HISTORICAL SKETCH. 219 



themselves totally unable to make any im- 

 pression, by force, upon those in the in- 

 terior ; who, secure in their impenetrable 

 wilds, or natural fastnesses, defied all the 

 power that could be arrayed against them. 



Recourse was then had to the aid of re- 

 ligion, for the purpose of effecting a con- 

 quest through the instrumentality of its 

 ministers, which could not be achieved by 

 the sword. Missionaries were consequently 

 employed to penetrate into the retreats of 

 the Indians, in order to civilize them by 

 converting them to Christianity. In these 

 attempts, rendered doubly hazardous by 

 the exasperation of the Indians, many of 

 the ministers of religion fell victims to their 

 zeal : some, however, so far succeeded as 

 to establish churches ; and each of these 

 churches, with an adjacent village, and a 

 district attached to it, constituted what 

 was denominated a mission ; each of them 



