LANCASTER COUNTY. 35 



jptvtempts to obtain legislative restrictions upon the inter- 

 course with the Indians to prevent shameful practices 

 upon these poor creatures, by unprincipled whites, whose 

 conduct was occasionally beastly; not satisfied with 

 sellmg them all manner of spirituous liquors for the sake 

 of gain, but would frequently disgrace themselves and 

 their wretched victims.* His not succeeding in having 

 legislative co-operation, to prevent their temporal ruin, 

 he was determined to improve their condition ; he paid 

 the sons of the forest a visit, participating in all their 

 iimocent amusements, and in turn received their visits at 

 his own house at Pennsbury.t He co-operated with his 

 friends, who, as early as 1685, signalized by an attempt 

 with the annual meeting of their society at Burlington, 

 in New Jersey, to communicate the knowledge of 

 christian truth to the Indians. With what success, may 

 be learned from Proud's statement : " that the Indians in 

 general acknowledged at that time, what they heard was 

 very wise, weighty and true; and never afterwards 

 thought about it." So far as is known to us, the Quaker 

 Missionaries have kept no particular accounts of the 

 the number of Indian converts to Quakerism. There is 

 no doubt that the savages acceded readily to the con- 

 ferences that were proposed to them, and listened with 

 their usual gravity and decorum to the sedate Quaker ; 

 who, in professing to obey the command of the Saviour, 

 " to teach and baptize all nations ^^ ever ventured to 

 teach them that baptism was not an ordinance of divine 



*See a case, Col. Rec. I. 96. 



fPenn, at a former treaty, had promised the Shawanesc 

 Chief, protection. "To enable him to fulfil this promise, he 

 visited them in person at Conestogo, attended by many geo- 

 tiemen of distinction."— CoZ. R(c. JI. 253. 



