numbers had greatly increased: they wanted more land: they wanted our country. Our eyes were opened; and we became uneasy. Wars took place; and Indians were hired to fight against Indians; and many of our people were destroyed. They also brought strong liquor amongst us: it was strong and powerful, and has slain thousands.

"Brother! Our seats were once large, and yours were small. You have now become a great people, and we have scarcely a place left to spread our blankets. You have got our country, but are not satisfied; you want to force your religion upon us.

"Brother! Continue to listen. You say you are sent to instruct us how to worship the Great Spirit agreeably to his mind; and that if we do not take hold of the religion which you teach, we shall be unhappy hereafter. You say that you are right, and that we are lost. How do we know this to be true? We understand that your religion is written in a book. If it was intended for us as well as you, why has not the Great Spirit given it to us; and not only to us, but why did he not give to our forefathers the knowledge of that book, with the means of understanding it rightly? We only know what you tell us about it; how shall we know whom to believe, being so often deceived by the white people?

"Brother! You say there is but one way to worship and serve the Great Spirit. If there is but one religion, why do you white people differ so much about it? Why not all agree, as you can all read the book?

"Brother! We do not understand these things: we were told that your religion was given to your forefathers, and has been handed down from father to son. We also have a religion which was given to our forefathers, and has been handed down to us their children: we worship in that way: it teaches us to be thankful for all the favours we receive, to love each other, and to be united: we never quarrel about religion.

"Brother! The Great Spirit has made us all; but he has made a great difference between his white and red children :He has given us different complexions and different customs. Το you he has given the arts: to these he has not opened our eyes. We know these things to be true. Since he has made so great a difference between us in other things, why may we not conclude that he has given us a different religion, according to our understanding? The Great Spirit does right: he knows what is best for his children. We are satisfied.

"Brother! We do not wish to destroy your religion, or take it from you. We only want to enjoy our own.

"Brother! We are told that you have been preaching to the white people in this place. These people are our neighbours: we are acquainted with them. We will wait a little while, and see what effect your preaching has upon them. If we find it does them good, makes them honest, and less disposed to cheat Indians, we will then consider again of what you have said.

"Brother! You have now heard our answer to your talk: and this is all we have to say at present. As we are going to part, we will come and take you by the hand; and hope the Great Spirit will protect you on your journey, and return you safe to your friends.'

"As the Indians began to approach the missionary, he rose hastily from his seat and replied, that he could not take them by the hand, that there was no fellowship between the religion of God and the works of the devil.

"This being interpreted to the Indians, they smiled, and retired in a peaceable manner.

"It being afterwards suggested to the missionary that his reply to the Indians was rather indiscreet, he observed that he supposed the ceremony of shaking hands would be received by them as a token that he assented to what they had said. Being otherwise informed, he said he was sorry for the expressions."

The reader may derive amusement, if not information, from the following further illustration of the Indian character, although on a different subject. It is in a speech delivered in a public council at Genesee River, November 21, 1798, by Henayawas, commonly called the Farmer's Brother; and after being written as interpreted, was signed by the principal chiefs present, and sent to the legislature of New York.

"The sachems, chiefs, and warriors of the Seneca nation, to the sachems and chiefs assembled about the Great Council Fire of the state of New York.

"Brothers! As you are once more assembled in council, for the purpose of doing honour to yourselves and justice to your country, We, your brothers, the sachems, chiefs, and warriors of the Seneca nation request you to open your ears, and give attention to our voice and wishes.

"Brothers! You will recollect the late contest between you and your father the great king of England. This contest threw the inhabitants of this whole island into a great tumult and commotion, like a raging whirlwind which tears up the

trees, and tosses to and fro the leaves; so that no one knows from whence they come, or where they will fall.

"Brothers! This whirlwind was so directed by the Great Spirit above as to throw into our arms two of your infant children, Jasper Parrish and Horatio Jones. We adopted them into our families, and made them our children: we loved them and nourished them: They lived with us many years. length, the Great Spirit spoke to the whirlwind, and it was still;- -a clear and uninterrupted sky appeared ;-the path of peace was opened; and the chain of friendship was once more made bright. Then these, our adopted children, left us to seek their relations. We wished them to remain among us, and promised, if they would return and live in our country, to give each of them a seat of land, for them and their children to sit down upon.

"Brothers! They have returned, and have for several years past been serviceable to us as interpreters. We still feel ont hearts beat with affection for them; and now wish to fulfil the promise we made them, and reward them for their services. We have therefore made up our minds to give them a seat of two square miles of land, on the outlets of Lake Erie, about three miles below Black Rock; beginning at the mouth of a creek, known by the name of Scoy-duquaydes Creek; running one mile from the river Niagara up said creek, thence northerly, as the river runs two miles to the place of beginning; so as to contain two square miles.

"Brothers! We have now made known to you our minds. We expect and carnestly request that you will permit our friends to receive this our gift, and will make the same good to them, according to the laws and customs of your nation.

"Brothers! Why should you hesitate to make our minds easy with regard to this request? To you it is but a little thing. And have you not confirmed the gifts of our brothers, the Oneidas, the Onondagers, and Cayngas, to their interpreters? And shall we ask, and not be heard?

"Brothers! We send you this our speech, to which we expect your answer before the breaking up of your Great Council Fire."

How far the introductory measures, adopted in conformity with the general ideas suggested in the preceding pages on

*The right of pre-emption, in the purchase of land from the Indians, being secured by law to the United States, probably occasioned this application to that of New York in behalf of Parrish and Jones.

the Civilization of the Indians in North America," can be practically pursued in the benevolent attempt to civilize Africa, remains to be shown: but much will depend on a local knowledge of the country, and the manners of its inhabitants; and if any one possessing those requisites will offer his sentiments on the important subject, a few pages of "The Philanthropist" cannot be occupied more satisfactorily to a considerable number of its Readers.

Alfred, an anthor already recited, in contributing valua-. ble information respecting the people of Cuyor, Sin and Sallum, has set an example worthy of imitation, with respect to other districts on the extensive Western Coast of Africa..

To be continued.]

An Account of the Soup Society in Spitalfields.

A NOTICE having been given at the close of the last number, that the Editor of The Philanthropist was desirous of receiving an account of any successful attempt to promote the comfort of the poor; I trust that a description of the manner in which the Soup Society in Spitalfields is conducted may not be unacceptable, especially as the distress of the manufacturing classes in many parts of the kingdom is now so great, that every comprehensive scheme for mitigating the sufferings of this highly useful body of our countrymen will merit attention, and a plan that has been found in a great degree effectual cannot be too generally known. The history of the ori gin of this society is instructive and encouraging, inasmuch as it shows how much good may be ultimately eflected by the labours of a few obscure individuals in the first instance.

In Spitalfields and its neighbourhood, many hundreds of families of industrious poor are not able to procure as much bread as is necessary to satisfy the cravings of hunger. They only who visit these districts, and go from house to house, can have any adequate idea of the misery that prevails during a scarcity of corn, or a stagnation of trade. The former of these causes of distress operated at the first institution of the society, but now they are both combined,

In the year 1797, an individual deeply affected with the sufferings of the poor in Spitalfields, many of whom were in a state of absolute starvation, resolved to procure, if possible, the co-operation of some of his friends in a plan for affording relief to a few of the worst cases, and to ascertain which were really such, by performing domiciliary visits. He communi

cated his idea to a friend. On more mature consideration, how ever, the field appeared so immense, and any sum they could hope to raise by private subscription so inadequate to any thing like general relief, that it seemed quite necessary to devise a plan more extensive in its operation. In reflecting that cheap and nutritious food was the object, the efforts of Count Rumford at Munich naturally occurred; but it occurred ako that the poor of Bavaria and the poor of England were a different description of people. Something of the kind had been attempted at Birmingham, but it was yet to be tried whether there might not be insurmountable prejudices in the way of the plan. These two persons, however, called a meeting of a few of their friends at a private house, wherein the subject was discussed, and it was concluded to meet again on an early day, and that every one present should bring as many of his friends as possible. At this meeting near twenty were present, and this company resolved to form themselves into a society for the purpose of supplying the poor with meat soup at a penny per quart. A subscription was immediately commenced, the society iapidly increased, and in the course of a few days a committee was formed. Subcommittees were appointed to draw up rules and regulations, and by a division of labour in this way, the society was quickly organized. The subcommittee appointed for that purpose soon met with eligible premises at No. 53, Brick Lane, Spitalfields, and no time was lost in adapting them to the purposes of the institution. Tickets were printed, and issued to the subscribers. On the first day of delivery the visitors attended, under no small degree of anxiety as to the result of their experiment. It succeeded, however, to their utmost wish, the applicants paid the penny per quart with cheerfulness, and carried home a supply of food which they could not have prepared of equal quality, themselves, for four or five times that sum. The committee purchase at the first hand at wholesale prices, meat, barley, &c. of prime quality; and as every thing is done by subcommittees and individuals, from the purest and most disinterested motives, there are no salaries for clerks, no commission to agents the only expense beyond that of the ingredients of the soup is the rent of the premises, the hire of servants to prepare the soup under the inspection of the visitors, and a moderate allow. ance to the superintendant. In the choice of the latter the committee was most fortunate; they found a married woman possessing every requisite qualification for the office, which she has continued to discharge with great credit to herself and benefit to the institution down to the present day. The limits