foundation of a permanent establishment for the gospel ministry, to make ready a people prepared to worship God in the beauty of holiness in his sanctuary in this place, have been unremitted, and we believe, without example. We feel greatly indebted for his counsel and advice in projecting and maturing our plans in relation to our ecclesiastical concerns. His labours for the whole time he has been with us have exhibited one uniform effort to promote our spiritual interests; and the result appears in a total change of the aspect of the town with regard to its ecclesiastical prospects and the best hopes of Christians on religious subjects." After a statement of facts, illustrative of the peculiarity of their situation, they conclude by saying: "Under these circumstances the gratuitous and unexpected assistance of the Society for propagating the Gospel in North America has been peculiarly acceptable and grateful to us, and, we believe, has resulted in a remarkable accordance with their views in sending a missionary to this section of the country."

Missions among the Indians are as follows.-1. Moheakunnuk or New Stockbridge Indians.-The labours of the missionary, Rev. Mr. Sergeant, have been directed, as usual, to the promotion of the best interests, temporal and spiritual, of the remnant of this tribe. Beside stated expositions and discourses on the Lord's day, the missionary has visited and instructed the families, catechized the children and young people, and administered the ordinances of Baptism and the Lord's Supper. On the 10th of September, 1819, he "attended a council of a delegation of the Six Nations, with four from Canada of different tribes; the object of which was, to strengthen each other's hands in the cause of the Christian religion in opposition to paganism, and also to recommend religion to the heathen tribes." The second day of December was observed as a day of Thanksgiving. Governour Brooks' proclamation was read to the Indians in their own language. Mr. Sergeant notes, that "there have been 8 births, 7 deaths, and 7 new comers the year past:" also, that "The Stockbridge Indians have spun and made 20 coverlids and several hundred yards of cloth the year past." [i. e. 1819.]

A later number of the Journal of Mr. S. (from 1 January to 1 July, 1820,) records another attempt for a reformation. Mr. Sergeant having invited all the men of the tribe to meet at the dwelling house of the Chief, "to give them counsel and advice for a more general reformation in their morals;" they met according to appointment, on the 29th of May, when he addressed them in a long speech. They all appeared solemn and attentive; and afterwards voted several resolutions, the purport of which

was:-to be united in promoting regulations for the comfort, happiness and respectability of the tribe; to renew their covenant engagements, signed at the formation of the Moral Society, and to endeavour to support every regulation of it; to endeavour to deny themselves the use of spirituous liquors while cultivating their lands; to desire the neighbouring white people to use their utmost endeavours to put an entire stop to the sale of intoxicating liquor to any of their tribe; to appoint a committee to reprove, admonish, and complain of any white people, who may go about visiting or attending worldly business on Lord's days; and to use their utmost endeavours to promote among themselves all the arts of civilized life, which might, with the divine blessing, render them independent and happyAfter which the Chief made the following reply:

"Father,

"We, your children, thank you for your good counsel. You have plainly told us all the errors of our nation for many years past; wherein our forefathers and we their children, have missed the good path of duty whereby they and we might now have been a rich, great and numerous people, like our brethren the whites. Every word you have said is the truth. We will try to do better for the future, than we have done in our past days, and follow your good advice."

2. Indians on Martha's Vineyard; and the Narragansets.Mr. Baylies, whose account of the Indian schools to the month of September the last year, as appears by the last Report, left them in a flourishing state, wrote in March, that in their close, his most sanguine expectations were gratified. Beside visiting the schools, it was necessary that he should take a part in the instruction of them. Four women schools have been supported the season past. In all they were taught 34 weeks; add 12 weeks which I taught, make 46 weeks. In my schools I had 132 scholars; 122 were coloured, 11 were married people. 1 have not the exact number further than I have stated, but I should say, in the above schools there were 150 coloured scholars. These schools are very pleasing to the Indians; and it is my fervent prayer, that they may tend to promote their happiness in time and in eternity." Specimens of writing from 70 of the Indian scholars, left by Mr. B. with the Secretary, and preserved with the papers of the Society, do great honour to the schools, and furnish good encouragement to their continuance. Mr. Baylies spent 8 sabbaths at Narraganset; the remainder of his time principally on Martha's Vineyard-at Gay Head, Chabaquiddick, Christiantown, and Farmneck; dividing it according to numbers and circumstances. Although there has been no

special attention to religion of late among the Indians here, "yet we are not to conclude," says the missionary, "that they are without thought. I find many serious, pious people among them. Our public worship is not so well attended at all times as I could wish; yet we often have full assemblies. These poor people, who have experienced so much benefit from the benevolence of the Corporation and Society, rest in humble hopes that they shall not be forgotten in future.". "Rev. Mr. Thaxter has rendered me essential service. Though he is far advanced in years, yet he is never weary in doing good, especially to the Indians, as his frequent visits and great labour of love clearly demonstrate."

The recent grant of the Legislature of $300 to the Natives at Chabaquiddick, "to build a suitable house for public worship and school," has had a happy effect, and promises great utility. The house is already built and has recently been dedicated.

3. Senecas and Munsees.-President Alden has recently performed the service, assigned him the last year. It was chiefly devoted to the Seneca Indians, and to the settlers in their neighbourhood. "The prospect for effectually evangelizing the Senecas is more favourable than at any former time. Since my last mission, in some reservations one third and in others one half of the Indians, comprising the most respectable of the chiefs and of others of the best habits, have come forward and resolved to open their ears to the sound of the gospel. They accordingly are in the constant practice of meeting together with their wives and children, usually in their best robes, on the sabbath. When they have no preacher they spend the sabbath in singing, praying, conversing on the contents of the Bible, so far as in their power, recapitulating the discourse any of them may have heard, and in listening to the exhortations of their chiefs. At Cataraugus the chiefs have even appointed two Indians of talents to instruct their people in the Christian religion; a wonderful fact! My exercises, in various instances, were mingled with the publick prayers of Senecas, who spoke with solemnity, reverence, and great propriety and variety of expres sion. "The line of demarcation," Mr. Alden observes, "is now distinctly drawn between the Christian and pagan party. The Munsees are with the pagan party, and are much given to intemperance. There is reason, however, to believe, that paganism will shortly lose its advocates, and that those who are wandering in the paths of darkness will be brought to join their brethren of the Christian party." He repeats his testimony to the zealous and successful labours of Mr. Hyde, who is established by the New York Missionary Society as a teacher of re

ligion among the Senecas at the Buffalo reservation, though he is not as yet a licensed preacher of the gospel. He has nearly completed printing a tract of 100 pages in Seneca and English, comprising select portions of scripture. Mr. James Young teaches a school one mile from Mr. Hyde's, which in the winter is well attended. There is a general disposition among the Christian party, and a goodly number among the pagans also, to have schools multiplied in their villages, and arrangements have been made to this end; so that the next winter the prospect is, that extensive advantages for teaching the rising generation will be offered to these aboriginals in all their principal settlements. The Report adds, It will be perceived, that, at no period, has the Society been presented with greater encouragement to attend to the instruction of the Natives, than at the present. The single fact, stated by our worthy missionary and superintendant, That about 150 of them have been taught in our schools the past year, with evident improvement, is enough to excite a holy zeal, and to justify more vigorous efforts, in behalf of these unhappy people.

Mission to the Sandwich Islands.-No event in the missionary world has occurred more interesting or more worthy of notice than this mission. The accounts recently received have been so widely circulated in various publications, even the newspapers, that we suppose our readers are already sufficiently acquainted with them. We have therefore made no room for them, and forbear all remark until the progress as well as the promise of the enterprize may be known.

Pauperism in New-York.-We have already made a few extracts from the Report of the society for the prevention of pauperism in this city, on the subject of intemperance. It was our design to give an abstract of the remainder of the report; but we confine ourselves to one head, which treats of a subject that at this moment has excited a painful interest in a part of our state, and that is the subject of

"Pardons.-The frequent granting of pardons, by the executive of the state, contributes to the repetition of crime, and the extension of pauperism. Uncertainty in the execution of the laws, weakens their preventive influence in restraining offences. If it be conceded, that idleness and crime produce pauperism, it must also be conceded, that whatever tends to diminish the efficacy of safeguards to prevent them, goes to favour their existence. That class of persons who contemn all habits of industry-who have lost all sense of moral obligation, and who sustain themselves by committing depredations on the rights of New Series-vol. III.

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others, will feel but little dread of criminal prosecutions, if they entertain a well-founded hope of pardon, after trial and conviction. This anticipation has a tendency to render the dissolute and abandoned, a public charge in the penitentiary, bridewell, or the state prison, by lessening their respect for industry, virtue and the laws, and leading them to the fresh commission of crimes and misdemeanors. Many of the paupers of this city, and hundreds who are in the way to become such, have been the frequent tenants of our different prisons, and the unworthy objects of executive clemency.

During the administration of the late chief magistrate of the state, and also during the existence of the present state administration, pardons have been numerous. And it is matter of regret, that gentlemen highly respectable in the profession of the law, often permit themselves to be retained as advocates to further the application of convicts, for the exercise of the pardoning power. Nor is this all-jurors, after having convicted offenders under the solemnities of an oath, and in the faithful discharge of their duty, sometimes immediately turn round and sign a petition to pardon the felon whom they have condemned -thus abrogating their own solemn acts, and setting the laws at defiance. This practice is not unfrequent, and deserves severe reprehension.

The standing excuse for the practice of pardoning, has long been, that there is not room in the state prison and penitentiary, to hold all the convicts consigned to those places. This is unquestionably true-but does it not argue great neglect in our public authorities, that for want of proper buildings, the end of criminal jurisprudence should be defeated, and vice and pauperism increased? Far better would it be, to abolish those laws which are found in our statute-book, for the punishment of offences, if trials and convictions are thus to be made a mere mockery of justice, because of some glaring incapacity to inflict the penalty incurred by their violation.

Let prisons be so modified, as to admit of solitary punishment; the criminal code so altered, as to prohibit the association of convicts, and their term of confinement made short, but certain. This would give terror to the idea of punishment in prisons; it would reduce the number convicted, destroy the present excuse for pardoning, and do away all the evils of that system."

[Does not this statement suggest a profitable hint in regard to the discipline of our own penitentiary? May it not be a question, whether too frequent pardons have not done something to injure the efficacy of the institution? We have heard it said upon good authority, that many persons would have earnestly