Pioneer Journals 1820-4 85 



from Gravesend on the 27th of May, and arrived R O V. j. west 

 in due time at York Factory, Hudson Bay. Of 8ai1 ^&quot; 1820 

 his first impressions of the Indians he says, The 

 swampy Crees presented a way-worn countenance, The swampy 

 which depicted suffering without comfort while Cree8 

 they sunk without hope. The contrast was 

 striking, and forcibly impressed my mind with the 

 idea, that Indians who knew not the corrupt in 

 fluence and barter of spirituous liquors at a 

 Trading Post, were far happier than the wretched- 

 looking group around me. The duty devolved upon 

 me, to seek to meliorate their sad condition, as 

 degraded and emaciated, wandering in ignorance, 

 and wearing away a short existence in one con 

 tinued succession of hardships in procuring food. 

 I was told of difficulties, and some spoke of im 

 possibilities in the way of teaching them Chris 

 tianity or the first rudiments of settled and civil 

 ized life ; but with a combination of opposing cir 

 cumstances, I determined not to be intimidated, 

 nor to confer with flesh and blood, but to put 

 my hand at once to the plough, in the attempt to 

 break in upon this heathen wilderness.&quot; 



He conceived immediately the idea of obtaining Two Boys foi 

 a number of children who should be removed !chool din2 

 from their heathern surroundings and trained in a 

 boarding school. With this in mind he says: 

 &quot;with the aid of an interpreter, I spoke to an 

 Indian, called Withaweecapo, about taking two 

 of his boys to the Red River Colony with me to 

 9 ducate and maintain. He yielded to my request 

 and I shall never forget the affectionate manner 



