one of these sloughs, our waggon gave such a crack, that I expected our axle-trees were broken, and that we should be set fast in the middle of it; my companion's courage appeared to serve him better than mine, and with help, we made our way safely out again. Having thus passed this slough, I was led to hope the worst was over, but I soon found we had a river to ford. This, however, we surmounted, and came to the schoolhouse, where the meeting was to have been held, agreeable to appointment the night before; but it was much after the time fixed, owing to our difficulties in getting along. There being no gathering at the school house, as we had expected, we rode to the house of an Indian family, to whom the charge of giving notice had been entrusted; when, to our disappointment, we were told that so far from the notice having been given, they had been wholly unacquainted with our intention, and as the weather continued so very stormy and unfavourable for the people collecting, it would now be in vain to give notice. Proposals were made to us to remain at Oneida that night, the family of the house offering to accommodate us; but all that was within me capable of any feeling of what comfort was, recoiled at the prospect of taking up our abode here, from the extreme filthy appearance of the inhabitants, and every thing belonging to the house; and yet I durst not leave the settlement without being willing to do my part, by submitting to any deprivation of comfort in order to obtain a meeting amongst them. Whether our kind hostess, who had conducted us here, observed any thing in my countenance that bespoke unpleasant feelings, at the prospect of our accepting the proposal of stopping in this family for the night, or that she felt satisfied herself it was not likely we could make ourselves comfortable; she proposed our going further into the settlement, and trying to obtain accommodation at the house where the Episcopal preacher lodged, and which had been the residence of the chief Scannadore; this proposal I gladly fell in with, believing as I did, we could not possibly be worsted by this attempt.

On our arrival at the house, understanding the preacher was at home, we applied to him to know if we could be each accommodated with a bed, and such provision as the family afforded, and provision for our horses; which being submitted to the family, they engaged, if we were willing to take things rough as we found them, to do their best for our comfort; which to me was a cheering reply, inasmuch as cleanliness, as far as our eyes could see, was attended to. The prospect of the comfort we were likely to have in our new abode, when compared with the Indian house we had last left, was a fresh call for gratitude on my part, and I humbly hope I was not much, if at all, deficient in an endeavour to labour after it, and to say in the language of holy

David, "Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me bless his holy name, and forget not all his benefits!" who had thus made way for us in this wilderness, amongst an Indian race, to possess the comforts which the poor, frail tabernacle stands in need of. I gladly helped to unload our luggage, and cheerfully took possession of a seat in our new abode, manifesting myself to be at home. Way opening for it in my own mind, at a suitable time, I informed the preacher the errand that had brought us to the settlement of the Oneida Indians, producing to him my certificate to read; which having done, he proposed giving up his place of worship and congregation to-morrow to me, consisting of the Indians of this settlement, or to read to them the service of the day and not give them a sermon. On considering both these proposals in the best way I was qualified to do, it felt most easy to me to accept of his latter proposal, in doing which we afterwards were led to believe we had done right. But there appeared one great difficulty to attend my mind in yielding to this latter proposal, which I named to my kind friend who had made me this very liberal offer, which was, our sitting amongst them during the time of their religious performance with our hats on, feeling, as I did, a care on my mind to be preserved from wilfully hurting the feelings of those who did not profess with myself. In reply, he, with apparent cheerfulness, informed us, he did not wish us to depart in the least degree from our accustomed manner of acting in our own place of worship; thus this matter, which to me appeared as a huge mountain to encompass, was brought to a close, and peacefully so to my own mind. We passed the evening with the young man, the preacher, in his own apartment, which added much to our comfort. During our conversation, I found that if I had any thing to communicate to-morrow, it must be conveyed to them through an Indian interpreter, and that by our arrangement for the day, we should secure a better attendance, as they pretty generally attend their place of worship on a First-day.

First-day, at the time appointed, we proceeded with our friend the preacher to the meeting-place, a commodious building crected by the state, but at the expense of the Oneida settlement; the government disposing of so much of their land as covered the charges. On our arrival, our friend placed us in two chairs on the platform of what is called the altar, taking his seat in the reading-desk; the Indians, we were told, gathered very stragglingly at this time of the year, when deprived of the rays of the sun to show the correct time of the day, having scarcely a clock or watch in their possession. The women assembled with their clean blankets over their heads; such as had infants had them fastened upon a board, which board, with the infant thus secured, is placed in an erect position against the side of their seat; after which the mother appeared to have no further care; they

manifested a devotedness of soul to that Almighty Power before whom they professed to be thus assembled, equal to any thing in this way I had ever before witnessed. The solidity observable in the countenances of the women, and their whole deportment, was well worthy of imitation by such as may rank the highest amongst professing Christians. This seriousness of deportment was not so manifest amongst the men, who took the opposite side of the house to that of the women. Reading being gone through, our friend requested the interpreter (who is paid for his services by the state, but at the Indians' expense ultimately,) to inform the congregation they were not to expect, as heretofore, a sermon from him that day, as I had desired to hold a meeting amongst them, he had therefore given up that time to me which would have been thus occupied; after which a pause took place. Feeling my mind entrusted with matter to communicate, when I rose on my feet, my interpreter prepared himself to fulfil the engagement he had undertaken, for which I understood he was fully competent; solid attention appeared to be given to what I had to offer, and I was led to believe, from the orderly quiet manner in which they separated, that what had been communicated was understood and was well received by them. Feeling my mind relieved from further service amongst them, I informed our friend to that effect, on which he immediately gave out a hymn. I could see no other way for us but quietly to keep our seats, which we did during the performance of this solemn act, for so it felt to me to be with many of them; if my feelings on the occasion were correct, not a doubt remaining in my mind (although I could not understand a word, it being in the Indian language) but that many of them felt the awful import of the words they uttered. The women appeared to take the most active part, the melodious sound, with the frequent gradual rise and fall of their voices, equalled in melody and solemnity any thing of the kind which I had before been a witness to. After the meeting closed, we returned to our lodgings and took our dinner. I felt well rewarded in my own mind that we had thus pressed through the various difficulties that had presented, to obtain a meeting with these Indians. After dinner, under feelings of near affection, which we had reason for believing were mutual, we parted from our kind friend the preacher and the family, who had every way in their power, I believe, cared for us, and rode twelve miles towards the settlement of the Onandaga Indians, and we took up our abode for the night at an inn.

Second-day morning, 4th of 12th mo. 1826, we pursued our journey; the roads had been so much cut up, with deep holes, which we could not at times avoid passing through, made travelling this day very fatiguing. About noon we were favoured to reach the house of a member of our Society, in

the Onandaga settlement, who, with his family, are placed there by the Yearly Meeting of New York, for the improvement of the Indians of this settlement. On inquiry, I found there was but little probability of our having a meeting with the Indians of this settlement, the men being mostly gone hunting for deer, and from the difficulty of procuring an interpreter who would be fully competent to the task. We spent three days in the settlement, calling at some of the Indian huts, and viewing the improvements that had taken place under the care of Friends. We had frequent visits from the chief, who is in possession of a large stock of cattle and pigs, and his farm well cultivated and fenced, which we observed was very much the case in this settlement, as far as we went over this beautiful and fruitful valley. I much regretted our want of a suitable interpreter, as it foreclosed our making some inquiries which we might have felt disposed to do, and which I had no doubt would have produced from them undisguised and disinterested replies. The evening before we left the house of our kind friends, it appeared that it would tend to the relief of my own mind to request a sitting with the family of the chief, his grandson, (who speaks English,) and such of the Indians who inclined to give us their company. The chief, his grandson, two men, and seven women attended: after I had relieved my mind of what came before me, a pause took place, and the grandson of the chief, in a feeling manner, endeavoured by little and little to do his best to communicate to his grandfather and the other Indians the substance of what I had been delivering. Then the chief, in reply, said it had afforded him great comfort, that I had been thus sent across the great water to visit them, and that he hoped his grandson would remember what had been delivered by me, and would not be suffered to return to his old bad ways again, but keep on more and more improving in his good conduct; adding, that his mind had been comforted under the feelings he was favoured with, whilst I was communicating amongst them good counsel. The next morning we affectionately parted from them and the kind family, under whose roof we had been so amply cared for.

Whilst in the Onandaga settlement, desirous of having some correct view of the belief which the Indians have of God and a future state, I was informed they were cautious of conversing on these subjects; but some months after I had visited the settlement, a kind friend there, by letter furnished me with the following particulars, which I believe it right for me to give a place in these memoirs, not doubting their correctness, from what I had previously heard: "The Indians' belief concerning a God is, that there is a great and good Spirit, who is omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, the Creator of every thing that is good; but that he never had any thing to do with evil, nor could, for it is contrary to his nature; that he has not only made man intelligent, but has, in

infinite mercy, given him a portion of his own good Spirit, to preserve him from all evil, and instruct him in every thing that is proper to be done; that from this source arises man's accountability, and that he will receive a reward in exact proportion to his works, whether good or evil. They also believe in the immortality of the soul, future rewards and punishments, and a perpetual judgmentseat in the mind, which is always accusing or justifying us for our conduct; that heaven is a place inexpressibly delightful, where the good will live with the Great Spirit eternally: their idea is, that the passage, or bridge, that leads to this happy place, is not broader than a hair or the edge of a knife; yet that there is no difficulty in the good passing it, for angels meet them, and conduct them over; they also believe, that beneath this narrow passage there is a dark, horrible pit, full of every loathsome and tormenting disease, where the wicked are for ever punished; that when the wicked attempt to cross this bridge, there is no help afforded them; they therefore fall into it, and it is impossible for them to get out again." "I know this," says the Friend, "to be a correct statement, having resided several years amongst them." After leaving the Onandaga settlement we proceeded to Skaneateloes, and reached the house of Lydia Mott. During the frost, my foot slipped off the step of our waggon, whereby I received a considerable wound on my leg, and being exposed to the frosty air, it became very much swelled and inflamed: I felt thankful to find I had reached the house of a good doctress and nurse, by whose kind and unremitting attention my leg soon began to mend, which I esteemed a favour, as the frost was now becoming very severe, and we were likely soon again to be much exposed to its pinching influence, which would have proved unfavourable to its healing.

First-day, (10th of 12th mo.) attended meeting at this place. The next day was held the preparative meeting, which was attended by a committee under appointment of the monthly meeting of Scipio, to visit the several preparative meetings of this monthly meeting. The answers to the queries were brought into the meeting, ready prepared by the overseers. This practice placed me in a trying situation, inasmuch as, to make objections to what was brought in by the overseers appeared like doubting the veracity of the Friends who had prepared the document for the meeting; and yet I found nothing but faithfulness and plaindealing would acquit me in the sight of that Divine Being, who alone was able to sustain through the future trials that might await me in my wilderness' journey through time: I therefore earnestly besought the Lord for counsel in my movements, and when that was in mercy clearly unfolded, for his sustaining help, that faithfulness might mark all my steppings in that meeting. Before the meeting closed, vocal acknowledgments of gratitude