THIRTY TEARS A HUNTER. 231 



LITTER FROM REV. ASHER BLISS TO H. R. BCHOOLCRAFT. 



Cattaraugus Mission, Sept. 4th, 1845. 

 Dear Sir : — Agreeably to your request, I forward 

 you some facts in regard to the establishment and 

 progress of the gospel among the natives of this 

 reservation. The Cattaraugus Mission Church was 

 organized July 8th, 1827, (which is a little more 

 than eighteen years.) It consisted of Mr. William 

 A. Thayer, the teacher, his wife and twelve native 

 members. There have been additions to it from time 

 to time, until the whole number who have held a 

 connection with this church is one hundred and 

 eighteen. Thirteen of these have been white per- 

 sons, and most of them connected with the mission 

 family. Of the one hundred and five native mem- 

 bers, seven or eight have come by letter from other 

 reservations, 60 that the number who have united on 

 profession of faith is a little short of one hundred. 

 Twenty-five of these have gone to their final account. 

 Some have died in the triumphs of faith, and we 

 humbly hope and trust that they are among the 

 blessed, in the kingdom of our common Father. A 

 number (as it was natural to expect from converts 

 out of heathenish darkness) have apostatized from 

 Christianity, and returned to their former courses. 

 The proportion of these is not prabably more than 

 one in ten. Between sixty and seventy are now con- 

 nected with some of the mission churches. A few 

 only have removed to Allegany, Tuscarora, while the 

 remainder still live on this reservation. 



