\ 
310 ^he Discoveries and Settlements Book I 
yAt. Andrews ^irrived at Albany in November, 1712. 
The Sach ems who had beeil carried home before he went 
from England, were convened by Order of the Governor 
of New Tork, to meet Mr. Andrews and the Com- 
miffioners for Indian Affairs at Albany, in order to give 
a public Authority and Sandlion to Mr. Andrews's, 
Miffion, and that the Sachems might, receive him their 
Minifter with greater Solemnity. The Sachems came to 
Albany, met the Commiffioners for Indian Affairs, and 
Mr. Andrews, the Miffionary, made a long Speech to 
the Sachems, reminding them how gracious her Majefty 
was in building a Fort, fending a Minifter to them ; put 
them in mind how earneftly they had requefted it; and 
fet forth what Advantages they and their Children would 
reap by being taught our Religion and Learning. A 
Letter from the Archbiffiop of Canterbury was delivered 
to them, and afterwards read to them in Indian by 
Mr. Claufen, the Interpreter of the Province. Some of 
the Sachems made Speeches, and returned Thanks to the 
Queen, expreffed a great Satisfadfion in having a Minifter 
fent them, and received Mr. Andrews as fiich, and pro- 
rhifed him all civil and kind Ufage. 
The whole Affair was tranfadfed with much Ceremony, 
the Sachems returned home, Mr. Andrews ftaid fome time 
at Albany to refrefh himfelf ; foon after he went up to 
the Fort, two hundred Miles from New Tork, accom- 
panied by Robert Livingjion, Efq*, the Mayor of Albany, 
Capt. Mathews, Mr. Stroopman of Scheneblady, the Re- 
verend Mr. Barclay, and feveral other Gentlemen : He 
was prefently vifited by a great mscny Indians, Men, Wo- 
men, and Children, who faiuted him with abundance of 
Joy, and bid him welcome to their Country, The Caftle 
or chief Town of thefe Mohocks is neighbouring to the 
Queen’s Fort, confifting of about fifty Wigwams or 
Houfes : Thefe Wigwams are Huts made of Mats, or 
Barks of Trees put together with Poles about three or four 
Yards high. TBit Mohocks Cloathing is a fliortCloke, 
like a Mantle, made of a Blanket, or Bear-fkin. Their 
Bed is a Mat, or Skin, laid on the Ground. They paint 
and greafe themfelves very much with Bears Fat clarified. 
They cut the Hair off from one Side of their Heads, and 
tie up fome of that on the other Side in Knots, on the 
Crown, with Feathers. The Men are very flothful,_ the 
Women Very laborious, meef Servants to their Hufbands. 
They carry all Burdens, fetch the Venifon home their 
Hufbands kill (the Men are too lazy to bring it), get in 
the Wood to burn and drefs it ; carry their Children on 
their Backs in their Rambles of many hundreds of Miles ; 
hoe the Ground and plant sdltht IndianCorn that is raifed. 
The Language of thefe People is very difficult, their Ideas 
are very few, and their Words therefore not many, but as 
long as Sentences, expreffiing by a long rumbling Sound 
what we do in a fliort Word. There is here no manner of 
Convenieiicy of Life for aMiffionary ; for four or five 
Months in the Year there is fcarce any flirting abroad, by 
reafon of the extraordinary Coldnefs of the Weather, and 
the deep Snows that fall ; and in the Summer-time, the 
Flies and Mufketoes are almoft intolerable, and the 
Rattlefnakes very dangerous : The neareft Place of get- 
ting any Provifions is at Scheneblady, twenty-four Miles 
diftant, or from Albany forty-four Miles off. The Road 
to thefe Places is, for the moft part, only a fmall, rough 
Indian Path through vaft Woods, where riding is very 
dangerous, by reafon of the Road being in many Places, 
flopped with fallen Trees, Roots, Stones, and Holes ; 
befides many fteep Hills, and dead Swamps or Bogs 
in the Way ; there was nothing defirable to be feen ; the 
Face of the Earth rude and uncultivated, like the wild 
Inhabitants •, no Pleafure to be found but that of doing 
good to the miferable Natives. 
Thefe were the Circumftances of the Place and People, 
whither Mr. Andrews was appointed ; and notwithftand- 
ing all thefe Inconveniencies he refided there, and invited 
the Indians to come to him ; many came r He iifed very 
often to difeourfe with them, inftrufting them in the 
chief Articles of Faith, and giving them fhort general 
Accounts of our Religion. This was done by the Help 
of Mr. Claufen, who always attended and interpreted to 
the Indians. Mr. Claufen had been formerly taken Pri- 
foner by the Indians, lived long among them, and under- 
flood their Language fufficiently. Mr. Andrews ufed to 
draw up fhort Accounts of the Chriftian Doftrines, and 
fome hiftorical Parts of the Bible ; particularly the Creation 
of the World, and Miracles of die Lord. The Inter- 
preter ufed to read them to the Indians, and divine Ser-^ 
vice ufed to be performed in Englifb to the Soldiers in the 
Garrifon. The School-mafter, Mr. Oliver, opened his 
School ; the Indians, at firft, fent many of their Chil- 
dren ; he began to teach them Engliflo •, the Parents obfti- 
nately refufed to have them taught Englijh ; ail poffible 
Endeavours v/ere ufed to perfuade them, they ftill per^ 
fifted. Mr, Andrews fent this Account to the Society, 
and rather than quite break with the Indians, the School- 
mafter, and Interpreter, began to teach the Children a 
little in Indian. The Society were forced to comply 
with the Indians OhiEmdiCj : They procured an Impreffion 
of Hornbooks and Brimmers in Indian, for the Children, 
fent them great Numbers, as alfo Leathern Ink-horns, 
Pen-knives, a Quantity of Paper of feveral forts, and feve- 
ral other little Neceftaries. The Children were now taught 
in Indian, and were treated with great Kindnefs^ ; no Cor- 
reftion dared to be ufed, for the Parents were fo fond of 
their Children, and valued Learning fo little they thought 
it not worth gaining, at the leaft difpleafing of their 
Children. 
To engage them farther to learn, Mr. Andrews ufed to 
give the Children who came to School Vidluals, and fome 
fmall Ltenfils for their Parents. The Children ufed often 
to come for the fake of getting Vifluals, for the Indians 
are frequently drove to great Extremities on account of 
their making little or no Provifion before-hand. The 
Children had a good natural Capacity, and an Aptnefs 
for Learning ; many of them begun to read, and fome 
to write. This Method of giving them Viftuals, engaged 
the Parents to fend them for fome time to School. In the 
mean time Mr, Andrews proceeded to inftrufl the grown 
Indians by help of the Interpreter, in fome of the chief 
Articles of Faith, and Rules of Life ; Divine Service 
was conftantly performed on Sundays and HoUidays in 
Englijh, to the Soldiers, and fuch Indians as underftood 
any EngUJJo frequently attended in the Chapel : The 
Chapel was very decently adorned *, Queen Anne had given 
a handfome Furniture for the Communion-Table, the 
Imperial Arms of England painted on Canvas were fixed 
up in the Chapel. Archbifiiop Tenifon gave twelve large 
Bibles very finely bound, for the Life of the Chapel, with- 
painted Tables containing the Creed, Lord’s Prayer, and 
Ten Commandments. Mr. Andrews was very civil to all 
the Indians who came to hear him •, ufed frequently to 
entertain them at his Houfe, and give them Provifions 
home with them when they wanted very much, and 
that they often did. 
The Society, fince they could by no Means prevail 
with the Indians to learn Englijh, neither young nor old, 
laboured to get fome good Tranflations made of Parts 
of the Scripture, at leaft, into the Indian Language, 
though exceeding improper to convey a due Idea of the 
Chriftian Dodlrines •, as being willing, by all Methods of 
Compliance, to gain fomething upon them ; The Society 
were much aftifted in this by Mr. Freeman, a very worthy 
Calvinifi Minifter •, he had been five Years Minifter at 
' Schenebiady, to a Dutch Congregation, and had been em- 
ployed by the Earl of Bellamont, in the Year 1 700, to 
convert the Indians. He had a good Knowledge of the 
Dialedl of the Mohocks, which is underftood by all the 
Iroquois, who reach near four hundred Miles beyond 
Albany. The Society applied to him for any proper Pa- 
pers wrote in that Language, wffiich he might have. 
He acquainted the Society, that he had tranfiated into In- 
dian, the Morning and Evening Prayers from our Liturgy, 
the whole Gofpei of St. Mathew, the three firft Chapters 
of Genefts, feveral Chapters Q^ Exodus, itvtidS.Bfalms, ma- 
ny Portions of the Scripture relating to the Birth, Paftion, 
Refurredlion, and Afeenfion of our Lord; and feve- 
ral Chapters of the firft Epiftle to the Corinthians, particu- 
larly the fifteenth Chapter, proving the Refurredlion of the 
Dead. He very frankly gave the Sojtiety a Copy of thefe 
Tranflations, which were fent to Mr. Andasws for his 
Help, 
