Oneida Castle, 7th. Mo 1796 My dear Friends,

On the eve of our departure from the Oneida

Reservation, which, tho'
really no more than going on from the main stage of our Journey, feels a little
like the outset for Home, I sit down to gather up the fragments I may have scattered by trusting to
memory, from week to week, for the irregular narrative; that no
thing may be lost, either important or interesting. If the conse
quence should be a repetition of any thing mentioned before, you will remember the
motive, and read the faster. Imprimis, The name of the Chief left blank on
No. 3. is David Neshounhut, the latter received from his Ancestors, who
it seems were Man that could shoot the birds with one arrow. After the first
conference with the Oneidas mentioned in No 4 or 5 the Women sent us a
message, by the Chief Speaker, that they had heard all our words, and hoped their
Husbands would keep to them as far they were all very good. All the time we
were at Hendrick Aupautmut's the Indians of the Neighborhood were contin
ually sending in strawberrys, milk, butter, and sometimes meal, and
otherwise manifesting their love and regard. One of his Daughters was at a
conference ten days ago, a mile from her home, and was delivered of a Boy
that afternoon; which she brought herself the night before last to our
lodging to tell us she had called him after one of us: I leave you to guess which.
We have the unexpected satisfaction to find the People of the Neighborhood
of all Ranks so favorably disposed, both toward us, and the Indians, as to
bid us good speed in our arduous undertaking, and even the Preiby terrain Cler-
gy, who have been long labouring among them, assure us they are convinced by
experience, that the only way to make Christians of them effectually is to
civilize them, if that be possible. We have agreed to settle Jacob Taylor,
Enoch Walker, and Henry Simmons, near Oneida Castle, and the Indians
have assigned them an excellent piece of land to go work upon, adjacent to