650 HISTORY OF THE COUNTY OF WESTCHESTER. 



of great preferment in the Church, which Mr. Udang put into the hands 

 of General Murray, who sent it enclosed to General Gage, who upon 

 the receipt of it, sent a guard to take the Vicar-General into custody ; 

 what will be the issue, is not known." 



Mr. Houdin must have returned to New York, in 1761, for about 

 August of that year he was appointed by the Venerable Society to be 

 their missionary at New Rochelle. With regard to this appointment, 

 the Society's abstracts say : — ■" That the French refugees are, according 

 to Dr. Barclay, a very orderly, sober, and religious people ; to whom, at 

 their earnest request, he had preached twice lately, and had adminis- 

 tered the holy communion, and was much pleased with their devout be- 

 havior. All this being maturely considered, the Society have thought 

 proper to remove the Rev. Mr. Houdin, itinerant missionary, whose 

 chief residence was at Trenton in New Jersey, to the mission at New 

 Rochelle, he being a Frenchman by birth, and capable of doing his duty 

 to them both in the French and English language ; but he is to officiate 

 for the most part in English, that being well understood by much the 

 greater part of the congregation."* 



The Rev. John Milner, rector of the parish, who arrived from Eng- 

 land, May 13th, 1 761, in a letter to the Secretary the 3d of October of 

 that year, says: — "He was obliged to attend three churches, and till 

 Mr. Houdin came to New Rochelle officiated there once a month." 



It appears from the following document, that in appointing Mr. 

 Houdin, the Society had carefully stipulated with the people at New 

 Rochelle, that they should not only give him a comfortable support, but 

 immediately put the old parsonage house in order : — 



PETITION FOR LEAVE TO COLLECT FUNDS FOR BUILDING A 

 NEW MINISTER'S HOUSE AT NEW ROCHELLE. 



"To the Honorable Cadwallader Colden, Esq., Lieutenant-Governor 

 and Commander-in-Chief of the Province of New York, and Ter- 

 ritories thereon depending in America, &c. 

 A Petition of Sundry of the Inhabitants of New Rochelle, belonging to the Church 

 of England. 

 Sir: — " The Society for Propagation of the Gospel in foreign Parts have Been 

 so Charitable as to appoint Mr. Houdin, a French Refugee, a Gentleman of good 

 character, Successor to their late worthy Missionary at New Rochelle, the Rev- 

 rend Mr. Stouppe, In consideration of which particular regard, they require and In- 

 sist that the people at New Rochelle should do their utmost to make Mr. Houdin 

 a comfortable support, and that they should Immediately put the Parsonage 

 House in good repair. We are ready and willing to exert ourselves to the utmost 

 according to our Abilities. But to those that are acquainted with the Circum- 



o Printed abstracts of Ven. Prop. Soc. for 1761. 



