PAPERS RELATING TO THE SIX NATIONS.

299

SIR WM. JOHNSON TO THE REVD DR. BURTON,

RESPECTING THE REV. MR. MOSELEY.

Johnson hall Ocf 2 d 1772.

Sir, It is now a considerable time since I had the pleasure of writing to, or of hearing fromyou, and the venerable Society; a Variety of business, together with my bad state of health, &the want of any thing very material, was the occasion of this omission of my part.

I have now to acquaint you that finding no prospect of getting the Mission at Johnstown near thisplace supplied from Europe, an English Gentleman M r Rich d Mosely 1 In Orders, who lately cameto this Continent in a Man of War, & was nominated to a Mission in New England has been stronglyrecommended to me for this place, he appears to me to be a Good kind of Man & I have accord-ingly accepted of, and Signified to him what I can contribute in addition to the Societys Allowance,with which he has accorded, & is to enter upon his Duties imediately. I must therefore beg Leaveto recommend him to the approbation of the Society ; upon this occasion I ought to observe that theMissions established at £40 Ster p Ann, are found by Experience in this Country inadequate in thepresent age, Some of these in the old Settlements, near the Sea , where the Circumstances & Inclinationsof the People are more favorable, may enable a Missionary to live tolerably well, but here wherethe People who are not of the Low Dutch Communion are New Settlers, & poor, the contribu-tions are as trifling as they are uncertain ; This has occasioned the Rev 13 M r Andrews at Schenectady ,to have recourse to the keeping a School with which addition to his income, as he writes me he isnot able to take care of his Family. In short the state of this part of the Country is not thoroughlyknown in Europe , It is an Extensive & most valuable Tract in which the Majority of the Settle-ments, and the Church of England are in their Infancy, but such an Infancy as affords the mostflattering hopes If properly nourished & improved for a little time.

The Rev d M r Munro at Albany, after struggling with many difficulties has a Good Congregation,and acts with much Diligence, and Discretion. I have already mentioned M r Andrew’s situationM r Stuart at the Mohawks is much esteemed and regularly attended by the Indians, besideswhich he has added to the Number of Whites of his Congregation, and the School is very promisinghe sometimes visits the Conajoharees, but M r Hall has long since declined coming to that place, andI can hear of no other to supply it, so that that necessary Church built entirely at my own expenceis in a great measure useless.

The Church at Johnstown, (now the Capital of Try on County) having been found too small, IRebuilt it last year of Stone at my own Expence, much larger than the former, and from theIncrease of people M r Mosely will have a very large Congregation. The School there is extremelypromising, and increases fast, 86.

Rev D r Burton.

1 “ In 1772, the Rev. Mr. Mozley, a Missionary from the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel, at Litchfield, Conn. ,Was presented by the grand jury for marrying a couple belonging to his parish after the banns were duly published and consent°f parents obtained. The court mildly fined Mr. Mozley 20i. because lie could not show any other license to officiate as ac ' e rgy man than what he had received from the Bishop of London , whose authority the court determined did not extend toConnecticut, which was a chartered government. One of the Judges said, ‘ It is high time to put a stop to the usurpations°f the Bishop of London , and to let him know, that though his license be lawful, and may empower one of his curates totnarry in England, yet it is not so in America ; and if fines would not curb them in this point, imprisonment should.’ ” (Peter’sConn. 143.) On experiencing this rude treatment Mr. Mozley removed to Johnstown, whither 30 families from New-England ,a ll dissenters, followed, and settled within fifteen miles of him. He left Johnstown in the spring of 1774. Ed.