The Documentary history of the state of New-York; arranged under direction of the Hon. Christopher Morgan, secretary of State. By E. B. O'Callaghan ...

438 PAPERS RELATING TO
SIR VWM. JOHNSON TO THE REVD. MR. BARTON.
Johnson hall Feby 28th 1771.
Dear Sir,
Your kind letter of last July would not have remained so long
unanswered, had it not been mislaid for some time after a late
tedious Indisposition. I am fully persuaded that you would
have answered the One I formerly wrote you, but we must
expect that some letters will miscarry, of which I have met with
many Instances nearer home.
I am unable to make a Suitable return for the Warm Wishes
you Express for me, but I feel them very sensibly, and you have
every thing in Answer that the strongest friendship can dictate,
and I cannot but greatly regret your distance & the peculiarity
of your situation which deprives me of the opportunity of a
more friendly intercourse, often Wishing that you could partake
in the pleasing prospects which this Country now affords from
the advancement of religion, and the Improvements in Cultivation.
Mr Stewart has been for some time at his mission where he is
much Esteemed not onl]r by the Indians but by the Dutch
Inhabitants who constantly resort to his Church his situation
enables me to see him often, and I have great hopes from his
appointment, Mr iHalll has an allowance from the Society and
is to reside at Canajoharie (where at my Cost I have built a
handsome Church) until he is of age to take Orders Mr Andrews,
who has brought over a Wife, is long since at Schenectady, he is
sensible, and will I believe be of great use there being Connected
With a principal Inhabitant of that place his Congregation is as
the abridged Philos. Trans. of the Royal Soc: of London, XII. 407-409. They
were added, we presume, to the final Copy sent to England, as they are not in
the original draught which we follow for the other portions of the letter. We have
taken the liberty to insert them, with this explanation, in order to furnish to the
reader all Sir Wnm. Johnson's observations on this interesting subject.
1 Graduated at Philadelphia Coll. and was sent to Canajoharie to learn the
Indian language, " that he may be qualified to be Catechist and Schoolmaster in
that place untill such time as he shall be able to come over to take orders and be
appointed a missionary P" —Abstract for 1771 His Salary was ~40. He remained there only a, year.