582 



MISSIONS. 



Missions, the flaming roof, leaped down and made their escape. 

 ~*~~v~~* Christian Fabricius, one of the Brethren, was the next 

 who made the attempt, but before he could escape, he 

 was perceived by the savages, and instantly wounded 

 with two balls. He was the only one whom they 

 seized alive; and after dispatching him with their 

 hatchets, they cut off his scalp, and left him dead on 

 the ground. All the others who fled to the garret 

 were burnt to death. Senseman, one of the missiona- 

 ries, who made his escape, had the inexpressible grief 

 to behold his wife perish in this miserable manner. 

 When surrounded by the flames, she was seen stand- 

 ing with folded hands, and, in the spirit of a martyr, 

 was heard to exclaim, " Tis all well, dear Saviour." 

 The whole number who perished in this terrible ca- 

 tastrophe, was eleven of the missionary family : five 

 only made their escape. The Brethren, however, 

 were the only sufferers : the Indian congregation hap- 

 pily escaped ; but yet they lost the whole of their pro- 

 perty, for the savages set fire to the town, and laid 

 waste all their plantations. 



During the American war, the missionaries and the 

 Indians under their care were involved in one trouble 

 after another; and toward the close of it, a number of 

 the latter were massacred by the white people, in the 

 most treacherous and cruel manner. The Brethren 

 and their congregation had lately been removed to 

 Sandusky, by Colonel de Peyster, the English gover- 

 nor of Fort Detroit, from the flourishing settlements 

 they had established on the river Muskingum ; and, 

 as in consequence of this, they were reduced to the 

 greatest straits for want of the necessaries of life, a 

 number of the Christian Indians returned in order 

 to fetch the corn they had left growing in the fields. 

 While a party of them were in that quarter, a band of 

 Americans came into the neighbourhood, with a de- 

 sign to murder them. After a scene of unparalleled 

 baseness and hypocrisy, they made the Indians prison- 

 ers, and told them that they must all die next morning. 

 When the day of execution arrived, the murderers fix- 

 ed on two houses, one for the men, the other for the 

 women and children, to which they wantonly gave the 

 name of slaughter-houses. The poor innocent crea- 

 tures, men, women, and children, were bound with 

 ropes, two and two together. They were then led into 

 the slaughter-houses appointed for them. There they 

 were scalped and murdered in cold blood, by these 

 demons in human form. In this horrid manner per- 

 ished no fewer than ninety-six persons, among whom 

 were five of the most valuable assistants, and thirty- 

 four children. They behaved, according to the testi- 

 mony of the murderers themselves, with wonderful 

 patience, and met death with cheerful resignation. 

 The miscreants even acknowledged that they were 

 good Indians, " for," said they, " they sung and pray- 

 ed to their latest breath." This band of murderers 

 was soon afterwards attacked by a body of English 

 and Indian warriors, and the greater part of them cut 

 in pieces. Thus they met with that vengeance from 

 the swords of their enemies which would probably 

 never have been inflicted on them by the laws of their 

 country : a circumstance in which every heart would 

 exult, were it not for the awful consideration that per- 

 sons whose hands were still reeking with the blood of 

 their murdered victims were but ill prepared to appear 

 before the tribunal of the Almighty. 



By the numerous and heavy trials which it has had 

 to endure, this mission, which was long extremely flou* 



3 



rishing, has been greatly checked in its progress. The Miasions.^ 

 whole number of Indians baptized by the Brethren s "V"' 

 since its commencement, may be estimated, we appre- 

 hend, at about 1400 ; but though they have still three 

 settlements among them, the members of their congre- 

 gations do not amount to 200. 



In 1738, several of the Brethren sailed for Berbice, SOUTH 

 and settled as missionaries among the Indians. Others AMERICA. 

 afterwards proceeded to Surinam, and established dif- Berl)ice - 

 ferent settlements among those in that colony. Some Surmam ' 

 also went as missionaries among the free negroes ; but 

 in consequence of the many difficulties and disasters 

 they met with, they were obliged to relinquish all these 

 undertakings one after another. Among the negro 

 slaves in Paramaribo and the neighbourhood, they were 

 more successful. In 1816, their congregations in this 

 quarter consisted of 817 members. 



In Demerara, the Methodist missionaries, and some Demerarg. 

 from the London Missionary Society, have also labour- 

 ed among the negroes with great success. 



In 1732, Leonard Dober and David Nitschman, two WEST IK 

 of the Moravian Brethren, proceeded to St. Thomas, 

 one of the Danish West India islands. As this was the 

 first mission undertaken by the Brethren, it may not 

 be uninteresting to state the circumstances which gave 

 rise to it, especially as they afford an instance of disin- 

 terested benevolence, which perhaps has scarcely a pa- 

 rallel in the annals of history. When Count Zinzen- 

 dorf was at Copenhagen, attending the coronation of 

 Christian VI. the King of Denmark, a negro called 

 Anthony, contracted an acquaintance with some of his 

 domestics, and informed them that he had a sister in 

 the island of St. Thomas, who was exceedingly desir- 

 ous of being instructed in the principles of religion ; 

 but as she had neither time nor opportunity for it, she 

 often besought the Great God to send some person to shew 

 her the way to heaven. Anthony having soon after visit- 

 ed Herrnhuth, again declared in the presence of many of 

 the congregation, thejdesire of his countrymen, and espe- 

 cially his sister, for Christian instruction ; but he add- 

 ed, that the labours of the negroes were so accumu- 

 lated, that they could have no opportunity of religious 

 improvement, unless their teacher was himself a slave, 

 to instruct them in the midst of their daily avocations. 

 In consequence of this representation, Leonard Dober, 

 and Tobias Leupold, two of the congregation, offered to 

 go to the island of St. Thomas, and to sell themselves 

 as slaves, in case they should find no other way of in- 

 structing the negroes. Besides this mission in St. Tho- 

 mas, the Brethren afterwards established others in St. 

 Croix, St. Jan, Jamaica, Antigua, Barbadoes, St. Chris- 

 topher's and Tobago ; but the last has been suspended 

 for some years. In some of these islands, their success 

 has been inconsiderable ; but in others, it has been very 

 extensive, as will appear from the following statement 

 of the members of their congregations at the latest 

 period we have been able to ascertain them. 



Begun 



1732, St. Thomas 



1733, St. Croix 

 1754-, St. Jan 



1754, Jamaica, about 

 1756, Antigua 

 1765, Barbadoes . 

 1777, St. Christopher's 



2253 

 7"96 

 1*26 



37* 

 7652 



214 

 8230 



21,945 



