Some account of the conduct of the Religious Society of Friends towards the Indian tribes in the settlement of the colonies of East and West Jersey and Pennsylvania: with a brief narrative of their labours for the civilization and Christian instruction of the Indians, from the time of their settlement in America, to the year 1843 / Published by the Aborigines' Committee of the Meeting for Sufferings.

  • London Yearly Meeting (Society of Friends). Aborigines' Committee.
Date:
1844
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Some account of the conduct of the Religious Society of Friends towards the Indian tribes in the settlement of the colonies of East and West Jersey and Pennsylvania: with a brief narrative of their labours for the civilization and Christian instruction of the Indians, from the time of their settlement in America, to the year 1843 / Published by the Aborigines' Committee of the Meeting for Sufferings. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    between Friends in that country and this, and for nearly a century past, pretty frequently so ; by which, from time to time, much information respecting these Aborigines has been communicated to our \ early Meeting, exciting therein a lively interest for the promotion of the various benevolent plans adopted bv our American brethren for the spiritual and temporal good of this people. The information furnished to our Yearly Meeting during the last few years, respecting the concern of some of the \ early Meetings in America, to engage in labours of this kind among the Indians located west of the Mississippi river, is calculated to produce a more than ordinary degree of interest in this important subject; and should it appear to be the duty of Friends in this land, as it lias been in former years, to take active measures for the promotion of this en- gagement, we desire that we may be found alive to its full discharge. The held for benevolent enterprise among the native Indian tribes of North America is not only highly interesting but very extensive, embracing, according to information fur- nished to Congress a few years since, an Indian population of 3*25,000 under the jurisdiction of the United States; be- sides the large and numerous tribes scattered over the region extending west from the Rocky Mountains to the shores of Columbia and California ; and those located within as well as north and west of the Canadas. Much as our American brethren have in various ways been instrumental in promoting the welfare of this class of our fellow-men, it will, nevertheless, be seen by the following ac- count, that the number of Indians who have been participants of their Christian labours to any great extent, forms but a comparatively small proportion even of those situated in the Union. One of the obstacles which have been thrown in the way of extending Christian instruction to them, and of ameliorating their condition for a considerable number of years past, has been the gradual removal of them from their