Letter from the
Northern Missionary Society

Organization Information

to the Indian Committee

To the General Meeting of Friends in the City of New York,
or such Committee as may have the manajement of missionary concerns
Respected Friends

The Northern Missionary Society

have no pleasure in being under
the necessity of communicating to you any improprieties on the part of
any of your members, and aspecially of those who, under the patronage of
your Society, are employed as missionaries among the Indians.

The situation of the poor pagans has been to us for a long
time a subject of deep commisseration, and we felt bound by the most impor-
tant considerations to ameliorate their condition by every means within our
power. The most direct means of accomplishing this was, in our opinion,
the sending among them the precious Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, and
affording school-instruction to their children; and this, at a great expence,
we have for several years carried into effect, and are happy to believe with
considerable success, as it respects many individual Indians. A missiona-
ry is to this day supported among the Oniedas

under the direction of
this society.

But we are not alone in feeling for the distresses of these benighted
people--their situation has been felt and acknowledged by others and amongst
these by the society of Friends; and we sincerely rejoice in every attempt
which has been made, or is now making, to give them the habits of industry,
sobriety, moral and religious princile. We cannont, therefore, but regret that
any thing should have taken place of a character, to say the least of it, so im-
prudent, and so contrary to christian meekness and decorum. The opposition
made to the discharge of the duties of our missionary was doubtless calculated
to weaken the influence of any exertions which can be made either by your
society or our own, and of course will be long remembered with great concern.

The whole is submitted to the discretion of your society, praying
the Great Head of the church to forgive whatever is amiss in the conduct of any
of his professed desciples, and to hasten the blessed period, when he will mani-
fest the glory of his Kingdom in the universal spread of his religion, and the
enlightening of those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death.

Signed by order Samuel Blatchford President of the N Missionary
Society
William Neill Society
Secretary Lansingburgh
February 27, 1812