"Charlestown, July the 22, A. D. 1820," and signed by the Chief of the Council of the Narraganset tribe. " I have talked," he writes, " with a number of the tribe concerning the matter. They wish me write an answer. As to inhabitants of our tribe, we find them to be upwards of four hundred-in Charlestown and the adjasent towns. Our lands lays in said town, which I believe as nearly as I can find out is estermated at about three thousand acres. -State of schools. When the Society does not form a school for us, we send our children to school among the white people-those that is desireous for their children to have learning. - State of religion. There is a regular church of Baptist people among the Indians, and we have meeting house, which is only Church or Meeting house in the town of Charlestown. Our forefathers has given a lot of forty acres of land to the whites for the purpose of erecting a Church on. They have not erected any Church, but still hold our land. We wish there might be a Church erected, and no matter how soon. Our morals is we believe in our tribe as sivel as you will generally find in any tribe whatever. We have laws to go by among ourselves and Council men to oversee the tribes affairs, and a Clerk to do the business. As to being removed we wish not to remove in a wild country. We have farms, and houses, here, our charter is good, and those that will work may get a comfortable liveing here, and those that will not work here, it is not likely they would do much in a wild wilderness. We have land enough, and wood enough, and join the salt water; own boats for wishing (fishing] &c. &c. "We feel ourselves under the greatest obligations imaginable to return our unfeigned thanks to the Honourable Society for what instructions they have bestowed on our tribe, and believe it is not money spent in vain and wish a continuance of the school, &c. "Signed in behalf of the Narrigansett Indians in Charlestown County of Washington by TOBIAS S. Ross C. C."י The Report also contains information respecting the St. Francis Indians, the Canada tribes, the Passamaquoddy and the Moheagan. The officers of the Society are His Honour William Phillips, President. Rev. Eliphalet Porter, D. D. Vice President. Rev. Abiel Holmes, D. D. Secretary. Rev. William E. Channing, D. D. Assist. Secretary. Samuel H. Walley, Esq. Treasurer. Mr. Josiah Salisbury, Vice Treasurer. Massachusetts Peace Society. -The sixth annual meeting was held in Boston on the 25th of December last, and an Address delivered by James Savage, Esq. The Report, read at the same meeting, gives us the following information. 'In the course of the year there have been distributed at the expense of this Society and its Auxiliaries : Of the various numbers of the Friend of Peace 6462 9368 ' In this distribution, besides what have been circulated in the United States, 570 copies of the Friend of Peace have been sent to Europe, Asia, and the British Provinces in America, with about the same number of smaller Tracts. 'In consequence of a donation of twenty dollars from a gentleman of the Society of Friends, submitted to the chairman of the committee, there have been distributed Copies of the Friend of Peace 'Of other Tracts 170 145 'An edition of 1500 copies of the Convention Sermon, by the Rev. Dr. Parish, was printed at the expense of one gentleman of this society; and after a considerable sale, the residue was given to the committee for gratuitous distribution. 6 The Hollis Branch of this society caused to be published an edition of an Address delivered to them on the fourth of July by the Rev. Humphrey Moore. To Peace Societies in other states and to individuals, there have been sold in the course of the year 2049 copies of the Friend of Peace, and 467 smaller Tracts. Four Auxiliary Societies have been added to the fifteen which had been previously formed: one at Franklin of fifteen members; one at Uxbridge of eighteen members; one at Shirley of nine or ten members; another at Campton and Thornton, in New Hampshire, of twenty members. The East Haddam Branch in Connecticut has been increased from sixty to eighty members. In Framingham in this state twenty-seven new members have been added to the M. P. S.; in Charlestown eleven; and many respectable individuals have joined the society from different towns in this and the neighbouring states. 'A letter has been received from the society in London, accompanied with copies of the Herald of Peace to August, 1821. From these sources it appears, that the Society for Promoting Permanent and Universal Peace has been supported and encouraged by numerous and liberal subscriptions, from people of both sexes, and of several denominations; that important Auxiliary Societies have been formed in various parts of the kingdom; that one or another of their Tracts has been translated for distribution in Germany, Holland, France and Spain, and that in France a society has been formed in favour of Universal Peace. The Peace Societies in Britain and in this country have had increasing cause to acknowledge the aid derived from the editors of newspapers and periodical works, by giving extensive publicity to many important articles, original and selected, which tend to advance their object. New periodical works have also been established in both countries, which promise much aid by the dissemination of humane and philanthropic sentiments. For as war, root and branch, is of the very essence of barbarism, whatever tends to enlighten or humanize the minds of men, must also tend to diminish its atrocities and accelerate its abolition.' Marine Bible Society of Boston and its Vicinity. Extracts from the first annual Report : Our Society is by its constitution auxiliary to the American Bible Society. An early application was therefore made to that respected and highly efficient institution, which has the prayers and shares the labours of so many in our country, for aid in commencing our work. With a promptitude and liberality, which do honour to their Board of Direction, two hundred copies of the Sacred Scriptures were immediately sent on for our use. These were of different size and price; giving the Directors of this Society, an opportunity of choosing among the editions published by the Parent Institution. Since this period 100 more have been sent for and purchased. The account then for the year is as follows: 200 Bibles presented by the American Bible Society, 300 total received. Of these now remain on hand 13 octavo Bibles, 59 duodecimo, 73 in all-making the distribution, 228. Though this number may appear small, when compared with the annual circulation of the Scriptures effected by other Societies; yet it is to be recollected that the above number of copies was distributed to voluntary applicants--not sought out, but themselves seeking to possess the Divine Word. Had the wharves and boarding houses for Seamen, and the vessels entering our harbour or preparing to leave it been all visited----and in some places the indefatigable benevolence of the friends of the Bible has done as much-our Society, had it enjoyed the ability, might have increased the amount in, perhaps, a tenfold ratio. Yet, notwithstanding its infancy, and feeble means of doing good, the Society has not been unmindful of the duty of seeking its objects. A few months after its formation, when the United States' ship Constitution was to leave this port for the Mediterranean, a Committee of the Board of Directors was appointed to visit her, to ascertain the wants of the seamen, and to supply them with at least a Bible for every mess. Accordingly, on the 30th of April this vessel was visited. Several gentlemen accompanied the Committee, and were gratified to find, that their views had been anticipated by the Parent Society. Already was a sufficient number of Bibles sent to the Navy Yard at Charlestown for the use of this ship, allowing a Bible to each mess, and giving opportunity to the men, if they desired it, (as Commodore Hull, it is understood, was instructed by the National Society,) to purchase on their own account when their wages should be received. The Committee seeing that their care had thus been happily rendered needless, as regarded the crew, and desirous that a memorial of the Society should yet be found on board this favourite vessel, obtained leave of Commodore Jones to present a Bible for the Chaplain's use. At a subsequent visit this was done, and two other elegant copies also, though of smaller size, presented respectively to the Officers of the Ward-room and the Midshipmen. 'Beside the English Bibles specified above, in the course of the past year opportunity has offered of distributing three German Bibles, one French Bible, an Italian Testament, and six Spanish Testaments, procured by the obliging agency of John Tappan, Esq. Treasurer of the Massachusetts Bible Society. The necessity for an occasional supply of Bibles and Testaments in these and other foreign languages, induced the Directors to resolve that, when the funds might perinit, Bibles and Testaments in foreign languages should be procured for the deposit, in order to meet that necessity. This vote was communicated to the Corresponding Secretary of the American Bible Societyand the subject was also suggested to the Rev. Nathaniel E. Sloper, Secretary of the Port of London Society for promoting religion among seamen. This gentleman, whose zeal for the welfare of seamen is great, was requested to forward the design by application to the Committee of the British and Foreign Bible Society, but as yet no answer is received." Foreign Mission School in Cornwall, Conn.--Some account of the present state of this institution, the object of which is the education of young heathens, may be acceptable to our readers. It is five years since its establishment. 'The state of the school has been generally prosperous, during the year past. 'The annual examination and exhibition of the school, were very interesting to a crowded audience. Among the visitors were several strangers, gentlemen of intelligence and distinction, who were much gratified. Among the pieces exhibited were a Cherokee Council of War, on the subject of the present dispute, between the Cherokees and the Osages, and a Dialogue in Owhyhean, respecting the late intelligence from the Sandwich Islands. 'In the course of the year, George Sandwich embarked from Boston for his native islands, as has been mentioned in a preceding part of this report; Lewis Keah, the surviving youth from the Marquesas islands, followed his companion to an early grave; and William Peters, one of the Oneidas, was dismissed for mental incapacity and for disobedience. Within the same period, there have been the following additions to the school; viz. two youths of our own country, Bennet Roberts and Erastus Cole, both from the state of New York; three Sandwich islanders, named Whyhee, John Elliot Phelps, and Henry Ta-hee-te, of whom Phelps is thought to give evidence of uncommon piety; a New Zealander, named Thomas Zealand; James Lewis, a descendant of the Narragansett tribe of Indians. 'The whole number of pupils is thirty-four; of whom seven are from the Sandwich islands; one is from Otaheite; one from New Zealand; one is a Malay; eight are Cherokees; two Choctaws; three of the Stockbridge tribe; one of the Oneida tribe; One Tuscarora; one Narragansett; two Coughnewagas; one Indian youth from Pennsylvania; and five youths of our own country. Of these, nineteen are professors of religion, and five others are thought to have become religious in a time of uncommon seriousness among the pupils. Respecting those who have been admitted to the privileges of the school, within the period embraced by this Report, it is proper to observe, that no youths from our own country are received, without evidence of piety, promising talents, and a desire to be employed hereafter, as missionaries, or assistants, in some parts of the heathen world. |