210 History of Methodism 



whites to strengthen their forces against another tribe 

 with whom they were at war. " Their general," says 

 Dr. Coke, " who is a tall, grave old man, walked with 

 a mighty staff in his hand. Around his neck he wore 

 a narrow piece (I think) of leather, which hung down 

 before, and was adorned with a great variety of bits of 

 silver. He also had a silver breastplate. Almost all 

 the men and women wore silver nose-rings, hanging 

 from the middle gristle of the nose, and some of them 

 had little silver hearts hanging from the rings. In 

 general they were dressed like the white people. But 

 a few of the men were quite luxuriant in their dress, 

 even wearing mines and very showy suits of clothes 

 made of cotton." Their habitations he represents as 

 appearing not uncomfortable, being far superior to the 

 cabins of the Irish peasantry. Their household fur- 

 niture was rather singular. They had chairs in abun- 

 dance, but not a single table was to be procured from 

 any of their cottages. It was intended to establish a 

 school for the instruction of their children. But this 

 attempt, like many others that have been made to civ- 

 ilize savage nations, finally proved abortive. Having 

 taken their leave of the Indians, they preached at the 

 Waxhaw's Church, and passed on through Salisbury 

 to hold the Conference at McKnight's, in North Car- 

 olina. 



The Conference of 1791 is memorable for the schism 

 in the Church which followed it, and which threatened 

 for a time almost the ruin of Methodism in Charles- 

 ton. James Parks, who was admitted on trial in 1788, 

 had developed such eminent qualities as a preacher, 

 in filling three prominent appointments in North Car- 

 olina, that Bishop Asbury had brought him from Salis- 

 bury, and put him in charge of the work in the city. 



