. A resolution was, therefore, taken in 1779, to rebuild 
 ScHOENBRUNN, though uot ou the same spot, but on the op- 
 posite bank of the Muskingum. And as Lichtenau, which 
 had hitherto been the safest place, now became more and more 
 exposed to the outrages of the heathen, the missionaries in 
 1780 deemed it necessary to quit this place also, and to erect 
 a new settlement at the distance of about twenty miles, which 
 they called Salem. 
 
 Amidst all the disturbances, occasioned by the daily marches 
 of warriors through the settlements, the Christian Indians 
 did not lose their courage ; and these very troubles led them 
 to cleave more steadfastly to the Lord and seek help from Jiirn. 
 The grace of God was sensibly felt in all their meetings, great 
 numbers of heathen Indians attended the preaching of the gos- 
 pel ; and the emotion was frequently so general, that the 
 preacher had to stop in his discourse, as the loud weeping of 
 his audience overpowered his voice. Many were baptized, and 
 some, who had been baptized in other communities, were re- 
 ceived as members of the Brethren's Church. The assistants 
 were peculiarly zealous and successful in bearing testimony of 
 the truth to their countrymen. For this purpose they made 
 frequent visits to the neighbouring towns. A great awakening 
 likewise took place among the young, as yet unbaptized child- 
 ren, who with tears begged for admission to this holy rite. 
 Such was the powerful influence of the gospel in the congrega- 
 tion, that the members not only loved each other with a pure 
 heart fervently, but extended their charity to their worst «ie- 
 
MISSION IN NORTH AMERICA. 171 
 
 mies, constantly praying for them, and doing them every kind 
 service in their power. The apostate part of the congregation, 
 who left ScHOExmiuNN, was more particularly the object of 
 their prayers. They were graciously answered; for most of 
 these poor, deluded people returned, like the prodigal son, 
 earnestly begging for pardon and re-admission. This was 
 granted in presence of the whole congregation, whose tears of 
 compassion and joy, on these occasions, realized the words of 
 Christ : Love your enemies^ bless them that curse you^ and do 
 good to them that hate you ; and pray for them which despite- 
 J'ully use you and persecute you. Matt. v. 44. 
 
 By these means the new settlement in Salem soon began to 
 flourish ; and, notwithstanding the pressure of the times, the 
 bounty of God so richly provided the inhabitants with food 
 and raiment, that they could supply the wants of many of their 
 starving and suffering countrymen. 
 
 Our Indian congregations now enjoyed a season of rest, sel- 
 dom witnessing any thing of war, except that troops sometimes 
 marched through the settlements. But this happy tranquillity 
 terminated in less than a year, and new scenes of unprecedent- 
 ed distress commenced. The English governor at Fort Detroit, 
 influenced by the calumnies of the adversaries, began to enter- 
 tain a suspicion, that the Christian Indians were partisans with 
 the Americans, and that the missionaries acted as spies. In 
 order to rid himself of such troublesome and dangerous neigh- 
 bours, he sent a message to the Iroquois and several other 
 tribes, to take up the Indian congregations and their teachers 
 and carry them away. But these tribes declined acceding to 
 the proposal. A similar message was then sent to the Half- 
 king of the Hurons. This man, instigated by the Delaware 
 Captain, Pipe, a sworn enemy to the mission, at length agreed 
 to commit this act of injustice ; declaring at the same time, 
 that he only did it with a view to save the Christian Indians, 
 whom he had formerly treated with every mark of friendship. 
 
 In August 1781 a troop of warriors, amounting to upwards 
 of three hundred, commanded by the Half-king the Delaware 
 Captain, Pipe, and an English Captain, made their appear- 
 ance, and fixed upon Gnadenhuetten, as the most conveni- 
 
172 MISSION IN NORTH AMERICA. 
 
 cut place for holding a consultation with the Christian Indians. 
 At this meeting the Half-king and his retinue put on the 
 mask of friendship, and proposed their removal as a measure 
 dictated by regard for their safety. This proposal the Chris^ 
 tian Indians declined, promising, however, to consider their 
 words and return an answer the next winter. 
 
 The Half-king would probably have been satisfied with this 
 answer, had not the English officer and Captain Pipe urged him 
 to persevere. The consequence was, that the hostile party 
 became more peremptory in their demands, insisting on the 
 removal of the congregation. Their vengeance was particular- 
 ly directed against the missionaries, and they held frequent 
 consultations, in which they resolved to murder all the white 
 brethren and sisters, and even the Indian assistants. But, be- 
 fore they executed their bloody purpose, they enquired tlie 
 opinion of a common warrior, who was held in great esteem 
 as a sorcerer. He was decidedly against the measure, and 
 said : " You have resolved to kill my dearest friends ; for 
 most of their chief people are my friends. But this I tell you 
 that if you hurt any of them, i know what I will do." This 
 threat so terrified them, that they relinquished their design. 
 
 Meanwhile the savages became more daring and riotous. 
 Though they were supplied with every thing tliey wanted by 
 the Christian Indians, they wantonly shot their cattle and pigs. 
 Small parties made inroads into the adjacent country and 
 brought their prisoners to Gxadenhuetten ; thus turning 
 it into a theatre of war and pillage. 
 
 At length the Half-king summoned all the missionaries and 
 their Indian assistants from the three settlements before a 
 council of war, asking them, what they intended to do ? As 
 they appealed to the answer already given, the assembly broke 
 up without further debate. A Delaware captain then stepped 
 up to brother Zeisberger, telling him, that being adopted one 
 of the Delaware nation, the warriors were willing to protect 
 liiin. But as this protection extended only to himself, and not 
 to his fellow-labourers, he nobly declined it. Upon this he 
 and the two other missionaries were immediately seized and de- 
 clared prisoners of war. As they were dragged into the camp 
 
MISSION IN NORTH AMERICA. 173 
 
 a Huron Indian aimed a push at brother Senseman's head with a 
 kind of lance, but fortunately missed his aim. A Monsy 
 then stepped forward, seized the missionaries by the hair, and 
 shaking them, tauntingly exclaimed: " Welcome among us, 
 my friends !" 
 
 Upon this they were led into the camp of the Delawares, who 
 sang the death song, stripped them of all their clothes except 
 their shirts, and led them into the tent of the English officer, 
 who, seeing their pitiable condition, declared that, though the 
 governor of Detroit had given positive orders to secure them, 
 this treatment was contrary to his intention. Having re- 
 ceived a few rags to cover them, they were confined in two 
 huts, belonging to the camp of the Hurons, and joined by the 
 missionary Edwards, who, though he might haveescaped, prefer- 
 red sharing the'samefate with his brethren. However, they were 
 not bound like other prisoners ; but a strict watch was set over 
 them. Here they were obliged to sit on the bare ground and, 
 having scarce any covering, suffered severely from the cold. 
 
 Soon after their confinement, they saw a number of armed 
 warriors march off for Salem and Schoembrunn. The ap- 
 prehension of what their families might suffer was far more 
 distressing to them, than all the indignities offered to their 
 own persons. When the savages arrived at the settlements 
 they plun dered the mission-houses and chapels, wantonly des- 
 troyin g the furniture, and took the remaining missionaries 
 and their wives and children prisoners, singing the death-song, 
 as they led them away. None was more to be pitied than 
 sister Senseman. She had been delivered of a child only three 
 days before, and now she was in a dark, and rainy night, hur- 
 ried away by these merciless barbarians. By the mercy of 
 God, however, neithev she nor her infant received the least 
 injury. It was indeed a providential circumstance, that she 
 was able to walk, otherwise the savages, according to their 
 usual practice, would instantly have murdered both mother 
 and child. Early in the morning of September 4th this com- 
 pany arrived at Gnadenhuetten. The feelings of the bre- 
 thren Senseman and Zeisberger on seeing their wives brought 
 prisoners into the camp, where they were confined themselves* 
 
174 MISSION IN NORTH AMBRICA. 
 
 may more easily be conceived than described. Thus six mis- 
 sionaries, three of their wives and two children were at once 
 dragged away from their pleasant and peaceful habitations, 
 exposed to all the horrors of captivity in a camp of Indian 
 warriors, and to constant dread, lest these savages should gra- 
 tify their thirst for blood, by torturing and murdering them. 
 
 But that God, who rescued Peter and Paul and Silas from 
 the hands of their persecutors, preserved also the lives of 
 these his devoted servants, and sent them deliverance. The very 
 next day the prisoners obtained permission to see and speak 
 with each other. The scene now exhibited was so affecting* 
 that it struck the very savages with remorse and astonishment. 
 The sisters, who showed wonderful composure and resignation, 
 were soon set at liberty, together with the missionary Jung- 
 man. The mission-house being nearly destroyed, they went 
 to the house of brother Shebosh, who, being considered a native, 
 as he had completely adopted the Indian manner of living and 
 married one of their countrywomen, had not been taken prisoner. 
 Mutual visits were now allowed to those, who had been liberated, 
 and their friends who were still in confinement. 
 
 At the beginning of these troubles the behaviour of the 
 Christian Indians bore some resemblance to the conduct of the 
 disciples of Jesus, when he was betrayed : they forsook their 
 teachers and fled. However, when the}"^ met together in the 
 woods, they wept so loud, that the air resounded with their 
 lamentations,- and, soon recovering from their panic, they re- 
 turned ; and having retaken, or bought, several articles stolen 
 by the savages, restored them to the owners. Late in the 
 evening they carried blankets to the missionaries, who were 
 still in prison, and fetched them away early in the morning, 
 lest the savages should steal them in the course of the day. 
 
 After the lapse of four days, during which the five impri- 
 soned missionaries had experienced all the horrors of being at 
 the mercy of a set of robbers and murderers, the Indian assist- 
 ants took courage and applied to the Half-king and the other 
 Captains for the liberation of their teachers. The savages, be- 
 ing by this time convinced that the Christian Indians would 
 never remove from the settlements, unless tliey were conducted 
 
MISSION IN NORTH AMERICA. 175 
 
 by the missionaries, summoned them before the Council, set 
 them at liberty and advised them to encourage their converts 
 to emigrate. 
 
 Filled with thanks and praises to God, they now returned to 
 their beloved people, and having directed them all to meet at 
 Salem, they once more celebrated the Lord's Suj)per with 
 them, during a remarkable perception of the presence of God 
 and the influence of his Spirit. Here they spent some days in 
 peace and comfort, preached the gospel with boldness, baptized 
 one of the catechumens, and exhoi-ted the believers to evince 
 the sincerity of their faith, by acting with firmness and resig- 
 nation in this season of trial. The Christian Indians, con- 
 vinced that there was no alternative left them but to emigrate, 
 the more readily acquiesced in the proposed measure as about 
 a hundred of the savages, who had constantly watched their 
 motions, and surrounded them at a distance, now entered the 
 settlement, and behaved like madmen, committing the most 
 daring outrages. 
 
 But never did the Brethren leave any country with greater 
 regret. They had already lost above two hundred horned 
 cattle, and four hundred hogs ; and now they were obliged to 
 leave a great quantity of corn in their stores, besides three hun- 
 dred acres, just ready to be reaped, together with potatoes and 
 other vegetables and garden fruits. According to a moderate 
 calculation their loss was computed at two thousand pounds ; 
 no trifling sum to be the property of Indians, and which strik- 
 ingly shews the tendency of true religion to promote industry 
 and improvement. But what gave the missionaries the most 
 pain was the total loss of all their books and manuscripts, which 
 they had translated and compiled with great labour for the 
 instruction of the Indian youth, all of which were now burned 
 by the savages. Add to this, they saw nothing before them, 
 but distress, misery and danger. But there was no alternative , 
 they could only possess their souls in patience, and go even 
 whither they would not, relying on the help of God. 
 
 They were escorted by a troop of savages, commanded by 
 English officers, who inclosed them on all sides, at the dis- 
 tance of some miles. In a few days the Half-king of the 
 
176 MISSION IN NORTH AMERICA. 
 
 Hurons and his warriors overtook them, and proceeded along 
 with the rest. One party went by water, and another by land. 
 By the sinking of some of the canoes, those who were in them 
 lost all their property, but fortunately saved their lives. Those 
 who went by land, drove the cattle. The journey was exceed- 
 ingly tedious and troublesome, and fur the greater part of the 
 way lay through a swamp. The savages frequently drove them 
 forward like a herd of cattle. The missionaries and their wives, 
 surrounded by the Christian Indians, usually travelled in the 
 middle. But one morning, when the latter could not set out 
 as expeditiously as their conductors wanted, they forced the 
 missionaries away alone, whipping their horses till they became 
 unmanageable, and would not even allow time to the mothers to 
 suckle their infants. The Christian Indians followed as fast as 
 possible, but with all their exertions, did not come up with them 
 till night ; and thus it was morning before they were rescued 
 from the hands of the savages. Notwithstanding these and 
 many other difficulties, tbey pursued their journey with the 
 utmost patience. Not one left the congregation, not one laid 
 the blame on others ; no dissatisfaction or dissension arose 
 among them, but they were united in the spirit of true bro- 
 therly love, rejoicing in God their Saviour j and even held 
 their daily meetings for worship. 
 
 After a journey of about four weeks they arrived at Sax- 
 dusky Creek, about one hundred and twenty-five miles distant 
 from the settlements on tlie Muskingum. Here the Half-king 
 and his warriors left them, marching into their own country, 
 without giving them any further directions. Thus abandoned 
 in a country, where there was neither game nor any other kind 
 of provisions, though it had been represented to them by these 
 barbarians as a perfect paradise, they roved to and fro for 
 some time, and at last resolved to spend thew inter in Upper 
 Sandusky. Having pitched upon the best spot they could 
 find in this dreary wilderness, they erected small huts of logs 
 and bark, to shelter themselves from the wet and cold. This 
 was the more necessary, as their savage conductors had stolen 
 all their blankets and other articles, only leaving them the 
 needful utensils for making maple sugar. Their want of 
 
MISSION IN NORTH AMERICA. 177 
 
 provisions at length became so great, that the missionary She- 
 bosh and some Indian brethren returned to the forsaken set- 
 tlements on the Muskingum, to fetch the Indian corn, which 
 had been left standing in the fields. This was a hazardous 
 enterprise. Shebosh and five of the Indians were actually ta- 
 ken prisoners and carried to Pittsburg ; but the rest returned 
 safely, with four hundred bushels of corn, to Sandusky. 
 Though many heathen visited this neighbourhood, they shewed 
 no disposition to hear the gospel, but rather scofi'ed at it. 
 Captain Pipe boasted, that he had taken the brethren prison- 
 ers, and considered them now as his slaves. The Half-king 
 informed them, that being now under his dominion, they were 
 bound to obey all his mandates, and even to go to war at his com- 
 mand. The less prospect there appeared, under these circum- 
 stances, of being instrumental in the conversion of the heathen, 
 the more joy the missionaries felt at seeing several, who at the 
 commencement of the troubles, had wandered from the congre- 
 gation, return to the Shepherd and Bishop of souls, and join 
 his persecuted flock. 
 
 Scarce had the Christian Indians begun to establish them- 
 selves at Sandusky, when the missionaries and the chiefs of 
 their people received an order from the governor at Fort De- 
 troit, to repair thither. Glad of this opportunity to speak for 
 themselves, and refute the many lies propagated respecting 
 them, four of the missionaries, accompanied by as many of the 
 assistants, set out for that place on the 25th of October. Some 
 days elai)sed before the investigation of the various charges, 
 brought against them, could take place, as their principal ac- 
 cuser. Captain Pipe, had not yet arrived. 
 
 Without entering into a minute detail of the trial, suffice it 
 to say, that Pipe, after some fruitless evasions, was obliged to 
 confess, that the missionaries were innocent, and to take all the 
 blame to himself and the Chiefs. After making some further 
 inquiries, the governor declared publicly, that the missionaries 
 were imnocent of all the charges brought against them, that he 
 viewed their endeavours to civilize and christianize the Indians 
 with great satisfaction, and would permit them to return to 
 their congregation without delay. He then addressed the In- 
 
178 MISSION IN NORTH AMERICA. 
 
 dian assistants in a very condescending manner, admonished 
 them to obey their teachers, and gratuitously supplied them 
 with all they wanted. He offered the use of his own house to 
 the missionaries, and, as contrary to his express orders they had 
 been plundered, he provided them with clothes and every other 
 necessary, and even repurchased four watches of which they 
 had been robbed when made prisoners. Thankful for the gra- 
 cious interposition of God in their behalf, they arrived again at 
 Sandusky on November 22nd, to the inexpressible joy of their 
 families and the whole congregation, who had entertained seri- 
 ous apprehensions, that they would be kept prisoners in De- 
 troit. 
 
 Our Indians at Sandusky now enjoyed a temporary rest. 
 Tliey erected a chapel, assembled for daily worship, and great 
 grace prevailed among them. Some new people were baptized, 
 and others, who had gone astray, were again restored to the fel- 
 lowship of the believers. But with regard to externals their 
 situation was distressing in the extreme. Often they knew not 
 to-day what they should eat to-morrow, and absolute famine 
 stared them in the face. Provisions were scarce and could be 
 bought only at a most exorbitant price. The unusual severity 
 of the winter increased the distress. They had considerable 
 herds of cattle, but there was no forage for them in this dreary 
 region, in consequence of which numbers perished. Many of 
 the poor lived entirely on wild potatoes ; and the famine at last 
 rose to such a pitch, that they greedily ate the carcases of hor- 
 ses and cows, that were starved to death. 
 
 Compelled by the horrors of famine, several parties returned 
 to the forsaken settlements on the Muskingum, where the corn 
 was still standing unreaped in the fields, and was even tlien 
 better in quality, than what was offered for sale, at an enor- 
 mous price, in Sandusky. A report likewise prevailed, that 
 the danger in those parts had ceased ; but in crediting this, 
 they found themselves most fatally deceived. A scene of 
 treachery and bloodshed was soon after exhibited in this very 
 quarter, to which it would be difficult to find a parallel in the 
 history of the greatest barbarians of any age or nation. 
 
 About this time the sovcrnor of I'ittsburs released those 
 
MISSION IN NORTH AMERICA. 179 
 
 Christian Indians, who together with the missionary Shebosh, 
 had been taken prisoners by the Americans. This act of com- 
 mon justice greatly incensed the white people, who represented 
 the Indians as a set of Canaanites, that ought to be extirpated 
 from the face of the earth.* Having heard that parties of 
 Christian Indians from Sandusky came occasionally to the 
 Muskingum, to fetch provisions, about one hundred and sixty 
 of these ruffians formed a plot to surprise them, destroy the 
 settlements, and then proceed to Sandusky and murder the 
 rest of the congregation; As soon as Colonel Gibson at Pitts- 
 burg received intelligence of this infernal plot, he sent informa- 
 tion of it to the Muskingum, to warn the Indians of their dan- 
 ger : but the messengers arrived too late. Our Indians indeed 
 had received ^imely notice of danger from another quarter, but, 
 contrary to their usual caution and timidity, paid no regard to 
 the information, supposing that they now had nothing to fear 
 fi'om the Americans. 
 
 In this instance their confidence was fatally misplaced. 
 Early in March 1782, the murderers approached Gnaden- 
 HUETTEX. About a mile from the settlement they met young 
 Shebosh, the son of the missionary, fired at him and wounded 
 him so severely, that he was unable to escape. He then, ac- 
 cording to their own account, begged for his life, representing 
 that he was the son of a white man. Regardless of his entrea- 
 ties, they cut him in pieces with their hatchets. Proceeding 
 onward they reached the plantations, where many Indians were 
 at work. They accosted them in friendly terms, and desired 
 them to go home, promising that no one should molest them. 
 They even pretended to pity them on account of their past suf- 
 ferings, and assured them of the protection and friendship of the 
 Americans. The Christian Indians, ignorant of the murder of 
 young Shebosh, believed all they said, and treated them in the 
 most hospitable manner. And when ordered by these murder- 
 ers, not to return to Sandusky, but go to Pittsburg, they sub- 
 mitted with resignation, hoping that God, in his providence, 
 would by this means put a stop to their sufferings. Preposses- 
 sed with this idea they cheerfully delivered their guns, hatchets, 
 
 • See p. 143. 
 
180 MISSION IN NORTH AMERICA. 
 
 and other weapons, and even shewed them where they had se- 
 creted their property in the woods. 
 
 Meanwhile John Martin, one of the Indian astsistanis, went 
 to Salem to inform the inhabitants of the arrival of the Ame- 
 ricans, assuring them they were come as friends in order to con- 
 duct the Christian Indians to a place of safety. Those at Sa- 
 lem received this intelligence without regret, persuading them- 
 selves that God, by the instrumentality of the Americans, 
 would release them from their present disagreeable situation ; 
 and fondly hoping that, being once arrived at Pit.tsburg, they 
 would not find it difficult to form a settlement in some conve- 
 nient spot, and procure advice and assistance from Bethle- 
 hem. John Martin, having returned to Gxadenhuetien, 
 acquainted both the Christian Indians and the Americans 
 with their resolution. The latter having expressed a desire to 
 see Salem, a party of them was conducted thither, and most 
 hospitably entertained. Here they feigned the same friendship 
 as at Gnadenhuetten, and even affected great piety, enter- 
 ing into much religious discourse with the Indians. 
 
 Having by these hypocritical arts completely succeeded in 
 deceiving the unsuspecting Indians, they at once threw olF the 
 mask, and displayed all the hideous deformity of their real 
 character. They suddenly attacked the poor defenceless in- 
 habitants of Gnadexhuetten, seized and bound them. 
 Those coming from Salem shared a similar fate. Before they 
 entered Gnadenhuetten they were surprised by their con- 
 ductors, robbed of their guns and even of their pocket-knives, 
 and brought bound into the settlement. The miscreants now 
 held a council, and by a plurality of votes resolved to murder 
 them all the next day. The few, who opposed this inhuman 
 resolution, wrung their hands, calling God to witness that they 
 were innocent of the blood of these harmless Indians. But the 
 majority remained inflexible, only dilFcring as to the mode of 
 execution. Some proposed burning them alive ; others scalp- 
 ing ^them. The latter mode was finally fixed upon. They 
 then despatched a messenger to the prisoners, to tell them, that 
 as they were Christians, they might prepare themselves for death 
 in a Christian manner, for they must all die on the morrow. 
 
MISSION IN NORTH AMERICA. 181 
 
 It may easily be conceived, that this dreadful intelligence 
 overwhelmed the prisoners with horror. But, soon recollect- 
 ing themselves, they patiently submitted to these blood-thirsty 
 tyrants. Being allowed one night's respite, they spent it in 
 prayer, and in exhorting one another to remain faithful unto 
 death. At the dawn of morning they united in solemn hymns 
 of praise, in the joyful hope, that they should soon enter into 
 the glorious presence of God their Saviour, and join the song 
 of the ransomed before the throne of the Lamb. 
 
 When the day of execution (March 8th) arrived, the mur- 
 derers fixed upon two houses, one for the men, the other for 
 the women and children, to which they gave the name of 
 Slaughter-houses. The carnage immediately commenced, 
 and these poor innocent people, men, women, and children, be- 
 ing bound with ropes, two and two together, were led into the 
 houses, and there scalped and murdered. By this act of most 
 wanton barbarity ninety-six persons finished their earthly ex- 
 istence, among whom were five valuable assistants in the mis- 
 sion, and thirty-four children. According to the testimony of 
 the murderers themselves, they displayed uncommon patience, 
 and met death with cheerful resignation, and in full assurance 
 of a glorious resurrection to life eternal. 
 
 It appears from all the circumstances attending this bloody 
 catastrophe, that they were not murdered because they were 
 (. hristians, but merely because they were Indians. We can- 
 not therefore compare them with the martyrs of the primitive 
 C hurch, who died for their testimony of Jesus ; but this we 
 may confidently affirm, that they met death, even in the most 
 formidable shape, with all the meekness and fortitude of Christ's 
 tiue disciples, and to the end of their lives bore witness to the 
 tiuth and efficacy of the gospel. Their very murderers ac- 
 knowledged, that they were good Indians, "for," said they, 
 " they sang and prayed to their latest breath." 
 
 Only two youths escaped this dreadful massacre, and that in 
 a manner almost miraculous. The one fortunately disengaged 
 himself from his bonds, and unobserved crept through a narrow 
 window into the cellar of one of the slaughter-houses. Here 
 he soon observed the blood drop through the floor and run in 
 
182 MISSION IN NORTH AMERICA. 
 
 Streams into the cellar, which makes it probable, that the mur- 
 derers not only scalped their victims, but cut them in pieces. 
 Remaining concealed in the cellar during the night, he with 
 much difficulty made his way out the next morning, and fled 
 into an adjacent thicket. The escape of the other youth was 
 equally remarkable. His murderers gave him only one blow 
 on the head, took his scalp and then left him. In a while he 
 recovered his senses and saw himself surrounded with bleeding 
 corpses, among whom he observed one, called Abel, still mov- 
 ing and endeavouring to raise himself. But he lay quite still, 
 as though he had been dead; and this caution proved the 
 means of his deliverance ; for one of the murderers coming in, 
 and observing Abel move, gave him two or three blows, which 
 killed him. The other, though suffering excruciating pain 
 from his wounds, remained quiet. A while after he ventured 
 to creep towards the door, and not seeing any person near, es- 
 caped into the woods, where he concealed himself during the 
 night. Here he met his companion, and they pursued their 
 journey to Sandusky. Though they purposely took a circuit- 
 ous route, on which they encountered great dangers, and suf- 
 fered many hardships ; yet they were graciously preserved. 
 Before they left their place of concealment, they observed the 
 wretches making merry, congratulating themselves on the suc- 
 cess of their enterprize, and setting fire to the slaughter-houses. 
 The Christian Indians at Schoenbrunn fortunately escaped 
 the destruction, equally meditated against them. Having des- 
 patched a messenger, on some business to Gnadenhuetten, 
 he found young Shebosh lying dead and scalped, by the way, 
 and looking forward, saw a number of Americans in and about 
 the settlement. Alarmed at this, he returned to Schoen- 
 BRUNN with the utmost precipitation, informing the inhabitants 
 of what he had seen. Upon this they all fled into the woods. 
 From their lurking-places they observed the murderers ap- 
 proach the town, who, finding no one at home, set fire to the 
 houses, as they had also done at Gnadenhuetten and Salem. 
 Taking the scalps of their innocent victims, about fifty horses, 
 some blankets and other things with them, they proceeded to 
 Pittsburg, with a view to murder the colony of Indians, lately 
 
MISSION IN NORTH AMEllICA. 183 
 
 settled on the north side of the Ohio ; which diabolical design 
 they partially effected. 
 
 AVhile this tragical scene was acting on the banks of the 
 Muskingum, the missionaries at Sandusky were not without 
 their troubles. Some members of the congregation had apos- 
 tatized from the faith, and excited no small disturbance and 
 uneasiness by their endeavours to seduce others, as well as by 
 their own obstinacy, bidding defiance to all remonstrances, and 
 treating even the kindest reproof with contempt and ridicule. 
 But a heavier trial than this was preparing for them. The 
 enemies of the Brethren were still plotting the destruction of 
 the mission. The governor of Detroit, unwilling to break his 
 promise that no one should molest them in their labours, re- 
 sisted every base insinuation against them as far as lay in his 
 power. At length, however, all his measures of firmness and 
 prudence proved ineffectual ; and he was in a manner forced, 
 though very reluctantly, to give the Half-king of the Hurons 
 and an English officer in his company, an order to bring all the 
 missionaries, and their families to Fort Detroit ; adding, how- 
 ever, a strict charge neither to plunder nor abuse them. 
 
 The missionaries were panic-struck at this order : to be torn 
 from their beloved flock was a far severer blow to them, than 
 death itself. But no choice was allowed them, and submission 
 to the inscrutable ways of divine Providence became their im- 
 perious duty ; for the slightest remonstrance might have sub- 
 jected them to ill treatment and plimder, and could not have 
 been of the smallest service. When this order was made 
 known to the congregation, a most affecting and overwhelming 
 scene was exhibited. The whole assembly burst into loud la- 
 mentations and almost crushed the spirit of the missionaries, 
 ahready sufficiently oppressed by their own weight of sorrow. 
 The Indians, who are wont to endure the most cruel tortures 
 without a tear or a groan, now wept like children bereaved of 
 their parents, and in broken accents, as their half-stifled emo- 
 tions would give them utterance, exclaimed, " We are left as 
 sheep without a shepherd r " Ah !" said one, " it gives me 
 no concern, that I am poor and hungry and have lost all my 
 substance. Gladly would I suffer all this and much more ; but 
 
184 MISSION IN NORTH AMERICA. 
 
 that our enemies are taking our teachers from us, and intend 
 to rob our soids of nourishment and deprive us of salva- 
 tion ; this is more than I can bear. IJut they shall never 
 entice me to adopt their heathenish practices, or force me to 
 do things abominable in the sight of God my Saviour. No ; 
 I will rather run into the thickest wood, fly from all human 
 society, and si)end the remainder of my days in penury and 
 wretchedness." 
 
 Heart-rending as this scene was to them, their sorrow had 
 not yet reached its height. They were still ignorant of the 
 tragical events on the Muskingum ; and it was not till the day 
 before their departure, that they received the first appalling tid- 
 ings of that dreadful catastrophe, by an Indian warrior who 
 came from those parts. And as this information was not in 
 every respect correct, they were left to figure things to them- 
 selves even more dreadful than they were. By what they 
 could collect from this relation, one part of the Christian 
 Indians had been murdered, and another carried prisoners 
 to Pittsburg, 
 
 In this state of mind, overpowered with grief for the past, 
 and agitated by fears for the future, they took leave of their 
 congregation at Sandusky. Brother Zeisberger, after exhort- 
 ing them, with the affection of a father, to remain faithful to 
 Jesus unto death, and apply to Him in all their need and dis- 
 tress, as the only permanent source of comfort, salvation and 
 life, kneeled down with the whole assembly, offered grateful 
 praises to the Lord for all the spiritual blessings he had be- 
 stowed upon them in the midst of great temporal misery, and 
 fervently comniended them to the protection and preservation 
 of the triune God. 
 
 In March 1782 they left Sandusky, and were accompanied 
 a considerable part of the way by a great number of their 
 weeping flock ,• and by some even as far as Lower Sandusky. 
 Here they were detained for some time, waiting for vessels to 
 carry them across lake Erie to Detroit. The vessels, at length, 
 arrived with a written order to treat the missionaries with all 
 possilile kindness, and in case of stormy weather not to endan- 
 ger their lives by crossing the lake. Having arrived at Detroit 
 
MISSION IN NORTH AMERICA. 185 
 
 on the 11th of April, they were lodged in a part of the bar- 
 racks, which had just been fitted up for officers' dwellings. 
 The governor soon called to see them, assuring them, that 
 though many accusations had been brought against them, yet 
 he was fully convinced of their innocence, and had not sent 
 for them on that account, but merely for their own safety, hav- 
 ing received the most authentic intelligence, that they were 
 exposed to imminent danger while they remained at Sandusky. 
 He also left it to their own option, whether they would remain 
 at Detroit, or go to Bethlehem. With his consent they re- 
 moved from the barracks to a private house, at a short distance 
 from the town. 
 
 The Indian congregation, meanwhile, was placed in the 
 most precarious situation. The assistants indeed continued 
 the daily meetings, and faithfully exhorted their brethren to 
 remain steadfast. An English trader, who visited Sandusky, 
 bore a pleasing testimony to this. He related, that he heard 
 them sing hymns and exhort each other, till they wept toge- 
 ther like children. Hut, encouraging as this was, some false 
 bretiiren now manifested the perfidy of their hearts. They 
 ascribed all their misfortunes, and even the murder on the 
 Muskingum, to the missionaries. Besides, the Half-king of 
 the Hurons, being incessantly tormented with the pangs of a 
 guilty conscience, had no rest as long as any Christian Indians 
 remained in his neighbourhood. He, therefore, sent them a 
 peremptory order to quit the country altogether. Indeed it 
 appeared, as if no place were left, where these poor, persecut- 
 ed Indians might find rest for the soles of their feet. They 
 could expect no protection from the white people, and the 
 heathen proscribed them as outlaws. As their dispersion seem- 
 ed unavoidable, they resolved to make no resistance. One 
 party went into the country of the Shawanose, and another 
 settled in the vicinity of Pipestown, with a view to proceed 
 further to the banks of the Miami. Thus a temporary stop 
 was put to the once flourishing mission among the Indians. 
 
 The various afflictive and dreadful occurrences, just related, 
 bore every mark of a mysterious and inscrutable Providence, 
 impenetrable to the view of short-sighted man, and only cal- 
 
18G MISSION IN NOKTH AMERICA. 
 
 culated to elicit in his servants the bold effort of faith, tu hope 
 €ven against liope. By degrees, however, the dark clouds dis-, 
 persed ; the veil, which had concealed the secret operations of 
 the divine hand, was at least partially withdrawn, and they 
 were enabled to discern rays of almighty love, power and wisdom 
 in this darkest of dispensations, constraining them gratefully 
 to exclaim : The Lord God Omnipotent reigneth ! He zoill 
 restrain the power of the enemy and the fury of the oppressor^ 
 and cause all things to xeorTc together for good to them that love 
 Him. 
 
 Though the removal of the Christian Indians from their 
 settlements on the Muskingum caused great distress at the time, 
 yet it was, in fact, a most gracious interposition of divine 
 Providence ; for had not this measure been rendered absolutely 
 necessary, it is more than probable that the whole congregation 
 wouldjiave been involved in the massacre at Gnadenhuetten; 
 but in consequence of their emigration to Sandusky more than 
 two thirds escaped. Had not the missionaries received orders 
 to repair to Detroit, they would not then have thought of sending 
 a messenger to the Muskingum, to call the Indians away, and 
 thus the inhabitants of Schoekbrunn would have shared the 
 same fate with their murdered brethren at Gnadenhuetten. 
 For the arrival of the messenger from Sandusky at the former 
 place required that the message he had brought should be also 
 carried to the other settlements ; and the Indian entrusted 
 with this was the person who, as mentioned before, saw young 
 Shebosh lying dead by the road, and spread the alarm at Scho- 
 ENBRUNN, thereby affording time to the inhabitants to save 
 themselves by flight. 
 
 But the good resulting from the removal of the missionaries 
 to Detroit did not terminate here. The same gang of murderers, 
 who had committed the massacre on the Muskingum, did not 
 abandon their bloody design against the rest of the congrega- 
 tion, though they deferred its execution for a while. A few 
 weeks after the dispersion from Sandusky, these miscreants came 
 hither, but finding the place deserted, their cruel purpose was 
 providentially defeated. Soon after this disappointment divine 
 justice overtook them, for being attacked by a party of English 
 
MISSION IN NORTH AMERICA. 187 
 
 and Indian warriors, the greater part of them were cut to pieces. 
 
 We now resume the history of the mission. 
 
 The missionaries in Detroit did not avail themselves of the 
 governor's permission to go to Bethlehem; a sense of duty 
 and affection inducing them to seek the welfare of their poor, 
 dispersed Indian flock. To promote this they resolved to build 
 a new settlement and invite their converts to return to them. 
 Through the interest of the governor, who highly approved 
 this measure, they obtained from the Chippeways a grant of 
 land, about thirty miles north of Detroit, on the banks of the 
 Huron. The governor continued his kind assistance in various 
 ways ; he furnished them with provisions, boats, planks and 
 other necessary articles from the royal stores, and gave them some 
 horses and cows ; and his lady presented them with a valuable 
 assortment of seeds and roots. He even sent a message with 
 a string of wampum to all the dispersed Christian Indians, in- 
 viting them to return to their teachers. Several families soon 
 collected, so that in the month of July 1782, they had the 
 pleasure of beginning the erection of the new settlement, which 
 they called New Gnadenhuetten. 
 
 During their residence at Detroit they had had frequent 
 opportunities of preaching the gospel both in the English and 
 German languages ; they were often applied to, to baptize 
 children and bury the dead ; and brother Zeisberger delivered 
 several discourses to the prisoners, which were attended by 
 many inhabitants of the town. 
 
 The industry of the missionaries aided by a favourable soil 
 and other advantages, soon changed the new settlement, which 
 before had been a perfect wilderness, into a fruitful and pleasant 
 spot , but its colonization by the Christian Indians proceeded 
 rather slowly. The greater part of them still remained scattered 
 among the heathen, chiefly in the county of Twichtwees, about 
 two hundred and fifty ^miles south of New Gnadenhuetten. 
 The missionaries omitted no opportunity of sending them 
 verbal messages ; but from interested motives these were fre- 
 quently perverted by the bearers, and the adversaries endea- 
 voured to keep alive their imaginary fears of the white people. 
 
188 MISSION IN NOKTH AMERICA. 
 
 especially of the English government. Some of the native 
 Chiefs also terrified them, by commanding them to be resigned 
 to their fate, and resume the manners of the heathen, adding, 
 " that not a single word of the gospel should any more be heard 
 in the Indian country." 
 
 Notwithstanding the wily arts of the pagans to binder the 
 Christian Indians from returning to their teachers, many by 
 degrees collected together on the river Huron. The new set- 
 tlement was frequently visited, both by white people and hea- 
 then, who admired the regulations and improvements of the place. 
 The missionaries exerted their accustomed zeal in preaching the 
 gospel and instructing their flock. A few yielded to the con- 
 verting influence of the Word of God and were baptized, and 
 the internal course of the congregation was encouraging and 
 edifying. 
 
 In May 1783, they joined their neighbours in thanksgiving 
 to God for the restoration of peace between England and the 
 United States of America. 
 
 The ensuing winter was marked by a very intense frost con- 
 tinuing late into the spring. Being wholly unexpected, it 
 occasioned great scarcity and obliged our Indians to disperse 
 thnmgh the country. They were often reduced to extreme 
 want, and forced to live on wild roots, till God was pleased to 
 relieve their necessities by a large herd of deer, which strayed 
 into the neighbourhood. During this time of scarcity they un- 
 avoidably contracted considerable debt "with the traders in 
 Detroit, but these were now so well convinced of their industry 
 and honesty, that they gave them credit without hesitation. 
 And, as the next harvest proved very productive, they were 
 enabled punctually to discharge all their obligations. 
 
 But now new troubles arose. The Chippeways, who had 
 given the tract of land on which New Gnadenhuetten stood, 
 claimed it back again, assigning as a reason, that, by the erec- 
 tion of the settlement, they had lost one of their principal 
 hunting-districts. They even threatened to murder some of 
 the inhabitants and thus compelled the rest to quit the country. 
 As it was not likely that these complaints and vexations would 
 speedily terminate, the brethren resolved to seek for an eligible 
 residence near the river Walhaldinsr. 
 
MISSION IN NORTH AMEUICA. 189 
 
 ^ While preparing for their removal tliey received intelligence-, 
 that the Congress of the United States, after the conclusion 
 of the war with Great Britain, had given express orders, that 
 the territory on the Muskingum, formerly inhabited by the 
 Christian Indians, should be reserved for them. This was 
 welcome news at New Gnadexhuetten ; for though an In- 
 dian feels a strong aversion to dwell in a place where any of his 
 relatives have been killed, yet on embracing the gospel, they 
 had laid aside this superstitious notion. Various impediments, 
 however as yet prevented their return. The savages were still 
 determined to carry on the war against the United States, and 
 a great part of the Delawares and Shawanose declared their 
 intention to oppose the return of the Christian Indians. 
 
 The Brethren, iiowever, resolved at all events to leave the 
 banks of the Huron, and if they could not immediately remove 
 to the Muskingum, to seek a temporary residence in some other 
 convenient spot. The governor of Fort Detroit approved of 
 this determination, and sent formal messages to the Indians 
 not to molest their C'hristian countrymen. By his kind inter- 
 position they received a compensation of two hundred dollars 
 for their houses and plantations in New Gnadeniiuetten, 
 which were afterwards occupied by white settlers. He most 
 generously offered them vessels, to carry them across lake 
 Erie to Cayahaga, and on their arrival supplied them with pro- 
 visions. 
 
 In April 1786, the missionaries and their people- left New 
 Gnadeniiuetten and went in twenty-two canoes to Detroit, the 
 inhabitants of which expressed deep regret at their removal, 
 having always found them industrious and honest neighbours. 
 The governor treated them with great kindness and hospitality. 
 In a few days they embarked on two trading vessels, the Beaver 
 and Makina, belonging to the North-"\Vest Company, which 
 one of the owners had kindly offered for the use of tlie congre- 
 gation, and given strict orders to the captains to shew them all 
 possible kindness, and not run any risks in case of danger. 
 Their voyage was pleasant and prosperous till they arrived at 
 an island in the ^lake, where, owing to contrary winds, they 
 were obliged to encamp for four weeks. At length a brisk gale 
 
190 MISSION IN NORTH AMERICA. 
 
 sprung up, and in a short time brought them within sight of 
 the Cayahaga coast, when the wind suddenly veered round and 
 drove them back to their former anchorage. 
 
 In consequence of this long delay one of the vessels was or- 
 dered back to Detroit, and the captains agreed to land the con- 
 gregation in two divisions at Sandusky, and then return with 
 the vessels and bring the baggage to Cayahaga. The first 
 division, being unable to reach Sandusky, disembarked at Rocky 
 Point, about eighty miles distant from the bay. Their journey 
 by land was very difficult, as it lay through a pathless desert. 
 After some days the second division overtook them, in slight 
 canoes, hastily made of bark. They now travelled together, 
 one party on foot along the border of lake Erie, the other in 
 canoes, keeping close to the shore ; and arrived in safety at 
 Cayahaga on the 7th of June. Want of provisions made them 
 hasten their departure, and proceed up the river till they came 
 to an old town, formerly inhabited by Ottawas, about one hun- 
 dred miles distant from Pittsburg. Here they resolved to 
 spend, the summer, and, though the season was already far ad- 
 vanced, they still cleared the ground for planting and even 
 sowed some Indian corn. They called this place Pilgeruh. 
 
 The difficulties, always attending the erection of a new set- 
 tlement, were considerably lessened in this instance. For 
 soon after their arrival they received a large supply of various 
 necessary articles from the brethren at Bethlehem, and some 
 traders, residing in the vicinity, readily furnished them with 
 provisions, giving them credit for great part of the payment. 
 The Congress of the United States likewise ordered a quantity 
 of Indian corn and blankets to be given them, and by a written 
 message informed them, that their return to the United States 
 gave them great satisfaction, and they might always depend 
 on the friendship and protection of government ; promising to 
 give them five-hundred bushels of Indian corn, a hundred 
 blankets, and other necessaries from the public magazines, 
 whenever they should remove to the Muskingum. This pro- 
 mise was scrupulously fulfilled, though their removal could not 
 be immediately effected. 
 
 Pii.GERUH was often visited by Chippeways, Ottawas and 
 
MISSION IN NORTH AMERICA. 19l 
 
 Delawares, expressing a desire to hear the gospel. But, while 
 this circumstance afforded sincere pleasure to the missionaries, 
 they met with troubles of a different kind from those to which 
 they had been accustomed on the Huron. Several heathen 
 Indians, who had relations in the settlement, endeavoured to 
 seduce them to return to paganism, and on some their attempts 
 were but too successful. Upon the whole, however, the state 
 of things was pleasing, and warranted the hope, that, after a tem- 
 porary rest in this place, they might proceed to the Muskingum. 
 
 The joy this prospect diffused through the congregation was 
 soon interrupted. Various reports of new hostilities between 
 the Americans and Indians reached PilCxEruh, and though 
 they were soon discovered to be false; yet they excited no small 
 consternation, as the recollection of the dreadful tragedy on 
 the Muskingum was still too strong to be easily forgotten. 
 Besides, the savages were as much against their remaining in 
 their present situation as against their returning to their former 
 settlements, and insisted on their removal to some other part of 
 the country. This caused them much perplexity. After ma- 
 ture deliberation they determined to relinquish every idea of 
 returning to the Muskingum at that time, and to seek for a 
 peaceful and safe retreat on some convenient spot between 
 Cayahaga and Pettquotting. 
 
 In April 1787 they broke up from Pilgeruh, and, pro- 
 ceeding partly by land and partly by water, in less than a week 
 arrived at the place they had fixed upon for their residence. 
 This was very unlike any of their former places of abode. 
 The soil was good and fertile, producing wild potatoes in great 
 abundance ; it appeared like a fruitful orchard, several apple 
 and plum trees growing here and there ; and the lake, which 
 was only "a league distant, abounded with fish. They, there, 
 fore, rejoiced at the thought of establishing a regular settle- 
 ment in so pleasant a country, especially as it was not frequent- 
 ed by any of those savages, who had hitherto proved such 
 troublesome neighbours. 
 
 But their joy was of short duration. Not more than three 
 or four days after their arrrival, a Delaware Captain came into 
 the camp, and gave them positive orders to quit that place and 
 
192 MISSION IN NORTH AMERICA. 
 
 remove to Sandusky, adding tlie most solemn promises of pro- 
 tection and safety, assuring tliem that the place appointed for 
 their residence was not in the vicinity of the savages, the near- 
 est Indian town being ten miles distant- Disagreeable as this 
 message was, the missionaries considered submission as the 
 path of duty. Nothing appeared so dreadful, as the prospect 
 of being again subject to a heatiien government. Yet they 
 could not deny, that their calling seemed to require, that they 
 should live in the very midst of those heathen, to whom they 
 were to preach the gospel. 
 
 In the beginning of May they set forward, but had not pro- 
 ceeded far when they discovered that great part of the message 
 was false, for the place, intended for their residence, was not 
 above two miles from the villages of the heathen. They de- 
 termined therefore, to go no further, but settle near Pettquot- 
 ting. Of this they informed the Chiefs, and obtained their 
 permission to stay, at least a year, in that place without mo- 
 lestation. 
 
 They fixed on a situation near a river, called Huron, which 
 empties itself into lake Erie at Pettquotting. On its 
 western bank they laid out plantations, choosing the eastern^ 
 which was high land, for their dwellings ; and called this set- 
 tlement New Salem. Many heathen Indians attended their 
 public worship, scarce a day passed without visits from stran- 
 gers, and they had the satisfaction to find that the blessing of 
 God accompanied their labours. Among those savages, who at 
 this time were converted from the error of their way, were 
 two persons formerly noted for profligacy. The one had 
 some years ago formed a plot against the lives of the mission- 
 aries, and had often lain in ambush to surprise them, but for_ 
 tunately without success. Coming accidentally to Pilgeruh, 
 the gospel made so deep and salutary an impression upon his 
 mind, that he cried day and night to the Lord to be delivered 
 from the slavery of sin. The other was a Huron Indian, who 
 declined the offer made him by his nation, to be their Chief, 
 and came to New Salem, declaring that he had been long 
 seeking for something better than worldly honors. He intend- 
 ed to visit his heathen relations, but when hcarin^x of Jesus 
 
MlSSli)N IN NORTH AMERICA. 193 
 
 and his love to sinners, he relinquished that design, and re- 
 mained faithfully attached to the congregation, finding there 
 among the believers that peace and rest, which he had so 
 long sought in vain elsewhere. 
 
 Many of those Christian Indians also, who during the late 
 troubles had been scattered through the country, successively 
 returned to New Saleji and were affectionately received. Yet 
 with regard to such, as during their absence had relapsed into 
 heathenism, proper discretion was used, and they were not ad- 
 mitted to the privileges of the Church, till they had given 
 satisfactory proofs of repentance and change of heart, l^he 
 prosperity of the young people afforded the missionaries much 
 pleasure. Many of them, by a strict conformity to the precepts 
 of the gospel, shewed that it had taken deep root in their un- 
 derstanding and affections. The assistants increased in grace 
 and knowledge of the truth, and attended to their office with 
 zeal and diligence. The good order maintained in the settle- 
 ment, the peaceable conduct of its inhabitants, and their cheer- 
 ful behaviour excited the admiration of all who visited the place* 
 not excepting the very savages 'themselves. One of their 
 Chiefs addressed the Christian Indians thus : " You are in 
 truth a happy people, you live cheerfully and peaceably toge- 
 ther ; and this is to be found no where but among you." 
 
 Their residence near Pettquotting appeared very providential 
 as it afforded them an opportunity of becoming acquainted with 
 many Indians. They had more visitors here than in any of 
 their former places of abode, who were always treated with the 
 kindest hospitality, though this was often attended with no 
 small inconvenience and expense ; for it was no uncommon 
 case for one family to lodge and entertain ten or more persons 
 for a whole week and even longer. The assistants displayed 
 great zeal and activity in pointing out to their guests their need 
 of aSaviour, and in commending the love of God inChrist Jesus ; 
 and their endeavours were not fruitless. Several heathen 
 embraced the gospel and received holy baptism. Among these 
 was Gelelemind, formerly a Delaware Chief, and some other 
 persons of distinction. 
 
 Gegeshumind, a son of the assistant Abraham, was another 
 
 p 
 
194 MISSION IN NORTH AMERICA. 
 
 instance of the power of divine grace. Compelled by the pangs 
 of a guilty conscience to disclose his true character, he freely 
 acknowledged to brother Zeisberger, that he had been a notori- 
 ous profligate : and, in order not to forget any of the evil 
 deeds he had committed, he bi'ought fifty-eight small pieces of 
 wood with him, which were designed to remind him of the 
 crimes of which he had been guilty. Deep-rooted superstition 
 and long-contracted habits of vice drove him almost to despair, 
 and for a time impeded his conversion ; but the grace of God 
 finally gained the victory, and liberated this slave of Satan. 
 After his baptism he became a zealous confessor of the truth 
 as it is in Jesus, especially when visiting the Indians. In 
 this employment his knowledge of five of their languages, 
 or dialects, was of great use to him. 
 
 Several apostates also returned, and some young men, ac- 
 quainted Avith several languages, forsook paganism, joined the 
 congregation, and became useful and active members of it, and 
 the young people, born and educated in it, afforded the most 
 pleasing hopes. 
 
 Those Christian Indians, who after their dispersion from 
 the Muskingum had retired to the Mainii, continued to edify 
 each other as well as circumstances would permit, and many 
 of them remained true to their Christian profession. Some 
 departed this life in peace and in assured hope of a bet- 
 ter inheritance. The decrease in number, occasioned by their 
 removal, was make up by others who found their way to Neav 
 Salem. Among these was a girl, only eleven years old, who, 
 as soon as she heard of the new settlement, undertook a jour- 
 ney of more than three hundred miles by herself, and arrived 
 in safety. Thus the settlement was gradually increasing, and 
 at the close of 1790 contained upwards of two hundred in- 
 habitants. 
 
 After a tranquil residence of four years at Nkw Salem they 
 were obliged to quit that settlement. For some time past they 
 had frequently been annoyed by the white dealers in rum, re- 
 siding in their neighbourhood, and now they were alarmed by 
 reports of hostilities having commenced between the United 
 States and the Indians. They therefore endeavoured to find 
 
MISSION IN NORTH AMERICA. 195 
 
 a temporary asylum in the English territory. For this pur- 
 pose they fixed on a place lying about eighteen miles from De- 
 troit. The governor of that town kindly afforded them every 
 assistance in his power. The whole congregation, upwards of 
 two hundred in number, crossed lake Erie in thirty canoes, and 
 reached their new residence on the 4th of May 1791, the mis- 
 sionaries and the heavy baggage being conveyed in a ship, hir- 
 ed by a gentleman in Detroit for that purpose.* 
 
 Among other heathen, who, during their abode in this place, 
 sought the fellowship of the Christian Indians, was a man of 
 the tribe of the Wiondats. For some years he had manifested 
 an inclinatiom to live with them, and labouring now under a 
 serious illness, he renewed his application. Some Indian bre- 
 thren visited him and spent nearly the whole night in convers- 
 ing with him on the love of Jesus to sinners. This greatly 
 enlivened him, and he regretted, that he was not able to go 
 with them, declaring that he wished to die among them. In 
 a day or two he was brought to the settlement. The Roman 
 Catholic priestf , in whose communion he had been baptized, 
 asking him, why he had changed his religion, he replied ; " I 
 have been long among you, and repeatedly heard your dis- 
 courses , but it was all hay and stubble, and I have found no- 
 thing among you, that could tranquillize my mind ; but among 
 these believing Indians I have found peace."! 
 
 Their stay in this place did not last above a year. Some 
 of their white neighbours, not being amicably disposed towards 
 the mission, molested them in various ways ; and war having 
 now broken out between the Americans and Savages, the latter 
 sent repeated messages to the Christian Indians to take up the 
 hatchet against the white people, and, in case of refusal, threat- 
 ened to treat them as they had done their brethren on the Mus- 
 
 * This place, being only a temporary residence, received no particulai- 
 
 name. 
 
 f A number of Roman Catholic priests reside among the Wiondats, who 
 baptize them, but in other respects sufiFer them to live like other savages. 
 
 + The congregation being on the point of breaking up from their abode 
 near Detroit, this Indian was not able to go with them ; and the reports of 
 the missionaries contain no further account of him. 
 
19t> MISSION IN NORTH AMERlCxV. 
 
 kingum, or force them to return to paganism. Besides thi* 
 their present residence, from its low situation, was very un- 
 healthy ; many of the Indians died, and the niifesionarics them- 
 selves were frequently indisposed. 
 
 No other resource being left them than to abandon tlieir 
 present place of abode, they directed their thoughts to Upper 
 Canada, where the English government had assigned, for the 
 use of the mission, twenty five thousand acres of land, lying 
 on the river Retrench, or Thames, which falls into the east side 
 of lake St. Clair In April 1792 the whole congregation 
 moved thither, going partly by land and partly by water. 
 Having fixed on a proper spot, they immediately began to 
 build and divide the land into farms. The district allotted to 
 them consisted of three large dales ; the high grounds being 
 sandy, but the low lands uncommonly fertile and well watered. 
 Their greatest difficulty was, that they were obliged to fetch 
 all the stones, required for building, from the bed of the river. 
 To this settlement they gave the name of Fairfield. It was 
 afterwards declared to he a regular township, containing twelve 
 miles in length and six in breadth : and the inhabitants in a 
 short time improved it so much, that the wilderness was liter- 
 ally changed into a fruitful field. 
 
 In a few years Fairfield became a very flourishing settle- 
 ment. In 1797 it contained fifty houses, some of them large 
 and convenient, inhabited by about one hundred and fifty In- 
 dians, besides the missionaries. By their industry in agricul- 
 ture find various manufactures the inhabitants could not only 
 supply their own immediate necessities, but advantageously 
 dispose of many articles to their neighbours. On an aver- 
 age they annually furnished the North-west Fur-company with 
 two thousand bushels of Indian corn. In winter they made 
 about five thousand pounds of maple-sugar* ; and though they 
 consumed a great part of it themselves, yet what they brought 
 to market was still considerable, and of superior quality to any 
 manufactured in Canada. They also raised a great number of 
 
 * The maple [acer saccharinum] is a species of ash, the sap of which is 
 boiled into sugar, and is little inferior to the sugar broujjhl from the >Vcst 
 ludieit. 
 
MISSION IN NORTH AMERICA. 197 
 
 cattle for sale ; for, being accustomed to deer's flesh, beef is un- 
 palatable to Indians, and they, therefore, seldom eat it. Their 
 canoes, cooperv, baskets, mats, &c. also commanded a ready 
 sale. The whole country was benefited by their industry, as 
 it served to reduce the price of many of the principal neces- 
 saries of life. 
 
 The establishment of the Brethren here>as of public util- 
 ity in another point of view. When they first came to these 
 parts, the nearest settlers to them resided at a distance of thirty 
 leagues ; but no sooner was it known, that the Christian In- 
 dians would form a colony on this river, than the adjacent lands 
 were eagerly taken by white people ; and in a few years above a 
 hundred families established themselves in their neighbourhood. 
 Having themselves opened roads in various directions through 
 the country, travellers were continually passing to and fro, both 
 by land and water, and hence Fairfield might be considered 
 as lying on the great road to Niagara. Thus this settlement 
 appeared to be admirably suited for a missionary station, from 
 whence the gospel might be proclaimed to the different and 
 numerous tribes of the Chippeways. 
 
 Soon after their arrival at Fairfield the Indians in the vici- 
 nity frequently visited them and attended their worship, espe- 
 cially the Monsys, who had a village at no great distance; and 
 the native assistants from Fairfield, in their turn, visited 
 them, embracing every opportunity for preaching the gospel. 
 In a few instances it displayed its converting power ; but most 
 of the inhabitants, not only rejected it themselves, but opposed 
 those who were inclined to receive it. The relatives of a cer- 
 tain woman endeavoured to deter her from going to reside with 
 the believers, intimating that these Christian Indians and their 
 teachers would meet a similar fate with their predecessors on 
 the Muskingum. But nothing could shake her resolution, 
 and the only reply she made was : " Should the believers suf- 
 fer evil, as you say , I will share it with them ; and if it goes 
 well with them, I also shall enjoy it ; where they dwell, there 
 I will likewise dwell." The firmnes, of another Indian woman 
 was not less remarkable. She was not moved from the purpose 
 of joining the believers, either by the loss of her property. 
 
198 MISSION IN NORTH AMERICA. 
 
 ■wliich was mostly taken from her, or by the terrifying predic- 
 tions of the sorcerers, who prophesied, she would not live long 
 if she went to the Christians. 
 
 The most numerous tribe of Indians, occupying the terri- 
 tory in which Fairfield lies, were the Chippeways. Many 
 of these visited the settlement, and frequently with much ap- 
 parent devotion attended divine worship. This was particu- 
 larly the case in 1794, when a party of warriors, belonging to 
 this tribe, encamped near the settlement, and remained there 
 the whole winter. An old man from the camp actually took 
 up his abode in Fairfield, and the missionaries entertained 
 good hopes respecting him ; but in a few months, under pre- 
 tence of fetching his children, he went away and never re- 
 turned. 
 
 As the war between the United States and the Indians still 
 continued, our brethren were often annoyed by companies of 
 warriors passing through Fairfield, or encamping near the 
 place, and sending repeated messages to the Christian Indians, 
 challenging them to join in the contest. In these cases the 
 missionaries found it the most advisable to let their converts act 
 according to their own insight and disposition, only exhorting 
 them to put their trust in God, and not be intimidated by the 
 threats of men. The consequence was, that, with the excep- 
 tion of only very few of the less stable members of the con- 
 gregation, who joined the warriors, they declined all their chal- 
 lenges with firmness. 
 
 Notwithstanding these temptations, the internal course of 
 the congregation was pleasing and prosperous. The edifying 
 deaths of some members of it, excited the survivors to give in- 
 creasing diligence to make their calling and election sure. 
 Among those, who about this time finished their mortal race, 
 were two aged men, Pavid and Joachim, who for many years 
 had been intimate friends, and latterly, being too feeble to 
 work, used to spend many hours together, discoursing of the 
 salvation of their souls, the love and mercy of God our Savi- 
 our, the hope of eternal life, &c. David, who departed in 
 1797, had been baptized at Gnadeniiuetten on the Mahony 
 in 1753, and remained steadfast to his profession amidst all 
 
MISSION IN NORTH AMERICA. 199 
 
 the vicissitudes, which in the sequel befel the Christian Indi- 
 ans. In 1782, when the missionaries were separated from 
 their flock and carried to Detroit, he retired to the river 
 Thames, and lived like a hermit near the spot, where Fatr- 
 FiELD was afterwards built. He therefore rejoiced greatly 
 when this settlement was formed, and in it spent the remainder 
 of his days, being universally respected and beloved. 
 
 His friend, Joachim, was the first Delaware who embraced 
 the gospel. After his baptism in 1745 he resided a whole 
 year in the house of the single brethren at Bethlehem, and 
 ever after spoke of this period with much pleasure. In the se- 
 quel he bore all the sufferings, with which the Indian congre- 
 gation was visited, with unshaken confidence in our Saviour. 
 After their dispersion at Sanduskv he lived for some time by 
 himself, and never mixed with the heathen. As soon as the 
 congregation was again collected near Pettquotting he joined 
 it, and led a very exemplary life to his end. He understood 
 the German and English languages, could read a little and was 
 one of the best interpreters of the sermons delivered by the 
 missionaries. 
 
 The necessity of watching over their flock and guarding it 
 against relapsing into heathenism and its sinful and abomina- 
 ble practices, was a duty, which, however painful, was never 
 neglected by the missionaries. In general they left the pre- 
 servation of good order and regularity in the settlement to the 
 assistants, that they might attend with less distraction to their 
 more important functions and "give themselves continually 
 unto prayer and the ministry of the Word." And in this res- 
 pect the services of the assistants were generally effective. In 
 extraordinary cases, however, and when public offence was giv- 
 en, the missionaries interfered, and enforced discipline accord- 
 ing to plain scripture rule without respect of persons. A dis- 
 tressing instance of this kind occurred in 1797, but which, by 
 the grace of God, terminated in the sincere repentance of the 
 offenders. Several members of the congregation having been 
 guilty of intemperance, and the assistants, having not only con- 
 nived at it, but in other respects been remiss in the perform- 
 ance of their duty, the missionaries first called them together, 
 
200 MISSION IN NORTH AMERICA. 
 
 representing to them the unchristian and offensive nature of 
 their conduct, whereby they had disqualified themselves from 
 holding any office in the Church, until they manifested real 
 repentance. They then exhorted them to confess their trans- 
 gressions to our Saviour and seek his pardon, and likewise to 
 humble themselves before their brethren and sisters, asking 
 their forgiveness, hoping that their example might be imitated 
 by the other offenders. A few days after brother Zeisberger 
 presented the offenders before the whole congregation, (which 
 had been convened for that purpose) admonishing them to sin- 
 cere repentance. These admonitions had the desired effect. 
 The guilty humbly acknowledged their transgressions, and 
 spent several days in meeting together in small parties, and 
 confessing to each other their deviations, with tears asking the 
 forgiveness of all, whom they had offended. The missionaries 
 gratefully acknowledged the hand of the Lord in thus leading 
 the transgressors to true comjmnction of heart for their mis- 
 conduct. The end of discipline having thus been fully attain- 
 ed, they once more called the congregation together, and bro- 
 ther Zeisberger addressed them from Rev. ii. 5. " Remember 
 from whence thou art fallen, and repent and do thy first works."" 
 After fervent prayer, during which the whole assembly burst 
 into loud weeping, he dismissed them in peace. 
 
 The missionaries were not inattentive to the spiritual wants 
 of their white neighbours. Many of them regularly attended 
 divine service at Fairfield, and brought their children thi- 
 ther to be baptized. Those, who lived at a greater distance, 
 invited the missionaries to preach in their villages. In gene- 
 ral they were treated with great respect by the settlers, who re- 
 posed almost unlimited confidence in them. The inhabitants 
 of a certain town were even desirous of electing brother Sense- 
 man their representative in the assembly of the state. An ho- 
 nour which he declined, as being incompatible with his mis- 
 sionary calling. 
 
 No very striking success attended their endeavours for the 
 conversion of the heathen Indians. For though many visited 
 the settlement, the s.iJutary imj)rcssions, made on their minds 
 by the preaching of the gospel, were but too successfully cffa- 
 
MISSION IN NORTH AMERICA. 201 
 
 ced by the temptations of the white dealers, who were continu- 
 ally seducing them to drunkenness ; and thus neglect of the 
 interests of their souls, and the commission of m-my crimes, 
 followed of course. During the six years, since their removal 
 from Pettquotting, only twelve adult Indians and forty chil- 
 dren had been baptized. But amidst all these discouragements 
 the missionaries did not relax in the zealous prosecution of their 
 callincp, and they had the joy to observe, that those Christian 
 Indians, who lived with them, with few exceptions, walked in 
 the fear of the Lord, building up each other in their most holy 
 faith. With regard to such characters as appeared still unde- 
 cided, or had suffered themselves to be seduced by others, they 
 exercised all possible patience and admonished them in love ; 
 for they had learned by the experience of many years that, as 
 their notions of liberty are unbounded, nothing is effected with 
 Indians by force or constraint. Some of those, who had stray- 
 ed at the time of the massacre on the Muskingum, and had till 
 now remained among the pagans, returned and sought leave to 
 reside in the settlement. 
 
 Peace having been restored between the Indians and the 
 United States, a resolution was formed, to renew the mission 
 on the Muskingum, where Congress had formally granted to 
 the Brethren's Society (in America) for propagating the gos- 
 pel among the heathen the land, on which Gnadenhuetten, 
 ScHOENBRUNN and Salem formerly stood, with four thousand 
 acres of ground adjoining to each of the settlements. In this 
 view the brethren J. Heckewaelder and William Henry, in the 
 summer of 1797, went to take a survey of it. They found the 
 whole district overgrown with an impervious thicket of briers 
 and brushwood of various kinds, the haunt of serpents, bears, 
 deer, turkies and other animals. Some ruins of the houses 
 were still standing, and the place, where the Indians were mas- 
 sacred, was strongly marked, many of their bones lying con- 
 cealed under the ashes. 
 
 In August the following year several Indian families from 
 Fairfield, consisting of thirty-three persons, commenced the 
 renewal of the mission there. The venerable David Zeisber- 
 ger, with truly apostolical zeal, though then seventy- seven 
 
202 Mission in north America. 
 
 years old, volunteered his services for this difficult and arduous 
 undertaking, being accompanied by his wife, likewise aged and 
 infirm, and the missionary Benjamin Mortimer. The journey, 
 as usual in this country, was tedious, occupying nearly two 
 months, and was attended with many dangers and difficulties 
 both by land and water. When they came to the carrying-place 
 in the river Cayahaga, they were obliged to drag the loaded 
 canoes for seven miles over solid rocks ; but by great exertions 
 they reached the place of their destination in October in good 
 health and perfect safety. The Indians indeed combated every 
 hardship with wonderful composure and steady perseverance. 
 They never murmured, and not an individual among them ever 
 appeared to lament having undertaken the journey, or to flinch 
 from the duties he had thereby imposed on himself It is justly 
 remarked by the missionaries, " that men of their stamp and 
 character, if properly prepared for the work by the Spirit of 
 God, would be the fittest of all others to make known the gospel 
 to their wild countrymen, living at a distance." It was strongly 
 impressed on their own minds, that they had undertaken the 
 journey for that very purpose, and most of them expressed an 
 ardent desire to be useful to their heathen countrymen by lead- 
 ing them to a knowledge of the Saviour of sinners. They 
 entered into an agreement among themselves, to renew the an- 
 cient hospitality and treat all visitors in the most friendly man- 
 ner. 
 
 Thus after the lapse of more than seventeen years, since the 
 C'hristian Indians were forcibly expelled from this part of the 
 country, a few of the survivors, in reliance on the help of God, 
 ventured to re-occupy that station. They erected their first 
 settlement near the former site of Schoenbrunn and called it 
 Goshen. A few heathen families in the sequel moved thither 
 and embraced the gospel. At the beginning of the year 1801, 
 the number of inhabitants amounted to seventy one persons. 
 The love and Christian simplicity, prevailing among them, were 
 noticed by all visitors with great pleasure and much edification. 
 Their number, however, was considerably diminished the follow- 
 ing year, as several families removed to the river Wabash, to 
 commence a mission among the Cherokces. 
 
MISSION IN NORTH AMERICA. '20^ 
 
 NoTcmber the 17th 1808, the venerable brother David Zeis- 
 berger finished his earthly pilgrimage, in the eighty-eighth 
 year of his age. Of this long life he had spent above sixty 
 years as a missionary among the Indians, suffering numberless 
 hardships and privations, and enduring many dangers. He 
 had acquired an extensive knowledge of the Delaware language 
 and several other Indian tongues. But most of his translations, 
 vocabularies and other books for the instruction of the Indians, 
 being only in manuscript, were burned on the Muskingum ; 
 and the unsettled state of the mission for a long period after, 
 his other multifarious avocations, and his advancing age, did 
 not allow him sufficient leisure or strength completely to make 
 up this loss. His zeal for the conversion of the heathen never 
 abated, and no consideration could prevail on him to leave his 
 beloved Indian flock. The younger missionaries revered him 
 as a father, and before they entered upon their labours, generally 
 spent some time at Goshen, to profit by his counsel and in- 
 struction. Within a few months of his death he became nearly 
 blind, yet being perfectly resigned to the will of God, he did 
 not lose his usual cheerfulness ; and though his body was 
 almost worn to a skeleton, his judgment remained unimpaired. 
 Thus " as a shock of corn cometh in its season, so he came to 
 the grave in a full age, and entered into the joy of his Lord."* 
 
 * Since this Work was printed the author has had the pleasure of reading 
 A Narrative of the Mission of the United Brethren avwng the Delaware and 
 Mohegau Indians, ^c. by John Hcchewealder, who was muny years in the serviee 
 of that Mission. Philadelphia, 1820. 
 
 From this puhlication the following brief Sketch of the life and character 
 of his late brother missionary is extracted : 
 
 David Zeisberger was the son of one of those Moravian emigrants, who laid 
 the foundation of the renewed Brethren's Church. He came to America 
 when still a youth, and resided for some time in Georgia, and afterwards at 
 Bethlehem. Ever since the year 1746 he has been engaged in the Mission 
 among the North American Indians. , 
 
 Having once devoted himself to this service, from the most voluntary clwice 
 and the purest motives, he steadily pursued his object, to wit, the glory of 
 God in the salvation of his fellow-men. Never was he so happy as when he 
 had ground for believing, that his endeavours had been the means of convert- 
 ing one sinner from the error of his ways, and leading him to the knowledge 
 of Christ Jesus our Lord. This, in his estimation, was of far higher value, 
 than if he had acquired possession of the whole world. It may be said with 
 
204 MISSION IN NORTH AMKRICA. 
 
 The surviving missionaries continued theirlabours inGosHEM, 
 and enjoyed peace and quietness, and even during the war in 
 1813, when Fairfield was destroyed, they experienced no seri- 
 
 truth, that he watched over his Indian flock with the solicitude of a parent, 
 and cherished them as a nurse doth her children. He followed them in all 
 their wanderings, cheerfully bearin;? with them the heat and burden of the 
 day, and during the last forty years of his life he was never, at any one time, 
 six months absent from his charge. 
 
 He was blessed with a cool, active, and intrepid spirit, unappalled by dan- 
 ger, and with a sound judgment, and clear discernment. He was, therefore 
 seldom taken by surprise, and was generally prepared to meet and overcome 
 difficulties. If once convinced, that he was in the path of duty, lie patiently 
 submitted to every hardship, and, with firm fortitude, endured the severest suf- 
 ferings. In the course of a long life spent among savages he was exposed to many 
 privations, and at times suffered persecution from the enemies of divine truth, 
 who more than once sought his life. But none of these things dismayed him ; 
 they riither increased his zeal in the Lord's cause, and in more instances than 
 one has he had the pleasure of baptizing Indians, who not long before had 
 lifted up the hatchet to murder him. At the same time he was of an hum- 
 ble and meek sjiirit, and always thought lowly of himself. He was a most 
 affectionate husband ; a faithful and never failing friend ; and every lineament 
 of his character shewed a sincere, upright, benevolent, and generous soul, 
 with perhaps as few blemishes as can be expected in the best of men on this 
 side the grave. 
 
 In the evening of his days, when his faculties began to fail him, his desire 
 to depart and be with Christ increased. At the same time he awaited his 
 dissolution with uniform, calm, and dignified resignation to the will of his 
 Maker, and in the sure and certain hope of exchanging this world for a 
 better. His last words were, " Lord Jesus, I pray thee, come and take my 
 spirit to thyself." And again, " Thou hast never yet forsaken me in any 
 trial, thou wilt not forsake me now." — A very respectable company attended 
 his funeral. The solemn service was performed in the English, the Delaware, 
 and German languages, to suit the different auditors. Two sermons were 
 preached from Rev. xii. 1 1, and Prov. x. 7. 
 
 Zeisberger was a man of low stature, yet well proportioned, of a cheerful 
 countenance, and endowed with a good understanding. He was a friend 
 and benefactor to mankind, and justly beloved by all who knew him, and who 
 could appreciate genuine worth. His words were few, and never known to 
 be wasted at random, or in an unprofitable manner. Plain in his habits, 
 temperate in all things, and blessed with a sound constitution, he generally 
 enjoyed good health, and lived to a far advanced age. 
 
 He made himself complete master of two of the Indian languages, the 
 Onondago and the Delaware, and acquired some knowledge of several others. 
 Of the Onondago he composed two Grammars, one written in English, and 
 the other in German. He likewise compiled a Dictionary of the Delaware 
 language, which in the manufcripf contained seventeen hundred pages. 
 
J^IS^ION IN NORTH AMERICA. 205 
 
 ous molestation or interruption. The vicinity of the two colonies 
 of Bersaba and Gnadenhuetten, inhabited by Englisli and Ger- 
 mans, who are members of the Brethren''s Church, likewise 
 profited by the visits and services of the missionaries. Hereby 
 a constant friendly intercourse was maintained between these 
 two colonies and the missionary settlement. The missionaries 
 occasionally made itinerant tours through the country, in 
 order to visit those Indians, who formerly belonged to the con- 
 gregation at Pettquotting, and now were scattered in tlic wil- 
 derness like sheep without a shepherd, and to preach the gospel 
 to the heathen. On these circuits they often, and mostly on 
 foot, travelled three-hundred miles. 
 
 The Indians belonging to this congregation, though but few 
 in number, walked consistently with their Christian profession, 
 which the more strongly excited the gratitude of their teachers, 
 as they were daily exposed to the most alluring temptatioirs. 
 Within the distance of only three miles from them, lay a town, 
 a very Sodom, on account of the wickedness of its inhabitants, 
 who, though they were white people and called themselves 
 Christians, lived in the practice of every abomination, and tried " 
 every base art to seduce the believing Indians. Hitherto, how- 
 ever, even the weakest among them continued to shew too much 
 reverence for the Word of God, to yield to these temptations ; 
 and the missionaries observed also among the young people 
 encouraging evidences, that they were often powerfully impress- 
 ed with divine truth, and showed an abhorrence of paganism 
 and its concomitant vices and misery. Yet the ungodly lives 
 of the white settlers had an injurious tendency in keeping the 
 
 Nearly the whole of these manuscripts was lost at the burning of the settle- 
 ments on the Muskingum. A Spelling-book in the same language has passed 
 through two editions. A volume of Sermons to Children, and a Hymn-book 
 containing upwards of five hundred hymns, chiefly translations from the 
 English and German Hymn-books in use in the Brethren's Church, have also 
 een published in the Delaware (or Lenape) language. He left behind him, 
 in manuscript, a Grammar of the Delaware, written in German, und a 
 translation into the same language of Licberkuehns' Harmony of the four 
 Gospels. The former of these works has since been translated into English, 
 for the American Philosophical Society, by P. S. Du Pouceau of Philadel- 
 phia ; and the Female Auxiliary Missionary Society of Bethlehem, has under- 
 takea the publication of the Harmony. 
 
206 MISSION IN NORTH AMERICA. 
 
 savages from attending the ministrations of the gospel ; conse- 
 quently few conversions from heathenism occurred at Goshek. 
 An Indian-girl was baptized on the 6th of January 1817, Bro- 
 ther Luckenbach paid particular attention to the school, and 
 several of the children shewed a good cajiacity and were able 
 to read the English Testament. Among other exercises they 
 translated portions of Scripture into their own language, which 
 gave the missionaries an opportunity of knowing, whether they 
 understood what they read. The number of inhabitants at 
 Goshen did not exceed fifty. 
 
 As early as the year 1740 attempts were made by the Bre- 
 thren to propagate the gospel among the Cherokees, but these 
 and several succeeding endeavours were frustrated by repeated 
 wars among the different Indian tribes, as well as by subse- 
 quent hostilities between the English and Americans. No- 
 thing, therefore, was effected by the journeys made by them in- 
 to this territory, except forming a friendly intercourse with 
 that nation. In 1799 the Brethren's Society (in North Ame- 
 rica) for propagating the Gospel among the Heathen, received 
 intelligence, that the Cherokees wished to have teachers resi- 
 ding among them. Whereupon the brethren Abraham Steiner 
 and F. C. von Schweinitz were commissioned to visit that part 
 of the country and inquire into the disposition of its Indian in- 
 habitants. But the season being already far advanced, the ob- 
 ject of their journey was not fully attained. Meanwhile a cor- 
 respondence was kept up with some gentlemen, who favoured 
 the undertaking, and resided in those parts. By their advice 
 the two brethren left Salem in North Carolina towards the end 
 of August following, to pay a second visit in that district. In 
 about three weeks they arrived at Tellico on the river Tenes- 
 see, being the frontier-town of the United States towards the 
 territory of the Cherokees. Some days after the Chiefs of the 
 two tribes, the Upper and Lower Cherokees, assembled to 
 hold a great council, at which between three and four thou- 
 sand Indians were present. To this assembly our brethren 
 were introduced and laid before it the object of their journey. 
 After spending several days in consultation, all the Upper 
 
MISSION IN NORTH AMERICA. 207 
 
 Chiefs declared their approbation of the proposal ; but the 
 Lower Chiefs would not agree to it, and appeared rather indif- 
 ferent. 
 
 Every thing having been finally determined upon by the 
 directors of the missions, and the needful permission obtained 
 from the government, the brethren A. Steiner and Gottlieb 
 Byhan went thither in April 1801, and took up their abode 
 with a Mr Vann, who treated them with great kindness, and 
 sent his Negros to assist in building a cottage on the land ap- 
 propriated for the use of the mission, subsequently called 
 Spring-place. Mr. Vann's friendship was of essential service 
 to them, for as the Indians generally respected him, and 
 the worst stood in awe of him, none ventured to molest 
 them. They preached every Sunday at his house to whites, 
 Negros and Half-Indians. Some of the latter attended very 
 regularly. They could as yet converse but little with the 
 Cherokees, the acquisition of their language being a very 
 arduous task, especially as they found it difficult to procure a 
 good interpreter. 
 
 On their arrival in the country the Indians gave them a very 
 cordial reception, and expressed great satisfaction at their 
 coming; but when the missionaries found it impracticable 
 directly to open a school for their children, the great Council 
 at Esternally came to a resolution to order them to quit the 
 country, alleging as a reason for this unexpected resolution, 
 that the missionaries had not kept their promise, no school 
 having yet been begun. But as the Chiefs allowed them half 
 a year for deliberating on this business, every thing was 
 amicably adjusted and arranged to the satisfaction of both 
 parties. 
 
 The necessary buildings at Speing-place being completed, 
 they commenced their school with four Indian boys, whom 
 they lodged, boarded and instructed. Their number was 
 gradually increased, and as our missionaries had not room to 
 accommodate them all, Mr. Vann kindly took some into his own 
 house. Several of them were sons of Chiefs, who appeared 
 very desirous that their children should be instructed. The 
 young people rewarded the labours of their teachers by making 
 
208 MISSION IN NORTH AMERICA* 
 
 a good progress in reading (both English and Cherokees), 
 writing and aritlimetic, and by the pleasure they took in learn- 
 ing hymns and texts of Scripture. They frequently seemed 
 much impressed when the missionaries spoke to them of the 
 love of God in Christ Jesus. After leaving the school they 
 kept up an epistolary correspondence with their former teachers, 
 adverting with delight to their residence at Spuixg-place. 
 The endeavours of the Brethren were greatly facilitated by the 
 iind exertions of the agent for the Cherokee nation, colonel 
 Meig, who procured them some assistance for their school from 
 government. 
 
 AVith regard to the principal aim of theit residence in this 
 country, they as yet reaped little fruit from their labours. The 
 good disposition of the Cherokees towards them did indeed not 
 abate, but the work of conversion proceeded very slowly. The 
 public pleaching, however, was sometimes attended by thirty 
 or forty, and those Indians, who occasionally visited them, 
 appeared in some degree convinced of the importance of the 
 gospel. Their worship was also frequently attended by Negros, 
 many of whom are kept by the white settlers in these parts, 
 instead of servants. Towards the close of 1814 they had the 
 pleasure to see three Half-Indians commemorate with them 
 the death of the Lord at his table. One of their former 
 scholars, Dazizi, had settled in their immediate neighbourhood, 
 and seemed truly concerned for his salvation. He faithfully 
 assisted them in their domestic affairs. AVith respect to some 
 others of their scholars the prospect was encouraging. 
 
 In externals God blessed the labour of their hands ; they 
 introduced several useful trades, cultivated the land with advan- 
 tage, improved their habitations, and Spking-place was consi- 
 dered one of the healthiest missionary stations in North America. 
 
 About a year after the mission to the Cherokees had been 
 begun, a formal message was sent by the Chiefs and great 
 Council of the Delawares on the river Woapikamikunk, a 
 branch of the Wabash, to the brethren at Goshen, requesting 
 that some teachers might be sent to them. Considering this as 
 a new door opened for the diffusion of the gospel, the Christian 
 Indians at Gosh km, in return sent a solemn message to those 
 
JVIISSION IN NORTH AMERICA. 209 
 
 on the Wabash, informing them that several families of their 
 believincp countrymen, with some missionaries, would come and 
 instruct them in the Word of God. 
 
 Pursuant to this proposal, the brethren Kluge and Lucken- 
 bach, and twelve Christian Indians, (including three children,) 
 left Goshen towards the end of February 1801, and in a few 
 weeks arrived in safety on the Woapikamikunk, and were re- 
 ceived by the people there with every token of pleasure and 
 friendship. They chose an elevated spot for their dwelling, 
 situated between nine populous Indian towns, inhabited by 
 different tribes. Several Indians, formerly baptized by the 
 Brethren, had settled here after the general dispersion of the 
 congregation at the close of the American war. These, having 
 hitherto been forcibly prevented by their pagan relatives from 
 returning to their teachers, the missionaries hoped to collect 
 together again. 
 
 They had not been long in this quarter before a few hea- 
 then came to reside with them and were baptized. The preach- 
 ing of the gospel was frequently attended by a considerable 
 number of serious hearers, and the Chiefs treated them with 
 respect and apparent friendship. Their settlement also was 
 improved : at the end of the year 1802 it consisted of ten 
 houses besides the chapel, and contained twenty-three inhabit- 
 ants. But this quiet and comparative prosperity were soon 
 interrupted. For some time past they had resolved to change 
 their present place of abode ; but, as their endeavours to find 
 a convenient spot had not succeeded, they deferred their re- 
 moval ; till danger, which they considered still distant, at once 
 burst upon them attended with all the horrors, which on former 
 occasions but too awfully distinguished the ruthless attacks of 
 the savages on their innocent Christian countrymen. 
 
 In the autumn of 1805 one of the Chiefs, who had been 
 their friend and protector, died, and another, who likewise res- 
 pected and befriended them, was deposed. The savages now 
 became ungovernable, threatened to murder the missionaries, 
 and even killed their cattle before their eyes. This however 
 was only the prelude to a transaction as atrocious as any that 
 
210 IWISSION IN NORTH AMERICA. 
 
 ever disgraced human nature ; as will appear ])y tiie following 
 extract from the journal of the missionaries. 
 
 '• In February 1806 all the Indians in this district were 
 summoned by their teachers, or lying prophets, to assemble on 
 the Woapikamikunk, to hear the foolish stories, fabricated by 
 the emissaries of Satan, of pretended visions and revelations 
 received from God ; and to be instructed how to act in confor- 
 mity to them. Among these teachers was a Shawanose, an arch 
 impostor. Pretending that he was able to know and discover 
 hidden mysteries, his deluded countrymen submitted to him 
 with profound respect. The Delaware tribe received him with 
 grcat;cordiality, and resolved to hold a grand council, in order 
 to root out all witchcraft and poison-mixing (which, accord- 
 ing to their superstitious notions, existed among them,) and by 
 fire to extort confession from all such, as this impostor should 
 accuse ; and whoever would not confess, should be hewn in 
 pieces with their war-hatchets, and burned. With a view to 
 execute their horrid purpose the young Indians got together, 
 chose the most ferocious to be their leaders, deposed all the 
 old Chiefs, and guarded the whole Indian assembly, especially 
 the aged of both sexes, as if they were prisoners of war. The 
 venerable old Chief Tcttepachsit was the first whom they ac- 
 cused of possessing poison, and of having destroyed many In- 
 dians by his art. When the poor old man would not confess, 
 they fastened him with cords to two ))osts, and began to roast 
 him at a slow fire. During the torture he said, that he kept 
 poison in the house of our Indian brother Joshua. Nothing 
 was more welcome to the savages than this accusation, for they 
 wished to deprive us of the assistance of this man, who was the 
 only Christian Indian residing with us at that time. They 
 had frequently sent him invitations to attend their heathenish 
 festivities, but he would never accept them. His answer was : 
 ' You know that I am a believer in the true God, whose Word 
 we made known to you ; I therefore can have no fellowship 
 with you in your wicked works. Do you as you please, but leave 
 me to serve the living God/ This answer displeased them 
 much, and on March 13th, they sent seven wild Indians, with 
 
MISSION IN NORTH AMERICA. 211 
 
 painted faces, to our settlement, and took him away by main 
 force. They pretended, that he only need tell Tettepachsit to 
 his face, that he had no poison in his house, and he might 
 then return home. All excuses were vain, and Joshua was 
 compelled to accompany them to the assembly at Woapikami- 
 kunk. 
 
 *' When he was presented to Tettepachsit he frankly confes- 
 sed, that he had accused him merely to pacify the enraged 
 multitude, and escape from the torture. Joshua was now pro- 
 nounced not guilty, yet they would not permit him to return, 
 but insisted on his remaining with them till the Shawanose im- 
 postor should arrive. This son of Belial arriving the same day, 
 all the Indians of both sexes were ordered by him to sit down 
 in a large circle, when he would declare who had poison in his 
 possession. The two old Chiefs, Tettepachsit and Hackin- 
 pomska, were both accused of poison-mixing, and the former 
 was more particularly charged with the untimely death of ma- 
 ny Indians. When the Shawanose was asked about Joshua, 
 he indeed declared, that he had no poison, but that he was pos- 
 sessed of an evil spirit, by which he was able to destroy other 
 Indians. Pleased with this verdict, they seized these three 
 poor innocent men, and strictly watched them as condemned 
 criminals. We knew nothing of these horrible events, until the 
 evening of the 16th, when a message was brought, that the sa- 
 vages had burned an old woman, who at a former period had 
 been baptized by the Brethren, and also that our poor Joshua 
 was kept close prisoner. 
 
 " On the 17th our distress and fear concerning the fate of 
 Joshua rose still higher. We were stunned with horror on 
 seeing ten of the most savage Indians, with blackened faces, 
 conducting Tettepachsit, arrive in our settlement. Soon after, 
 these murderous wretches kindled a large fire close to our 
 place, and, having given the aged Chief a blow on the head 
 with a war-hatchet, threw him alive into the flames, diverting 
 themselves with the miserable cries and convulsions of the poor 
 dying man. The flames communicated to the grass and wood 
 near the settlement, by which all our dwellings were filled with 
 smoke. 
 
212 MISSION IN NORTH AMERICA. 
 
 " After committing this horrid murder, the savages came 
 boldly into our house, boasting of their atrocious deed, and, 
 assuming a hypocritical mien, demanded bread and tobacco, 
 which we were obliged to give them. We took courage to ask 
 them, what would be the fate of Joshua. They immediately 
 began to accuse him, saying, there was good reason for detain- 
 ing him a prisoner, for they well knew that he understood the 
 black-art, and could destroy the Indians, his ftiith in our doc- 
 trines being a mere pretence. In vain we endeavoured to 
 convince them of the untruth of these assertions. They pre- 
 tended to set our minds at ease, by saying, that they would not 
 kill him. We charged them to tell their Captains, that they 
 ought well to consider what they were doing ; that Joshua had 
 long been a believer, and had never had any concern with the 
 tilings of which they accused him, for he was a servant of God, 
 and had renounced the Devil and all his works ; and that he 
 was of the Mahikan tribe, and not a Delaware, and had accompa- 
 nied us as interpreter. We therefore requested, that they 
 would immediately release him, for we should consider all they 
 did unto him, as done unto ourselves, &c. But they mani- 
 fested the most diabolical hypocrisy ; for, though they knew, 
 that Joshua was to be murdered that very day, they promised 
 to deliver our words to the Captains. We easily perceived, 
 that our defence of Joshua had displeased them ; and they left 
 our place in a riotous manner. 
 
 " Though we had been informed, that the savages suspected 
 us of keeping poison, for the purpose of making those Indians 
 sick, who would not do as we directed them ; and though we 
 did not know to what length the devil might instigate them to 
 carry their fury, nor what our fate might be ; yet we felt our- 
 seves constrained to go to their assembly, and try what we 
 could do for the preservation of Joshua, or at least to give him 
 comfort and advice, should we even suffer for it. But as my 
 wife and children (writes brother Kluge) could not be left 
 alone in so dreadful a situation, brother Luckenbach took cou- 
 rage to go alone. 
 
 " He had hardly proceeded half way before he met an In- 
 dian, who informed him that Joshua had become a victim to 
 
MISSION IN NORTH AMERICA. 213 
 
 their cruelty on the foregoing day. They had given hira two 
 cuts in his head with a hatchet, and then thrown him into the 
 fire. With these dreadful tidings brother Luckenbach re- 
 turned to us in the afternoon. This was the heaviest stroke we 
 had yet met with. Dread and terror took from us all power of 
 speech and reflection, and we could do nothing but utter cries 
 of lamentation and woe. 
 
 " Having, in some degree, recovered ourselves, our first 
 thought was to sell all our goods, and fly as expeditiously as pos- 
 sible towards Goshen. During our preparations for the jour- 
 ney, a sudden change of the weather to severe cold prevented 
 us from departing so soon as we intended. 
 
 "Some days after we were informed, that Joshua had spo- 
 ken a great deal, at the place where he was murdered, in a lan- 
 guage not u.iderstood by the Indians ; which led us to suppose, 
 that he had directed his prayers to the Lord in German, which 
 he spoke well. ^Vhen the savages forced him from us, he was 
 in a very comfortable state of mind, and seemed well prepared 
 to leave the world and as a reconciled sinner to meet his Savi- 
 our. In the following days more Indians were accused, and 
 shared the same fate *." 
 
 Not long after this tragical event the missionaries were 
 forced altogether to relinquish the station on the Wabash. 
 
 When the Brethren erected the settlement of Fairfield 
 in Canada, they were peculiarly pleased with the facility, which 
 its local situation promised for extending their missionary la- 
 bours to the Chippeway Indians, who inhabited several towns 
 only a short distance from its scite. In order to carry this be- 
 nevolent design into effect the missionary C. F. Dencke, who 
 possessed the happy talent of acquiring a new language with 
 ease, and was already well versed in the Delaware tongue, paid 
 several visits to the Chippeways in 1801 ; and the following 
 year took up his abode among them on a piece of ground, 
 formally allotted to hira by the Chiefs. Its situation was very 
 convenient lying on the river lonquakamik, and being sur- 
 rounded by eight Indian villages. 
 
 * Per. Ace. Vol. iv. 1—7 
 
214 MISSION IN NORTH AMERICA. 
 
 Here he lived for a time almost separated from society, for, 
 excepting some Indian hunting huts, the nearest human habita- 
 tion to him was Mr. Harsen"'s dwelling, about a mile distant, 
 on the opposite side of the river. In a little while, however, 
 two or three Indian families put up their tents near his house ; 
 and he was frequently visited by others, some of whom occa- 
 sionally lodged with him for a night. He omitted no opportu- 
 nity of commending to them the gospel of salvation ; and in 
 some instances his words appeared to gain entrance into their 
 hearts, for they repeated their visits, and declared, that they 
 could not forget his conversation, saying, " it had made them 
 sick at heart." Being obliged to give up a school, which he had 
 commenced with Mr Harsen's boys, as the mother found it in- 
 convenient to send them, he applied himself with the greater 
 diligence to learn the Chippeway dialect, and translated several 
 portions of the Bible. These he read to the Indians who 
 visited him, and they all declared, that they understood them 
 very well. 
 
 In the sequel, however, the savages began to express dis- 
 satisfaction at his residence among them, fostering a suspicion, 
 that he was come to possess himself of their country. Some 
 even uttered threats against his life, and he was finally obliged 
 to abandon his station and return to Fairfield. 
 
 Not discouraged by these repeated failures, the Brethren in 
 North America persevered in their philanthropic endeavours to 
 convey the blessings of Christianity to the heathen nations 
 around them. During a visitation, held by bishop Loskiel at 
 Goshen in the year 1803, it was resolved to begin a new settle- 
 ment at Pettqdotting on lake Erie. Agreeably to this 
 resolution, the missionaries Haven and Oppelt, together with 
 thirty-six Indian brethren and sisters from Fairfield, moved 
 thither in spring 1804, and formed a colony about three miles 
 beyond the towns belonging to the Monsys. At the end of 
 the year this small congregation consisted of sixty-seven per- 
 sons. Amidst various hardships the courage of the mission- 
 aries was strengthened by the experience of the Lord's gracious 
 help, and^by clear evidences of the work of his holy Spirit on 
 tlie hearts of the Indian brethren and sisters. Their worship 
 
MISSION IN NORTH AMERICA. 215 
 
 was sometimes attended by a considerable number of heathen, 
 though as yet apparently without any salutary effect. 
 
 A few years after their arrival they found it would be neces- 
 sary for them to quit this place, being informed that govern- 
 ment had sold this district to some v^liite settlers, which 
 exposed them to the danger of being driven away at a short 
 warning. Besides this the proximity of the Monsy towns and 
 the introduction of the rum-trade, which the missionaries could 
 not prevent, were circumstances very pernicious to the morals 
 of their young people. They, therefore, deemed it expedient 
 to emigrate from Pettquotting, and took up their residence on 
 Sandusky CiiKiiK. On its western bank they erected a tem- 
 porary building on a piece of ground allotted to them by the 
 Monsy tribe. The missionaries, Luckenbach and Hagen, 
 visited two Monsy towns, lying higher up the river, generally 
 twice a week, and preached as often as circumstances would 
 permit. They were likewise invited by the Chief of the Wy- 
 ondats to come to upper Sandusky. Most of those Indians 
 residing in these parts, who had been baptized in former years, 
 regularly attended divine worship, bringing their children with 
 them. But, though they often seemed much impressed with 
 the truths of the gospel, no material change was wrought on 
 their conduct, as they too easily yielded to the solicitations of 
 the heathen to attend their idolatrous festivities. Very few 
 of the latter ever attended their meetings ; and only ten Indian 
 children, most of whom had been formerly baptized, came to 
 the school. 
 
 In the year 1812 the Monsy tribe, with a view to whose 
 instruction the missionaries resided in that country, very unex- 
 pectedly resolved to leave the banks of the Sandusky and form 
 a settlement on the Huron in the province of Michigan. Forty 
 families consequently emigrated, and among them were all 
 those formerly baptized by the Brethren, some of whom intended 
 to go to Fairfield, if they could obtain permission to pass 
 over to the English territory. After their departure the mis- 
 sionaries deemed it expedient to forsake their present residence, 
 and occupy a house, formerly built by a Presbyterian minister 
 for a school, and which, being unoccupied at the time, was 
 
216 MISSION IN NORTH AMERICA. 
 
 offered them. They were induced to accept this offer in the 
 hope, that they might from thence visit the Wyondats and 
 Mingoes, and diffuse the knowledge of the gospel among them. 
 This station however was afterwards abandoned. 
 
 In the year 1803 the Brethren's Society (in N. America) 
 for propagating the Gospel among the Heathen, directed their 
 attention to the Creek Indians, a very populous nation, com- 
 puted at seventy or eighty thousand souls, and among whom, 
 through the laudable exertions of the government of the United 
 States, a greater degree of improvement and civilization had been 
 introduced, than was to be met with among theothernative tribes. 
 In order to carry their design into effect, they first deputed brother 
 A. Steiner, on his return from Spring-Place, to make ajour- 
 ney into the country of the Creeks. This commission he exe- 
 cuted towards the end of the summer in the above mentioned 
 year. He proceeded to Fort Wilkinson on the river Oconu in 
 Georgia, and was treated with great kindness and hospitality 
 by Colonel Hawkins, at whose house he lodged during his 
 stay of seven days. The colonel entered warmly into the pro- 
 posal for establishing a mission in this part of the country, 
 pointing out the mode most likely to be attended with success, 
 and promising to aid the undertaking in every possible way 
 by his friendship, advice and protection. 
 
 Animated by these encouraging prospects two missionaries 
 went to this country, and occupied a house, kindly provided 
 for them by Col. Hawkins, situate on the river Flint, about 
 sixty miles from Milledgeville, the seat of government in Geor- 
 gia. Here they diligently applied themselves to the study of 
 the language^ and visited the Indians in their own villages. 
 The latter also frequently came to them, chiefly indeed for the 
 purpose of purchasing their manufactured goods, for as yet 
 they evinced but little disposition to hear and believe the 
 gospel. The unsettled state of the country, during the ensuing 
 war, rendered it necessary to abandon this station. 
 
 In detailing these minor attempts of the Brethren to propagate 
 the gospel among the Indians, it appeared the most convenient 
 not to interrupt the relation by too nice a regard to the order of 
 time ; a reference is therefore made to them all here, as they res- 
 
MISSION IN NORTH AMERICA. 217 
 
 pectively succeeded each other. We shall now resume the 
 thread of the general narrative. 
 
 After the emigration of several families from Fairfield 
 in 1798,for the purpose of commencing the mission at Goshen; 
 the former settlement, though considerably diminished in point 
 of numbers, continued in a flourishing state, both as to its tem- 
 poral prosperity, and the progressive advance of the major part 
 of its inhabitants in those pious and moral habits, which adorn 
 the character of the true Christian. Perplexities and trials of 
 various kinds were indeed not wanting: but their greatest trou- 
 ble arose from the white people in their vicinity, who, by the 
 introduction of the rum-trade, occasioned many evils in the 
 country, and filled the missionaries with anxious apprehensions 
 for the morals of their young people. But whenever their 
 faith and hope were ready to droop, the Lord rekindled their 
 zeal in his service by giving them fresh proofs of the power of 
 his grace to conquer the most corrupt passions of the human 
 mind, and elicit from the most stubborn heart the tear of re- 
 pentance. Although few of the neighbouring heathen were 
 savingly affected by the gospel, many of the children born and 
 baptized in the settlement, as they matured in age and under- 
 standing, experienced the converting influences of the holy 
 Spirit ; and now and then some, who had strayed from the con- 
 gregation and relapsed into sin, returned, and with true com- 
 punction of heart, sought the forgiveness of the Lord and his 
 people. Thus in the year 1812 twenty-two persons of this 
 description were added to the Church ; and at the close of that 
 year, the whole number amounted to one hundred and twenty- 
 six persons 
 
 Fairfield, after enjoying tranquillity for more than twenty 
 years, was on a sudden involved in all the troubles of war, in 
 consequence of the contest between England and the United 
 States. On the 2nd of October 1813 seventy sick English 
 soldiers arrived at the settlement, and were accommodated in 
 the school and the chapel. The dwellings, both of the mis- 
 sionaries and Indians, had for some time been occupied by fug- 
 itives, whose number was daily increasing. The following 
 
218 MISSION IN NORTH AMERICA. 
 
 day, however, the surgeon ordered the chapel to be cleared, 
 that tlie usual Sunday's service might be performed. 
 
 On the 4th the British General, Proctor, informed the mis- 
 sionaries, that he was willing to purchase their houses, Indian 
 corn, garden-fruits, furniture, and any thing else they could 
 spare, for the use of the army ; and promised that another 
 tract of land should be given to the Christian Indians for a 
 temporary residence during the war, and that they should by 
 provided from the king's store with provision and clothing- 
 The Indians being convinced, that it would be dangerous to 
 delay their departure any longer, left the settlement. 
 
 On the same day an engagement took place between the 
 American army and an English detachment, about a mile and 
 haJf from Fairfield, in vt'hich the latter were overjjowered. 
 General Proctor escaped with fifteen soldiers, the other regulars 
 were either killed or taken prisoners, and the Indian auxiliaries 
 escaped into the woods. In the evening a great number of Ame- 
 ricans enttred the settlement, chiefly on horseback. At first, 
 they pretended to be friendly, and promised to do no harm to 
 the missionaries, nor take any of their private effects, and 
 likewise expressed their regret, that the Christian Indians had 
 left the place, as they intended them no injury*. 
 
 The same night, however, they began to treat the mission- 
 aries with great severity, accused them of secreting king's 
 stores and English officers, and, with fierce importunity, de- 
 manded that they should be delivered up. The assurances 
 given, that the accusation was not founded in truth, were of 
 no avail. Every room and corner were searched ; and particu- 
 larly the roofs of the chapel and school. John Dolson, who 
 with his family, had fled hither, and two other men, were 
 made prisoners, but were liberated on the following day. The 
 Americans told brother Schnall, that he, being a missionary, 
 was not to be considered as a prisoner of war, but that he must 
 not be ofi'ended, that his house would be guarded during the 
 night. They were now ordered to open all their trunks and 
 
 ♦ The fears of the Christian Indians were, however, well founded, and the 
 remembrance of the events of 1782, justified their flight. [Sec p. 179.] 
 
MISSION IN NORTH AMKKlCA. 219 
 
 boxes tor examination, and no person was permittcil to go out 
 of the house without a guard. The family could take no rest, 
 but spent the night in silent prayer to the Lord, conunending 
 themselves and the white people, who had sought refuge with 
 them, to his almighty protection. 
 
 Very early the next morning the Americans began to plunder 
 the settlement, and seized on all kinds of provisions. The 
 missionaries were obliged to surrender their last morsel of 
 bread : tifty bushels of potatoes, twelve of apples, all kinds 
 of garden-stuff, and six hundred pounds of flour, which they 
 had just purchased for winter's consumption, were taken from 
 them, and ten bee-hives emptied of all the honey, without how- 
 ever destroying the bees. 
 
 The American general, Harrison, and several officers arriv- 
 ed duriug the plundering, brother Schnall immediately waited 
 upon him, and recommended the settlement to his protection, 
 requesting also, that some compensation might be made for 
 what had been taken. His request was refused ; but he was 
 told that the missionaries were at liberty to quit theplace. Com- 
 modore Perry, who was one of the party, meeting brother 
 Schnall in the street, behaved with kindness, and said, he 
 knew our society and respected our missions, and promised to pro- 
 cure a passport, that the missionaries might depart without be- 
 ing molested; which he likewise effected. After this inter- 
 view he came several times to their house, by which their 
 anxiety was in some measure relieved; some of the officers and 
 privates also expressed pity for the hard treatment they had 
 experienced. Some even used force to keep off the wild and 
 lawless soldiery, who loaded the missionaries with the most 
 bitter curses and mockeries. By this interposition they gain- 
 ed time to pack up their property. Commodore Perry now 
 informed them, that he should soon leave the settlement, and 
 advised them to make haste and get away, for if they staid after 
 his departure, he would not answer for their being able to 
 proceed. General Harrison likewise ordered them to hasten 
 their flight. But, when in the act of loading the waggon, they 
 were once more obliged to submit their baggage to a thorough 
 search. Not the smallest article, however, was found, which 
 
220 MISSION IN NORTH AMERICA. 
 
 could tend to impeach their character. They were obliged to 
 leave all their furniture behind them. They had no sooner 
 quitted the place, than part of it was set on fire, and on the fol- 
 lowing day the rest of the buildings were wholly consumed ; 
 not even the smallest out- house was spared. 
 
 On the 15th the missionaries arrived at Detroit, where the 
 commandant, General Cass, furnished them with a passport to 
 go to Bethlehem. In prosecuting their journey they expe- 
 rienced various and great hardships, but also many signal 
 proofs of the protection of the Lord. 
 
 When the news of the approach of an American detachment, 
 and the defeat of the English, first reached Fairfield, our 
 brethren there resolved, that the missionary Schnall and his 
 wife, together with Michael Young, who was aged and infirm, 
 should go to Bethlehem ; and brother Dencke and his wife 
 remain with the Indians and share in their fate, whatever it 
 might be. They cheerfully acceded to this proposal, deter- 
 mined even to devote their lives to this service. 
 
 The Indiansj on leaving the settlement, had encamped about 
 six miles higher up the river; but, being alarmed by reports 
 brought by other fugitives, they had all fled into the woods ; so 
 that when the missionary arrived at the camp, he found it de- 
 serted, and for some time both he and the Indians remained ig- 
 norant of each other"'s situation. In this uncertainty, not 
 knowing which way to direct their steps, they providentially 
 met with a man, who offered to take them in his waggon to 
 Delaware-town. On their way thither, besides other hardships, 
 they had the mortification to be attacked by a gang of Kikka- 
 poo and Shawanose robbers, who plundered them of the few 
 articles of clothing, which they had taken with them in their 
 flight from Fairfield, and of the greater part of their other 
 goods, together with their books and manuscripts, not leaving 
 them even a Bible or Testament*. 
 
 But they soon forgot the sorrow, occasioned by these disas- 
 ters, when they reached Delaware-town on the 12th of Octo- 
 ber. They had scarcely arrived before a number of the Fair- 
 
 • Per. Ace. Vol. v. p. 437—441. 
 
MISSION IN NORTH AMERICA. '221 
 
 FIELD Indians came running to meet them, and with tears in 
 their eyes offered tkanks to God for having thus brought them 
 together again. Messengers were quickly dispatched into the 
 woods to search for those who were still absent : for in their 
 sudden flight parents were separated from children, and chil- 
 dren from parents. They were soon collected together, and 
 only one sister was missing, who had been murdered below 
 Fairfield. 
 
 Having at length arrived near lake Ontario the Indians built 
 huts for themselves in the woods, a house for the missionary 
 and a chapel, which latter was opened for divine worship at 
 Christmas 1813. At the close of tliat year the congregation 
 consisted of one hundred and sixty menibers, besides twenty- 
 three persons not yet baptized, but who had come to winter 
 with then; and regularly attended divine service. This situa- 
 tion being deemed rather unsafe, on account of its proximity to 
 the lake and the superioi-ity of the American fleet, they re- 
 moved the following spring farther towards the mountains, 
 about ten miles from Burlington Heights. One of their hea- 
 viest trials arose from the total stoppage of all communication 
 with our congregations in America, and even several letters and 
 parcels, sent from England, did not arrive. They were the 
 more thankful, therefore, to the loyal and patriotic Society at 
 York, (on lake Ontario,) who without being solicited remitted 
 a hundred dollars to the missionary, with an intimation that, 
 should it be needed, it would give them pleasure to render him 
 further assistance, till he could command his own resources. 
 
 After the termination of the war they returned to Fair- 
 field, and for some time dwelt in huts on the scite of the for- 
 mer buildings, till they had erected a new settlement, rather 
 higher up on the opposite bank of the river, at a little distance 
 from it. This place they began to inhabit towards the end of 
 the summer of 1815, calling it New Fairfield ; the number 
 of inhabitants then amounted to one hundred and nine. Here 
 they continued to enjoy rest and peace, the missionaries, 
 (whose number had been increased by the arrival of J. R, 
 Schmidt from Bethlehem,) prosecuting their calling with ala- 
 crity, and not without encouraging proofs that the Lord blessed 
 
222 MISSION IN NORTH AMERICA. 
 
 their endeavours for the conversion of the lieathcn. A very 
 striking instance of tliis tiiey were favoured to witness in 1816, 
 in the case of an Indian, called Onim, whom the Lord was 
 pleased to make a miracle of grace in the fullest sense of the 
 phrase. 
 
 This Indian had from his youth given evidence of his hosti- 
 lity against the mission. He was one of those who calumniated 
 Jolin Fapunhank at Fried bxshuktten*. At that time he 
 used to wear a tomaliawk in his girdle, and when questioned 
 what he intended to do with it, replied, " cleave the mission- 
 aries"' sculls for deceiving the Indians " This enmity against 
 the missionaries and the Christian Indians generally he 
 manifested on all occasions, till within a few years, when 
 the infirmities of age put a stop to his activity. The first 
 sign of a change of sentiment in him was observed when he 
 entertained the brethren Luckenbach and Zacharias in his 
 cabin at the Monsy-town, on their way to Grand-river. Till 
 then, he had always been lurking in the neighbourhood of our 
 settlements, trying to create disturbances. And being a 
 preacher jimong his countrymen, he used to dissuade them, by 
 all the means in his power, from embracing the doctrines of 
 the whites. " For," said he, " their skin is white and ours is 
 brown ; and our whole manner of life is entirely different from 
 theirs : of course they must also have a different way of hap- 
 piness ; and those Indians who embrace their doctrine are al- 
 together deceived," He taught the existence of three gods ; a 
 brown, a white, and a black god ; and that each nation should 
 live conformably to the directions received from the god of their 
 colour. The Indians, of course, were to preserve their own 
 religious ceremonies, their feasts, dances, sorceries, &:c. He 
 opposed, in particular, the gospel doctrine of the remission of 
 sins; teaching his countrymen, that those, who lived according 
 to the will of the Great Good Spirit, would after this life go to 
 him ; but those who acted differently, would be banished to the 
 haunts of the Evil Spirit. He believed not only in the im- 
 mortality of the human soul, but even asserted, that all crea- 
 
 » See Luskiel, Part iii. p. 6.j. 
 
MISSION IN NORTH AMERICA. 223 
 
 tures, and also trees, and herbs, are inhabited by a living soul; 
 accounting for the withering of the latter, when cut down, by 
 saying, that their indwelling spirit then left them. 
 
 From what he said during his last illness, it should appear 
 that he was led to reflect on his lost state by a remark, ad- 
 dressed to him by an Indian sister, Anna Paulina, who met 
 him in December 1815 at the house of a sick woman, whom he 
 was endeavouring to cure by his sorceries ; for he had always 
 pretended to great skill in this art. The following spring he 
 was taken ill, when on his way to a Monsy-lown, for the pur- 
 pose of assisting at a feast to be held there. Unable to pro- 
 ceed further than New Fairfield, he returned to his friends, 
 who had a camp near the settlement. 
 
 On the 10th of March 1816 he sent for brother Jacob, one 
 of the native assistants, and, among other remarks, observed: 
 " A word, lately spoken by one of your Christian Indians, has 
 laid hold of my soul. I begin to be troubled in my mind, and 
 to grow doubtful concerning my spiritual state. IMy constant 
 cry is : Oh for some one to show me the right way." Having 
 said more to the same effect, Jacob addressed him nearly in the 
 following words: "Thou hast now told me a great deal; I 
 will tell thee something too. Listen to me, Onim ! I well re- 
 member that ever since I was a little child, thou hast often 
 been with the congregation of Christian Indians, always going 
 from and coming again to us. For many years thou hast heard 
 the gospel which we believe. But till now, thou hast despised 
 and ridiculed it, saying, ' I have another way to be saved, ac- 
 cording to my creation*.'' But now, when thou art here in a 
 miserable situation, lying on hard boards, unable to help thy- 
 self; thy little property spent in drinking ; nobody taking care 
 of thee, and death seeming to be at hand: now, dost thou say 
 at last, ' / have brought terror on my mind, because I have been 
 so wicked T Oh, that these words of thine were but true ! 
 Would to God, thou didst but feel real anxiety about thy con- 
 dition i For then thy soul might yet be saved. Art thou in- 
 
 * This is an Indian phrase, implying : According as the Great Spirit and 
 Creator has directed, and appointed for me. 
 
2 24 MISSION IN NORTH AMERICA. 
 
 deed convinced that the devil hath deceived thee ? Why art 
 thou concerned about thyself at last, at the very end of thy 
 life ? In the days of thy health, thou hast despised and mocked 
 at the Word of God ; thou hast dissuaded and prevented 
 others, who were disposed to believe ; and thou hast tried to 
 entice those away, who joined the congregation. Thou hast 
 made thy jest of the doctrine of the forgiveness of sins. But 
 know thou, that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the ('reator 
 of heaven and earth, became a man : this is tlie truth ! He 
 suffered, was tormented to death, and shed His precious 
 blood for the remission of sins : this is also the truth ! And 
 unless thou obtain pardon of thy many and great sins, through 
 faith in his blood, and thy heart be cleansed therewith, believe 
 me, thou shalt after death go straightway to hell, into everlast- 
 ing perdition. And there thou wilt find cause to accuse no 
 one, neither men nor God, who made thee, but thyself^ thyself 
 aloiie. Nor will thy living with us, as thou desirest, avail thee 
 any thing, unless thou be pardoned and purified from thy sins 
 by the precious blood of Christ, whose mercy thou must ear- 
 nestly seek. Reflect upon this, and recollect what thou hast 
 formerly heard from us Christian Indians and our ministers." 
 
 The next day he was visited by the missionary Dencke, who 
 spoke to him in the same earnest and faithful manner. Among 
 other questions, he asked him, whether it were true, that he 
 had been a murderer aud sorcerer ? To this he replied : " The 
 former is a false accusation ; and sorcery is a deceit of the 
 devil ; it is naught : of this I am now convinced." With 
 many tears he lamented his past wicked life, and made so 
 affecting a confession of his faith in Jesus, that all present 
 were melted into tears ; and the work of grace, wrought in his 
 heart by the Holy Ghost, was most strikingly manifest. Bro- 
 ther Dencke then explained to him, that the mere rite of bap- 
 tism could avail him nothing, unless he experienced in his 
 heart, through faith, the purifying power of the blood of 
 Christ ; whereupon he exclaimed, " I believe ! I believe ! Do 
 yc also have pity on me !" 
 
 His repentance appearing truly sincere, and his earnest request 
 for baptism to proceed from an ardent desire of receiving this 
 
MISSION IN NORTH AMERICA. 225 
 
 rite as a seal of the forgiveness of his sins and of acceptance with 
 God through the sacrifice of Jesus : he was baptized in the 
 name of the holy Trinity, and called Leonard. All his former 
 doubts and fears now vanished, he truly enjoyed the peace of 
 God in his soul, and continued in prayer day and night, almost 
 till he drew his last breath, on the morning of the 13th, exalting 
 the mercy of his Redeemer, and inviting all to come unto Him, 
 that they might obtain pardon and remission of their sins. Ad- 
 dressing his countrymen he, said: "Formerly I spoke evil 
 words to you, when you shewed any desire to be converted, 
 trying to dissuade you from it ; forgive me for so doing, and 
 follow my dying advice, which is, to forsake your wicked ways, 
 or else you will be lost. Turn to your Saviour, and experience 
 what I now feel, and you shall live." 
 
 *' The solemnity attending this transaction" (write the mis- 
 sionaries) " may more easily be conceived than described, and 
 will not soon be forgotten by those who witnessed it. The 
 Christian Indians were filled with joy and exclaimed, *Onim 
 our enemy is become our brother Leonard !' The conversion 
 and death of this extraordinary man will speak volumes to the 
 heart of his late hearers ; and the impression, made thereby 
 upon his heathen countrymen, cannot but, under God, prove 
 highly favourable to the cause of the gospel.*" 
 
 In this hope they were not disappointed. A new awakening 
 seemed to take place among the inhabitants of the settlement, 
 which extended also to the children, and their separate meetings 
 were distinguished by particular devotion and attention to the 
 Word of God. The remarkable conversion of Onim, made a 
 salutary impression, not only upon the Indians, but also upon 
 many white people in that neighbourhood. Several heathen 
 were baptized in 1817, and some, baptized in infancy, were 
 solemnly received as members of the Church. Thus the Lord 
 was verifying unto them his promise : " In all places where 
 I record my name, I xmll come unto thee, and I will bless 
 thecr 
 
 From the foregoing relation it appears, that the United 
 
 * Per. Acct. Vol. vi. p. 301--309. 
 B 
 
226 MISSION IN NOR'rH AMEKICA. 
 
 Brethren have now continued their labours in propagating the 
 gospel among the North American Indians for more than 
 seventy years, and that at present they occupy three missionary 
 stations, viz. New Fairfikld in Canada, Goshen on the 
 Muskingum, and SpRiXG-Pr.ACEin the country of the Cherokees. 
 The little success, which has hitherto attended their endeavours, 
 may probably have disappointed the reader's expectation. Were 
 strenuous exertions, indefatigable labour, patient perseverance, 
 constant self-denial, and devoted zeal sufficient to insure success, 
 our missionaries might indeed have collected a greater number 
 of converts, as the preceding pages supply ample proof, that 
 they were not deficient in these qualifications. However, the 
 blessing, which has accompanied their efforts, verifies the di- 
 vine promise, My word shall not return '.into me void ; while 
 their comparatively small success as clearly demonstrates, that 
 except flic Lord huild the honse, they labour hi vain that build 
 it. Indeed the peculiar habits and roving disposition of the 
 Indians, the frequent wars among themselves and the white 
 people, and the introduction of the rum-trade, have always 
 operated as strong barriers against the propagation of the gospel, 
 and continue to throw impediments in the way of its converting 
 influence, which nothing but Omnipotent grace can conquer. 
 
 From a register of the Indian congregation, dated 17T2, it 
 appears, that the number of heathen, baptized by our brethren 
 from the commencement of the mission to that time, amounted 
 to seven hundred and twenty. Of the subsequent years no 
 authentic records remain, as the church-books and other manu- 
 scripts were lost at the destruction of the settlements on the 
 Muskingum, and likewise during the warlike commotions in 
 later years. In 1817, the year with which the narrative closes, 
 the number of Christian Indians, belonging to the three congre- 
 gations of the Brethren, amounted to one hundred and fifty. 
 The missionaries indeed aK; not anxious to collect great num- 
 bers of nominal Christians, but rather wish that those, whom 
 they baptize, should give reasonable proofs, that they truly 
 desire to die unto sin and live unto righteousness. Respecting 
 the number of Indians baptized by the Brethren, Heckewclder 
 states the following : From the commencement of the mission 
 
MISSION IN NORTH AMERICA. 227 
 
 among the Mohicans in the States of New York and Connecti- 
 cut in 1740, and among the Delawarcs in Pennsylvania a year 
 later, to the year 1808 inclusive, between thirteen and fourteen 
 souls were baptized by the Brethren. The exact number cannot 
 be ascertained, on account of the loss of the church-registers ; 
 but as to hundreds the number is not overrated. Hcclcezcdders 
 Narrative of the Missions^ c^-c, p. 418. 
 
 It may not be altogether irrelevant to the subject, or unin- 
 teresting to the reader, before we close this chapter, to insert a 
 short account of the other establishments of the Brethren in 
 North America. For, although they are not missionaTy settle- 
 ments, yet their existence is of much importance, as affording 
 great facilities for propagating the gospel among the heathen. 
 Besides congregations in the towns of New York, Philadelphia, 
 Lancaster, Newport in Rhode Island, Yorktown and other 
 places ; they have several regular settlements, or colonies of 
 their own. The principal of these are, Bethlehem, Nazareth, 
 Lititz, Sic, in the state of Pennsylvania ; Salem, Bethabara, 
 Friedberg and others in North Carolina; and some smaller 
 colonies in different parts of the pountry, as Gnadenhuetten on 
 the Mahony, a colony of tlie same name and Bersaba on the 
 Muskingum, Bethel on the Swatara, &c. These settlements 
 are inhabited by German and English colonists and their des- 
 cendants, being members of the Brethren's Church. Reference 
 has been made to some of them in the preceding narrative. 
 
 The importance of these settlements in relation to the mis- 
 sionary labours of the Brethren is very considerable. Most of 
 the brethren and sisters, employed in the instruction of the In- 
 dians, are selected from the inhabitants of these colonies. 
 Having for a longer or shorter period been residents in the 
 country, they have become in some degree acquainted with the 
 character and customs of the people, among whom they are cal- 
 led to labour, and with the peculiar difficulties attending mis- 
 sionary undertakings among the Indians, and are thus better 
 qualified for the due discharge of their important calling. In 
 the American Society for propagating the Gospel among the 
 Heathen, which holds its regular meetings at Bethlehem and 
 Salem, they have a band of faithful friends at hand, always 
 
•228 MISSION IN NORTH AMERICA. 
 
 ready to aid their exertions, assist them with their counsel, and 
 sympathize with them, no less in the day of trial, than in the 
 season of prosperity. An occasional visit to a Christian con- 
 gregation and intercourse with their brethren and sisters, 
 though but for a few days, tends greatly to strengthen their 
 hands in God, and endow them with renewed fortitude for en- 
 countering the hardships and dangers, unavoidably connected 
 with their arduous office. If sickness, or increasing infirmities 
 and old age disable them from further active labours, they 
 meet in these settlements with a comfortable retirement in the 
 midst of their former friends. Here are also institutions for 
 the education of their children in science and literature, and 
 for their instruction in manual labour, trade and business of 
 various kinds. 
 
 The converted Indians themselves derive essential benefit 
 from these establishments. They furnish them with occasional 
 opportunities, when on a journey, of beholding the order, piety 
 and devotion of a Christian congregation. The good impres- 
 sion thereby made upon their minds they carry home with 
 them, and it serves to cherisu among their believing country- 
 men a disposition to value the salutary regulations, introduced 
 by the missionaries in their own villages. Besides, these set- 
 tlements have, at different times, oifered a safe retreat to the 
 Christian Indians, when persecuted by their pagan countrymen, 
 or suffering from the ravages of war*. 
 
 The facilities, afforded by these settlements to the mission- 
 ary exertions of the Brethren, are not confined to the Indians, 
 but extend to other heathen, equally needing the glorious light 
 of the gospel to dispel their mental darkness. It is well known, 
 that many thousand African Negros live with the white set- 
 tlers, especially in Carolina and Virginia. These poor people 
 have for some years engaged the special attention of the Bre- 
 thren, and the ministers of their Church in different places have 
 frequently visited and preached to them. Several have been 
 baptized and admitted to communion with those of their con- 
 gregations, in whose vicinity they reside. And the Brethren's 
 North American Society for propagating the Gospel among 
 
 • Seep. 134, and 144. 
 
JUtSSION IN NORTH AMERICA. 229 
 
 the Heathen, is perseveringly engaged in devising means, and 
 employing active measures, for enlarging its sphere of useful- 
 ness in this field of missionary labours. 
 
 In concluding the history of this eventful mission, the au- 
 thor gladly avails himself of the remarks contained in one of 
 the letters from the Society, which has just been mentioned, as 
 the reflections, suggested in that letter, naturally arise from the 
 peculiar circumstances of this mission. " It should appear, 
 that Providence suffers our Indian brethren to wander about as 
 a cloud of witnesses, so that they may justly be compared to a 
 moveable net, and to leaven working in secret. Though their 
 lot, to be driven about like hunted deer, seems h^d and griev- 
 ous ; yet we may discern the wisdom of God in it. For where- 
 ever this small flock of Jesus resides, it excites attention, and 
 many heathen, moved by curiosity, inquire the cause of their 
 wanderings, and of their peculiar mode of living, not only sepa- 
 rated from their friends and relations, but even suffering perse- 
 cution from them ; and ask, why they abhor war and bloodshed. 
 In answer to these questions, they hear the gospel and the doc- 
 trine of the God of love and peace. This they do not easily 
 forget ; they bring it home*with them, repeat it to others, ei- 
 ther in levity or seriousness, and thus the Spirit of God pre- 
 pares many, in a way unknown to us, for conversion, of which 
 we have had several joyful instances. When the great harvest 
 of the Lord comes, we shall find that the sufferings of our In- 
 dians have brought much fruit to God and the Lamb. Till 
 that wished-for period arrives, we will continue to water the 
 seed sown with our prayers and tears. And, beloved brethren, 
 let us be steadfast, immoveable, always abounding in the work 
 of the Lord, for we know that, though the world may account 
 it so, our labour is not in vain in the Lord*."" 
 
 Per. Acct. Vol. i. 96 
 
CHAP. IV. 
 
 MISSION IN SOUTH AMERICA. 
 
 The missionary labours of the United Ikethren in South 
 America have been hitherto confined to that part of this vast 
 continent, which is known by the general name of Guiana. 
 This territory lies on the northern coast, extending from the 
 4th to the 7th degree of north latitude. On this coast the 
 Dutch, French and English have several possessions, the prin- 
 cipal of which are Surinam, Berhice^ Demerarij, Cayenne^ and 
 Essequibo. The climate is very unhealthy, being humid and 
 sultry. The country is level, overgrown with impervious 
 thickets and immense forests, the haunts of serpents and other 
 venomous reptiles ; it is also exposed to frequent inundations. 
 The soil is uncommonly fertile, and vegetation so rapid, that 
 several crops can be reaped in succession in a year. It is watered 
 by several large rivers, near the mouths of which the European 
 Colonies are formed, and from which they derive their names. 
 
 The inhabitants consist of European settlers and their 
 descendants, called White Peoj)le, of Negro slaves, imported 
 from Africa for the cultivation of the land, and their descend- 
 ants, who are called Creoles, of Free Ncgros yiho are runaw.ay 
 slaves, and who after various contests with the Dutch, were 
 declared a free people, and now occupy Gcveral villages on the 
 Surinam, south of the Dutch colonies, and of the Aborigines, 
 or original inhabitants of the country. These live dispersed 
 through the woods and forests, under the general appellation 
 of Indians. They are divided into several tribes, of which 
 the principal are, the Araxvaks, Waraus and Wacquais. 'i'o 
 these must be added the Caribs, who settled here after being 
 expelled from the West Indies by the Europeans. By their 
 rrueltits they have rendered themselves formidable to the na- 
 
MISSION IN SOUTH AMERICA. 231 
 
 tive Indians, usurping a degree of authority over them. Each 
 of these tribes has its own language. 
 
 Their chief subsistence is derived from the chase and fishing. 
 Of vegetables they principally cultivate cassabi, of which they 
 make a kind of bread. Their general habits and mode of 
 livinjT differ little from the manners of their brethren in North 
 America. Of God and divine things their ideas are very lim- 
 ited. Their common notion is, that there exists one in- 
 visible powerful Being, the dispenser of all good ; and like- 
 wise a no less mighty being, the author of every evil. They 
 imagine they can destroy the inrluence of the latter by various 
 necromantic tricks ; and as they fear nothing from the former, 
 they never think of performing any acts of reverence, or reli- 
 gious worship, to secure his favour. 
 
 That part of Guiana, in which the settlements of the Bre- 
 thren lie, was at the commencement of the mission in the pos- 
 session of the Dutch, to whom, after changing masters for a 
 short time during the late war, it was restored on the conclu- 
 sion of peace. 
 
 THE late bishop Spangenberg, (of whom mention was 
 made in the preceding chapter,) on his way lo England in 
 1734, passed through Holland. Here he had several consult- 
 ations with the Directors of the Dutch Trading Company for 
 Surinam, the result of which was, that the Brethren agreed to 
 form one, or more colonies in that country, with a view to the 
 conversion of the heathen. Agreeably to the arrangements then 
 made, three brethren proceeded to Surinam the following year, 
 and spent some time in Paramaribo, in order to inquire on the 
 spot, into the practicability and best mode of establishing a mis- 
 sion in that quarter of the globe. After their return to Europe, 
 a gentleman in Amsterdam requested that some of them would 
 settle on one of his plantations on the Rio de Berhice, for the 
 purpose of instructing his Negros in Christianity, (^onsidermg 
 this as a door opened to them for the enlargement of the king, 
 dom of Christ, they cheerfully acceded to his request and 
 
232 MISSION IN SOUTH AMERICA. 
 
 directed their first attention to the Negros on his estates. But 
 as their exertions were, in the sequel, extended to other parts 
 of the coast, a brief relation of each of these shall now be 
 given in separate sections. 
 
 SECTION I. 
 
 Pilgerhut on the Rio de Berbice. 
 
 IN consequence of the offer above stated two brethren, L. C. 
 Daehneand J. Guettner, left Holland in June 1738, and ar- 
 rived the following September in Berbice. As they brought 
 strong recommendations with them from Holland, the stewards 
 and managers of the estates suspected that they had been sent 
 for the purpose of secretly inspecting their conduct ; and on^^ 
 this account rendered their situation as unpleasant and difficult 
 as possible. But God endowed them with faith and patience, 
 and blessed the labour of their hands, so that, being content 
 with very frugal fare, they could support themselves without 
 depending on the favor of the stewards. Their greatest griev- 
 ance was, that their situation precluded the possibility of ob- 
 taining the principal object of their residence in the country. 
 Unacquainted with the language of the slaves, they had not 
 even a prospect of learning it, as the rigour, with which these 
 poor creatures were treated, rendered it extremely difficult ta 
 have any intercourse with them. 
 
 In the midst of this perplexity God himself provided for them. 
 A gentleman of the, Surinam Trading Company, without their 
 solicitation, offered them a retired and tranquil residence on his 
 estate. Thankful for this providential direction they moved to 
 the place pointed out, where they took possession of a small 
 tenement, and tilled a piece of ground, lying in the midst of 
 a forest, about a hundred miles distant from the sea coast, and 
 called it Pilgerhut. This gentleman likewise procured from 
 the President of the Surinam Company in Holland a recom- 
 mendation of the Brethren, so favourable in its tenor, that the 
 governor, who had hitherto been rather inimically disposed, 
 felt compelled to give them no further molestation 
 
MISSION IN SOUTH AMERICA. 23-1 
 
 Having thus obtained rest from without, they began to visit 
 the Indians in that neighbourhood, some of whom understood 
 a little Dutch. They soon gained the love and confidence of 
 these good-naturied people, who with apparent pleasure listened 
 to the instructions, they endeavoured to give them concerning 
 God, the Creator and Hedeemer of man. But, as their ideas 
 of God and divine things were few and exceedingly obscure, 
 the missionaries clearly saw that very little could be effected, 
 till they had learnt the language, and for the acquisition of this 
 the labour necessary for their support left them but littleJeisure. 
 They, therefore, requested the directors of the missions to 
 send out a married couple, to manage the temporal concerns of 
 their little settlement. 
 
 The Brethren in Europe having meanwhile gained a more 
 correct knowledge of the Surinam Mission, and obtained a 
 formal concession from the Surinam Company to establish a re- 
 gular settlement oh that fiver, five Brethren' #erej,sent thither 
 in the year 1739, and this company tvas further augmented- 
 the following year by the arrival of Fr. Regnler, M.I). a'M' his- 
 wife. As they could not immediately purchase a piece oi 
 ground in an eligible situation, they took lodgings in the town 
 of Paramaribo. Here they became acquainted with a pious 
 citizen, Abraham Boemper, who built a small house for them. 
 Their whole establishment was very poor ; but they lived to- 
 gether in peace and brotherly love ; God blessed the labour of 
 their hands, and, notwithstanding their mean fare and the in- 
 convenience of their dwelling, their health did not suffer, which 
 they remarked as a particular providence, for in general the 
 climate of Surinam is so injurious to the constitution of Euro- 
 peans, that more than one half die almost immediately on their 
 arrival. Their family devotions were frequented by great 
 numbers, among whom were many Jews. This excited obser-. 
 vation, and, through the machinations of their enemies, they 
 were strictly forbidden by the ecclesiastical and civil authorities, 
 to grant any strangers admission to their religious meetings. 
 After some time they succeeded! in purchasing a plantation, 
 about a mile from the town, which they cultivated with their 
 own hands and with the assistance of three Negros, whom Mr, 
 
254 MISSION IN SOUTH AMERICA. 
 
 Boemper lent them. Many white people again attended their 
 family devotions and became convinced of the purity of their 
 doctrine and the probity of their intentions. Hut, finding it 
 impossible to attain the proper object of their calling in this 
 place, they sold their land and premises and bought a small 
 plantation on the river CottiTca, where they lived in the imme- 
 diate neighbourhood of the Indians. No permanent advantage, 
 however, was gained by this removal. They could have very 
 little intercourse with the Indians, their knowledge of the Ar- 
 iiwak language being still extremely defective ; their harmony 
 was interrupted and dissensions arose among them. These 
 circumstances led to the final relinquishment of this station in 
 174-5. After this digression we now return to the settlement 
 on the Rio de Berb'ice. 
 
 With a view to assist the missionaries in Pilgekhut, Henry 
 Beutel and his wife went thither in 1739 ; and two years after 
 their number was further increased by the arrival of John 
 Grabenstein and his wife. The brotherly love prevailing 
 among them sweetened all their external hardships and pov- 
 erty, and rendered them cheerful amidst their incessant man- 
 ual labours. 
 
 This circumstance, however, greatly retarded the progress of 
 the mission with regard to its most important object, though 
 PiLGERiiuT possessed many local advantages for obtaining it. 
 It was situate at some distance from other European settlements, 
 many Indians resided in its neighbourhood, and the savages 
 were continually travelling through the place, so that hardly a 
 day passed, on which the missionaries were not visited by in- 
 dividuals, or whole companies. But these favourable circum- 
 stances could be but little improved by them. Their number 
 was too small to attend both to the temporal concerns of the 
 settlement, and to the preaching of the gospel, which required 
 not only a more perfect knowledge of the language of the 
 heathen, but also frequent visits to them in their own habita- 
 tions, and demanded their undivided time and attention. Both 
 these difficulties were shortly after removed. For, when the 
 establishment on the Cottikaviixs abandoned in 1745, two of 
 the missionaries moved to Pilgeriiut, and two brethren with 
 
MiSSIOiM IN SOUTH AMilRlCA. 235 
 
 their wives arrived from Europe. This accession of numbers 
 enabled tlicm more regularly to distribute the necessary labour in 
 the mission, some attending chiefly to its temporal concerns, 
 while others devoted themselves more especially to the work oi' 
 the ministry. 
 
 About the same time a gentleman presented them with a 
 mulatto boy, who assisted them in acquiring a more correct 
 knowledge of the Arawak language. He was in the sequel 
 converted to God, and they found him of great use, as an inter- 
 preter, in their attempts to preach to the heathen. They now 
 made frequent visits among the savages, travelling a circuit of 
 three hundred miles through a vast wilderness. These journeys 
 were attended with great dangers and difficulties. They were 
 obliged to carry their provisions with them, wade through 
 broad and deep rivers, or hastily construct a raft to cross them, 
 and often to spend the night in the forest, sleeping in their ham- 
 mocks, suspended from trees. And, what was still more dis- 
 tressing, if they came to an Indian hut, and the men were not 
 at home, the women, who were always terrified at the approach 
 of white people, set up a great shriek and ran into the wood; 
 and thus their toils and fatigues had been endured in vain. Not 
 deterred by this, they persevered in their benevolent exertions, 
 and their kind and affable deportment, by degrees, conciliated 
 the affections and won the confidence of the savages. 
 
 Assisted by their mulatto boy, they compiled a concise nar- 
 rative of the life and sufferings of Christ, in the Arawak lan- 
 guage, subjoining a brief summary of the fundamental doc- 
 trines of the gospel. This tract they took with them when 
 visiting the Indians, read it to them, and expatiated on its con- 
 tents, accompanying their exhortations with fervent prayer. 
 The mulatto youth himself now became a preacher of righteous- 
 ness, and addressed the savages in so striking a manner, that 
 they were powerfully affected, and circulated among their 
 countrymen the news of the great zcord which they had 
 heard. 
 
 Thus after a residence in this country of nearly nine years, 
 amidst many heavy trials, and without seeing any fruit from 
 their labours, the time arrived, when, after having sown in 
 
23G MISSION IN SOUTH amerIcA. 
 
 tears, they were favoured to reap in joy. Towards the close of 
 1747 they had the satisfaction, which they had so long and 
 ardently prayed for, to perceive that the divine Spirit was ex- 
 citing a real hunger after the Word of God among the Arawaks. 
 They frequently visited them, burning with desire to hear 
 more of Christ crucified. This inflamed the zeal of the mis- 
 sionaries to return their visits ; and the very woftien, who had 
 formerly fled on their approach, now became their guides 
 through the wood. Passing by the huts of such as were dis- 
 posed to mock and ridicule their endeavours, they conducted 
 them to those dwellings of the Indians, where they knew they 
 would find eager hearers. Wherever they came they met 
 with a warm reception ; all the inhabitants seated themselves 
 around them, and listened to their discourse with the greatest 
 silence and eagerness. 
 
 In March 1748 the first Arawak Indian obtained admission 
 to the Church of Christ by holy baptism. It was an old wo- 
 man, decrepid with age and scarce able to walk. About forty 
 of the savages were present at this solemn transaction, and it 
 made such a deep impression upon them, that they were suf- 
 fused in tears. Several men came the next day, and with 
 much importunity begged to be admitted to the same privilege. 
 The change, wrought in the baptized, was visible in their very 
 countenances and appeared in their whole conduct. This to- 
 gether with their conversation among their friends had such an 
 effect, that hardly a week passed, in which this sacred rite was 
 not administered to one, or more converts, on their profession 
 of faith in Jesus. Thus already by the end of June the bap- 
 tized amounted to thirty nine, among whom were several ven- 
 erable old peopld. 
 
 Many of the converts could not endure the thoughts of leaving 
 the missionaries and again returning to their former places of 
 abode, and therefore requested permission to erect some huts 
 on the land of the settlement, promising to cultivate a piece 
 of ground for their support. The missionaries the more joy- 
 fully acceded to this proposal, as by having them thus con- 
 stantly near them, they would be the better able to teach them 
 ^0 observe all things whatsoever Jesus hath commanded. This 
 
MISSION IN SOUTH AMERICA. 237 
 
 outweighed every consideration of the trouble and expense^ 
 unavoidably connected with such an arrangement, as they must 
 maintain all these people till the cassabi, sown on the new 
 ground, was ready to reap ; for most of the produce of their 
 former fields had been stolen by the savages. By the end of 
 the year eighty Indians, including children, lived in the set- 
 tlement. 
 
 Before our Brethren in Europe could receive any intelligence 
 of this awakening, the directors of the missions had come to a 
 resolution, to appoint a man of learning to superintend the 
 establishment at Pilgerhut, conceiving that he would 
 more easily acquire a knowledge of the language and other 
 local circumstances. They found a person, well qualified and 
 willing to undertake it, in Theoph. Sol. Schuman, late a tutor 
 in the Protestant cloister of Bergen in Saxony. He arrived in 
 the country in the autumn of 1748, and in one year acquired 
 such proficiency in the language, that he could translate sev- 
 eral portions of the holy Scriptures and converse with the natives 
 without an interpreter. He ended his useful and active life 
 here, October 6th, 1760, after serving this and the other mis- 
 sionary institutions of the Brethren in Guiana, for twelve years, 
 with indefatigable zeal and faithfulness, during which period 
 he made two visits to Europe in concerns of the mission. 
 
 While the missionaries were filled with joy and gratitude for 
 the success attending their endeavours, and counted no diffi- 
 culties or labours, which might in any degree tend to further 
 the noble cause in which they had embarked, too hard ; the 
 adversaries were not remiss in their attempts to oppose this 
 growing work. Some white people, displeased with the con- 
 version of the Indians, tried to make them jealous of the mis- 
 sionaries. And when this did not succeed, they insinuated 
 that the numerous assemblies at Pilgerhut might tend to ex- 
 cite a rebellion, and that it would be wise in government pos- 
 itively to prohibit these meetings for the future. 
 
 However the governor, Mr. Loesner, paid no attention to 
 these representations, but on every occasion testified the plea- 
 sure he felt in contemplating the blessing of God, which so 
 evidently rested on the labours of the missionaries. But it was 
 
238 MISSION IN SOUTH AMERICA. 
 
 not long before an unfavourable change took place in the go- 
 vernment. Mr. Loesner received his dismission, and though he 
 most warmly recommended the mission to his successor, it soon 
 appeared that this gentleman was not very favourably disposed. 
 Shortly after his ai-rival he summoned the missionaries to ap- 
 pear before the Council. On their appearance he read to them 
 the orders of the directors in Amsterdam, requiring their tak- 
 ing a formal oath, adding, that, in case of refusal, he would 
 send them by the first ship back to Europe. Brother Schu- 
 man answered, that as some of them had scruples of conscience 
 against taking an oath, they would abide by the declaration 
 made on their arrival in the country, and, in case of a breach 
 of their simple affirmation, they would consider themselves li- 
 able to the same penalty as if they had been guilty of perjury. 
 Having with modesty and firmness replied to some other ques- 
 tions, and remonstrated against several restrictions, intended 
 to be imposed on their labours ; their adversaries were silenced, 
 and the Council finally resolved, that their simple affirmation 
 should be accepted instead of an oath. 
 
 The enemies of the mission, who for some time had rather 
 too loudly expressed their joy at its approaching destruction, 
 finding themselves thus unexpectedly disappointed, again re- 
 sorted to their former contrivance, and endeavoured to render 
 the Indians suspicious of the missionaries, by insinuating that 
 they would make them slaves. But, though the idea of sla- 
 very was more forniidable to these people than death itself, 
 they were so firmly persuaded of the sincerity and affection of 
 their teachers, that the white people effected nothing by these 
 base insinuations*. Thus the missionaries enjoyed a season 
 of rest and tranquillity, and the number of the congregation was 
 gradually increased. 
 
 In the beginning of the year 1 750 a deputation of eleven 
 savages arrived at Pilgerhut from the Spanish possession on 
 
 * A clergjman, whom Schuman visited some time after, candidly owned, 
 that he had written several things to the Council and to Holland against the 
 Brethren, but having now gained a more accurate knowledge of them, he 
 was resolved to take'Gamaliel's advice, Acts v. 38. He ever after kept his 
 j)ronii!ir. ■ ,; 
 
MISSION IN SOUTH AMERICA. 239 
 
 the river Oronoco. These people had been visited by one of 
 the Christian Indians, and his conversation had made such an 
 impression upon their minds, that they now came to hear the 
 great ivord from the missionaries themselves. Their embassy 
 led to the result, that in the sequel several pagans from that 
 territory (a distance of about eight or ten days' journey) em- 
 braced the gospel and settled at Pilgeuhut. A visit, made 
 by some of the converts to their relatives on the river Cormtyny 
 was followed by consequences equally pleasing. Their testi- 
 mony of the grace they had experienced excited the astonish- 
 ment of their friends, who sent a deputation of seven men to 
 PiLGERiiuT to inquire what the good news was, which the 
 missionaries announced to the Indians in the name of their 
 Creator. Before the end of the year several companies, con- 
 sisting of fifteen or twenty persons, came from those parts to 
 settle at PiLGERHUT. The missionaries remark: "It is im- 
 possible to behold these people without deep emotion. There 
 are some very aged persons among them, who have come hither 
 on crutches, a journey of four or five days. They have left a 
 district, where they had abundance of provisions, and now are 
 satisfied with a very small pittance, that they may daily hear 
 of Jesus. Without reckoning those, who occasionally visit us, 
 there are at present three hundred belonging to our congrega- 
 tion, of whom two hundred live in the settlement." 
 
 Scarce had they been enlivened by this pleasing progress of 
 the mission, when new troubles broke out. Their enemies, at 
 home and abroad, were still secretly plotting the ruin of their 
 establishment. One of the directors of the Surinam Trading 
 Company arrived from Holland, with unlimited powers to 
 make such regulations as should be deemed most advantageous 
 to the trade. This gentleman lent a willing ear to the com- 
 plaints, that the endeavours of the missionaries for the con- 
 version of the Indians were injurious to the interests of the 
 Company. In November brother Scliuman was summoned be- 
 fore him and the Governor. The former in an imperious tone 
 demanded, that the missionaries should not draw the Indians 
 to their settlement, but let them live dispersed in the woods, that 
 they should clothe their converts, and pay a personal tax for 
 
•24i) MISSION IN SOUTH AMERICA. 
 
 tliem, equivalent to tliat charged on the white people. He 
 more particularly insisted, that the Indians should be required 
 to lend their services to the Dutch colony, and that the mis- 
 sionaries should be compelled to take the oath prescribed, per- 
 form military duty, and appear on the parade. To every one 
 of these demands Schuman replied in so satisfactory and con- 
 vincing a manner, that the conscience of the director was 
 touched, and he remarked, not without considerable emotion : 
 " that he knew the Brethren were quiet, peaceable, and regular 
 people, but that he was not authorised to exempt them from 
 bearing arms and taking oaths. If his superiors in Holland 
 would grant them a dispensation from these duties, he would 
 not only make no objections, but assist them as far as he could, 
 and allow them eight months in order to refer their petition to 
 the mother-country.^' He dismissed Schuman with expressions 
 of kindness : and a few days after was suddenly removed by 
 death. 
 
 The vexations of the missionaries, however, did not termi- 
 nate here. Once the governor sent some soldiers to Pilgerhut, 
 who forcibly compelled two of the Christian Indians to serve 
 in the colony. This so terrified the rest, that many of them 
 fled into the forest : by degrees, however, they all returned. 
 When new missionaries arrived in 1751, they were again com- 
 manded to take an oath, and those who had scruples of con- 
 science on this point, were obliged to return in the same ship 
 to Europe. This greatly increased the labours of those who 
 remained, especially as one of them, after six years' faithful 
 service, departed this life. 
 
 For several years no further impediments were thrown in the 
 way of their operations. Their plain, but zealous, testimony 
 of the death and resurrection of Jesus had a mighty influence 
 in convincing the heathen of sin, and establishing their con- 
 verts in the obedience of faith. The visits of savages from 
 distant regions still continued, and through them the know- 
 ledge of the gospel was widely diffused. Many came and took 
 up their residence at Pilgeehut; among whom were some of 
 the rudest and most ferocious tribe, being considered even by 
 the Arawaks as the greatest barbarians, for they feast upon the 
 
MISSION IN SOUTH AMERICA. 241 
 
 flesh of those whom they have taken and killed in war. But 
 the word of the cross tamed these tigers in human shape, and 
 changed their ferocity into the meekness of the lamb. 
 
 The congregation increased in grace and evidenced their 
 faith by a conduct and conversation consistent with their Chris- 
 tian profession, and by the simple utterances of their feelings 
 when they described the change wrought in them by divine 
 grace, and their desire to press forward to the mark set before 
 them. One of them, wishing to write to our Brethren in Eu- 
 rope, dictated the following : " Having arrived at manhood, 1 
 spent many years without any knowledge of my Saviour, 
 When I afterwards became desirous to experience what I 
 heard, it was granted me. Jesus has cleansed me inh is blood, 
 and delivered me from my disobedience*. This truth, that 
 he died and shed his blood for me, hath conquered and capti- 
 vated my heart : this I can never forget ; and therefore will I 
 love him with all my soul, and daily give my whole heart to 
 him. I fervently pray, that he will keep me, and never suffer 
 me to stray from him, or lose the impression of his death and 
 suHPerings. His love to me is astonishingly great, therefore 
 hath he drawn me to himself." Another expressed himself 
 thus ; " I love my Creator with my whole heart, and I rejoice 
 that when I leave this earth, I shall go to him, and worship at 
 his feet, who hath washed me from my sins in his own blood. 
 He gives me eternal Ufe. He knows my heart. I had gone 
 astray from him ; but he appeared and took away my polluted, 
 evil and flinty heart, and gave me a heart of flesh : for his 
 blood hath purified and softened it. It remains indelibly im- 
 pressed on my mind that he hath shed his blood for me. He 
 hath granted me the grace, that I can leave this world in as- 
 sured hope, and full of joy go to him and behold him as he 
 is." In this confident expectation t-X eternal glory the mission- 
 aries saw several of their converts quit this stage of life ; the 
 fear of death, so natural to them in their pagan state, being 
 completely vanquished by faith and the hope of immortality. 
 
 * In the Arawak language there is no other term for sin, but distAedienct 
 and this perfectly accords with scripture. Rom. v. 19. 
 s 
 
242 MISSION IN SOUTH AMERICA. 
 
 Another circumstance, which greatly promoted the pros- 
 perity of the mission, was, that about this time several of the 
 converts were sufficiently advanced in knowledge, and prepared 
 by the Spirit of God, to assist in preaching tlie gospel. These 
 assistants afforded the missionaries essential service, especially 
 in visiting and discoursing with the savages, and likewise in 
 accompanying their Christian countrymen, when going out to 
 hunt, or fish, or till their fields, which lay at some distance in 
 the woods. On these occasions pretty large parties used to go 
 together and be several days, or even weeks, away from the 
 settlement. The assistants, who accompanied them, held daily 
 meetings for prayer and exhortation, endeavoured to preserve 
 good order and maintain brotherly love among them, and gave 
 in reports to the missionaries, with a view that, as far as pos- 
 sible, every thing might be averted which might tend to injure 
 the cause of the gospel. They had now within the space of 
 eight years, since God began visibly to bless their labours, 
 baptized three hundred and sixty-seven persons, of whom for- 
 ty-eight had died. At the close of the year 1756 there lived 
 at PiLGEiiHUT two hundred and thirty-three persons, besides 
 some children not yet baptized, and, reckoning the converts 
 who resided in the neighbourhood, the whole number amounted 
 to upwards of three hundred. 
 
 This hopeful progress of the work was about this time 
 slightly threatened, by a demand made by the new governor, 
 M. Van Ryswyk, that they should send all those (Christian 
 Indians, who belonged to the Eerbice territory, away. ]>ut, 
 upon proper representation, that not one in ten of those, who 
 lived in the settlement, had come from that territory, and that 
 they never wished to interfere with the affairs of the Dutch 
 colony, he withdrew his demand, commended their benevo- 
 lent exertions, and ever aft'jr befriended them. 
 
 Under these favourable auspices they and their flock of con- 
 verted Indians began the year 1757 with joy and thanksgiv- 
 ing, happily unconscious of the heavy sufferings, which a God, 
 infinitely wise and righteous in all his works, in the sequel 
 permitted to assail them, doubtless to try their faith and con- 
 stancy. The wife of brother Schuman having unexpectedly 
 
MISSION IN SOUTH AMERICA. 243 
 
 departed this life, while he was at Paramaribo on concerns 
 of the mission, he found it necessary to visit Europe in 1758. 
 Thus PiLGERHUT was left without an ordained minister, and 
 the two missionaries, who resided there, and had hitherto as- 
 sisted in the ministry, did not think themselves authorized to 
 baptize, or dispense the Lord's Supper. And an ordained 
 minister, who was expected from North America, did not ar- 
 rive, as he could find no ship bound for Surinam. This prov- 
 ed injurious to the spiritual course of the congregation. To 
 add to their discouragements, a contagious disease broke out 
 the follovying year, and raged for many months, spreading con- 
 sternation and death through the whole country Not less than 
 forty of the Christian Indians died within one year, and, as 
 numbers had left the settlement, and many of those who re- 
 mained were confined by illness, divine service was often at- 
 tended by no more than ten or twelve persons. This distress 
 was further augmented by a dearth of provisions in the Berbice 
 territory. 
 
 When brother Schuman returned in the spring of 1760, he 
 found the congregation greatly diminished, and the whole 
 country in the most deplorable situation. Nearly one half of 
 the Dutch colonists and also the governor had been carried off 
 by the prevailing epidemick. His arrival, however, revived 
 the faith of the missionaries, and diffused new life through the 
 congregation. But their joy was of short duration ; for in less 
 than six months after his return, it pleased the Great Head 
 of his Church to call him to his eternal rest. His removal ap- 
 peared an irreparable loss to the mission ; and the wound, in- 
 flicted by this event, was opened afresh, a few weeks after, when 
 two active young brethren, who had come with him from Eu- 
 rope, likewise finished their earthly pilgrimage. 
 
 The contagion still raged with unabating violence, and the 
 famine became so general, and rose to such a pitch, that the 
 Indians for months had nothing to sustain life but wild roots 
 and fruits. The missionaries indeed obtained a scanty supply 
 from Paramaribo ; but their fare was exceedingly frugal, and 
 it occasioned frequent attacks of illness. In consequence of 
 these calamities Pit.gerhut was almost deserted, and this set- 
 
W4 MISSION IN SOUTH AMERICA. 
 
 tlement, which a couple of years before, contained nearly four 
 hundred inhabitants, was at the end of 1762 reduced to twen- 
 ty-two. 
 
 Still the missionaries were determined not to abandon tlieir 
 post, but, in hope of better times, patiently to persevere in 
 their labours. Towards the end of February 1763, however, 
 an event occurred, which would have rendered it the height of 
 presumption to remain there any longer. In the night pre- 
 ceding the first of March and the following day they were 
 alarmed by the discharge of cannon, and in the evening they 
 received authentic intelligence, that all the Negros had risen 
 in rebellion, murdering several white people, and obliging the 
 rest to fly. 
 
 The insurgents had already cut off all communication with 
 the Fort by land or water. The next day, hearing that the 
 rebels were within a few miles of the settlement, they resolved 
 to proceed without loss of time to Demarary. I'hey effected 
 their escape by water in two companies ; the missionaries 
 Beutel and Climan, together with the wife of the former and 
 the widow Bambay, still remaining at Pilgerhut, in order, 
 if possible, to retain possession of it. But for the sake of 
 safety they spent the night in the wood. The fugitives en- 
 camped in a thick forest on the banks of a small river, about 
 nine miles from Pilgerhdt. Of the subsequent events, Beutel, 
 one of those who had remained in the settlement, gives the fol- 
 lowing relation : 
 
 " March 5th I went to Matare to learn the disposition of the 
 Negros towards us. They told me, that they would not harm 
 us, well knowing that the Brethren had not done them any 
 hurt ; but they could not be answerable for the more embittered 
 Negros, who threatened to murder all the white people, and 
 intended to come to Pilgeuhut that day. On receiving this 
 intelligence we penetrated farther into the wood, and encamped 
 there. Here we were visited by seven Negros, whose looks 
 were rather savage : but they departed in peace, after taking 
 our two best guns, promising not to injure us, as wc were good 
 people. We, however, thought it most prudent now to join 
 the rest of our brethren. Upon this some of the missionaries 
 
MISSION IN SOUTH AMERICA. '245 
 
 immediately proceeded to Demarary, where they met with a 
 kind and hospitable reception. Climan, Vester, and myself 
 went once more to the settlement to fetch away such of our 
 things, as had not been taken by the Negros, and on the 2nd 
 of April we commenced our final emigration. 
 
 Having, at length, arrived at Demarary, Mr. Finnet very 
 kindly provided us with the necessary accommodations on his 
 estate ; and the Christian Indians, who came with us, likewise 
 found here the needful means of support." 
 
 During this insurrection the Fort had been burnt, and the 
 whole country laid waste. The Brethren lost property to a 
 very considerable amount ; but they regretted nothing so much 
 as the loss of the Arawak Grammar and Dictionary, which had 
 been compiled with immense labour by the late brother Schu- 
 man. 
 
 Thus terminated the once flourishing mission on the Rio de 
 Berbice. Most of the missionaries returned to Europe ; and 
 Climan and Vester, who still remained in Demarary, shortly 
 after finished their earthly career. The few Indian converts, 
 who had come with them from Pilgerhut, went afterwards to 
 the settlement, which had been begun a few years before in the 
 territory of Surinam. 
 
 SECTION II. 
 
 Sharon on the Saramacca. 
 
 THE reader will recollect that the establishment, begun by 
 the Brethren in the territory of Surinam on the river Cottika, 
 was abandoned in 1745. However, the idea of commencing a 
 mission in this district was not entirely relinquished, and events 
 soon occurred, which rendered it very desirable to make new 
 efforts in these parts. The land belonging to Pilgerhut was 
 found insufficient for the maintenance of the many Christian 
 Indians who resided there. This led to their frequent disper- 
 sion, which proved detrimental to their progress in Christian 
 knowledge and practice. The directors of the missions, being 
 
246 MISSION IN SOUTH AMEUICA. 
 
 desirous of removing these impediments, sent two brethren, 
 C. Daehne, (who had been in the country before but had re- 
 turned to Europe) and Mark Ralfs, to Paramaribo, for the pur- 
 pose of enquiring into the ))racticability of forming one or more 
 missionary settlements in the territory of Surinam. They ar- 
 rived on the last day of the year 1754, hired a private lodging, 
 and worked at their trades, with a view to watch a favourable 
 opportunity for effecting their purpose. Through the friendly 
 interference of Mr. Loesner, they found in the present gover- 
 nor, Van der Meer, a kind friend and benefactor, who was wil- 
 ling to promote their design. They had, however, to wait till 
 the year 1756, before they could obtain the consent of the go- 
 vernment in Holland, together with a renewal of those privi- 
 leges, which had been conceded to the Brethren in 1740, 
 
 Every needful preparation being thus made, two married 
 missionaries, who had formerly resided in the country and un- 
 derstood the language, together with five unmarried brethren, 
 left Holland and arrived in Surinam in November. They 
 were accompanied by Nicholas Garrison, formerly a naval-cap- 
 tain, who had volunteered his services to navigate the rivers 
 and assist in surveying the land granted to them. They en- 
 tered upon this business before the end of the month, and suc- 
 ceeded in surveying and laying out a considerable tract of land 
 for two settlements, the one on the river Corentyn, and the 
 other on the Saramacca. The hardships and dangers, attend- 
 ing this undertaking, were almost incredible, but God often 
 helped them in the most wonderful manner. 
 
 When they arrived in the mouth of the Corentyn, Graben- 
 stein, one of the missionaries grew so ill, that they were obli- 
 ged to sail up the river with all possible expedition to bring 
 him to the house of the postmaster, where he expired in a few 
 days. Capt. Garrison, though he had made many long and 
 perilous voyages, was often thrown into the greatest perplexity. 
 He writes himself, " when we reached the mouths of rivers, 
 with which I was totally unacquainted, we were frequently in 
 the most imminent danger of suffering shipwreck, and of losing 
 our provisions and every thing else on board. That we es- 
 caped these disasters, I ascribe not to my own skill, nor to any 
 
MISSION IN SOUTH AMERICA. 247 
 
 human aid, for there was none within our reach, but to the invi- 
 sible agency of divine Trovidence. All the brethren, excep^ 
 Daehne and myself, were sick. Our diifficulties were not a lit, 
 tie increased, as we had to transact our business in the rainy 
 season, which this year was uncommonly severe. In measuring 
 the land we had constantly to wade in water, and more than 
 once Daehne and I spent forty-eight hours in heavy rain in a 
 small canoe." 
 
 Amidst many and great difficulties, and by means of indefa- 
 tigable exertions, they succeeded in taking possession of a large 
 piece of land, capable of supplying a numerous congregation of 
 Indians with the means of subsistence, the soil being very fer- 
 tile, and fit for the cultivation of sugar, coffee, cocoa, cotton, 
 &c. besides cassabi, which is their daily food. Early in spring 
 1747, the missionaries began to build, and plant, and called the 
 place Sharon. 
 
 Desirable as the situation of the new settlement was, its erec- 
 tion was in the beginning attended with various difficulties. 
 In consequence of their incessant labours in building houses 
 and improving the land the missionaries fell sick one after the 
 other. For five or six months they could reap nothing from their 
 own plantations, and the Indians, who resided with them, were 
 as yet too few in number to obtain much by the chase, or by 
 fishing. They were under the necessity of procuring most of 
 their provisions from Paramaribo, and, till they got a boat of 
 their own, this was not easy, for the Negros, who carried them, 
 had to cross an extensive swamp, where, in the rainy season, 
 they were obliged to wade up to the middle in water. In the 
 sequel they obtained a little sloop of their own, and some of the 
 Indians were always found willing to go with her and fetch 
 provisions. On one of these voyages, as they were returning 
 to Sharon, a Spanish ship, cruizing along the coast, sent a 
 boat to their vessel to plunder ; but one of the Indians, who 
 could speak Spanish, answered their questions with great free- 
 dom, adding " you must take none of these things ; they be- 
 long to the Brethren on the Saramacca, who teach us the way 
 of salvation ; they want these things, and our Creator knows and 
 sees all you are doing." These remarks, flowing from the lips 
 
248 M1SS1(>N IN SOUTH AMERICA. 
 
 of an Indian, reached the consciences of these rude people, and 
 they returned to their ship without taking any thing. 
 
 The missionaries considered themselves more than compen- 
 sated for all their external trials by the hopeful prospect, that a 
 numerous congregation of believing Indians would be collected 
 in this settlement. Among its first inhabitants, who had come 
 from PiLGERHUT and other places, grace, simplicity and bro- 
 therly love prevailed, and the work of the Spirit of God evi- 
 denced itself in young and old ; not excepting even the chil- 
 dren. Visits from the neighbouring heathen likewise became 
 very frequent, among whom were many of the ('arribbee tribe. 
 These came in companies of from ten to twenty at a time, and 
 listened with eagerness to the conversations of the missionaries 
 and their assistants. Several, after a short time, returned, took 
 up their abode at Sharon, and received the seed of the Word 
 in a good and honest heart, bringing forth the fruits of righte- 
 ousness ; while others, who could not be admitted into the set- 
 tlement, formed small colonies in the vicinity. 
 
 Suddenly, however, this bright prospect was darkened by a 
 gathering storm. The establishment of the Brethren on the 
 Saramacca was exceedingly disliked by the Bush-Negros, who 
 lived in the adjacent woods, and whose habitations were safe 
 asylums for run-away Negro-slaves, But the flight of the lat- 
 ter was rendered very difficult by the many villages, now build- 
 ing by the Carribbees on the Saramacca, and who lay in wait 
 for the fugitives, as government allowed them fifty florins for 
 every run-away slave they seized. The Bush-Ncgros, there- 
 fore, resolved to destroy Sharon, hoping thus to compel the 
 Indians to leave the country. Some of these marauders were 
 occasionally seen lurking about the settlement, but they pre- 
 cipitately retreated into the woods on discovering any Carrib- 
 bees, of whom they stood greatly in awT. They, however, 
 watched their opportunity, and having received certain infor- 
 mation that all the Carribbees had emigrated, in consequence 
 of a scarcity of provisions, a number of them advanced to- 
 Avards Sharon, lying for some days concealed in the woods. 
 On Sunday, January the i25th, 1761, as the congregation was 
 returning from divine service, the Ncgros sallied forth, and 
 
MISSION IN SOUTH AMERICA. 249 
 
 with a hideous noise commenced an attack, using both fire- 
 arms and bows and arrows. They killed three aged Indians in 
 their huts and took eleven prisoners, but were afraid to ap- 
 proach the mission-liouse, as they observed persons with guns 
 stationed in the inside. They, therefore, placed themselves be- 
 hind trees, from whence they fired at the house, whereby one 
 of the missionaries was wounded in the arm. Our brethren, 
 however, maintained their post, till the enemies succeeded in 
 setting fire to the premises. In making their escape, one had 
 his forehead slightly grazed by an arrow. The Negros did not 
 pursue them, but, having plundered the settlement, retreated 
 with precipitancy, afraid of an attack from the Carribbees, 
 some of whom were now returning. The fugitive missionaries 
 went first to the plantations on the Coropina^ and then pro- 
 ceeded to Paramaribo. Thither they were accompanied by 
 some of their converts, the rest took refuge in Ephrem and 
 other places. 
 
 The missionaries Schirmer and Clive, with a company of 
 Indians, soon retunied to Shahox, and, as no immediate dan> 
 ger was to be apprehended from the Bush-Negros, others fol- 
 lowed in a short time. "For the sake of greater security, the 
 governor sent an officer with fourteen men to the settlement ; 
 but their presence proved no edification to the Indians, and 
 was attended with many inconveniences. In other respects 
 too the situation of the missionaries was extremely distressing. 
 The house, they inhabited, was in a most ruinous state : frogs 
 and toads crawled on the floor, and bats and other creatures 
 took possession of the roof, which was but imperfectly covered. 
 They were frequently in want of the necessaries of life ; and. 
 the few Indians, living with them, being often sick, were con- 
 sequently unable to hunt, or fish, or fetch provisions ; and the 
 soldiers without ceremony took the fruits of their plantations. 
 For several weeks both missionaries were so ill, that they could 
 not leave their hammocks, and had nothing to live upon but 
 bread and water. Towards the end of the year, however, their 
 courage was considerably strengthened by the arrival of three 
 missionaries from Eorope ; but how inscrutable are the counsels 
 of God ! Two of them departed this life a few days after their 
 arrival, and in less than twelve months two of the survivors 
 
250 MISSION IN SOUTH AMERICA. 
 
 likewise entered into the rest, which remains for the people of 
 God. 
 
 Hitherto the Christian Indians, alarmed by false reports of 
 meditated attacks from theNegros, had often fled into the forests, 
 and being thus deprived of the instruction of the missionaries, 
 were rather declining in their religious profession. But by the 
 grace of God they were brought to serious reflection, and in 
 the year 176 !2 most of them returned, and with penitent tears 
 besought their teachers to take them anew into their care. This 
 request, which was most readily granted, served to animate 
 their zeal and revive their fainting hopes. 
 
 Thus Sharon once more assumed the appearance of a pro- 
 mising station, and, its Indian inhabitants, about sixty in num- 
 ber, enjoyed peace and rest, and walking in the comforts of the 
 Holy Ghost, were edified. Peace being esitablished between 
 the government and the Bush-Negros the missionaries indulged 
 the pleasing hope, that many of the Arawaks, who had for- 
 merly been baptized, but were scattered in the wilderness during 
 the late troubles, would now return. In this hope, however, 
 they were disappointed ; as the fear entertained by the Indians 
 of the Negros rather increased after peace had been made. For, 
 in spite of their professions of friendship, their conduct, when 
 visiting Sharon, was not the most conciliatory. Some secret 
 enemies, hoping to accelerate the ruin of the settlement, 
 tried by false reports to terrify the Arawaks still more. Many 
 of the inhabitants left the settlement and fled into the woods. 
 Their dwellings being soon occupied by others, the missionaries 
 did not relax in their exertions, but, both by their instructions at 
 home, and by frequent visits through the country, endeavoured 
 to diffuse the glad tidings of grace and redemption through the 
 blood of Christ. 
 
 It was not long, however, before they were threatened with 
 new dangers from the Negros, which seemed to render the oc- 
 cupation of Sharon, as a missionary settlement, very precarious. 
 Besides this, vast swarms of large ants had almost totally 
 destroyed their plantations, and thus deprived them of the 
 principal means of subsistence. These and other circumstances 
 led to the final relinquishment of this station in 1779- 
 
MISSION l.\ SOUTH AMERICA. 20 1 
 
 A few years before the evacuation of the settlement brother 
 Schirmer had departed this life and entered into the joy of his 
 Lord, after having for the space of fourteen years endured 
 hardness as a good soldier of Christ on this difficult post. In 
 October, 1776, brother Christopher Lewis Schuman, son of the 
 late missionary of that name, arrived at Shakox, principally 
 with a view of devoting himself to the service of the Carribbees. 
 His attempts in this respect, however, proved unsuccessful ; 
 but he zealously served the mission in many other ways. 
 
 SECTION III. 
 
 Hope on the Coreniyn. 
 
 IN order to take possession of the land surveyed on the river 
 Corentyn, as mentioned in the preceding section, brother 
 Daehne went thither in April 1757, accompanied by a few 
 Indians, who assisted him in clearing a piece of ground and 
 building a hut ; but in a short time they all went away except 
 one, called Christopher, and even he, falling sick a few months 
 after, was obliged to return to his friends. Thus the missionary 
 was left alone in this horrid wilderness, the haunt of tigers, 
 serpents of enormous size, and various reptiles, whose bite or 
 sting is venomous. He had not been long here, before he 
 was seized with a fever ; but by the timely assistance of brother 
 Schuman, who had a slight knowledge of medicine, and who 
 immediately hastened to his relief, he recovered.* An account 
 of the hardships and dangers he encountered in this solitary 
 
 • Schuman remarks concerning him : « Daehne reminds me of the old 
 patriarchs, dwelling in tents, e. g. Abraham living at the oak in Mamrc, 
 and he experiences the protection and care of the Angel, who visited Abraham 
 in his tent. I have never seen him so cheerful and happy, as he is in this 
 solitude." [Risler, Part ii. Sec. 3. p. 110.]— Another of his brethren says of 
 him : " Daehne can endure every hardship, like an Indian, He is indefati- 
 gable in the cause of our Saviour ; and has a perfect knowledge of every 
 thing requisite for the improvement and cultivation of land." Ibid. p. 118. 
 
262 MlSi>10N IN SOUTH AMERICA. 
 
 abode, as well as of the almost miraculous preservation of his 
 life, will be read with the greatest interest in his own words. 
 
 " The Indians," says he, " who were continually passing by, 
 often inquired into the reason of my building a hut in this lone- 
 some place i whether I did it by my own, or the governor's 
 authority ? I told them, I did it for their sakes, to make 
 them acquainted with the true God, the only Saviour. They 
 answered, ' the Indians have determined to kill you.' At 
 length, the soldiers at the Fort sent me word that I was not 
 safe, and invited me to come and live near them. I thanked 
 them for their care ; but determined to stay where I might be 
 favoured to gain, if it were but one soul for Christ. 
 
 " One evening, being unwell and going to lie down in my 
 hammock, upon entering the door of my hut, I perceived a 
 large serpent descending upon me from a shelf near the roof. 
 In the scuffle the creature stung, or bit me two or three times 
 in the head, and, pursuing me very closely, twined herself 
 several times round my head and neck*. Supposing that this 
 would be the occasion of my death, and apprehending that 
 the Indians would be charged with it, I wrote with chalk upon 
 the table : * a serpent has killed me.' But, on a sudden, that 
 promise of our Saviour to his disciples was impressed upon my 
 mind, • They shall take up serpents, and it shall not hurt them,' 
 (Mark xvi. 18;) and, seizing the creature with great force, I 
 tore her loose, and flung her out of the hut. I then laid down 
 to rest in the peace of God. 
 
 " There was also a tiger, who for a long time kept near my 
 hut,S watching, perhaps an opportunity to seize its inhabitant. 
 He roared dreadfully every evening ; but I made a large fire 
 near the hut, before I went to bed ; however, as my fire often 
 went out, it would have been but a poor defence, if the Lord 
 had not protected me. 
 
 " In November the Carribbee Indians resolved to put their 
 threats against me into execution. One day, as I sat at din- 
 
 * Probably one of those serpents, which, though their bite is not poison' 
 ous, by twisting themselves tightly round the body of their prey, break it« 
 bones, and thus quickly extinguish life. 
 
MISSION IN SOUTH AMERICA. 263 
 
 ner, about fifty of them arrived in canoes, and surrounded my 
 hut. This was indeed a frightful sight. Some were armed 
 with swords, others with tomahawks. I immediately went out 
 to them, and bid them welcome in the Arawak language. 
 They answered in a surly tone, saying I should speak the Car- 
 ribbee language. I told them I could not speak it. Upon 
 this they began to speak with each other, every now and then 
 addressing me, to find out whether I understood them or not. 
 Perceiving that I did not even guess their meaning, they called 
 their Arawak interpreter, and asked me, who had given me 
 leave to build on their land. I answered, * the governor ; and 
 that I had a writing under his own hand to prove what I said.' 
 They then asked, what views I had in coming hither ? Upon 
 this, I went up to their Chief, and said with great freedom, 
 ' I have brethren on the other side of the great ocean, who, hav- 
 ing heard that many Indians that are ignorant of their Creator, 
 live on this river, out of love to them have sent me hither, 
 to tell you of your Creator's love to you, and what he has done 
 to save you ; and more of my brethren will come hither for the 
 same purpose.' He asked, ' whether I was a clergyman, a 
 Frenchman, or a Dutchman .'*' I answered, ' I came from 
 Holland, but was sent by my brethren, who loved them, and 
 wished to do them good.' He then said, < Have you never 
 heard, that the Indians intend to kill you .?' I answered, 
 * yes ; but I cannot believe it. You have among your Indians 
 some, who have lived with me, and they can tell you that I 
 am a real friend of the Indians.' ' Yes,' replied he, ' I have 
 heard so ; and they say, that you are a different sort of Chris- 
 tian from the white people in general.' I then said, ' I am 
 your friend ; how is it that you are come to kill me .'' He an- 
 swered, ' We have done wrong.' Upon this every countenance 
 seemed altered, and the party dispersed. The Chief remained 
 with me, and inquired whether other people would come to live 
 here ; and when I assured him that none but my brethren 
 would come, he was pleased, and behaved very kindly. When 
 he was going away, I perceived that he had some cassabi in 
 his pouch. I asked him for it, as h is people could get more, 
 and I was here alone, and in want ; adding, * If you should 
 
25L MISSION IX SOUTH AMERICA. 
 
 at any time pass by, and be hungry, I will also give you some- 
 thing to eat." He immediately gave orders to give me some cas- 
 sabi, some fish, and drink, and then took leave, saying he would 
 often come to see me. Thus our Saviour delivered me from 
 them, and preserved me amidst daily dangers ; so that, at the 
 close of the year, I had great cause to thank and adore him 
 in the dust. 
 
 " I entered into the year 1758 with a confident heart, and 
 felt the peace and pi'csence of God. I was busily employed 
 in clearing the ground, and felling trees ; and when weary, I 
 frequently desired the Indians, passing that way, to lend a 
 helping hand, which they did with pleasure. Once, while ga- 
 thering wood for fuel, some large black ants fixed upon my 
 hand, and by their stings gave me such excruciating ])ain that 
 for some time I was almost senseless. These creatures are 
 nearly two inches long, and quite black. The Indians are as 
 much afraid of them as of serpents. As to externals, this was 
 for me a year of great want. 1 frequently rose in the morning, 
 without knowing whether I should tate a morsel all day ; but 
 God ordered it so, that sometimes, when 1 could scarce bear 
 the excess of hunger, some Indians, who were willing to divide 
 their mouthful of cassabi with me, arrived*." 
 
 During the whole year he was occasionally visited by AVarau 
 Indians, which offorded him an opportunity of preaching the 
 gospel to them ; and this always animated him afresh to labour 
 in hopes of better times. Some of them also promised to come 
 and live with him. In consequence of his incessant bodily 
 labours, often beyond his strength, he was attacked with sick- 
 ness, which was increased by the insalubrity of the climate and 
 his mean and scanty fare. His fellow missionaries in Para- 
 maribo, being informed of it, immediately dispatched brother 
 Boemper to his assistance. It was sometime before he could 
 procure a conductor, for the Indians are in general afraid of 
 going near a sick person, and had moreover been terrified by a 
 report, that the devil lived with Daehne. They, therefore, 
 did all they could to dissuade brother Boemper from venturing 
 
 • Per Act. Vol. i. p.:}27— 331. 
 
MISSION IN SOUTH AMERICA. 255 
 
 to go to so dangerous a person. However he at length prevail- 
 ed and arrived to the ^reat comfort of Daehne, whose health 
 was soon restored. 
 
 Having spent nearly two years in this solitary abode, he was 
 in 1759 relieved by three missionaries. These built a church 
 and dwelling-house, and laid out plantations, giving the name 
 of Ephrem to the new settlement. They diligently visited 
 those Indians, who, after leaving Pilgerhut, had become 
 residents in this part of the country ; and some of them came to 
 live in the settlement. Many Carribbees and Waraus also 
 visited them ; and they had the pleasure to observe, that their 
 testimony of Christ and his salvation evinced its divine power 
 on the Indians, whose tears manifested the emotion of their 
 hearts. This, amidst many external difficulties and hardships, 
 encouraged them to labour in hope. 
 
 But their faith and patience were put to a fresh and severe 
 trial. The rebellion of the Negro-slaves in Berbice, in 1763, 
 rendered the whole country along the banks of the Corentyn 
 unsafe, and forced their converts to retire into the interior- 
 After awaiting the issue for some time, the missionaries re- 
 moved to Paramaribo, and their house was occupied by soldiers. 
 The rebellion of the Negros being suppressed in 1764, they 
 returned to their post. They found their former dwelling 
 nearly in ruins ; and as the situation of Ephrem was very un- 
 healthy, being frequently exposed to inundations, they aban- 
 doned that place, and moved about twelve miles higher up the 
 river. Here they found a piece of land well suited for planta- 
 tions, and a good house, which had been built for a magazine. 
 This they purchased of Government, and, after making some 
 needful alterations, moved into it in 1765. Its situation being 
 at no great distance from the river Mepenne, whither most of 
 the Indian converts had fled during the disturbances, led them 
 to hope that many of their scattered sheep would again be col- 
 lected, and restored to the fold of the good Shepherd, and in 
 this expectation they gave it the name of Hope*. 
 
 * In Dutch Hoope, by which name it is often mentioned in the reports of 
 the missionaries. 
 
256 MISSION IN SOUTH AMERICA. 
 
 In process of time many of those Indians, who had be£n 
 baptized by the Brethren, found their way to this new settle- 
 ment. They erected huts for themselves, and at a convenient 
 distance laid out their fields. Some of them had grown 
 rather wild, yet the remembrance of the grace, they had for- 
 merly enjoyed, was not totally obliterated, and, being now revived 
 by the instruction of the missionaries, a pleasing change was 
 soon effected. The brethren also neglected no opportunity of 
 informing the other Indians of their residence in the country 
 and inviting them to come and hear the Word of God. They 
 likewise paid occasional visits to the heathen, some of whom 
 embraced the gospel and were added to the Church. Thus 
 the congregation at Hopk continued for several years, in a 
 pleasing course ; and though the increase in point of number 
 was not considerable, yet the grace of God was often strikingly 
 experienced. At the close of the year 1783 the number of 
 Christian Indians, belonging to the settlement, amounted to 
 one hundred and sixty seven persons. 
 
 During subsequent years the prospect became rather discou- 
 raging. The naturally roving disposition of the Indians, 
 which had always been a great impediment to the mission, 
 gained fresh ascendancy. At one time no less than twenty men of 
 the baptized left Hope, and removed to a considerable distance, 
 and those, who still remained, spent most of their time in their 
 planting-grounds, and were often four, eight, and even twelve 
 weeks absent from church ; nor was it always possible to visit 
 them. This was injurious to their progress in Christian know- 
 ledge and practice ; many in fact seemed to lose the little know- 
 ledge they had obtained, and sunk into a state of supineness 
 and indifference to the gospel. Few of the heathen paid any 
 regard to the instructions of the missionaries, and the Arawak 
 nation was rapidly decreasing in num.ber, many being carried 
 off by the small-pox and other epidemical diseases. 
 
 This was the state of things at Hope in 1789, when brother 
 John Jacob Gottlob Fischer arrived there. He appeared re- 
 markably qualified to labour among a people like the Indians. 
 Endowed with a vigorous constitution and an active and enter- 
 prising mind, improved by study, he was capable of enduring 
 
 1 
 
MISSION IN SOUTH AMERICA. 257 
 
 much bodily fatigue, and of devising and executing plans for 
 the mental improvement of the converts. With astonishing 
 facility he acquired, in a few months, sufficient knowledge of 
 the Arawak language, to preach in public ; and even earlier 
 than this, he had commenced a school with the children, in 
 which he taught reading and writing ; and one of the boys in 
 a short time made such progress, that he could be employed in 
 copying, and could assist in teaching the rest. In a few weeks 
 he had thirty scholars, who were eager to learn ; and those 
 parents, who lived at a distance, permitted their children to 
 remain in the settlement, that they might obtain instruction, 
 The zeal, with which he engaged in this and other schemes 
 animated the sinking courage of the other missionaries. He 
 hoped by these means to infuse more steadiness and activity 
 into the character of the Arawaks, thereby rendering them 
 more susceptible of moral and intellectual improvement, and 
 thus to facilitate their advancement in spiritual knowledge. 
 
 In order to induce the Christian Indians to forsake their 
 roving disposition, which they always excused by alledging 
 the infertility of the soil on the Corentyn, Fischer went to a 
 neighbouring Chief on the Aulihissi Creek, where there was 
 good planting-ground, to inquire whether he would permit the 
 Indians of Hope to plant in his territory. He immediately 
 consented and, pointing to a considerable tract of forest-land, 
 said : " This land God has given to me, as he gave that of 
 Hope to thee, and thus I am the rightful possessor of it. 
 Now, as I have not created it, and thou canst use it, I freely 
 deliver it over to the e; and thy people may come and clear it as 
 soon as they please." Hethen, in very kind terms, addressed the 
 Indians who accompanied brother Fischer, assuring them that 
 no devil, or evil spirit, haunted the land. In consequence of 
 these arrangements several families built huts in the settlement, 
 so that in 1793 it contained one hundred and fifty-one inhab- 
 itants ; besides whom about one hundred baptized Arawak, lived 
 scattered in the vicinity. New life from God was also percept- 
 ible in the congregation. 
 
 As this appears to have been the most flourishing period in 
 the mission at Hope ; some remarks, may very properly be 
 
 T 
 
258 MISSION IN SOUTH AMERICA. 
 
 introduced in this place, on the settlement and the improve- 
 ment of its Indian inhabitants in the arts of civilized society. 
 Brother Hans Wied, at that time superintendent of the South 
 American mission, gives the following description of this place 
 in the year 1794. 
 
 " Hope is situate on the left bank of the Corentyn, as you 
 ascend from the sea. The opposite bank is high and sandy ; 
 but on this side the soil is loamy and not very fruitful. The 
 woods, except where paths have been cut by the natives, are 
 rendered almost impenetrable by an immense quantity of Busch- 
 Tau. In the neighbourhood of the settlement the wood is cut 
 down and rooted up; and plantations of coffee, bananas, and 
 cotton, together with a considerable portion of pasture-ground, 
 amply reward the industry of the Christian Indians. 
 
 " The missionaries*' dwelling stands about forty feet distant 
 from the river, and the ascent to it is by a range of nineteen 
 steps. It is huilt, partly in the Indian, and partly in the 
 colonial style. Its front is of weather-boarding, and the two 
 sides and back are constructed with a double i*ow of palisades, 
 placed close together. The partitions inside are made in the 
 same manner, and every part covered with a plaster, made of 
 chalk and charcoal, of a bluish hue. All the floors are made 
 of clay, mixed with chalk. The rooms of the brethren Fis- 
 cher and Loesche have ceilings of strong laths, lying horizon- 
 tally, but the hall, which is spacious and serves for a dining 
 room, as also the church, which is comprised in the same build- 
 ing, have no covering except the roof. This is made, in the 
 Indian manner, of large leaves fastened upon laths, and all 
 the beams and rafters are secured by Busch-Tau. Behind the 
 dwellings are the Negro-house, kitchen, store-house, and sta- 
 bles, so constructed that, in the rainy season, each may be ap- 
 proached under cover. Next to the mission-house, to the right 
 down the river, stands brother Voegtle's house, built by his 
 « own hands in the Indian manner, extremely neat and furnished 
 with a gallery. About one hundred yards from the dwellings 
 of the missionaries, on each side, most of the houses of the 
 Indian brethren and sisters are ranged in regular rows, along 
 the bank, so that the mission house and church, which stands 
 
MISSION IN SOUTH AMERICA. 259 
 
 nearly in the middle, divide the settlement into two parts. 
 Close £to the houses on either side, is a well-made foot- 
 path, leading to the woods. Some of the Indian houses are 
 not]built in the row, but in the gardens, and nearly hid among 
 the fruit-trees. At the back of tlie settlement runs a fence, to 
 prevent the' cattle' from entering the garden-grounds. The 
 most considerable gardens belonging to the Indians, namely, 
 their cassabi plantations, which afford them the chief part of 
 their sustenance, are at Aulibissi, on the opposite side of the 
 Corentyn, about an hour and a half's walk from Hope. The 
 school is situated behind the mission-house, and is an airy 
 Indian building. 
 
 " The employment of the Christian Indians at Hope 
 consists chiefly in cultivating their fields and gardens, in weav- 
 ing mats, and in cutting and preparing timber. One or two of 
 the missionaries accompany them into the wood, where they 
 fell trees, cut planks, and make shingles. A large quantity of 
 the latter, as likewise many bundles of hammocks mad6 by 
 them, are sold at Berbice, and the produce applied towards 
 the purchase of necessaries for themselves and their families. 
 They are thus constantly kept in a state of useful industry*." 
 Goods cannot be conveyed to Berbice in any other way than 
 by water, and as the missionaries, for a long time, could not 
 afford to have a large vessel, they frequently ran great risks with 
 their small canoes or coryars. At length they purchased a large 
 boat, in which the brethren Fischer and Kluge, and four In- 
 dians, set out for Berbice in August 1795, but the voyage 
 proved very unsuccessful. Having proceeded a considerable 
 way the boat, all on a sudden, became leaky, and the water 
 gained upon them so fast, that she sunk before they could run 
 her aground. They first clang to a cask fastened to the boat, 
 and then to the mast, part of which was above water ; and 
 thus remained eight hours exposed to the most imminent dan- 
 ger in the open sea, till after midnight they succeeded in get- 
 ting on shore, by means of a small coryar; and reached Hope in 
 safety. Meanwhile the Indians continued their exertions with 
 
 * Per. Acct. Vol. i. p. 419. 
 
260 MISSION IN SOUTH AMERICA. 
 
 undiminished diligence and prepared other articles to send to 
 Berbice, in which they were assisted by a German called V'ogt, 
 whom the missionaries engaged for that purpose, and with 
 whose conduct and diligence they had every reason to be 
 satisfied. 
 
 Besides the daily school for the children, they began in]1796 
 a Sunday school for adults. Sixty men and women attended 
 at the opening of it, and shewed great diligence and eager- 
 ness to learn. 
 
 Hope, being situated on the frontiers between Surinam and 
 Berbice, was exposed to many difficulties, in consequence of 
 the war between Holland and Great Britain, the latter hav- 
 ing taken possession of Berbice in 1796. Brother Kluge, 
 returning from Paramaribo in their own vessel, laden with 
 provisions, was captured by an English Privateer, and plun- 
 dered of all the stores. The Privateer carried him and his In- 
 dians to Berbice, where he was taken very ill ; but by the 
 kind attention of some friends, with whom he lodged, he soon 
 recovered ; and, after paying a considerable sum to ransom 
 the vessel, returned to Hope. In the sequel the English 
 treated the missionaries with great civility, permitting them 
 to continue their voyages from one colony to the other with- 
 out interruption. 
 
 Shortly before the British had possessed themselves of De~ 
 marary a circumstance occurred peculiarly trying to the In- 
 dian congregation. A gang of run-away Negros commenced 
 a rebellion ia that colony, and committed the most horrid 
 murders and outrages. The Dutch government having resolv- 
 ed to quell this insurrection by means of Indian auxiliaries, 
 the governor wrote a letter to the missionaries at Hope, de- 
 siring them to exhort their Indians to join the rest of their 
 nation and the military, in the expedition against the Ne- 
 gros. They convened the congregation and communicated 
 the governor's letter, but, as they were acknowledged an in- 
 dependent people, they left them to their own free will as to 
 the steps they would choose to take. The Indians hereupon 
 held a council, the result of which was, that they declared 
 they had no mind to join in the war against the Negros, espe- 
 
MISSION IN SOUTH AMEKICA. 261 
 
 cially as their own country would be left exposed, if they were 
 all to march off into a distant part ; but if Berbice were attack- 
 ed, they should then think themselves bound to oppose the 
 incursion of the enemy. This resolution they sent to the post 
 at Auleara ; but were answered, that it could not be consider- 
 ed as their own act and deed, because they depended on the will 
 of their teachers, and would surely go, if the latter advised 
 them to it. The Indians were indeed watching the mission- 
 aries and expected to have a decisive opinion from them ; but 
 they carefully avoided any interference and daily offered up 
 prayer and supplication, that the Lord would avert the storm. 
 Upwards of twenty of the men having returned from their 
 work in the wood, another council was held, during which the 
 women stood without and wept. The result was, that three 
 of them agreed to go to the war. As the European officers 
 had reckoned upon fifty warriors from Hope, they were greatly 
 disappointed at seeing only three arrive ; and several of them, 
 and also some parties of Indians, came to Hope and made 
 some disturbance. However they did not succeed in their en- 
 deavours, for not one more would join them. On the 23rd of 
 July the warriors passed by in two canoes ; one carrying twenty 
 and the other thirty-four men. The missianories then report- 
 ed the whole transaction to the governor, and he expressed 
 himself perfectly satisfied with their conduct. In about two 
 months the Indians returned, having stormed a eamp of 400 
 rebel Negros, and either killed or dispersed them. Many De- 
 marary Indians and soldiers were killed, but not one of this 
 country. 
 
 Amidst these outward perplexities the missionaries had cause 
 to rejoice at the success, which attended their labours in the 
 gospel. The congregation at Hope, which hitherto had been 
 chiefly collected from the Arawaks, now began to obtain an in- 
 crease from another tribe called Waraus. 
 
 The character of this tribe is marked by a greater degree of 
 levity, than that of the other Indians in Guiana. Their ha- 
 bits are more depraved and dissolute. They are more addict- 
 ed to stealing, excessively superstitious and indolent. Their 
 mental capacities appear less than those of other Indians ; and 
 
262 MISSION IN SOUTH AMERICA. 
 
 though, by living among the Arawaks and understanding their 
 language, they had had frequent opportunities of hearing the 
 gospel, yet they paid little attention to it, but seemed less fit 
 for the kingdom of God than the former. The greater, there- 
 fore, did the power of the gospel appear in the awakening and 
 conversion of some of this tribe. Thirty-six became inhab- 
 itants of Hope in the year 1796. 
 
 An epidemical disease prevailing about this time many hea- 
 then came to Hope to consult the missionaries. These gladly 
 gave them the best advice and assistance in their power and 
 improved these visits for commending to them the gospel, as 
 the most effectual antidote against the fear of death. It was 
 gratifying to them to observe the beneficial influence of religion 
 on their converts in this season of affliction, not only as it ap- 
 peared in the tranquil state of their minds, but as it meliorated 
 their temporal condition ; for they enjoyed much better care 
 and attendance in sickness than the heathen ; and it was as- 
 certained by indubitable facts, that in epidemical diseases eight, 
 heathen died for one Christian Indian. 
 
 During the years 1797 and 1798 they had to encounter various 
 difflculties. A scarcity, little short of real famine, afflicted 
 the country. A prodigious swarm of large ants having nearly 
 destroyed their plantations, the missionaries were obliged every 
 day to seek, and almost beg, their morsel of cassibi and after 
 all to pay an enormous price for it They were in total want 
 both of bread and meal, as well as of meat and butter, and no 
 game could be obtained. This distress was afterwards lessened 
 as government permitted them to travel to Berbice on concerns 
 of the mission. 
 
 While this scarcity continued several alarming re])orts were 
 circulated of hostilities having commenced among some of the 
 Indian tribes. In consequence of these rumours many Ara- 
 waks and Waraus loft their habitations, and fled for safety to 
 the settlement at Hopk, bringing their goods with them. All 
 the Indians on the other side of the Corentyn fled, and mostly 
 took refuge with our brethern. Even those at the post, 
 who wove stationed there for the defence of the country, came 
 to the settlement. To inspire tlic people with some degree 
 
MISSION IN SOUTH AMERICA. 263 
 
 of courage, the missionaries dispersed all the men, who had 
 arms, in regular bands, to keep watch, and to prevent 
 any one escaping; and all the coryars, or boats, were brought on 
 land. Thus, at the beginning of 1797, there were upwards of 
 two hundred fugitives in the settlement. Many of them clear- 
 ed ground, for building and planting, in the vicinity. In a 
 few months, however, tranquillity was restored and they again 
 quitted that part of the country, without having received any 
 apparent benefit from their intercourse with the Christian In- 
 dians. 
 
 But now a disaster of a far more distressing nature befel the 
 mission. In March 1798 a ship was wrecked near the mouth 
 of the Corentyn. The captain and another gentleman, who 
 gave themselves out to be Americans, came to Hope. The 
 missionaries immediately sent intelligence of this to the post- 
 master of Auleara, who, after examining into the business, 
 permitted them to convoy these gentlemen to Berbice, whither 
 they were bound. The day after, therefore, brother Fischer 
 set out with them, and the next morning came up with the 
 crew, belonging to the wrecked vessel. Fischer, having taken 
 an inventory of the goods, saved from the ship, returned to 
 Hope ; and the unfortunate company, consisting of twenty- 
 four persons, pursued their voyage to Berbice in one of their 
 own sloops and in the barge, belonging to the mission, being 
 accompanied by seven Indians. It was now discovered, that 
 they were not Americans but English. In consequence of this 
 the postmaster of Nieukeur was obliged to go to Paramaribo, 
 whither brother Kluge accompanied him, to lay a circumstan- 
 tial account of the whole occurrence before government. A 
 fortnight after Adjutant General Roux arrived at the settle- 
 ment, to examine into the affair. After his return to Parama- 
 ribo an order was sent from government, requiring that Fischer 
 and his family should immediately leave the country. This 
 was a most afflictive dispensation, both to the missionaries and 
 their converts, who came in crowds to lament the removal of 
 this useful man from the mission. However, as suspicions were 
 entertained, that, on discovering that the pretended Americans 
 were British subjects, Fischer had assisted in secreting part of 
 
264 MlSSIOx\ IN SOUTH AMERICA. 
 
 the cargo of the stranded ship, which according to the laws of war 
 belonged to the government, our brethren viewed it as a special 
 favour, that this occurrence did not lessen the benevolence of 
 the governor for them and their establishment, and that he 
 continued to them the permission, formerly granted, of carry- 
 ing their goods for sale to Berbice. 
 
 The number of inhabitants at Hope was in the mean time 
 considerably increased. At the close of 1799 it amounted to 
 near three hundred persons ; and besides them, there were 
 many others, who were benefitted by the ministry of our 
 brethren, though they still lived scattered in the woods. But 
 in the following years the number was greatly diminished, many 
 being carried off by the small-pox, and others, yielding to their 
 naturally roving disposition, retreated for some time to Aporo- 
 creek, so that at the end of 1804, only one hundred and forty- 
 six persons resided at Hope, and one hundred and seventeen 
 baptized Indians were living dispersed in the country. 
 
 In August 1806 Hope was visited by a dreadful calamity. 
 One afternoon, while the missionaries were sitting together taking 
 some refreshment, a fire broke out, which ran with such rapidity 
 along the thatched roofs of the houses, that in a short time every 
 building in the settlement, not excepting the church and the 
 mission -house, became a prey to the flames. Only the walls of 
 the church, which were made of planks, remained in part stand- 
 ing, but all the tools, and implements of gardening and hus- 
 bandry, together with the tackle and rigging of their boat, the 
 stores of the Indians, and various other articles and provisions 
 were consumed. Fortunately, however, they saved their books 
 and manuscripts, most of their clothes, and some gun- powder 
 and two barrels of flour. And no one received any personal 
 injury. This calamity was rendered still more distressing, as 
 there was reason to suspect that the fire had been kindled by 
 incendiaries. Several attempts of the same kind had been made 
 the preceding days, but, being timely discovered, the design 
 had been frustrated. 
 
 About two years after, the missionaries were under the ne- 
 cessity of quitting Hope. Most, if not all, of those Indians 
 belonging to that congregation, who were truly converted in 
 
MISSION IN SOUTH AMERICA. 265 
 
 heart, and walked worthily of the gospel, were by means of an 
 epidemical disorder, in a short period of time, called into eter- 
 nity, and departed this life rejoicing in their Redeemer. None 
 therefore, were left, who by their example led the rest to serious 
 reflection, or, at least, to orderly behaviour ; but a spirit of 
 resistance and enmity to the gospel became predominant. 
 
 This suspension of the mission on the Corentyn having oc- 
 casioned deep regret in all our congregations in Europe, the 
 brethren in Paramaribo were commissioned to avail themselves 
 of the first opportunity, that might offer, to collect the scattered 
 remains of the Arawak flock, and to endeavour to renew the 
 mission. Several of the Indians themselves, who occasionally 
 came to Paramaribo, expressed a wish, that the labours of the 
 Brethren among their nation might be renewed ; and declared 
 that many of those, who, by their dissolute and refractory con- 
 duct, had contributed to the dispersion of the congregation, 
 repented of what they had done, and would now put a higher 
 value upon the instructions given them, if the mission were 
 re-established. 
 
 As soon, therefore, as it was practicable brother Langballe 
 and his wife paid a visit to the Indians in those parts. They 
 found the former settlement at Hope quite forsaken, and 
 overgrown with bushes. About three miles higher up, on the 
 Berbice side of the river, they met with a considerable number 
 of baptized Indians, who formerly lived at Hope, and had made 
 a settlement there. They were received by them with great 
 cordiality, and staid with them three weeks. Every day brother 
 Langballe held a meeting; and spoke with them on the neces- 
 sity of faith in Christ and true conversion. They listened 
 with great attention and apparent dovotion to his discourses ; 
 several of them expressed their sorrow at having no teacher 
 now residing amongst them, and their earnest desire, not only 
 to be favoured again with opportunities of hearing the Word 
 of God, but to live in conformity to it. Brother Langballe at 
 that time could do no more, than make a regulation among them 
 to meet together and read the New Testament. He encou- 
 raged them to turn anew with their whole heart to Jesus, and to 
 forsake all heathenish practices, and help to build each other 
 
^66 MISSION IN SOUTH AMERICA. 
 
 up in the faith. He and his wife then visited the otlier baptized, 
 who lived dispersed on the Ziporotu and Mepenne rivers. Many 
 of these poor people bewailed the loss of their teachers, and 
 expressed their sincere wish that missionaries might again come 
 and dwell among them. According to the best information 
 brother Langballe could procure from those whom he visited, 
 he found that of the former inhabitants of Hope, one hundred 
 and ninety-seven persons were still living. He himself had 
 spoken with seventy-seven of the baptized. 
 
 Encouraged by these promising appearances, two missionaries, 
 William Christian (renth and John Hafa, who had lately 
 arrived in Surinam, proceeded in June 1812 to the Corentyn, 
 where they found a house ready for them, having been built, in 
 expectation of their arrival, by one of the Christian Indians. 
 It was about three miles distant from the site of the old settle- 
 ment. AVith the assistance of some Negros, they had brought 
 ■with them from Paramaribo, they soon cleared a piece of ground 
 for planting, and enlarged their dwelling, so as to accommo- 
 date the Indians with a meeting-room. Thirty of the baptized 
 resided about a mile from them, and diligently attended divine 
 worship. In process of time two or three Indian families came 
 to settle with them, and others promised to follow; but that 
 awakening and true conversion of the heart, which the Spirit of 
 God alone can effect, were still wanting. 
 
 Their labours remaining unproductive of fruit, the mission- 
 aries left the station on the Corentyn, and removed to the river 
 Neukeer, there to preach the gospel to the Negros on the 
 neighbouring plantations, being followed by five converted 
 Arawak Indians. Brother Gent fixed his residence on an estate 
 called Good Intent about four miles from the river, the pro- 
 prietor provided him with a dwelling-house and a garden, and 
 a building to serve for a meeting-house. This place lies in the 
 centre of eight cotton plantations, from which the Negros were 
 allowed to attend divine service without molestation. Brother 
 Hafa settled on another estate near the coast, on the river 
 Copaname. This was the state of things in 1817. 
 
SECTION IV. • :.t 
 
 Bambeu on the Sicrinam. 
 
 THE government at Surinam having in the year 1764 made 
 peace with the Free-negros, living on the river Surinam, and 
 wisely judging, that their conversion to Christianity would, 
 more than any thing else, tend to make them peaceable, and 
 put a stop to those depredations and cruelties, which they had 
 formerly committed, made application to the Brethren to send 
 missionaries to instruct them. In consequence of this appli- 
 cation, the Brethren in the year 1765, sent the missionaries 
 Lewis Christopher Daehne, Rudolph Stoll, and Thomas Jones 
 to Paramaribo ; who set out from thence for Sara Creek, on 
 December 7th. Their goods had been previously conveyed 
 up the river by a boat carrying soldiers, and they themselves 
 arrived there on the 12th. 
 
 About the same time Mr. Doehring had been sent by govern- 
 ment as agent to the Free-negros, to distribute presents among 
 them, and do every thing in his power to engage their friend- 
 ship. He was likewise commissioned to introduce the mis- 
 sionaries to the Chiefs, and to recommend them to their favour. 
 In this view he invited all the Chiefs to a conversation in 
 his tent. A good many Free-negros came with them, to whom 
 Mr. Doehring presented the above mentioned brethren, inform- 
 ing them of the purport of their coming, namely to make 
 them acquainted with God their Creator and Saviour ; and 
 added " Whatever you do to these men, whether good or bad, 
 I shall consider as done to myself." The Negros unanimously 
 promised to treat them in the best manner. 
 
 The missionaries intended to travel further into the country, 
 but as the Negros had not room in their boats for the ac- 
 commodation of all, brother Stoll was obliged to return, with 
 part of the baggage to Victoria, and wait for another oppor- 
 
208 MISSION IN SOUTH AMERICA. 
 
 tunity. This separation gave them much concern. Howe- 
 ver as no other plan could be devised, the brethren Daehne 
 and Jones went with the Negros, and arrived December 24th; 
 the former on the Senthea Creek, with Abini, (father to John 
 Arabini who became a worthy member of the congregation 
 at Bambey) and the latter with Samsam on Doose Creek. It 
 was by no means their wish to reside at two different places, 
 but Samsam, who was a Chief and with whom brother Jones 
 had travelled, kept him by force. This did not arise from 
 particular regard, or attachment, to the missionary, but solely 
 from ambition, that he might likewise have an European 
 residing with him, which the Negros esteem an honour. 
 January 1st, 1766, however, brother Jones found an opportunity 
 of disengaging himself from his ungracious host, and rejoining 
 his fellow missionary, Daehne, on the Senthea Creek. Samsam 
 continued for some time to be very troublesome, by insisting 
 on having one of them as a resident in his house; and when 
 he found them resolute in their determination of dwelling toge- 
 ther, kept back their goods, and either applied them to his own 
 use, or suffered them to spoil. They felt their loss very severely. 
 However, on the 2nd of February brother Stoll arrived from 
 Victoria with the remainder of their baggage. 
 
 The meeting of all appointed to the same work gave them 
 great joy ; but, it was soon turned into grief, by the unexpected 
 departure of brother Jones into eternal rest, on the 7th of the 
 same month. The two remaining brethren at first suffered 
 great hardships and poverty, and lived in a small miserable hut, 
 near the dwelling of two old Negros, till Abini, becoming sensi- 
 ble of their distress, built a small house for them. In a short 
 time, however, they lost likewise this friend and benefactor. 
 He was shot in a battle between the combined force of the Sara- 
 macca Negros and the white people and Matuari Negros. 
 Before he went to the battle, he is said to have presented his 
 son, John Arabini, to the missionaries, with words to the follow- 
 ing effect : "that he did not know what sort of people the 
 Brethren were, nor the cause of their abode in the country, 
 but believed God had sent them." 
 
 In August the same year Cujo, afterwards called Joshua, 
 
MISSION IN SOUTH AMERICA. 269 
 
 brought his son Scipio to brother Stoll, and requested him 
 to teach him to read and write. With this boy the mission- 
 ariesbegan a school, which was afterwards increasedby someother 
 young people ; but only two stayed, and at their pressing request 
 went in the sequel to reside with the missionaries, and, having 
 received a real sense of the love of God in their souls, were 
 baptized and admitted to the holy sacrament. 
 
 Arabini, who was chosen Chief in the place of his father, 
 proved a real friend and protector to the missionaries. Having 
 in the course of a year acquired sufficient knowledge of the 
 language*, to render themselves intelligible to the inhabi- 
 tants of the village ; they informed them of their reason for 
 coming to the country, namely, to make them acquainted with 
 the true God, the Creator and Redeemer of man. This 
 excited the jealousy and opposition of the idol-priestsl and espe- 
 cially of the old women, who terrified their superstitious coun- 
 trymen by representing to them that their gados (or gods) were 
 angry with them for turning to the Gran-gado (the great God) 
 of the white people.f Not satisfied with thus deterring the 
 
 * The language of the Free-negros, though differing considerably from 
 that spoken by the Negros on the plantations, is not difficult of attainment 
 to any one who understands English, or any language derived from the 
 Latin. 
 
 f The number of their gados is almost incalculable, every person choosing 
 one according to his own fancy. Some fix on a large tree, a heap of sand, 
 stones, a tiger, a crocodile, a serpent, &.c. for their gado ; and others make 
 use of an image, or a stick, decorated with the teeth of some ferocious animal. 
 Before these idols they perform their devotions with great reverence. How- 
 ever they are not scrupulous in reproving their gado, if they think he has 
 done them a mischief. A water-serpent, called Boma, which a Negro-woman 
 had chosen for her idol, having one day killed the only duck she possessed, 
 she ran in great fury to the river and exclaimed, " O gado ! thou hast not done 
 right in that thou hast killed my only duck, though I have very faithfully 
 served thee, and thou hast done no harm to these people ('meaning the mi5. 
 sionaries), who have many ducks, and who seek to destroy thee, this is not 
 right." Such fooleries, however, are not the whole, or the worst part, of 
 their superstition. Some persuade themselves, in so lively a manner, that the 
 spirit of their gado is upon them, that, while under this delusion, their 
 bodies are subject to the most violent and frightful agitations ; and the more 
 ghastly and horrid the contortions of such a person are, in the greater vener. 
 ation is he held by the people, who repose unlimited confidence in his 
 
270 MISSION IN SOUTH AMERICA. 
 
 Negros from having any intercourse with tlie missionaries they 
 even plotted their destruction. I?ut as they were ignorant of their 
 murderous design, they continued to hold their family devo- 
 tions with their doors open, hoping that some of the savages 
 might be attracted by curiosity to attend. Tliey were, however, 
 warned against going out of the house at night, and they them- 
 selves make the following remark in their report of 1767, " Our 
 situation is even more dangerous than we are aware of; but we 
 depend on Him, who is the sure defence of his servants, and 
 is mightier than all. If it please him, we are willing to be 
 made a sacrifice. May he only preserve to us the feeling of 
 his peace." But as Arabini maintained a good understanding 
 with the Dutch government, who had recommended the mis- 
 sionaries to his pi-otection, none of their enemies ventured to 
 do them any personal injury. 
 
 Brother Daehne having returned to Europe in 1768, the 
 service of the mission devolved upon Stoll, the^missionary, sent 
 to his assistance, being confined by illness for a whole year. 
 As no entrance could be gained among the adults, brother 
 Stoll continued the school with the children, and for their use 
 translated select portions of the New Testament. He had the 
 pleasure to observe, that his labours were not altogether lost 
 on their juvenile minds. 
 
 The missionaries had hitherto resided in a Negro village on 
 Senthea Creek, where their situation was often rendered ex- 
 tremely unpleasant, by the wild and rude behaviour of the in- 
 habitants, who frequently spent whole weeks in rioting and 
 drunkenness, especially when there was a sacrificial feast or 
 a funeral. They, therefore, did not regret the removal of 
 most of the Negros to Sebonne Creek. Thither they followed 
 
 pretensions. When the Negros observe any thing uncommon, either in the 
 bodily form, or in the intellectual powers of a child, he is committed to the tu- 
 torage of an old idol-priestess, who from infancy prepares him for the inspiration 
 of a gado. And though a pupil of this description is often dreadfully emacia- 
 ted by the paroxysms, which accompany his initiation, he willingly submits 
 in the hope of once becoming a great man, and being respected as an obia or 
 gado-man, whose advice and counsel are sought in case of sickness, and on 
 other occasions. Such persons are in general, expert deceivers, who know 
 how to turn the stiperstitious credulity of the people to their own advantage, 
 and never fail to enrich themselves. Risler. Part ii. Sec. 3. p. 182-184. 
 
MISSION IN SOUTH AMERICA. 271 
 
 them, and settled on a small piece of land, procured by Arabini 
 at a short distance from the village. Arabini also built a 
 house for them, which they inhabited in February 1769, and 
 from the great number of bamboo canes growing there, called 
 their settlement Quama. The same year brother Kersten and 
 his wife arrived from Europe to serve in this mission. They 
 indulged the hope, that the services of a sister would be of es- 
 sential benefit, as the brethren, owing to the influence of Ara- 
 bini's grand-mother, could gain no access to the Negro women. 
 This idolatrous old woman, whose opinions were venerated 
 as of divine inspiration, was a sworn enemy to the mission. 
 
 Among the adults Arabini was hitherto the only one, on 
 whose mind the testimony of the gospel made any visible im- 
 pression. Notwithstanding his being exposed to constant re- 
 dicule and opposition, he continued to protect and befriend 
 the missionaries, and as he boldly avowed his sentiments respect- 
 ing the doctrines of the gospel, others were induced to go and 
 hear for themselves. Thus in May 17T0 a considerable num- 
 ber of men attended the preaching, listened to the discourse 
 with great silence and apparent devotion, and even came again 
 in the evening, requesting to hear more of the Word of God. 
 In the sequel also there was no want of hearers, though as yet 
 none of the women ventured to come, being afraid of exasper- 
 ating their gods by their attendance. Hiough the impression 
 made upon their hearers, could scarce be considered as a real 
 awakening, yet it greatly encouraged the missionaries to per- 
 severe in their labours of love. 
 
 A\niile most of their hearers, received the seed on stony 
 ground, or among thorns, or by the way-side, it fell in the case 
 of Arabini on. good ground. This man evidently increased in 
 grace and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ, and boldly 
 confessed the doctrine of the gospel. The missionaries, there- 
 fore, felt no hesitation in admitting him to holy baptism. This 
 sacred rite was performed on the 6th of January, 1771, in 
 presence of most of the male inhabitants of the village. The 
 missionaries viewed it as an auspicious circumstance, that the 
 most respectable Chief of the nation was the first, who became 
 obedient to the gospel, hoping that his public profession of 
 
272 MISSION IN SOUTH AMERICA. 
 
 Christianity would produce a salutary effect on his countrymen. 
 In this, however, they were disappointed. His baptism 
 mightily incensed the heathen, especially the idolatrous women, 
 and they opposed the effects, hkely to result from this occur- 
 rence, with a zeal worthy of a better cause. Instigated by 
 them the captain of a neighbouring village, foaming with rage 
 and armed with a gun and sabre, entered the mission-house, 
 sharply reprehended the missionaries for committing the heinous 
 offence of persuading Arabini to forsake the godsof his ancestors 
 turn to the God of the white people. But their undaunted confes- 
 sion of the truth and the testimony of Arabini himself concern- 
 ing the blessed change wrought in him, subdued the fury of 
 the captain ; and he calmly returned to his own house. 
 
 Arabini remained faithful to his profession, and, being much 
 respected as the Chief of the nation, often prevented disorders 
 and mischief, and averted harm from the missionaries. They 
 esteemed him as a faithful follower of Christ and appointed him 
 an assistant in preaching the gospel to his countrymen. This 
 office he discharged with zeal and activity.* The impression 
 made on the rest of their hearers was very transient. Hitherto 
 they had performed divine service in their own house, but in 
 1772 they built a chapel. As they could get but very little 
 assistance from the ISegros, they were obliged to do most of 
 the work themselves. Brother Kersten, in his report makes 
 the following just remark : "A missionary ought to under- 
 stand something of several arts and trades. Though we are 
 but two, it is well for us, that we can make a shift to do a little 
 of the work of a tailor, shoemaker, carpenter, farmer, basket- 
 
 * The following anecdote shows the power of conviction on the mind of 
 Arabini, at an early period. Soon afier the arrival of the missionaries in the 
 country, and before he had avowed himself a convert to Christianity, having 
 often heard them declare, that the idols of the heathen could neither help 
 nor hurt them, he went one morning to the river where the crocodile or 
 alligator, who was the god of the village, had his haunt. On seeing the crea- 
 ture he addressed it thus, (holding his loaded gun in his hand :) " I intend to 
 shoot thee. Now, if thou art a god, my bullet will do thee no harm ; but if 
 thou art a creature, it will kill thee." He then fired bis piece and shot the 
 animal dead. Alarmed at this, the idol-priestesses sacrificed a cock to appease 
 the wrath of the pretended deity. Per. Ace. Vol. ii. p. 96. 
 
MISSIOiN IN SOUTH AMERICA. 273 
 
 maker and smith, and besides preaching the gospel to the Ne- 
 gros, can even serve them as physicians and surgeons. 
 
 In 1773 the Negros, from superstitious motives and love of 
 change, left Quama; and the missionaries were obliged to 
 follow them lower down the river to the little Quqffa-dam. 
 They called their new residence Bambky, which in the lan- 
 guage of the country signifies, Oiily waif, or have patience. 
 By giving it this name they intended to remind each other, 
 that the gospel ought to be preached with patience and per- 
 severance, and in confident expectation of the help of the Lord. 
 The constant recollection of this was peculiarly necessary at 
 this time, as their situation was by no means encouraging. In 
 1 773 only one Negro was baptized, and the addition to their 
 congregation, two years after, amounted but to three. Se- 
 veral missionaries, who came to assist in the work, departed 
 this life shortly after their arrival ; and in 1777 brother Ru- 
 dolph StoU likewise fell asleep in Jesus. The removal of this 
 worthy and zealous servant of Christ was felt as a severe afflic- 
 tion by the Free-Negros, among whom, to this day, he is held 
 in respectful remembrance. He had served this mission, 
 amidst many difficulties and hardships, for more than eleven 
 years. 
 
 He was succeeded at Bambey by brother Christopher Lewis 
 Schuman. Being in consequence of the death of his assistant, 
 soon left alone, and having suffered much from severe illnesses, 
 he was obliged to return to Paramaribo*. His successor, bro- 
 
 * He relates in one of his letters, that after a most dangerous attack of the 
 seasoning fever, his body was covered all over with boils and painful sores. 
 He lay in his cot as helpless as a child, and had no one to administer any 
 relief or food to him, but a poor old Negro woman, who sometimes was 
 Obliged to follow the rest to the plantations in the woods. One morning, 
 while she was absent, after spending a most res-tless and painful night, he 
 at sun-rise observed, an immense swarm of ants, entering through the roof, 
 and spreading themselves all over the inside of liis chamber. Expecting 
 that they would make a meal of hini, he commended his soul to God, and 
 hoped that he should be released from all his sufferings. They presently 
 covered his bed and himself, causing an uncommon degree of smarting pain. 
 However they soon quitted him, and continued their march ; and from that 
 time he gradually recovered his health and spirits. Per. Acct, Vol. ii. p. 419, 
 
 u 
 
274 MISSION IN SOUTH AMERICA. 
 
 ther Hans and his wife were both called away from this stage 
 of life, in about a month after their arrival, and within six 
 days of each other. After a vacancy at Bambey of five 
 months, brother Schuman returned. In subsequent years 
 sickness and the death of several missionaries occasioned con- 
 tinual changes ; but the Negros were always thankful when a 
 new missionary arrived. 
 
 The year 1780 was distinguished by some encouraging 
 events. The number of believing Free-ncgros amounted as 
 yet to only seven me?t, for hitherto the women had not only 
 refused to listen to the gospel, but opposed the conversion of 
 the men by all the arts in their power ; but this year three 
 adult women were baptized, one of whom was the wife of Ara- 
 bini, and besides them three men and two children. 
 
 The most animating to the missionaries, on these occasions, 
 was the change wrought in the sentiments of the heathen. 
 They remark concerning this : " After the baptism of Ara- 
 bini, the Negros by their very looks menaced us with destruction; 
 but now they appear affected, their superstitious notions are sha- 
 ken, and they allow, that those who are baptized, are delivered 
 from the foolish dread of their gados." 
 
 Arabini greatly facilitated their labours by his zealous en- 
 deavours to awaken the attention of his countrymen to the 
 things belonging to their peace. After one of the missionaries 
 had delivered a discourse, he generally added a short exhort- 
 ation of his own, expressed in a manner well calculated to ar- 
 rest the attention of his countrymen. Once he addressed them 
 thus : " You acknowledge me for your Chief, and therefore 
 ask my advice in all important concerns, and I freely tell you 
 my mind. You know I have often told you, how good it is to 
 live in ueace with the white people, and that it is not good, if 
 it be broken through our fault. But when I tell you, that you 
 wage war against Him, who has made you and the whole 
 world, and who out of love to us, has come down from heaven 
 to redeem us from all iniquity by his own blood and death, you 
 pay little atttention to my discourse. God hath sent teachers 
 to make these things known to us : I beseech you, reflect 
 seriously on these great truths," On another occasion, when 
 the subject of the sermon had been the final judgment, Ara- 
 
MISSION IN SOUTH AMERICA. 275 
 
 bini, overhearing some of the heathen converse together and 
 remarking, that then they would hide in the wood, or kill 
 themselves, stepped forward and thus addressed them : " The 
 Lord will know where to find you, even those who have died 
 many years ago ; all, all must appear before him ; and those, who 
 have loved him in this world, he will bring with him into eter- 
 nal joy, but all the rest he will consign to the torments of 
 everlasting fire." Some replied, that as so many would share 
 in tiie punishment, it would not be so severe to each indivi- 
 dual. Arabini shrewdly answered : " Try the experiment, and 
 all of you put your fingers together into the fire, let us see, whe- 
 ther each individual will not feel the same degree of pain, as 
 if he were alone.'' Struck dumb by this remark, the whole 
 assembly broke up with a heavy sigh. 
 
 In 1785 the Negros again changed their place of abode, 
 and moved further down the river to the mo\ith of the Wana 
 Creek*; whither the missionaries followed them the next year. 
 They called this place New Bambey. 
 
 Amidst many difficulties they continued their labours on 
 this new station with persevering zeal. They made occasional 
 visits to the neighbouring villages, sowing the seed of the 
 Word in faith, and in hope that God would at some future 
 period give the desired increase. The progress of their few 
 converts in evangelical knowledge and Christian practice was 
 slow, and often impeded by the many temptations, which were 
 daily thrown in their way. Though the missionaries, in a con- 
 siderable degree succeeded to wean them from the lying van- 
 ities of their former lives, yet these were so deeply rooted in 
 
 * These frequent removals, thougli unpleasant and troublesome, are not 
 attended with any great expense. The erection of a new house is the work 
 of a few days, and requires comparatively little labour. Nine posts are driven 
 into the ground, and the spaces between Ihem filled up with a kind of palm 
 leaves, very large and thick ; these leaves also serve for the door. They are 
 plaited and tied together by means of a plant callod hushtau [or woodrope,] 
 which twines itself round large trees frequently attaining the length of 
 twenty or thirty feet, and is easily split so as to become as fine as a thread . 
 The roof is covered with leaves of another tree, called Tassi. Thus the whole 
 edifice is completed without lime, mortar, or a single nail ; and yet such a 
 building will stand several years without needing any repair*. 
 
276 MISSION IN SOUTH AMERICA. 
 
 their hearts, that wholly to eradicate them required constant 
 care and vigilance. Here again Arabini's firm and decided 
 opposition to every thing of a superstitious nature was of great 
 use. On the death of one of his relations, who had been a 
 zealous idol-priestess, he gave strict orders, that no pagan rites 
 should be performed at her funeral, The heathen, however, 
 availing themselves of his absence, pretended, that the deceased 
 was unwilling to be removed, and it was necessary first to in- 
 quire, who had been the cause of her death. They were pro- 
 ceeding to institute this inquiry, when Arabini arrived and, by 
 laying hold of the bier himself, convinced the heathen that the 
 corpse could be removed, and thus confounded the sorcerers. 
 This was a most fortunate circumstance, for their custom on 
 such occasions is shocking to humanity. The sorcerers pre- 
 tend they have discovered the murderer, and, fixing on some 
 miserable wretch, apply the most cruel tortures to extort a con- 
 fession of the alleged crime from him, and then put him to death 
 in a most barbarous manner. 
 
 By degrees, however, the savages themselves became ashamed 
 of this superstitious and cruel practice. In 1791, a woman 
 pretended that she had repeatedly dreamed that a man came 
 to her with a fire-brand in his hand, which she interpreted as a 
 sure indication, that he was a sorcerer and poison-mixer, and 
 consequently ought to be burned. A council was convened to 
 decide the fate of this unfortunate man. Arabini, (who, as 
 captain of the village presided at this consultation,) with the 
 unanimous approbation of all the counsellors, declared : "They 
 could pay no attention to such absurdities, and, if no other 
 evidence of the guilt of the accused person could be adduced 
 than foolish dreams, no one should dare to do him the least 
 injury.'"' Upon the whole, the pagan inhabitants of the village, 
 though they showed no disposition to be converted, laid no 
 further impediments in the way of their believing countrymen, 
 but evinced a spirit of toleration and liberality, when preparing 
 for any religious solemnity, and were even i-eady to assist them. 
 They, however, expected the same liberality from the Christian 
 Nc'^ros, and expressed displeasure when they refused to assist 
 them in their idolatrous festivities." 
 
MISSION IN SOUTH AMERICA. 277 
 
 In subsequent years the prospect became more exhilarating. 
 The missionary Wiez, in a letter, dated May 1793, writes : 
 " We enjoy many happy days with our small congregation of 
 believing Free-negros. Our Saviour leads them to more stead- 
 fast faith in his precious atonement, and grants them a gradual 
 increase in the knowledge of themselves and of his great love 
 to sinners. By means of the conversations of the Christian 
 Free-negros, who are stirred up to declare the truth to their 
 countrymen, the gospel spreads more and more in the upper 
 country, or highlands. Two heathen from those parts have 
 been baptized." A man, who at his baptism was called Paul, 
 evinced particular zeal. He had formerly been a zealous idol- 
 ater, and had never resided with the missionaries. Yet, it 
 was chiefly by his means that the awakening in the highlands 
 commenced ; and it was at his house that those, who desired 
 instruction, used to meet for religious exercise and edification. 
 
 The missionaries also made frequent excursions to the high- 
 lands, and found many attentive hearers in every village, where 
 they preached. They remarked it as a singular fact, that in 
 those villages, where the heathen sorcerers had formerly had 
 the greatest influence, the gospel now appeared to make the 
 deepest impression. Many of the highlanders expressed a 
 wish, that some of the brethren would settle among them, and 
 a spot of ground was chosen for the building of a house and 
 chapel. This, however, could not be executed. Frequently 
 there was only one missionary at New Bambey, who conse- 
 quently could not be absent ; and the roving disposition of the 
 Free-Negros, who are never long stationary in one place, threw 
 insurmountable obstacles in the way of its execution. For no 
 European constitution can bear the excessive fatigue and other 
 hardships, unavoidably connected with moving to and fro 
 through the forest. Many valuable lives of missionaries 
 have formerly been sacrificed in the attempt. 
 
 The missionaries, therefore, were obligeo: to content them- 
 selves with occasional visits to the highlands. These visits 
 were for some years chiefly undertaken by three of the native 
 assistants, who were much better able to endure the difficulties 
 of these journeys than Europeans. Their simple, but zealous 
 
278 MISSION IN SOUTH AMERICA. 
 
 testimony of Jesus and his atonement found ready entrance in 
 several places, and led to true conversion of heart. Thus, 
 ■when a missionary could pay a visit in those parts, he 
 found the way in a great measure prepared. He was not 
 only welcomed with joy by the Free-negros, who came in num- 
 bers to hear him, and often, after listening for nearly two hours 
 to a sermon, would request him to continue his discourse ; but 
 also discovered in some of them such evident signs of repent- 
 ance and a change of mind, that he felt no hesitation in ad- 
 mitting them to holy baptism. 
 
 In 1793 a death occurred at New Bambey, the attending 
 circumstances of which made a salutary impression upon the 
 minds of the inhabitants, especially the young people. Bro- 
 ther Wiez gives the following account of it : " August QOih 
 the Negro Cornelius, who had been out hunting, was brought 
 home very ill. He was yesterday bitten in the leg by a rattle- 
 snake and suffered very great pain, the swelling having spread 
 above the hip. In the following days the poison spread fur- 
 ther, and the offensive smell, occasioned by its effects, ren- 
 dered it very unpleasant to be with him, September 16th 
 being in great torment both of body and mind he sent for me. 
 He seized my hand with eagerness, and held me fast ; con- 
 fessed that even since his baptism he had frequently commit- 
 ted sin, and declared that he now felt forsaken of God, and 
 expected soon to be cast into everlasting darkness. 
 
 " His parents and younger brother, who were baptized, and 
 the former assistants in the mission, were present and exceed- 
 ingly affected. I encouraged the patient to turn with confi- 
 dence to Jesus, our compassionate Saviour, who had received 
 gifts for man, yea for the rebellious also. But lie refused com- 
 fort, and without reserve accused himself before all, who visited 
 him, as a miserable, perishing sinner, adding, that the Lord 
 would not now receive him, as he had behaved too wickedly. 
 
 " On the 18th, he again sent for me. He was in the same 
 state of despondency, and entreated me and all the Negros 
 present to pray for him, that he might receive mercy ; which 
 we did, kneeling round his bed ; and he himself prayed most 
 fervently and incessantly. When I visited him the day follow- 
 
MISSION IN SOUTH AMERICA. 279 
 
 iiig, he received me with joy, and said that he had obtained 
 forgiveness of his sins, and felt the peace of God in hislieart; 
 and that he now greatly desired soon to depart and be with 
 Christ. He then addressed the company present to the follow- 
 ing effect : ' Ah ! my friends, abide in Jesus ; give him your 
 whole heart ; and do not turn again to the ways of sin .- look 
 at me and consider how things have gone with me ! I am a 
 great sinner, but I have obtained mercy and pardon ! yea, most 
 assuredly every thing has been forgiven me ; I have obtained 
 mercy ! x\h ! join me to praise and thank our Saviour !' On 
 the 26tli he departed this life rejoicing. 
 
 " This man was the eldest son of our assistant Andrew, and 
 was under strong convictions when a boy. The best hopes 
 were entertained of his prosperity, and in 1784, he was ad- 
 mitted to the class of candidates for baptism. However he 
 deviated from the path of truth, and got entangled in the 
 snares of sin. God then made use of various extraordinary 
 means to bring him to reflection. Once, when fishing he was 
 bitten by a poisonous fish, and it was with difficulty that his 
 life was preserved. He showed signs of repentance for a sea- 
 son which, however, did not last. Some time after he was 
 attacked and bit by a wild-boar, and again lay dangerously ill. 
 He then confessed it to be a chastisement for his unfaith- 
 fulness, and seemed disposed to forsake his heathenish con- 
 nexions, and turn with his whole heart to the Lord. But, 
 alas! by degrees his good resolutions again vanished. Last 
 year, when hunting in the woods, a tyger sprang upon him 
 and tore him in a shocking manner. He now was brought 
 to more solid reflection, and expressed a great desire to 
 be truly converted. January 6th he was baptized, and for 
 a short time appeared to be seriously awakened. Yet he did 
 not remain faithful to the grace received, but seemed gradually 
 relapsing into his former habits. When, therefore, the above 
 mentioned accident happened, he immediately cried out : 
 ' This is of God, and a just judgment, which will cost me 
 my life'."* 
 
 • Per. Acct. Vol. ii. p. 65. 
 
280 MISSION IN SOUTH AMERICA. 
 
 Besides attending to their regular occupation of preaching, 
 keeping school and instructing their converts more fully in the 
 way of the Lord, the missionaries were diligently employed 
 in translating. Wiez revised the translation of the four gos- 
 pels, to which he added a version of the Acts of the Apostles 
 and the Epistles, and revised and enlarged the hymn-book in 
 use among them. And, though the increase of their congre- 
 gation was not rapid, yet they had frequently a considerable 
 number of hearers, and no year elapsed without the admission 
 of one or more heathen to baptism. From the commencement 
 of the mission in 1771, to the end of the eighteenth century, 
 fifty-nine heathen had been baptized, of whom seventeen had 
 died in the faith ; there were then forty nine persons belonging 
 to the congregation. 
 
 For several succeeding years no material change took place 
 in the affairs of this mission, but in 1810 dark and heavy clouds 
 seemed to rise in that quarter, and even to threaten the extinc- 
 tion of the light of the gospel. The missionaries remark : " If 
 ever the power of Satan was any where manifest, it is among 
 the Free-negros at Bambey. He exerts it by a host of diabo- 
 lical emissaries, by sorcerers and old witches, with their lying 
 fables and predictions, and by other heathen, who, having 
 been excited to enmity against the government, seem deter- 
 mined to expel the missionaries from the country, because they 
 are appointed to transact affairs between the Negros and govern- 
 ment. If it thereby becomes necessary to give up this agen- 
 cy, by which the station has hitherto been maintained, we can- 
 not much longer support a mission in this wild country. The 
 rebellious spirit, now prevailing among the Free-negros, has 
 also more or less influence upon our small flock of Christian 
 Negros, and we can find but few, and those chiefly among 
 the old people, who are to be depended upon as sincere and 
 faithful to their convictions. John Arabini finds his influence 
 and authority as captain inadequate to resist the overwhelming 
 torrent of wickedness and rage of the enemy. Nothing but 
 Almighty power can do this, and overcome and cast out Satan*."' 
 
 ♦ Vcv. Actl. Vol. V. p. 70. 
 
MISSION IN SOUTH AMEKICA. 281 
 
 This wild and ungovernable spirit began afterwards gradually 
 to abate, and the baptized became sensible of the loss they would 
 have sustained, if things had proceeded so far as to oblige their 
 teachers to leave them. Several came and penitently owned 
 their defection, expressing a sincere wish to be again restored 
 to true spiritual life. The missionaries, therefore, took fresh 
 courage, and, trusting in the grace and support of our Almighty 
 Saviour, resolved still to hold out at their difficult post, and bro- 
 ther Maehr and his wife being left alone at Bam bey, he resigned 
 the office of agent for the government among the Free-negros. 
 Hereby the maintenance of that station became more difficult and, 
 without the prospect of much eventual success, greatly increased 
 the general expense of the missions ; and as brother Maehr's 
 wife suffered much from illness, and no assistance could, un- 
 der existing circumstances, be speedily expected from Euroj^c, 
 it became necessary to suspend the mission in this quarter, at 
 least for some time. 
 
 Of all the statPJns, occupied by our missionaries in South 
 America, this may be justly deemed the most difficult. The 
 roving disposition of the Free-negros, and their superstitious 
 and idolatrous habits militated most strongly against the suc- 
 cess of the gospel. And the unhealthiness of the climate was 
 a constant source of severe trials to the missionaries. They 
 were not only frequently confined by sickness, but many depart- 
 ed this life almost as soon as they had arrived. Those, who 
 survived the seasoning fever, were often debilitated in their 
 constitution, and seldom could hold out many years, without 
 occasional visits to Europe or North America to recruit their 
 health. These frequent changes, besides other disadvantages, 
 were attended with this, that but few of the missionaries ac- 
 quired a competent knowledge of the Saramacca language. 
 
 To the hardships, connected with the situation of the mis- 
 sionaries at Bam bey, must likewise be reckoned the difficulty 
 of conveying provisions and other necessary articles from Par- 
 amaribo. The boats, which brought them, were frequently up- 
 s6t and the whole cargo lost, by which the missionaries suffered 
 very serious privations for many weeks. Equal difficulties, and 
 even dangers, attend their voyages to this unfrequented and se- 
 
284 MISSION IN SOUTH AMERICA. 
 
 Saviour. Brother Maehr, being more inured to hardships, 
 continued in good health and spirits. 
 
 " The next day we passed several cataracts. It is astonish- 
 ing to see what these people will do, sometimes rowing, some- 
 times jumping into the water and pushing the boat forward, at 
 other times they are obliged to swim and drag it along." 
 
 Having encountered the danger of ascending upwards of 
 twenty of these cataracts (or ledges of rocks across the whole 
 breadth of the river,) the travellers arrived safe and in good 
 health at Bambey, after a voyage of seven days from the time 
 they left Paramaribo, and of five days through the wilderness*. 
 
 SECTION V. 
 Paramaribo. 
 
 AT the time, when the Brethren were invited to begin a 
 mission among the Free-negros, brother Kersten, who has been 
 mentioned in the preceding section, was commissioned by the 
 directors of our missions, to inquire into the practicability of 
 serving the Negro-slaves in Paramaribo with the gospel. 
 This had been the pious desire of the Brethren from the very 
 commencement of their missionary labours in Surinam ; but, 
 for several years, serious obstacles impeded the execution of this 
 design. 
 
 At that pei'iod the proprietors of slaves and many other Eu- 
 ropean residents in Paramaribo were so strongly prejudiced 
 against the Brethren, that they were prohibited by government 
 admitting any of their neighbours to their family devotions, 
 the privileges, obtained from the Surinam Trading Company, 
 being exclusively intended to grant liberty to them to propa- 
 gate the gospel among the Indians, residing in the w-ilderness. 
 The circumstances of their other establishments in the country, 
 however, required, that one or more brethren should reside in 
 the capital, to serve as agents to the mission. In this view 
 Kcrsten and some other brethren lived there and established 
 the business of tailors, in which they employed hired Negros 
 
 Per. Acct. Vol. ii. p. I'JI. 
 
MISSION IN SOUTH AMERICA. 285 
 
 as journeymen and apprentices. The Lord blessed the labour of 
 their hands, so that in 1767 they were enabled to purchase a 
 house, with a large piece of ground adjoining, which they laid 
 out in a garden and burying-place. By degrees the prejudices 
 against them subsided, and they gained the esteem of both 
 high and low, and also of the government. 
 
 After patient waiting, the brethren Kersten and Rose had, 
 at length, in the year 1768, the joy to perceive a desire excited 
 in three of their Negros to be instructed in the doctrines of the 
 gospel. For this purpose they came every evening, when their 
 daily work was finished, to Kersten, who could speak with 
 them in their own language. These instructions were conti- 
 nued by Rose, during the absence of Kersten among the Free- 
 negros. Two or three other brethren, who were sent to the as- 
 sistance of Rose, fell asleep in Jesus soon after their arrival in 
 the country. Amidst these distressing occurrences the Lord 
 preserved the courage of brother Rose, and gave him pleasing 
 tokens, that his labour was not in vain. Two of the slaves, 
 whom he had instructed in Christianity, closed their earthly 
 pilgrimage in a very happy frame of mind, confidently relying 
 on the atonement of Jesus, and filled with assured hope of life 
 and immortality. During their sickness they cheerfully testi- 
 fied their faith in our Saviour. 
 
 In 1776 brother Kersten returned to Paramaribo to un- 
 dertake the general superintendence of the Surinam Mission. 
 In July the first Negro-slave was baptized, and the following 
 month seven more were, by this solemn rite, admitted to the 
 Church of Christ. These transactions were performed without 
 the least molestation, either on the part of government, or the 
 proprietors of the baptized Negros. 
 
 Meanwhile two brethren had arrived from Europe as assist- 
 ants in the mission. One of them commenced the business of 
 a baker, in order to lessen the expenditure of the general mis- 
 sionary fund. Besides the building required for this establish- 
 ment, their premises were further enlarged by the erection of 
 a chapel in 1778, and the year after government granted to the 
 mission a piece of land, without the precincts of the city, for a 
 burying-place 
 
28G MISSION IN SOUTH AMERICA. 
 
 The eagerness of the Negros to hear the gospel, and its 
 saving and converting influence on their souls, became more 
 and more evident. There were in general about two hundred 
 at the preaching, and scarce a month passed without the bap- 
 tism of one or more ; so that by the end of the year 1T79, their 
 congregation consisted of one hundred and one, besides forty, 
 who were receiving special instruction, with a view to their 
 admission to the sacred rite of baptism. 
 
 The conduct of the Christian Negros clearly evinced, that 
 their profession of the gospel was something more than a cold 
 assent to certain truths, and a formal observance of the external 
 ordinances of religion. The sincerity of their faith was repeat- 
 edly put to a severe trial. Of this the following may serve as 
 a proof Governor Texier, who had always shewn himself a 
 sincere friend to the Ijrethren, before his return to Europe, in 
 1789, gave several public entertainments to the gentlemen of 
 the colony. On these occasions he requested from the proprie- 
 tors of estates the service of such of their slaves, as had been 
 baptized. One day, while the heathen Negros were diverting 
 themselves at a dance, the governor went up to a female slave, 
 whom he had known as a celebrated dancer, but, who had now 
 joined the Christian Negros, and with a view to try the sincerity 
 of her profession, offered her a present if she would join in the 
 dance. But she remained firm to her purpose, steadfastly 
 refused taking any part in the merriment, and at last asked 
 him, whether he did not know, that at her baptism she had 
 changed her name from Ke(% to EUmbetky and was no longer 
 the same person. The governor, much pleased with her firm- 
 ness, replied in a friendly manner : ♦' Yes, I know it, and you 
 do right ; keep in this mind till the end of your life, and it will 
 be well for you."" 
 
 Two Negi'o women, on another occasion, met with a still 
 harder trial of their sincerity. Their mistress, a so-called 
 Christian, insisted on their joining in some necromantic tricks ; 
 but they declared that, on embracing the Christian faith, they 
 had abjured all heathenish superstitions, and therefore could no 
 longer take any part in them. Their mistress licreupon threat- 
 ened them with the severest punishment, if they persisted in 
 
MISSION IN SOUTH AMERICA. 287 
 
 their refusal. Undismayed by this, they gave each other a 
 reciprocal pledge, rather to suffer death itself, than deny the 
 Lord, by again practising pagan sorceries. 
 
 An example of fortitude no less striking, was exhibited by a 
 mulatto boy, only sixteen years of age. His master, who was a 
 Jew, being informed of his baptism, threatened to have him 
 bound and flogged. The boy courageously answered: *' That 
 you may do ; but you cannot thereby rob me of the Lord Jesus, 
 and the grace he bath imparted to me in these days.''' Fortu- 
 nately this poor lad met with a protector in an attorney, who 
 had hired him, and by whose interference the Jew was pre- 
 vented from doing him any injury. 
 
 Though these facts plainly indicate, that the animosity 
 against the Brethren, or rather against the gospel which they 
 preached, had not entirely subsided ; yet in general, their en- 
 deavours for the conversion of the Negros, and the consistent 
 conduct of the baptized, gained daily more esteem, so that most 
 proprietors were pleased when their slaves attended the preach- 
 ing. Exceptions in this respect were very rare, and if at any 
 time a case occurred, in which a master inflicted stripes, or other 
 ill treatment, on his slaves for their attendance at the Brethren''s 
 chapel, the Lord enabled them to bear such injuries with 
 patience, and even to rejoice, that they were deemed worthy 
 to suffer stripes for the name of Jesus. 
 
 A visitation to the mission in this country being deemed ne- 
 cessary, brother Liebisch, one of the directors of the missions, 
 proceeded to Paramaribo in 1790, and during his stay suc- 
 ceeded in making several regulations and arrangements, which 
 promised to promote the missionary cause in these parts. 
 
 The war, mIhcIi in the sequel broke out between Great 
 Britain and Holland, rendered the situation of the missionaries 
 very precarious. They were for many months cut off from all 
 communication both with Europe and North America, provisions 
 became scarce and rose to an enormous price, and, what was 
 still more distressing, no assistants could come to them, though 
 their accumulated and increasing labours required the accession 
 of several missionaries. These difficulties, however, were con- 
 siderably lessened after the English had taken possession of the 
 colony. 
 
288 MISSION IN SOUTH AMKKICA. 
 
 Notwithstanding these external impediments, their exertions 
 for the spiritual benefit of the Negro slaves, were crowned with 
 success. Many were awakened and embraced the gospel ; so 
 that in 1800, the baptized Negros amounted to three hundred 
 and fifteen, besides a considerable number of catechumens, and 
 regular hearers at their chapel in Paramaribo. 
 
 As an additional instance, to those already related, of the un- 
 healthiness of the climate, and the dcvotedness of heart to God 
 and his cause, required in persons who engage in missionary 
 labours in this country, it may here be mentioned, that in 1805 
 brother Nitschke departed this life in the short space of a week 
 after his arrival. 
 
 Such occurrences, wliich were by no means unfrequent, not 
 only proved very afflictive to the surviving missionaries, but 
 greatly augmented their labours ; for the Lord continued to 
 prosper their work in a remarkable manner. In a letter, dated 
 August the 30th, 1814, the missionaries remark : " The work 
 of God among the Negros in Paramaribo continues to in- 
 crease, and we have great reason to rejoice, and take courage, 
 when we see such marked proofs of the divine blessing upon our 
 feeble ministry. Sometimes, indeed, occurrences happen which 
 give us much pain, when people who have begun well, turn 
 again aside, and follow the world and the will of the flesh. 
 We mourn over all those whom we are obliged, on that account, 
 to exclude from our fellowship. 
 
 *' Our monthly prayer-days, as likewise the communion-days, 
 are always distinguished by a particular experience of the 
 grace and love of our Saviour towards his flock. Since the 
 commencement of the year, forty-four adults and eight chil- 
 dren have been baptized ; forty-four have been made partakers 
 of the Lord's Supper ; eight adults and eight children have 
 departed this life. There is also a continual accession of new 
 people, who fill the vacancies occurring in this division, by the 
 baptism of others. The meetings, on Tuesday and Friday 
 evenings, for the reading of the Bible, are frequented by 
 many hearers, particularly by strangers, whose behaviour is 
 marked with such attention and devotion as one could hardly 
 expect from people naturally restless and noisy." 
 
MISSION IN SOUTH AMERICA. 289 
 
 The benefit, derived by the Negros from their attendance ota 
 the meetings for reading and expounding the holy Scriptures, 
 was greatly increased by the generous donation from the British 
 and Foreign Bible Society of Dutch bibles and testaments, 
 as it enabled them to read over at home and meditate upon those 
 portions of holy writ, which they had heard read and explained 
 in the chapel. At the same time the directors of our missions 
 provided for the instruction of the children, by publishing for 
 their use a Summary of Christian doctrine in Negro-English. 
 Since then they have likewise published the Harmony of the 
 four gospels in the vernacular dialect of the Negros. This in- 
 creased the eagerness, not only of the children but also of many 
 adult persons, to learn to read, in which several attained con- 
 siderable proficiency. 
 
 According to the latest intelligence, received from that quar- 
 ter, ninety-one persons were baptized in 1815, and the number 
 of the congregation amounted to six hundred and sixty-three* 
 t)f whom five luuidred and fifteen were communicants. 
 
 SECTION VL 
 
 Sommelsdyke. 
 
 The missionaries in Paramaribo did not confine their la- 
 bours to the regular ministry of the gospel in their own chapel 
 in that city ; but by frequent visits to the circumjacent planta- 
 tions endeavoured to diffuse the knowledge of God and our 
 Saviour among the slaves in every part of the colony. 
 
 Government, approving of their laudable exertions, in the 
 year 1785 consigned to them a piece of land on the river Com- 
 mewyne, where a fortification had formerly stood, called Som- 
 melsdyke. After taking possession of this ground, which 
 contained about fifty acres, thickly overgrown with wood and 
 one entire swamp, the missionaries were obliged to spend much 
 time and money in clearing and draining it, before they could 
 erect the necessary buildings. Having in some degree accom- 
 plished this by the aid of hired Negros, the missionaries L* 
 Haidt and Corn. Clausen moved thither in April 1786 ; but 
 
290 MISSION IN SOUTH AMERICA. 
 
 both of them in a few weeks finished their earthly pilgrimage, 
 probably owing to the heavy damps rising from the land, which 
 was not yet sufficiently drained. Two brethren from Parama- 
 ribo undertook the service at this station, till brother Wiez 
 and his wife arrived there in September from Bambey. 
 
 In a religious point of view the prospect was very cheering. 
 Their sermons were in a short time attended by upwards of a 
 hundi'ed and fity hearers, among whom were Negros from seve- 
 ral adjoining estates. Before the end of the year above forty 
 had been baptized, and the number of the regular catechumens 
 amounted to upwards of one hundred and fifty. 
 
 Difficulties, however, were not wanting. Some proprietors 
 of estates knew so little of the gospel, that they considered its 
 diffusion among the slaves as perfectly useless, and on this ac- 
 count would scarcely permit their attendance at church, much 
 less promote the good cause, though they treated the missiona- 
 ries, as neighbours, with every mark of civility. Other gentle- 
 men commended the exertions of^the Brethren, but refused per- 
 mission to their slaves to go to Sommklsdyke, requiring that 
 the missionaries should come and preach to them on their re- 
 spective plantations, in which case they promised to give their 
 Negros sufficient time to receive religious instruction, and, when 
 baptized, allow them occasionally to go to church. The chief 
 reason for these restrictions must be sought for, not so much in 
 aversion to the gospel, as in the difficulty attcn<ling their visits 
 to SoMMELSDYKE. They could not get there any way but by 
 water. These little voyages were often dangerous, and at times, 
 when the slaves obtained permission to go, they could not 
 procure a boat to carry them. These circumstances obliged 
 the missionaries to spend most of their time in visits to the dif- 
 ferent plantations. 
 
 In March 1788 an event occurred, which increased the diffi- 
 culties just mentioned, and impeded the progress of the mission. 
 One day twelve Negro women and one man went in an old 
 crazy boat to Souimelsdyke. The harder they found it to ob- 
 tain permission to go, and to procure a conveyance, the more 
 eager were they to improve the opportunity, numbers pressed 
 forward, and thus the boat was too heavily laden. They, how- 
 
MISSION IN SOUTH AMERICA. 291 
 
 ever, reached Sommelsdykk without any accident, but on 
 their return the boat sunk. Three Negro women were drowned ; 
 the rest saved themselves by swimming. One of the women, 
 who could swim, ventured three times into the water to assist 
 others ; but during her last effort her strengtli was exhausted, 
 and slie lost her own life wliilc endeavourhig to save that of 
 otliers. 
 
 It was to be expected that this occurrence would deter many 
 proprietors and managers of estates from suffering their Negros 
 to go to church. Some of them, after a friendly conversation 
 with the missionaries, in which they acknowledged the great 
 utility, resulting from their endeavours to instruct the slaves 
 in Christianity, promised to provide a better boat for their 
 Negros, that they might not be prevented attending divine 
 worship. One of the managers, however, did all he could to 
 frustrate the benevolent intentions of the rest. He so increased 
 the labour of those slaves, who belonged to the congregation at 
 SoMMELSDYKE, that they could not attend divine service on 
 Sunday*; and when the missionaries came to his estate he 
 would not suffer them to speak to the Negros ; he even threat- 
 ened the latter with punishment, if he observed any of them 
 salute the missionaries. Better disposed managers occasionally 
 gave them a free day in the week, which was religiously ob- 
 served like a sabbath. The manager of a certain estate always 
 notified it to the missionaries whenever he gave his slaves one, 
 or more free days, that they might improve such opportunities 
 for the instruction of their converts. 
 
 Notwithstanding all the hindrances thrown in their way, the 
 missionaries had the joy to see the work of conversion proceed 
 in stillness, yet with evident marks, that it was the work of God 
 and not of inaii. At the close of 1789, though within that 
 very year a considerable number had been carried off by the 
 small-pox,-f- upwards of a hundred baptized Negros belonged 
 
 * It is, alas ! no uncommon thing in this country to oblige the Negros to 
 work on Sunday. 
 
 f This distemper, which had not been known in the country for twenty- 
 four years, was brought thither in September 1789 by a slave ship. It raged 
 with great violence, especially in the town of Paramaribo, where it proved far 
 wore fatal than on the plantations, upwards of 'seventy dying sometimes in 
 
292 MISSION IN SOUTH AMERICA. 
 
 to SoMMELSDYKE, besides many others, who were enjoying re- 
 gular instruction in the saving truths of the gospel. 
 
 On the one hand, the missionaries in subsequent years still 
 met with occasional obstructions to their benevolent exertions 
 from the stewards on some of the estates ; but on the other 
 hand, they had many clear proofs that the Lord smiled on their 
 labours, and that if he is pleased to prosper the work of his ser- 
 vants, no human opposition can prevent its progress. The 
 congregation at Sommelsdyke consisted in 1816 of one hun- 
 dred and four baptized Negros, besides a number of catechu- 
 mens. Many circumstances, related in the preceding section, 
 might be repeated here, as they affected the missionary cause 
 at this station no less than in Paramaribo. 
 
 On February S5th, 1816, the British ceded the colony to 
 the Dutch. The new governor, agreeably to the express in- 
 structions he had received from the king of the Netherlands, 
 promised his protection to the missionaries. It is only paying 
 a just tribute of gratitude to the late English governor, general 
 Bonham, to acknowledge the very kind attention he uniformly 
 evinced towards them, and the lively and generous interest he 
 took in the mission. 
 
 We shall close the history of the missionary labours of the 
 Brethren in South America, with enumerating the number of 
 missionaries employed, and of heathen converted by their 
 means, from the beginning of the mission in this country, to 
 the commencement of the present century, comprising a term 
 of sixty-five years. During this period 159 brethren and sis- 
 ters had served the mission, 75 of them had departed this life 
 in the country, 63 had returned to Europe, and 21 were still 
 actively engaged in the Lord's service on the different stations 
 in Guiana. During the same period there had been baptized 
 by them 855 Indians, 59 Free-negros , and 731 Negro'slaves 
 and Mulattos, making a total of 1645 persons. Of this num- 
 ber 658 had died in the faith of the gospel, 594 were still living 
 and enjoying the instruction of the missionaries, and the re- 
 maining 393 had forsaken the fellowship of the believers. 
 
 one day. The whole number of deaths to the end of the year \%-as computed 
 to excee<l three thousand. 
 
CHAP. V. 
 
 MISSION IN THE WEST INDIES. 
 
 THE West Indies comprehend a number of larger and 
 emaller islands, lying, nearly in the form of a crescent, between 
 North and South America, extending across the entrance of the 
 Gulf of Mexico, from the north-west extremity of the Bahama 
 islands, off the coast of Florida, to the island of Tobago, 120 
 miles from the coast of Terra Firma. 
 
 These islands have for a long series of years been in the 
 possession of different European states. Those islands, in 
 which the Brethren have established missions, are either subject 
 to the dominions of England, or belonging to the crown of 
 Denmark. The population, besides the European settlers, 
 consists chiefly of Negros and Mulattos. The Negros, having 
 been imported from Africa for the purpose of cultivating the 
 soil, were held in a state of the most degrading and cruel sla- 
 very, till after the passing of the Abolition act, by which 
 their condition was considerably meliorated, at least in those 
 islands, which are under British dominion. 
 
 It is presumed that the reader is sufficiently acquainted 
 with the situation, the climate and other circumstances, pecu- 
 liar to the West Indies, to render further details on these 
 subjects necessary. We may, therefore, proceed to the history 
 of the missionary exertions of the Brethren narrating them in 
 the order of time, in which they respectively commenced, 
 
 SECTION I. 
 
 Danish West India Islands. 
 
 WITH an attempt to instruct the Negro slaves in these 
 islands the Brethren commenced their endeavours for the con- 
 version of the heathen. They began their labours in the year 
 
294 MISSION Ii\ THE WEST INDIES. 
 
 1732, wlien brother Leonard Dober,* accompanied by brother 
 David Nitschman, left Hernihut and proceeded to the island 
 of St. Thomas. Many picas individuals, with whom they be- 
 came acquainted on their journey, raised very strong objections 
 against their undertaking.-}- Similar objections were repeated 
 in Copenhagen, and the most appalling representations made to 
 them of the difficulties and dangers, to which they would ex- 
 pose themselves. But they were not intimidated: and the 
 unshaken trust, which they reposed in the help of the Lord, 
 who they believed had called them to this work, at length in- 
 duced several persons of distinction to interest themselves in 
 their behalf Some counsellors of state bade them farewell in 
 these words : " Go, then, in the name of God; our Saviour 
 chose fishermen to preach his gospel; and he himself was a 
 carpenter and was called the son of a carpenter." 
 
 They arrived in St. Thomas on the 13th of December, igno- 
 rant in what manner and place they might obtain a livehhood ; 
 but God had provided for them. A friend in Copenhagen 
 had, without their knowledge, written to a well disposed plan- 
 ter in the island, who received them into his house; and brother 
 Nitschman, engaging in his trade as a carpenter, soon earned 
 a sufficiency for their maintenance. 
 
 Immediately on their arrival they made inquiry for Anthony's 
 sister Anna, and her brother Abraham. :|: They received the 
 testimony of salvation by grace, through faith in Jesus, with 
 demonstrations of heartfelt joy. It was not long before other 
 Negros visited them, and earnestly begged for instruction. 
 This greatly animated the missionaries, who, when observing 
 the eagerness, with which the poor slaves listened to the woi*d 
 of reconciliation, gladly endured reproach and poverty. || 
 
 Many^months had not elapsed, before they were obliged to 
 
 • Sec p. 2. f The only person who encouraged them in their work, was 
 the countess of Stolbcrq; in Werniijfcrode, who remarked, '' that our Saviour 
 wa-s worthy, that hi.s servants should be willing even to .sacrifice their lives 
 in his cause." I See p. 2. 
 
 li The language, spoken by the Negros in the Danish Islands, is a mixture 
 of Dutch and a low dialect of the German, which renders it very easy of 
 acquisition to a native of Germany. 
 
MISSION IN THE WEST INDIES. 295 
 
 separate, as brother Nitschman, who had only accompanied his 
 friend, returned to Europe in April 1 7S3. The faith of the 
 iatter was put to a very severe trial, being now left without any 
 visible means of support, as he could not follow his occupation 
 of a potter, owing to the Avant of clay of a proper quality. 
 Yet he did not lose his courage ; and in a few weeks governor 
 Gardelin, who was a })ious man, made him tlie offer of being 
 steward of his household. Dober accepted it on condition, that 
 he should be permitted to instruct the Negros, whenever his 
 master did not require his services. But he soon found, that 
 this situation left him too little leisure for the prosecution of 
 his missionary calling, and therefore in 1734< requested his 
 dismission. He now hired a small room in the village of 
 Tappiis, and, by watching on the plantations and other ser- 
 vices, earned a scanty livelihood, which enabled him to pay 
 his rent, and procure bread and water ; for he seldom had any 
 thing better. His serenity of mind, however, did not forsake 
 him ; and he had it now in his power to devote all his time to 
 the instruction of the Negros. 
 
 The year 1733 was signalized by very distressing occur- 
 rences in the Danish West Indies. Famine and contagious 
 diseases carried off many people in St. Thomas. About the 
 same time the Negros in the island of St. Jan revolted, took 
 possession of the Fort, and cruelly murdered all those Europe- 
 ans, who had not time to effect their escape. The rebellion 
 continued above half a year, and the atrocities, commitLed by 
 the insurgents, spread consternation through the other islands, 
 and both the white population and the Negros were kept in 
 constant terror of each other.* 
 
 These events rendered the labours of brother Dober doubly 
 difficult ; but, while he was thus struggling with poverty and 
 oppressed with many anxious cares, fourteen brethren and four 
 
 * The rebellion was uot suppressed till the governor sent a strong force of 
 mulattos to the island. The rebels, finding resistance vain, resorted to the 
 following horrid expedient, in order to avoid beiug made prisoners. One 
 after the other suffered hiiuself to be shot by the ringleaders, and when they 
 had completed their murderous work, they shot themselves. Risler Part ii 
 Sec. 2. p. 14. 
 
^6 MISSION IN THE WEST INDIES. 
 
 sisters were on their way, partly destined for missionary serrice 
 in St. Thomas, and partly designed to begin a colony in the 
 island of St. Croix. 
 
 This voyage was one of the most perilous, made by any of 
 our missionaries to these islands. They sailed from Stettin on 
 the 12th of November 1733. As the crew and passengers 
 amounted to nearly one hundred persons, they were exceedingly 
 crowded. Our brethren were confined to a room, below the 
 second deck, only ten feet square, and so low that they could 
 not even sit upright, but were obliged mostly to lie on the 
 floor. The hardships of their situation were greatly increased 
 as the stormy weather sometimes for several days prevented 
 their going on deck. Stress of weather forced the captain to 
 run into the harbour of Tremmesand in Norway, and to winter 
 there. Not expecting to be so long detained in this place, 
 they stayed on board for some time ; but afterwards hired a room 
 in the village, and by spinning, cutting wood, &c., earned 
 enough to pay the rent. At the end of three months they 
 once more set sail ; but had again to encounter many hard 
 gales, and when they reached the torrid zone they suffered ex- 
 treme distress from the smallness of the apartment and want 
 of water, which greatly debilitated them. After spending 
 more than half a year on their journey and voyage they landed 
 at St. Thomas on the 11th of June. 
 
 Two months after the arrival of this company brother Dober 
 returned to Europe, having been chosen Elder of the congrega- 
 tion at Herrnhut, in the place of brother Linner, who had 
 entered into the joy of his Lord. After his removal, those 
 brethren, who had come out to succeed him in his labours, in a 
 short time falling victims to the climate, the mission in St. 
 Thomas suffered a temporary suspension. 
 
 With a view to renew it, brother Frederick Martin and 
 another brother arrived in March, 1736, in St. Thomas. The 
 foymer was in an eminent manner qualified for the work of a 
 missionary, and endowed with peculiar talents for instructing 
 the NegTos. The catechumens, left by brother Dober, greatly 
 rejoiced at his arrival. Their number was daily increasing, so 
 l^tat iv a few months, upwards of two hundred attended his in- 
 
MISSION IN THK WEST INDIES. 297 
 
 structions. On several of these the gospel displayed its convert- 
 ing power ; and on the 30th of September three men were 
 added to the Church by holy baptism, as the first fruits of the 
 Negro slaves in this island. The benign influence of the 
 gospel began to evidence itself, in a very striking manner, in 
 the altered behaviour of many of those Negros, wlio attended 
 the meetings. This was acknowledged by several proprietors, 
 and induced them to favour the mission. One of them as- 
 sisted the missionaries, who still lodged in the village of Tappus^ 
 to purchase a small plantation, of which they took possession 
 in August 1737, and gave it the name of Posaunenbicrg. 
 
 On the other hand adversaries were not wanting, who opposed 
 the work in every possible way, and rigorously forbade their 
 slaves all intercourse with their teachers, thereby aiming at the 
 total ruin of the mission. By false accusations they at length 
 succeeded so far, that, towards the end of October, the mission- 
 aries were thrown into prison. But the Word of God was not 
 bound ; the awakened Negros continued to meet together for 
 edification, and sometimes assembled in great numbers under 
 the windows of the prison, where they joined in singing and 
 prayer. These meetings likewise afforded their teachers an 
 opportunity of testifying to them of the grace of God in Christ 
 Jesus. Concerning this period brother Martin writes: " Since 
 our arrest the Negro-congregation is daily increasing, and our 
 Saviour strikingly manifests the power of his grace among them. 
 By our confinement some white people are brought to serious 
 reflection. I believe the Lord will make it a blessing to the 
 whole island. Even in the fort some good has been done. 
 There is scarce a soldier now, who ventures to defame us, 
 though at first they were wicked enough so to do. I cannot 
 describe what the Lord is doing. May he enable us to be a 
 light to our fellow-men ; and may he make us more faithful, 
 more active and useful in his service, whether we remain in 
 prison, or are set at liberty. I am determined, through the 
 grace of God, to persevere, waiting on him to overrule all for 
 his own glory. Be of good courage ; many hundred persons in 
 St. Thomas are praying to the Lord for our deliverance." 
 
 While the missionaries were in confinement, and before they 
 
298 MISSION IN THE WEST INDIES. 
 
 could transmit any intelligence of their situation to Euroj)e, 
 Count Zinzendorf resolved to visit St. Thomas. He took two 
 brethren and their wives with him, to serve in the mission, and 
 arrived in the island by the end of January 1 739. He im- 
 mediately waited on the governor, requesting the liberation 
 of the missionaries. This was granted the next day, accom- 
 panied by an apology on the part of the governor for what had 
 happened. He also made certain proposals, relative to the con- 
 tinuance of the mission ; but they were of such a nature, that 
 the Brethren could not accede to them, and therefore resolved 
 to appeal to the king himself 
 
 Count Zinzendorf was filled with astonishment at the extent 
 of the work, in which the missionaries were engaged. For by 
 this time the number of the Negros, wlio regularly attended 
 the preaching of the gospel, amounted to eight hundred. They 
 assembled every evening, as soon as their daily labour was 
 done, and the Count frequently addressed them himself Hav- 
 ing in a solemn manner delivered a farewell-charge to them, 
 the baptized followed him into the village. On their way they 
 were attacked by some white people with sticks and drawn 
 swords, and dispersed. Hereupon' the white people proceeded 
 to the Brethren's plantation, beat and wounded the Negros, who 
 were there, and, during the absence of the missionaries, forced 
 their way into the house, breaking and destroying allthe furniture- 
 The governor expressed his strong disapprobation of this out- 
 rage, aud promised restitution of the damage they had sus- 
 tained. The Count declared that he desired no restitution, 
 but only protection for his bretliren, and liberty to preach to 
 the Negros. Notwithstanding the interference of the governor 
 similar acts of violence were soon again committed, and even 
 the missionaries themselves were maltreated. For a while, 
 therefore, it became necessary to keep the meetings in the wood, 
 and appoint watchmen, to guard the congregation against 
 any sudden attack ; but in a few weeks these outrages were 
 suppressed. 
 
 Before the Count"'s return to Europe the Negro^men gave 
 him a petition to be presented to the king of Denmark, praying 
 for liberty to be instructed in religion ; the Negro-women also 
 
MISSION IN THE WEST INDIES. 299 
 
 gave him a similar petition to the queen. These documents, 
 seconded by a written representation from the Count himgelf, 
 had the effect, that an order was passed at the Danish Court, 
 dated August 7th, 1739, securing liberty and protection to the 
 Brethren in jn-eaching to the Negros*. 
 
 The sufferings of the missionaries, however, did not entirely 
 cease ; but they were attended with very salutary effects. They 
 
 * Literal translation of the two petitions referred to: 
 1st. Pctiiion to the King: "Most gracious lord King! Now we have hope 
 that your majesty will command, that we may continue to learn to know the 
 Lord" Jesus. We remain immoveable, if it please God our Lord ; though 
 we are Teatly oppressed by men, who come and beat and cut us, when massa 
 teaches us. They burn our books and say, 'the Negros must not be saved ; a 
 baptized Negro is fuel for hell-fire.' They have put the brethren, whom "jod 
 hath sent to us, and who are the only survivors of twenty, for three 33a«nths 
 into the fort, and now they intend to expel them the country. They all ap- 
 peal to your majesty and say : 'You had forbidden, that the Negros should 
 be made acquainted with our Saviour, and would shortly send massa Marti, 
 nus away.' But we do not believe this, and we pray your majesty, to permit 
 us to be instructed in the knowledge of the Lord, and remain in connection 
 with the Brethren's Church ; for we wish to go with them to our Saviour. 
 We will be obedient to our masters in all things ; we only wish to send our 
 souls to heaven to the Lord Jesus. Formerly we have defrauded our masters, 
 stolen provisions, run away, and been idle. But now things are very difler- 
 ent, as the masters themselves very well know. Many a Negro for his wicked 
 deeds, has resolutely suffered his hands and feet to be cut off; wc will cheer- 
 fully put our necks under the axe for the Lord Jesus and his congregation, 
 if our masters, as they say, will kill us. God, the Lord, bless our most gra- 
 cious King a thousand times. W ritten in St. Thomas the 15th of February, 
 in the name of more than six hundred and fifty scholars of the Lord Jesus, 
 who are instructed by massa Martinus. Signed by Peter and three other na- 
 tive assistants." 
 
 2nd. Petition to the Queen, written hy Magdalene, one of the female assistants: 
 " Great Queen ! When I was in Papaa in Africa I served Mr. Mahu. Now 
 when I have come into the land of the white people, they will not suffer me 
 to serve the Lord Jesus. The white people will not obey him, and they may 
 do as they please. But when the poor, black brethren and sisters wish to 
 serve the Lord Jesus, they are looked upon as maroons (run-away Negros.) 
 If it seemeth good to the Queen, may your majesty pray to the liord Jesus 
 for us, and pray likewise the King, that he may permit massa Martinus to 
 preach the Word of the Lord, that we may learn to know the Lord ; and that 
 he may baptize us Negros. The Lord preserve and bless you, together with 
 your son and daughter, and the whole family. I shall not cease praying to 
 the Lord Jesus for you. Written in the name of more than two hundred and 
 fifty Negro-women, who love the Lord Jesus."— Risler, Part ii. Sec. 2. p. 40 
 —42. 
 
300 MISSION IN THE WEST INDIES. 
 
 prevented insincere profession ; and, refined by this fiery trial, 
 the true and upright believers ever established in the faith. 
 Many years after they used to speak of this period, as a season 
 of great searching of heart, and to remark, that their love to 
 Jesus was so fervent, that they were ready joyfully to suffer 
 for his sake; and that the most cordial brotherly love prevailed 
 among them. They might be said to give themselves wholly 
 unto praver ; for, besides meeting every evening for prayer 
 and exhortation, they made a regulation among themselves, 
 that one or more in rotation should spend the whole night in 
 prayer. 
 
 The remark of the missionaries, when imprisoned, that the 
 work of the Lord was not bound, continued in subsequent years 
 to be strikingly verified. Besides preaching the gospel on their 
 own plantation, the proprietors of three other estates permitted 
 them to visit their Negros, to instruct them in reading, and 
 proclaim to them the glad tidings of salvation. In 1 740 bro- 
 ther Martin writes : " Scarce a day passes but some of these 
 poor creatures call upon us, bemoaning their sin and misery, 
 and weeping for grace. When we walk out, we frequently ob- 
 serve one here and another there praying and crying to the 
 Lord Jesus, for cleansing from sin by his precious blood. The 
 power of the word of atonement, in convincing them of sin, and 
 in magnifying the riches of divine grace, is truly astonishing. 
 
 In this manner the work of the Lord was constantly increas- 
 ing; on one day forty, and on another ninety Negros were 
 added to the Church by baptism. But this extension of the 
 work, while it gladdened the hearts of the missionaries, re- 
 quired services, which almost exceeded the strength of the 
 stoutest constitution. They were subject to repeated attacks 
 of illness, and scarce a year elapsed, but one, or more of their 
 number finished their earthly career. This mission was thus 
 continually needing a fresh accession of labourers ; yet in the 
 European congregations persons were always found, who were 
 willing to supply the places of those that had entered into rest. 
 
 In 1747 brother Martin paid a visit to Europe, and, having 
 presented a memorial to the king of Denmark, obtained a new 
 roy&l rescript in favour of the mission, by which every thing, 
 
MISSION IN THE WEST INDIES. 301 
 
 relative to its uninterrupted continuance, was regulated accord- 
 ing to the wishes of the Brethren. 
 
 Two years after bishop Johannes von Watteville held a vis- 
 itation in the three Danish islands, for the purpose of inquir- 
 ing into the state of the mission and assisting the brethren, em- 
 ployed in it, with his advice and counsel. He found that the? 
 labour of the missionaries had been less prosperous for some 
 time, comparatively few had been admitted to baptism, many 
 of the baptized had been discouraged, by a too rigid exercise of 
 discipline, and some of the missionaries had been disheartened 
 and nearly lost their hopes. It was, therefore, resolved to treat 
 all those, who had withdrawn, with kindness, and in every case, 
 when their professions appeared sincere, to receive them again 
 into fellowship. The consequence was, that a new awakening 
 arose, which extended to the yet unbaptized catechumens, and 
 by degrees spread through the whole island. Every evening 
 the meetings were frequented by two or three hundred, and on 
 Sundays by eight or nine hundred. On one Sunday no fewer 
 than three hundred and eighty Negros requested to have their 
 names enrolled among the catechumens ; the whole number of 
 whom, in a short time, amounted to nine hundred, not inclu- 
 ding from two to three hundred children. During bishop 
 Watteville's stay in the island, which lasted two months, above 
 a hundred persons were baptized. Among these were several 
 old, blind, and lame people, who came from a considerable dis- 
 tance. Hitherto the missionaries had been scrupulous about 
 the baptism of infants, but they now came to a resolution, to 
 baptize the children of believing parents as soon after the birth 
 as convenient. 
 
 The governor and most other gentlemen in this and the two 
 adjacent islands behaved with great politeness to bishop Wat- 
 teville, and gave the Christian Negros the testimony of good 
 conduct, requesting that the vacancies, occasioned by the 
 deaths or removals of missionaries, might be filled up as soon 
 as possible. 
 
 Among those zealous servants of God, who about this time 
 were called to receive the reward of their labours, was brother 
 Frederick Martin, who entered into the joy of his Lord iw 
 
30-2 MISSION IN THE WEST INDIES. 
 
 1750, after zealously serving the Negros with the gospel for fif- 
 teen years, and that during the most difficult period of the 
 mission*. 
 
 After the return of bishop Watteville the mission in this 
 island continued in a flourishing state. In 1753 the missionaries 
 chano-ed the name of their plantation from Posaunenberg to 
 New Herrnhut; and, having purchased an estate on the op- 
 posite side of the island, called it Nisky. In both these places 
 they published the glad tidings of salvation to great numbers 
 of eager hearers ; and upwards of an hundred were annually 
 added to the Church by baptism. They had also a small meet- 
 ing-house in the village of Tappiis, chiefly for the convenience 
 of the sick and infirm. They likewise preached on several 
 estates, and many hundred children, living dispersed through 
 the whole island, were diligently visited and instructed by bro- 
 ther Ronner. They were greatly assisted in their labours by 
 the native assistants, of whom they had twenty-four, whose 
 private exhortations, no less than their public testimonies of the 
 gospel, were often strikingly blessed to their countrymen. 
 Most of the planters became convinced, that the instruction of 
 the Negros tended to their own advantage, and therefore gladly 
 promoted their baptism and attendance at church, requesting 
 the missionaries to visit them frequently. Government also, 
 both at home and abroad, acknowledged the beneficial effects 
 of their labours, and whenever required was ready to afford 
 them protection. 
 
 In order to trace the beginning of the missionary establish- 
 ments of the Brethren in the adjacent Danish islands, it is 
 necessary to go back a few years in the narrative. 
 
 In the year 1733 the West India and Guinea Company at 
 Copenhagen made a purchase of the large and fine island of St. 
 Croix, which had been abandoned by the French for the space 
 of forty years, and, having remained so long uncultivated, had 
 become a perfect wilderness. The Lord Chamberlain, Count 
 De Pless, who had kindly patronised the mission to Greenland, 
 
 • It is worthy of notice, that near fifty brethren and sisters, employed in 
 the missionary establishments in the three Danish islands, had departed this 
 |ife, within seventeen years. Risler, Part ii. Sec. 2. p. 52. 
 
MISSION IN THE WEST INDIES. 303 
 
 possessed six estates in this island. With a view to the culti- 
 vation of these lands, and the instruction of his Negros, he 
 applied to Count Zinzendorf for two brethren as overseers on 
 each of his plantations. The request was no sooner made 
 known to the congregation at Herrn'hut, than several bre- 
 thren and sisters offered themselves to form a colony in St. 
 Croix, in hopes of thereby obtaining an opportunity for preach- 
 ing the gospel to the slaves. Count Zinzendorf indeed had 
 serious objections to this scheme, fearing lest the colonists, by 
 the unavoidable cares and labours of a temporal nature, which 
 the situation required, should be diverted from tlieir chief ob- 
 ject ; but as the majority of votes was in favour of the measure, 
 he acquiesced. Out of those, who offered themselves for this 
 undertaking, four married couples and ten unmarried brethren 
 Were selected ; some of whom were destined for the mission in 
 St. Thomas. 
 
 After a most perilous voyage*, and a short stay in St. 
 Thomas, the colonists arrived in St. Croix about midsummer 
 in 17S4, taking twelve Negros with them to assist in the culti- 
 vation of the lands. But the insalubrity of the climate, ad- 
 ded to their incessant labours, in which they exerted them- 
 selves beyond their strength, soon impaired their health ; they 
 all fell sick, and before the end of the year ten of them finish- 
 ed their mortal race. In 1735 their places were supplied by 
 eleven persons ; and Doctor (rrothaus, a celebrated physician 
 in Copenhagen, without the knowledge of the Brethren, went 
 thither also, for the purpose of assisting them with his medi- 
 cal skill ; but he died almost immediately on his arrival. In 
 other respects too the colony did not answer ; the survivors 
 therefore f being only nine out of twenty-nine,) partly returned to 
 Europe, and partly proceeded to St. Thomas to assist in that 
 mission. 
 
 Though the colonizing system in St. Croix was thus relin- 
 quished, the Brethren did not altogether give up their exer- 
 tions for the conversion of the Negros. The missionaries in 
 St. Thomas occasionally visited this island, especially brother 
 
 * See p. 296. 
 
304 MISSION IN THE WEST INDIES. 
 
 Mai'tin, whose testimony of the gospel never failed to urrest 
 the attention of the Negros, and create an earnest desire in 
 them to be regularly instructed ; and this desire was not a lit- 
 tle increased by such slaves, as had been awakened in St. 
 Thomas, and were from time to time sold to proprietors of 
 estates in St. ('roix. 
 
 When this intelligence reached Europe several brethren of- 
 fered themselves as missionaries for this island. Among these 
 we notice in particular Albinus Theodore Feder, a student of 
 theology, who, being properly ordained, was confirmed by a 
 Toyal rescript, and furnished with a mandate for his protection 
 against lawless people ; and Christian Gottlieb Israel. Israel 
 was born of poor parents, educated in the orphan-house at Herrn- 
 hut, and afterwards learnt the business of a weaver. His consti- 
 tution was very delicate, he was lame and mostly walked with 
 a crutch, but he was imbued with an ardent and noble spirit ; 
 and neither his bodily infirmity, nor any representations c6uld 
 damp his missionary zeal. After a voyage of about eight weeks-, 
 these two brethren landed on the island of St. Eustatia in Jan- 
 uary 1740. Hence they sailed for St. Thomas in an Eng- 
 lish sloop. The captain being unacquainted with the passage, 
 the vessel struck upon a rock, and was wrecked early in the 
 morning of the 17th. The sailors took to the boat, and left 
 the missionaries with the vessel upon the rock. A row of 
 stones, about a foot distant from each other, lay across from the 
 rock to the beach. Feder let himself down with a rope into 
 the sea, in order to get on shore, hoping thus to obtain assis- 
 tance for his lame brother. But the fury of the waves threw 
 him into the sea, to rise no more- Israel was now left alone 
 on the rock. The wreck of the vessel for a while skreened him 
 against the dashing of the waves, but being soon entirely bro- 
 ken to pieces, he was every minute in danger of being washed 
 into the sea. In the afternoon some people threw a rope to 
 him, by which he was dragged on shore. Mr. Von der Pol, 
 hospitably entertained him at his house, and procured him a 
 passage to Tortola ; from whence he sailed to St. Jan, and 
 finally arrived in St. Thomas on the 18th of T'ebruary. 
 
 Besides brother Israel, George Weber and his wife moved 
 
MISSION IN THE WEST INDIES. 305 
 
 moved to St. Croix in 1740, to commence a regular missionary 
 establishment in that island. A year or two after, brother 
 Martin, being there on a visit, succeeded in purchasing a small 
 estate for the Brethren, of which they took possession in the 
 beginning of 1744; and in July the same year he baptized 
 two men and two women, being the first Negros in this island, 
 who were added to the Christian Church. 
 
 During the first years of their abode here the missionaries 
 had to encounter various difficulties. The unhealthiness of 
 the air and the hard labour, to which they cheerfully submitted 
 in order to lessen the expense of the mission, occasioned the 
 deaths of many in a short time after their arrival. And this was 
 rendered doubly afflictive, as in case of the departure of an 
 ordained missionary, who had been confirmed by the King, 
 impediments were thrown in the way of his successors, if they 
 had not by name obtained the royal confirmation. In the 
 sequel, however, these obstacles were removed ; and since then 
 our brethren have been uniformly protected in the enjoy- 
 ment of their privileges.* No missionary, however, was sta- 
 tioned here for a constancy till the year 1753, when brother 
 Ohneberg moved hither. 
 
 A few years after the mission in St. Croix had regularly 
 commenced, the attention of the Brethren was directed to the 
 small island of St. Jan, likewise belonging to the crown of Den- 
 mark. Previously to this they had occasionally visited on the 
 island, as some of their converts from St. Thomas had been sold 
 to proprietors on it. But in 1741 a circumstance occurred, 
 which gave a new impulse to their exertions. Jens Rasmus, a 
 pious man and overseer on a plantation, had formed an acquaint- 
 ance with the Brethren in St Thomas, and begun to preach to 
 the Negros under his care. At his request brother Martin, and 
 other missionaries from St. Thomas, assisted him in this labour 
 of love, and occasionally abode some days, or even weeks, in 
 the island, instructing the slaves. Their testimony of Jesus 
 
 * Among those missionaries, who at this time entered into rest, we must 
 not forget to mention brother Israel. His active spirit, which had excited 
 him to exertions far beyond his bodily strength, left its frail tenement on the 
 2nd of August 1743, and joined those who have died in the Lord. 
 
 Y 
 
306 MISSION IN THE WEST INDIES. 
 
 and his atonement was, amidst difficulties of various kinds, 
 attended with blessing. The work here was for a number of 
 years cared for by the missionaries in St. Thomas, till brother 
 J. Brukker, in 1754, took charge of it, residing on an estate, 
 purchased sometime before and called Bethany. 
 
 The Brethren had thus, by the grace of God, succeeded in 
 extending their benevolent labours to the three islands under the 
 dominion of Denmark. The great Head of his Church, in whose 
 name and strength they had begun the work, and by whose 
 blessing on their exertions they had achieved much during 
 the first years of poverty, opposition and manifold hindrances, 
 did not forsake this vineyard, nor those who laboured in it, in 
 the times of comparative ease and tranquillity, which now suc- 
 ceeded. 
 
 As soon as St. Croix and St. Jan had been supplied with 
 resident missionaries, the good effects of it became visible in the 
 larger auditories, which attended the preaching of the gospel, 
 and the increased number of those, who were engrafted into the 
 Church by holy baptism. In St. Croix the number annually 
 baptized amounted to upwards of a hundred, and in St. Jan it 
 exceeded fifty. In the former place the missionaries resided 
 for some time on one of the Company's plantations called Prin- 
 cess, till they found means of purchasing an estate of four acres, 
 on which they erected a church and dwelling-house, and called 
 it Feiedensthal. 
 
 In 1755 these islands were ceded by the West India and 
 <juinea-company to the King, who appointed a governor-general 
 for all the islands. This gentleman fixed his residence in St. 
 Croix, and on every occasion showed himself the friend and 
 protector of the mission. This was peculiarly manifest during 
 an insurrection of the Negros, which had for its object the 
 massacre of all the white inhabitants on christmas-night 1759. 
 Some malicious people accused several of the Negros, baptized 
 by the missionaries, of being implicated in the conspiracy ; but 
 their innocence was fully proved by the delinquents themselves. 
 On this occasion the governor acted towards them like a father. 
 By his advice they omitted the large assemblies of the Negros 
 -while the commotion lasted ; and did not begin them again. 
 
MISSION IN THE WEST INDIES. -*^07 
 
 till they had obtained his permission ; and in order to authorize 
 the meetings and encourage the Negros in their attendance, he 
 himself and some other gentlemen were present. Not long 
 after he had a fresh opportunity of evincing his good will 
 towards the mission. An order having been issued that no 
 Negro should be seen in the streets, or roads, after seven 
 o'clock in the evening, he exempted from this restriction all 
 those, who attended the meetings of the Brethren, and could 
 produce a certificate signed by one of their teachers.* 
 
 In consequence of the war, in 1760, all intercourse with the 
 English colonies was prohibited. This occasioned great scar- 
 city of provisions, which was the more severe as it succeeded a 
 long continued drought. Many Negros perished with absolute 
 hunger. Though the missionaries had but a scanty supply 
 themselves, they did not suffer any of their Negros to be in 
 real want, and even assisted to the utmost of their ability those 
 on other plantations. 
 
 Of the internal state of the mission, at this period, the bre- 
 thren employed in it give the following report : "By the 
 preaching of the gospel many a slave of sin has attained to the 
 knowledge of his misery, and to the enjoyment of grace in the 
 blood of Jesus; on which account we cheerfully devote soul 
 and body in his service, to help to gather in the reward of the 
 travail of his soul from among the heathen. In this we are 
 obliged to conform to their circumstances, and must in general 
 employ the night for their service. The baptized are increas- 
 ing in self-knowledge and becoming more grounded in the faith. 
 What neither law, nor the most rigorous dicipline of their 
 overseers, can accomplish, is effected by the doctrine of Christ's 
 
 * Crantz's History of Brethren,»'Vol. i. p. 480, 481. This order seems to 
 have been made in consequence of the fears entertained by some planters, that 
 the Negros, under cover of attending the meetings, (which must be held in 
 the evening as they have no leisure allowed them in the day,) would meditate 
 some new mist^hief. As a pretext for this measure they alledged the fact, 
 that in 1760 four baptized Negros, who, however, had long ago been separ- 
 ated from the brethren, were found among a band of seventy slaves, who 
 were running away on account of harsh treatment, but being overtaken, had 
 first thrown their wives and children into the sea, and then, with the excep' 
 tion of eight persons, jumped in themselves. Crantz's History, Vol. i. p. 542. 
 
308 MISSION IN THi: WEST INDIES. 
 
 sufferings. Of this the masters are, for the most part, so iiilly 
 sensible, that they are pleased, when their slaves go to our 
 church. The children have their separate meetings, and are 
 visited from time to time, but. as they are very early employed 
 in all kinds of labour, we cannot attend to them with that care 
 which we could wish.*" 
 
 This pleasing state of the mission continued in subsequent 
 years. The Buffals^ ('\, e Negros newly imported from 
 Africa,J in particular manifested a great desire of hearing the 
 Word of God and being saved. 
 
 In 1765 two disastrous events occurred. By the cai-eiessness 
 of other people the mission-house at the west end of St. Croix, 
 lately erected, took fire and was burnt down. In St. Jan the 
 church was thrown down by a storm, but to the great joy of the 
 Negros, who had been obliged to meet in the open air, and to 
 forego the celebration of the Lord's Supper, it was rebuilt the 
 next year. 
 
 In 1767 seventeen slaves, belonging to the congregation in 
 St. Croix, were carried to St. Eustatia. Here they were 
 visited the following year by a missionary, and exhorted to con- 
 stancy and faithfulness; and some regulations, tending to their 
 edification, were made among them. 
 
 The number of communicants in St. Thomas had so much 
 increased, that it was found necessary to administer this ordi- 
 nance, not only at New-heurxhut, as had been the case 
 hitherto, but also at Nisky, where a new church had been 
 erected. The re-building of the mission-house, and the erection 
 of a church at the west end of St. Croix, were also completed, 
 and brother Melchior Schmidt and his wife, moved thither in 
 May 1771. This place received the name of Friedensbkrc. 
 
 The following year was a period of much distress, but also 
 of many mercies. In the night of the 31st of August a hur- 
 ricane of unusual violence did considerable damage in all the 
 three islands, but particularly in St. Croix. The newly-built 
 house in Friedensbeug was moved out of its place and greatly 
 injured ; and in Friedknsthal the church, tlie dwelling- 
 houses and all the offices were blown down. The missionaries 
 and their families, who had sought an asylum in the cellar 
 
MISSON IN THE WEST INDIES. 309 
 
 were for several hours kept in constant jeopardy of their lives, 
 but were mercifully preserved. This tempest was succeeded 
 by a general scarcity, famine and sickness. Great numbers 
 died, especially of the Negros. Within a few months several 
 brethren and sisters, employed in the mission, were removed 
 to a better world. This greatly augmented the labours of the sur- 
 vivors ; hut they were powerfully strengthened and encouraged 
 in their work by the pleasing progress of the mission. These 
 external distresses seemed to awaken a new desire in the Negros 
 to attain to a knowledge of those things, which belonged to 
 their true peace. New people constantly flocked to the preach- 
 ing, and though in Friedensthal it was held for nearly a 
 whole year in the open air, till the new church was built, 
 the auditory mostly amounted to a thousand or upwards ; and 
 many were every month added to the Church by baptism. 
 
 A company of six missionaries, sailing for these islands in 
 1776, suffered shipwreck on the 30th of November off Walsey^ 
 one of the Shetland isles. But being very near the shore, they 
 were all saved except one sister, who falling in among the 
 wreck, could not be disentangled from the rigging. The pro- 
 prietor of the isle, John Bruce Stewart, treated them with 
 great hospitality, till they found an opportunity to go to Nor- 
 way. From thence they proceeded the following February 
 to St. Thomas. 
 
 Being on the 21st of August, 1782, fifty years since the be- 
 ginning of this mission, and also of the missionary labours of 
 the Brethren in general, this important event was in all the 
 three islands celebrated with joyful solemnity. From the re- 
 ports of the missionaries at that time it appears, that within 
 this period, they had baptized 8833 adult Negros and 2974 
 children ; of these 2381 adults and 975 children had died. 
 And of the missionaries and their assistants, their wives and 
 children, 1 27 had entered into eternal rest during these fifty 
 years. 
 
 To accommodate those Negros, who lived at too great a dis- 
 tance from -Bethany to attend the meetings regularly, 
 the Brethren, in the above-mentioned year, bought a house 
 and a piece of ground in another part of the island of St. Jan, 
 
%10 MISSION IN THE WEST INDIES. 
 
 In this place, which was called Emmaus, a church was soon 
 erected, and a missionary appointed for its service. Not only 
 the slaves, but many of the white inhabitants in the neighbour- 
 hood, rejoiced at this establishment, declaring that they would 
 diligently improve the opportunity thus afforded them, to join 
 in divine worship. 
 
 The directors of the missions, considering that a visitation 
 to these islands, by one of their number, might in various res- 
 pects prove beneficial, brother John Loretz undertook this im- 
 portant commission. He arrived in St. Croix early in the 
 year 1784, and spent several weeks here and in St. Thomas, 
 in making himself acquainted with all the circumstances of the 
 mission, and in deliberating with the missionaries and the na- 
 tive assistants on the best means of promoting the grfcat work, 
 in which they were engaged. Among other measures, it was 
 resolved to bestow more time and labour in translating select 
 portions of the holy Scriptures into the vernacular tongue of 
 the Negros. Brother Auerbach, who had occupied his leisure 
 in this way, undertook the translation of the Sundays' gospels 
 and epistles, the Harmony of the four evangelists, and the ca- 
 techism, entitled " Summary of the doctrine of Christ and his 
 Apostles." A severe attack of fever so debilitated brother Lo- 
 retz, that he found himself unable to visit the island of St. 
 Jan. He however obtained all necessary information from the 
 missionaries, which enabled him, on his return, to give to the 
 directors a full report of this interesting mission in all its 
 branches. 
 
 During this year the Brethren experienced another encou- 
 raging proof of the benevolence of government. In conse- 
 quence of a rumour, that the slaves at the west end of the 
 island of St. Croix were plotting another rebellion, many were 
 put into confinement, and a proclamation was issued prohibit- 
 ing the Negros from being seen in the streets after six o'clock 
 in the evening ; containing a clause, by which all those Ne- 
 gros, who were going to the mission-church in Friedensbebg, 
 were exempt from this restriction. 
 
 In 1784 the mission in these islands tsustained a very serious 
 loss, in consequence of the departure of brother Martin Mack 
 
MISSION IN THE WEST INDIES. 31 1 
 
 He had joined the Church of the Brethren in 1731. A few 
 years after he went to America, assisted the late Rev. George 
 Whitfield in the erection of Nazareth, and took an active part 
 in the building of Bethlehem. Afterwards he was employed 
 for almost twenty years in the mission among the North Ame- 
 rican Indians, during a period of persecution and many dan- 
 gers. In 1762 he came to the Danish West Indies, as super- 
 intendent of all the missionary establishments of the Brethren 
 in these islands ; and, during the space of twenty-two years, 
 suent all the energies of his body and mind in the zealous dis- 
 €hargo of the important duties of his office. His fellow- 
 labourers loved and esteemed him as a man of tried integrity 
 and unabating ardour in the noble cause in which he was en- 
 gaged, and who had grown grey in the service of his Lord, 
 The governor-general, besides many private gentlemen, ho- 
 noured his funeral with their presence, as the last testimony of 
 respect they could give to one, whose memory will be held in 
 deserved veneration as long as the inhabitants of these islands 
 shall feel the value of the gospel, and know how to appreciate 
 the services of those, who spend health and strength, yea life 
 itself, in its propagation. 
 
 After the decease of this faithful servant of Christ, it was 
 found more expedient to commit the general superintendency 
 of the mission, not to one individual, but to a committee, con- 
 sisting of one, or more missionaries from each settlement. The 
 advantages of this regulation were soon apparent. New zeal 
 and activity on the part of the missionaries, and new attention 
 to the gospel on the part of their converts and hearers, became 
 manifest. Many were baptized ; those, who had been of long 
 standing in the Church, were excited to be more diligent in 
 making their calling and election sure ; even such, as had been 
 excluded on account of misconduct, were led to serious self-ex- 
 amination, and, on giving evidence of sincere repentance, were 
 restored to the fellowship of the believers. 
 
 At the same time difficulties, which occasionally impeded 
 the pleasing progress of the mission, were not wanting. In one 
 instance, the increasing number of Roman Catholic proprietors 
 diminished the auditories of our missionaries. For these gen- 
 
312 MISSION IN THE WEST INDIES. 
 
 tleracn, not only employed their slaves till a late hour on Sa- 
 turday evening, but even obliged them to work on the Lord's 
 day, and thus deprived them of the bare possibility of attend- 
 ing the church. Some of these masters required their slaves 
 to bring them a stipulated sum of money every week, which 
 they must earn in the best manner they could. Money being 
 scarce at that time, they had but a poor chance of earning 
 much ; and this tempted many Negros to resort to dishonest 
 and fraudulent practices, in order to avoid punishment, which 
 was most rigorously inflicted, if they failed in their payment. 
 
 A difficulty of a new kind was experienced by the missiona- 
 ries in St. Croix. As the number of proprietors, who spoke 
 the English language increased, that tongue by degrees predo- 
 minated and nearly superseded the Creol. In consequence of 
 this, few of the missionaries could render themselves suffi- 
 ciently intelligible to the slaves, many of whom understood 
 neither Creol nor English. Brother Schaukirk, however, 
 commenced regular preaching in the English language. 
 
 An uncommon drought, and consequently unproductive har- 
 vest, in 1789, occasioned distresses of various kinds. Many 
 proprietors were not able to maintain their slaves ; numbers, 
 therefore, perished from absolute want, and others were by the 
 pinchings of hunger driven to acts of dishonesty. Even some, 
 who were members of the Brethren's Church, yielded to the 
 power of temptation and thus caused their teachers much sor- 
 row ; the major part, however, were enabled by divine grace, 
 rather to suffer every extremity and even death itself, than re- 
 sort to unlawful means of supplying their wants. The recti- 
 tude of their conduct was so well known, that they were con- 
 stantly employed as overseers and watchmen on the plantations. 
 Notwithstanding this decisive proof of the beneficial influence 
 of the gospel, some proprietors and stewards still made use of 
 every artifice, and even resorted to severe punishment, to pre- 
 vent their Negros from attending the church. The native as- 
 sistants were, in particular, exposed to persecutions of this kind. 
 
 On the part of government, however, the mission continued 
 to enjoy respect and protection. In consequence of som.c new 
 regulations in the poKt-officc, the mii^sionaries obtained, with 
 
MISSION IN THE WEST INDIES. 313^ 
 
 the consent of the king, the privilege of carrying on their cor- 
 respondence free of postage. The governor-general, Count 
 Schimmelman, before his return to Copenhagen, assured them 
 that he would, at all times, serve them to the utmost of his 
 power. The commandant in St. Thomas, colonel Malleville, 
 also shewed himself their sincere friend. He was a regular 
 attendant on their worship, and was not ashamed publicly to 
 avow his connexion with the Brethren. A gentleman of dis- 
 tinction once speaking, in very disrespectful and slanderous 
 terms of the missionaries, the colonel replied : " that he would 
 avow before God and man, that he acknowleged them for his 
 brethren, and deemed it a favor to have fellowship with them.'" 
 
 The unusual drought, mentioned before, lasted between 
 three and four years, and brought many evils in its train. 
 Sickness and famine prevailed in every quarter ; and water be- 
 came so scarce, that it was sold at a considerable price. Many 
 slaves were obliged to work hard, without getting any thing to 
 eat ,• great numbers consequently died from want. The missionar- 
 ries did all in their power to relieve the necessitous members 
 of their Church, and in this act of charity they were assisted 
 by donations from our congregations in Denmark and Germany. 
 The want of money induced several proprietors to sell their 
 slaves to other islands, chiefly those belonging to France and 
 Spain ; whereby many Christian Negros were separated from 
 their teachers and the fellowship of believers. 
 
 Though these distresses threw various obstacles in the way, 
 yet the progress of the mission was not interrupted. Many 
 new people attended the preaching of the gospel, and mani- 
 fested a real hunger after the meat which endureth unto ever- 
 lasting life ; and in one year two hundred and forty Negros 
 were baptized by our missionaries in the three islands. 
 
 A violent hurricane raged in the islands of St. Thomas and 
 St. Jan on the 12th and 13th of August 1793. The damage 
 done on the plantations, in some of which scarce a house re- 
 mained standing, to the sugar-fields, and also to the shipping, 
 Avas very great. Many people lost their lives. Of the mis- 
 sionary settlements that at Bethany in St, Jan suffered most 
 severely. On the morning of August the 12th, the church 
 
314 MISSION IN THE WEST INDIES. 
 
 fell with a tremendous crash, the broken pieces of timber being 
 carried a considerable distance into the fields. By the mercy 
 of God the missionary family was preserved from all personal 
 harm, though in constant apprehension of being buried under 
 the ruins of the house, which shook and trembled in an alarm- 
 ing manner. 
 
 In the year 1797 the mission was again visited by one of 
 the directors from Europe, brother John Renatus Verbeek 
 During his stay at New-herrnhut in St. Thomas he observed, 
 that the increase of this congregation had not, within the last 
 years, been so great as formerly. This apparent declension 
 was the natural consequence of the long period, during which 
 the gospel had been preached in this island, whereby almost 
 every plantation was supplied with a number of Christian Ne- 
 gros. The island of St. Groix, which is the largest and most 
 populous of the three *, still presented the widest field for mis- 
 sionary exertions. St. Jan, the least in natural extent, con- 
 tained also a comparatively small number of converts. 
 
 Brother Leupold and his wife, together with a single sister, 
 destined for the service of this mission, and who were sailing 
 for St. Thomas in 1798, had on the 11th of October the mis- 
 fortune to be captured by an English privateer, and carried to 
 the island of Tortola. Here they suffered much distress, be- 
 ing kept five days without food, except once when they found 
 an opportunity of buying some fish. They were left whole 
 days without a drop of water. Their ignorance of the English 
 language increased their difficulty, till, through the kind inter- 
 ference of a German captain, they obtained permission to go 
 with another vessel to St. Thomas. 
 
 In the performance of their frequently arduous duties the 
 missionaries made daily experience, that " the joy of the Lord 
 was their strength." The power of the gospel evidenced itself 
 in their converts by enabling them to " adorn the doctrine of 
 God our Saviour" by a conduct generally consistent with their 
 
 * According to a rough computation, made in 1783, there were in St. 
 I'homas six thousand, in St. Jan two thousand, and in St. Croix thirty thou- 
 sand NegroR. A nd these numhers were probably rather diminislicd than in- 
 ^•teased during the hite years of drought. 
 
MISSION IN THE WEST INDIES. 'iior' 
 
 profession- This the more strongly attested the reality of their 
 faith, as attempts were not wanting to seduce them from their 
 steadfastness. Some impious masters even resorted to acts oi 
 cruelty, to tempt them to the commission of sin, and in other 
 Instances the poor creatures were most severely punished for 
 the slightest fault ; but the grace of God enabled them to bear 
 the one with Christian meekness and patience, and resist the 
 other by " taking the shield of faith and the helmet of salva- 
 tion."" Influenced by the precepts of the Word of God they 
 meekly submitted to the galling yoke of slavery, and not un- 
 frequently recognized a gracious providence overruling it for 
 the salvation of their souls. Thus an old Negyo once re- 
 marked : " Though 1 was kidnapped in my native country, 
 and thievishly sold, yet I feel no resentment against those who 
 did it ; for I believe I was brought hither by the will of God ; 
 and I cannot be sufficienly thankful to our Saviour, that he 
 has deemed me worthy, in preference to many others, to hear 
 his Word, by which I have learned to know the way of salva- 
 tion." 
 
 M. von Malleville, hitherto commandant of St. Thomas, 
 being appointed governor-general in 1796, fixed his residence 
 in St. Croix, being the seat of the government. But the plea- 
 sure of the missionaries in having this sincere friend in the 
 island, was of very short duration. October 11th he was 
 seized with an apoplexy, and on the 22d departed this life in 
 confident reliance on the atonement of Jesus. Agreeably to 
 his request, his remains were interred in the burying-ground of 
 the mission at Friedensthal, a funeral oration having been 
 previously delivered in the Dutch Calvinist church, fin which 
 he had been educated^ by the incumbent. All the inhabitants 
 of these islands lost in him a man of strict probity, who 
 made it his constant and zealous care to promote their true 
 welfare. The missionaries in particular were deprived of a 
 sincere and active friend, who, m close fellowship of spirit 
 with them, grounded all his hopes for time and eternity on the 
 merit of Christ. It must here be added, that our brethren 
 have continued to enjoy the benevolence of succeeding gover- 
 nors, and in general, of all the proprietors; and, if different 
 
^31(3 MISSION liN THE WEsT INDIES. 
 
 sentiments were entertained by any, they were ashan)cd openly 
 to avow them 
 
 Of the growing respect for the missionaries and their labours 
 two gratifying instances occurred about this time. In 1795 
 they were requested to supply the vacancy, which had occurred 
 in the Dutch church at Christianstadt in St. Croix, by per- 
 forming divine service in the same, till the arrival of the new 
 minister in 1796- Two years later the heirs of Count Schim- 
 melman made some regulations on their estates, by means of 
 which the missionaries could commence a regular school with 
 all the Negro children on those plantations. In St. Jan like- 
 wise the children were sent to Emmaus for instruction. Their 
 eagerness and progress in learning were highly satisfactory to 
 their teachers. 
 
 Among those of the Christian Negros, who during this 
 period finished their race of sorrow and suffering here below, 
 and entered into the joy of their Lord, the aged man Benjamin 
 deserves to be particularly mentioned. He belonged to the 
 Mandingo tribe, his father being a Mahomedan teacher ; and 
 in this religion he had educated his son, who remained in his 
 native country till he was more than twenty years old. On 
 his arrival in the West Indies he instructed his countrymen in 
 the religion of his forefathers, using every effort to propagate 
 and maintain the Mahomedan faith. At length however he 
 yielded to the testimony and influence of the gospel, was 
 baptized in 1779, and in 1796 closed his earthly pilgrimage in a 
 joyful hope of entering, not into a heaven of sensual delights, 
 but into the true paradise of God. 
 
 Hitherto these islands had remained undisturbed by those 
 political commotions, which during this period agitated nearly 
 the whole of Europe, and spread terror and perplexity even 
 to distant parts of the globe. But early in the year 1801 this 
 tranquillity was interrupted, in consequence of hostilities having 
 commenced between Great Britain and Denmark. In March 
 an English fleet appeared off the coast of St. Thomas, and 
 arrangements were made to repel force by force. The com- 
 mandant, however, deeming resistance useless on account of the 
 .superior number and strength of the 'British, resolved to ca- 
 
MISSION IN THE WEST INDIES. 317 
 
 pitulatc. The capitulation was signed that very evening by 
 both parties, and early on the 19th the Fort was surrendered 
 with the usual formalities. The islands of St. Croix and St. 
 Jan also surrendered without resistance. Thus the effusion of 
 human blood was happily prevented ; nevertheless the mission 
 was not wholly exempt from the burthens and troubles attendant 
 on war. The price of provisions was greatly enhanced, the 
 correspondence with the different settlements and with Europe 
 was interrupted, and even their daily meetings were for a time 
 suspended. 
 
 The establishment at Frikdensberg in St. Croix felt the 
 effects of the war most severely, the mission-house being occu- 
 pied as an hospital for the British troops. Fart of the mis- 
 sionary family went to Friedensthal, the vest were kindly 
 lodged on a neighbouring plantation. For some time the 
 regular service was continued in the chapel and attended by 
 crowded auditories ; but the smell of the sick and dying be- 
 coming daily more offensive, rendered this no longer either 
 safe or practicable. After the lapse of two months, the hos- 
 pital was removed to the west end of the island. 
 
 Towards the close of the same year the mission was deprived 
 of one of the most intelligent and useful native assistants, who 
 for more than fifty years, had walked worthily of his calling by 
 the gospel, namely the Negro Cornelius, who entered into 
 rest in the year 1801. This man was in many respects distin- 
 guished among his countrymen, which will render the following 
 brief sketch of his life interesting. 
 
 Above fifty years ago he became concerned for the salvation 
 of his soul, and felt a strong impulse to attend the preaching 
 of our missionaries, and their private instructions. However, 
 he could not at once forsake his heathenish customs. It hap- 
 pened once that he attended a merry-making of his countrymen. 
 Even into this house of riot the good Shepherd followed this 
 poor straying sheep. The late brother Frederic Martin pas- 
 sing by, and being made attentive to the uproar, looked in at 
 the door and immediately espied his scholar Cornelius. He 
 beckoned to him to come out, and in a friendly, but serious 
 and emphatic address, represented to him, that it was not be- 
 
;J18 VnsSION IN THE WKS'f INDIES. 
 
 coming for one, who had declared, that he would give his heart 
 to our Saviour, to attend such meetings as these. " Here," said 
 the missionary, " the devil has his work, and you have assured 
 me that you will not be his slave. But now I discover that your 
 heart is still in his power, for you love the vanities of the world, 
 and the company of the children of disobedience, in whom 
 he rules It would, therefore, be better that you left off 
 coming to our meetings and to the school." This offended him 
 greatly and he thought, " What is that to the white man, and 
 what do I care for him ?" However, his amusement was 
 spoiled for that time ; he went home much displeased, and re- 
 solved never more to visit the missionaries, or attend their 
 meetings. But his heart was not at rest, and his convictions 
 ffrew so strong that he could not sleep at night. The address 
 of the missionary sounded continually in his ears, and made so 
 strong an impression upon him that he altered his mind and 
 visited him. Being received, not, as he feared, with dis- 
 pleasure, but with great cordiality, he was exceedingly affected, 
 and with tears described the distress of his mind during the 
 preceding days. 
 
 In 1749 he was baptized, and ever since remained faithful 
 to the grace conferred on him. He had an humbling and grow- 
 ing sense of the depravity of his heart, but he also made daily 
 progress in the knowledge and grace of his Lord and Saviour 
 Jesus Christ. 
 
 God had blessed him with a good natural understanding. 
 He had learned the business of a mason well, and had the ap- 
 pointment of master-mason to the royal buildings, in which 
 employment he was esteemed by all who knew him, as a clever, 
 upright and disinterested man. He laid the foundation of 
 each of the six chapels, belonging to our mission in these 
 islands. He was able to write and speak the Creol, Dutch, 
 Danish, German and English languages ; which gave him a 
 great advantage above the other Negros. Till 1767 he was a 
 slave in the royal plantation, which afterwards belonged to 
 count Schimmelman. He first purchased the freedom of his 
 wife, and then laboured hard to gain his own liberty, which, 
 after much entreaty and the payment of a considerable ransom, 
 
VIISSION IN THE WEST INDIES. ;il9 
 
 he effected. God blessed him and the work of his hands in 
 such a manner, that he could also by degrees purchase the 
 emancipation of his six children. 
 
 In 1754 he was appointed assistant in the mission. After 
 his emancipation, he greatly exerted himself in the service of 
 the Lord, especially among the people of his own colour and 
 spent whole days, and often whole nights, in visiting them on 
 the different plantations. He possessed a peculiar talent for 
 expressing his ideas with great clearness, which rendered his 
 discourses pleasing and edifying as well to white people as to 
 Negros. Yet he was by no means elated by the talents he 
 possessed. His character was that of an humble servant of 
 Christ, who thought too meanly of himself to treat others with 
 contempt. To distribute unto the indigent and assist the 
 feeble was the delight of his heart, and they always found in 
 him a generous and sympathizing friend and faithful adviser. 
 "While thus zealously exerting himself in promoting the 
 salvation of his countrymen, he did not neglect the concerns 
 of his family. We have already seen how sedulously he cared 
 for their temporal prosperity, in working hard to purchase their 
 freedom. But he was more solicitous for the welfare of their 
 souls. God blessed his instructions, and he had the joy of 
 seeing his whole family share in the salvation of the Lord. 
 Being found faithful, they were employed as assistants in the 
 mission. 
 
 The infirmities of old age increasing upon him, he ardently 
 longed to depart and be with Christ. A constant cough and 
 pain in his side checked his great activity, caused occasional 
 dejection of mind, and seemed at times to shake his faith and 
 fortitude. He now and then complained of a declension of his 
 love to the Lord Jesus ; and once, while meditating on that 
 text : *' I have somewhat against thee because thou hast left thy 
 first love," he exclaimed : " Ah ! I too have left my first 
 love !" A few days before his end, being visited by one of the 
 missioHaries, he said " I ought to have done more, and loved 
 and served my Saviour better. Yet I firmly trust that he will 
 receive me in mercy, for I come to him as a poor sinner, hav- 
 ing nothing to plead but his grace and righteousness through 
 
3*20 MISSION IN THi: WEST INDIKS. 
 
 his blood." His cliildrcn and several of his grandchihlren 
 having assembled round his bed, he addressed them in the 
 following very solemn and impressive manner ; 
 
 " I rejoice exceedingly, my dearly beloved children, to see 
 you once more together, before my departure ; for I believe 
 that my Lord and Saviour will soon come and take your father 
 home to himself. Vou know, dear children, what my chief 
 concern has been respecting you, as long as I was with you ; 
 how frequently I have exhorted you not to neglect the day of 
 grace, but to surrender yourselves with soul and body to your 
 Redeemer, and to follow Him faithfully. Sometimes I hare 
 dealt strictly with you, in matters which I believed would bring 
 harm to your souls, and grieve the Spirit of God, and I have 
 exerted my parental authority to prevent mischief : but it was 
 all done out of love to you. However, it may have happened, 
 that I have sometimes been too severe. If this has been the 
 case, I beg you, my dear children, to forgive me ; O forgive 
 your poor dying father." 
 
 Here he was obliged to stop, most of the children weeping 
 and sobbing aloud. At last one of his daughters recovered 
 herself, and said, " We, dear father, zee alone have cause to 
 ask forgiveness, for we have often made your life heavy, and 
 have been disobedient children." The rest joined in the same 
 confession. The father then continued : " Well, my dear 
 children, if all of you have forgiven me, then attend to my 
 last wish and dying request. Love one another ! Do not suffer 
 any quarrels and disputes to arise among you after my decease. 
 No, my children," raiding his voice, "love one another cordially : 
 Let each strive to shew proofs of love to his brother or sister; nor 
 suffer yourselves to be tempted by any thing to become proud; 
 for by that you may even miss of your sours salvation, but 
 pray our Saviour to grant you lowly minds and humble hearts. 
 If you follow this advice of your father, my joy will be com- 
 plete, when I shall once see you all again in eternal bliss, and 
 be able to say to our Saviour ; here, Lord, is thy poor, unworthy 
 Cornelius and the children whom thou hast given me. I am 
 sure our Saviour will not forsake you ; but I beseech you, do 
 not forsake /<ii?;." He fell gently asleep in Jesus on the 
 
MISSION IN THE WEST INDIES. 321 
 
 29th of November, being according to his own account eighty- 
 four years of age. 
 
 The sovereignty of these islands being soon again ceded to 
 the crown of Denmark, no events occurred for a series of years, 
 either in the internal course, or the external affairs of the mis- 
 sion, remarkably distinguishing its history from that of pre- 
 ceding periods. The missionaries continued their labours with 
 their usual activity, and had many proofs that the doctrine of 
 " Christ crucified is the power and wisdom of God unto salva- 
 tion to every true believer, whether bond or free." 
 
 During this period they were enabled to realize a wish, they 
 had long entertained, of forming a third settlement on the 
 island of St. Croix. This settlement, which was called Frie- 
 DENSFELD, from its central situation proved a great conve- 
 nience to many old and infirm Negros, who were frequently de- 
 prived of the means of grace in consequence of the great dis- 
 tance of the other stations. 
 
 One of the native assistants in St. Croix, a man ninety-eight 
 years of age, about this time finished his earthly career, 
 rejoicing in hope of the glory hereafter to be revealed. A 
 brief sketch of his life inserted in the Periodical Accounts*, 
 contains the following notices ; " He lived in ignorance and 
 the practice of heathen abominations till in his fortieth year. 
 He was awakened by the grace of God through the testimony 
 of our brethren, and was one of the first four Negros, who 
 were baptized in St. Croix in the year 1744, by the late mis- 
 sionary Frederick Martin, who called him Nathaniel. In re- 
 ference to his awakening he often used to remark : ' When t 
 heard the great word spoken by the brethren, that God our 
 Saviour so loved men, that he became a man to die for them, 
 that they might not suffer eternal death, it was as if an arrow 
 went through my heart. I followed the missionaries from 
 place to place to hear more of this great word. And when no 
 missionaries were with us, we Negros, who were of one mind, 
 met together, and though we knew not much, yet we convers- 
 
 * Vol. V. p. 107. 
 
8^:2 MISSION IN THE WEST INDIES. 
 
 ed of that God, who loved even the Negros, and were fre- 
 quently so overcome with gratitude that we all wept, and felt 
 an ardent desire to know the Lord and experience his grace."" 
 
 " After the decease of brother Martin, when St. Croix was 
 left a whole year without a missionary, Nathaniel and some 
 other assistants were the instruments employed by the Lord 
 for carrying on the divine work, which had commenced in this 
 island. Even in the last years of his life, he spoke with pe- 
 culiar delight of the beginning of the mission, and could scarce 
 find words to describe the grace of God, which then prevailed 
 among the Christian Negros. ' At that time,' he would say, 
 • the believing Negros had to suffer much oppression and per- 
 secution. In order not to be ill treated by the white people, 
 we never took the straight road, when we went to hear the gos- 
 pel, but a circuitous rout through the woods : but the more 
 troublesome it was to get to our place of meeting, the happier 
 we were when we met, for the peace of God was peculiarly 
 felt among us, and we often conversed together about the con- 
 cerns of our souls till late at night.' " 
 
 In 1811 the missionary J. G. Haensel returned to St, 
 Thomas from a visit he had made in Europe. One of the first 
 services he performed for rhe dissemination of gospel know- 
 ledge, and which gave him peculiar delight, was to distribute 
 a number of Testaments in the Spanish language to those of 
 that nation, who frequently visit St. Thomas from Porto Rico. 
 Concerning this distribution he remarks : " As the worthy 
 British and Foreign Bible Society had been pleased to place that 
 trust in me, I felt happy in having so early an opportunity of 
 fulfilling their kind intentions. I had much enjoyment in per- 
 forming this act of benevolence. The gloomy countenances of 
 the Spaniards, which in general seem to indicate rather a sul- 
 len disposition, brightened with an exjiression of gratitude, 
 of which their tears gave further evidence, and they declared 
 tiieir regard and love for their benefactors in the warmest 
 terms." 
 
 The following year a breach was made in the missionary 
 family at Fhiedensfeld on St. Croix, the Lord permitting 
 his faithful servant, brother Netz, to enter into eternal rest, 
 
MISSION IN THE WEST INDIES. 3l8 
 
 after having laboured in this part of his vineyard for nineteen 
 years. His brethren speak of him as peculiarly gifted for mis- 
 sionary labours. His discourses were admirably adapted to the 
 capacities of the Negros, and instances were not wanting, 
 which sufficiently proved, that the Lord laid a special 
 blessing upon his testimony, which was singularly calculated 
 to awaken sinners, and magnify salvation by grace through 
 faith in Jesus. 
 
 The missionaries had often been excited to adore the riches 
 of divine grace, exemplified in the salvation of the most ig- 
 norant slaves of sin. In 1815 they were proved to witness a 
 very striking instance of this kind in the case of a Negro cri- 
 minal, who was executed in St. Croix for the murder of a girl, 
 about twelve years old, whom he had cut and mangled in the 
 most shocking manner. His execution was fixed for the 14th 
 of June. Two days previous to this, the Byvoight (town 
 clerk) requested the missionaries to visit and prepare the cri- 
 minal for death. 
 
 Brother Lehman immediately repaired to the prison and 
 had an interview with the criminal, whose name was Lancas- 
 ter. He found him one of the most ignorant and stupid Ne- 
 gros he had ever seen. He had not even an idea of God, 
 much less of salvation by Jesus. He showed no remorse of 
 conscience, seemed perfectly indifferent about his soul, and 
 evaded every charge of criminality, by alledging that he was 
 intoxicated when he committed the murder. 
 
 This state of insensibility on the part of the culprit deeply 
 distressed brother Lehman, the more so, as the shortness of 
 the time previous to his execution appeared to render it a 
 hopeless, and almost impossible, case to be of any real service 
 to him. On representing to the Byvoight these unfavourable 
 circumstances, he procured an order from the governor-general, 
 by which the execution was deferred, in order to afford more 
 frequent opportunities for instructing the criminal. The mis- 
 sionaries now resolved, that one of them should visit him every 
 forenoon, and two of the assistants every afternoon. 
 
 During the second visit Lancaster appeared pensive and ra- 
 ther uneasy ; still he could not be convinced that his inebriety 
 
324 MISSION IN THE WEST INDIES. 
 
 when perpetrating the horrid deed, did not render him cx- 
 cusahle ; much less could he he made sensible, that he wan 
 by nature a corrupt creature, and must be eternally lost, unless 
 Jesus Christ had mercy upon him, and delivered him from the 
 power and curse of sin. This visit, however, seemed to pave 
 the way for that grateful and astonishing change, which was 
 afterwards wrought upon him by divine power. 
 
 At tlie next visit brotlicr Lehman spoke to him in a very 
 close and serious manner, telling him, that he was a slave of 
 sin and of the devil, that by his works, he had not only well 
 deserved the punishment, which the offended laws of God and 
 man would shortly execute upon him, by depriving him of his 
 natural life; but that his sins against Almighty God were so 
 heinous and atrocious, that after this life he must be doomed 
 to eternal misery, if he died in his present state. But, that 
 Jesus Christ, the Son of God, had come into tlse world, and 
 become man, that by his innocent sufferings and death, he 
 might take upon himself the punishment, which the sins of 
 the most guilty had deserved, thereby to reconcile us to God. 
 During prayer all present were deeply affected and shed many 
 tears ; and even poor Lancaster began to weep bitterly. 
 
 On the 16th being asked how he had slept, lie replied, he 
 had got but little sleep, and added. " I am a miserable sinner; 
 I have acted wickedly ; I have done a great deal of evil, and 
 now I must soon die ! O what is to become of me !" The 
 comforts of the gospel were then set before him, and he was 
 directed to Jesus, who came to save sinners, even the chief, 
 and who will receive all that accept of his mercy as a free and 
 undeserved gift. 
 
 At a subsequent interview the missionary observed such a 
 change in the criminal, as encouraged him to hope, that he 
 would be plucked as a brand from everlasting fire. Ueing ask- 
 ed, whether he was now willing, cheerfully to leave this world 
 and appear before the throne of God "^ He replied : " Yes ! I am 
 indeed frequently terrified at the thought of death, wlien I 
 reflect how much evil I have done, but I immediately turn in 
 prayer to our Saviour, and then all my desponding thoughts 
 vanish ; therefore I will pray continually to him who died for 
 me. He will not suffer me to be lost." 
 
MISSON IN THE WEST INDIES. S^5 
 
 A portion of the New Testament was diiily read to him, 
 especially the history of our Saviour's sufferings. This proved 
 a rich comfort to him and wonderfully enlarged his ideas on 
 divine suhjects. 
 
 The missonaries, having consulted together on the propriety 
 of granting his repeated application for baptism, came to the 
 resolution, that as it was evident the Lord had heard their 
 prayers, and opened his heart to understand and receive the 
 gospel, they might nov/ administer this holy ordinance to him, 
 conformably to the command of God our Saviour. Whan 
 the poor penitent was informed of this, he expressed his joy 
 in the liveliest manner, and said : " Though I am such a bad 
 man, yet I perceive that my Saviour will not reject me, but 
 show mercy even unto me. Thanks be to him to all eternity." 
 
 Of this solemn transaction and the closing scene, the mis- 
 sionaries give the following account : 
 
 " On the 21st in the afternoon brother Lehman went to 
 the prison. Many were already assembled, some belonging 
 to the prison, both whites and blacks, and others who had ob- 
 tained permission to be present at the solemn transaction, peo- 
 ple from town, and many of our Negro-congregation. Lan- 
 caster-s irons had been taken off, and he was sitting on a stool, 
 perfectly clean, and dressed in white. After the singing of an 
 hymn, brother Lehman spoke on the eleventh verse of 33d 
 chapter of Ezekiel : " J* / live, sa'ith the Lord, I have no 
 pleasure in the death of' the wiclced ,•"" combined with the words 
 of our Saviour, Matthew xi. 28. " Come unto me, all ye that 
 labour, and are heavy laden, and I will give you resi.''''. Dur- 
 ing the discourse great silence and devout attention prevailed 
 in the whole assembly, and when, at the conclusion, the sub- 
 ject was treated of in application to the state of the criminal , 
 silent tears flowed plentifully down his cheeks. He answered 
 the questions put to him, according to the ritual of the Bre- 
 thren's Church*, with humility and distinctness, after which 
 
 * The questions, here referred to, are the following : 
 
 Q. Dost thou helieve that thou art a sinful creature, and hast by thy sins 
 deserved the wrath of God, and eternal punishment ? 
 A. I do believe it. 
 
326 MISSION IN THE WEST INDIES. 
 
 a fervent prayer was offered up, that the Lord would pardon 
 and absolve this penitent sinner, give him an assurance of the 
 remission of his sins by the blood of atonement, and cleanse him 
 from unrighteousness in that precious fountain. Brother Leh- 
 man then baptized him in the name of the Father, Son, and 
 Holy Ghost, and called him Thomas The conclusion of this 
 service was made by singing a hymn . 
 
 " Brother J^ehman had now a most difficult and distressing 
 task to perform, being commissioned to inform poor Lancaster, 
 that the next morning he should suffer the punishment due to 
 his crime. When informed of this, he said : ' I am ready ; 
 for my Lord Jesus Christ has forgiven me all my sins. My 
 sins are no more there to condemn me ; He has taken them 
 away ; He will not suffer me to be lost, but receive me in 
 mercy." He pronounced these words with such an humble voice 
 and cheerful countenance, that all who heard him were filled 
 with astonishment. At taking leave he earnestly besought the 
 missionaries not to forsake him, but return to him in the 
 morning. 
 
 " Early on the i^2nd. Brother Lehman repaired to the pri- 
 son, to comfort poor Thomas in his last moments, and accom- 
 pany him to the place of execution. The officer on duty met 
 him at the door, and declared, that he had never in his life 
 been witness to such a scene ; that the poor criminal had 
 spent the whole night in prayer and exhorted other criminals, 
 who were confined for similar offences, to repent, and confess 
 
 Q. Dost thou believe, that Jesus Christ became man for us, and by his 
 innocent life, blood- shedding, and death, reconciled us poor sinful creatures 
 to God ? 
 
 A. I verily believe it. 
 
 Q,. Dost thou believe that He purchased for thee, by his blood and death, 
 remission of sins, life, and happiness eternal ? 
 
 A. I verily believe it. 
 
 Q. Wilt thou in this faith be baptized into the death of Jesus and be 
 ■naslyjd in His blood ? 
 
 A This is my sincere desire. 
 
 Q. Dost thou also desire to be delivered from the power of sin and Satan, 
 and to be received into the fellowship of Jesus Christ, and of those who be- 
 lieve in hini i 
 
 .\. This is my sincere desire, and 1 renounce the devil and all his works 
 and wav» 
 
MISSION IN THE WEST INDIES. 327 
 
 the whole truth, as God knew their hearts, and all their evil 
 deeds ; and to cry to him for mercy. 
 
 " As soon as brother Lehman entered the room Thomas, 
 who was already brought thither, came up to him, and express- 
 ed his thanks for the favour conferred upon him on the pre- 
 ceding day, adding, that he had not slept at all during the 
 night. Being asked the cause of this, he replied : 'This is my 
 dying day, and I shall soon see my Saviour face to face. He 
 waits to receive me."" After some conversation and prayer, they 
 were informed that tlie military were drawn up and in 
 readiness ; upon which brother Lehman and Thomas left the 
 prison, and entered a circle formed by the soldiers- Thedelin- 
 quent was without fetters, and dressed in white. The procession 
 now moved forward through the whole length of the town, the 
 streets being crowded with people, and the windows and roofs filled 
 with spectators. During their whole walk, the missionary spoke 
 comfortably to the sufferer, and exhorted him to look stead- 
 fastly to Jesus his Redeemer, who went for him to the cross, 
 and would not forsake him in his last extremity. Thomas was 
 still and silently repeated every word. When he had got out 
 of the town, and could see the place of execution at some dis- 
 tance he seemed to shudder, and stopped for a moment ; but 
 on being encouraged not to lose his confidence, but to keep the 
 eyes of his faith fixed on his Saviour, who went willingly to 
 death for him, he said, with trembling lips, ' O Lord Jesus I 
 I will likewise come ! O strengthen thou me !' 
 
 " Having arrived at the gallows, and the master of the po- 
 lice having again read to him the sentence of the law, he 
 mounted the cart. When his hands and feet were tied, 
 brother Lehman addressed him : ' Thomas, for whom was 
 Jesus bound ?'' He answered, ' For me.' ' For whom was 
 Jesus crucified .'''' He replied, * For me ; for my sins.' This 
 he did with such distinctness, that it excited great astonish- 
 ment. His last words were, ' Lord Jesus ! be merciful unto 
 me !' Brother Lehman added, ' Remember Jesus Christ, who 
 died and rose again for you !' During these words, he was 
 launched into eternity. 
 
 " The great resignation, with which Thomas went to execu- 
 
IVflSSION IN THE WEST INDIES. 
 
 tion, exceedingly surprised many both whites and Negros, who 
 had formerly been acquainted with him. One of the clerks of 
 the court called afterwards upon us, and could not sufficiently 
 express his wonder at the change wrought in the deportment 
 of this Negro. He related, that when he was brought into 
 court, he behaved in the most audacious and brutal manner, 
 and his conversation was the most scandalous and wicked ever 
 heard. He added : But how did he afterwards pray to God 
 for mercy ; and how patiently, like a sheep to the slaughter, 
 did he go to his death ! Many, besides myself, never expect- 
 ed, that that would be the case with him ! O how great is the 
 benefit derived from the Christian religion * V '"' 
 
 The voyage of a company of missionaries, in 1813 and 1814, 
 was attended with peculiar hardships and dangers. They were 
 partly destined for the mission in Greenland, and partly for 
 that in the Danish West India islands, and all sailed from Co- 
 penhagen, in March 1813, on board the Hualfisken, bound for 
 Leith in Scotland. In the channel between Scotland and 
 Norway they were discovered by captain Cathcart of the Alex- 
 andria frigate, who sent an officer on board demanding the 
 ship's papers, and ordering the Danish captain to attend on 
 board the frigate. To the no small consternation of himself 
 and the passengers, the license was declared to have expired, •(• 
 and aU the crew were put on board the frigate, and an English 
 lieutenant, a midshipman and twelve sailors took possession of 
 the Danish vessel. The captain, however, was suffered to 
 remain, an explanation having been given that the ship was 
 certainly bound for Leith. The ship was ordered to Gothen- 
 burg, but unfavourable weather rendered all their attempts 
 to reach that harbour ineffectual; and, after encountering seve- 
 ral perils, they were obliged to cast anchor at Marstrand, where 
 they were detained till the 10th of April. 
 
 Their situation was rendered peculiarly distressing, as they 
 could not even send a letter to the Brethren's minister at Go- 
 thenburg, or to any of their friends ; all intercourse with the 
 
 * Per. Acct. Vol. V. p. 419—426. 
 t The missionaries could not account for this, as the licetise was dated Au- 
 gust 1812, to remain valid till October 1813. Per. Acct. Vol. v. p. 370. 
 
MISSION IN THE WEST INDIES. 329 
 
 land being strictly forbidden. In other respects their detention 
 on board was rendered as comfortable as possible. Brother 
 Ramsch (one of the missionaries going to the West Indies) 
 remarks, " We should not do justice, if we did not bear tes- 
 timony to the kind and generous conduct of all the English 
 officers we had to do with ; I might quote a variety of instances, 
 in which they showed every readiness to make our situation as 
 little irksome as possible,* 
 
 While lying off Marstrand some of them were ordered to 
 Gothenburg to undergo an examination. They were treated 
 with much kindness, and only such questions put to them, as 
 tended to prove the truth of the captain's report. 
 
 This unexpected occurrence so protracted the voyage to 
 Leith, 'that the missionaries, destined for the West Indies, 
 could not sail with tlie spring convoy. They therefore spent 
 the summer in tlie Brethren's settlement at Fulnek in York- 
 shire. 
 
 In November 1813 they set sail from Portsmouth ; their 
 company consisting of the brethren Ramsch and Schaerf, with 
 their wives and two other sisters. On this voyage likewise 
 they were exposed to imminent danger. January the 10th 
 1814, they were chased by an American privateer. Captain 
 Lennon informed them, that he considered it his duty to de- 
 fend himself, and immediately prepared for action ; assigning 
 a place of safety for them in the hold. A fierce engagement 
 now commenced. The English ship mounted only six guns, 
 with twenty-two men and boys ; the American had fourteen 
 guns and one hundred and twenty-five men. Thrice he at- 
 tempted to board, but met with such steady and determined 
 resistance from Captain Lennon, that, after a contest of more 
 than four hours, he was obliged to sheer off with considerable 
 damage, and the loss of several killed and wounded. The 
 English ship had one killed and eleven wounded ; the captain 
 had his hat shot through and received several contusions. 
 
 * It is of importance to mention this circumslancc, a report having been 
 circulated to the contrary effect by the Danish sailors, Per. Acct. Vol. v. p. 
 369. 
 
330 MISSION IN THE WEST INDIES. 
 
 The terror of the missionaries, during the light, may more 
 easily be conceived than described. Their gratitude and joy 
 were so much the greater, wlien they not only found they had 
 been graciously delivered from the threatening danger, but 
 before the close of another day, saw themselves in the midst of 
 their brethren and sisters in St. Croix. 
 
 A month had scarce elapsed after the arrival of this company, 
 when brother J. G. Haensel of St. Thomas entered into ever- 
 lasting rest. He was sixty-four years of age ; and it may be 
 truly said of him, that he had grown grey and exhausted his 
 strength in his endeavours to bring the heathen to the fold of 
 the good Shepherd. He had served the missionary cause in 
 Tranquebar and Nicobar in the East Indies, for eighteen 
 years, and, after a short rest in Germany, he laboured for the 
 same period in the West Indies ; so that thirty-six years of his 
 valuable life had been devoted to the glorious work of evange- 
 lizing the heathen*. 
 
 After the departure of this faithful servant of God, the 
 missionaries continued to preach the unsearchable riches of 
 Christ to the Negros in St. Thomas, St, Croix, and St. Jan, 
 and to teach their converts to observe all things whatsoever 
 Jesus hath commanded. And the Lord blessed their labours 
 for the conversion of the Negros, many of whom were in 
 subsequent years added to the Church by baptism. 
 
 While thus zealously attending on their ministry, their 
 divine Master was pleased to exercise their faith by a severe 
 trial. Towards the end of the summer of 1817, a contagious 
 fever prevailed in these islands, which was peculiarly fatal to 
 Europeans, carrying off great numbers, and likewise extending 
 its ravages to the missionary settlements. Most of the mis- 
 sionaries suffered from it ; and in less than five weeks three 
 brethren and two sisters, finished their earthly pilgrimage, and 
 entered into the joy of their Lord. 
 
 This distressing intelligence was immediately communicated 
 
 • Some idea of the difficulties and dangers, he had to encounter in the 
 East Indies, till that mission was suspended, may be formed by reading his 
 iMters OH the Nicobar hlnmh, addressed to the Rev. C. J J.atrobe, and pub- 
 lished in 1812. 
 
Mission in the west indies. 331 
 
 to the members and friends of the Brethren's Church in a 
 circular from the directors of the missions ; it every where 
 awakened the sincerest sympathy, and all felt the truth and 
 force of the concluding paragraph in the circular : " What shall 
 we say ? we bow with deep humility under the chastening hand 
 of the Lord, that hand which ' wounds and which heals,' and 
 we entreat him, that he would bless our brethren and sisters 
 there with his divine comfort, and support them with his 
 mighty power, that they may serve the great missionary work 
 with the needful grace, till we are enabled to send fresh 
 labourers to supply the places of those, who are now resting in 
 the presence of their Lord." 
 
 SECTION IL 
 
 Jaynaica. 
 
 Several respectable gentlemen in London, who possessed 
 considerable estates in Jamaica, had with much zeal and ex- 
 pense supported various measures for the instruction of their 
 Negros in Christianity, but without any apparent success. 
 Becoming acquainted with the Brethren and their successful 
 labours in St. Thomas, they requested the directors of our 
 missions to send some missionaries to instruct their slaves, ad- 
 ding, that it would be particularly gratifying to them if the 
 Rev. Zacharias George Caries, whose sermons they had them- 
 selves attended with acceptance and profit, should be found 
 willing to engage in this service. 
 
 Brother Caries readily consented, and with two other bre- 
 thren, sailed for Jamaica in October 1754. On their arrival 
 every thing favoured their undertaking. The promoters of it 
 generously cared for their external support, and erected a house 
 on a piece of land, given by them for the use of the mission, 
 and which was called C arm el. They also encouraged the 
 Negros to attend the preachmg of the gospel, allowing them 
 the necessary time and liberty. They came in great numbers, 
 and, at the end of the first year, the missionaries computed 
 
332 MISSION IN THE WEST INDIES. 
 
 their regular hearers at about eight hundred, of whom twenty 
 six had been baptized. Besides preaching on the three estates 
 belonging to the promoters of the mission, brother Caries was 
 invited by several other gentlemen to instruct their slave-ne- 
 gros also. He met with but little opposition from the white 
 people, even those, who at first were rather hostile in their 
 views, changed their sentiments almost as soon as they heard 
 and conversed with him. Indeed they attended his sermons 
 in such numbers (^in many cases with evident blessing to them- 
 selves,^ that he found it necessary to preach separately to 
 them and the Negros. 
 
 In this pi'osperous state the mission continued for two or 
 three years. There were two regular stations, namely at Car- 
 MEL and Emmaus, and preachings were kept on three other 
 plantations, the Bogue, Island, and Mesopotamia. The 
 number of catechumens amounted to four hundred, and 
 that of the baptized to seventy-seven. More labourers being 
 now required, some ])rethren arrived from Europe and North 
 America in 1757 and 1759. But differing in opinion from 
 their predecessors, and conceiving that the Negros had been 
 too hastily admitted to baptism, they treated them with greater 
 strictness, and prolonged the time of the probation of -the 
 catechumens, 'j'his discouraged the poor slaves ; many of 
 them withdrew and even absented themselves from the public 
 preaching ; the harmony of the missionaries was interrupted 
 and their zeal in the cause paralyzed. In 1759 brother Caries 
 returned to Europe with brother Nath. Seidel, who had been 
 sent over on a visitation, whose endeavours to revive the sink- 
 ing cause were but partially successful ; and several years elaps- 
 ed before the mission recovered the detriment it had sus- 
 tained. 
 
 Amidst these disheartening circumstances, it was an en- 
 couragement to the missionaries to find, that none of the 
 slaves belonging to the five plantations, where they had regu- 
 larly preached the gospel, were implicated in the rebellion of 
 the Negros in 1760. On the contrary, they were often in 
 danger of being surprised by the rebels, till the latter were 
 driven to seek an asylum in the woods and mountains. 
 
MISSION IN THE WEST INDIES. 333 
 
 In 1764, and the following years, the prospect again as- 
 sumed a brighter appearance. Brother Frederic Schlegel, 
 liaving arrived in order to take the general superintendence of 
 the mission, was enabled, by divine grace, to restore harmony 
 among the missionaries, and reanimate their drooping zeal. 
 This had the effect that those Ncgros, who had been formerly 
 baptized, returned, and the smothered embers of the divine life in 
 their souls were rekindled, so that the missionaries could employ 
 some of them as assistants in preaching to their countrymen. 
 By degrees the number of their hearers increased, and they 
 found opportunities of declaring the gospel in some new places, 
 and even of visiting the Negros, who live in the mountains. 
 In the year 1767 one hundred and thirty-one were admitted to 
 holy baptism, and the following year very nearly the same 
 number. 
 
 After the decease of brother Schlegel, who entered into rest 
 in 1770, the promising revival in this mission received a fresh 
 check. The eagerness of the Negros to hear the gospel sub- 
 sided, and even some of the baptised relapsed into paganism. 
 It ouffht here to be mentioned, that the labours of the mission- 
 avies were, through necessity, almost wholly restricted to the 
 slaves, belonging to a few plantations. In subsequent years 
 an oppressive scarcity of provisions, and in 1778 fears of a 
 hostile attack tended still further to impede the progress of 
 the work. 
 
 Things remained in this languishing state for several suc- 
 ceeding years. Even at the Bogue, which still presented the 
 greatest field for usefulness, the auditory seldom consisted of 
 more than sixty people, and never amounted to a hundred. 
 Consequently the annual addition to the Church, by new con- 
 verts from the heathen, was very small. Nothing could have 
 encouraged the missionaries to remain at their post, but the 
 consideration, that in the sight of God 07ie human soul is of 
 infinite value. 
 
 The insalubrity of the climate exposed them to frequent in- 
 dispositions and often rendered a change of missionaries 
 necessary. Thus brother Sam. Church, who ^from the year 
 1787 had, with great faithfulness, superintended the affairs of 
 
334 MISSION IN THE WEST INDIES. 
 
 this mission, found himself necessitated to return to England 
 in 1792. 
 
 Brother Nath. Brown and his wife, on their voyage from 
 Philadelphia to Jamaica in 1797, were captured by a French 
 privateer off Cape Nicola Mole in St. Domingo, and carried to 
 fort Jean liabel. They were kept prisoners for a fortnight, 
 but treated with great civility, and, after due "examination, set 
 at liberty and suffered to proceed. An American merchant 
 procured them a passport from the governor, and on the 7th of 
 August they sailed with an American brig, which was engaged 
 as a flag of truce, and in a few hours reached the Mole. Pro 
 ceeding under convoy with several vessels, they arrived at 
 Kingston, in Jamaica, on the 4th of September. During their 
 btay in this town they experienced much kindness from the 
 Methodists, especially from the Rev. Mr. Fish. 
 
 The slow progress of this mission was still further impeded, 
 about this time, by the rebellion of the Maroons (slaves, who 
 have eloped from their masters and live in the mountains, where 
 they occupy several villages,) and the consequent introduction 
 of ma-itial law. Tranquillity was disturbed, all business was 
 at a stand, and every person obliged to bear arms. From the 
 last, however, the missionaries were exempted ; and their places 
 of abode were at a considerable distance from the theatre of 
 these disturbances. They were likewise preserved from those 
 depredations and murders, which were committed by the run- 
 away Negros in 1798. And, what more particularly excited 
 their gratitude, was that they observed a greater attention to 
 the gospel in many of the slaves. 
 
 About this time some gentlemen in London, who had con- 
 siderable possessions in this Island, applied to the Brethren 
 for one or more missionaries, to be sent out for the special pur- 
 pose of instructing the Negros, belonging to their plantations, 
 taking upon themselves their entire maintenance so as not to 
 trench upon the general fund, the resources of which were barely 
 sufficient to defray the expenses of the more promising fields, 
 cultivated by the Brethren In order to meet the wishes of 
 these gentlemen, the brethren Joseph Jackson, (viho was born 
 iu this island, his father having formerly laboured in this 
 
MISSION iN THE WEST INDIES. 835 
 
 mission) and Thos. Ellis, and their wives, went in the spring 
 of 1800 to Jamaica. On their arrival they found most of the 
 resident missionaries ailing. Brother Howel and his wife were 
 gone to North America for the recovery of their health, and 
 brother Brown, after the decease of his wife, had returned to 
 Pennsylvania. The services of the new missionaries, there- 
 fore, were immediately needed in the old settlements ; and in 
 this they acquiesced the more readily as the requisite arrange- 
 ments for their accommodation had not yet been made in 
 those places, for which they were properly destined. 
 
 In subsequent years appearances became rather more hope- 
 ful, and the attendance of the Negros, especially at Union 
 and Elim (^two new stations) was encouraging. Noticing the 
 celebration of the anniversary of this mission in 1804), it be- 
 ing fifty years since its commencement, our brethren remark : 
 " Though we cannot exult over a very abundant harvest of 
 souls, which these fifty years have produced, or even over pre- 
 sent prospects, yet we find suflScient cause of gratitude to the 
 Lord, for having preserved a seed in Jamaica also, which in 
 his own good time may grow up into a rich harvest. It ap- 
 pears from the church register, that from the commencement 
 of this mission to the present date nine hundred and thirty-eight 
 Negros have been baptized." 
 
 A few years after the mission sustained a very serious loss 
 by the departure of brother Joseph Jackson, who fell asleep in 
 Jesus on Dec. 9th 1808, in the fortieth year of his age. The 
 loss of such a man was the more to be deplored, as his natural 
 and acquired endowments joined to great urbanity of manners, 
 and fervent zeal in the Lord's service, qualified him for more 
 extensive usefulness in the Church of the Brethren. 
 
 The time, for which the missionaries had long waited and 
 fervently prayed, seemed now to have arrived, when the gospel 
 would run and be glorified even in Jamaica. A greater desire 
 was evidently excited among the Negros to become savingly 
 acquainted with the truths of Christianity. They attended 
 the preachings in greater numbers, and evinced more earnest- 
 ness in seeking to attain a right understanding of what they 
 heard. For the attainment of this end the missionaries found 
 
33(5 MISSION IN THE WEST INDIES. 
 
 a regulation, which they made in 1812, very useful, in meet- 
 ing their people, especially the catechumens, in classes. Con- 
 cerning this they remark : " It is pleasing to see the eagerness, 
 with which the Negros come to this meeting. We are chiefly 
 occupied with asking questions, and explaining texts of Scrip- 
 ture. They are all anxious that they may not come behind in 
 proper answers, and therefore never stay away but from urgent 
 necessity. We find that this mode of instruction makes a 
 more lasting impression upon their minds, than a regular 
 sermon." 
 
 Among the new people, who about this time sought for in- 
 struction in Christian doctrine, was a Mahomedan, who had 
 come twelve miles to visit the missionary. He introduced him- 
 self by saying : "Massa, I would have you knov/ that I want to 
 come to you to be baptized. I am a Mahomedan, and in my 
 country we also believe in Moses. But I think my faith is 
 now old and not the right one ; I wish to come to Jesus Christ, 
 I have one wife, and she is of the same mind. We have pray- 
 ers together ; and always pray to Jesus Christ. Did we not 
 live so far off, we should have come before now and begged you 
 to baptize us." 
 
 October 4th 1812 a violent hurricane, followed in a few 
 days by a smart shock of an earthquake, M'hich continued 
 half a minute, did very considerable damage in the island, 
 and plunged the Negros into great distress, as all their provision- 
 grounds were destroyed. Brother Lang, in a letter dated Cak- 
 MEL, March 15th, 1813, writes : " Whenever we visit 
 them in their huts they cry out : ' Massa, hunger kill 
 we ;'' and indeed they look so lean and emaciated, 
 that we cannot behold them without pity. It will be 
 two months before the plantain and Indian corn become fit for 
 use. Were it not for our coifee planters who, when coffee fell 
 so much in price, planted plenty of a certain fruit, growing in 
 the ground, which the storm cannot carry away, the poor peo- 
 ple would absolutely be in danger of starving." 
 
 In June 1815 brother Ward and his wife arrived from Eng- 
 land, having been appointed for the service of this mission. 
 Soon after their arrival (hey took the charge of the instruc- 
 
MISSION IN THE WEST INDIES. 337 
 
 tion of the Ncgros on Island and Windsor estates, and fixed on 
 WiLLiAMSFiFLD as the most convenient place for their resi- 
 dence. On Island there were some baptized Negros, the gospel 
 having been occasionally preached there for many years, but 
 those belonging to Windsor were ignorant heathen. The differ- 
 ence between them was striking, and appeared even in their 
 manners andcustoms. Themissionary soon found thathis labours 
 in these places were attended with the divine blessing. His 
 auditories were, in general, large and very attentive, and many 
 desired more special instruction, that they might be prepared for 
 receiving holy baptism. The endeavours of the missionaries at 
 Carmel were equally successful. Ikothcr Lang writes : " the 
 number of our hearers is on the increase, and the preaching of the 
 gospel evinces its power on the hearts of the Negros, which also 
 appears in their moral conduct. Some walk in true fellowship 
 of spirit with our Saviour, and have received the assurance of 
 the forgiveness of their sins; others are mourning on account of 
 sin, and seeking salvation in Jesus. Of the latter class there 
 are about two hundred. One sabbath lately a Negro from an estate, 
 about fifteen miles from Carmel, brought me a stick, marked 
 with seven notches, each notch denoting ten Negros, informing 
 me that there were so many Negros on that estate engaged in 
 praying to the Lord. About twenty of them attend divine wor- 
 ship at Peru : they are all unbaptized, but desirous of receiving 
 holy baptism. The awakening spreads, and we entertain 
 hopes that our Saviour will now gather a rich harvest in Jamaica." 
 Of the new stations Elim and Peru were the most flourishing. 
 The attornies and overseers on these estates, no less than the 
 proprietors in England, promoted the endeavours of the 
 missionaries by every means in their power. This indeed was 
 now the case on all the plantations. 
 
 In the spring of 1816, however, some gentlemen endeavoured 
 to obstruct the work, and for a short time intimidated the 
 Negros, so that the preachings were less numerously attended- 
 Complaints were even lodged against the missionaries before 
 the governor, but being unsupported by evidence, he was too 
 just to condemn them without proof And as an application 
 on their part to be heard in their defence was not attended to, 
 A a 
 
338 MISSION IN THE WEST INDIES. 
 
 they determined to be quiet and commit their cause to God. In 
 a little while the storm subsided and they could undisturbedly 
 continue their labours. 
 
 The situation at the Bogue being, on several accounts, un- 
 favourable for a missionary settlement, a new house and other 
 necessary buildings were erected at a short distance from the 
 former. To this place, which they called Eden, the mission- 
 aries removed in the summer of 1816. Here and at the three 
 stations of Mesopotamia, Carmel and Wii.liamsfield they 
 continued their labours for the conversion of the Negros. Be- 
 sides this they preached regularly on the plantations of E/int, 
 PerUf Union, Tzoo-mile-zcood, Island and Windsor. 
 
 SECTION III. 
 
 Antigua. 
 
 The missionaries residing in St. Thomas had long directed 
 their attention to those islands in the West Indies, which be- 
 longed to the crown of England, hoping to find means of 
 preaching the gospel also in them. The paucity of their 
 number, however, and the frequent deaths, wliich occurred 
 among them, rendered this benevolent design abortive for a 
 considerable time. At length, in 1756, brother Samuel Isles, 
 who had spent eight years in St. Thomas, went to Antigua. 
 On his arrival he waited on the governor, and shewed him the 
 act which had been passed in 1749 in favour of the Brethren. 
 Some gentlemen patronized him, giving him permission to 
 preach on their plantations. The following year he had the 
 pleasure of performing the first baptismal transaction in this 
 island on a Negro woman. In the sequel proposals were^made 
 to him for building a place of worship for the Negros. This 
 was effected in 1761, on a piece of ground, in the town of St. 
 JohnX bought for the purpose of forming a missionary estab- 
 lishment. 
 
 For several years the progress of the work was rather sloW. 
 Brother Isles and his two assistants, John Bennet and Wm. 
 
MISSION IN THE WEST INDIES. 339 
 
 Lister, continued to preach the gospel wherever a door was 
 opened. On the one liand they met with no remarkable oppo- 
 sition, and on the other they saw no very striking effects attend 
 their labours. Samuel Isles finished his race in 1764, having 
 spent eight years in the service of this mission, during which 
 period only thirty-six Negros had been baptized. His sueces- 
 sors did not relax in their endeavours, but sowed the seed of 
 the gospel, in hopes of a fruitful harvest at some future period, 
 for as yet the prospect was very discouraging, their congregation 
 in St. John's having been reduced to fourteen members, and 
 few of the heathen shewing any inclination to attend the 
 church. 
 
 This was the unpromising state of things when brother 
 Brown arrived there from North America in May 1761). It 
 pleased the Sovereign Lord of his vineyard to crown the zea- 
 lous exertions of this missionary with signal succ^s. Imbi- 
 bing a measure of the spirit of his divine Master, Brown was 
 not content with addressing the Negros in public, but followed 
 them into their huts, and in private conversation earnestly and 
 affectionately entreated them to attend to the things belonging 
 to their peace. Besides performing the regular services in the 
 town, he preached on two plantations in the country. The au- 
 ditories increased ; many heathen were converted, and in less 
 than two years the baptized amounted to upwards of eighty. 
 These invited their friends and acquaintances to go with them 
 to church, and many, who came at first from mere curiosity, 
 were by degrees so powerfully awakened, that they never ab- 
 sented themselves except in cases of the most urgent necessity. 
 
 This increase of their congregation rendered the enlarge- 
 ment of the chapel necessary. On this occasion the Christian 
 Negros, in a very pleasing manner, evidenced the influence of 
 the gospel on their minds. When they came to the meetings, 
 on week-day evenings, each brought a few stones or other ma- 
 terials with him. A baptized Negro, who was a mason, with 
 the help of a few others, did all the masonry, and others did 
 the carpenter's work, and completed the whole building in 
 their free hours, after their daily tasks were done. And those, 
 who could not assist in the labour, provided victuals for the 
 workmen. 
 
340 MISSION IN THE WEST INDIES. 
 
 Difficulties were not wanting. The brethren, who had hi- 
 therto assisted brother Brown, were obliged to leave the island 
 on account of" ill health, and brother Ben. Brookshaw, who ar- 
 rived there in 1771, and whose qualifications for the work were 
 of the most promising kind, was called home by the Lord the 
 following March ; and as sister Brown likewise departed this 
 life, her husband was for several months left quite alone. 
 
 In 1772 they suffered from a calamity of a more public na- 
 ture. The island was visited by a violent hurricane, which 
 did great damage, threw down one of the houses on the mis- 
 sion-settlement and considerably injured the rest. By the 
 mercy of God the chapel, in wnich the missionaries and many 
 Negros had taken refuge, remained standing. 
 
 This calamity, however, appeared to make a salutary im- 
 pression on the Negros, teaching them the importance of know- 
 ing that Lord who is " a hiding place from the wind and a 
 covert from the tempest." A new awakening arose among the 
 slaves, which, like a fire from the Lord, spread in every direc- 
 tion. The auditories at the mission-chapel increased every 
 year ; so that in 1775 the number of the stated hearers amoun- 
 ted to two thousand ; and not a month elapsed without an ad- 
 dition to the Church often or twenty by baptism. 
 
 The missionaries therefore found it necessary, not only to 
 erect a new and more spacious place of worship in St. John's, 
 but also to endeavour to obtain a second establishment, in some 
 other part of the island, in order, more especially, to accommo- 
 date those Negros, who lived at a distance from the town. 
 The building of the new chapel was completed in 1773, and 
 the following year they purchased a piece of ground called 
 Bailey-hill, at no great distance from the town of Falmouth, 
 and in the neighbourhood of several plantations, on which 
 many of their converts resided. 
 
 In 1778 a severe famine prevailed, which plunged the Ne- 
 gros into the greatest distress ; many were found lying quite 
 exhausted in the fields, and not a few perished with hunger. 
 Some managers were so cruel as to give to the cattle the food, 
 which the proprietors had ordered for their slaves. Contagi- 
 ous diseases followed, and thefts and robberies became frequent. 
 
MISSION IN THE WEST INDIES. 341 
 
 whereby many industrious Negros lost all their little property. 
 Under these heavy circumstances the power of divine grace was 
 strikingly exhibited in the conduct of the Christian Negros. 
 They not only refrained fromall unlawful means of helping them- 
 selves, but bore their sufferings with exemplary patience, never 
 resenting the injuries done them, nor taking revenge on those, 
 who robbed them. One of them, when returning from his 
 work in the evening, and finding that thieves had been in his 
 house, said, with a very placid mien : '" Well, they have not 
 been able to rob me of my greatest treasure, the grace of my 
 Saviour. They are more to be pitied than I am." 
 
 The situation of Bailey-hill having been found very in- 
 convenient, on account of the great acclivity of the hill, the 
 missionaries were glad to meet with a more convenient place at 
 no great distance. Thither they removed in 1782, and called 
 it GiiACEHiLL. Their congregations here and in St. John's 
 now amounted to two thousand and sixty-nine baptized Negros, 
 and with the catechumens and regular hearers nearly to double 
 that number. 
 
 The external circumstances of the mission continued rather 
 difficult. Hard labour, sickness, famine and depredations were 
 trials, which the Christian Negros shared in common with 
 others. Frequent apprehensions of a hostile attack from the 
 French, who took the island in 1782, but restored it to Britain 
 the following year, and the necessary preparations of defence 
 had an injurious influence. The baptized Negros were exposed 
 to persecution and oppressive treatment, both from their 
 heathen fellow-slaves and from some of the managers. A 
 Negro, who accompanied his master on a voyage, was captured 
 by the French and carried to Guadaloupe, where he suffered 
 severe imprisonment. His Christian behaviour drew the atten- 
 tion of the jailor ; who, on learning that the prisoner was bap- 
 tized, gave him more liberty, and even promoted his return to 
 Antigua. 
 
 One of the greatest trials the missionaries occasionally felt, 
 was the removal of some of their converts to other islands, 
 where they had no opportunity of hearing the gospel. In such 
 cases, however, they had frequently the pleasure to hear that 
 
342 MISSION IN THE WEST INDIES. 
 
 the Christian Negros kept together, and by prayer and mutual 
 edification, encouraged each other to remain faithful to their 
 baptismal engagements. By these means they often proved a 
 blessing to their unconverted countrymen, and lit occurred 
 more than once that some of tVic latter, when transported 
 to Antigua, immediately sought fellowship with our brethren. 
 
 After the restoration of peace, in 1783, the Negros evinced 
 a tf rowing desire to hear the gospel. Baptismal transactions 
 were numerous and frequent. In St. John's sixty adults were, 
 by this sacred rite, in one day embodied in the Church ; and 
 that congregation received, in one year, an acceswon of upwards 
 of four hundred new members; and the congregation at Gkace- 
 HILL was, within the same period, increased by more than three 
 hundred persons. The number of apostates v/as comparatively 
 small. 
 
 These very large additions rendered it necessary to celebrate 
 the Lord's Supper in two divisions at St. John's. For as yet 
 the missionaries had been unsuccessful in their endeavours to 
 obtain a piece of ground, in a convenient situation for a third 
 settlement. To obviate, in some degree, the difficulty expe- 
 rienced by many of the Negros, who lived at a considerable 
 distance, in attending the regular service in the settlements, 
 the missionaries preached at stated times on several adjacent 
 plantations. This measure was in general approved by the 
 proprietors and managers. In one place a Negro, one of the 
 native assistants, built a chapel at his own expense, sufficiently 
 large to accommodate four hundred hearers. 
 
 Most of the proprietors and managers were favourably dis- 
 posed, and acknowledged the beneficial effects, resulting from 
 the labours of the missionaries. The amelioration in the moral 
 character of the slaves, redounded to the advantage of their 
 masters, and that in a manner too obvious to be altogether over- 
 looked. The example of the Christian Negros was productive 
 of goo^l even in such as did not attend the preaching. They 
 became ashamed of criminal excesses, and even exhorted each 
 other to refrain from them. If any of the baptized Negros 
 had been guilty of a fault, the reproof of their teachers had 
 far more effect than any corporal chastisement. This was well 
 
MISSION IN THE WEST INDIES. 343 
 
 known to some of the managers, who, therefore, instead of 
 resorting to the whip, sent the offender to the missionaries. 
 One gentleman observed : " he wished all his slaves might be 
 truly converted, for this would render them far more honest 
 and])unctual in theirwork, than anypunishment hecouldinflict." 
 
 Yet persons were not wanting, who treated the missionaries 
 with disrespect, and, whenever they could, opposed and im- 
 peded their labour. On these occasions the poor slaves were 
 the greatest sufferers. Once a party of white people most 
 cruelly maltreated a Negro for no other alledged reason, than 
 because he attended the preaching ; and afterwards even forced 
 him to give his wife fifty lashes, because she had lodged a 
 complaint with a justice. Some proprietors and managers 
 positively prohibited their slaves from going to church ; and, 
 in case of disobedience, inflicted severe punishment on them, 
 and put them into the stocks. A certain gentleman used to 
 beat his servant whenever he met her. Venturing once to ask 
 him why he did it, his only answer was : *' because you persist 
 in going to the meetings." The slave replied : " If this be the 
 reason, then may God bless you, sir ; our Saviour hath endured 
 far heavier sufferings for my sins than you can inflict on me." 
 The manager on a certain plantation, had for ten years, used 
 all possible means to seduce the slaves to sin, but not succeed- 
 ing in his attempt, he was so enraged, that he one day cruelly 
 flogged a converted Negro, because his wife would not yield to 
 his iniquitous solicitations. 
 
 Notwithstanding these oppressions and many similar hard- 
 ships, the work of the Lord prospered in an astonishing de- 
 gree. The congregation of Geacehill increased so rapidly, 
 that it became necessary to adopt the same measure here as in 
 St. John"'s with regard to the administration of the Lord's 
 Supper. In 1788 the two congregations consisted of more 
 than six thousand members. Many new doors for preaching 
 the gospel were opened to the missionaries, who could not 
 have done the work, had they not found useful assistants among 
 their converts. On several occasions, when repairs of the 
 houses and chapels became needful, the Negros manifested 
 their willingness and liberality in the most gratifying manner. 
 
344 MISSION IN THE WEST INDIES. 
 
 The building of the chapel at Gbacehill was nearly alto- 
 gether the voluntary work of the Negros, and they even raised 
 among themselves two thirds of the sum, which was required 
 for that part of the work which they could not do. 
 
 In 1790 this mission sustained a very heavy loss by the re- 
 moval of brother l?rown. This missionary, who for twenty- 
 two years had laboured with hidefatigable zeal in this part of 
 the Lord'^s vineyard, and been instrumental in the conversion 
 of many hundred Negros, began to feel a declension, not only 
 of his bodily health, butalsoof his mental faculties. His wife 
 likewise, besides general debility, had entirely lost her sight, 
 and thus was incapacitated from attending to the female Ne- 
 gros, and from rendering any other assistance to the mission. 
 They, therefore, retired to Bethlehem in North America. 
 Brother Samuel Watson succeeded Brown in the superintend- 
 ence of the mission ; but was removed to a better world in 
 1792 in the 47th year of his age, after having, with exemplary 
 faithfulness, served the cause of God in this island upwards of 
 sixteen years. More than two thousand Europeans and Ne- 
 gros joined the solemnities of his funeral, as the last proof they 
 could give, of the esteem which all ranks attached to his 
 memory. His place was supplied by brother Henry Christian 
 Tschirpe, hitherto minister of the l^rethren'g congregation in 
 Berlin. 
 
 In the night between the 18th and 19th of August 1795, 
 a violent hurricane, accompanied with tremendous thunder and 
 a severe shock of an earthquake, raged and did very consider- 
 able damage in the island. The fences and out-houses in the 
 two missionary settlements were totally destroyed, and the 
 dwelling-houses were much injured ; but the missionaries 
 gratefully acknowledged the goodness of God in protecting 
 them from all personal hurt. 
 
 The following year they succeeded in accomplishing the 
 long-projected measure of forming a- third settlement. They 
 made a purchase of a small piece of ground in Old Road Town 
 lying near the coast, and at the distance of thirteen miles from 
 each of the two other settlements. Having repaired an old 
 house, standing upon the prcmiscK. they used it both for a 
 
MISSION IN THE WEST INDIES. 345 
 
 dwelling and:; a meeting-room, till a regular chapel could 
 be built. This place received the nameof Grack-bay ; and 
 brother J. F. ]?eichel and his wife removing thither early 
 in 1797, it proved a great convenience to many Negros, espe- 
 cially the aged and infirm. A congregation consisting of six 
 hundred Christian Negros, who had formerly belonged to St. 
 JonN*'s or GiiACEHiLL, was immediately collected, and many, 
 who had never been at church before, now began to attend 
 the preaching of the gospel at this station, were solidly awake- 
 ned by the Spirit of God, and joined the fellowship of the be- 
 lievers. 
 
 Many instances, evidencing the benign influence of the 
 gospel on the sentiments and conduct of the Christian Negros, 
 and of the increasing esteem, entertained for the 13rethren''s 
 labours by most of the planters, continued to occur. The fol- 
 lowing, selected from a number of others, will serve to corro- 
 borate this assertion. 
 
 Richard, one of the native assistants, closed his earthly 
 pilgrimage in his ninety-ninth year. Even in that advanced 
 age he was very lively and active, and much respected by his 
 proprietor. A rather singular circumstance paved the way for 
 his conversion. He and another slave once endeavoured to 
 promote a dance, in order to keep the Negros from going to 
 church. But this scheme was defeated, for all the rest declared 
 *' they preferred going to church." This irritated Richard and 
 his comrade. They however, resolved to go to the meeting to 
 see and hear for themselves ; when the Lord opened their 
 hearts, so that they both seriously attended to the things, which 
 were spoken by the missionary. 
 
 Joseph, another Negro, who died about this time, had been 
 baptized in the Church of England, but afterwards joined 
 the Brethren. Having obtained his freedom, he engaged as 
 valet to a Gentleman. His master often entered into familiar 
 conversation with him, and once addressed him thus : " Joseph, 
 you arc a fool to be always going to Gracehill, for you were 
 baptized in the English Church." The Negro replied : " I was 
 a fool when I gave the clergyman money to baptize me, thouf^h 
 he never instructed me in the doctrine of salvation ; this I have 
 
346 MISSION IN THE WEST INDIES. 
 
 been taught in Grackiiill. You, sir, arc a great gentleman 
 and a Christian, and yet you never go to church ; but I will 
 tell you, I would not change with you, though I am but a 
 poor Negro- Me you cannot hinder from going to Grackiiill; 
 but I entreat you, sir, do not hinder your slaves^ 
 
 The hap])y departiu'c of a slave terminated his sufferings in 
 this life. Being lame, and consequently useless, he had to 
 endure extreme misery. His black brethren esteemed him 
 highly on account of his faith and love to Jesus, and would 
 gladly have helped him, but his unmerciful master would not 
 permit it. He was found lying dead on a rock, and the 
 Negros were not allowed to make a coffin for him, even at their 
 own expense. 
 
 Inhuman behaviour of this kind, however, became more 
 and more rare ; on the contrary the planters, in general, knew 
 how to appreciate the worth of their Christian slaves. A gen- 
 tleman, having lost a Negro of this description, requested the 
 missionary to hold a funeral discourse for him, and with tears 
 in his eyes added : " His equal for fidelity and every other 
 virtue, is scarce to be found in the whole island ; and if Al- 
 mighty God does open the gates of heaven to any man, it will 
 surely be to this old and venerable Negro." 
 
 Another gentleman once declared " I esteem and love the 
 Brethren, because they preach the gospel in its purity, and in 
 a truly apostolical manner. My regard for them is founded on 
 the experience of thirty-six years. I well remember the time, 
 when not only white people were afraid of the Negros, but 
 when even the latter could not trust each other, and murders 
 were quite common. But, when the missionaries began to 
 preach the gospel, it displayed its power, and changed the 
 hearts of the slaves." 
 
 To the same effect another planter expressed himself, re- 
 marking, " Formerly we could hardly procure ropes enough 
 on a Monday, for the purpose of punishing those slaves, who 
 had committed crimes on Sunday ; twenty, thirty, and even 
 more were frequently hung ; but since the gospel has been 
 ]>rcachcd to them, scarcely two arc hung in a whole^year, and 
 
MISSION IN THE WEST INDIUSi. 3 i7 
 
 these for the most part are strange Negros, who have not been 
 long in the island." 
 
 In process of time the missionaries observed, with grief, 
 that the eagerness of the Negros to hear and obey the gospel 
 was rather declining ; yet they still found abundant cause of ac- 
 knowledging the goodness of God in making them the happy 
 instruments of removing the galling fetters of sin from the 
 heart of many a poor slave. And, though in their attendance 
 on the means of grace, they did not always exhibit that earn- 
 estness, wliich their teachers so mucli desired ; yet on Sundays 
 and festival seasons the auditories were crov^ded. Thus the 
 congregation of St. John's, on Easter Monday 1804, con- 
 sisted of nearly three thousand people ; and during the pre- 
 ceding week they had, besides their regular evening services in 
 the chapel, held meetings on thirty-four estates in the neigh- 
 bourhood of that settlement for contemplating the passion 
 scenes of our Saviour. 
 
 Towards the close of 1802, the island was visited by a very 
 dangerous epidemic, which chiefly affected the white inhabi- 
 tants, and carried oft' several hundred persons. At that time, 
 however, death did not enter the dwellings of the missionaries. 
 But some months before they had lost one of their numbeiv 
 brother I..uke Turner. His departure was the more afflictive 
 to his fellow-labourers, as he was still in the prime of life, and 
 had been only two years on the island. But in that short 
 period he had given sufficient proofs of his zeal in the Lord's 
 service, and by his modest and unassuming character gained 
 the esteem and love of all who knew him. The physician, 
 with tears in his eyes, bore testimony to this. Addressing one 
 of the brethren he said : " For these many months, sir, we 
 have not lost one white patient. However, your friend is best 
 prepared for it, though he cannot speak. His very coun- 
 tenance shews the peace of his heart and the rest of his soul. 
 He will.be rewarded in heaven. Look at his Christian com- 
 posure, his end will be as his life, easy and mild. I pity you, 
 that you should lose a man of such a character." 
 
 The first months of the year 1805 were a period of much 
 anxiety, as an invasion from the French was almost daily ex- 
 
348 MISSION IN THE WEST INDIES. 
 
 pected. The presence of their fleet in these seas kept the in- 
 habitants constantly on the alert. The colony was under 
 iTiartial law, and all business at a stand. On March the 10th 
 the town of St John''s was suddenly thrown into the utmost 
 consternation, and people were flying in all directions, a report 
 being circulated that the enemy had landed on Johnson''s point, 
 and were marching to the town. This fortunately proved a 
 false alarm ; and the island was preserved in peace. 
 
 In 1808 a trial of a more private nature, but truly distress- 
 ing to the cause in which they were engaged, befel the mis- 
 sionaries. Nearly all of them suffered from severe illnesses, 
 and that much about the same time, which rendered the duty 
 of those, who remained tolerably well, doubly arduous, and, 
 if the Lord had not made their strength equal to their day, 
 the regular service of their numerous congregations must have 
 been still more interrupted than it was. On this occasion bro- 
 ther J. C. Schnepf closed his useful life ; and brother Sautter 
 and his wife went to Nortli America, for the recovery of his 
 health. Through the mercy of God the change of air proved 
 beneficial, and they returned the following year. 
 
 It had long been the wish of the missionaries to commence 
 a regular school with the children, but their state of servitude 
 had hitherto put an insurmountable barrier in the way. AH 
 they could do, therefore, consisted in holding a separate meet- 
 ing with the children on Sundays, and occasionally also on 
 other days. These meetings were frequently attended by se- 
 veral hundreds, and even by a thousand young people. On 
 these occasions the missionaries adopted the catechetical mode 
 of instruction, giving them texts of Scripture and short hymns 
 to learn, which they repeated at the next meeting. The pre- 
 judices, entertained by most planters, against the Negros 
 learning to read, which had always been the most formidable 
 impediment, began gradually to subside. The missionaries 
 gladly availed themselves of this favourable change, and in 
 1810 commenced a regular Swulaij-School at St. John's, 
 adopting the Lancasterian method of instruction. They were 
 kindly assisted by a worthy young man, belonging to the Me- 
 thodist Society. 
 
IVTlSSlON IN THE WEST INDIES. 349 
 
 The school was opened on the 3rd of June with eighty 
 scholars, but their number in a short time increased to seven 
 hundred. The parents of the children, no less than the 
 children themselves, received this instruction with joy and 
 gratitude. The progress of the latter both surprized and de- 
 lighted their teachers. They remark, that tlie Negros evinced 
 a great regard and love for the AVord of God, and used to 
 steal time from their hours of rest to learn to read, in order to 
 peruse the holy Scriptures. This rendered the present of 
 Bibles and Testaments, sent to them by the worthy British and 
 Foreign Bible Society, doubly valuable. 
 
 At Grackhill, where the duties of the missionaries in 
 preaching in the chapel and on several plantations left them 
 no time on the Lord's day for keeping school, they endeavour- 
 ed to obviate this disadvantage in some measure, by devoting 
 one day in the week to the instruction of the young. The 
 school commenced on the estate of Mr. G. a gentleman who 
 had always shewn himself a zealous promoter of the intellectual 
 and moral improvement of his Negros. It began with sixty 
 scholars, who attended ^three hours in the forenoon, and the 
 same time in' the afternoon. 
 
 The situation of Gkace-bay being rather unhealthy, the 
 missionaries ma('e a purchase of a small estate on the iT/an- 
 chi.icel h\\\, to which they removed in 1811. The congrega- 
 tion belonging to that place, including the catechumens and 
 children, then consisted of twelve hundred and sixteen persons. 
 
 Very early in the morning of October 1, 1812, the mission- 
 aries were roused from sleep by tremendous gusts of wind, the 
 prelude to a hurricane, which raged with unabating violence for 
 several hours, accompanied with heavy thunder and vivid 
 lightning, and a smart shock of an eaithquake. Consider- 
 able damage was done to the fences, out-houses, and roofs of the 
 three settlements. Happily, however, the chapels and dwell- 
 ing-houses remained standing, and none of the missionary fam- 
 ily suffered any personal injury. The whole year was a very 
 heavy period. Owing to the dryness of the season and the war 
 with America, provisions rose to an exorbitant price ; and In- 
 dian corn, the common food of the Negros, was scarcely to 
 
350 MISSION IN THE WEST INDIES. 
 
 be procured at any price. Famine and disease prevailed 
 among whites and blacks. More than two hundred of the con- 
 gregation at St. Johx''s finished their earthly career. 
 
 ]{ut, amidst all difficulties, the faith and courage of the mis- 
 sionaries were sustained and animated by repeated proofs that 
 God, not only cared for their temporal wants, but most gra- 
 ciously prospered their exertions for the conversion of the Ne- 
 gros. If at times they found cause to lament over the luke- 
 warniness, and even the actual apostacy of some of their people, 
 their joy was so much the greater, when, through the faithful 
 care of the good Shepherd, some of these strayed sheep re- 
 turned to the fold. Among tliese was the Negro Mich. Burke, 
 who had been baptized in 1794, but some years afterwards left 
 the fellowship of believers. At length, after many wanderings, 
 he came back to the missionaries and, having given satisfactory 
 evidence of true repentance and a real change of mind, was 
 re-admitted to the congregation in the beginning of 1812. 
 Now he could not find words to bemoan his wicked conduct, or 
 to extol the mercy of our Saviour in again awakening him from 
 the sleep of sin, and not suffering him. to be eternally lost. 
 On one occasion he said : " Oh ! how much happiness have I 
 lost, which I cannot now regain. Through the tender mercy 
 of the good Shepherd I am brought back to the fold, and 
 plucked as a brand out of the burning, but I have lost much. 
 Tell my brethren and sisters to take warning by me, and not 
 to depart from our Saviour and his people, but hold fast the 
 grace which they have received. O tell every one from me, 
 to hold fast what they have got." About midsummer he de- 
 parted this life, relying on the grace of God in Christ Jesus. 
 
 A few weeks later, Stephen, one of their most useful native 
 assistants, likewise exchanged this mortal state for immortality. 
 He was greatly beloved by his countrymen, whose lamenta- 
 tions were almost unbounded ; but checking themselves they 
 said: " We must submit to the will of God. He gave him 
 and He has taken him." The missionaries give the following 
 character of him : 
 
 " Stephen was of a very warm and positive turn of mind. 
 But when his natural disposition was softened and sanctified by 
 
MISSION IN THE WEST INDIKS. 351 
 
 the grace of God, it became an auxiliary in tlie service. His 
 fearlessness and decision in declaring his opinion made him a 
 warm and powerful advocate in the cause of truth. Few Ne- 
 gros possessed such proper gifts and qualifications for ex- 
 horting, as he did. He was well acquainted with the depravity 
 of the human heart, and how it concealed, or showed itself, 
 in a Negro. He could, therefore, speak of it much to the pur- 
 pose, and lay open the secret springs of evil, in a manner in- 
 telligible to a Negro. But the subject, in which his heart and 
 tongue were most alive, was the sufferings and death of our 
 Saviour for the deliverance and salvation of sinners. Here all 
 the energies of his mind seemed to be called forth, and engaged 
 in extolling the love of Jesus in giving Himself up to such 
 agonies of soul and body, to make an atonement for the sins 
 of men. On such occasions, although he had great fluency of 
 speech, the fervour of his mind, and the quickness of thought, 
 were sometimes almost too much for the slow process of articu- 
 lation. He was esteemed by his master as a faithful and up- 
 right servant, and was frequently employed by him in the 
 place of a white man as deputy-overseer. Both his master, 
 therefore, and the congregation at Gracehill lost in him a 
 useful servant. But he was more ; for he was a servant of 
 God, and as such was called to enter into the joy his Lord. 
 His age was 74 years*." 
 
 Pursuant to some regulations, made in consequence of the 
 abolition of the slave trade, no Negros from Africa were per- 
 mitted to be sold ; but those, who were captured on board 
 Spanish and Portuguese ships, and brought to the island, were 
 distributed on the estates in order to learn trades, and after 
 fourteen years' service to be declared free. Our brethren in 
 St. John's received four girls of this description in 1814, en- 
 gaging themselves, by proper indentures, to care for them 
 and have them instructed in female work, and in the Christian 
 religion during the stipulated term of years. 
 
 No event of general interest marked the progress of this 
 mission in subsequent years. At the close of this period, in 
 
 * Per. Acct. Vol vi. p. 115. 
 
352 MISSION IN THE WEST INDIES. 
 
 1817, the missionaries continued their labours under evident 
 tokens of the divine blessing. The colonial government pres- 
 singly requested the establishment of a fourth missionary sta- 
 tion, and for this purpose, by a regular deed of conveyance, 
 secured to the missionaries of the Brethren's Church ten acres 
 of land, and presented them with a sum of money from the 
 colonial treasury, towards the erection of the necessary build- 
 ings. The proprietors of the neighbouring plantations, being 
 desirous, that their Negros should hear the gospel, in the 
 most handsome manner, lent their assistance ; so that hopes 
 were entertained, that the buildings would be habitable by the 
 end of the year. This promising field requiring an additional 
 number of labourers, the brethren Thos. Ellis and J. Taylor, 
 and their wives, sailed for the West Indies in the spring of 
 1818. 
 
 A letter, written some years before by the missionary, Jo- 
 seph Newby, describes the general eagerness of the Negros to 
 hear the gospel, and the blessing, with which the Lord crowns 
 the endeavours of his servants, in so pleasing and unaffected a 
 manner, that a few extracts from it will supply a very appropri- 
 ate conclusion to this section. After refierring to the services 
 of Good-friday and mentioning that the missionaries were gone 
 to preach on several estates, the writer proceeds thus : " As I 
 sat in my room, having a good view of the roads leading from 
 different plantations, 1 could see the people running in com- 
 panies at various distances ; and as it occurs with persons, when 
 they are in eager haste after any thing, from which they expect 
 much pleasure, one may see the bent of the mind in the atti- 
 tude of the body ; so it was here. They took every short cut, 
 the young and stout passing before the lame and infirm, and 
 the latter pressing on with all their might, stretching their 
 heads and arms forward, every effort bespeaking the eagerness 
 of their very souls, to be present at a place, where they might 
 hear the marvellous history, how Jesus, the Son of God, gave 
 himself a sacrifice for sinners. 
 
 " When I considered that many, if not all, of these poor 
 people, had now in the middle and heat of the day thrown 
 down their hoes, left their noon^s morsel, and foregone their 
 
MISSION IN THE WEST INDIES. 353 
 
 little rest, of which they stood so much in need for the support 
 of their bodies under hard labour, I broke out almost involun- 
 tarily in this ejaculation : ' Lord Jesus ! feed these poor 
 hungry souls with the precious word of thy sufferings and death. 
 O enable thy poor, unworthy servant to give them their meat 
 in due season !' 
 
 *' Reflecting on tl:";s subject, which 1 did with humble grati- 
 tude to our gracious Lord and Saviour, I thought, what is it 
 that makes these poor Negros, who by nature are lazy, sensual, 
 devilish, and who by being long accustomed to wallow in sin 
 without controul,are fSr alienated from God, so eager to hear the 
 simple testimony of Jesus' sufferings and death, that they 
 readily forego some of the first and most powerful calls of 
 nature, such as rest and the satisfying of hunger, while the 
 same subject is, to one part of the civilized world, foolishness, 
 and to another, a rock of offence. I was not long left in sus- 
 pense, how to solve this question. It is the Lord and his 
 Spirit, that hath opened their hearts ; and, therefore, as it was 
 in the days of His flesh, while the proud and self-righteous 
 Pharisee hated and despised Jesus and his doctrine, and the 
 worldling could spare no time from his earthly pursuits, to 
 attend to him^ who came from heaven to give us everlasting 
 riches ; we are repeatedly told, that the common people heard 
 him gladly. Thus it is in our day.""* 
 
 SECTION. IV. 
 
 BuTbadoes. 
 
 The island, to which, in the order of time, the Brethren 
 next directed their attention, was Barbadoes. Two brethren 
 went thither in 1765; but one of them departed this life 
 almost immediately, and the other withdrew from their con- 
 nexion. A third, who was sent to supply the place of the 
 first, in a short time followed him into eternity. Thus the 
 
 Per. Acct. Vol v. p- 434. 
 Bb 
 
364 MISSION IN THE WEST INDIES. 
 
 undertaking was suspended till 1767, when brother Benjamin 
 Brukshaw, a native of Cheshire, resolved to go thither by him- 
 self, and renew the mission. He arrived in the island in May, 
 and immediately waited on the President of the council and the 
 resident clergy, all of whom approved of his design, and wished 
 him God's blessing for his labours. These he began at Bridge- 
 town, preaching to the Negros and visiting them on their plan- 
 tations. Many proprietors favoured the undertaking, encouraged 
 their slaves to hear the gospel, and attended themselves. 
 
 In August brother J. Bennet came from North America to 
 assist in the work. As the number of their hearers was con- 
 stantly increasing, they purchased a small house and fitted it 
 up both for dwellings and a meeting-place. The Negros, not 
 only attended divine service on the LordVday, but frequently 
 visited the missionaries during the week ; so that they were 
 often employed from morning till night. The gospel found 
 entrance into the hearts of some, and on the 10th of September 
 1768 a Negro woman was baptized, being the first fruits of 
 this mission. Soon after five others were added to the Church 
 by this holy ordinance. Many planters, perceiving the good 
 effects following the labours of the missionaries, invited them to 
 preach on their estates. 
 
 This encouraging prospect, however, did not long continue. 
 It soon appeared, that many Negros had attended the preach- 
 ing from mere curiosity ; these, therefore, as soon as the novelty 
 ceased, intermitted their attendance. Among the few stated 
 hearers little of vital godliness was to be discovered ; so that 
 the missionaries found little freedom to admit any to baptism. 
 
 After the removal of brother Brukshaw, who in 1771 went 
 to Antigua, and the decease of brother Bennet in 1772, the 
 mission was involved in very distressing circumstances. Pe- 
 cuniary and other difficulties oppressed it from without, and 
 dissensions among the missionaries themselves disturbed its 
 internal peace, and injured the work in which they were en- 
 gaged. At length only one missionary was left on the island ; 
 and thus, neither the public preaching of the gospel, nor the 
 instruction of the few baptized and tht catechumens, could be 
 properly attended to. 
 
MISSION IN THE WEST INDIES. 355 
 
 The following year brother John Angerman arrived and 
 renewed the work with zeal and courage, and not wiiolly with- 
 out success ; but he finished his earthly career in 1775. His 
 fellow-labourer continued, amidst many difficulties, to sow the 
 seed of the Word, in hopes of a plentiful harvest at some 
 future period, for as yet the prospect was far from encouraging. 
 
 About this time the brethren occupied two stations. Brother 
 Meder and his wife lived in a hired house near Bridgetown, 
 and another missionary and his wife, together with an unmarried 
 brother, resided in the mission-house in the parish of St. Tho- 
 mas. In both these places they suifcred severely from the 
 hurricane, which raged in October 1780. Their houses and 
 out-buildings in both places were thrown down. In vain did 
 they seek an asylum iu other houses, for they shared the same 
 fate. With the utmost difficulty they escaped being buried 
 under the ruins, and were obliged to weather the storm in the 
 open air, without shelter of any kind, and lost nearly all their 
 provisions and property. The mission was thus thrown into 
 new dificulties.* 
 
 No very promising change took place for several subsequent 
 years. Few Negros, except those who had formerly been bap- 
 tized, and who did not exceed twenty in number, attended the 
 preaching. They were indeed ready enough to assent to the 
 truth of what the missionaries told them; but secret enmity to 
 the gospel lurked in their hearts, and they appeared to be in 
 an awful manner under the influence of the power of darkness. 
 The planters also, with few exceptions, now changed their 
 opinion and disapproved of their slaves becoming Christians. 
 
 In the year 1790 the prospect became more cheering. The 
 auditories increased, and sometimes amounted to a hundred and 
 fifty : a small number indeed, when compared with the crowded 
 congregations in Antigua and the Danish AVest India islands ; 
 but in Barbadoes even this increase was hailed with feelings of 
 joy and gratitude. Their zeal and hope were still more enli- 
 vened by observing the saving power of the gospel in several 
 
 * The hurricane lasted twenty -four hours, Trees and plantations were 
 destroyed ; churches and many houses thrown down ; and several thousand 
 persons lost their lives. 
 
356 MISSION IN TdB WEST INDIES. 
 
 heathen Negros, who were admitted to baptism, and the con- 
 sistent conduct of those who had long been members of the 
 Church. .By degrees more of the planters became favourably 
 disposed towards the mission, and it was treated with respect 
 by the government. 
 
 The situation of the mission-house in the parish of St. 
 Thomas had long been considered as an obstacle to the pros- 
 perity of the mission. For some years the dwellings of our 
 brethren had been in a ruinous condition, and the situation was 
 unhealthy, as there was no proper road leading to it, and in- 
 convenient, as the members of the congregation resided mostly at 
 a considerable distance. Measures were, therefore, taken in 1794- 
 to obtain a new ))lace for their residence. This was accom- 
 plished by the purchase of a small estate, containing four acres 
 of ground, with a large house upon- it. In July brother 
 Hofeman and his wife moved thither, and the other mission- 
 aries soon followed. They found it a very eligible situation, 
 being in the midst of populous estates, and much nearer to the 
 town than their former residence. They called it Sharon. 
 
 Brother Hodgson and his wife, who had for some time served 
 the mission in St. Kitt*'s, receiving in 1797 an appointment to 
 Barbadoes, on their way to that island from Antigua, must 
 have been lost at sea, as no intelligence was ever received, 
 either of them, or of their fellow-passengers on board the packet, 
 in which they sailed. 
 
 The following year brother Waller and his wife and sister 
 Mary Grant, on their passage from Bristol to Barbadoes, suf- 
 fered shipwreck off Kinsale in Ireland, the vessel striking on 
 a rock, about two hundred yards from the shore. They were 
 for four hours in constant fear of being swallowed up by the 
 waves, till, by the ebbing of the tide, they found it practicable 
 to reach the land. Scarcely, however, had they escaped the 
 i'ury of the water, when a gang of roboers, with knives and 
 hatchets, rushed upon the whole ship's company, threatening 
 their lives, and plundering the wreck. Fortunately a party of 
 soldiers at that instant made their appearance, and fired upon 
 the depredators, by which five of them were killed. During 
 this horrid scene the passengers effected their escape, but could 
 
 I 
 
MISSION IN THE WEST INDIES. 357 
 
 save nothing of their property, except the clothes they had 
 on. The ship was entirely lost. The Methodist minister at 
 Kinsale, and several members of his congregation, shewed the 
 missionaries much kindness, and supplied them with the need- 
 ful articles of clothing. In January 1799 they sailed in a ves- 
 sel from Cork, and had a very pleasant and expeditious voyage 
 to Barbadoes.* 
 
 Since the building of the new chapel at Sharon the mis- 
 sionaries had in general pretty large and attentive auditories, 
 and a gradual increase to the number of baptized, which in 
 1800 amounted to upwards of one hundred and sixty. In suc- 
 ceeding years no change of any moment occurred in this mis- 
 sion. Compared with the labours of our missionaries in other 
 islands, their exertions here were crowned with little success ; 
 but knowing, that " their judgment was with the Lord and 
 their reward with their God," and considering the value of one 
 human soul, if gained for Christ by the preaching of the gos- 
 pel ; they were encouraged to proceed in the path of duty. 
 
 In 1812 an event occurred, which threw all the- inhabitants 
 of the island into the utmost consternation, and which was oc- 
 casioned by the eruption of mount Soufriere. The reader will 
 find an interesting account of this phenomenon, as far as its 
 effects were felt in Barbadoes, in the following letter, written 
 by brother Ganson, one of the missionaries : 
 
 " Having had no rain for a long time, April 30th in the 
 evening, about ten o'clock, the sky looked extremely dark, 
 and we expected heavy rain in the night, which being much 
 wanted, created great joy. However, on May 1st, early in the 
 morning, a most extraordinary and awful phenomenon presented 
 itself, to the great alarm of all the inhabitants. At day-break 
 about five o'clock, the horizon to the south appcared^remark- 
 ably light. At six thick clouds had covered the whole sky, 
 from whence issued, not indeed the long expected fruitful rain, 
 but showers of a substance resembling dust, or ashes, but 
 which were particles of volcanic matter. It now grew so exces- 
 sively dark, that the like had never been seen nor]heard^of be- 
 
 • Per. Acct. Vol. ii. p. 248. 
 
358 MISSION IN *«£ WEST INDIES. 
 
 fore. It reminded me of that awful darkness, when all nature 
 seemed to shudder, and the sun hid his face at the expiration 
 of the Son of God upon the cross. In this state of awful un- 
 certainty, we looked up to our Almighty Father and Preserver, 
 and he filled our hearts with -peace. At seven o\;lock our 
 whole family was called together, and, during a solemn feeling 
 of our helplessness, we exhorted each other to faith and trust 
 in God our Redeemer, offered up fervent prayer for ourselves 
 and our fellow-men, and were richly comforted by a sense of 
 "his divine presence. This inexplicable and utter darkness 
 continued till about half-past twelve o'clock. About one, a 
 little light from the sun's rays appeared, to the great comfort of 
 every human being in the island. About three o'clock many 
 Negros from far and near, assembled together in our church, 
 forming a large congregation, to whom a discourse was deliver- 
 ed on the text, " The works of his hands are verity and judg- 
 ment ; all his commandments are sure." Psalm cxi. 7. concluded 
 with fervent prayer. 
 
 " So great was the consternation of all the inhabitants, that 
 the large church of Bridgetown was, on this awful day so 
 crowded, as hardly to contain the people, who with lanterns in 
 their hands, at eleven o'clock in the forenoon, took re- 
 fuge in the house of prayer. The fall of dust lay 
 about three or four inches thick on even giound, and 
 we have been troubled with clouds of it, raised by the 
 high winds, which have prevailed since that day. We have 
 as yet had no rain, so that every thing is dried up ; the poor 
 cattle have nothing to eat, and to all appearance both man and 
 beast will have much to suffer. All kinds of provisions are ex- 
 tremely dear. 
 
 "May 6th a member of assembly from St. Vincent arrived 
 here applying for succour. Our legislature met, and resolved 
 to send a vessel with provisions, to the amount of 2000Z. which, 
 considering the lamentable state in which this island is now 
 left, was a noble proof of their humanity and fellow-feeling. 
 May the Lord grant these remarkable events to be productive 
 of good fruit in our hearts, that we may not only be alarmed 
 at his judgments, but be in truth converted to him, in whom, 
 
MISSION IiN THE WEST INDIES. 359 
 
 though earth and heaven be dissolved, his children shall have 
 eternal rest and peace*." 
 
 By the proteccing hand of God the missionaries were preserr- 
 ed from harm during the insurrection of the slaves, which broke 
 out in April 1816, but was suppressed by a strong military 
 force. They had the satisfaction to find, that none of the 
 Negros, belonging to their Church, had joined the rebels in 
 their excesses and violence. 
 
 They experienced another merciful preservation during the 
 hurricane, whicli in October 1817, raged with great violence 
 in St. Lucia and other adjacent islands ; for though several 
 ships were stranded in the roads of IJarbadoes, no damage was 
 done in the island. 
 
 The conversion of the Negros continued in general in the 
 same gradual and less striking manner, which has all along 
 characterized the progress of this mission. 
 
 SECTION V. 
 
 St. Kitfs. 
 
 THE missionaries of the Brethren in Antigua had received 
 repeated invitations to extend their labours to the adjacent 
 island of St. KixT's.f Mr. Gardiner, who had a great num- 
 ber of Negros on his estates, in a very urgent manner ex- 
 pressed his desire for their instruction in the truths of Christi- 
 anity. In compliance with these wishes, the directors of the 
 missions in 1777 dispatched the brethren Birkby and Gott- 
 wald, with their wives, to St. Kitt's. 
 
 On their arrival they hired a house in the town of Bas- 
 seterre. Here, and on one of Mr. Gardiner's estates, they 
 regularly preached to the Negros, who attended in considera- 
 ble numbers, and by degrees several of them, becoming obe- 
 dient to the doctrine of Christ, were added to the Church by 
 
 * Per Acct. Vol. v. p. 240. 
 f St. Kitt's is the name given to this island in the Reports of the mission- 
 ary ; English geographers call it St. Christopher. 
 
360 MISSION IN THE WEST INDIES. 
 
 baptism. They also visited on some other plantations, and their 
 testimony of Jesus did not remain unfruitful. Their under- 
 taking was countenanced by most of the planters ; and even 
 during the attack and consequent capture of the island by the 
 French in 178!^, they neither received any personal injury, 
 nor were molested in their missionary labours ; on the con- 
 trary the French commander assured them of his favour and 
 protection 
 
 The seed of the Word, sown in this island, was less rapid 
 in its growth than in some other places, for in 1T84 the con- 
 verts scarcely exceeded forty ; but the fruit was generally abid- 
 ing and exhibited a pleasing degree of maturity. The tem- 
 poral condition of the Ncgros was in many respects superior to 
 the circumstances of the slaves in other islands. Amons the 
 converts were several free persons, and others were possessed 
 of considerable property and very decent habitations. 
 
 In 1785 the missionaries purchased a small piece of ground, 
 on which they erected the needful buildings. Hereby they were 
 provided with greater conveniences for serving the Negros with 
 the Word and ordinances of the gospel. The number of their 
 hearers and converts increased. This gradually excited obser- 
 vation, and stimulated others to similar exertions. The clergy- 
 man in the town held lectures to the Negros twice in the week, 
 and the Methodist preachers laboured with their accustomed 
 activity. This, though it lessened the auditories of our mis- 
 sionaries, did not diminish the number of their converts. On 
 the contrary, they increased so much in a few years, that it 
 was found necessary to build a larger chapel. This was com- 
 pleted in 1789, the Christian Negros not only assisting in 
 the work by manual labour, but also aiding it by pecuniary 
 contributions. On the day of the solemn opening of tliis new 
 place of worship, eighteen persons were baptized, and three, 
 who had belonged to other denominations, were admitted mem- 
 bers of the Brethren's Church. The baptized amounted to 
 two hundred and seventy-nine, besides eighty catechumens. 
 
 A fire from the Lord was now kindled in this mission, which 
 continued to burn in subsequent years, so that the number of 
 those, who from the heart believed in our Saviour, was con- 
 
&118810N IN THE WEST INDIES. 661 
 
 stantly increasing, and in a few years amounted to upwards of 
 two thousand and tive hundred. The chapel was crowded with 
 attentive hearers, even on week days ; and on the Lord's day, 
 large companies were standing outside and devoutly listening 
 to the words of eternal life. Many Negros came from a con- 
 siderable distance, and the overseers and managers encouraged 
 the attendance of their slaves. The missionaries themselves 
 diligently itinerated through the country, preaching on several 
 estates ; and this, no doubt, was one great cause of the suc- 
 cess which rewarded their labours. The eaoferness of the Ne- 
 gros to be instructed was well accounted for by one of them 
 in the following simple manner. His master asked him, why 
 the Negros went so often to the chapel of the Brethren, as 
 their masters never attended divine service but on Sundays ; 
 the slave replied, "Aye, you, sir, have the Bible, which you 
 may read as often as you please ; we poor Negros have not this 
 treasure ; and we have long led very wicked lives ; but now 
 God hath sent teachers to us, from whom v/e learn what our 
 Saviour has suffered for sinners ; and that he is willing to for- 
 give our sins. Do you not think, sir, that this is a great be- 
 nefit conferred on us, and that it ought to make our souls hun- 
 ger after it ?''"' 
 
 In 1792 the missionaries were thrown into some perplexity, 
 happily however of short duration, by the following circum- 
 tance. They had employed, as one of their assistants, a 
 mulatto, Thomas Gordon, who had received a little instruction 
 in the common branches of learninor. On his return from 
 England, where he had been several times before, a suspicion 
 was excited, that he had been implicated in the insurrection 
 of the well known Lord Gordon, to whose family he was allied, 
 and that he had brought insurrectionary proclamations to the 
 island. On strict investigation, however, his complete innocence 
 of the crime laid to his charge, was most satisfactorily proved. 
 
 During the night, preceding Easter Sunday in 1792, the 
 town of Basseterre was visited by a dreadful inundation. 
 Many houses were swept away, and several lives lost. The 
 missionaries were mercifully preserved, though their premises 
 sustained considerable injury, and only two members of the 
 
36^ MISSION IN THE WEST INDIES. 
 
 congregation were drowned. Their chapel was the only place 
 of worship fit for the performance of divine service. 
 
 Ahurricane, which raged in August the following year, caused 
 great destruction on their premises. It was next to a miracle 
 that their dwelling-house was not totally demolished. The 
 missionary family took refuge in the chapel, and, though all 
 the spouts were blown down and the building itself cracked 
 several times, as if crushed by some immense weight falling 
 upon it, they sustained no bodily injury. 
 
 Amidst these outward distresses the work of the Lord pros- 
 pered. Divine service at Basseterre was often attended by 
 very crowded auditories ; and doors for preaching to the Ne- 
 gros were opened to the missionaries on fifty plantations. At 
 the close of 1794 the members of their congregation were one 
 thousand four hundred and ninety-eight ; and by the end of 1800 
 this number was increased to two thousand five hundred and 
 sixty-nine. 
 
 In consequence of the contest between Great Britain and 
 France provisions rose to an exorbitant price, wliich often re- 
 duced the Ncgros to extreme want. And as the island was 
 frequently threatened with hostile invasion, it was in 1803, 
 found necessary to enrol a hlack corps to assist in its defence. 
 The missionaries observed with deep regret, that the new mode 
 of life, thus introduced among the Negros, had an injurious 
 influence on their spiritual course, and they neglected no sea- 
 sonable opportunity for exhorting their converts to prayer and 
 watchfulness, and steadfast reliance on God, their almighty 
 Saviour. 
 
 The threatened invasion was mercifully averted for some 
 time ; but in March 1805 the enemy put his threats into execu- 
 tion. On the 5th of that month a French fleet, consisting of 
 ten sail, hove in sight, and came into the road of Basseterre. 
 This spread universal consternation through the town, and 
 most of the inhabitants fled into the country. Our brethren 
 however remained ; and such was the confidence, which their 
 fellow citizens reposed in them, that many brought their most 
 valuable property to them for security, and some even sought 
 shelter for themselves in the church. The French General 
 
MISSION IN THE WEST INDIES. 863 
 
 iJalbot fixed his head quarters in their neighbourhood, and 
 stationed a guard of four men and a corporal at the entrance 
 of the burying ground. 
 
 Finding resistance would be vain, the council deputed some 
 gentlemen to the French Admiral and General, in order to ca- 
 pitulate. The terms of capitulation were in a short time 
 agreed upon, and the enemy left the island after levying a con- 
 tribution, burning five ships and a sloop, spiking the cannons, 
 and demolishing the powder-magazines. Thus, by the mercy 
 of God, tranquillity was restored in a few days, and our bre- 
 thren, without liaving suffered any injury, could resume their 
 missionary employments without fear or interruption*. To- 
 wards the close of the year 1806, brother C. F. Richter and 
 his wife and brother Eusebius William.s arrived in St. Kitt''s, 
 in order to strengthen the hands of the old missionaries. But 
 the Lord was pleased to remove tlie latter into eternal rest be- 
 fore the termination of another year. He died rather suddenly 
 on the 12th of December 1807, having the day before been 
 seized with a paralytic affection, which lamed his right arm 
 . and both feet, and deprived him of the power of speech. His 
 fellow-missionaries severely lamented their loss of him, for his 
 amiable and affectionate disposition had procured him the es- 
 teem and love of all who knew him, and during the short pe- 
 riod, in which he served this mission, he had manifested an 
 earnest desire and an ever wakeful zeal to promote the conver- 
 sion of the Negros, and their true welfare for time and eternity. 
 In 1813 the mission sustained another loss by the removal 
 of brother Geo. Ch. Schncller to England. Being in his 73rd 
 year, increasing infirmities induced him to retire from active 
 service. He had spent thirty years in labouring for the con- 
 version of the Negros, namely, five years in Antigua, and 
 twenty-five in St. Kitt's. After his return to Europe, he resi- 
 ded at the Brethren's settlement of Fairfield, near Manchester, 
 where he finished his earthly pilgrimage and entered into the 
 joy of his Lord on September 15th 1814«. His brethren deli- 
 neate his qualifications as a missionary in the following terms : 
 
 * Per. Acct. Vol. iii. p. ,393— .mi, 
 
364 MISSION IN The west ixdies. 
 
 *' His inoffensive, unblameable deportment, and amiable and 
 upright character procured for him the esteem of all ranks, 
 from the President to the meanest slave. In all his transac- 
 tions it was evident, that he had a single eye to the glory of 
 God, and the prosperity of the important work, in which he 
 was employed. His diligence and faithful attention to every 
 part of his charge were most exemplary ; and while, by his af- 
 fability and kindness, he gained the love and confidence of the 
 Negros, he maintained that respect among them, which was 
 due to his station, and gave weight to his admonitions, and to 
 the exercise of proper discipline in the Church*." 
 
 For some years no striking occurrences marked the progress 
 of this mission : those^ who laboured in it, attended with perse- 
 vering zeal to the instruction of the Negros in the faith and 
 practice of Christianity ; and the vacancies, occasioned by the 
 removal of some into the land of pure delights, were soon sup- 
 plied by other devoted servants of God, who accounted it an 
 honour to " preach unto the gentiles the unsearchable riches 
 of Christ." Their testimony did not return unto them void. 
 In every year some believed, and were added to the Church 
 by baptism ; and others finished their earthly career in hope of 
 the glory of God, a hope grounded on their having in truth 
 embraced the doctrine of Christ and his atonement. 
 
 From the reports the missionaries give of later years, it ap- 
 pears, that their congregation rather diminished in number ; a 
 circumstance which probably was, in part at least, owing to the 
 inci'easing exertions of other Christian denominations in the 
 same noble work, and cannot, therefore, be considered as a real 
 declension of religion in this island. 
 
 The history of the missionary labours of the United Bre- 
 thren in the West Indies furnishes an incontrovertible evi- 
 dence of the truth and excellence of the gospel. Here we not 
 only behold the darkness of pagan superstition dispersed by the 
 rays of divine light, emanating from the sun of righteousness, 
 and the devotees of idolatry and vice made willing to exchange 
 
 • Per. Acct. Vol. v. p. Ifi4. 
 
MISSION IN THE WEST INDIES. 365 
 
 the demoralizing system of a false religion for one, which, be- 
 sides the spiritual and eternal blessings it confers on its true 
 votaries, promises to elevate their character even in this world, 
 and impart to them the comforts of civilized society ; but we 
 find persons in the lowest state of servitude eagerly embracing 
 the doctrine of the gospel, and boldly confessing it before men, 
 though that very confession often served only to rivet their 
 chains, and to add cruel sufferings to their slavery. 
 
 Surely that doctrine must be of God, which thus wonder- 
 fully influences the minds of the Negros, and while it inspires 
 those, who believe it, with the hope of eternal felicity in a fu- 
 ture life, enables them cheerfully to submit to all the hardships 
 of a state of bondage, and even to rejoice in their slavery, as 
 the means of making them acquainted with true freedom, the 
 freedom of the soul from the fetters of sin. Were it possible 
 to find an excuse for the traffic in human blood, the Christian 
 would doubtless find it in this, that a mysterious but merciful 
 providence hath over-ruled it for the salvation of hundreds and 
 thousands, who having come out of much tribulation, and 
 washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the 
 Lamb, will one day join in the celestial song of praise to him, 
 icho was sent to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening 
 of the prison to them that are bound. 
 
CHAP. VI. 
 
 MISSION IN SOUTH AFRICA, 
 
 The missionary settlements of the United Brethren in this 
 quarter of the world lie on its southern extremity, in the co- 
 lony of the Cape of Good Hope. It is a territory of very 
 considerable extent, containing several ridges of high and steep 
 mountains and barren tracts of land, diversified by fruitful val- 
 lies and fine pasture-giounds, and intersected by several large 
 and rapid rivers, T;\hich, during the rainy season, are greatly 
 swollen, and often cause destructive inundations. Lying in a 
 southern latitude, the seasons of the year are exactly contrary 
 to ours : so that it is winter at the Cape when we have sum- 
 mer in Europe. 
 
 In 1669 the Dutch took possession of this country, and, ex- 
 cepting an interval of a few years during the late war, retained 
 the sovereignty over it, till after the restoration of peace in 
 1814, when it was finally ceded to England. After the Dutch 
 had made themselves masters of it, they established several 
 colonies, which also served for military stations, or posts, occu- 
 pied by inferior magistrates. In order to promote the cultiva- 
 tion of the land, it was let to European colonists, on paying a 
 certain impost to government. These settlers, being mostly 
 farmers, took possession of the fruitful disctricts, and by de- 
 grees drove the original inhabitants into the mountains and 
 Ijarren parts of the country. The only town of note is Cape- 
 town, lying below the Table and Lion mountains, and contigu- 
 ous to Table bay. It is a place of considerable importance, 
 and chiefly inhabited by Europeans. 
 
 The Hottentots, or original inhabitants, are a pastoral tribe, 
 and consequently lead a roving life ; for they never plant, or 
 cultivate the ground ; their riches consisting solely in oxen. 
 
MISSION IN SOUTH AFRICA. 367 
 
 cows and sheep. Their chief food is milk and boiled meat, to 
 which they occasionally add some wild roots, either raw or 
 boiled. Their dwellings are low, round huts, terminating in 
 a point at the top. They are covered with skins and mats, 
 and skins are likewise spread on the ground. The opening, 
 left for a door, is so low, that a person must creep into it. A 
 number of huts standing together, is called a Kraal^ and is 
 generally built in a circular form. They mostly appoint one 
 of the inhabitants to be the captain or chief in each Kraal. 
 
 The Hottentots are generally low in stature ; have, like the 
 Negros, pouting lips, flat noses and black hair ; the colour of 
 their skin resembling copper. Their clothing consists of a 
 sheep skin hanging loosely over their shoulders, and another 
 tied round the waist. The former they take off when at work. 
 Both men and women carry a bag, made of the entire skin of 
 a Gazelle, on their backs, which contains their tobacco, pipe, 
 tinder box, Sic. They are of a phlegmatic disposition, naturally 
 inclined to indolence, and often spend whole days in sitting or 
 lying on the ground, either in smoking tobacco, or sleeping. 
 They have no divine worship, and few if any, religious cere- 
 monies. They are however, said to observe an annual festival 
 on the day when the Seven Stars appear, which happens at 
 the beginning of summer. As soon as they become visi- 
 ble the parents wake their children and take them into the 
 field, to shew them the stars. All the inhabitants of the 
 Kraal then meet together to dance and sing. They sing words 
 to the following effect : " O Sita, (or Toiqua,^ thou father 
 over our heads, give us rain, that all our fruits may ripen, and 
 we may have food in plenty. Grant us a good year, that we 
 may not be obliged to rob the white people, nor they to come and 
 kill us."* In their savage state they appear a very stupid race, 
 almost void of the power of reflection and reason : without any 
 knowledge of divine subjects, but a vague notion, that there is 
 one great Lord of all, and likewise an evil spirit, or devil. Oi 
 the latter, however, they do not seem afraid. They are re- 
 markable for honesty ; and never touch the property of others, 
 
 • Per. Acct. Vol. v. p. 106. 
 
368 MISSION IN SOUTH AFRICA. 
 
 though constantly lying witliin their reach. If they find any 
 thing, which has been lost, they faithfully restore it to the 
 owner, and it is an extremely rare case, that a Hottentot, how- 
 ever strongly tempted by the pinchings of hunger, becomes 
 guilty of theft. Formerly the education of their children was 
 very severe, and they never suffered those of both sexes to 
 mix together, except at festivities ; and even then the elder 
 boys and girls were committed to the care of some respectable 
 old matrons. Their veneration for aged people was great. 
 Persons guilty of adultery, or fornication, were cither killed or 
 banished ; and various means were used to preserve morality. 
 Their want of cleanliness, arising from their clothing and 
 mode of living, is very offensive to Europeans. 
 
 After the Dutch had taken possession of the country many 
 Hottentots were hired as servants by the colonists, or farmers, 
 who frequently treated them in a very oppressive manner, and, 
 instead of bestowing any pains on their moral improvement, 
 seemed rather resolved to perpetuate their degradation. But, 
 since British law has been introduced in the country the Hot- 
 tentots have been relieved from the oppressive yoke of servi- 
 tude, under which they formerly groaned. Most of the farmers 
 have imbibed more liberal principles ; and the blessing, which 
 God has given to their instruction in Christianity, has shown, 
 that they are neither beyond the reach of divine mercy, nor 
 incapable of acquiring habits of industry, and improvement in 
 moral character. 
 
 The Bosjemans form another tribe of pagans, inhabiting 
 this country. This tribe lives beyond the Snow mountains in 
 the Pampus hills, several hundred miles in the interior. They 
 are properly descendants of the tame Hottentots, (i. e. those 
 who live among the farmers,) and are a much more numerous 
 tribe. By the cruel treatment of the colonists, who hunted 
 them like wild beasts, often murdering hundreds at a time, 
 they were driven into the woods and mountains. When 
 jiinched by hunger, they, in their turn attack the farmers, 
 and drive away their cattle A Bosjeman, a son of their 
 King, who became a convert to Christianity, and lived at 
 Gnadknthai,, once gave the missionaries the following ac- 
 count of his nation : 
 
MISSION IN SOUTH AFRICA. 3G9 
 
 " The power of their King is absolute, and he exercises an 
 uncontrolled right over the very lives of his subjects. They 
 suffer no stranger to live among them ; and if any of their peo- 
 ple go away and become Christians they dare not return, as in 
 that case they are sure of being murdered. They are divided 
 into various clans or hordes, each of which obeys the oldest 
 man as its chief, but these are subordinate to the king. They 
 live chiefly by plunder. Formerly they, as well as all the 
 other Hottentots, were a quiet and well-disposed people, but 
 being deprived of their land and robbed of their cattle by the 
 Europeans, they became, in their turn, savage and given to 
 plunder. They perform a kind of religious worship to two 
 rocks ; the one representing a male and the other a female. 
 When going out to hunt they implore the aid of these pre- 
 tended deities, to provide them with food. First they go to 
 the male rock and strike against it with a stick. If it sounds, 
 they believe the report is heard in heaven, and that they will have 
 success. But if they get nothing, they repair to the female 
 rock, of which they pretend, that it is inhabited by a malicious 
 spirit, and beat it well, upbraiding it, saying : ' Why do you, 
 ' by your hidden arms, cause all the game to be shot dead, so 
 * that we can find none.' If they have succeeded they extol 
 the virtues of these stone gods." 
 
 A third heathen nation in South Africa, of whom some have 
 embraced the gospel, are the Caffres. They inhabit the terri- 
 tory beyond the Great Fish River, which divides it from the 
 country of the Hottentots. They are tall and well proportioned ; 
 their skin is jet black, their eyes large and their teeth very 
 white. They dress in skins, and decorate themselves with 
 rings, corals, &c. Their huts are more convenient than those 
 of the Hottentots, and their land more fertile ; and they apply 
 themselves with greater industry to the cultivation of their 
 fields and gardens. Regarding their religious notions, a Caffre 
 woman residing at Gnadenthal once related the following : 
 " We know there is a God by his great works, and we worship 
 him. In a thunder-storm, if the lightning strikes into any 
 place near a Kraal, all the Caffres put away the clothes they 
 have on, wash themselves, and dress in their cleanest clothes, 
 c c 
 
>f IK 
 
 370 MISSIO>f IK SOUTH AFRICA. 
 
 Then the oldest man erects a high pole on the spot where the 
 lightning struck. On this pole all present hang their corals 
 and other ornaments. Those, who possess cattle, bring one or 
 more fat oxen, and offer them as a burnt-offering. The people 
 sit in silence round the fire till the whole is consumed." A com- 
 pany of Caffres, who once visited Bavian's Kloof, when they 
 had finished their dinner, rose up, and, forming a circle, 
 began to sing, (first lifting up their eyes to heaven, and during 
 the latter part looking down.^ The import of the hymn was, 
 that they first praised God, as the dispenser of every good gift ; 
 and then thanked their friends for their kindness. 
 
 Besides these, some individuals of the Dambra, Namaqua 
 and Tambuliky nations have settled with the missionaries, and 
 become obedient to the gospel. All these nations live in the 
 interior, at a distance of one or two thousand miles from Cape- 
 town. 
 
 The usual mode of travelling in this country is, either on 
 horseback, or in a waggon, mostly drawn by oxen, who are 
 sure-footed in crossing the mountains, which are frequently 
 very steep, abounding in precipices, and without proper roads. 
 Great expedition, therefore, is not to be expected, especially 
 as they have often to ford deep and dangerous rivers. They 
 seldom, even with twelve or sixteen oxen to a waggon, travel 
 more than thirty miles a day. When there are no rivers, they 
 generally travel twelve hours without stopping to bait. With 
 horses, even up and down hill, if the ascent be not too long 
 and steep, they will drive and ride in full gallop, and as far 
 again in a day as with oxen. Every waggon is accompanied 
 by a Hottentot boy, who leads the first pair of oxen, and 
 when crossing a river he must proceed though the water 
 sb Juld reach his shoulders. This hard duty they perform day 
 and night, without being, to appearance, much fatigued. The 
 driver sits upon the waggon, and makes use of a whip, which 
 from the handle to the end of the lash, is upwards of forty feet 
 long, he uses both hands to wield it, and does it with such 
 dexterity, as exactly to hit the beast he aims at. The following 
 extract from the journal of one of the missionaries, will give 
 some idea of this mode of travelling : 
 
MISSION IN SOUTH AFRICA. 371 
 
 " We set off with two waggons, each drawn by twelve oxen. 
 Having travelled through the night, and passed through Bolter 
 river early in the morning, we halted* and sent our oxen to 
 graze. We kindled a fire, got breakfast, and afterwards had 
 some sleep in the waggon. When we awoke all our oxen were 
 gone, and, though we made an immediate search, we did not 
 find them till in the afternoon. About four o'clock we pro- 
 ceeded. We dreaded the ascent of a mountain, called Hohenneck 
 (high ridge,) and by the time we Iiad reached its foot, our 
 cattle could hardly crawl. This mountain is very steep and 
 rocky, and it takes up about an hour and a half to walk to the 
 summit. We had not ascended half a mile, when the oxen 
 stood still, and we were obliged to unharness them., and put 
 twenty fresh ones to the waggon. As the jolting was intolera- 
 ble I walked forward ; but when I had reached the top, I 
 perceived the waggon did not follow, and found that it was 
 jammed in between the rocks. Having with much difficulty 
 disengaged it, we reached the summit about seven in the eve- 
 ning. At two o'clock next morning we arrived at Palmite river, 
 and soon after at Hottentot Holland's Kloof. The road over 
 this mountain resembles a steep, rugged range of steps ; but, 
 with the help of twenty fresh oxen, we gained the summit at 
 four o'clock. We walked down the steep descent. The wind 
 was piercing and so violent, that to avoid being blown down, 
 we were obliged to hold one another fast. Having arrived at 
 the foot, I sat down to rest in a cave. The descending waggon 
 exhibited a very singular appearance, the hind wheels, being 
 locked, grated with such force against the hard rock, that a 
 stream of fire issued beneath them." 
 
 Nearly all the Hottentots, residing among the farmers, and 
 even many in the interior, understanding more or less of the 
 Dutch language, the missionaries perform divine service in that 
 language, and teach it in the schools. 
 
 Some pious gentlemen in Amsterdam having applied to the 
 Brethren, to send a missionary to the Cape of Good Hope, for 
 the purpose of instructing the Hottentots in Christianity, bro- 
 George Schmidt, a man of great zeal and courage, and who had 
 
372 MISSION IN SOUTH AFRICA. 
 
 evinced liis faitli and constancy in Bohemia, during six years" 
 imprisonment for his bold confession of the gospel, was found 
 willing to begin this Mission. On his arrival in Amsterdam he 
 presented a petition to the Burgomaster and the court of Direc- 
 tors of the East India Company, requesting leave to go to the 
 colony, 'i'hey admitted his petition and appointed some cler- 
 gymen to examine him. These, at first endeavoured to dissuade 
 him from the undertaking ,• but when they found him firm to 
 his purpose, and dete;mined to venture in the name and strength 
 of the Lord, they put no further impediments in his way, and 
 wished him God's blessing. In a few weeks he received the 
 final answer from the court of directors, permitting him to take 
 his passage on board one of their ships ; and besides the ne- 
 cessary passport, one of them gave him letters of recommenda- 
 tion to both the Governors at theCape. 
 
 After much delay and a tedious passage he arrived at Cape- 
 town on the 9th of July 1737, and, without loss of time, 
 waited on the Governors. One of them, Mr. von Kerbel, 
 received him with great kindness, inviting him to visit him 
 without ceremony. 
 
 In a few weeks he removed into the country, and fixed his re- 
 sidence at a place about seventy miles from Capetown. Here 
 he erected a small hut and laid out a garde.i. Besides a 
 corporal, who was sent to this place to procure provisions for 
 the soldiers, brother Schmidt was accompanied by two Hot- 
 tentots. Africo and Kibbodo. But as it was intimated to him 
 that he lived too near the Company's Post, he removed the 
 following spring to a desert place on Sergeant's river. 
 
 He was followed by eighteen Hottentots, one of whom he 
 took to live with him in his hut. Their number gradually 
 increased : every morning and evening they met for religious 
 worship, Africo acting as interpreter. Finding their language 
 very dilficult, he taught them Duich. and commenced school 
 with AfVico's children. Many other parents likewise sent their 
 children, so that, in a short time, he had from thirty to fifty 
 scholars. The blessing of God evidently rested on his labours. 
 He was respected and beloved by the Hottentots, who attentively 
 listened to his discourses, which reached their consciences, and 
 
MISSION IN SOUTH AFRICA. 373 
 
 some were roused from the sleep of sin, and led to a saving 
 knowledge of the gospel. This was particuliirly manifest in 
 Willem, the Hottentot who lived with him. Being once 
 asked by the missionary, how he felt disposed towards our 
 Saviour? he replied : " If all my countrymen were to forsake 
 him, yet I would not go away ; for with Mm is life. I know that 
 I am not yet what I ought to be ; but I will nevertheless abide 
 with Jesus, and will not cease praying to him, till 1 experience 
 the full power of his precious blood to change my heart." In 
 the sequel this man became a very useful assistant to brother 
 Schmidt, who, on his return from a visit in Capetown, whither 
 Willem had accompanied him in March 174.'2, baptized him in 
 a small rivulet. Some time after three men and two women 
 were admitted to this holy rite ; and the number of those, who 
 regularly attended his ministry, amounted to forty seven. 
 
 The circumstances of the mission requiring that brother 
 Schmidt should pay a visit to Europe, he left the Cape in 
 October 1743, and sfiiled for Holland, having previously made 
 over his house and garden to one of the baptized Hottentots,, 
 called Christian. 
 
 The adversaries of the Brethren, both in the colony and in 
 the mother-country, under pretence of zeal for the purity of 
 the doctrine and the peace of the Church, opposed the return 
 of the missionary. The repeated requests of the Brethren to 
 be heard in their defence were disregarded, and though some 
 ministers and other friends in Holland interested themselves in 
 theirb ehalf, their influence was insufficient to procure the coun- 
 tenance of the leading members in the Church and the East 
 India Company. 
 
 The directors of the missions, however, never lest sight of 
 this promising field ; but all their endeavours, for many years 
 proved unsuccessful. These failures were the more distressing, 
 as they occasionally received intelligence of the anxiety, with 
 which the Hottentots were waiting for the return of their 
 beloved teacher, and of the good impressions, made on their 
 minds by his instructions, which they manifested by meeting 
 together for the purpose of edifying each other by the Word 
 of God. 
 
374 MISSION IN SOUTH AFRICA. 
 
 At length, towards the close of the eighteenth century, various 
 circumstances occurred to pave the way for the renewal of the 
 mission in South Africa. The doctrine and discipline of the 
 Brethren's Church had become better known, many respectable 
 persons, both among the clergy and laity, espoused their cause ; 
 and while the opposers of tlie mission obstructed the work, its 
 friends collected liberal sums towards its accomplishment and 
 grew more earnest and persevering in their supplications to God 
 for its success ; and they finally prevailed. The Brethren 
 having laid a petition before the directors of the East India 
 Company, it was very favourably received, and their request to 
 form a missionary establishment in the territory of the Cape 
 was granted. Among those persons of rank, whose influence 
 had no inconsiderable share in promoting the wish of the Bre- 
 thren, the name of Temmink ought to be recorded. He was 
 President of the Board of Directors, and throughout the whole 
 transaction approved himself a sincere friend of the Brethren. 
 
 The transactions with the East India Company having been 
 brought to this pleasing issue ; the directors of the missions 
 lost no time in adopting the requisite measures for renewing the 
 labours of the Brethren for the conversion of the Hottentots. 
 Three brethren were found willing to engage in this under- 
 taking, Henry Marsveld, Daniel Schwinn and John Christian 
 Kuehnel. They were mechanics, and thus qualified for those 
 labours, which, at the commencement of a mission, are rendered 
 absolutely necessary ; yet they were not defective either in 
 soundness of understanding, or in piety, and were zealously 
 devoted to the cause in which they had embarked. They 
 arrived at Capetown towards the end of November 1792, almost 
 fifty years after the late George Schmidt had left this Country. 
 
 In Cape-town they became acquainted with many pious 
 friends, who sincerely rejoiced at their arrival, and gave glory 
 to God, that he had thus opened a door for the introduction of 
 the gospel among the Hottentots. The governor, on whom 
 they waited almost as soon as they had arrived, likewise re- 
 ceived them with great condescension, wishing them God's 
 blessing for their undertaking, and promising his protection 
 and assistance. 
 
MISSION IN SOUTH AFRICA. 375 
 
 Having been directed to put themselves under the protec- 
 tion of Baas Tcunis* during their journey into the interior ; 
 they had to wait some weeks for his arrival. Under his super- 
 intendence they commenced their journey on the 20th of De- 
 cember, in a waggon drawn by twelve oxen, and on the 24th 
 arrived at Bavian's Kloof (baboon's glen,) about one hun- 
 dred and twenty miles east of Cape-town. This place had 
 been pointed out to them, by the governor and other friends, 
 as the most suitable for a missionary settlement. It was the 
 very spot, in which the first missionary, Geo. Schmidt, had re- 
 sided. They found a piece of the wall of his habitation still 
 standing, and likewise several fruit-trees, which he had planted 
 in his garden, among which they particularly noticed a large 
 pear-tree, under the shade of which they held their meetings 
 for worship, till their new house was completed. Fragments of 
 other walls were discernible here and there, being the ruins of 
 the cottages, built by the Hottentots round the habitation of 
 their former teacher. 
 
 Those Hottentots, who still remembered brother Schmidt, 
 or had heard of his exertions for the good of their nation, wel- 
 comed them with great cordiality, expressing their joy, that teach- 
 ers were again come to instruct them in the Word of God. 
 Among them was old Helena, who had been baptized by him, 
 and was now upwards of eighty years of age, and almost blind. 
 She still remembered her former teacher, but had nearly for- 
 gotten all he had taught her. She brought a Dutch New Tes- 
 tament, which he had given her, and which she had carefully 
 preserved in a leather bag, wrapped in two sheep-skins. On 
 showing it to the missionaries, she opened one of the gospels 
 and read the history of our Saviour's nativity. By frequent 
 intercouse with them her recollection of the instructions, she 
 had formerly received, revived ; and, fixing her abode at Ba- 
 
 * Baas is a title of office and signifies overseer, or inspector of an extensive 
 district. In this capacity Mr. Teunis exercised a legal authority, not only 
 over the Hottentots, but also over the farmers in that district, to which the 
 missionaries were going, and he had received orders from government to pro- 
 tect them against any molestation or encroachments, and to provide them 
 with every thing requisite for their establishment. 
 
376 MISSION IN SOUTH AFRICA. 
 
 vian's Kloof, she spent her latter years in comfort and peace, 
 and, amidst great weakness and many bodily sufferings, exhi- 
 bited the character of a true child of God. She was well 
 known in the country, and respected by many persons of dis- 
 tinction. Most of the English officers, w])o visited the set- 
 tlement, called to see her, and she declared to all, both high 
 and low, her faith in our Saviour, and her ardent desire to de- 
 part and be with Christ. She fell asleep in Jesus on the 2nd 
 of January, 1800, having probably attained the age of nearly 
 a hundred years. 
 
 Other Hottentots, however, appeared rather suspicious of 
 the missionaries. One man, being asked, whether he had 
 heard, that teachers were come to instruct the natives, an- 
 swered : *' Yes, we have heard it ; some of our men have told 
 us, that people are come to teach us, and that they will treat us 
 very kindly in the beginning; but, if we listen to them, more 
 will come, and make us slaves and transport us to Eatavia.'' 
 Baas Teunis, who was present replied : " Government has sent 
 these men to instruct you, and, if you are willing to learn, to 
 teach you what is good and bad, and baptize you. Then you 
 will be Christians as well as the farmers, and they dare not 
 hurt you. The Governor loves you, and has therefore sent 
 teachers to you, charging me to bring them to you. If they 
 were not good men he would not have recommended them to 
 me, nor would I have brought them to you." 
 
 While their own house was building the missionaries resi- 
 ded with Baas Teunis, who treated them with much civility 
 and kindness. Here they became acquainted with a great 
 many of the farmers in that district, and had an opportunity of 
 discovering the sentiments generally entertained respecting the 
 mission. Though opinions were various, yet it soon appeared, 
 that many were not well-disposed towards the undertaking. 
 Several Hottentots had declared, that they would no longer 
 work for the farmers, but go to the missionaries to receive in- 
 struction. This exasperated the farmers, and they tried every 
 means in their power to obstruct the work. The missionaries, 
 however, had the countenance of government, of which they re- 
 ceived fresh as.surances while at Baas 'J'cunis'fc. On the 26th 
 
MISSION IN SOUTH AFRICA. 377 
 
 of December the Landdrost, (or chief justice,) o{ Stellenboscli, 
 paid them a visit, informing them that the government at tlie 
 Cape had sent a circular to all the Landdrosts and veldcornets, 
 inferior police officers, requiring them to exert their authority, 
 in case any of the farmers should prevent the Hottentots, who 
 wished it, from receiving religious instruction ; adding, that as 
 he was the chief magistrate in that district, he would exert his 
 authority to redress their grievances, as far as lay in his power. 
 As an additional security, they received a copy of the resolu- 
 tions adopted by the council of Police, in favour of the mis- 
 sion*. 
 
 Their house being so far finished, that they could inhabit 
 one of the rooms, they moved into it on February 2nd, 1793. 
 They now informed the Hottentots, that they would shortly 
 begin a school, both for adults and children, and instruct 
 them in reading. This school was opened on the ith of 
 March with twenty-four adults, whose number was shortly in- 
 creased to upwards of forty, besides above thirty children. 
 They attended very regularly, and showed great eagerness to 
 learn. The missionaries also held a meeting every evening, 
 in which they read and explained a lesson out of the Bible. 
 The reverential stillness, with which the Hottentots attended 
 
 * This document, dated December the 18th, 1794, among others, contained 
 the following Resolutions : — " The governor reported, that he had endea- 
 voured to procure the necessary permission for the missionaries to settle at 
 Bavian's Kloof, and in this view laid their request before the General Com . 
 missioners, who had ordered, that not only their request should be granted 
 but that all the resolutions made by the honourable board of Seventeen, and 
 inserted in their rescript in behalf of the missionaries, should be perpetually 
 adhered to. — Resolved, That in order to comply with the above gracious or- 
 der, the missionaries are permitted to go to Bavian's Kloof, to preach 
 
 the gospel to the Hottentots And that they may obtain the aim of their 
 
 mission, they shall not in any wise be molested in the place of their resi- 
 dence, and the Landdrost of Stellenbosch is hereby directed to give orders to 
 the Feldwacht-maister (inferior district officer,) that no injury shall be done 
 them, either in their persons or property, or in their avocations, but 
 that every one shall endeavour to promote their safety, and give them all due 
 assistance. Resolved, finally, that directions be given to Martin Tennis, Baas 
 of the Company's post, Socte Melks Valley, in whose company the missiona- 
 ries travel, to take steps that they maybe received by the colonists in a respect- 
 ful manner, and provided with all necessaries." Per. Acct. Vol. 1. p. 290. 
 
378 MISSION IN SOUTH AFRICA. 
 
 these meetings, the eagerness with which they listened to the 
 discourse, and the emotion visible in their countenances, the 
 more astonished the missionaries, as they had been told, they 
 would find it impossible to fix the attention of their hearers, 
 * even to the shortest address, if of a'serious nature. The work 
 was evidently the Lord's own doing. A report had spread far 
 and wide, that God had sent teachers to the Hottentots to in- 
 struct them in the way of salvation, and that those, who neg- 
 lected the due improvement of these instructions, would render 
 themselves liable to be severely punished by God. 
 
 Perceiving in some of their hearers clear evidences of con- 
 viction of sin and a desire to live to the Lord, and forsake 
 their pagan superstitions and sinful practices, they gave them 
 more particular instruction in the doctrines of the gospel, in 
 order to prepare them for the reception of holy baptism. A 
 woman was the first Hottentot admitted to this sacred rite, and 
 the solemn act was performed on the 31st of July, 1793, in the 
 presence of seventy-eight persons. Before the end of the year 
 the number of the baptized amounted to seven. Concerning 
 these baptismal transactions, our brethren remark : — " We 
 cannot find words to express the powerful sensation of the grace 
 of God, which prevailed on these occasions, and the impres- 
 sion made on those who were present. These days were truly 
 festival days to us. The Hottentots were visibly affected, and 
 declared their earnest desire to be made partakers of the same 
 grace." 
 
 The missionaries had frequent opportunities of witnessing 
 the salutary influence of the gospel on the minds and conduct 
 of their hearers, in arousing them from the sleep of sin, and 
 disposing them to conform to the plain precepts of the New 
 Testament. This evidenced itself even in things of compara- 
 tively minor importance, and concerning which they had hi- 
 therto refrained from giving them any particular admonitions. 
 Passionately fond as they are of dancing, as soon as they fixed 
 their residence in the settlement, they voluntarily and entirely 
 relinquished this amusement, and with the same willingness 
 of mind they abolished the feastings and other foolish customs 
 used at funerals. They even considered it a duty, when they 
 
MISSION IN SOUTH AFRICA. 379 
 
 had occasion to take a journey, or be absent from the settle- 
 ment, to inform the missionaries of it, in order to obtain their 
 consent and advice. 
 
 Pleasing and animating as these occurrences were, various 
 difficulties, and even dangers, were for a while permitted to ex- 
 ercise the faith of our brethren and the friends of the mission. 
 In the beginning of May they were alarmed by rumours of in- 
 surrectionary movements among the colonists, originating in a 
 project for new imposts. But, as government soon after with- 
 drew this measure, tranquillity was again restored. Scarce, 
 however, had their fears in this respect been allayed, when 
 more serious dangers threatened the colony, the inhabitants of 
 Cape-town being in continual fear of a hostile attack from the 
 French. In order to be in some degree prepared all the men,, 
 capable of bearing arms, were ordered to the town. This or- 
 der extended likewise to the Hottentots, who were settled at 
 Baviax's Kloof ; which was thus drained of nearly all its^ 
 male inhabitants. This circumstance accounts for it, that none 
 but females were baptized by the missionaries during the first 
 year of their abode in the country. 
 
 The men, on leaving the settlement, were in fervent prayer 
 commended to God, and exhorted to remember the instructions 
 they had received. It gave their teachers great satisfaction to 
 learn, that Mr. Van Silk, who kept a school in Cape-town, had 
 kindly interested himself for the Hottentots belonging to Ba- 
 vian's Kloof. Having left their own at home, he had given 
 them Spelling-books, and though they were stationed at the 
 distance of three miles from the town, he visited them every 
 Saturday for the purpose of instructing them in the truths of 
 the gospel. 
 
 The absence of the men from the settlement threw their wives 
 and children into great distress. Some lived almost entirely 
 on wild honey, which they found in hollow trees in the moun- 
 tains*. Their distress at length rose to such a pitch, that 
 
 * A certain bird, (called by Dr. Sparrmann, Cuculus indicator, and in Diitcb, 
 Honigwyzer, i. e. Honey-guide,) serves them as a guide to find the honey. 
 The missionaries were once eye-witnesses of this. A Hottentot, having given 
 a loud whistle, a bird of this species made his appearance, and hopped from 
 
380 MISSION IN SOUTH AFRICA. 
 
 some were wholly destitute of food. In this extremity they 
 obtained some relief by the rights of hospitality, universally 
 observed among the Hottentots ; and, tlirough the interference 
 of Baas Teunis, five of the men towards the end of July came 
 home on furlough ; and at the close of the year most of the 
 men were at home for some weeks. Government also assisted 
 them by sending money and flour for the most indigent, and 
 ordering, a quantity of corn to be sown for those, who were on 
 duty in Cape-town. 
 
 More distressing than the difficulties just related were the 
 impediments, thrown in the way of the mission by its adversa- 
 ries. The reins of government having come into the hands of 
 other men, the mission no longer enjoyed the same degree of 
 favour and protection as at the beginning. In June 1793, a 
 farmer in the neighbourhood would not suffer the Hottentets of 
 Bavian's Kloof to plough the"^ land on the opposite side of 
 Sergeant's river. In this case, however, the Landdrost deci- 
 ded in their ftivour, giving them permission to till the land, for 
 about one and a half square miles, on either side of the river. 
 A similar attempt to circumscribe the limits of the land, be- 
 longing to the settlement, was made by a veldcornet in 1794; 
 and the missionaries found considerable difficulty in obtaining 
 the security they sought against future encroachments of this 
 kind. Finding the Landdrost of Stellcnbosch unwilling, or 
 unable, to redress the grievances of which they complained, 
 brother Marsveld was obliged to go to Cape-to\rn, and solicit 
 the interposition of government. The Commandant Rhenius, 
 and Colonel Gordon, (a Dutch officer) received him with their 
 wonted kindness, and promised to befriend the mission to the 
 utmost of their power. 'I'he newly appointed commissioners 
 likewise treated him with civility,' promising an alteration of 
 
 tree to tree, till he alighted on one, where he remained and eontinucd chirp- 
 ing. This served the Hottentot asasign. He elimbed up the tree with a 
 firebrand in his hand, the smoke of which drove away the bees : and thus he 
 could gather the honey. The little (hat is left, is the share of the bird. 
 This search, liowcver, is not without danger; for sometimes, instead of honey, 
 a wolf is found in the hollow of the tree. It is, therefore, advisable to be 
 arnud with a pun on these occasions. 
 
MISSION IN SOUTH AFRICA. 381 
 
 the projected measure ; but brother Marsveld couh.l nut prevail 
 on them to furnish him with a written document, which might 
 legally secure the possession of the land, hitherto occupied" by 
 the mission. They insisted, that the verbal assurances, given 
 to tile Brethren by the former commissioners, were sufficiently 
 clear and decisive with respect to the occupancy of B avian's 
 Kloof. This in some measure tranquillized their minds. 
 
 Their perplexity, however, did not terminate here. The 
 rapid increase of their hearers and scholars rendered tiie erec- 
 tion of a chapel absolutely needful. At first, every thing 
 seemed to favour the projected undertaking. Their friends 
 proffered them pecuniary aid, and Baas Teunis promised to 
 give them timber, and to encourage the Hottentots to assist in 
 building. In a short time, however, he retracted his promise, 
 alleging as a reason, that a change was contemplated regarding 
 the post he had hitherto occupied under government, on which 
 account he could not promote the building of their intended 
 chapel, and must advise them to defer its execution. Not dis- 
 couraged by this unexpected answer, they again applied to him 
 for his interference and assistance, but found him resolute in 
 his opposition. He even told them, they must relinquish every 
 idea of building a chapel, till they had obtained another place 
 for a settlement. An application to the Governor proved 
 equally unsuccessful ; and he would not even allow them to 
 build a temporary shed, to serve as a place of worship. 
 
 • The sudden change in the sentiments and behaviour of Baas 
 Teunis, who had hitherto always treated them with every mark 
 of friendship, combined with several other unpleasant circum- 
 stances, seemed to require, that one of the missionaries should 
 go to Cape-town. This duty devolved upon brother Schwirn, 
 who set out from Bavian's Kloof towards the end of Sep- 
 tember. On his arrival in Cape-town he waited upon the 
 Governor, and represented to him the perplexity into which 
 the missionaries had been thrown, in consequence of a rumour, 
 widely circulated through the country, that they would be or- 
 dered to quit their present settlement. The answer of the 
 Governor, though tranquillizing for the time, left them still in 
 uncertainty as to the future. He said : " the Brethren must 
 
S82 MISSION IN SOUTI^ AFRICA. 
 
 retain their present place of abode, which was given them by 
 the commissaries general, and no alteration would be made till 
 after their return from Batavia. The Directors of the com- 
 pany had permitted them to settle in a place, where there was no 
 Christian congregation ; agreeably to this, they ought properly 
 to move to the confines of Caffraria," &c. When brother 
 Schwinn represented the necessity of building a chapel, the 
 Governor replied : " He could not allow this ; things must re- 
 main as he had found them ; if they built a church, it would 
 be objected to, as being done in a place, where there was a 
 Christian congregation." He advised them to engage in their 
 missionary calling with as little observation as possible, adding 
 " there was no alternative ; for the Brethren had many ene- 
 mies ; and if it had not been for his interposition, they would 
 long ago have been expelled the territory, and sent to the 
 Caffres." From these and other observations it was sufficiently 
 evident, that fear of greater evils induced the Governor to 
 make some concessions to the adversaries of the mission. 
 Subsequent events showed, that his fears were not ground- 
 less.* 
 
 Not long after brother Schwinn's return from Cape-town, 
 new obstacles impeded the progress of the mission. The hos- 
 tility of the farmers rose in proportion to the eagerness, with 
 which the Hottentots attended to the gospel. The cause of 
 this hostility must be sought for in that worldly principle, 
 which, while men are more intent upon their temporal gain, 
 than solicitous to obtain eternal riches, generally influences 
 them in their opposition to the gospel. They conceived their 
 temporal interest to be threatened by the removal of so many 
 Hottentots to Bavian's Kloof, especially as some had de- 
 clared, that they would no longer work for the farmers, but go 
 
 * On his journey to Cape-town brother Schwinu experienced the ill-will 
 of some of the colonists. Contrary to the established usage of hospitality, 
 and in defiance of the order of government, some farmers refused to lodge 
 and entertain him. In consequence of this unkind treatment, he was obliged, 
 one night, to ride, attended by only one Hottentot, through a desert part of 
 the country, wliich was a place of rendezvous for run-away slaves, who com- 
 mitted fro(iiuiU dfi)redations and murders on travellers. 
 
MISSION IN SOUTH AFRICA. 385 
 
 to the missionaries to be instructed in Christianity. Irritated 
 by this the colonists used every artifice to prevent the instruc- 
 tion of the Hottentots ; endeavouring, at first, to alienate 
 their affections from their teachers by the grossest misrepre- 
 sentations ; and, when this failed, by disseminating the foul- 
 est calumnies against the Brethren. They reported, that they 
 taught the Hottentots to steal, to murder, and commit other 
 enormities ; they even went so far as to declare : " If the Mo- 
 ravians come here to convert the Hottentots, they ought im- 
 mediately to be put to death." When they could not obtain 
 their end, either by force or artifice, they brovight various, but 
 unfounded, complaints against them before government. The 
 chief of these complaints was, that the Hottentots at Bavian's 
 Kloof kept more cattle, than could be fed on the land be- 
 longing to the settlement. 
 
 Baas Teunis, who of late had evinced symptoms of an un- 
 favourable change in his disposition towards the mission, came 
 to Bavian's Kloof on December 7th 1795, and, having 
 ordered all those Hottentots, who had come from a distance, 
 to appear before him, commanded them in the name of the 
 Commissary, to drive back their cattle to their former place of 
 abode, and only retain such a number in the settlement as was 
 necessary for immediate consumption. At the same time he 
 informed the missionaries, that they must receive no Hotten- 
 tot into the settlement, who had served a farmer, unless he 
 brought a certificate from his master, that the term of his ser- 
 vitude had expired. This order, in fact, amounted to a pro- 
 hibition to receive any Hottentots, for very few farmers would 
 be willing to give them such a certificate. Besides it contra- 
 dicted his former declaration, that they were not bound to in- 
 quire of any Hottentot, whether he had eloped from his mas- 
 ter, or not, for government had ordered, that no Hottentots 
 should be forcibly detained, who wished to go to Bavian's 
 Kloof. The Hottentots, though they were threatened with 
 having their cattle taken from them, were not hasty in obeying 
 this order. Their only reply was, " should this be the case, 
 yet we will not go away, for we have come hither for the pur- 
 pose of hearing the Word of God.'' 
 
381 MISSION IN SOUTH AFRICA. 
 
 Not to neglect any thing on their part, which migiit tend to 
 avert the impending ruin of the mission, brother 3Iarsveld and 
 several Hottentots went to Cape-town in January 1795, for the 
 purpose of appealing to government, and of obtaining, if possible, 
 a revocation of this order. But their endeavours were not only 
 ineffectual ; but they had the additional mortification to find, 
 that Baas Teunis had himself been the principal promoter of 
 the above measure. This threw the missionaries into the great- 
 est consternation; but by the kind interposition of some friends, 
 they were speedily relieved from their perplexity. In February 
 they received a visit from Mr. Clude of Constantia and some 
 other gentlemen. They inquired minutely into all the circum- 
 stances of the settlement ; and, on their return to ('ape-town, 
 succeeded in convincing the members of the government of the 
 fiilsehood of the complaints made by the farmers, as the land 
 at Bavian's Kloof could maintain at least five hundred oxen. 
 The result was, that the order for the removal of the Hot- 
 tentots was soon after revoked. Mr. Clude, chiefly with a view 
 to the safety of the missionaries, purchased a piece of land 
 adjoining the settlement, as its former possessor was a decided 
 
 enemy. 
 
 Amidst these external troubles the progress of the mission, 
 as to its principal object, pleasingly demonstrated, that "-when 
 the Lord will work, none can let it." The preaching of the 
 gospel was not only attended by numerous hearers, but dis- 
 played its power in convincing them of sin and the necessity of 
 a Saviour. Many Hottentots visited the missionaries, to dis- 
 close to them the feelings of their souls, and seek comfort and 
 
 advice. 
 
 I'he schools, both for adults and children, continued with 
 little intermission ; and the number of scholars increased so 
 fast, that in a short time it amounted to two hundred ; which 
 necessitated them to keep it, for the most part, in the open air, 
 under the shade of the before-mentioned large pear tree. 
 Their teachers considered themselves amply rewarded by the 
 eagerness with which the Hottentots attended to the instruc- 
 tion they received; and the Lord laid a particular blessing 
 upon their catechization in the doctrines of Scripture. 
 
MISSION IN SOUTH AFKICA. 385 
 
 In February 1794 an epidemical billious disorder prevailed 
 in the country. Twenty-two Hottentots, residing in or near 
 Bavian's Kloof, died in consequence of it. In visiting the 
 patients, the missionaries in several instances witnessed the 
 converting and saving power of the gospel. 
 
 Notwithstanding the impediments, which their adversaries 
 threw in the way of those Hottentots, who manifested a desire 
 to be instructed, their number was constantly increasing 
 Many came from a considerable distance, bringing their fami- 
 lies and their cattle with them, and would not be denied per- 
 mission to stay in the settlement. Others, being terrified by 
 the calumnies widely circulated by the farmers, first paid a vi- 
 sit to Bavian's Kloof, to see and hear for themselves ; and 
 being soon convinced of the untruth of the evil reports, propa- 
 gated respecting the Brethren, returned home to fetch their 
 wives and children, and were generally accompanied by others, 
 who likewise desired to be instructed. In removing from their 
 former abodes they were sometimes obliged to make no small 
 sacrifices, and to encounter various difficulties and dangers. 
 A Hottentot, whose term of service with a farmer liad expired, 
 setting out for Bavian's Kloof, was pursued by three armed 
 men, sent by the farmer, who threatened to shoot him, and 
 forced him to return and serve another year. Others scarce 
 ventured to ask for their wages, and were obliged to leave their 
 cattle, to get away. Another Hottentot, finding his master 
 determined to retain him, addressed him thus: " If Baas, 
 (master) will answer for my soul, then I will stay." l^he con- 
 science of the farmer was touched, and he replied, " I cannot 
 answer for my own soul, much less for that of another."" 
 Hereupon he not only dismissed him from his service, but 
 even gave him a certificate. 
 
 The eagerness of the Hottentots to hear the gospel rapidly 
 increased the number of inhabitants at Bavian's Kloof; yet 
 the missionaries did not act precipitately in admitting them to 
 the privileges of Christian communion ; wishing first to disco- 
 ver in the catechumens abiding evidences of repentance and 
 faith in the Lord Jesus. And this accounts for the compara- 
 
 D d 
 
386 MISSION IN SOUTH AFRICA. 
 
 tively small number of their congregation, which, at the close 
 of 1798, consisted only of sixty-five members. 
 
 Bavian's Kloof was frequently visited by the colonists and 
 other persons, who sometimes arrived in large parties. On 
 the one hand, these visits were attended with no small incon- 
 venience and expense, as the rights of hospitality, universally 
 introduced in the whole country, often obliged the missionaries 
 to entertain numerous guests, and hindered them in the prose- 
 cution of their proper calling. On the other hand, however, 
 they served to diffuse a more correct and just idea of the prin- 
 ciples and conduct of the Brethren, and to falsify the calumnies 
 circulated respecting them. By this means the missionaries 
 likewise became acquainted, and united in brotherly love, with 
 many sincere Christians and servants of God, who took a cor- 
 dial interest in their work, and rejoiced in its pleasing progress. 
 The tranquillity, now enjoyed at Bavian's Kloof, did not 
 last long. The animosity of some of the farmers against the 
 mission appeared again, and assumed a more menacing aspect ; 
 and very alarming reports were spread through the country. 
 In June 1795 intelligence was brought, that a company of 
 farmers, or colonists, from Strangfield, intended to march to 
 Bavian's Kloof, to take the missionaries and send them to 
 Batavia, as the surest way of reducing the Hottentots to their 
 former state. This exceedingly terrified these poor people, 
 and they expressed their astonishment at the composure of their 
 teachers ; but being reminded, that no evil could befal them 
 without the will of God, their courage was, in some measure, 
 revived. 
 
 Soon, however, the appearance of things became more se- 
 rious. The Cape was threatened with an attack from the Eng, 
 lish, and the interior of the country was in a state of open 
 rebellion. On June 13th, orders were issued for the immediate 
 appearance at Cape-town of all Hottentots, fit to bear arms. 
 Those residing at Bavian's Kloof shewed some reluctance 
 till reminded by their teachers, that it was their duty to obey 
 the command of government. Upon this they set off without 
 delay, and had already left the settlement, when Baas Teunis 
 sent a written order to that effect. From him our Brethren 
 
MISSION IN SOUTH AFRICA. 387 
 
 received the first authentic intelligence of the attack on Cape- 
 town, and, what more nearly concerned themselves, of the 
 rebellion of the colonists in the interior. 
 
 The rebels, who called themselves Naiimals, had already 
 deposed the landdrost and the secretary at Schwellendam. 
 Many colonists, unwilling to join them and bemg, on that 
 account, no longer safe in their own places of abode, fled to 
 Cape-town. On the 24th of June the missionaries were in- 
 formed, that the rebels, though they had retreated to a short 
 distance, were determined to destroy Bavian's Kloof, and had 
 even declared, that this should be the first of their operations ; 
 uttering the most dreadful threats against the Hottentots resid- 
 ing there. The governor, considering it his imperious duty to 
 defend Cape-town against the English, summoned the colonists 
 to assist in its defence, promising to inquire into their grievan- 
 ces afterwards. But the Nationals refused to listen to any 
 pacific overtures, being resolved to advance to the Sand-river, 
 within six miles of the town, and there to treat with govern- 
 ment. 
 
 In July reports of the advance of the rebels towards Bavian's 
 Kloof became more frequent and terrifying. The Hottentots 
 assembled round the mission-house, exclaiming : " O that 
 they would but spare our teachers !" Some declared, that if 
 their teachers fled, they would go with them ; but if they 
 resolved to stay, they also would remain and die with them. 
 But, seeing many of them exceedingly terrified, the missionaries 
 told them, that each individual must act according to his own 
 inclination, without being influenced by others. Some fled 
 that very night into the mountains. 
 
 On the 17th brother Kuehnel we^t to Baas Teunis to obtain 
 more correct information of the state of things. Here he learnt 
 that the rebels were exceedingly enraged at the school for the 
 Hottentots, as by their removal to Bavian's Kloof, the 
 farmers could get no labourers to work for them. Baas Teunis, 
 therefore, advised, that those Hottentots, who had come from 
 the vicinity of Schwellendam, should return thither. The 
 state of things rendering this advice very plausible, the mission- 
 aries resolved to discontinue the school, and desire their scho- 
 
888 MISSION IN SOUTH AFRICA. 
 
 lars to return to their former residences. This measure, dic- 
 tated by imperious necessity, excited very painful feelings both 
 in teachers and scholars, the latter surrounded the mission-house, 
 bursting into loud lamentations ; and the former could not with- 
 out pity behold one company after the other leave the settlement; 
 and that too at the most inclement season of the year, when 
 all the rivers were greatly swollen, and in some parts of the 
 country scarcely fordable. Among them were many children 
 and mothers, with their infants tied naked on their backs. 
 
 A few days after a troop of Nationals, coming into their 
 neighbourhood, the missionaries received some further intelli- 
 gence of the intentions of the rebels res])ecting them and their 
 labours. A proclamation, issued by them, contained the fol- 
 lowing resolutions : 
 
 " We will not permit any Moravians to live here and instruct 
 the Hottentots; for as there are many Christians, who receive 
 no instruction, it is not proper that the Hottentots should be 
 taught ; but they must remain in the same state they were 
 before. 
 
 " Hottentots, born on the estate of a farmer, must live there 
 and serve him till they are twenty-five years old, before they 
 receive any wages. 
 
 " The Hottentots must reside among the farmers, and not 
 live together in one place, as at Bavian's Kloof. 
 
 «' All Bosjemans or wild Hottentots, caught by us, must 
 remain slaves for life. 
 
 " The Moravians were never meant to be employed among 
 the Hottentots of this country, but among the Bosjemans." 
 
 These and many other resolutions were passed by the insur- 
 gents in the name of liberty and equality. They declared 
 themselves independent of the Dutch Company, and determined 
 to oppose the English, who were then besieging Cape-town. 
 To this proclamation they had obtained nearly three thousand 
 signatures, compelling many to affix their names, without allovr- 
 ing them time to read it. 
 
 The missionaries spent eight days in anxious suspense, 
 uncertain what turn affairs would take when, at length, two 
 of their friends arrived on the 29th of July, informing them, 
 
MISSION IN SOUTH AFRICA. 389 
 
 tliat they had been sent by Pissani, the leader of the rebels, order- 
 ing them to quit Bavi an's Kloof within three days, and remove 
 either to Cape-town, or some place inhabited by Dutch colo- 
 nists, on pain of suffering severely in case of refusal. The two 
 gentlemen added, " They knew not the cause of this strange 
 and oppressive order, but that they had been commanded to 
 deliver it ; and that Pissani was marching at the head of eight 
 hundred men behind the mountains towards Rodesand, intend- 
 ing to proceed to Cape-town. 
 
 Not knowing what to resolve upon, brother Kuehnel went 
 that very night to Baas Teunis to consult him. He gave it 
 as his opinion, that there was no choice left them, but to obey 
 the order, observing, " that violence was substituted for 
 justice, and that he was himself liable to share a similar fate." 
 He promised to send a waggon the next morning to fetch their 
 things, and preserve them as safe as his own. 
 
 The intelligence of the removal of the missionaries soon 
 reached the ears of the Hottentots, who still remained in the 
 settlement. The feelings of these good-natured people may 
 more easily be conceived than described. Many of them de- 
 clared, they would go and die with their teachers, adding, 
 *' we are the cause of all the misfortunes which befal them, for 
 we have not been sufficiently thankful and obedient ; and there- 
 fore God takes our teachers from us. O God, forgive us this 
 sin !" In the evening they all assembled before the mission- 
 house. One of the brethren addressed them in ashort discourse, 
 but was frequently interrupted by their loud weeping. In fer- 
 vent prayer he supplicated the Lord to arise for their help 
 and defend his own cause. And deliverance was indeed much 
 nearer than they expected. 
 
 July 31st they left Bavian's Kloof, and reached Cape-town 
 on the 3rd of August. When they informed the Commissary 
 of what had happened, he justified their flight, but expressed 
 his indignation at the insolence of Pissani, who was the ring- 
 leader of only a small party of rebels, that had separated from 
 the main body of the Nationals.* One of the Chiefs of the 
 
 Pissani was afterwards arrested at Cape-town, together with his Adju" 
 
390 MISSION IN SOUTH AFRICA. 
 
 latter, having requested an interview with the missionaries, 
 declared : '" We do not acknowledge Pissani to be a Chief 
 among us. We are continually reproached with having ex- 
 pelled you from Bavian"'s Kloof, and yet we are wholly 
 ignorant of it. This very morning we have had a consultation 
 respecting your mission, and I am charged to convey letters 
 concerning you, to the Landdrost of Schwellendam, and can 
 assure you, upon my honour, that, if you will but return, no 
 injury shall be done to you." Encouraged by this conversation, 
 they once more waited upon the Commissary, to ask his advice. 
 He gave it as his opinion, that they might safely return the 
 next day ; and as some of their friends were ready to set out for 
 the country on the 8th of August, they availed themselves of 
 this favourable opportunity to leave Cape-town, where they 
 had been detained a far shorter time, than their fears, at first, 
 led them to expect. 
 
 The very day, on which they commenced their return, in- 
 telligence was received at Cape-town, that the British had en- 
 gaged the Dutch at Meuse-bay, and that the latter were in 
 great want of reinforcements The drums beat, the war-flag 
 was hoisted at the citadel, all the men flew to arms, and the 
 women retired into the country. The troops left the town, and 
 the citizens mounted guard. The consternation, excited by 
 these events, was fortunately soon allayed ; for, after a short 
 resistance, the Dutch surrendered. Several Hottentots, be- 
 longing to Bavian's Kloof, were in the engagement ; but not 
 one of them was killed. Their conduct, while in the army, 
 was consistent with their Christian profession ; and they met 
 every morning and evening for prayer and singing. Their 
 families had meanwhile been provided for at the expense of 
 
 government. 
 
 In the midst of the confusion and terror, occasioned by this 
 
 warlike state of the country, the missionaries pursued their 
 
 tant and Secretary. At the very time he was expelling the missionaries, he 
 said, in a public company : " These people preach sound doctrine, and teach 
 the Hottentots the right way of salvation : but, as I am the devil's servant, 
 and cannot be saved, I will'do all in my power to prevent the Hottentots 
 from going to heaven." 
 
MISSION IN SOUTH AFRICA. 391 
 
 journey without molestation ; which was the more remarkable, 
 as all the horses, oxen and waggons were put in requisition : 
 but they were not once stopped on the road, though they and 
 their friends were travelling with three waggons. Under the 
 mighty protection of God they arrived, to the inexpressible 
 joy of the Hottentots, in a few days at Bavian''s Kloof, re- 
 commenced their worship on Sunday, August 16th ; and to- 
 wards the end of October likewise began their school again, 
 which had been suspended since the middle of July. 
 
 Notwithstanding the distress, arising from the hostility of 
 the farmers, and from the political events at the Cape, God 
 prospered the labour of his servants, and gave them many 
 proofs, that he favoured their undertaking. Amidst external 
 troubles, the Word of the Lord grew mightily, and displayed 
 its awakening and converting power. Of a number of similar 
 instances the following may here be related : a man called 
 upon the missionaries and told them, that he was in constant 
 heaviness and terror, and did not know what to do, for he 
 could neither eat nor sleep through distress of mind. Being 
 asked, why he had not come sooner, he replied : " I have hated 
 the missionaries, and despised their doctrine, and often felt 
 disposed to curse them and run out of the chapel. I was parti- 
 cularly provoked at your doctrine, that whoever did not apply 
 to the Lord Jesus, as in themselves helpless and perishing 
 sinners, relying on Him alone for salvation, were in danger of 
 being eternally lost ; and that self-righteousness was a detesta- 
 ble sin in the sight of God." In a while he added : " I have 
 lived with Christians, who told me, that my salvation depended 
 on my own good conduct, and I was considered an exemplary 
 character among my own nation ; whereas I have known many 
 of those, who are now baptized, formerly lead very profligate 
 lives. I therefore wished you had never come hither to tor- 
 ment me ; but, when in one of your late sermons, you exhorted 
 those, who thought themselves better than others, to examine 
 themselves, whether they loved the Lord with all their heart 
 and strength, and their neighbour as themselves, I was thun- 
 der-struck, and said to my wife : * I am lost for ever, I shall go 
 down to hell." ' 
 
 /■fe ( . 
 
89*2 MISSION IN SOUTH AFRICA. 
 
 As soon as tranquillity was restored, brother Marsveld re-: 
 paired to Cape-town, and waited on the English General 
 Clarke and Major-general Craig, recommending the mission to 
 their protection. Both these gentlemen received him with po- 
 liteness, and dismissed him with the assurance of their favour 
 and protection, encouraging him and his brethren to continue 
 their exertions for the instruction of the Hottentots. 
 
 Encouraged by these assurances, and by active proofs of the 
 benevolence of the British government, the missionaries prose- 
 cuted their labours with renewed zeal, and witnessed, almost 
 daily, that the blessing of God rested on their endeavours. 
 Many Hottentots settled at Bavian's Kloof, some coming 
 from a distance of a hundred miles ; their scholars diligently- 
 improved the means of instruction, their worship was attended 
 by large auditories, and even during the year 1795, so memo- 
 rable on account of the troubles which distinguished it, and 
 which at one time threatened the overthrow of the mission, 
 twenty adults were added to the Church by baptism. Before 
 the close of the year they commenced the building of a new 
 chapel, and finished it the following March, the English general 
 having given them permission to cut the timber necessary for 
 the building. 
 
 Not long after they again experienced the watchful care of 
 Providence and the protection of government. In February 
 1796 some malicious persons had collected a force of a hun- 
 dred men, and fixed their rendezvous at a gentleman's house 
 in the neighbourhood, for the purpose of effecting the ruin of 
 the mission by one decisive blow. Governm.ent, having re- 
 ceived timely notice of the plot, sent an order to Baas Teunis, 
 to prevent the meditated outrage, at the same time informing 
 him. that any acts of hostiMty, committed against the Hotten- 
 tots, should be punished according to the utmost rigour of the 
 law. The adversaries, finding their designs betrayed and go- 
 vernment prepared to defeat them, quitted their leader and dis- 
 persed. 
 
 By degrees, the farmers began to change their sentiments, 
 both with regard to the regulations made by the British go- 
 vernment, for protecting the Hottentots against oppression, and 
 
MISSION IN SOUTH AFRICA. 395 
 
 with regard to the mission. They began to discern the justice 
 of the former measure and its beneficial effects, even as it res- 
 pected themselves. Their attempts to destroy the settlement 
 having been defeated, they conspired to starve the missionaries, 
 by withholding the needful supplies of provisions ; and for a 
 short time they greatly harassed our brethren, by refusing to 
 sell them any flour. However, it was not long before they 
 brought waggon-loads of it to the settlement, offering it for sale 
 at a reduced price, and that at a time when it was rather scarce. 
 Most of them were convinced, that the instruction of the Hot- 
 tentots was advantageous to themselves in a temporal point of 
 'v'ie^v, and therefore, when they hire servants, they always gave 
 the preference to Christian Hottentots. 
 
 One circumstance, however, still caused the missionaries 
 much trouble and vexation. Long established usage had 
 nearly changed wrong into right. It had been the custom, 
 whenever a new colonist arrived, to allow him, on paying an 
 annual tax to government, to take possession of any tract o 
 land, he might choose, and to expel the Hottentots, who had 
 hitherto occupied it. These people, long accustomed to op- 
 pressions of this kind, and naturally of a roving disposition, 
 made no complaints, especially as there was an extensive and 
 uninhabited country before them. But, with regard to the 
 Christian Hottentots, the case was altered. To them it was of 
 great importance to live near their teachers, and as their num- 
 ber was constantly increasing, every encroachment on their 
 land was a most serious injury. And, being accustomed to let 
 their cattle range at large, they otten trespassed on the ad- 
 joining grounds of farmers. This, as it had often done before, 
 in 1796 occasioned disputes between them and a neighbouring 
 colonist. After much trouble and many consultations, the mis- 
 sionaries, at length, succeeded in having the boundaries of 
 their settlement legally fixed. In lieu of a tract of land, which 
 had been taken from them, another piece of ground was given 
 to the Hottentots ; but they were forced to be satisfied with a 
 hilly and barren district, instead of the fruitful pastures, they 
 had formerly occupied. 
 
 The rapid progress of the mission requiring an increase of 
 
394 MISSION IN SOUTH AFRICA. 
 
 labourers, brother Kohrliammer and his wife arrived there in 
 May 1798. This addition to the missionary family rendered 
 the enlargement of their habitation necessary. For this pur- 
 pose they converted the chapel into dwelling-rooms, and erected 
 a large church, capable of accommodating fifteen hundred 
 hearers. The foundation stone was laid on the 8th of January 
 1799, and on the same day in the following year it was so- 
 lemnly opened for divine worship. At that time, there were in 
 the district of Bavian's Kloof two hundred and twenty-eight 
 Hottentot houses ; some of them, however, stood at the dis- 
 tance of a mile or two from the church. The number of inha- 
 bitants amounted to one thousand two hundred and thirty-four, 
 of whom three hundred and four were members of the congre- 
 gation, eighty-four of them having been baptized within the 
 year. 
 
 After the arrival of brother Kohrhammer an application was 
 made by government to the Brethren, to commence a mis- 
 sion among the Bosjemans. Desirous of complying with this 
 request, as far as lay i n their power, brother Schwinn repaired 
 to Cape-town in 1799, where he was ordered to await the arri- 
 val ofoneof the colonists, who had offered to be his conductor. 
 This man, however, did not come, and brother Schwinn, after 
 waiting for him above a week beyond the appointed time, 
 deemed it unnecessary to put government to any further ex- 
 pense. Though the scheme was thus abandoned, it has been 
 mentioned here as being a rather singular occurrence, for the 
 application originated with the savages themselves. In their 
 treaty with the English government, for the purpose of termi- 
 nating the long and bloody contests between them and the co- 
 lonists, the Bosjemans had made this a condition of peace, that 
 they should be provided with teachers, such as those who in- 
 structed the tame Hottentots in Bavian's Kloof. History 
 probably furnishes few parallels, if any, of a savage people, in 
 treaty with a Christian power, making it one of the conditions 
 of that treaty, to have missionaries sent to instruct them in 
 Christianity*. 
 
 * The application was not renewed to our brethren j. but th» London Mi»- 
 
MISSION IN SOUTH AFRICA. 89d 
 
 About this time, several circumstances combined to facilitate 
 the labour of the missionaries. The protection they enjoyed 
 from government had lessened the animosity of the farmers ; 
 and the blessing, which rested on the labours of the Rev. Mr. 
 Vos, the parish-minister of Rodesand, increased the veneration 
 of many colonists for religion. Great numbers of them at- 
 tended divine service at Bavian'^s Kloof. The formation of 
 the South African Missionary Society in Cape-town, and the 
 arrival of several missionaries from Great Britain and Holland, 
 some of whom visited the Brethren"'s settlement, served to dif- 
 fuse greater piety through the country, and to increase the res- 
 pect entertained for the Brethren''s mission. 
 
 In 1799, the new governor General Dundas, paid a visit to 
 Bavian's Kloof, and, besides other proofs of his benevolence, 
 evinced his favourable disposition towards the Brethren, by re- 
 questing brother Kuehnel to accompany him on a journey to 
 the borders of CafFraria, conceiving, that one of the missiona- 
 ries, on account of the general respect entertained for them, 
 would be a useful auxiliary in quelling the insurrectionary 
 spirit among the CafFres and Hottentots, which was beginning 
 to shew itself in a rather alarming degree. This expedition 
 was, however, afterwards relinquished. 
 
 The temporal condition of the Hottentots at Bavian's 
 Kloof was by degrees considerably ameliorated. Induced by 
 the example and advice of the missionaries, they attended more 
 to the cultivation of their gardens and orchards and the tillage 
 of their fields. The produce of their corn-fields was, in some 
 years, twenty-fold. This, added to the supply they received 
 from their gardens and orchards, and from the breeding of 
 swine, which they found far more profitable than sheep, so in- 
 creased their means of subsistence, that very few were driven 
 
 sionary Society has since sent missionaries to this tribe. When intimation 
 was given to the Bosjemans, often called Bushmen, that teachers would be 
 sent to them, the intelligence circulated so widely, and was so well received, 
 that five hundred were collected at Vandermalts Fountain, eagerly awaiting 
 the arrival of the missionary. Mr. Smit, Mr. Read and Mr. Corner are now 
 labouring among them, and appearances are promising. Miss. R-egist. Vol. 
 iii. p. 445. Vol. iv. p. 315. Vol. v. p. 233. 
 
396 MISSION IN SOUTH AFRICA. 
 
 to the necessity of living on wild roots. This increase of 
 worldly substance excited them to take a voluntary and liberal 
 share in defraying the expenses of lighting the chapel, and its 
 occasional repairs. 
 
 A company of missionaries arriving in 1800 the Christian 
 Hottentots manifested their joy in the liveliest manner. Being 
 apprized of their arrival, a large party of them in waggons and 
 on horseback, together with four hundred on foot, went to the 
 river So?iderend, about h mile from the settlement, to meet 
 them. When the travellers had crossed the river, the Hotten- 
 tots ranged themselves in regular rows, and with up -lifted 
 hands gave thanks to God for their safe arrival, joining in 
 solemn hymns of praise. The scene was so affecting to the 
 missionaries, that they could not refrain from giving free vent 
 to their tears. The nearer they approached the settlement, 
 the more did the number of those, who came to meet them, in- 
 crease ; and in the evening their spacious chapel was crowded 
 with Hottentots, uniting in solemn ascriptions of glory to God, 
 for having sent them teachers to instruct them in his holy 
 Word. 
 
 Among the new missionaries, was brother Christ. Lewis 
 Rose, who had formerly resided in Labrador, and was now 
 appointed to superintend the mission among the Hottentots. 
 His services, as well as those of his fellow missionaries, were 
 soon called for. In July, 1800, an epidemical bilious fever 
 prevailed in the settlement, and continued for a whole year, 
 carrying off numbers. The missionaries had daily to visit 
 fifty or sixty patients, and in November, when the epidemic 
 was at its height, the number of deaths in a week amounted 
 to six, eight, and even ten ; and once no less than four died 
 in one day. In consequence of this disease, fifty nine members 
 of the congregation finished their pilgrimage on earth. This 
 afflictive dispensation was felt the more severely, as the farmers, 
 to avoid infection, were unwilling to employ any Hottentots, 
 as soon as they showed any symptoms of illness, and even sent 
 those, whom they had hired, back to BAvrAN''s Kloof. The 
 poor people, being thus deprived of earning a livelihood, were 
 reduced to the greatest poverty ; and some of those, who were 
 
MISSION IN SOUTH AFRICA. 397 
 
 sent home, died on the road. Brother Rose writes concerning 
 this season of affliction : 
 
 " In order to be more regular in our attendance on the sick, 
 we engaged in this duty by rotation, each missionary and his, 
 wife visiting a certain district every week. In doing this, we 
 had to make a round of four or five mil-es. These visits were 
 attended with not a little danger to ourselves, as the fever was 
 very infectious. Through the mercy of God, however, none 
 of us were seriously affected by it. In performing this duty, 
 grief and joy alternately possessed our hearts. When we crept 
 into their huts, and saw the poor people lie there in the great- 
 est misery upon nothing but a sheep skin, spread on the bare 
 ground, without medical aid, and often without a morsel 
 to eat, and the convalescent tormented by hunger, while 
 a number of poor, naked children were crying for food ; 
 we were overwhelmed with sorrow. We indeed exerted our- 
 selves to the utmost of our power to procure them nourishment 
 and the most necessary medicine ; but our resources, especially 
 of the latter, were soon exhausted ; for scarce a cottage was 
 without patients, and in some three, four, and even more per- 
 sons were confined at once, and some, after recovering the 
 first attack, were seized a second and even a third time ; in 
 which case the disease mostly proved fatal. When we, on the 
 other hand, discoursed with them on the love of Jesus, and 
 set before them the comforts of the gospel, we saw them listen 
 with eagerness to our address, forget all their external 
 wretchedness, and patiently resign themselves to the will of 
 the Lord, declaring their confident hope, that he would in 
 mercy receive them into his everlasting kingdom, and extolling 
 his goodness in sending teachers to them, to instruct them in 
 the knowledge of their Redeemer, and of salvation through 
 his blood. When we saw and heard all this, we were greatly 
 strengthened and encouraged in the performance of our duty, 
 and forgot pain and sorrow, our hearts overflowing wtih thanks- 
 giving to God." 
 
 Other difl^iculties were experienced by the missionaries dur- 
 ing this year. An order had been issued by government, that 
 all the corn, grown in the country, above a certain stipulated 
 
400 MISSION IN SOUTH AFRICA. 
 
 was situated at the Vineyards, near Cape-town. Divine ser- 
 vice was performed every Sunday in the open air, a tent being 
 erected for the preacher, the officers and their ladies and 
 several strangers ; the Hottentot corps standing before it in 
 military order. He also kept school with the children, held 
 meetings on week-days with all who desired instruction, and 
 visited the hospital. Many appeared impressed with the truths 
 of the Gospel, though most of them had hitherto been ignorant 
 heathen. The Commandant declared his particular satisfaction, 
 that, on receiving their pay in September, not one of them had 
 been imprisoned for drunkenness, a vice to which they had 
 formerly been very much addicted on those occasidns. Their 
 stay in the camp, however, did not last many weeks, as the 
 corps was ordered to advance nearer to the coast. Brother 
 Kohrhammer, therefore, received a regular discharge from his 
 ministerial service in the camp, with expressions of their en- 
 tire approbation, both from the Governor and the Commander. 
 
 The sudden removal of the camp was occasioned by the ar- 
 rival of a large English fleet at the island of St. Helena. The 
 intelligence of this caused general alarm, and the people were 
 every where employed in conveying their goods to a place of 
 safety. The Hottentot battalion broke up on the 1st of Octo- 
 ber, except a guard appointed for the protection of the mission- 
 ary and his wife, who, as all the waggons had been put in 
 requisition, were detained till the 1 0th before they could find 
 an opportunity of returning to Gnauenthal. 
 
 Government, desirous of making every possible preparation 
 for the defence of the colony, had sometime before, sent Cap- 
 tain Lesueur to Gnadenthal to enlist a volunteer-corps of 
 Hottentots. These now received orders to repair immediately 
 to Cape-town, government promising meanwhile to provide for 
 their families during their absence. Towards the end of Oc- 
 tober thirty men marched to Cape-town, to join the army, and 
 ten to Soete Melks Valey, being appointed for the service of 
 the powder-magazines. Their places were soon after occupied by 
 a hundred and eighty-seven women and children, belonging to 
 the Hottentot corps, Governor Jansen having requested an 
 asylum for them at Gnadenthal, while their husbands were 
 
MISSION IN SOUTH AFRICA. 401 
 
 with the army. For that time the danger, apprehended from 
 the British fleet, passed over and the colony was in some mea- 
 sure restored to its former tranquillity. 
 
 The continuance of the war, however, rendered it necessary 
 to be in a constant state of preparation to oppose any' hostile 
 attack, that might be made on the colony. For this purpose, 
 the Hottentot corps was again encamped at the Vineyards, and 
 brother Kohrhammer resumed his services among them. He 
 and his wife remained there from May, 1805, to the following 
 January. In the performance of his ministerial duties .he a- 
 gain met with the support and countenance of the Governor 
 and all the officers. The blessing of God rested on his labours, 
 many of the soldiers applying to him for comfort, advice, and 
 instruction in Christianity. The only circumstance of note, 
 distinguishing his services at this time, was his attendance on 
 three deserters, who had been condemned to suffer death by a 
 court martial. July the .I9th the Governor sent a waggon to 
 fetch him to Cape-town. On his arrival he was conducted to 
 the prison, and spent above eight hours with the criminals. 
 At first they appeared quite insensible and indifferent about the 
 salvation of their souls. By degrees, however, the Lord was 
 pleased to open their hearts, and, after they had suffered for a 
 while the fears of a guilty conscience and the terror of death 
 and damnation, to grant them peace with God through faith in 
 the name of Jesus When he entered the prison the next morn- 
 ing, the officers on guard expressed their astonishment, de- 
 claring, that they had never expected to see such behaviour in 
 heathen. They had spent the whole night in prayer and sing- 
 ing hymns, and in repeating to one another what the mission- 
 ary had told them. They were accompanied by brother Kohr- 
 hammer to the place of execution. Two of them were shot, 
 and the third hung. All three testified, that they were deli- 
 vered from the fear of death, and died in reliance on the 
 atonement of Jesus, and humble hope of eternal life through him. 
 Early in January, 1806, the Cape was attacked by the 
 British forces, under the command of General Baii'd, and af- 
 ter a short resistance, Cape-town surrendered. General Jan- 
 sen at first retreated into the interior with part of the Dutch 
 army, with a view to oppo.sc the English, but slicrtly after 
 
 E e 
 
402 MISSION IN SOUTH AFRICA. 
 
 accepted the terms of capitulation, proposed by Sir David 
 Baird. 
 
 During the scene of terror and confusion, which attended 
 the landing of the English, and the engagement that ensued, 
 brother Kohrhammer and his wife experienced no little anxiety, 
 being, together with some sick soldiers, left in the camp, guard- 
 ed by only a lieutenant, a corporal and six privates. The night 
 after the battle they were roused from sleep by a loud rap at the 
 door, their servant calling out ; " Get up immediately ; there 
 is a terrible host of people descending from the mountains, and 
 they are certainly English.'" They instantly rose, placed two 
 lighted candies on'the table an. I set the door wide open. In a 
 little while five hundred armed men arrived, entered every hut, 
 and took all prisoners whom they found in them. " A corpo- 
 ral and a private," writes the missionary, '• came into our cot- 
 tage. 1 bade them good evening in English ; upon which 
 the corporal shook hands with me. Having informed him, 
 ■who we were, he said : ' That is well ; I know something of 
 your people ;' adding ' the Cape has surrendered to the Eng- 
 lish ; you are now British subjects and our friends. As you 
 were not afraid, but kept your door open to receive us, we con- 
 sider you as an honest man, and you have nothing to fear.' 
 After taking some refreshment he retired, and others entered, 
 whom we supplied with victuals as long as we had any left." 
 After spending another anxious day in the camp, the mission- 
 aries retired to a friend's house in the neighbourhood and, at 
 length, on the 12th of February, arrived in safety with their 
 brethren at Gnademthal. 
 
 The quiet of this settlement was likewise for a short time in- 
 terrupted. Early on Sunday, the 5th of January, they were 
 alarmed by the report of the signal-gun, announcing the ap- 
 proach of an enemy. The missionaries immediately convened 
 those Hottentots, who bad volunteered for military services, 
 reminding them of their duty as loyal subjects. In consequence 
 of this, ten set oif in a few hours, and fifty-four followed in the 
 evening. Three of them, having been taken prisoners by the 
 English, and being unwilling to enlist with their troops, were fur- 
 nished with proper passports and pent home. For a shorttime all 
 
MISSION IN SOUTH AFRICA. 40JJ 
 
 communication with the lower country was cut off, as general 
 Jansen was occupying the hills with a strong military force. 
 Dearness of provisions in the sequel obliged many of the in- 
 habitants of Gnadenthal to remove to other places. Seventy- 
 five men were in the Hottentot battalion, raised by the British, 
 and most of their relatives had followed them to the camp, so 
 that by the end of the year the number of residents amounted 
 to only eight hundred, having suffered a reduction of three 
 hundred and seventeen. Notwithstanding these various trou- 
 bles, " the Word of the Lord had free course and was glorified." 
 One hundred and seven new people came to Gnadenthal, 
 and fifty were admitted to holy baptism. 
 
 The mission enjoyed the favour and protection of the new 
 government. Sir David Baird and many English office;*s and 
 gentlemen visited the settlement, demonstrating their regard 
 for the missionaries, not only by commending their labours, 
 but by proofs of active benevolence. On the arrival of Brother 
 Bonatz, in May 1806, the governor made an exception in fa- 
 vour of him and his wife, suffering them to land and proceed 
 'to the place of their destination, while no other person was per- 
 mitted to leave the ship. Lord Caledon, who, in 1807, suc- 
 ceeded Sir David Baird in the government of the Cape, man- 
 ifested equal benevolence towards the mission. 
 
 At his request they began, in 1808, to form a second 
 settlement. For this purpose he offered a piece of land, hitherto 
 belonging to government, called Groenekloof, fGreen glen) 
 lying near the sea, on the high road from Cape-town to Saldanha- 
 bay. The missionaries J. P. Kohrhammer and J. H. Schmitt, 
 and their wives, moved thither in March, inhabiting the house 
 hitherto occupied by a farmer, who, as the term of his lease 
 was expired, now surrendered it to the Brethren. Immediately 
 on their arrival several Hottentots came to bid them welcome. 
 The next day the missionaries went to the Hottentot captain, 
 Klapmus, requesting him to convene his people, that they might 
 inform them of their intention in coming to settle here. In a 
 short timp about one hundred persons, young and old, assem- 
 bled. Having conducted them to the shady decl; ify of a hill, 
 brother Kohrhammer addressed them in a short discourse^ to 
 
404 MISSION IN SOUTH AFRICA. 
 
 which they listened with great apparent devotion, and after- 
 wards in a lively manner expressed their thanks. They were 
 then told, that it was desirable that those, who were disposed 
 to hear the Word of God and live in conformity to it, should 
 place their huts near their teacher's dwelling. To this they 
 agreed'; and in order to accommodate those, who asked leave to 
 reside on the land of the .settlement, the missionaries measured 
 off eighteen lots of ground for huts and gardens. They were 
 so laid out, that the cottages would stand in two parallel lines 
 enclosing'the garden grounds. 
 
 The missionaries soon experienced that the power of (xod 
 attended their testimony of Christ crucified, exciting convic- 
 tion of sin and a desire after salvation in many of their hear- 
 ers, who, with few exceptions, had hitherto lived in the 
 abominations of heathenism. One of them said, " Wherever 
 1 am I cannot get rid of the thought, that all is not right with 
 me. When at work with other men, who are conversing on 
 subjects, which I formerly delighted to hear, I am like a deaf 
 man; I cannot bear to hear them, but must go alone into the 
 wood and cry to God for mercy; then I feel somewhat comforted." 
 Another remarked: "I am sitting in the midst of my sins, like 
 a man sitting in the fire, and am ready to be choked and con- 
 sumed by the anguish of my soul ; I stretch my arms towards 
 heaven and cry. Lord Jesus, give me but one drop of thy 
 grace to quench the burning fire within." A man, called Saul, 
 expressed his desire to hear the Word of God, and his attach- 
 ment to the Brethren by relating a conversation, he had lately 
 had with his baas, (or master,) to the following effect : "My 
 baas asked me, ' Will you also go ta the teachers at Guoene- 
 KLOOF ?' I answered, ' yes, baas.' He replied, ' what will 
 you hear there ?' I said, ' God's Word, and how I may be 
 saved.' ' God's Word ?' replied the baas, ' that I will read 
 to you, if you will stay with me.' ' Nay, baas,' said I, ' that 
 1 do not believe ; for I have been with you and your brothers 
 till I am grown old, and have never heard one of you pray to 
 God, or read his Word, and now, when teachers are come to 
 us, you will begin; nay, baas, that 1 cannot believe, 
 and therefore shall go with my wife to the teachers at 
 
MISSION IN SODTH AFRICA. 405 
 
 GnoKXEKLooF. '"' Addressing the missionary, he added, 
 " yes, where you are, there will I be ; if you go to the CafFre 
 land, Saul will go with you ; if you go to your own country, 
 I will sell my oxen and waggon and follow you ; and if you 
 ask, why I will do so, I answer, because you tell me of a 
 Saviour, and that does my heart good." 
 
 At the end of 1808, after the missionaries had resided there 
 three quarters of a year, one hundred and one Hottentots lived 
 on the land of the new settlement, of whom one had been bap- 
 tized, and nine were under instruction for that holy rite. 
 
 In conducting their temporal concerns too the Hottentots 
 gave evidence that they acted from Christian principles. They 
 went diligently to work in building their huts, and cultivating 
 their grounds. God blessed the labour of their hands ; and 
 as a proof of their gratitude to him, and their love to their 
 teachers, they presented them with some Spanish melons, wa- 
 ter melons and other fruits, as the first produce of their gar- 
 dens. Not a year before those very grounds, which now bore 
 a plentiful crop, had lain waste and been covered with brush- 
 wood. 
 
 Amidst the pleasure felt by the missionaries at the success, 
 attending their endeavours, they were not without their trou- 
 bles ; the most serious of which originated in the revolt of the 
 slaves in Hottentot Holland. About three hundred of them 
 had risen in one night, with a determination to fire Cape-town, 
 murder all the white men and carry the women into slavery. 
 They had actually taken and bound several of their masters, 
 carried off waggons, horses and arms, and committed various 
 other depredations. But, by the blessing of God on the 
 prompt exertions of government, most of the rebels, and 
 among them, the ring-leaders, were taken and thus their wick- 
 ed design was frustrated. The scene of confusion lying near 
 Groenekloof, our brethren there were more exposed, than 
 those residing at Gnadenthal, who did not hear of it till 
 the danger was over. 
 
 Among those of their converts, who entered into rest dur- 
 ing the year 1808, the missionaries in particular mention Ja- 
 cob Adams, who was a true Bosjeman, but had resided some 
 
406 MISSION i-V SOUTH AFRICA. 
 
 rears at Gxadenthai., and was supposed to have reached the 
 &^e of a hundred years, when he died. They remark concern- 
 ing him : " he had indeed found mercy and rest unto his soul 
 with Jesus ; and ])oth by his walk and conversation edified all 
 who knew him. In short, we have had in him an incontro- 
 vertible proof that the Holy Spirit instructs God's children in 
 all the essential truths revealed in las sacred Word, in the 
 most distinct and powerful manner, though the ordinary means 
 ma^' be very deficient. For Jacob Adams had never learnt 
 Du.ch, and all his conversations with us were through an in- 
 ter] treter." 
 
 In this and subsequent years both the settlements received 
 an accession of inhabitants from other heathen nations, besides 
 Htittentots. The first of them were seven Caffi-e families, 
 and one from the Tambukky nation. Negros also frequently 
 attended their worship, several of whom were Mahomedans. 
 One of them, after having atttended a meeting at Gkadf.n- 
 riiAL, said to a Hottentot : " \V''hat I have seen and heard 
 this day at your church I shall never forget. Were I not a 
 slave, I would leave all and move hither. O, ye Hottentots, 
 you are most fortunate to be thus favoured. If you do not 
 make good use of it, you can never prosper." A few years 
 later, some individuals of the Dambra, or Darabarra. nation 
 settled at Gkoenekloof, and becauie obedient to the gospel. 
 This nation dwells behind the great Namaqua, at a distance 
 of seventeen hundred miles from Cape-town. Thus widely had 
 the news of the arrival of Christian teachers been diffused 
 through the country, gradually preparing, in this land also, 
 for the accomplishment of God's gracious promise, " I will 
 bring my sons from far, and my daughters from the ends of the 
 earth." 
 
 A valuable present of Dutch Bibles and Testaments, sent 
 in 1810 by the British and Foreign liible Society, was most 
 thankfully received by the missionaries, and served as a new 
 encouragement to their scholars to apply themselves with dili- 
 gence in learning to read. Those, to whom a book was given, 
 received it with tears of gratitude, imploring the Lord abun- 
 dantly to bless the venerable Society for this act of kindness. 
 
MISSION IN SOUTH AFRICA. 407 
 
 iSiraihir feeliugs of joy and gratitude have been expressed by 
 the Hottentots, both young and old, whenever they have re- 
 ceived a repetition of the Society's bounty. 
 
 In 1811 the missionary fiimiiy at GnosMEKLooF was thrown 
 into great distress, in consequence of a very serious accident, 
 which befel brother Schniitt. Wolves having for some time 
 done much mischief in the settlement, they resolved to adopt 
 the usual practice of destroying them, by Hxing a day for a 
 general hunt. On August the 6th in the morning the brethren 
 Bonatz and Schmitt,'with about thirty Hottentots, commenced 
 the hunt. At no great distance from the settlement they dis- 
 covered a wolf and fired at him, but, being only slightly 
 wounded, he made his escape. /Vfter a fruitless search the 
 missionaries relinquished the pursuit, and were returning, 
 leaving the Hottentots at a short distance. One of the Hot- 
 tentots, supposing he had discovered the wolf in a thicket, 
 called to the missionaries. Brother Schmitt hastened back, 
 dismounted, and, with some Hottentots, entered the bushes. 
 When they had reached the middle of the thicket the dog 
 started some animal, but the closeness of the bushes prevented 
 them from seeing what it was. Those, standing without, ob- 
 serving it to be a tiger*', ran away, leaving the missionary and 
 one Hottentot alone. Not knowing which way to get out, and 
 afraid of coming directly upon the tiger, they proceeded slow- 
 ly, with their guns pointed, to be ready for an immediate at- 
 tack. On a sudden the animal sprang upon the Hottentot, 
 pulled him down, and began to bite his face. Brother Schmitt 
 instantly aimed his gun at the tiger ; but as the Hottentot lay 
 upon him, he couW not take effectual aim. The animal per- 
 ceiving him, let go the Hottentot and made a spring at the 
 missionary. His gun being of no use, at such close quarters, 
 he threw it down, and holding up his arm to defend his face, 
 the tiger seized it close to the elbo'w. Brother Schmitt, how- 
 ever, was still able, with the same hand, to lay hold of the 
 
 • The tigers in this country are inferior to those in Bengal, both iu size and 
 strength. They are rather larger than the largest Newfoundland dogs, and 
 very nimble and fierce. 
 
408 MISSION IN SOUTH AFRICA. 
 
 tiger's fore feet, and, seizing him with the other, by the throat 
 he threw him down, knelt on his body, and cried out for help 
 to the Hottentots, who instantly ran to his assistance. One 
 of them, laying his piece close under the arm of the mis- 
 sionary, shot the animal through the heart ; and thus rescued 
 brother Schmitt from immediate and imminent danger. His 
 wife and brethren, however, were not at once relieved from 
 their fears on his account. He had eight wounds from the 
 elbow to the wrist, and in some places, the teeth of the tiger 
 had penetrated to the bone ; and as the teeth and claws of a 
 tiger are shaped like those of a cat, they had not only wound- 
 ed, but lacerated the arm. The inflammation spread in an 
 alarming degree, and induced serious apprehensions of a fever. 
 Medical advice was procured from Cape-town as soon as pos- 
 sible. Doctor Cairns stayed with them three days before he 
 could pronounce the patient out of danger. Through the mer- 
 cy of God, and to the astonishment of all his friends, he gra- 
 dually recovered, though he appears never to have fully 
 regained the same degree of health he had before enjoyed. 
 
 Doctor Cairns likewise attended the Hottentot, who, though 
 severely wounded, did not suffer so much bodily pain as the 
 missionary. This was the third encounter the Hottentot had 
 had with a tiger and he must in all probability have lost his 
 life, if brother Schmitt had not exposed his own to save his. 
 
 The formation of a Bible and School-Commission at Cape- 
 town, in 1813, was an event in which our brethren took a 
 very lively and cordial interest. Having explained the nature 
 of this institution to their congregations, they made collections 
 for it in both the settlements, and had the pleasure to find, 
 that the Hottentots were, disposed to contribute to its support 
 even beyond their ability. The Rev. Robert Jones, colonial 
 chaplain, being deputed by the School-Commission to make a 
 tour through the country, for the purpose of assisting in the 
 formation of schools on the plan of Dr. Bell and Mr. Lancas- 
 ter, paid a visit to Gnadenthal, and expressed his satisfac- 
 tion in the school established there, but objected to its being 
 kept in the church. Being informed that the missionaries 
 had not the means of building a school-house, he immediately 
 set on foot a subscription and, by his zealous exertions, in a 
 
MISSION IN SOUTH AFRICA. 40^ 
 
 short time procured upwards of 1400 rix dollars; to which se- 
 veral handsome donations were afterwards added. He put 
 down his own name for 100 rix dollars; the governor, Sir J. 
 Francis Craddock presented 200 rix dollars, his Lady the 
 same sum ; the Bible and School-Commission, and the 
 Fund of the Lutheran Church, each a 100 rix dollars. The 
 foundation of this building was laid on the 11th of February 
 1814. It was solemnly opened on the 15th of the following 
 July. Both parents and children, in a very affecting and lively 
 manner, testified their joy and gratitude. The day before an 
 examination had been held with all the scholars, both boys and 
 girls, amounting to two hundred and forty three. The tea- 
 chers remarked ; " to hear these Hottentot children read so 
 well, was truly encouraging to us. Some of them are begin- 
 ning to write a good hand." It may here be added, that sister 
 Schmitt at Groenekloof, and sister Leitner at Gnabenthal 
 were instructing the girls in needle-work ; some of whom were 
 learning sattin-stitch, which they executed with great neatness, 
 and were thus able to earn their own livelihood. 
 
 Fostered by the favour and protection of government, and 
 richly experiencing the blessing of God, the mission continued 
 to enjoy, as it had done for several preceding years, external 
 quiet and prosperity, and internal growth by the advance of 
 the converts in grace and divine knowledge. The number of 
 inhabitants in both places was yearly increased by new comers, 
 and the congregation was augmented by such, as, on sincerely 
 embracing the gospel, were added to the Church by holy bap- 
 tism. In Groenkkloof, the more recently formed settlement, 
 the annual increase of inhabitants averaged about twenty, 
 and that of the baptized adults, fifteen. In Gnadenthal 
 the numbers were considerably larger. In some years this set- 
 tlement received from sixty to eighty, and in one year even 
 one hundred and thirty new inhabitants ; and from forty to 
 sixty adult heathen were yearly admitted to baptism. 
 
 The most grateful circumstance, attending this increase, was 
 that nearly all those, who were admitted into the settlement, 
 or advanced in church-privileges, manifested a sincere desire, 
 not only to have the name of Christians, but to give all dili- 
 gence to make their calling and election sure. Many of them 
 
410 Missr^*"^ i'' aoL'ra. aprica. 
 
 indeed appsared to have previousiy been prepared for their 
 admission to the Church otT-'^rist by the Spirit of God. One 
 of them said : " God has led m'O in a marvellous way from the 
 lower country to this place. I happened to hear about Bavi- 
 an's Ki.oof from some travelling HoUentots, who told me that 
 teachers were come across the great waters to the Hottentots, 
 and described to them a great person, who came down from 
 heaven, and would bring us after death into a pleasant place, 
 and not into the black kloof, of which we had heard such ter- 
 rible accounts. From that time I thought day and night how 
 I should make my way to Bavian's Kloof, but could not find 
 the way till God led me hither." Another related, " that 
 when she was a young girl, her father once called his children 
 together, and addressed them in the following manner : ' My 
 children, what your father says, is truth. You are Hotten- 
 tots, and despised of men ; but continue to behave well, for I 
 have an assurance, that God will one day send teachers to our 
 nation from a distant land. I am old, and probably shall not 
 see that day ; but you are young, and will with your eyes see 
 what I have now told you. As soon, therefore, as you hear that 
 such people have arrived in this country, hasten to them ; stay 
 wherever they settle, be obedient to them, and it will be well 
 for you.'" Soon after her father's death she moved to Gna- 
 HENTHAL and was baptized. Another woman said, " I am as- 
 tonished when I reflect, how graciously the Lord has brought 
 us hither, where we enjoy so much mercy, both spiritual and 
 temporal. Three years ago there was no prospect of it. 
 When! heard that teachers were come to Ghoenekloof, I 
 felt a very ardent desire to move hither, and my husband was 
 of the same mind. But when he consulted his baas, he gave 
 him such a false account of what was done and taught here, 
 that he altered his purpose. However, some business having 
 brouo-ht him to this place, he said to me on his return ; ' Now, 
 let people say what they please about Ghoenekloof ; but I say, 
 the baas may keep all he owes us, if he will only let us go and 
 live there."' " 
 
 In the children also the work of the Holy Ghost was pleas- 
 ingly evident. A child, nine years old, being asked, how she 
 spent the time with her younger sister, replied : " We often 
 
MISSION IN SOUTH AFRICA. 411 
 
 pray our Saviour to make us his children, and to keep us from 
 growing up as children of the devil. Then we sing verses to- 
 gether, which we learn at school. Sometimes we help old mo- 
 ther Lydia to work, and she gives us a piece of bread for our 
 labour, for our parents are at the Cape, and when they are at 
 home, we have to dig for roots in the fields to satisfy our hun- 
 ger, for they are very poor and have nothing to give us." ACaffre 
 boy, twelve years old, was once asked, whether he did not re- 
 pent having come to Gkadenthal. On his answering in the 
 negative, the missionary observed : " but in the CafFre country 
 you had meat in plenty and excellent milk, and here you can- 
 not get it." The boy replied, " that is very true : but I wish 
 to become a child of God, and in this place I hear how I may 
 become one ; but in my own country I heard nothing of 
 it. Therefore I rejoice that I am come hither, and am satisfied 
 with any thing." 
 
 Even among those of their people, who, on account of sin- 
 ful deviations, had been separated from the fellowship of 
 believers, the missionaries often met with encouraging proofs, 
 that the good Shepherd was seeking his lost sheep, and lead- 
 ing them back to the fold. A person of this class, belonging to 
 Gnadenthal, once made the following confession : " O how 
 have I sinned in the sight of God and man. I had once given 
 my heart to the Lord, and renounced the devil and all his 
 works ; and I was sincere at that time. But, alas, I have 
 trodden the grace of God under foot, I have forsaken Jesus 
 and his people, and for many years strayed in the wilderness. 
 I now repent with my whole heart and thank our Saviour, that 
 he has again brought me to this place, like a poor worried 
 sheep that had left the flock. O that all young people would 
 consider how easy it is to stray ; but not so easy to regain what 
 we have lost." Another backslider made a similar confession : 
 "the pain," said she, " occasioned by forsaking the congrega- 
 tion, after having once been a member of it, I liave severely 
 experienced. I went away ; but had scarcely executed my 
 resolution, when my distress became so great, that I could 
 neither eat nor drink ; I often went into the field, fell upon my 
 knees, and entreated the Lord that he would bring me back. 
 But the farmer, with whom I was engaged, would not consent 
 
412 MISSION IN SOUTH AFRICA. 
 
 to my leaving him. At length my time expired, my heart be- 
 came light, and I returned to Gkadexthai, full of joy ; but 
 was^told I could not remain here without my husband. I pray- 
 ed to God : ' O Lord, thou knowest I cannot depart, though 
 1 and my children should starve to death at the gate.' He 
 heard my prayer ; my husband soon followed me ; and since 
 then, the Lord hath done great things for us. May he preserve 
 us in his grace to the end of our lives !"" 
 
 The attainments of the Christian Hottentots in scripture 
 knowledge, and their consistent conduct, tended greatly to les- 
 sen the animosity of the farmers, and even to awaken in some of 
 them a serious concern for their ov.n^salvation. Many instances 
 of this are related by the missionaries in their reports ; of which 
 the following is one of the most interesting : A farmer, who 
 had hired a Christian Hottentot, called Philip, once entered 
 into conversation with him, remarking: " I am not a little sur- 
 prized to see how the wretched, drunken Hottentots, when they 
 get to Gnadenthal and hear the Word of God, truly receive 
 grace and mercy and become quite another sort of people. I 
 was born a Christian and instructed in religion from my child- 
 hood ; I possess a Bible, and frequently read in it ; and yet 
 I find all this wanting in me." Philip made for answer, that, 
 though he could not read himself, yet he had retained in his 
 memory much of what he had heard read ; and then related the 
 parable of the labourers in the vineyard, applying it, in a very 
 apposite manner, to the colonists and the Hottentots. The 
 farmer was much affected, and said, " I never understood these 
 things as I now hear you explain them." Philip then asked 
 him, how often he had been at the Lord's Supper. The mas- 
 ter replied, " only once in my life ; for I feel myself unworthy 
 of it" Philip rejoined : " my baas, suffer me to advise you. 
 Seek to know Jesus as your Saviour ; surrender your heart to 
 him, and go the next time to the Lord's Table ; for there we 
 receive heavenly food for our souls, and divine life to support 
 our feeble faith ; and in the bread and wine we enjoy spiritually 
 his body broken for us, and his blood shed for the remission of 
 our sins." The farmer followed his advice, and found himself 
 greatly comforted and blessed. Philip, being prevented by ill- 
 
MISSION IN SOUTH AFRICA. 413 
 
 ness from finishing some work this fanner had given him to do, 
 afterwards returned to make an apology and ask pardon for his 
 apparent neglect. His master, making no reply, the Hottentot 
 repeated his excuses. Hereupon the farmer said : " I was not 
 angry with you, Philip ; I was only considering what I should 
 do for you, and now I give you twelve measures of corn, just as 
 much as I should have given you, if you had finished your job ; 
 for I acknowledge ^/o^i to be my teacher, and have to thank ?/ow 
 for the great good I have enjoyed ; therefore I owe you 
 much more than I now give you." The Hottentot replied : 
 " No, baas, you must not talk so to me ; for it might appear, 
 as if you were not converted to God, but to me ; and conse- 
 quently made me a god. If I thought so, I would stay in my 
 poor hut at Gnadenthal and never come hither again. But, 
 if you will give the corn out of charity to a needy Hottentot, I 
 will accept of it with many thanks, and do another job for you 
 instead of the former." 
 
 Great numbers of colonists and other strangers, both high 
 and low, continued to visit the settlements, and attend divine 
 worship there, especially at festival seasons. On these occasions, 
 even their spacious church at Gnadenthal was often so 
 crowded that hundreds stood without. The Hottentots wil- 
 lingly resigned their seats to the visitors, occupying themselves 
 the hall and passages, remarking : " they thought it a pity to 
 prevent the visitors from hearing something which might benefit 
 their souls." 
 
 Were not the Author afraid of extending this narration ta 
 too great a length, these instances of the in4;ernal progress of the 
 mission, selected indiscriminately from the diaries of several 
 years, might easily be multiplied by a relation of many others, 
 equally proving that the work was of God, and not of men. 
 
 A variety of circumstances requiring that a person, duly 
 authorized, should hold a visitation in this mission ; that ser- 
 vice was committed to brother Christian Ignatius Latrobe, 
 Secretary to the Brethren's Society (in England) for the Fur- 
 therance of the Gospel among the heathen. In this view he 
 left London on the 1st of October 1815, and arrived at the 
 (Cape on December 24th, being accompanied by the brethren 
 
414 Mission in south africa. 
 
 Clemens and Tliompsen, with their wives, and the unmarried 
 brethren Stein and Lemmertz, destined for the service of 
 the mission in South Africa. 
 
 During his stay in this country brother Latrobe visited both 
 the SeZ^^^^^^^i a«d held frequent consultations with the mis- 
 sionaries, rci't*?*^^ ^o ^^^ important work in which they were 
 engaged. One princ.r'''*^ object of his visit was, to inquire in- 
 to the practicability of formiN\g a third mission-settlement in 
 South Africa. For this purpose he set out from Gnadenthal, 
 March 9th. 1816, on a reconnoitring journey into the interior, 
 being accompanied by the missionaries J. H. Schmitt andhis 
 wif<5 and J. J. Stein, and Mr. Melville, land-surveyor to the 
 government, a sincere friend to the mission and a zealous pro- 
 moter of Christianity and civilization. This gentleman ren- 
 dered them essential services during their expedition, which 
 occupied above two months. They finally fixed on a tract 
 of land, lying on the Wifte Revier, on the confines of 
 CafFraria, at the distance of a fortnight's journey from 
 Gnadenthal, as the most eligible place for a missionary 
 settlement. 
 
 In this and all other transactions with government, brother 
 Latrobe experienced repeated proofs of the benevolence of the 
 Governor, Lord Charles Somerset, the colonial Secretary, 
 Mr. Alexander, and other gentlemen connected with the gov- 
 ernment. They evinced the most favourable disposition to- 
 wards the mission, and a readiness in every possible way to 
 promote its prosperity and extension. 
 
 Before his return to Europe a regular police was established 
 at Gnadenthal. This measure originated with the inhabi- 
 tants themselves, and was rendered necessary by the increasing 
 disorders, committed by strangers, and some of their own young 
 people, as well as by slaves and persons dismissed from the set- 
 tlement, and even by some so called Christians. It was on 
 many accounts impossible for the missionaries to take suflBcient 
 cognizance of these disorders, and they, therefore, the more 
 jeadily agreed to the proposal. Having consulted the land- 
 drost, and obtained his approbation and the promise of his as- 
 ristancc when needed ; fifty-four men, chiefly fathers of fami- 
 
MISSION IN SOUTH AFJJICA. 4l6 
 
 lies residing in different parts of the settlement, were chosen 
 for overseers of the place. All the inhabitants were then in- 
 formed of this regulation. The rules of the place, drawn up 
 by brother Latrobe, together with the letter from the landdrost, 
 having been read to them, they were admonished cheerfully 
 to conform to these rules, being intended for their own good and 
 the welfare of their families, that the gospel and the work of 
 God in the settlement might be honoured, and not disgraced 
 by the lives and conversation of its inhabitants. 
 
 Having returned to Guoexekloof, brother Latrobe had the' 
 pleasure of being present at the laying of the foundation-stone 
 of their new church on the SIst of August 1816. Hitherto 
 divine worship had been performed in the hall of the mission- 
 house ; but the increase of their congregation and public au- 
 ditories rendered this no longer practicable. 
 
 Towards the end of October he took his final departure from 
 Africa in the Zebra sloop of war, and, after a very pleasant 
 and expeditious voyage of only six weeks and four days under 
 sail, arrived at Spithead on the 18th of December. Accord- 
 ing to the repeated testim.ony of our brethren, his visit was 
 -of essential benefit to the mission, and served to animate those 
 employed in it, to proceed in their labour, with increasing zeal 
 and diligence, and, while feeling their own insufficiency, to de- 
 pend on the blessing of God, which has hitherto abundantly 
 crowned their exertions. 
 
 On the first of December 1816 the settlement of Gkaden- 
 THAL was visited by a dreadful calamity, of which the mission- 
 aries give the following account : 
 
 " A dreadful torrent descended upon us from the mountains 
 and overwhelmed great part of our premises with destructive 
 violence. It had rained without ceasing the day before, though 
 not faster than it often does here ; but on the 1st of December 
 the rains increased in an alarming degree, and continued without 
 intermission till the following morning. Our three brooks, 
 coming out of the Bavian's Kloof, Siebenvonteyn valley, and 
 Kornland's Kloof, swelled to a prodigious height, carrying with 
 them trees and large stones, and threatening general desolation. 
 The noise of the waters and rolling stones was terrific, especi- 
 
416 MISSION IN SOUTH AFRICA. 
 
 ally in the Bavian's Kloof, close behind our dwellings. In the 
 kloof, or glen, itself, which is of considerable width, and 
 through wliich the bi'ook commonly winds in a gentle streamy 
 all the bushy and rocky eminences yfevc completely covered, 
 and the whole glen becoming too narrow for the impetuous tor- 
 rent, it tore away large parts of the rocks and earth on each side, 
 with all the trees planted up the slopes. The dyke, forming 
 the mill-course, was in the most imminent danger of being 
 burst and carried away, the torrent having made large holes 
 in the ground close to its foundatiort. The flood now rushed 
 with astonishing violence out of the opening of the glen, and, 
 meeting on the left with resistance from the projecting rocks, 
 the whole mass of water fell upon a dyke made many years ago 
 at the expense of government, of which there was still a part 
 remaining, and carried off that and the greater part of the 
 grove of keri and poplar trees, planted by the missionaries, 
 together with the gardens of the brethren P. Leitner and 
 Beinbrech. From hence it turned, for a short space, into the old 
 bed of Bavian's river, but soon spread and burst through the 
 middle of the adjoining ground. Here it met the torrent rushing 
 down from Siebenvonteyn and, uniting itself with that stream, 
 inundated the whole valley down to the river Sonderend, des- 
 troying all the Hottentots' grounds and gardens within its 
 course. The high foot-bridge, leading from the main part of 
 the settlement to the Caffre kraal, at least fifteen feet above 
 the level of the brook in dry weather, was covered and carried 
 away, and the place filled with stones and sand. To the right, 
 behind the burying-ground, the small brook descending from the 
 Korland's kloof, precipitated itself with equal violence towards 
 and into the settlement, covering the land with sand and stones. 
 Thus most of the gardens, which promised a good crop, were 
 buried under sand, and some wholly demolished, the flood pas- 
 sing through them. The violence of the rains had already 
 thoroughly soaked the walls of m^ny of the Hottentots' houses, 
 which threatened to fall upon the inhabitants, and, as towards 
 night the rain rather increased than diminished, the poor peo- 
 ple quitted them, and sought safety on our premises, and in 
 houses on higher ground. We opened for them both the 
 
MISSION IN SOUTH AFRICA. 417 
 
 church and the school-house, and rendered them otherwise all 
 the assistance in our power. Two men lost their lives. 
 
 "From the 9th to the 12th men, women and children were 
 busily employed to lead the IJavian's Revier into its old chan- 
 nel. This proved a very difficult undertaking, partly for want 
 of proper tools, and partly because many of the Hottentots 
 were at work with the farmers. The brook was indeed brought to 
 flow withinits former bed, but thebanks were imperfectly secured, 
 and the main work must be left till after the harvest. During 
 the work we were pleased to see such willingness and diligence, 
 as are not always met with among the people, and not at all na- 
 tural to the Hottentot nation ; and when we spoke with them 
 of the damage done to their grounds they replied, that they 
 had more cause to thank the Lord for His mercy, that, notwitli- 
 standing their great demerit, they had been chastised with so 
 much lenity "" 
 
 With a view to strengthen the hands of the missionaries in 
 South Africa, brother Hallbeck and his wife, the Brethren 
 J. F. Hoffman and Gottfried Horning, and sister A. L. 
 Wuensche sailed for the Cape of Good Hope in September 
 1817, and arrived there beforetheend of the year. The brethren 
 Hoffman and Horning, in conjunction with brother and sister 
 Schmitt of Groenekloof, were appointed to begin the new 
 settlement on the Witte Revier ; and brother Hallbeck to 
 be president of the Committee, which had been formed dur- 
 ing brother Latrobe's visit, for the superintendence of the 
 South African mission. 
 
 Towards the end of that year twenty-five years had elapsed 
 since the renewal of the mission among the Hottentots. Dur- 
 ing this period the brethren Rose, Kohrhammer, Kuehnel and 
 Schwinn entered into the joy of their Lord, leaving behind 
 them the testimony of having endured hardness as good sol- 
 diers of Christ ; especially the two latter, who as well as their 
 yet surviving companion, brother Marsveld, will always be 
 respected as fathers of this mission, having laboured in it from 
 its very commencement, and at a time when difficulties and dan- 
 gers were assailing them on every side. During the same pe- 
 riod, upward of fourteen hundred Hottentots, Caffres and 
 other heathen, have been baptized. 
 
 F f 
 
418 MISSION IN SOUTH AFRICA. 
 
 The preceding sketch supplies abundant evidence of the be- 
 nign influence of the gospel on the minds of the Hottentots, 
 in making them children of God by faith in Christ Jesus and 
 in rendering them, in their degree, useful members of society, 
 so as to supersede the necessity of any additional remarks. 
 A very concise description of the two settlements shall, there- 
 fore, close this chapter. 
 
 Groenekloof formerly called De Klene Post, (the little 
 Post) has a fine situation north of Table-bay and below Table 
 mountain, between thirty and forty miles from Cape-town. 
 The tract of land belonging to the mission contains also Lawes- 
 Jcraal and Cruyioagenslcraal, two Hottentot stations. Near 
 the premises of the missionaries are two rows of Hottentot 
 houses, some built with stones and unburnt bricks, with gardens 
 adjoining each. At the end of 1815 the settlement contained 
 three hundred inhabitants. The farm belonging to it cem- 
 prehends a large lot of ground, of which the Hottentots enjoy 
 the benefit, and which, besides arable land and gardens, affords 
 pasture for about four hundred head of cattle. 
 
 Gnadenthal lies in a valley, formerly called Bavian's 
 Kloof, about one hundred and twenty miles from Cape-town, 
 in a direction nearly due east. By repeated grants from gov- 
 ernment the land, now in the possession of the Brethren, con- 
 sists of about four thousand acres. It is surrounded by high 
 mountains, watered by the river Sonderend and several smaller 
 streains. When the missionaries arrived it was a barren, 
 uncultivated tract, but by their industry, and the blessing of 
 God on their labours, they have changed it into a fruitful 
 field, exciting the admiration of all visitors. The large 
 church, with the adjoining school-house and dwelling of the 
 missionaries, and other buildings, stand by themselves, shaded 
 by large trees. Behind the premises lies an extensive garden, 
 \»ell stocked with different kinds of fruit-trees, besides vegeta- 
 bles in luxuriant abundance. From the garden a broad path, 
 inclosed by rows of trees, leads to the burying ground, lying 
 to the west. It is surrounded by a h.edge of roses, a double 
 row of oaks sheltering it tow:>.rds the north. 
 
 Besides laying out fields in different parts of the valley, 
 
MISSION IN SOUTH AFRICA. 419 
 
 formerly considered unfit for culture, they have planted the 
 slopes and glens with poplars, oaks, and various sorts of trees, 
 and inclosed a plot of ground for a vineyard, stocked with two 
 thousand vines. 
 
 As early as 1796 they built a smith's shop for the manufac- 
 tory of knives, different kinds of cutlery, ploughs, &c. In 
 this they employ Hottentots, who are regularly paid for their 
 labour, ^ince then they have likewise erected a carpenter's 
 shop. A water-mill, built in 1797, not only enables them to 
 grind all the corn requisite for their own consumption and that 
 of their Hottentots, but also to serve many of the neighbour- 
 ing colonists. By thus setting their converts an example of 
 industry, the missionaries have gradually weaned them from 
 their naturally indolent disposition, and made them sensible of 
 the comforts of civilized life. The consequence has been, that 
 most of the inhabitants of the settlement have now as comfort- 
 able dwellings, and as good gardens and fields, as many of the 
 peasants. There are but few among the Very poorest, who 
 still dress in sheep skins and live in huts, the far greater part 
 are decently clothed, and their houses built either with unburnt 
 bricks, or wattlings, plastered with clay, with a door and win- 
 dow and a thatched roof. 
 
 In 1816 the settlement contained two hundred and fifty six 
 houses and cottages, some built in rows, others standing irregu- 
 larly here and there through the valley, which is two or three 
 miles in length. Each cottage having a garden the whole 
 glen has the appearance of an extensive orchard ; and in fruit- 
 ful seasons the produce of peaches, pears, and different other 
 fruits, is very considerable. The number of inhabitants, at 
 the close of 1816, amounted to one thousand two hundred and 
 seventy seven. 
 
CHAP. VII. 
 
 MISSION IX ULTSSIAN ASTA. 
 
 In 1764 the Empress of Russia, Catharine the great, issued 
 an edict in favour of the Brethren, and at the same time sig- 
 nified her wish that they would form a settlement on the banks 
 of the Wolga. A general Synod of the Brethren's Church 
 being that year assembled at Marienborn, a resolution was 
 taken to accept this gracious offer of her Imperial Majesty. 
 The Synod was the more readily disposed to engage in this 
 undertaking, as it induced the hope, that an opportunity might 
 thus be afforded for propagating the gospel in the East, especi- 
 ally among those pagan tribes, who inhabit the confines of Russia 
 and Tartary. 
 
 The following year, therefore, five brethren went from Ger- 
 many to St. Petersburg ; and then proceeded to the banks of 
 the Wolga. Having taken possession of a suitable tract of 
 land they began, with the assistance of some Russians, to erect 
 the necessary buildings, to cultivate the land, and work at their 
 trades. To this place they gave the name of Saeepta. It 
 furnishes a strong proof of their courage, and still more of God's 
 protection, that at a time when travellers were frequently robbed 
 in these parts, and when many thousand Calmucs were encamped 
 in their immediate neighbourhood, five defenceless persons, with 
 only a few Cossacks, given them now and then as a guard, re- 
 sided a whole year in this desert, without suffering the slightest 
 injury. 
 
 Sauepta lies near Czarizin, about two thousand miles from 
 Petersburg, on the high road leading, by way of Astrachan, 
 to Persia and the East Indies. The arrival in subsequent years 
 of several companies of brethren and sisters, not only increased 
 the number of inhabitants, but in a short period rendered it a 
 very flourishing place. Its situation on a rivulet, called Sarpa 
 near its confluence with the Wolga, led to the erection of mills ; 
 
MISSION IN RUSSIAN ASIA. 421 
 
 and the fertility of the soil amply rewarded their industry in 
 agriculture, and occasioned the building of a small village, 
 called Schoenbruriy near the settlement, for the accommodation 
 of those families, who were employed in farming and horticulture. 
 The diocovery of a mineral spring, at the distance of about five 
 English miles from the boundaries of Sarepta, proved an ad- 
 ditional source of prosperity. Joachim Wier, M. D. the 
 practising physician in the settlement, having analyzed the 
 water of this spring, and found it beneficial in various diseases, 
 submitted a dissertation on it to the Imperial College of physi- 
 cians, which met with their entire approbation. Sarepta in 
 consequence received a great many visitors who stayed a 
 longer or shorter time, either in the settlement or at the spa, 
 for the use of the water. In some years the number of patients 
 amounted to two or three hundred, among whom were persons 
 of different nations and of high rank, governors of provinces, 
 generals and even princes with their retinues. This concourse 
 of visitors, the subsequent arrival of several German colonists 
 of the Lutheran, Calvinistic, and Roman Catholic communions, 
 who erected villages on the banks of the Wolga, and its situa- 
 tion on the high road, greatly promoted the commercial inter- 
 ests of the place ; so that it is now a very flourishing settlement, 
 enjoying the countenance and protection of the Russian Govern- 
 ment and exciting the admiration of travellers ; the more so, 
 as it lies in tiie midst of a vast and nearly uninhabited territory. 
 
 The establishment of a flourishing colony, however, was not 
 the primary object the Brethren had in view, when building 
 Sarepta. They never considered their intention, in erecting 
 this settlement, would be fully attained, unless it should be the 
 means of facilitating their endeavours to propagate the gospel 
 among the heathen, and serve as a place of rendezvous to those, 
 who might feel disposed to devote themselves to this important 
 service in the East. In order to effect this, they endeavoured 
 to form an acquaintance with the Calmucs in their neighbour- 
 hood, and to cultivate their friendship. 
 
 The Calmucs lead a pastoral life, roving from place to place, 
 in quest of pasturage for their numerous flocks of sheep, cow8> 
 horses and camels ; for they never till the ground nor build 
 any villages, but reside in moveable tents, called Klbitke. 
 
422 MISSION IN RUSSIAN ASIA. 
 
 They are divided into four hordes or clans, viz. the Kohots, 
 Soongars, Derbcts, and Torgots ; and, though they are subject 
 to the crown of Russia, are allowed to regulate their internal 
 government, both civil and ecclesiastical, according to estab- 
 lished usage, and to choose their own sovereign, besides whom 
 they have many hereditary lords, or princes. Their religion 
 is rank polytheism. They venerate one supreme Being ; but, 
 besides him, believe in a great many inferior gods, who, accor- 
 ding to their ideas, govern the world in rotation. They like- 
 wise pay divine honour to many thousand deified heroes, called 
 Burchans^ whose number is yearly augmented by the deaths of 
 holy persons. Those, who are ambitious to obtain this hon- 
 our, must be well versed in their sacred writings, repeat many 
 prayers, avoid the killing of any creature, be charitable to the 
 poor and perform other good works. None but the priests can 
 lay claim to this distinction after death, and on this account 
 they are treated with very great respect. They are of different 
 ranks ; some being called gcllons and others lamas. To the 
 latter they pay almost divine honours. The Dalai Lama, 
 or grand Lama of Tibet, is the higli priest, or the head of their 
 ecclesiastical government. He is said never to die ; and his 
 name is continually invoked by the devotees of this supersti- 
 tion. The common people know of no other means of salvation, 
 than the prayers of their priests, which they purchase with rich 
 offerings. They believe in the transmigration of the soul; 
 whoever, therefore, dies in an unholy state, has to pass through 
 several stages for his purification, before he can indulge the 
 hope of finally becoming a burchan Their temples are nothing 
 else than moveable tents, hung with very costly silk tapesti-y, 
 superbly decorated with gold, silver and precious stones, and 
 ornamented with the most grotesque representations of their 
 iilols. In many of their religious opinions and rites they bear 
 a strong resemblance to the Roman Catholics. For instance, 
 in the use of the rosary in prayer, the celibacy of the clergy, 
 liic t)bservance of fasts, the mcritoriousncss of good works, the 
 masses for the dead, &c. Their sacred books contain many 
 50u?i(l principles and moral instructions ; but they are mixed 
 witli tho most ridiculous stories. Many passages appear to 
 ii.nse l)(^n borrowed from the Christian doctrines, but, to suit 
 
MISSION IN RUSSIAN ASIA. 423 
 
 tlieir own superstitious notions, they are greatly distorted. Our 
 brethren frequently detected them in endeavours so to in- 
 terpret the history, doctrine, and miracles of Christ, as to make 
 them coincide with their own legends and absurd mythology. 
 
 On either side of the Wolga are extensive uninhabited plains, 
 called Steppes, overgrown with very long grass. In these 
 Steppes numerous hordes of Calmucs annually pitch their tents, 
 for a longer or shorter period ; and as many of them often fixed 
 themselves near Sarepta the inhabitants soon formed an ac- 
 quaintance with them. They expressed much pleasure at the 
 building of the settlement, frequently attended divine service 
 with marks of respect and devotion, and behaved with great 
 civility. At first they occasioned some trouble, by pitching 
 their tents on the land, belonging to Sarepta ; but their prin- 
 ces, or chans, interfered, ordered justice to be done to the 
 Brethren, whenever they had sustained any damage, and issued 
 a public mandate for regulating the conduct of their subjects, 
 with respect to the land appertaining to the settlement. 
 
 The physician in Sarepta soon got many patients. Among 
 these was a prince of the Derbet horde, who, during the win- 
 ter of 1767, encamped with his whole retinue on the Brethren's 
 land. On his removal, in the following spring, he invited two 
 brethren, who had frequently visited him, to accompany the 
 horde, promising them his friendship and protection, and every 
 assistance in his power for learning the language. 1 hey readily 
 accepted this proposal, and cheerfully submitted to all the in- 
 conveniences of this novel mode of life, living in tents and 
 moving with the horde from place to place. Every one treated 
 them with kindness, not excepting the priests, who permitted 
 them to be present at their religious exercises, and raised no 
 objections against their preaching the gospel to the Calmucs. 
 However, as no benefit appeared to result from this scheme, 
 the Brethren relinquished their wanderings with the horde, and 
 confined their endeavours for their instruction in Christianity 
 to frequent visits among those, who resided in tiie neighbour- 
 hood, and to friendly conversations with them on religious 
 subjects when they came into the settlement, whii.h was the 
 case almost daily. But, though the Calmucs listened with ap- 
 
424 MISSION IN RUSSIAN ASIA. 
 
 parent pleasure to their discourse, the impression made upon 
 their minds was fleeting and evanescent. 
 
 While the inhabitants of Sarepta were still concerting 
 measures, and using every exertion, which their limited means 
 allowed, for the instruction of the Calmucs and other pagan 
 nations in that part of Asia, an event occurred, which threat- 
 ened the entire destruction of the settlement. A very power- 
 ful party of insurgents, headed by the celebrated Pugatschef, 
 which had for some time spread terror and devastation over 
 several provinces of the Russian empire, in the summer of 
 1774 over-ran the government of Astrachan, and took the 
 town of Saratof. A small party of Russian soldiers, sent to 
 oppose the rebels, was completely routed at Praleika, not more 
 than sixty miles from Sarepta. Some fugitives brought the 
 first intelligence of this to the settlement on the 28th August. 
 The commandant of Czarizin at the same time informed our 
 Brethren, that it was out of his power to protect Sarepta, 
 and advised immediate flight, as the only mode of safety left 
 to the inhabitants. In consequence of this communication all 
 the sisters and children, and many of the brethren fled that 
 night, in two parties, the one sailing down the river Wolga and 
 the other travelling by land. Both companies, after enduring 
 many hardships and dangers, reached Astrachan in safety on 
 the 7th of September. Sixty five brethren still remained in 
 the settlement, in order to secure their most valuable property, 
 and to see what turn aflTairs would take. In the evening of 
 September 1st, they received the dreadful intelligence of the 
 approach of the rebels. As soon, therefore, as the sun was 
 set, they likewise betook themselves to flight, and on the 9th 
 arrived at lanaitefka. There they received the joyful tidings 
 of the discomfiture of the insurgents by colonel Michelson, a 
 few miles behind Sarepta. In a few days all the fugitives 
 returned, filled with gratitude to God, that not an individual 
 had lost his life, or fallen into the hands of the enemy. 
 Through the active benevolence of the Brethren's congrega- 
 tions in Europe, the damage done in the settlement, and the 
 losses sustained by the inhabitants, were gradully repaired ; 
 
MISSION IN KUSSIAN ASJA. 425 
 
 and, by the divine blessing, on tkeir own industry, Sauepta 
 soon resumed its former flourishing appearance. 
 
 Amidst their external prosperity the inhabitants did not lose 
 sight of what they had always considered the primary object 
 of their establishment in this country, and to the furtherance 
 of which they had repeatedly and solemnly pledged themselves : 
 the propagation of the gospel among their heathen neighbours. 
 The distresses and trials to which they had been exposed, during 
 the rebellion, and the divine protection and help they had ex- 
 perienced, rather tended to unite them more closely in brother- 
 ly love, and qualify them for renewed and zealous co-operation 
 in the cause of God. For several years, however, their la- 
 bours still continued unproductive. They embraced every 
 opportunity for renewing their acquaintance with the Calmucs 
 and other pagans ; but as yet the gospel found no entrance 
 among them. It however served to revive their hope, when 
 a blind Calmuc girl, who was given to the Brethren and edu- 
 cated at Sare'pta, gave pleasing evidence of true conversion, 
 and received holy baptism on January 6th, 1781. A few 
 years after she died in confident reliance on the atonement 
 of Christ. 
 
 Their ever wakeful zeal to extend by every means in their 
 power the kingdom of Christ, joined by repeated invitatio?:s to 
 form settlements in Georgia and Gruisinia, induced the bre- 
 thren Godfry Grabsch and George Gruhl to undertake a jour- 
 ney to mount Caucasus. Prior to this the former of them had 
 resided some months in Astrachan, for the purpose of acquirino- 
 a competent knowledge of the Tartar language. To this city 
 he and his companion repaired in November 1781. On their 
 arrival they waited on the Governor, who readily furnished 
 them with the requisite passports for their journey. Early in 
 December they went to Kislar, where they were detained till 
 the 28th Febrtiarj 1782, waiting for a convenient opportunity 
 to proceed. Passing through several Tartar villages, they 
 reached Beregu on the 7th of March. The inhabitants being 
 strict Mahomedans, the travellers found great difficultv in 
 procuring a lodging, till at length a man, out of courtesy to 
 their guide, opened his house to them for the night. Thev 
 
426 MISSION IN RUSSIAN ASIA. 
 
 soon announced thc-ir arrival to Uzmei-Chan, the sovereign of 
 that country, who happened to be in Beregu, and to whom 
 they had letters of recommendation. At first they met with 
 considerable opposition. Uzmei-C'han seemed unwilling to be- 
 lieve the account brother Grabsch gave of himself and his 
 friend, and of the object of their journey ; but being at length 
 satisfiedof itstruth, he took them with himinhisretinue, consist- 
 ing of several Tartar princes, to his residence at Bashlu ; and on 
 the next day, being the 12th of March, sent them forward to 
 Kubasha, providing them with a guide, to conduct them to his 
 friend Mahmud. This man received them with great kind- 
 ness, and allotted them an apartment in the fifth story of his 
 house. 
 
 One principal object of this joux-ney being to ascertain, as 
 far as possible, whether the report, that the inhabitants of 
 Kubasha were descendants of the ancient Bohemian Bre- 
 thren, was supported by any credible historical evidence, brother 
 Grabsch lost no time in making the necessary inquiry. For 
 this purpose he first examined all the public edifices. He dis- 
 covered the ruins of three churches ; and over the door of one 
 of them discerned an inscription, but it was so effaced that 
 nothing remained legible except the number 1215. At no 
 grcr.t distance from these ruins stood a large stately church, built 
 of hewn stone, and decorated with a profusion of architectural 
 ornaments ; but which had been converted into dwellings, five 
 stories high. Brother Grabsch was conducted to the top of 
 this building, and several inscriptions were pointed out to him, 
 but they were graphed in characters, which bore no resemblance 
 to those of any language, with which he was acquainted. His 
 next step was to visit every house, being about five hundred in 
 number, and to inquire into the origin, religion, language and 
 books of the inhabitants. This investigation led to the follow- 
 ing results : " they now have no books written in the characters 
 formerly in use among them ; they use the Arabic, in writing 
 not only their own language, but also the Turkish and Tar- 
 tar." In a conference with ten men, convened for that pur- 
 pose, he received from Mahmud, who was the principal 
 speaker, this additional information : " That their ancestors 
 
MISSION IN RUSSIAN ASIA 427 
 
 had been Christians, but upwards of three hundred years ago 
 had adopted the religion of Mahomed, and now they thanked 
 God that he had directed them into the right \pay to heaven ; 
 that they did not wish to hear any thing about the Christian 
 faith, that they could never acknowledge him as a brother, 
 till he turned Mahomedan, and that they hoped his view in 
 coming to Kubasha, was not to reform them." Brother Grabsch 
 having, in reply, stated his sentiments, they seemed rather 
 affected, expressed their friendship for him, and IMahmud de- 
 clared, that whenever he came to Kubasha, he would always 
 treat him as his brother. " AVhat !" said Grabsch, " though 
 I do not '.urn JMussulman." " O, all that goes for nothing !" 
 replied Mahmud. 
 
 March 17th brother Grabsch and his companion were safely 
 conducted back to Bashlu by jMahmud's servant, and the same 
 day proceeded to Derbent, where they were hospitably enter- 
 tained by an Armenian, to whom they had letters of recom- 
 mendation from a friend in Kislar. Having received a pass- 
 port from the governor, in the absence of the Chan, they set 
 out on the 19th for Tiflis. Ikit Hashi Bek, a man superior to 
 the Chan in riches and influence, ordered them to be arrested 
 and kept prisoners, till a quantity of silk, confiscated in the 
 Russian territory, was restored. They were, however, per- 
 mitted to walk about the town without molestation ; and through 
 the interposition of their friend in Kislar they, at length, on 
 the 18th of April, obtained their libery : three days after they 
 left Derbent, travelling with a caravan. As both the drivers 
 and the inhabitants of the country, through which they passed, 
 were Mahomedans, they found it extremely difficult to pro- 
 cure even a cup of cold water. Having crossed the river 
 Samur, they continued their route in a south-easterly direction, 
 between the Caspian-Sea and a ridge of lofty mountains. Ap- 
 prehensions of an attack from the Lesgians, who were return- 
 ing from a warlike expedition and committing depredations 
 wherever they came, obliged them to take a very circuitous 
 road. In the town of Samachia, called Shirvan by the Per- 
 sians, they received information, that, in the neighbouring 
 village of Wartaschin, there was a congregation of Christians, 
 
428 MISSION IN RUSSIAN ASIA. 
 
 the supposed descendants of a foreign people ; and it was re- 
 ported, that they came originally from Grusinia, and belonged 
 partly to the Grusinian, and partly to the Armenian Church ; 
 and notwithstanding the compulsory means used by the Chan, 
 to induce them to become Mahomedans, had persisted in their 
 attachment to the Christian religion. Our brethren exceed- 
 ingly regretted, that they could not make it practicable to visit 
 these people. During their stay in Shirvan, brother Grabsch 
 found frequent opportunities for preaching Jesus, both to Ar- 
 menians and Persians, who heard him with pleasure and atten- 
 tion. After a tedious and troublesome journey, they at length 
 reached Tiflis on the 26th of June. 
 
 The day after their arrival brother Grabsch waited on the 
 Czar (emperor) Heraclius, to whom he had a recommendatory 
 letter from the commandant of Kislar. The Czar being absent, 
 the brethren were, by order of prince George, provided with 
 a good lodging, and entertained at the Czar's expense. Agree- 
 ably to his orders, they went, in a few days, to a park, about 
 seven miles from the town, where he and his retinue were en- 
 camped. A separate tent was set up for brother Grabsch, who 
 was soon after admitted to an audience, during whicli he was 
 seated on a chair close by the Czar, and served with tea and 
 coffee, and during his whole stay in the camp was treated with 
 great kindness. The politeness of the C'zar went even so far, 
 that, on receiving three boxes of the choicest apricots from 
 prince Chey Kusrue, he immediately sent one of the boxes to 
 brother Grabsch. 
 
 July 6th the Czar went to Tiflis to use the warm baths, and 
 requested brother Grabsch to attend him. About midnight he 
 sent for him, conversed with him on the object of his journey, 
 and the doctrine and constitution of the Brethren's Church, 
 the commandant and prince Paul Andronickof being present. 
 These two noblemen represented the advantage the Brethren 
 would reap by forming a settlement in the Czar's territory, in- 
 timating to Grabsch, that it was expected he would apply, in 
 the name of his brethren, for leave to settle in the country. 
 Brother Grabsch replied, that he was not authorized to make 
 , any such rcciucst, but would convey any message, with which 
 
MISSION IN RUSSIAN ASIA. 429 
 
 the Czav might be pleased to honour him, to tlie bishops and 
 elders of the Brethren's Church. Upon this the Czar rose 
 from his seat, and, stepping up totlie missionary, thus addressed 
 him ; " Fedor Twanisch (thus he was called by the Russians) 
 I am informed that the Brethren are an upright and intelligent 
 people.; and if I could get five, ten, an hundred, or a thousand 
 of them, to settle in my country, 1 should give praise to God. 
 That would indeed be a crown upon my head even in hoavy 
 age." He further declared, that he would himself write to the 
 directors, grant the Brethren every privilege they could desire, 
 and, if they found their residence in the country unpleasant, 
 send them back at his own expense. In a second audience, he 
 offered to send brother Grabsch and his companion home, by 
 way of Constantinople, under a proper escort ; that an answer 
 might be the sooner obtained. They were, however, obliged to 
 decline this offer. Before they left Tiflis, he gave them a let- 
 er, written with his own hand in the Turkish language, to the 
 bishops and elders of the Brethren''s Church, and though they 
 were under the necessity of declining his gracious offer, his 
 esteem for them was not thereby lessened.* 
 
 The Czar was then sixty-four years old, and wore a long 
 black beard : he had a venerable and mild countenance, and 
 was noted, as much for his humanity, as for his military prow- 
 ess. His manner of life was very regular, spending most of his 
 time, either in transacting the business of the state, or in reli- 
 gious exercises ; devoting but a few hours to sleep. He had six 
 sons and seven daughters. 
 
 Tiflis lies in a valley, wholly encircled by mountains, and is 
 watered by the river Kur, which flows through it. When the 
 missionaries visited it, it contained about twelve thousand fa- 
 milies, the major part of whom were Armenians, and only about 
 one hundred families, Mahomedans. It contained seven Ar- 
 
 * Gawrila Paulowitsch, major of artillery in the Czar's service, being 
 several y.ears after ou a visit in Sarepta, mentioned that the prince had 
 frequently expressed his regret, that he had not paid more respect and atten- 
 tion to the brethren Grabsch and Gruhl, adding, " that he would deem it an 
 honour to be one of the least in their fraternity " 
 
430 MISSION IN RUSSIAN ASIA. 
 
 menian and five Grusinian churches, besides three mosques. 
 The Grusinians, who are the proper inhabitants of the country, 
 and of the Greek Church, respected the Lutherans, but the 
 Roman Catholics had rendered thomselvos odious by their zeal 
 in making proselytes. After spending a month at Tiflis, the 
 travellers found themselves compelled to relinquish their design 
 of visiting the Tschegcinzes, inhabiting the banks of the Tsche- 
 gem, and supposed to be descended from the ancient Bohemian 
 Brethren. From information received in Tiflis, however, it 
 was pretty evident that this conjecture was unfounded. Hav- 
 ing thus, as far as circumstances allowed, executed their com- 
 mission, they left Tiflis, on the ^nd of August, being provi- 
 ded by the Czar with an escort, and every thing necessary for 
 their safety. Travelling by way of Mosdock, Achmet, Kislar 
 and Astrachan, they arrived at Svrepta on the iGth of Sep- 
 tember, after an absence of ten months. 
 
 Two or three years prior to this journey four brethren in Sa- 
 REPTA renewed the attempts made by others, who had since 
 fallen asleep in Jesus, to convey the glad tidings of salvation 
 to the Calmucs. As the first and most indispensable step for 
 effecting this purpose, thoy devoted some hours every day to 
 learn the language, and were joined in this by the Rev. C. 
 Fred. Gregor, then minister of that congregation. The diffi- 
 culties, they had to encounter, were neither few nor trifling. 
 The only helps they could procure consisted in a very imper- 
 fect vocabulary, compiled by their predecessors ; for the priests 
 showed great unwillingness to give any of their sacred books 
 into the hands of persons, who did not esteem tli^m of divine 
 authority. Finding that they could make very little progress 
 without a master, they engaged a GadsuU (a priest of inferior 
 rank,) to be their instructor, who attended them some hours 
 every day. 
 
 To proceed a step further in their endeavours for introdu- 
 cing the gospel among the Calmucs, brother Neiz, who was the 
 greatest proficient in the language, and likewise possessed some 
 knowledge of medicine, offered to practise in this line among 
 the Calmucs, under the direction of brother Wier, the physi- 
 cian of Sarepta, conceiving that this would be the likeliest 
 
MISSION IN RUSSIAN ASIA. 431 
 
 way of cultivating an acquaintance with them. In order to 
 carry this design into effect, a house was taken in the settle- 
 ment, and provided with every requisite accommodation, to 
 which the Calmucs might resort for medical advice and assis- 
 tance. He soon obtained an extensive practice, wliich he faith- 
 fully improved, whenever a suitable opportunity offered, for di- 
 recting their attention to the truths of the gospel ; but appa- 
 rently without any permanent benefit: for though they would 
 sometimes remark, that the doctrines of the Bible were impor- 
 tant sayings, they resisted the conviction by referring to their 
 own fabulous mythology, which they pretended, not only bore 
 a strong resemblance to the Christian system, but was superior 
 to it. 
 
 Having hitherto found no entrance amonsr the adult Cal- 
 mucs, the Brethren directed their attention to the children. 
 In 1801 a Calm.uc prince sent his son, called Makush, to Sa- 
 REPTA, for the purpose of learning the German language ; and 
 the following year several other children came to the settle- 
 ment for the same purpose. With these brother Valen Wend- 
 ling commenced a school ; and though he found it extremely 
 difficult to fix their attention to any subject, yet a good im- 
 pression appeared to be now and then made on their minds, 
 while he interrogated them on the scripture lessons they were 
 reading. Makush, in particular, gave occasional proofs of se- 
 rious reflection, if not of an incipient work of the Spirit of God in 
 his soul. Having learned a verse, treating of the necessity of 
 faith, he remarked " that he had prayed to our Saviour, that 
 He would give him faith, and the blessings connected with it ; 
 upon which one petition after another had occurred to his mind, 
 so that he found it difficult to give over praying." Another 
 time, after reading the history of our Saviour's temptations, he 
 related, that feeling disposed to absent himself from divine ser- 
 vice, he had recollected that this was a temptation of the devil, 
 and prayed our Saviour to deliver him from it. " Now," ad- 
 ded he, " I am glad I went to the preaching, and as the sub- 
 ject of temptations was introduced into the sermon, my pleasure 
 was the greater, thr.t I had not followed my own evil inclina- 
 tion."" Being once asked, whether he thought it was right to 
 
432 MISSION IN Rl^SSIAN ASIA. 
 
 pray for our fellow-men, he replied : " I have often prayed, 
 that our Saviour would lead my mother and relations hither, 
 that they might have an opportunity of heaving how they may 
 1)6 saved ; or that he would send a messenger to them with this 
 good news." 
 
 In 1808 the Brethren ransomed four girls of the Kirgese 
 nation, between eleven and twelve years of age, and brought 
 them to Sauepta. After a residence there of sixteen months, 
 during which time they gave encouraging evidences of a work 
 of the Spirit of God in their souls, they were at Easter 1810 
 admitted to holy baptism. 
 
 Two years before the baptism of these girls the brethren 
 were encouraged to take another, and most important step to- 
 wards the attainment of their ultimate object in settling in this 
 country. The Rev. Dr. SteinkopfF had addressed several que- 
 ries to the minister of Sarepta, relative to the Calmucs, and 
 the practicability of translating the Bible into their language, 
 and circulating it among them ; at the same time offering to 
 the Brethren, if they would undertake the work, the most libe- 
 ral aid from the British and Foreign Bible Society. The que- 
 ries having been answered to the satisfaction of this excellent 
 institution, the Committee placed a sum of money at the dis- 
 posal of the Brethren at Sarepta, for the purchase of a set of 
 types of the Calmuc language, (the characters of which amount 
 to one hundred and fifty-two,^ and accompanied this grant with 
 the promise of further aid, if the translators proceeded in their 
 labours. Animated by the cheering prospect, thus opened to 
 them, for extending the knowledge of the Word of God among 
 their numerous heathen neighbourSj the Brethren entered with 
 zeal on the important work of translating the New Testament. 
 Previous correspondence with the British and Foreign Bible 
 Society, the casting of the types, and various other circumstan- 
 ces, for a time retarded the work, so that the manuscript of 
 the gospel of St. Matthew could not be forwarded for printing 
 to Moscow till in the year 1812.* 
 
 • The Brethren had previously translatetl detached parts both of the old 
 and new Testaments ; but as they had no version of an entire gospel, the 
 work had in fact to be commenced afresh. 
 
MISSION IN IIDSSIAN ASIA. 433 
 
 A translation of the Scriptures into the Calmuc language 
 may justly be regarded as an object of great importance. 
 According to the most authentic information the Calmucs in 
 tlie Steppe amount to upwards of sixty thousand souls. Beyond 
 the limits of the Steppe, on the banks of the Wolga, there 
 are about ten thousand of this tribe, who have nominally cm- 
 braced Christianity, and belong to the Greek Church. Besides 
 these, sixty-five thousand families, speaking the Calmuc lan- 
 guage, migrated from Russia in 1791, and now live under the 
 protection of China. The Calmucs are represented as consti- 
 tuting only one of the three tribes, into which the nation of the 
 Monogls is divided, who all employ nearly the same written 
 language, and use the same alphabets. Hence it appears that, 
 next to the Turkish, the Calmuc is the language most exten- 
 sively spoken in AVestern and Eastern Tartary. And what 
 promised greatly to promote the object of the Bible Society, 
 and of our Brethren in translating and circulating the sacred 
 volume, is, that all the clergy and the higher orders of the 
 Calmucs can read and write.* 
 
 The desire of the Brethren at Sabepta, to extend the know- 
 ledge of the Word of God, having received a fresh impulse by 
 their engagements in translating the Bible ; they once more 
 directed their attention to the heathen in their neighbourhood ; 
 and being most generously assisted by a grant of =C300 from 
 the London Missionary Society ,t recommenced a regular 
 mission among the Calmucs, directing their endeavours, in 
 the first instance, to the Torgots horde, living at a greater dis- 
 tance from Sarepta than the Derbets. 
 
 Every preparatory arrangement having been completed, and 
 the two brethren J. Gottfried Schill and Christ. Huebner 
 appointed for this service, they left Sarepta on the 20th of 
 May 1815. Their journey was long and attended with great 
 difficulties, some of which they could not have surmounted, if 
 they had not been countenanced by the Russian government and 
 
 • Reports of the British and Fort-ign Bible Society in 1808 and 1813, and 
 Owen's History of the British and Foreign Bible Society, Vol. i. 291—298 
 t Twenty-second Report of the London Missionary Society. 
 
 G g 
 
434 MISSION IN RUSSIAN ASIA. 
 
 recommended by prince Galitzin. After passing througli seve- 
 ral Cossack villages, tliey arrived on the 29th at the residence 
 of the Calmuc prince, thirty- five versts from Astrachan. They 
 were introduced to him in his Kibitke, or tent, where he was 
 sitting on a rough skin on the ground, barefooted, clad in 
 black horse-fur, and a black silk cap on his head. He ordered 
 chairs for them, but they declined the honour of sitting in his 
 presence. Several dishes of food were set before them, served 
 upon white plates, with silver knives, forks and spoons, much in 
 the European manner. On Sunday they breakfasted with him 
 and had much conversation. On another occasion they had an 
 opportunity of witnessing the religious worship of the Calmucs ,• 
 twenty gellongs, or priests, were seated in two rows, each hav- 
 ing a small bell in his hand ; they observed a variety of cere- 
 monies during their prayers ; and their dresses were made of 
 rich silks and coloured stuffs. Afterwards the missionaries 
 paid a visit to the Lama in his Kibitke, who received them in 
 a friendly manner, but spoke little. They were then intro- 
 duced to another prince, who had lost the greater part of his 
 subjects. He and others made many inquiries concerning the 
 Christian religion, expressing their surprise at its being so 
 widely spread. With the assistance of this prince, who had 
 engaged to instruct them, they diligently applied themselves to 
 the learning of the language, but found the acquisition of it a 
 very difficult task. 
 
 Towards the latter end of July the horde broke up, and 
 removed to another place, Avhere there was plenty of grass ; 
 but which in other respects proved exceedingly uncomfortable, 
 being very damp and unhealthy. " Here,'' say the mission- 
 aries " we set up our Kibitke, which was speedily filled with 
 toads, frogs, and other vermin, but we soon became accustomed 
 to them. Provisions are very scarce and dear ; milk and but- 
 ter can scarcely be procured for money ; our coffee is exhausted, 
 and the water is hardly drinkable.""* 
 
 A few extracts from their journals of 1816 shall conclude 
 this chapter. The 22nd of October they write : " On this 
 
 ♦ Per. Acct. V'ol. vi. p. '255. 
 
MISSION IN RUSSIAN ASIA. 435 
 
 and the following day the demand for the gospel of St. Matthew 
 was so great, that we distributed thirty copies. What sur- 
 prised us most was, that many, to whom we had formerly 
 offered them in vain, now eagerly begged for them. This, as 
 might be expected, excited the jealousy of the gellongs, and 
 especially of an aged priest, who lives in the neighbourhood of 
 Astrachan, and who is reputed very learned He represented 
 to the other gellongs, or priests, that their craft would be en- 
 dangered, if this book were generally read by the common peo- 
 ple. The dread of incurring the displeasure of the gellongs in- 
 duced many to return their copies ; but the alarm soon subsided, 
 and in a few days numbers came, requesting to have the books 
 back again. This, more than any thing, convinced us that 
 they set some value upon the gospel, and gave us reason to 
 hope, that it would not be read in vain by them. A young 
 man, who had received a coi)y, said, ' the gift of God is freely 
 bestowed in this, for all may learn the way of Salvation.' He 
 then began to relate to all, who were present, the contents of 
 the gospel. We were astonished to find a Calmuc so well 
 acquainted with the Word of God. The testimony he bore 
 to the truth, in the presence of others, induced us to hope that 
 the Lord would, ere long, open the hearts of this nation. It 
 gives us pleasure to perceive, that they begin to be uneasy 
 about themselves, and to inquire what they must do to be 
 saved."* 
 
 The Rev. Dr. Paterson, who transmitted the journal, from 
 which the preceding quotation is taken, adds in a letter of 
 October 22nd 1817 : " we have intelligence from our brethren 
 of a much later date, from which it appears, that, notwithstand- 
 ing the opposition of the gellongs, the demand for the gospel 
 has been so great that not a copy of those we sent remains 
 undisposed of and we are now printing a new and much larger 
 edition. The news from other hordes is equally interesting, 
 and the demand for the gospel very urgent. The tract, drawn 
 up by Mr. Schmidt, has been well received and read with 
 avidity. We have heard of several instances of individuals, 
 
 Dub, Christ Inst. 1818. p. 41. 
 
436 MISSION IN RUSSIAN ASIA. 
 
 who have repeated it from beginning to end by heart. A letter 
 lately received informs us, that one of the leading men in a 
 horde, near Sarepta, died j)rofessing his faith in Christ alone 
 for salvation. Brother Loos, who was present at the time of 
 his death, had his body decently interred, instead of leaving it 
 to be devoured by the wild beasts, as is usual among them. 
 Surely all these things are encouraging."* 
 
 • Dub. Christ. Inst. 1818. p. 41. 
 
CHAP. VIII. 
 
 UNSUCCESSFUL MISSIONS. 
 
 Having completed the narrative of the missionary labours 
 of the United Brethren in those countries, where they are still 
 continued ; the author had intended here to conclude hia work. 
 ])ut on the suggestion of some of his friends he has been 
 induced to add the following concise account of several attempts, 
 which they have made for propagating the gospel among other 
 heathen nations, but which from various causes, have finally 
 proved unsuccessful. 
 
 1. Lapland. Three brethren, who had oifered to begin a 
 mission among the Laplanders, left Herrnhut in 1734, and, 
 after a residence of some months in Stockholm, arrived the fol- 
 lowing year at Tornea, from thence travelling through the whole 
 of Swedish Lapland. But, finding that measures had already 
 been adopted for the instruction of the native^, they repaired 
 to that part of the country which was subject to Russia. In 
 Archangel they formed an acquaintance with some Samojedes, 
 with whom they proposed to travel into their country. On apply- 
 ing for a passport they were suspected of being Swedish spies, and 
 thrown into prison, where they were confined for five weeks in 
 separate apartments. Hereupon they were sent to Petersburg es- 
 corted by three soldiers. On their way, in crossing a lake, the 
 ice broke, by which accident two of the brethren and two of the 
 soldiers fell into the water ; but the third brother succeeded in. 
 rescuing them from a watery grave. This his kindness won upon 
 the soldiers, who acknowledged his humanity in not leaving them 
 to be drowned, and thus recovering their own liberty by flight. 
 The guard, who at first had treated them very roughly, now 
 behaved with more kindness. After suffering a second con- 
 finement for five weeks, they were furnished with a passport to 
 Lubec, and permitted to return to their own country. 
 
 A second attempt to propagate the gospel ia this country, 
 
438 UNSUCCESSFUL MISSIONS. 
 
 made in 1741 by the brethren Behr and Ostergrccn, proved 
 equally unsuccessful. From Tornea they crossed the mountains 
 to Finmark, conducted by a Laplander, who drove a herd of 
 five hundred rein-deer. He brought them to a bay on the Icy 
 Sea, where they were hospitably entertained by a pious old 
 man. After waiting twelve weeks at his house they procured 
 a boat, in which they sailed two hundred and thirty miles to 
 Norwegian Lapland. The voyage was extremely perilous. 
 Whenever the wind was high, they were forced to seek shelter 
 among the rocky islands along the coast ; and in the open sea 
 they were in danger of having their boat upset by whales- 
 About midsummer 1742, however, they reached an island, 
 lying in the 71st degree of North latitude, belonging to Nor- 
 wegian Lapland. Here they lodged with the Justice of the 
 peace who was a pious man. The minister also showed them 
 much kindness, and offered brother Ostergreen the place of 
 schoolmaster ; but his wife opposed it. As in the Norwegian 
 part of Lapland divine worship is performed every Sunday, 
 and regular schools are established, they considered their service 
 not needed in this country, and therefore left it, after a resi- 
 dence of two years. 
 
 2 Guinea. Christian Protten, a converted mulatto from 
 Guinea, who had studied theology in Copenhagen and become 
 acquainted with count Zinzendorf, offered to go on a mission to 
 his native country. Being joined by brother Henry Hukuff, 
 they arrived on the coast in 1737. The latter soon after de- 
 parted this life. The former remained there some time, and, 
 having twice visited Europe, closed his life in 1769. It does 
 not appear, that his endeavours were attended with any success. 
 
 Two years prior to his death application was made to the 
 Brethren by the Guinea Company in Copenhagen, to form a 
 settlement near one of their factories. Having obtained the 
 royal confirmation brother Jacob Mcder, who was appointed 
 mmistcr, and four other brethren arrived at the coast of Guinea 
 in July 176S. But Medcr and two of his assistants died be- 
 fore they could begin to form a settlement. As soon as intel- 
 ligence of this was received in Europe, several brethren offered 
 thcmscIvcG to go thither. Four of them arrived in 1770, but 
 
UNSUCCESSFUL MISSIONS. 439 
 
 finished their race before the end of the year. And as the two 
 survivors of the former company also departed this life, the 
 mission to Guinea was abandoned. 
 
 3. South Cauolina. At the request of some of the 
 Trustees of Georgia the Brethren Schulius and Boehler went 
 in 1739 to South Carolina, for the purpose of preaching the 
 gospel to the Negros. Schulius departed this life the follow- 
 ing year ; and as other difficulties and impediments were thrown 
 in the way, brother Boehler retired into Pennsylvania, and the 
 undertaking was relinquished. 
 
 4, Ceylon. In 1740 attempts were made by the brethren, 
 D. Nitschmann junior and Fr. Eller, to instruct the Cingalese 
 in Christianity. They arrived at Columbo the 2nd of January 
 in the above mentioned year. Being entire strangers in the 
 town and having no recommendatory letters, they put up at an 
 Inn. Here they met the Rev. Mr. Ahlers, chaplain on board 
 the ship, in which they had come over. From him they learnt 
 that the clergy of this island were very much prejudiced 
 against the Brethren, one of whom, in his sermon on the pre- 
 ceding day, had warned his congregation against them, and 
 even mentioned the two missionaries by name.* The day 
 after they waited on the governor, Mr. Von Imhoff, who re- 
 ceived them with kindness, but expressed his fears that their 
 design would prove abortive, and advised them to call on the 
 clergymen in the town, to whom the clergy at the Cape of 
 Good Hope had sent a letter recommending the mission. They 
 took his advice and went to two of the clergymen ; but soon 
 found, that they had no favours to expect from them. Their 
 interview with the B.ev. Mr. Wetzelius, the senior clergyman 
 
 * This hostility was owing to some publications, which had arrived from 
 Holland. The principal of these was the Paternal Pastoral Letter, 
 which had been issued by the Ecclesiastical Council at Amsterdam. It was 
 filled with invectives against the Brethren, and misrepresentations of their 
 doctrine. Four members of the Council protested against it, and the Bre- 
 thren published an apology, refuting the accusation brought against them. 
 But the circulation of this injurious pamphlet could no be prevented. See 
 the Author's History of the Church of the Brethren, Vol. I. p. 341. 
 
440 UNSUCCESSFUL MISSIONS. 
 
 in the town, was more encouraging Pie received them with 
 civility, and entered into conversation with them on their de- 
 sign in coming to the island, and the doctrine and constitution 
 of the Brethren's Church. Slaving answered his inquiries, 
 they handed to him a copy of the Apology, published by the 
 Brethren. Upon this he expressed his displeasure, that only 
 those books, which were published ayainst the Brethren, had 
 been sent to the clergy here, and nothing on the other side of 
 the question. This he considered as gross partiality. 
 
 A man of the name of Portous, a native of Holland, whose 
 parents had left France for religion's sake, befriended and 
 lodged them at his house. They likewise became acquainted 
 with some other well disposed persons, who reprobated the con- 
 duct of the clergy. 
 
 Sometime after the governor informed the missionaries, that 
 he had consulted IMr. Wetzelius, and that they had agreed to 
 appoint them a station among the Cingalese in a part of the 
 country, where as yet the Dutch had established no mission. 
 This offer was thankfully accepted by them. The favourable 
 disposition of the two principal persons in the island had "great 
 influence on the other European residents who, notwithstand- 
 ing the many calumnies propagated against the Brethren, 
 treated the missionaries with civility. Their kind host, Por- 
 tous, feeling the power of the gospel in his own soul, gave 
 them daily proofs of sincere respect and affection. The new 
 governor likewise, on the recomniendation of his predecessor, 
 evinced his good-will towards them, and remarked, "that it 
 was quite consistent with the character of children of God, 
 that they were spoken against by the world." 
 
 Before Mr. Von ImhofT's departure for Batavia he advised 
 the missionaries to move into the interior, and fix their dwel- 
 ling among the Cingalese, where, by cultivating a piece of land, 
 they might maintain themselves. He added, that he had given 
 directions to the captain of the district, to render them the need- 
 ful assistance. 'J'hey left Columbo on the 2nd of April, accom- 
 panied by several friends, and the following day arrived at 
 their future residence, called Mugunt^ampdk, i. e. the nha- 
 dorct/ gjovc for pilgrims io rest in The I.anddrost ha J ap- 
 
UNSUCCESSFUL MISSIONS. 
 
 441 
 
 pointed a Cingalese soldier to be their inter})reter. Soon after 
 their arrival the captain of the district came to bid them' wel- 
 come, and said " he accounted it an honour that missionaries 
 would come and live among his people ; that Mr. Von ImhofF 
 had recommended them in strong terms, and desired that they 
 might be assisted in learning the Cingalese language ; all which 
 should be done as directed." 
 
 Durina: the first month of their abode in this place, scarce 
 one Cingalese entered their dwelling. The kindness of the 
 missionaries by degrees gained their confidence, ^^so that they 
 were daily visited by many of the natives. From them -they 
 learned that the reason of their former reserve was, " that 
 some Christians at Columbo had warned them against having 
 any intercourse with the lirethren, as persons who did not be- 
 lieve in God ; but now they were convinced of the contrary." 
 
 About this time brother Eller, one of the missionaries, paid 
 a visit at Columbo. On his way thither he called at the house 
 of one of their friends, Nortje, whose wife had been one.of 
 their bitterest enemies, but now gave him a very cordial wel- 
 com.e, and with tears entreated his forgiveness. At the house 
 of their former host he found nine persons assembled, who, 
 by their intercourse with the missionaries, had been awakened 
 from the sleep of sin, and now were of one heart andj of one 
 soul. One of them was Nortje, who expressed a strong desire 
 to join the Brethren's Church. His parents had belonged to 
 the Waldenses, and, during a time of persecution, while ^he 
 was still a child in arms, had fle«l to Holland. 
 
 The day after brother Eller's arrival at Columbo he waited 
 on the governor. He received him with much kindness and 
 spoke, in very favourable terms, of the conduct of the mission- 
 aries. But his behaviour was shortly after changed. Eller 
 having enlarged the circle of his acquaintances, they met at 
 each other''s houses, and held meetings for edification. This 
 displeased the clergy. Two of them entered a complaint with 
 the governor, and Eller was summoned to appear before his 
 Excellency. " I obeyed the summons, (writes Eller). *' The 
 governor spoke to me in great wrath ; he told me what he had 
 heard of the two clergymen, and that they had also coramuni- 
 
442 UNSUCCESSFUL MISSIONS. 
 
 cated tlic Pmloral Letter to him. I endeavoured to explain, 
 but he refused to hear me. I begged for a strict examination 
 of our princij)les and practice, but he rejected my petition and 
 commanded mc instantly to repair to our residence, and never 
 to return to the town without his permission. I obeyed, and 
 hastened home." 
 
 Hoping that things might have taken a more favourable turn 
 brother Nitschmann soon after went to Columbo ; but found 
 that the hostility of the clergy had not yet subsided. iJeing 
 summoned before the governor, his Excellency addressed him 
 in the same angry manner, ordering him immediately to quit 
 the town. Finding all remonstrance in vain, Nitschmann re- 
 plied ; " Rather than live in contention with the government, 
 we will return to Holland."''' This was enough; the governor 
 took him at his word, and the fate of the mission was 
 decided. 
 
 The adversaries were not content with banishing the mis- 
 sionaries, their friends likewise had to suffer trials and perse- 
 cution. Portous was cited before the Ecclesiastical Council, 
 and, after faithfully answering many questions, was commanded 
 to discontinue his connexion with the Brethren. On refusing 
 to do this, he was ordered to quit the country. He replied, 
 " I am willing to give up all, even life itself, for Jesus and his 
 gospel's sake." Hereupon he was immediately sent on board a 
 ship, bound for Ratavia. Reing obliged, by contrary winds, 
 to put into Tutacorin, on the Malabar coast, he became ac- 
 quainted with the Sick-visitor in that place, whose testimony 
 of Christ was blessed to many and the means of forming a 
 small Christian society of above thirty persons. 
 
 After the banishment of Portous another of their friends, 
 called Nosse, was excommunicated, because he would not leave 
 the communion of the Rrethren. Against this proceeding of 
 the Ecclesiastical Council, the Rev. Mr. Wetzelius entered 
 the following protest in the public records of the Church : 
 " That he considered the excommunication of Nosse a most 
 violent and unjust procedure, as no proof had been adduced, 
 that those two men, (the missionaries) whose society he was 
 ordered to forsake, taught any errors. That he had himself 
 
UNSUCCESSFUL MISSIONS. 443 
 
 offered to institute an enquiry into their doctrine, but in vain. 
 That, therefore, he herewith declared, not only to the Church 
 at Columbo, but to all Dutch Classes and Synods, that, after 
 strict examination, and half a year"'s intimate acquaintance with 
 these two men, who were herg called Herrnhuters, he acknow- 
 ledged them to be genuine Moravian Brethren, and true and 
 worthy members of the Church." 
 
 1'hough this protest moderated the violence of the opposing 
 party ; yet the missionaries and their friends were convinced, 
 that it was the duty of the former to yield to imperious neces- 
 sity, and return to Europe. When they informed the Cinga- 
 lese of this, they were exceedingly grieved, and not a little in- 
 dignant at the conduct of the Christians at Columbo. "^I'he 
 farewell of the missionaries with the captain of the district, in 
 which they resided, was very affecting. He fell on his knees, 
 and while tears streamed from his eyes, prayed God to grant 
 them a safe voyage to their own country, and bring them back 
 to Ceylon. 
 
 While waiting for their passage at Columbo, though obliged 
 by the Governor's order to remain in their lodgings, they 
 were visited by many friends, among whom were persons of the 
 first respectability in the town, who were not ashamed of thfe 
 reproach they suffered, by espousing the cause of the Brethren. 
 Thus, though the missionaries were defeated in their main ob- 
 ject of preaching the gospel to the heathen, God honoured 
 them to be his instruments of arousing many nominal Christi- 
 ans from the sleep of carnal security, and leading them to 
 saving faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Nor did their exem- 
 plary conduct under the most trying circumstances, and the 
 patience with which they suffered reproach for His name's 
 sake, remain without salutary effect. By their means Chris- 
 tian Dober, a Surgeon at Ceylon, was brought to the know- 
 ledge of divine truth, and afterwards moved to one of the 
 Brethren's settlements in Europe, bringing a Malabar boy 
 with him, who became a convert to Christianity, and at his 
 baptism was called Samuel John. 
 
 October the 8th, 1740, the missionaries sailed from Co- 
 lumbo, and after a short stay at Cape-town, arrived in Amster- 
 dam the following July, 
 
444 UNSUCCESSFUL. MISSIONS. 
 
 It is but justice to the character of the Governor-general of 
 Batavia, Mr. Von ImhofF, to state, that he had not the least 
 share in the banishment of the Brethren from Ceylon, by tha 
 governor of that island. This is confirmed by a letter, ad- 
 dressed by him to Professor Bourquet, at Ncufchatel, and da- 
 ted, Hague, July 9th 1742. The following is an extract from 
 that letter. "My good will to promote the grand object of 
 spreading our most holy faith is, under the present difficult 
 posture of affiiirs, insufficient for its accomplishment. Be- 
 sides more fortunate circumstances and better times we must 
 have, as you justly observe, men who are qualified to attempt 
 it with good effijct. I confess, that the Moravian Brethren 
 appear to me to be by no means the last in the rank of those, 
 who might be helpers in this great work, according to the testi- 
 mony which you have given them, and to which I am ready to 
 subscribe. I had two of them with me during the last days of 
 my appointment as governor of Ceylon." 
 
 5. Persia. A mission to the Gebri, or Gaures,* who in- 
 habit that part of Persia, which borders on Hindostan, had fre- 
 quently engaged the attention of the Bretlnen. At length, in 
 the year 1747, two brethren, C. F. ^V. Hocker and J, Rueffer, 
 left Germany and ))roceeded to Persia. The one was a physi- 
 cian and the other a surgeon, persons of these professions being 
 considered the most likely to gain admittance and obtain a live- 
 lihood in that empire. When they arrived at Alcj)po they put 
 themselves under the protection of the English consul, who 
 treated them with great kindness, and, on account of the warlike 
 commotions of the country, used his utmost endeavours to dis- 
 suade them from proceeding any farther. All indeed, with 
 whom they became acquainted, represented the journey as ex- 
 tremely hazardous ; but they were not intimidated. After a 
 stay at Aleppo of seven weeks they, on the 24th of Au- 
 gust, set out for the East, travelling through the desert with a 
 caravan of fifteen hundred camels. Having on September 6th 
 
 * The Gaures, are by some supposed to be descendant* of the Magi, who 
 risited the infant Saviour at Bethlehem. Matt. ii. 
 
UNSUCCESSFUL MISSIONS. 445 
 
 reached Cowis, a place where the caravan generally divides, 
 one part going to Bassora and the other to Bagdad, they were 
 greatly disappointed, on being informed, that the whole cara- 
 van would proceed to Bassora, for their intention was to go to 
 Bagdad. They therefore left the caravan, and went in the 
 company of four Jews, along the Euphrates and, having cros- 
 sed it, reached Bagdad on the 12th of September. In two 
 days they proceeded with a caravan of two thousand persons to 
 Shermachan, the first town in Persia, at which they halted. 
 Being informed that a numerous gang of banditti infested the 
 road to Ispahan, the caravan remained three weeks in this 
 place. During their stay the missionaries were often applied 
 to for medical advice. The governor, whose eyes had been put 
 out by order of Shach Nadir, applied to them to have his sight 
 restored ; but being told that this required miraculous power, 
 such as God alone possessed, he was satisfied. Another pa- 
 tient, whom brother Rueffer had cured, evinced his gratitude 
 by presenting them with two asses for their journey to Ispahan. 
 October 21st they proceeded with a caravan of about six 
 hundred persons, many of whom were well mounted and armed. 
 On the 23rd they were attacked by a banditti of about two 
 hundred Curdes, a set of robbers living in the neighbourhood 
 of Shermachan. The horsemen belonging to the caravan, after 
 a few shots, retreated with all possible speed, leaving the rest 
 an easy prey to the robbers. Both the missionaries received 
 several wounds, were plundered and stripped of all their clothes. 
 From the place where this happened they had to walk fifteen 
 miles in a burning sun and on a stony road. On their arrival, 
 in the next town the missionaries, who had been separated du- 
 ring the attack, again met each other. A Persian furnished 
 them with a few articles of clothing, brought them to a house, 
 and set some bread and grapes before tliem. They were thank- 
 ful to be under cover, though pain and weariness prevented 
 them from getting much sleep. For some days they prosecu- 
 ted their journey without molestation, and, by medical practice, 
 procured a little bread and a few grapes. Their servant, Mir- 
 za, ignorant of the divine consolations and support they en- 
 joyed, often expressed his surprise at their cheerfulness. 
 
446 UNSUCCESSFUL MlSSfONS. 
 
 November the 1st they were again attacked by robbers, who 
 plundered them of nearly all they had, and only left brother 
 Hocker a pair of drawers, and his companion a waistcoat. 
 They had still a journey of nine days before them, during 
 which they suffered the severest hardships, having seldom any 
 food but bread and water, and considering it a charity when 
 they were permitted to spend the night in a stable. 
 
 Having at length arrived at Ispahan, they put themselves 
 under the protection of the English Resident, who showed them 
 much kindness, and promised to promote their journey to the 
 Gaures. But as the country continued in a state of anarchy 
 and confusion, he and other friends endeavoured to dissuade 
 them from proceeding any farther. After waiting half a year, 
 in fruitless expectation of seeing tranquillity restored, they 
 were forced to yield to imperious necessity, and relinquish 
 their design of visiting the Gaures. 
 
 They left Ispahan in 1748 ; but had not travelled far, be- 
 fore the caravan was surprised and robbed. Thus they a third 
 time lost all their property, and most of their clothes : and ar- 
 rived ragged and in debt at Bender Busher. The Dutch 
 Agent there took care of them, paid their debts and forwarded 
 them to Bassora. From thence they proceeded to Egypt. 
 While in Damietta broiher Rueffer was taken ill, and July the 
 26th 1749, he departed this life. Brother Hocker pursuet- his 
 journey alone, and arrived in Europe in February 1750. 
 
 6. Egypt. After his return from Persia brother Hocker 
 offered himself to make an attempt for carrying into effect the 
 design, long entertained by the Brethren, of forming an ac- 
 quaintance with the Christian Church in Abyssinia. To pave 
 the way for this he went in 1752 to Egypt, and hired a house 
 in Grand Cairo. Here he practised as a physician, and applied 
 himself to the acquisition of the Arabic language, endeavouring 
 to obtain such information respecting Abyssinia, as might tend 
 to promote the principal object of his mission. He commenc- 
 ed a correspondence with the Patriarch of the Copts, by whom 
 the Ahuna, or Metropolitan of Abyssinia is consecrated. The 
 Patriarch treated him with great kindness, entered into 
 
UNSUCCESSFUL MISSIONS. 447 
 
 several conversations with him concerning the Brethren's 
 Church and the state of the Coptic and Abyssinian Churches 
 To a letter, written to him by Count Zinzendorf, he returned an 
 answer in Arabic, of which the following is an extract : " In the 
 name of the merciful and gracious God. In God is salvation. 
 From Mark*, the servant of the servants of the Lord. The 
 peace of our Lord God, and the ^Captain of our salvation 
 Jesus Christ, which he, in an upper room at Zion, poured 
 forth upon the assembly of excellent disciples and Apostles. 
 May he pour out this peace upon the beloved, excellent and 
 experienced brother, the venerable bishop, our father Aloysiusf, 
 the liturgist of the Unity of the Brethren. This is to tes- 
 tify, beloved brother, that the blessed son and venerable dea- 
 con, IreneusJ Hocker, has delivered unto us your letter, which 
 was full of affectionate, cordial love. We have read it ; and 
 it became unto us a taste of your love for all Christians. We, 
 in like manner, pray God for you and for all the Christian 
 people, that he may exalt the glory of all Christians in the 
 whole habitable world, through the nutrition of his life-giving 
 cross." His mission being thus far favoured he went in 1754, 
 by way of Smyrna, to Constantinople, for the purpose of fur- 
 nishing himself with ay?r??«a?2, or pass, from the Grand Seig- 
 nior; and though the plague was raging in that city, he received 
 not only a firman, but several recommendatory letters to per- 
 sons of distinction, which might be serviceable to him on his 
 intended expedition. With these he returned to Alexandria. 
 While waiting, in this city, for a favorable opportunity to 
 proceed, the Grand Seignior died, and Egypt was convulsed 
 by political disturbances. Hocker, therefore, sailed for Europe 
 in May 1755. 
 
 The year following he went again to Egypt, accompanied 
 by George Pilder, a student of divinity from the Brethren's 
 
 * The patriarchs of the Copts, who have also the title of patriarchs of 
 Alexandria, Jerusalem, Abyssinia and Nubia, are all called after the Evan- 
 gelist Mark, who is considered the founder of the Church of Alexandria. 
 This was Mark the hundred and sixth. 
 
 f Lewis, i. e. count Zinzendorf. 
 
 X Frederic, or in German Friederich, which signifies rich in peace. 
 
448 LNSUCCESSFUL MISSIONS. 
 
 college in Saxony. Unable to leave Cairo for a whole year, 
 they renewed the acquaintance, Hooker had formerly made, 
 with the patriarch, and were treated with distinguished kind- 
 ness hy him and by all the Coptic and Abyssinian clergy. 
 The former publicly declared, " that he considered the Bre- 
 thren as an ancient apostolical Church, which had adhered to 
 the pure doctrine of the Apostles, without engaging in those 
 controversies, which afterwards arose."" In 1758 they set out 
 for Abyssinia; but, after suffering shipwreck off the island of 
 Hassanee, losing their medicine chest, and being in constant 
 danger of attacks from the wild Arabs, they were obliged to 
 relinquish thtir design and return to Cairo. Pilder, having 
 contracted a dangerous illness, returned to Europe in 1759- 
 Thither Hocker followed him in 1761, after another fruitless 
 attempt to penetrate into Abyssinia. 
 
 Not discouraged by these repeated disappointments, brother 
 Hocker once more returned to Egypt in 1769, accompanied by 
 John Danke ;" and the following year they were joined by bro- 
 ther John Antes. During the political revolution, which, in 
 the sequel, distracted this country, the missionaries were mer- 
 cifully preserved, and, by close conlinement within their house, 
 escaped infection from the plague, which raged in 1771. 1 he 
 European inhabitants treated them with respect and kindness, 
 and they continued their acquaintance with the Coptic patri- 
 arch, through whom they were introduced to the metropolitan 
 of Abyssinia, John the 138th, who likewise expressed Lis 
 good will towards them. But all the information they could 
 obtain from Abyssinia, convinced them that every attempt to 
 visit that country must prove unsuccessful. 
 
 ]\Icanwhile the missionaries unexpectedly found an opportu- 
 nity of delivering a testimony of the gospel to the Copts, who 
 inhabited several villages along the Nile. The first attempt of 
 this kind was made by brother Danke in 1770. After a diffi- 
 cult sail up the Nile, he arrived August 8th at Girgein Upper 
 Egypt ; but as a company of Turkish soldiers soon after came 
 into the town, and fixed their quarters in the same Inn, where 
 he lodged, he had no opportunity of engaging in his calling a 
 a missionary. The soldiers, however, treated him with great 
 
UNSUCCESSFUL MISSIONS. 449 
 
 civility ; and, at the express command of the captain, he was 
 entertained at their expense, and even ate and drank with 
 them, a mark of respect, which Mahomedans very seldom 
 show to any, who are not of their persuasion. The captain 
 evinced his friendship for him in an affair of far greater impor- 
 tance, and which might have been attended with very serious 
 consequences to him Danke, being in the habit of reading 
 in an Arabic translation of the New Testament and the Psalms, 
 was accused of reading books, which condemned the Mahome- 
 dan religion. The captain, having, in a stern tone, demand- 
 ed to see these books, read in them a considerable time^ and 
 then returned them to the missionary, with these words : " I 
 find nothing in these books, but the pure Word of God ; you 
 may read in them, without fear, by day and night." Address- 
 ing his accusers, he added, " I love this Christian ; every 
 offence therefore, which is committed against him, I shall con- 
 sider as done to myself." 
 
 Towards the end of September brother Danke went to Re- 
 nesse, an ancient town on the western bank of the Nile. On 
 his subsequent visits to the Copts, he made this place his ])rin- 
 cipal residence, from whence he itinerated through other vil- 
 lages. His reception among them was various. Some violent- 
 ly opposed him, because he denied the meritoriousness of fasts, 
 good works, &c. Others expressed themselves much pleased 
 with his doctrine : one of their chief priests even exhorted his 
 parishioners to go and hear Danke, promising faithfully to assist 
 him. He closed his life October 6th, 1772. 
 
 In the'sequel the brethren Antes and Wieniger repeated 
 these visits ; and in 1775 a small house was erected in iJenesse 
 for the accommodation of the missionaries, where they could 
 lodge, and more conveniently meet those, who seemed dispos- 
 ed to listen to their testimony of the gospel. However, as no 
 permanent success attended these exertions, as every prospect 
 of penetrating into Abyssinia vanished, and the political state 
 of Egypt became every year more alarming, the establishment 
 at Cairo was relinquished, and those, employed in it, returned 
 to Europe in 1782 and 1783. 
 H h 
 
450 UNSUCCESSFUL MISSIONS, 
 
 7. East Indies. The Danes having formed a commercial 
 establishment on the Nicobar Islands in the bay of Bengal, 
 application was made to the Brethren to settle a colony in 
 those islands, and instruct the natives in Christianity. Intel- 
 ligence was soon after received at Copenhagen, that the first 
 undertaking had miscarried, and that nearly all the colonists 
 were dead. This, however, did not deter the Brethren from 
 accepting the proposal, which had been made to them. Of 
 this they informed the Asiatic Company and Court of Denmark 
 requesting liberty to form a settlement also at Tranquebar, 
 in order to support the mission in the Nicobar islands from the 
 coast of Coromandel. This request was readily granted, and 
 a royal edict issued, conceding to them all the civil and re- 
 ligious privileges they had desired. As soon as this was 
 known many brethren offered themselves for this new undertak- 
 ing ; and in November 1759 fourteen of them sailed from 
 Copenhagen, and arrived at Tranquebar the following July. 
 Brother Geo. John Stahlman was appointed superintendent 
 of the mission, and two students, Adam Gotlieb Voelker and 
 Christopher Butler, were directed to apply themselves to the 
 acquisition of the Malabar and Portuguese languages. The 
 rest were intended to care for the external support of the estab- 
 lishment. Soon after their arrival they purchased a piece of 
 ground, about a mile from the town, erected the necessary 
 buildings and called it The Brethbejc's Garden. They 
 were successful in their trades, and in the cultivation of their 
 land, enjoying the countenance of government and the friend- 
 ship of the European inhabitants. 
 
 In 1768 six brethren went to Nancaweeky, one of the 
 Nicobar islands, where the Danish Asiatic Company had 
 formed a commercial establishment. But, as this establishment 
 did not answer the expectations of the Company, they in 1771 
 withdrew the few surviving colonists, the greater number of 
 them having previously fallen a sacrifice to the insalubrity of 
 the climate. The missionaries being thus left alone, and all 
 communication being cut off between them and Tranquebar, 
 it became needful to purchase a vessel to sujjply them with 
 provisions and other necessaries. This was attended, not on- 
 
UNSUCCESSFUL MISSIONS. 451 
 
 ly with great expense, but also with many difficulties and dan- 
 gers ; and as the gospel found no entrance among the natives, 
 the establishment was finally relinquished in 1787. 
 
 The prospect in Tranquebar was equally discouraging. 
 The missionaries in the Brethren's Garden preached both 
 in the Malabar and Portuguese languages, but they had few 
 hearers, and no success seemed to attend their labours. Their 
 hopes were a little revived, when in 1774 they had the plea- 
 sure of baptizing a Malabar, Kutti, whom they called John ; 
 but his conduct after his baptism did not give them much 
 satisfaction. 
 
 At the request of the Danish Asiatic Company two mission- 
 aries went in 1777 to Bengal, and settled near Serampore. 
 And a few years after Mr. Livius made them a present of a 
 garden and some houses near Calcutta, where one or two mis- 
 sionaries resided for some time. They baptized a female 
 Malabar slave on her death-bed, and had hopes that she de- 
 parted in the faith of the gospel. Another slave whom they 
 admitted to this rite, afterwards apostatized ; but her daughter, 
 who had been baptized in infancy, remained faithful. This 
 discouraging state of the East India mission, the great and 
 seemingly fruitless expense attending it, and several other cir- 
 cumstances, induced the Brethren towards the close of the last 
 century, to abandon this station. 
 
 8. Tobago. At the request of Mr. Hamilton, a gentle- 
 man of considerable property and influence on the island, 
 brother Montgomery, one of the missionaries in Barbadoes, 
 paid a visit to Tobago in 1789. He was very hospitably en- 
 tertained by Mr. Hamilton, and his undertaking patronised by 
 several other gentlemen, who promoted the attendance of their 
 slaves on the instructions of the missionary. But they attend- 
 ed more from obedience to their masters, than from any appa- 
 rent desire of being instructed in Christianity. Having 
 returned to Barbadoes, to arrange his affairs, brother Mont- 
 gomery and his wife in 1790 lookup their residence in Tobago; 
 but both of them closed their valuable lives the following year. 
 The unsettled state of the island, in consequence of the 
 
452 UNSUCCESSFUL MISSIONS. 
 
 French revolution, and insurrectionary movements among the 
 slaves, added to the decease of the missionaries, occasioned a 
 temporary suspension of this mission. 
 
 After the cession of this island to the British, Mr. Hamilton 
 and other planters, in very pressing terms, renewed their appli- 
 cation to the Brethren for missionaries to instruct their Negros. 
 Brother Charles Schirmer, having been appointed to this ser- 
 vice, he and his wife arrived in Tobago on the 23d of January 
 1799. Agreeably to arrangements, made by Mr. Hamilton, 
 they occupied a house on one of his estates, called Riseland. 
 The promising prospect of this mission induced the directors 
 to increase the number of labourers ; and brother John Church, 
 hitherto minister of the Brethren's congregation in Bath, pro- 
 ceeded with his wife to Tobago in 1800. A few months before 
 their arrival, brother Schirmer had removed from Riseland to 
 Signal House, where, besides a dwelling for the missionaries, 
 there was a building, which was fitted up for a chapel. 
 
 Every thing seemed to favour this new undertaking. The 
 colonial government and most of the planters and managers 
 promoted the instruction of their slaves ; and these attended 
 the sermons in considerable numbers, showing much apparent 
 eagerness to be instructed ; so that during the first year, twenty 
 were admitted to baptism. In the sequel, however, it became 
 evident, that many of them were more solicitous to have the 
 external rite performed, than desirous to be made partakers of 
 renovation of heart and life by faith in Jesus. A serious and 
 critical illness, which repeatedly attacked brother Church, 
 obliged him to return to England in 1803. The death of Mr. 
 Hamilton and several other gentlemen, who had been the 
 chief supporters of the mission, connected with other unfavour- 
 able circumstances, afterwards rendered it necessary to suspend 
 this mission. Between fifty and sixty Negros had been bap- 
 tized by the Brethren during their residence in this island. 
 
CONCLUDING OBSERVATIONS. 
 
 IT would be foreign to the design of this work to enter into 
 a detailed exposition of the Doctrine and Constitution of the 
 Brethren's Church ; yet a few notices on these subjects, as far 
 as they affect the missions, will probably not be unacceptable 
 to the reader. 
 
 With regard to the Doctrine, preached by the missiona- 
 ries, little need be added to the information, which the reader 
 must have obtained by the perusal of the preceding Sketches. 
 Long experience has taught the Brethren, that the doctrine of 
 Christ crucified is the power and wisdoyn of God unto salvation 
 to every one that believeth. Without, therefore, first endea- 
 vouring to prepare the minds of the heathen for the reception 
 of the gospel, by instructing them in natural religion, they at 
 once declare unto them the record that God gave of his Son. 
 This they have found, whenever received in faith, to be the 
 most efficacious means of turning the gentiles from darkness to 
 light, and from the power of Satan unto God. Yet, there is 
 no part of revealed Truth, whether of doctrine or practice, 
 which the missionaries do not endeavour to inculcate on the 
 minds and hearts of their hearers and converts. In a word, 
 their constant aim is, To humble the sinner, to exalt the Savi- 
 our, and promote holiness. 
 
 The INTERNAL regulations are the same in every mission. 
 Besides preaching the gospel, the missionaries are diligently 
 employed in visiting the heathen in their dwellings, or in re- 
 ceiving visits from them, for the purpose of discoursing with 
 them, in a familiar manner, on spiritual subjects, or adminis- 
 tering comfort, advice, or reproof, as the case may require. If 
 any heathen are led to serious reflection, and desire their names 
 to be put down for further instruction, they are called New 
 
454 CONCLUDING OBSERVATIONS. 
 
 people^ and reckoned to the class of catechumens. If they re- 
 main steadfast in their resolution to forsake heathenism, and in 
 their desire after baptism, they are considered as Candidates 
 for baptism ; and, after previous instruction respecting this or- 
 dinance, are baptized. If their conduct afterwards proves that 
 they have not received the grace of God in vain, they become 
 Candidates for the Communion, and are admitted to be present 
 as spectators at the celebration of the Lord's Supper ; and fi- 
 nally become Communicants. Those who have been baptized 
 in infancy, and, on attaining to years of maturity, give satis- 
 factory evidence of the sincerity of their faith, are first solemnly 
 received as members of the congregation, and then admitted to 
 the Lord^'s Supper. Separate meetings are held with each of 
 these divisions. This is likewise done with other divisions of 
 the congregation, with the children, the single men, the single 
 women, the married people, the widowers and widows. These 
 meetings, besides affording the missionaries an opportunity of 
 instructing them, in a practical manner, in those precepts of the 
 gospel, which have a more immediate reference to their circum- 
 stances, and in exhorting them to make their calling and elec- 
 tion sure, have a pleasing tendency to cement the bond of bro- 
 therly love, and maintain the spirit of unity among all the 
 members of the congregation. 
 
 In most missions, especially when the number of converts is 
 very large, Assistants are chosen, consisting of persons of both 
 sexes, whose good understanding and exemplary conduct have 
 made them respected by the whole congregation. In the dis- 
 charge of their duty they have particular districts assigned them, 
 in which they visit the people from house to house, attend to the 
 poor, the sick, and infirm, endeavour to remove dissensions, 
 and promote harmony, Sic. They are occasionally employed 
 to hold meetings on week-days, and to preach in the outplaces ; 
 but hitherto the Brethren have not ordainad any of the natives 
 for the regular ministry of the gospel. The Assistants, at sta- 
 ted times, meet the missionaries in conference, to report the 
 state of their districts to them, and receive their counsel. Ser- 
 vants are also appointed to have the care of the chapel, and at- 
 tend to every thing relating to external order. A Council, 
 
CONCLUDING OBSERVATIONS. 455 
 
 consisting of a number of persons, chosen by the whole congre- 
 gation, meets occasionally to confer on all subjects, involving 
 the general welfare of the congregation, or settlement. 
 
 The EXTKUNAL regulations cannot be the same in all the 
 Missions. Among free heathen, as in Greenland, North 
 America, South Africa, &c. most of the converts live together 
 in regular settlements ; and thus various regulations, tending 
 to promote, not only their progress in spiritual knowledge, but 
 also their improvement in civilization, and their enjoyment 
 of its comforts, can be introduced in these villages, which are 
 rendered impracticable in missions among Negro slaves. In 
 the latter case, little can be done in keeping schools ; but in all 
 the settlements, this important method of instruction is at- 
 tended to with great regularity. In all the missions, social 
 worship is performed' every day, in the morning or evening, 
 and on Sundays the missionaries are employed, from morning 
 till night, in preaching, meeting the different divisions of the 
 congregation, and in attending to their converts, or heathen 
 visitors. 
 
 Church Discipline is exercised without respect of persons, 
 for the Brethren justly consider thai the breach of any moral 
 precept is as criminal in a slave as in a free man, and that no 
 situation, or prevalence of custom, can sanction a pretext for 
 disobedience to the rule of Christ, as contained in the Bible. 
 The discipline admits of different degrees according to the na- 
 ture of the ofl'ence, and consists, either in exclusion from the 
 meetings of the baptized, or in suspension from the Lord's Sup- 
 per, or in total separation from the Church. In performing 
 this duty the missionaries endeavour to act in the spirit of 
 meekness, exercising all possible forbearance and patience, and 
 they never proceed to a public exposure of the offender, while 
 there is any reasonable hope, that he will be brought to repen- 
 tance and change of conduct, by remonstrance and private ex- 
 hortation. Even, when the offence has been of such a nature, 
 as to render exclusion necessary, they do not treat the lapsed 
 person as an enemy, but entreat him as a brother, endeavouring 
 to convince him, that the very exercise of discipline is an act 
 
466 CONCLUDING OBSERVATIONS. 
 
 of kindness, intended, hy the grace of God, to preserve him 
 from the fatal self-deception of being a Christian, merely be- 
 cause he has the name, and associates with believers, while he 
 is living in known sin, and a stranger to true conversion of heart. 
 The rcadmission of such a person therefore is not granted, till 
 he has given satisfactory proofs of true repentance. 
 
 The general Sui'i:iiintendence of the Missions is properly 
 vested in the Synods of the Brethren's Chwch^ which consist of 
 representatives from all the congregations. But, as a Synod is 
 only convened occasionally, it is necessary to provide for the 
 due administration of the Brethren's Church during the inter- 
 val. And for this purpose the Synod, before its dissolution, 
 nominates several bishops and elders to constitute a Board, 
 called the Elder''s Conference of' the Unity, to have the general 
 superintendence and direction of all the congregations, missions 
 and other establishments of the- Brethren's Church. This 
 Board is, by the Synod, invested with the sole right of begin- 
 ning, or suspending missions, and appointing missionaries. 
 The Brethren's Society for the Furtherance of the Gospel 
 among the Heathen, established in London, and similar Socie- 
 ties formed in Holland and North America, act in subordina- 
 tion to the Elder's Conference of the Unity, whose sanction is 
 requisite before any proposed measure for the beginning of a 
 new mission, the appointment of m.isssionaries, &c. can be car- 
 ried into effect. 
 
 In the Church of the Brethren the missionaky service is, 
 in the strictest sense, voluntary. No persuasions are used to 
 induce any person to engage in it, who has not previously ex- 
 pressed, in a letter to the directors, his wish to be thus em- 
 ployed. After thus tendering his services, all the privations, 
 difficulties and dangers, attending the life of a missionary, are 
 fully and candidly represented to him. If, after maturely 
 weighing all circumstances, his resolution remains fixed, he is 
 considered as a candidate for the service ; and in case he has 
 expressed a jircdilcction for any particular mission, or branch 
 of the service, due attention is paid to his wishes. And after 
 
CONCLUDING OBSERVATIONS. 457 
 
 all, he is left at full liberty, either to accept or decline any pro- 
 posal, which may be made to him. 
 
 Besides the indispensable requisite of personal piety, and 
 love for the service in which he engages, the qualifications 
 deemed essential to a missionary of the Brethren's Church, 
 consist in a ready knowledge of the Scriptures, and a good na- 
 tural understanding, in some degree improved by education, 
 combined with a kind and affable disposition, calculated to con- 
 ciliate the affections of the heathen. No stress is laid on pro- 
 found erudition. Long experience has taught the Brethren, 
 that, in general, the habits of a student do not qualify a per- 
 son for the laborious life of a missionary so well, as those of a 
 mechanic. Yet the superior talents of men of learning are 
 justly appreciated, as having, in many instances, been of essen- 
 tial use, especially in those missions, where a new language was 
 to be acquired, and translations of the holy Scriptures were to 
 be made. 
 
 The Brethren have no permanent Fund for their missions. 
 In the beginning count Zinzendorf and his lady supported 
 them almost entirely at their own expense ; and even in subse- 
 quent years the count devoted nearly the whole of his property 
 in undertaking, or aiding, measures for the diffusion of the 
 gospel. Since the decease of the count and his lady the mis- 
 sions of the Brethren have been maintained wholly by volun- 
 tary contributions. Notwithstanding the utmost frugality is 
 used, both by the directors and the missionaries, the annual 
 expenditure is very considerable, having been greatly increased 
 during the late war. Not only were all the expenses attending 
 the equipment and voyages of missionaries, and the mainte- 
 nance of the different settlements, more than doubled ; but the 
 disorganized and impoverished state of the continent of Eu- 
 rope occasioned a large diminution in the contributions of our 
 brethren and friends from that quarter. 
 
 The preceding Sketches supply ample proof of the self-de- 
 nial, zeal and diligence, with which the missionaries perform 
 
458 CONCLUDING OBSERVATIONS. 
 
 the important and arduous work in which they are engaged. 
 Their duties are many and various. Besides the public minis- 
 try of the gospel and its ordinances, they are daily employed 
 either in keeping school, and visiting their converts, or in at- 
 tending to the temporal concerns of the settlement. In the 
 former they are faithfully assisted by the sisters, as far as re- 
 lates to their own sex ; who also have the management of the 
 domestic concerns. In every mission one of the brethren is 
 generally chosen superintendent ; yer he never acts without 
 the concurrence of his fellow-missionaries. 
 
 The number of missionaries, employed by the Church of the 
 Brethren at the close of 1817, amounted to eighty-six; and, 
 including the Sisters, one hundred and fifty-two persons were 
 engaged in this service. They occupied thirty-four settle- 
 ments, or stations, viz. three in Greenland, three in Labrador, 
 three in North America, four in South America, seventeen in 
 the West Indies, two in South Africa, where preparations were 
 making for a third, and one station among the Calrnucs in Tar- 
 tary. About thirty thousand persons, formerly living in heathen 
 ignorance and superstition, were then instructed in Christianity 
 by the Brethren's missionaries ; besides a great number of re- 
 gular attendants on their public ministry, who had not yet made 
 a decided profession of the gospel, or requested more special 
 instruction. 
 
 To all, who from the heart long and pray for the extension 
 of Christ"'s kingdom in the world, it must be a source of high 
 gratification, and it calls for fervent thanksgivings to God, 
 that He has preserved in the ('hurch of the Brethren the same 
 zeal for the conversion of the heathen, which stimulated their 
 first attempts, so that, notwithstanding all privations and diffi- 
 culties, persons have never been wanting, who were ready to 
 engage in the missionary service ; and that the same spirit has, 
 of late years, been poured out, in rich measure, upon many 
 other Christian Churches. 
 
 Above all, incessant praise is due to God, for the blessing 
 
CONCLUDING OBSERVATIONS. 459 
 
 from on high, with which he has been pleased to crown the 
 exertions of the various Societies engaged in this glorious work. 
 This is a sure presage, that, at the time decreed by vinerring 
 wisdom, He will verify his own word : The kauth shall be 
 
 FILLED WITH THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE GLORY OF THE LORD, 
 AS THE WATERS COVER THE SEA. 
 
INDEX 
 
 To the Principal Occurrences in the Missions, and to the 
 Names of Persons and Places. 
 
 A Page. 
 
 Abel, 182 
 
 Abini, 268 
 
 Abraham, 294 
 
 Abyssinia, 446 
 
 Adams, 405 
 
 Africa, 372 
 
 Ahlers, Rev. Mr 439 
 
 Aleppo, 444 
 
 Alexander, Mr 414 
 
 Amity, Brig sailing to Labrador, 73 
 
 Anauke, 76 
 
 Anna, 294 
 
 Angekok, Dream of an 46 
 
 Angerman, J. Missionary 3oo 
 
 Antes, J. Missionary 448 
 
 Antigua, Mission in 338 
 
 Anthony, 2 
 
 Arabini, J. 268, 271, 274, &c. 
 
 Arawacks, Mission among, 236 
 
 Assistants in the Missions, 454 
 
 Auerbach, Missionary, 310 
 
 Auleara, 261 
 
 Aulibissi, 257, 259 
 
 B 
 
 Bagdat, 445 
 
 BaUeyhill, 340 
 
 Baird, SirD 401, 403 
 
 Balbot, General 363 
 
 Bambey, Mission at 273 
 
 Barbadoes, Missionaries, 353 
 
 Bassora, 445 
 
 Basseterre, 359, &c. 
 
 Bavian's Kloof, 376, 386 
 
 Beck,John, Missionary, 17,25, 74, 77 
 
 Beinbreoh, Missionary, 416 
 
 Behr, Missionary, 438 
 
 Benessee 449 
 
 Benjamin, 316 
 
 Bennet, J. Missionary, 338, 354 
 
 Bethany, 306, 313 
 
 Bethlehem, 128 
 
 Beutel, H. Missionary, 234 
 
 Payc. 
 
 Bible, valued by Converts, 104, 289 
 
 349, 406, 435 
 
 Bible Society, 62, 104, 289, 322, 349 
 
 406, 432 
 
 Bible and School Commission,... 408 
 
 Biener, Missionary 123 
 
 Birkby, Missionary, 359 
 
 Boehler, Missionary, 439 
 
 Boemper, A. Missionary,... .233, 254 
 Boenisch, F. Missionary,... .3, 17, 49 
 
 Bogue, 332, 338 
 
 Bonatz, Missionary, 403 
 
 Bonham, General, 292 
 
 Bosjemans, 368, 394 
 
 Brasen, Missionary, 77 
 
 Brethren's Garden, 450 
 
 Bridge-Town, 355, 358 
 
 Brodersen, J. Missionary, .... 49, 50 
 Brookshaw, B. Missionary, 340, 354 
 
 Brown, Missionary, 339, 344 
 
 Brown, N. Missionary, 334 
 
 Bruce, D. Missionary, 137 
 
 Brukker, J. Missionary, 306 
 
 Burke, M 450 
 
 Bush-negros, 248 
 
 Butler, Missionary, 450 
 
 Byhan, G. Missionary, 207 
 
 C 
 
 Caffres, 369, 406 
 
 Cairns, M. D 408 
 
 Cairo, 448 
 
 Calcutta, 451 
 
 Caledon, Lord, 403 
 
 Calmucs, Description of . . 421, 433 
 
 434 
 
 Calrauc Girl baptized, 425 
 
 Camp, Hottentot, 399, 401 
 
 Candidates for Baptism, and 
 the H. Com. 454, for mis- 
 sionary service, 456 
 
 Canestoga, 150 
 
U>2 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Paffi: 
 Cape of Good Hope,.. 3615, 371, 386 
 
 417 
 
 Cape-Town, 36G, 380, 384, 390 
 
 401, &o. 
 
 Caries, Z. G. Missionary, 331 
 
 Cairihees, 230, 248 
 
 Carmcl, 331, 336, 338 
 
 Cas.s, General, 220 
 
 Catechumens, 454 
 
 Catharine, Empress of Russia, . . 420 
 
 Caucasus, journey to mount, 425 
 
 Ceylon, Mission to 439 
 
 Cherokces, Mission among .... 206 
 
 Chippeways, 198, 213 
 
 Christianity, benefits of its intro- 
 duction, 75, 85, 131, 164, 168 
 196, 2.59, 342, 395. 
 See Gospel. 
 
 Christiansbrun, 144 
 
 Church, S. Missionary, , 333 
 
 Church, J. Missionary 452 
 
 Church, first built in Greenland, 35 
 New, at Bavian's Kloof, . . . 394 
 
 At Groenekloof, 415 
 
 Cingalese, parting with mission- 
 aries, 443 
 
 Clarke, General, 392 
 
 Clausen, C. Missionary, 289 
 
 Clemens, Missionary, 414 
 
 Climan, Missionary, 244 
 
 Clive, Missionary, 249 
 
 Clude, Mr 384 
 
 Columbo, 439, 441, 443 
 
 Congress, American, favors the 
 
 Missions, 189, 201 
 
 Council of Delawares allot a 
 piece of land to Chris. Indi- 
 ans, 161 
 
 request Missionaries, 208 
 
 of Congregation, 454 
 
 Cornelius, a Christian Negro, . . 317 
 Cornelius, a Negro, awful death of 278 
 
 Cottika, 234 
 
 Cradock, Sir J. F 409 
 
 Craig, Major-General, 392 
 
 Creek Indians, 216 
 
 Creols, 230 
 
 Curdes, 445 
 
 Curtis, Lieutenant, 75 
 
 D 
 
 Daehnc, J. C 132, 246, 251 
 
 Daehne, L. C 267, 270 
 
 Dalai Lama, 422 
 
 Dambra, 370, 406 
 
 Dankc, 449 
 
 Daniel, ' 45 
 
 Page. 
 
 David, Christ, 18 
 
 David, a Cliristian Indian, .... 198 
 
 Delawares, . . 110, 139, 161, 165, 169 
 
 173, 199 
 
 Delaware-Town, 220 
 
 Denke, C. F 213 
 
 Derbets, 422 
 
 Deserters, Hottentot, execution 
 
 of, 401 
 
 Difficulties, experienced by Mis- 
 sionaries, 13, 16, 19, 58, 233, 247 
 &c. Sec Missionaries. 
 
 Discipline, Church, 455 
 
 exercise of, 199 
 
 Division of Congregation, 454 
 
 Dispersion of Greenlanders, . . 48, 50 
 Dober, L. first Missionary, . . 2, 294 
 
 296 
 
 Dober, C 443 
 
 Doctrine, taught by Missionaries, 453 
 
 Dolson, John, 218 
 
 Doose Creek, 268 
 
 Drachart, C. L. Missionary, 70, 72, 74 
 
 Driftwood, 51 
 
 Note. 
 Dundas, General, 395 
 
 E 
 
 East Indies, Mission to the .... 450 
 
 Eden, 338 
 
 Egede, Rev. H 1 1, 15, 18, 22 
 
 Egypt, Mission in, 446 
 
 Elim, 335 
 
 Eller, F. Missionary, 439, 441 
 
 Ellis, Th. Missionary, 335 
 
 Emmaus, 310, 316 
 
 Ephrem, 255 
 
 Epidemic, a fatal, in several Mis- 
 sions, 85, 262, 330, 347, 385, 396 
 
 Erhard, C. Missionary, 67, 68 
 
 Esquimaux, 66 
 
 Esquimau -bay, land in, granted 
 
 to the Mission, 71 
 
 Ewald, Professor, U 
 
 F 
 
 Fabricius, Missionary, 141 
 
 Fairfield, 196, 213, 217 
 
 Famine, .... 178, 188, 262, 340, 398 
 
 Feder, 304 
 
 Finnet, 245 
 
 Fire, at Hope, 264 
 
 in St. Croix, 308 
 
 Fisli, Rev. Mr 334 
 
 Fisher, 1. 1. G. Missionary, 2.56, 259 
 
 263 
 Flint, river, 216 
 
INDEX. 
 
 463 
 
 Page. 
 
 Fort Detroit, 171 
 
 Fort Duquesnc, 145 
 
 Fox, Mr 150, 153 
 
 Friedensbers, 308, 310 
 
 Friedensfeld, 321, 322 
 
 Friedenshuetten, 134, 155, 160 
 
 Friedenstadt 159, 162 
 
 Friedensthal, 141 
 
 Fugitives, remove to Bethlehem, 144 
 Fund, Missionary, 457 
 
 G 
 
 Gados, idols of Free-negros, 269 
 
 Note. 
 
 Galitzin, Prince, 434 
 
 Gardelin, Governor of St. Tho- 
 mas, 295 
 
 Gardiner, Mr 359 
 
 Garrison, Capt 246 
 
 Gaures, 444 
 
 Gebri, 444 
 
 Gellongs 422 
 
 Genth,"w. C. Missionary, 266 
 
 Gnadenhuetten, 135, 138 
 
 162, 171, 173, 180, 201 
 Gnadenthal, 399, 400, 403, 409, 415 
 
 418 
 
 Gordon, Thos 361 
 
 Gorke, Missionary, 60 
 
 Gosgoshuenk, 156, 166 
 
 Goshen, . . . .202, 204, 206, 208, 226 
 Gospel, striking instances of its 
 eftects, 25, 54, 89, 94, 95, 
 136, 140, 162, 164, 170, 192, 
 193, 197, 222, 239, 300, 337, 
 339, 341, 343, 373, 378, 391, 
 
 398, 404,410,431 
 
 Gottwald, Missionary, 359 
 
 Governments, several, favor Mis- 
 sions, .. 12,41, 69,71, 149, 
 177, 201, 237, 267, 289, 310, 
 312, 315, 352, 374, 380, 392, 
 
 403, 414, 420 
 
 Grabenstein, 246 
 
 Grabsch, 425, 428 
 
 Gracebay, 345, 349 
 
 Gracehiil, 341, 343, 349 
 
 Greenland, Description of the 
 Country and its inhabit- 
 ants, -5 — 9 
 
 Greenland, Narrative of the 
 
 Mission, 9 — 64 
 
 Greenlanders, description of 
 
 their habits and customs, . . 6 
 &c. 
 Greenlanders, exposed to perils 
 
 at sea, 4.3, 52, 60 
 
 Pa<jt. 
 Greenlandic Language, difficul- 
 ties of, 13 
 
 Grillich, 52 
 
 Groenekloof, 403,405,407,415, 418 
 
 Grothaus, Doctor, 303 
 
 Grube, 149, 152 
 
 Gruhl, 425 
 
 Guettner, J. Missionary, 232 
 
 Guinea, Mission to, 438 
 
 H 
 
 Haensel, J. G. Missionary-, -322, 330 
 
 Hafa, J. Missionary, 266 
 
 Hagen, Missionary, 123, 135 
 
 Haidt, J. Missionary, 28!» 
 
 Half-king of Hurous, 166, 171, 176 
 Hallbeck, H. P. Blissionary, . . 417 
 
 Hamilton, Mr ' 451 
 
 Hans, Missionary, 274 
 
 Harrison, General, 219 
 
 Harsen, Mr 214 
 
 Haven, Jens, Missionary, 68, 72, 77 
 78, 87 
 
 Haven, John, Missionary, 214 
 
 Hawkins, Colonel, 216 
 
 Heckewaelder, J. Missionary,.. 165 
 201, 226 
 
 Helena, a Hottentot, 175 
 
 Henry, VV. Missionary, 201 
 
 Heraclius, Czar, 428 
 
 Highlands, in S. Amer. Inhabit- 
 ants of, apply for a Mission- 
 ary, 277 
 
 Hocker, C. F. W. Missionary, 
 
 444, 446 
 
 Hodgson, Missionary, 356 
 
 Hofeman, Missionary, ...... 356 
 
 Hofl'man, J. F. Missionary, 417 
 
 Hope, Mission at, 251, 255, 257, 
 
 258,262, 264 
 Hopedale, 84, 89, 91, 93, 95, 96, 
 
 106, 108 
 
 Horning, G. Missionary, 417 
 
 Hottentots, Description of, .... 367 
 
 Battalion, 403 
 
 Camp, 399, 401 
 
 Mission among, 371-419 
 
 Volunteer corps, . . 400 
 
 Howell, Missionary, 335 
 
 Huckuff, H. Missionary, 138 
 
 Huebner, C. Blissionary, 433 
 
 Huron warriors visit Lichtenau, 166 
 Hurricanes, in Antigua, . . 340, 344 
 
 349 
 
 in Barbadoes, . .355, 359 
 
 in Jamaica, 336 
 
 in St. Kitts, ...... 362 
 
464 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Page. 
 liiinifaiios, in St. Tlionias, 308, :il3 
 
 I 
 
 Iinlioft; Mr. von 439, 444 
 
 Tntrhani, Rev. B 123 
 
 Indians, in N. Am. Description 
 of their territory, tribes, 
 
 customs, &e 110 
 
 Narrative of the Mission 
 
 amonsf them, 122—229 
 
 Christian, are murder- 
 ed 180, &c. 
 
 Insurrection, in Berbice, . . 244, 
 235, 260 — in the Danish, 
 W. I. 295, 306, 310,— in Ja- 
 maica, 332, 334.— in Barba- 
 does, 359.— in S. Africa, 387, 
 405. — in Russian Asia, 424, 448 
 
 Inundation, in St. Kitts, 361 
 
 at Guadenthal, 415 
 
 Ippagan, 20 
 
 Island, 332, 337 
 
 Isles, S. Missionary, 338 
 
 Israel, C. G. Missionary, 304 
 
 J 
 
 Jackson, Jos. Missionary,.. 334, 335 
 
 Jamaica, Mission in 331 
 
 Jansen, Governor, 399 
 
 Jensen. Steph. Missionary, . . 72, 78 
 
 Joachim, 199 
 
 Jones, 'I'll. Missionary, 267 
 
 Jones, Rev. R '. 408 
 
 Jomjuakamik, 213 
 
 Joshua, a Christian Indian, mur- 
 dered, 210 
 
 Journal, Extracts of Missiona- 
 ries, in S. America, 282 
 
 of Missionaries among Cal- 
 mucs, 434 
 
 K 
 
 Kainak, 38 
 
 Kaugck, 40 
 
 Kapick, 71 
 
 Karjjick, 92 
 
 Kavarnak, 26, 27, 29, 32 
 
 Kea, 286 
 
 Keok, 40 
 
 Kerbel, Mr. von 372 
 
 Kersten 272, 284 
 
 Kibbodo 372 
 
 King of Deinaark, promotes 
 
 Mission to Greenland, .... 12 
 Kirgcse (iirls, ransomed by the 
 
 Brethren, '. 432 
 
 KIiif)mus, 403 
 
 Page. 
 Kleinschmidt, J. C. Missionary, 
 
 59, 62 
 
 Kluge, 20!», 212, 259, 26.'i 
 
 Kmoch, Missionary, 97, 106 
 
 Koenigseer, C. M. Missionary, 47, 49 
 
 Kohlmeister, Missionary, 97 
 
 Kohots 422 
 
 Kohrhammer, Missionarv,..394, 399 
 401, 403, 417 
 
 Korner, Missionary, 106 
 
 Kubasha, Inhabitants of, supjro- 
 sed descendants of Bohemi- 
 an Brethren, 426 
 
 Kuehnel, J. C. Missionary, 374, 387 
 
 389, 395, 417 
 
 Kutti, , 451 
 
 Labrador, its situation and In- 
 habitants, 65—67 
 
 Narrative of the Mission 
 
 in, 67—109 
 
 Lamas, 422, 434 
 
 Lancaster, a Negro Criminal, . . 323 
 
 Lang, Missionary, 336, 337 
 
 Langballe, Missionary,. - . . 265, 282 
 
 lyapland. Mission to, , , 437 
 
 Latrobe, C. 1 413, 414 
 
 liawunakhannek, 158 
 
 Layritz, Rev. P. E 74 
 
 Lehman, Missionary, 77, 323 
 
 Leitner, P. Missionary, 409, 416 • 
 
 Lemmerz, Missionary, 414 
 
 Letters from Indian Converts, . . 24 1 
 Leupold, T. otfers himself for 
 
 missionary service,. ....... 2 
 
 Leupold, Missionary, 314 
 
 Lichtenau, in Greenland, 47, 48, 49 
 
 53, 57, 60, 61, 63 
 
 Lichtenau, in N. Am. 165, 167, 170 
 
 Lichtenfels, . . 42, 44, 48, 49, 57, 63 
 
 Liebisch, 3Iissionary, ■ 78, 287 
 
 Lister, Missionary, 77 
 
 Lister, W. Missionary, 338 
 
 Livius, Mr 451 
 
 Loesner, Mr 237 
 
 Loo.s, Missionary, 436 
 
 Loretz, John, 310 
 
 Loskiel, Bishop, 214 
 
 Luckenbach, 206, 209, 222 
 
 Machwihilusing, 145, 155 
 
 Mack, Missionary,. 129, 130 
 
 Mack, Mart. Missionary, 310 
 
 Maehr, Missionary, ....... 281, 283 
 
 Magdalene, 05 
 
INDEX. 
 
 465 
 
 Page. 
 Mahomeilan, a, professes Faith 
 
 in Christ, 336 
 
 Mahomedans, several, visit Gna- 
 
 denthal, 406 
 
 Makush, 431 
 
 Malleville, M. von, 313, 315 
 
 Manchincell hills, 349 
 
 Mangek, 25 
 
 Mark, Patriarch of Copts, 447 
 
 Marsveld, H. Missionary,. .374, 380 
 
 392, 417 
 
 Martin, Fred. Missionary, . . 296, 300 
 
 301, 305 
 
 Martin, J. Indian Assistant, .. 180 
 
 Matarre, 244 
 
 Meder, Jac. Missionary, 138 
 
 Meig, Colonel, 208 
 
 Mellville, Mr 414 
 
 Meniologamekah, 137, 139 
 
 Mesopotamia, 332, 338 
 
 Mikak, 71, 86 
 
 Missionaries are countenanced 
 and protected in their la- 
 bours, 11, 59, 71, &c. 
 
 See Governments. 
 are exposed to hard- 
 ships ; See Difficulties, Perils. 
 
 ■are made Prisoners 172 
 177, 183, 297, 427, 437 
 
 are opposed in their 
 
 labours, 131, 142, 157, 159, 237, 
 239, 269, 290, 297, 298, 311, 
 337, 373, 380, 385, 388, 392, 
 441, &c. 
 
 duties of 458 
 
 ■ number of 458 
 
 qualifications of, . . 457 
 
 Missions, Origin of, 1—4 
 
 in Greenland, &c. See Tabic 
 
 of Contents. 
 
 Mist, M. de, 399 
 
 Mogorugampelle, 440 
 
 Monseys, an Indian tribe, plot 
 
 ruin of the Mission, 166 
 
 Montgomery, Missionary, 451 
 
 Mortality, great, in several Mis- 
 sions, 36, 37, 48, 96, 243, 295, 
 .See Epidemic. 309 
 
 Mueller, Missionary, 61 
 
 Mulatto, a boy, assists the Mis- 
 sionaries, 235 
 
 Murder of Christian Indians,. . 181 
 
 of Joshua, 213 
 
 of Kayarnack's brother, 29 
 
 of Missionaries,.... 68, 111 
 
 of Shebosh, 179 
 
 — — of Tettepacksit, 211 
 
 K k 
 
 Page 
 Muskingum, land on the, given 
 
 to Christian Indians,. . 161, 201 
 Muskingum, Settlements on the, 
 
 destroyed, 180, &c. 
 
 N 
 Nain, in Labrador, 74, 77, 84, 92, 
 104, &c. 
 
 in N.Am 145,148 
 
 Namaqua, a nation in S. Af. . . 370 
 
 Nancawery, 450 
 
 Nantikocks, an Indian tribe, 
 foun a league of friendship 
 
 with the Brethren, 138 
 
 Nathaniel, a Christian Negro, . . 321 
 Nationals, Insurgents in S. Af. 387 
 
 Nazareth, 145, 147, 227 
 
 Negros, in N. Am. provision 
 
 made for their instruction, 228 
 
 Christian, evidence their 
 
 faith, 286, 315, 341, 361, &c. 
 
 respected by their Mas- 
 ters, 341, 345, 346, 351 
 
 suffer hardships, 313, 343 
 
 346 
 
 Neiz, Missionary, 430 
 
 Neskopeko, 138 
 
 Netz, Missionary, 322 
 
 Neukeer, 266 
 
 Newherrnhut, in Greenland, 13, 32 
 35, 41, 44, 47, 62 
 
 in St. Thomas, 302 
 
 308, 314 
 New York, .... 123, 132, 134, 150 
 
 New People, class of, 454 
 
 Nicobar Islands, Mission in, . . 450 
 
 Niesky, 302, 308 
 
 Nisbet Haven, 68 
 
 Nitschke Missionary, 288 
 
 Nitschmann, M. Missionary, . . 141 
 
 D. Missionary, 294, 439 
 
 442 
 
 Nortje, \ 441 
 
 North America, Mission in, 110 
 
 Nosse, 442 
 
 Number of Converts, at differ- 
 ent periods, 28, 34, 40, 48, 129, 
 134, 136, 164, 196, 201, 226, 237, 
 239, 244, 256, 266, 274, 280, 289, 
 290, 292, 298, 309, 332, 341, 345, 
 349, 355, 360, 362, 378, 381, 386, 
 392, 394, 403, 405, 418, 419, 452, 
 458 
 
 of Missionaries 292, 309 
 
 458 
 
 of Settlements .... 458 
 
466 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 O Page. 
 
 Ogache, 122 
 
 Ohnebercf, Missionary, 305 
 
 Okkak, r 78, 94, 104, &c. 
 
 Onim, . . : 222 
 
 Onoiidago, 137, 139 
 
 Ontario,^ Lake, 221 
 
 Oppclt, Missionary, 214 
 
 Oronoco, 238 
 
 Ostergreen, Missionary, 44J8 
 
 Ottawas, an Indian tribe, .... 190 
 
 Paehgatgoch, 128, 130, 137 
 
 Pahanke, an Indian Chief, .... 160 
 
 Palliser, Sir Hugh, 68, 70, 71 
 
 Papunhank, an Indian Preacher, 145 
 Paramaribo, 231, 233, 246, 263, 284 
 
 Paterson, Rev. Dr 435 
 
 Patriarch of the Copts, 446 
 
 Partsch, Missionary, 141 
 
 Pastoral Letter, 439, Note. 
 Perils, Missionaries exposed to, 19, 
 51, 52, 77, 78, 128, 246, 252, 
 296, 299 
 
 Perry, Commodore, 219 
 
 Persia, Mission to, 444 
 
 Peru, 337 
 
 Petitions of Negros to the King 
 
 and Queen of Denmark, . . 299 
 Note. 
 
 Pettquotting, 191, 193, 214 
 
 Philadelphia, 148, 151 
 
 Philip, a Hottentot, 412 
 
 Pickipsion, 132 
 
 Pilder, G. Missionary, 447 
 
 Pilgerhut, ..232, 234, 237, 240, 244 
 
 Pilgeruh, 190, 191 
 
 Pipe, Captain, 171, 177 
 
 Pisani, Leader of the Insurgents 
 
 in S. Af. 389 
 
 Pittsburg, . . 177, 179 
 
 Pless, count, 11, 302 
 
 Police at Gnadenthal, 414 
 
 Portous, 440, 442 
 
 Post, Missionary, 135 
 
 Potatik, 129 
 
 Princess, 306 
 
 Proctor, General, 218 
 
 Protten, a Mulatto and Mission- 
 ary, 438 
 
 Pugatschcf, 424 
 
 Pyrlaeus, Missionary, 131 
 
 Q 
 
 Quakers, protect Christian In- 
 dians, 149, 151 
 
 Page. 
 
 Quama, 271 
 
 Quirpont, 69, 70 
 
 R 
 Ralfs, Mark, Missionary, ...... 246 
 
 Ramsch, Blissionary, 329 
 
 Rasmus, Jens, 305 
 
 Ranch, Chr. Missionary, . . 123, 125 
 
 127 
 Re-admission, when it takes place 456 
 Rebellion, See Insurrection. 
 
 Regnier, M. D 233 
 
 Regulations in 3Iissions, 453 
 
 Reichel, J. F. Missionary, 345 
 
 Reiman, J. W. Missionary, .... 89 
 Reiubeck, Inhabitants of, demand 
 
 a warrant to kill Indians, . . 134 
 
 Renatus, an Indian, 148, 153 
 
 Resolutions in favor of. Mission 
 
 in S. Af. 377 
 
 Note. 
 
 of Nationals in S. Af. 388 
 
 Reuss, Rev. Mr 11 
 
 Richter, C. F. Missionary, 363 
 
 Rio de Berbice, Mission on the, 232 
 
 Ronner, Missionary, 302 
 
 Rose, Missionary, 285 
 
 C. L. Blissionary, . . . 396, 417 
 
 P. Missionary, ." 123 
 
 the. Settlement in North 
 
 America, 144 
 
 Rothe, J. Missionary, 149, 158 
 
 Roux, Adj. General, 263 
 
 Rudolph, his shipwreck, . , 54, Sec. 
 Rueffer, J. Missionary, .... 444, 446 
 Ryswick, M. Van, 242 
 
 Sachems, an embassy of, make a 
 
 league with the Brethren,.... 127 
 
 Salem, 170, 173, 175, 180, 201 
 
 New, 192, 194 
 
 Samsam, a Free-negro Chief, . . . 268 
 Samuel, John, a Malabar boy,. . 443 
 
 Sandusky, 176, 178, 184 
 
 Sarepta 420, 423, 430, 432 
 
 Saul, a Hottentot, 404 
 
 Sautter, Missionary, 348 
 
 Schaerf, Missionary, 329 
 
 Schaukirk, Missionary, 312 
 
 Schill, J. G. Missionary, 433 
 
 Schimmelman, count, 313 
 
 Schirmer, Missionary, '. . . 249 
 
 Charles, Missionary,. . 452 
 
 Schlcgel, F. Missionary 333 
 
INDEX. 
 
 467 
 
 Page. 
 
 Schmitk, Missiouary, 149 
 
 Schmidt,G. Missoinary, 371, 373, 375 
 
 M. Missionary, 308 
 
 Mr ; 435 
 
 Schmitt, J. H. Missionary, 403, 407 
 
 414 
 
 SchnalljMissionary, 218, &c. 
 
 Schneller, G. C . Missionary, ... 363 
 
 Schncpff, J. C. Blissionary* 348 
 
 Shoenbrunn, in N. Amer. . . 162, 164 
 166, 173, 182, 201 
 
 ~ near Sarepta, 421 
 
 Schools, Daily and Sunday, in se- 
 veral Missions, 104, 109, 207, 
 257, 260, 269, 316, 348, 377, 
 
 384, 387, 391, 408, 431, 455 
 
 Schulius, Missionary, 439 
 
 Schuman, Th. S. Missionary, 237, 
 
 239, 243 ■ 
 Schuman, Ch.L. Missionary, 251, 273 
 Schwinn, D. Missionary, 374, 381, 
 
 417 
 
 Seidel, N 332 
 
 Seiffart, Missionary, 123 
 
 Senseman, Missionary, .... 141, 200 
 
 Senthea Creek, 268 
 
 Serampore, 451 
 
 Settlements, Missionary, destroy- 
 ed, or evacuated, 123, 134, 
 138, 141, 148, 160, 162, 166, 
 170, 175, 182, 185, 220, 244, 
 
 250, 255, 265, 281 
 
 , in N. America, their 
 
 importance to the Mission, 227 
 
 Sharon, in Barbadoes, 256, 257 
 
 , on the Saramacca, 245, 247 
 
 250 
 
 Shaw, Missionary, 131 
 
 Shawanose, an Indian tribe, form 
 
 a league with the Brethren, 138 
 
 are visited by Missionaries, 162 
 
 Sbebosh, Missionary, . .142, 174, 177 
 
 junior, is murdered,. . 179 
 
 Shekomeko, .. 124, 127, 129, 132, 
 
 134, &c. 
 Ship, fitted out for Labrador, 72 
 
 Non-arrival of 105 
 
 Shipwreck of several Missiona- 
 ries, 54, 77, 304, 356, 448 
 
 See Voyages. 
 
 Shomokin, 137 
 
 Siksigak, an Esquimaux, 92 
 
 Silk,,Mr. Van, 379 
 
 Siraek, a Greenlander, .... 28, 30 
 Smallpox^ very destructive in 
 
 Greeifland, U 
 
 Sobonnc Creek - 270 
 
 Page. 
 Society, Brethren's, (in England) 
 for the furtherance of the 
 Gospel among the Heathen 71, 
 413, 456 
 
 Brethren's (in N. Amcr.) 
 
 for propagating the Gospel 
 among the Heathen,227, 228, 456 
 
 Soerensen, J. Missionary, 47, 50 
 
 Sommelsdyke, Mission at 289 
 
 Somerset, Lord Ch 414 
 
 Soongurs, 422 
 
 Soufriere, eruption of mount .. 357 
 South Africa, Mission in, 366, 419 
 South Af. Missionary Society,. - 395 
 South America, Mission in, 230, 292 
 South Carolina, Mission to, . . . . 439 
 Spangenberg, Bishop, 122, 132, 231 
 
 Springplace. Mission at 207, &.c. 
 
 St. Croix, Mission in 302 
 
 St. Jan, 305 
 
 St. John's, 838 
 
 St. Kitt's, ■ — 359 
 
 St. Thomas, 294 
 
 parish of, 353 
 
 Stach, Matt. Missionary, 3, 10, 24, 
 
 41 
 ~ Christ. Missionary, . . 10, 18 
 — Widow and her two 
 daughters come to Green- 
 land, 21 
 
 Stahlman, G. J. Missionary, . . 450 
 
 Stein, Missionary, 414 
 
 Steiner, Abrah 206 
 
 Steinkopff, Rev. Dr 432 
 
 Stephen, a Christian Negro, — 350 
 
 Steppes, plains in Russia, 423 
 
 Stewart, J. Bruce, 309 
 
 Stoll, R. Missionary, . .267, 270, 273 
 Surinam, Missionary settlements 
 
 on the, 233, 269, 284 
 
 Trading Company, 231, 233 
 
 239 
 
 Tambukky, a nation in S. Af. 370 
 
 406 
 
 Tappus 295 
 
 Taylor, J. Missionary, 352 
 
 Temmink, Mr 374 
 
 Tettepacksit, 210 
 
 Tennis, Baas, 375, 383, 386, 389 
 
 Texier, Governor, 286 
 
 Tiflis, 429 
 
 Tobago, Mission in 451 
 
 Toeltschig, J 122 
 
 Torgots, 422 
 
 Tortola, Missionaries carried to. 31 1 
 
468 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Page. 
 Trading Company,Greenland, re- 
 gulations made by them, 41, 48 
 
 Tranquebar, Mission in 430 
 
 Translations of the H. S. made 
 by the Missionaries, into 
 Arawack, 280 — Calmuc,432 
 &,c. — Chippeway, 214 — Es- 
 quimaux, 104— Greenlandic, 
 61,— Language of the Free- 
 negros, 270,— Negros in St. 
 
 Thomas, 310 
 
 Travelling, mode of, in S. Africa, 370 
 Trustees of Georgia offer land to 
 
 the Brethren, 122 
 
 Tschechshequanninli 138 
 
 Tsehegemzes, 430 
 
 Tschirpe, H. C. Missionary, ... .344 
 
 Tschoop, 124 
 
 Tuglavina, W. an Esquimaux, . . 86 
 
 Turner, Missionary, 78 
 
 , L Missionary, 347 
 
 Two-mile-wood, 338 
 
 U 
 
 Uiverunna, an Esquimaux sorce- 
 rer, 90 
 
 Ungava, Voyage to, 97-103 
 
 Union, Missionary station in Ja- 
 maica, - 335 
 
 Unity Harbour, 72 
 
 Uzmei-Chan, 426 
 
 V 
 
 Van, Mr 207 
 
 Verbeck, J.R 314 
 
 Vester, Missionary, 245 
 
 Voegtle, Missionary, -• 2S8 
 
 Voelker, A. G. Missionary, 450 
 
 Voss, Rev. Mr 395 
 
 Voyages, perilous, of several Mis- - 
 sionaries, 52, 105, 190, 304,^28 
 234. See Shipwreck. 
 
 W 
 
 Wabash , Mission on the 208 
 
 Page 
 Wacquais, an Indian nation, .. . 230 
 
 Waller, Missionary 356 
 
 War, distresses during, in se- 
 veral Missions, 57, 163, 165, Sec. 
 217, 260, 287, 307, 314, 341, 347 
 362, 386, 390, 402 
 Waraus, an Indian nation, 230, 254 
 
 261 
 
 Ward, Missionary, 336 
 
 Watson, S. Missionary, 344 
 
 Watteville, Bishop, , 301 
 
 Weber, G. Missionary, 304 
 
 Wechquetank, 137, 145, &c. 
 
 Weisner, Mr 129 
 
 Note. 
 
 Wendling, V 431 
 
 West-Indies, Mission in the, 293-365 
 
 Wetzelius, Rev. Mr 439, 442 
 
 Whitefield, Rev. G 143 
 
 Wied, H. Missionary, 238 
 
 Wieniger, Missionary, 449 
 
 Wier, M.D 421 
 
 Wiesner, G 22 
 
 Wiez, Missionary, 277, 290 
 
 Willem, a Hottentot, 373 
 
 Williams, E. Missionary, ...... 363 
 
 WilUamsfield, 337 
 
 Windsor, 337 
 
 Wiondats, an Indian tribe, 195, 216 
 
 Witte Revier, 414, 417 
 
 Works, literary and others, com- 
 piled or translated by the 
 Missionaries, 32, 47, 30, 104, 
 
 204, Note, 235, 245, 289 
 Wuensche, A. L. Missionary, . . 417 
 
 Y 
 
 Young, M. Missionary, 220 
 
 Z 
 
 Zacharias, Missionary, 222 
 
 Zeisberger,D. Missionary, 145,149,136 
 161, 163, 169, 172,194, 201, 203 
 
 Zinzendorf, count, 127, 298, 457 
 
 Zipporotu, 266 
 
INDEX 
 
 To the Missionary Settlements, Stations, ajid Preaching- 
 places. The Page refers to the Place, xohere the Name occurs 
 for the first time. 
 
 A Page- 
 
 Amboy, North America, 151 
 
 Aulibissi, South America, 2.57 
 
 B 
 
 Bailey -hill, A ntigua, 340 
 
 Bambey, South America, 273 
 
 Basseterre, St. Kitts, 359 
 
 Bavian's Kloof, South Africa,.. 375 
 
 Benesse, Asia, 449 
 
 Berbice, South America, 231 
 
 Bethany, St. Jan 306 
 
 Bethlehem, North America, 134 
 
 Brethren's Garden, Tranquebar, 450 
 
 Bridgetown, Barbadoes, 354 
 
 Bogue, Jamaica, 332 
 
 C 
 
 Cairo, Egypt, 448 
 
 Calcutta, East Indies, 451 
 
 Carmel, Jamaica, 331 
 
 Chippeway, Indian territory, N. 
 
 America, 213 
 
 Corentyn, Soutli America, 266 
 
 Cottica, South Ameasa, '. - 234 
 
 D 
 
 Doose Greek, South America, . . 268 
 
 E 
 
 Eden, Jamaica, 338 
 
 Elim, Jamaica, 335 
 
 Emmaus, St. Jan 310 
 
 - Jamaica, 332 
 
 Ephrem, South America, 255 
 
 F 
 
 Fairfield, North America, 196 
 
 Flint, North America, 216 
 
 Friedensberg, St. Croix, 308 
 
 Friedensfeld, St. Croix, 321 
 
 Friedenshuetten, N. Am. . . 134, 155 
 Friedcnstadt, North America, . . 159 
 Friedensthal, St. Croix, 306 
 
 G 
 
 Page. 
 Gnadcnhuettcn, N. Am. . . 135, 162 
 
 Gnadenthal, S. Afr 399 
 
 Good Intent, S. Am 266 
 
 Gosgoshuenk, N. Am 157 
 
 Goshen, N. Am 302 
 
 Gracebay, Antigua, 345 
 
 Gracehill, Antigua, 341 
 
 Groene kloof, S. Afr 403 
 
 H 
 
 Highlands, S. Am 277 
 
 Hope, S. Am 255 
 
 Hopedale, Labrador, 68, 84 
 
 Hottentot Camp, S. Afr 400 
 
 Irene, N. Am 123 
 
 Island, Jamaica, 332 
 
 K 
 
 Kangek, Greenland, 40 
 
 Koksoak, Labrador, . . . : 102 
 
 Kook, Greenland, 40 
 
 Lawunnakhannek, N. Am 158 
 
 Litchtenau, Greenland, 47 
 
 N. Am 165 
 
 Litchtenfels, Greenland, 42 
 
 M 
 
 Machwihilusing, N. Am 145 
 
 Blanchincell Hill, Antigua, 349 
 
 Meniologamekah, N. Am 137 
 
 Mepenne, S. Am 266 
 
 Mesopotamia, Jamaica, 332 
 
 Mogorugampelle, Ceylon, 440 
 
 N 
 
 Nain, Labrador, 74 
 
 North America, 145 
 
 Nancawcry, S. Am 450 
 
 Nazareth, N. Am 147 
 
 Neskopeko, N. Am 138 
 
470 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Pa<jc. 
 
 Neukeer, S. Am 266 
 
 New Bambey, S. Am. . . ; 275 
 
 New Fairfield, N. Am 221 
 
 New Gnadenhuctten, N. Am. . . 187 
 
 New Hi^rrnhut, Greenland, 1:3 
 
 St. Thomas, . . 302 
 
 New Salem, N. Am 192 
 
 Niesky, St. Thomas, 302 
 
 Nisbet haven, Labrador, 68 
 
 O 
 
 Op^ache, N. Am 122 
 
 Okkak, Labrador, 78 
 
 Ontario, N. Am 221 
 
 P 
 
 Pachgatpfoch, N. Am 128 
 
 Paramaribo, S. Am 231, 284 
 
 Peru, Jamaica, • 337 
 
 Pettquotting, N. Am 214 
 
 Philadelphia, N. Am 151 
 
 Pilgerhut, S. Am 232 
 
 Pilgeruh, N. Am 190 
 
 Petatik, N. Am 129 
 
 Posaunenberg, St. Thomas,. . . . 297 
 
 Princess, St. Croix, 306 
 
 Province Island, N. Am 149 
 
 Q 
 
 Quama, S. Am 271 
 
 R 
 
 Riseland, Tobago, 452 
 
 S 
 
 Salem, N. America, 170 
 
 Sandusky, N. Am 176 
 
 Paye. 
 
 Sandusky Creek, N. Am 215 
 
 Sarepta, Asia 420 
 
 Senthea Creek, S. Am 268 
 
 Serampore, East-Indies, 451 
 
 Sergeant's River, S. Af. 372 
 
 Sharon, S. Am 247 
 
 • , Barbadoes, 356 
 
 Shawanose, Territory, N. Am. . . 162 
 
 Shekomeko, N. Am 124 
 
 Shoenbrunn, N. Am 163 
 
 Shoraokin, N. Am 137 
 
 Signal-house, Tobago, 452 
 
 Sobonne Creek, S. Am ,.. . 270 
 
 Sommelsdyke, S. Am 289 
 
 Spring-place, N. Am 207 
 
 St. John's, Antigua, 338 
 
 St. Thomas, Barbadoes, 355 
 
 T 
 
 Tappus, St. Thomas, 295 
 
 Tshechshequannink, N. Am 158 
 
 Two-mile-wood, Jamaica, 338 
 
 U 
 
 Union, Jamaica, 335 
 
 Unity harbour, Labrador, 72 
 
 W 
 
 Wabash, N. Am , 208 
 
 Wayomik, N.Am 138 
 
 Wechquetank, N. Am 137, 145 
 
 Williamsfield, Jamaica, ........ 337 
 
 Windsor, Jamaica 337 
 
 Witte Revier, S. Af. 414 
 
 Z 
 
 Zipporotu, S. Am 266 
 
I 
 
ERRATA. 
 
 Page. 
 
 1 10. Note, last line but one, for art, read arts. 
 
 123. I. 23, for Greek, read Creei. 
 
 194. I. 21, forMaimi, rend Miaini. 
 
 203. Note. 1. 6. for een, read been. 
 
 323. I. 1 1 , for proved, read favored. 
 
 374. I. 2, for occurred, read concurred. 
 
 393. I. 12, for hire, read hired. 
 
 433. I. 12, for Monolgs, read Mongols. 
 
 43? iVo<e, 1. 7, for no, read not. 
 
 448. last line but one, for a, read as. 
 
 458. 1. 9, for yer, read yet. 
 
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