APPENDIX. 471 



be recommended by the clergy here and Colonel Philipse; and the recommendation 

 will be no more than he deserves. 1 can easily procure him a letter from Governor 

 Tryon to Governor Martin, but would choose, as North Carolina is a bad climate, that 

 he should be more happily situated, as he is a good young man and deserves any good 

 offices that the clergy can do for him.* I think it would be worth while once more to 

 try to establish the mission at Gloucester (as it is so contiguous to your city), if there 

 is the least prospect of success ; and I know of no young man that in my opinion 

 will do more to gain the love and esteem of any people than the bearer. lie is a 

 lump of good nature, and very diligent when he has anything to do. 



I am, dear sir, 



Your affectionate brother, 



S. Auchmi;ty. 



Attached to the mission at Gloucester, as would seem, was the very- 

 ancient Parish of St. Mary's, Colestown, in old Gloucester county, ten 

 miles north of the town of Gloucester. And apparently ou Dr. Auch- 

 muty's suggestion, Dr. Peters (with whom perhaps was Dr. Smith) set 

 measures on foot for the re-establishment of the mission. 



The mission, as defined by the society and left by Mr. Evans, covered 

 a territory of about sixty miles long by thirty wide, and a population 

 of six thousand persons, of whom more than half were Quakers, the 

 residue being people of the churches of England and Sweden, Luther- 

 ans and Presbyterians, all in about equal numbers. There was a church, 

 St. Mary's, at Colestown (founded, it is said, about the year 1740 — 

 very ancient, certainly — still standing), and in 1766 the two congrega- 

 tions took a house with twelve acres of land for a parsonage, on a lease 

 of five years. 



The mission was now agreed to be re-established ; the people at 

 Cole's church promising verbally to pay to the support of the minister 

 a portion of the expenses. Up to this date Mr. Blackwell had not 

 been ordained even as a deacon. Before going to England for holy 

 orders, he was desirous of seeing where he could fix himself with cer- 

 tainty on his return, as a parish minister. In addition to which the 

 Society for the Propagation of the Gospel, into whose service as a mis- 

 sionary he proposed to enter, usually required, before establishing a 

 mission, that the people where it was to be established should agree to 

 contribute a certain sum towards sustaining it. The merely verbal 

 agreement — probably undefined both as to persons and amounts — led 

 to the letter which follows, from Mr. Blackwell to the clergy at Phila- 

 delphia who were desirous to re-establish the mission. It is singularly 



* His Excellency, William Tryon, was at this time " Captain-General and Governor 

 of New York and the Territories depending thereon in America, Chancellor and Vice- 

 Admiral of the same." 



