a Victim to some Enemy, a Slave to some Rover, or perishes in the Woods.
They have certain Hieroglyphical Methods of characterizing Things; an Instance of which I have seen upon the Side of a Tree where the Bark was taken off.
There was drawn something like a Deer and a River, with certain Strokes and Dashes; the Deer looking down the River, which we interpreted to be left for Information to some of their stragling Company, that certain of them were gone down that River a Hunting, and others were gone different Ways.
I know by the Boys at the College, that they have an excellent Genius for Drawing; and I fancy by Art they might be made some of the best Masters of Painting and Limning, to which they seem naturally inclined.
They hate Injury and Oppression; and I have been told they have some capital Punishments.
Besides the French, the Traders of some Companies and Countries often set the Indians on to injure the English on the Frontiers, out of a barbarous inhuman Design; and often private Injuries done by some of our ordinary or vile People (who esteem and use the Indians as Dogs) are repaid with publick Barbarity.
An Instance of their Resolutions for Satisfaction, we have in the Death of Major Wynne, who was shot by an Indian, because one of our Servants had killed one of their great Men; and upon the Trial of the Indian, they pleaded that we were the Aggressors, and that they never rest without Revenge and Reprisals; and that now they said we and they were equal, having each lost a great Man: Wherefore to avoid more Bloodshed, there was a Necessity to pardon the Indian.
They report that the Northern Indians send out Bodies of young Fellows yearly, who dare not return without a certain Number of Scalps or Prisoners, in order to train them up, and qualify them for great and fighting Men.
Now these, and such as are set on by others, do some Mischief (tho' but very seldom) in the Frontier Plantations, tho' they be guarded with Rangers; and these with such as think themselves injured are the Indians that make Wars, and such Disturbance in the Northern and Southern Colonies: But the tributary Indians, of which there are but four very small Nations in Virginia on this Side the Mountains, keep to the Bounds allowed them, and seldom do any Hurt, being sure to be punished for Offences in a great Measure by our Laws, since we protect and shelter them, by permitting them to live among us; tho' sometimes they will pretend to claim their prior Right to all our Lands, as Blunt King of the Tuskaroodaus did, when he told Colonel Spotswood that the Country belonged to them before we English came thither; so that he thought they had a better Title than we, and ought not to be confined to such narrow Limits for Hunting.
To retort this Argument, the Governor told him that Mohomny took the Ground from them and gave it us, because we did as he bid us, but they would not.
Blunt answered, that they could not tell what Mohomny would have them do; and asked how we knew.
The Governor then told him that Mohomny sent his Son to us, who lived a long time with us, and told us and taught us what we should do; and then he went back again to his Father.
With this King Blunt seemed satisfied and surprized; and after a Pause, he said, he had talked with several Governors and other English, but he really never before heard that Mohomny had a Son.
I relate this, to shew how by Degrees, after proper Methods, they may be humoured, and brought to have some Notions of the true Religion, when their Capacity and Temper is rightly studied and managed; for we must give Milk to such Babes in Faith.
Some indeed, after seeming Conversion have apostatized and returned to their own Ways, chiefly because they can live with less Labour, and more Pleasure and Plenty, as Indians, than they can with us; but this might easily be remedied by making a plentiful Provision for them, especially those at the College, by sending some to Sea, and putting out others to Trades, and not letting them idle away their Time, nor return to their Towns so soon, before they be perfect in the Understanding and Approbation of our Customs and Religion, and have seen some more of the World, and be handsomly provided for; for then if they returned, they might do Good to themselves and others.
This might by Degrees convert all the tributary and neighbouring Indians; and the Northern and Southern Nations might be managed by Missionaries from the Society, and the College Indians.
These inland People are vastly numerous, as I have been told by the Traders, who are sent out amongst them seven or eight hundred Miles, with about a hundred Horses, and stay there sometimes for Years together.
The Missionaries that are now sent, generally keep among the English, and rarely see an Indian; or when they do, know but little how to manage them; for you may as well talk Reason, Philosophy, or Divinity to a Block, as to them, unless you perfectly understand their Temper, and know how to humour them.
I believe indeed, Mr. Andrews, Missionary to the Northern Indians, in the late Queen's Time, did great Good among them in seven Years: In which Time, he found out something of their Nature, and translated Part of our Prayers and Psalms into their Language: Which Book when he gave me, he told me that it had not the desired Effect, neither did his Preaching avail as much as could be wished, because Policy and Interest intervening often superseded the Promotion of the Gospel, and the debauched Lives and vile Practices of our ordinary People give Examples very pernicious to Religion; for the Indians think, that they may surely be allowed the same Liberty as we; and if our Folks don't act, as they say, they should, the Indians may think the Christian Profession to be a Cheat, when our pretended Principles are contradicted by our Actions.
I have here specified some general Customs and Notions of the Indians, without a superficial Knowledge of which Things the Government and Society for propagating the Gospel in Foreign Parts, may be at great Trouble and Expence, and yet make but small Progress in the Propagation of Learning, Religion and good Manners among the Heathen Indians of America; who in Gross may all be said to be such, as I have here given an Account of.
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