SOURCE OF ST. Peter's river. 151 



christian religion, they say that we are right, and they ge- 

 nerally applaud what we tell them. They would hold it 

 to be a great breach of manners to intimate the least doubt 

 as to the truth of all that we teach them, but having heard 

 and praised all that we had to say, they pretend that we 

 ought to show the same deference for the tales which they 

 relate to us, and when we tell them that all they have ad- 

 vanced is false, their reply is, that as they have acquiesced 

 in all that we have stated, it is foolish on our part to in- 

 terrupt them and deny the truth of what they assert." " All 

 that thou hast taught us, say they, respecting the belief of 

 thy country is doubtless true as respects thy people, but 

 it is otherwise with us who belong to a different nation, 

 and who dwell upon lands which are on this side of the 

 great lake." It is this indiflference in all matters of 

 faith, this belief that their doctrines were as good as those 

 of the missionaries, that may be*'considered as the true 

 source of the failure of all attempts to christianize them. 

 But after their ideas will have been expanded by a proper 

 acquaintance with the arts of civilized life, then they can- 

 not fail fully to appreciate the superiority of our faith over 

 theirs. 



The plan adopted in the school, purposes to unite a 

 practical with an intellectual education ; the boys are in- 

 structed in the English language, in reading, writing and 

 arithmetic, they are made to attend to the usual occupa- 

 tions of a farm, and to perform every operation connected 

 with it, such as ploughing, planting, harrowing, &c. ; in 

 these pursuits they appear to take great delight ; the sys- 

 tem being well regulated, they find time for every thing, 

 not only for study and labour, but also for innocent recrea- 

 tion, in which they are encouraged to indulge ; and the 

 hours allotted to recreation may perhaps be viewed as pro- 



