LETTERS FROM ENGLAND. 95 



a foundation is now laid to extend the blessings 

 of Christianity, religion, morals, and education, 

 wherever the representative of the Company 

 may set his foot." God grant that it may ! and 

 that the Light which first sprang up in Judea, 

 may break forth upon every part of these vast 

 territories, dissipate the present darkness of 

 the natives, and lead them to the enjoyment 

 of " the fulness of the blessings of the gospel of 

 Christ.'" 



All, all, is encouraging to proceed : yet I 

 will not conceal my fears, that expectations 

 may be raised too high, as to the progress that 

 may be made in that vast field of labour which 

 presents itself. — " There are a great many 

 willows to cut down, and roots to remove," as 

 an Indian chief said to me, when he welcomed 

 me to the country, " before the path will be 

 clear to walk in." The axe, however, is laid 

 to the root of the tree, in the establishment of 

 schools, as the means of instruction and of 

 diffusing Christian knowledge in this moral 

 wilderness ; and we may anticipate the hope 

 that numbers will arise to enjoy what they are 

 capable of feeling, the endearments of social 

 life, as well as of moral and religious education. 



Soon after the express canoe arrived, a Di- 

 rector of the Hudson's Bay Company and an 



