Rev A Brandram No. 93
St John's, New Brunswick, 1st June 1840
My Dear Friend,
I have the pleasure of announcing to you that I arrived to stay in the city and province from which I now write. The object of this letter will be to state some things that have occurred from the date of my last down to the present time.
During the month of April, with part of March, my time was occupied in the general business of the Society in Montreal, and in correspondence with the societies in the Upper Province, together with my arrangements preparatory to removing from that quarter to the place where I now am.
On the 27th April we had a special public meeting of the Montreal Society in one of the Scotch churches of that city. The objects of that meeting, the way in which it was conducted, and the Resolutions passed, I need not here enter upon, as I understand that the Secretary communicated officially with you in regard to these soon after the meeting took place.
In planning my route from Canada to this quarter, my first intention was to pass from Montreal through Albany in the United States and Boston, from whence to St. John's there is a steam boat passing weekly. But about the time I was ready to move there was a general understanding from notices published in all the newspapers, the first steamer of the New Line from Liverpool to Halifax was to sail on the 25th April, and which the vessel was forthwith to proceed from Halifax to Pictou, and to ply between that place and Quebec. I was advised therefore by some of our Bible friends to go through Quebec to Pictou by that conveyance, in preference to passing through the States. I took the advice given, and on the 8th of May I left Montreal. On my way down I visited some parts of the French population accompanied by Mr. Hibbard, and of which I shall give you some account presently. When I reached Quebec, I learned that different accounts had come and respecting the sailing of the steamer from England, and that she was not expected in Quebec till towards the end of June. To wait for the arrival of this vessel would have been to lose much time, and accordingly I resolved to return to Montreal, and proceed through the States as at first projected. On the 19th therefore I left Quebec, reached Montreal on the evening of the 20th, and early on the 21st pursued my way into the States. One of my fellow passengers on the last mentioned day, in the steam boats and on the railroad, was the Bishop of Montreal, whose general residence is in Quebec. We had much conversation together, and of a very friendly nature. I of course tried him on the subject of our Bible Societies, and invited him to cooperate with us through his patronage. I did not succeed in the way I wished, but our conversation led me to see how friendly he is to the object in which we are engaged, notwithstanding of certain things that operate against his joining our ranks. – In Burlington, where we passed the night, I had the pleasure of seeing Dr. Hopkins, the Bishop of Vermont, who was present, I think, and spoke, at your anniversary last year. – From Burlington I passed on through Troy and Northampton. In the last mentioned place we visited the tomb of Brainerd, who died, I may say an old man, at the age of 30 as marked on the stone. We then went to Boston where we arrived on the evening of the 28th ultimo. On the 30th we sailed from that port, and this morning, as above noticed, we came to this city, giving thanks to the Father of mercies for his gracious protections and blessings to us on this and on our many voyages, journeys, and movements.
I have mentioned above that in company with Mr. Hibbard I visited some parts inhabited by French Canadians, who are all, as you are aware, Roman Catholics. In my various letters from Canada I have scarcely mentioned Mr. Hibbard's labours, and I omitted them, not because they were of little moment, which they are not, but because I understood that Mr. Wilkes corresponded particularly with you on the subject, and because his monthly journals were in several instances sent you. I am sure you would all be much gratified in perusing these journals, in which you would see how God was making openings among the people hitherto impervious to the reception of the Holy Scriptures. These openings have been increasing in number, and in interest and extent, of late, through the gracious blessing of our Heavenly Father in moving them by his Spirit through the instrumentality of Mr. Hibbard's labours and otherwise. We all greatly esteem Mr. Hibbard as a faithful, zealous, wise, and pious labourer in the Bible cause, and know not where another could be found exactly like him. I mention these things the more particularly, as he is acting under your own immediate auspices, and through means of your bounty. You will, I hope, concede to our friends in Montreal the continued services of Mr. Hibbard, for which they will be very thankful, and through which the French Canadians will be greatly benefited as they have hitherto been.
I have long indulged a wish to make a little tour with Mr. Hibbard among the French Canadians, but my various occupations elsewhere and otherwise had still stood in the way to hinder me. My going down however from Montreal to Quebec on the occasion before noticed gave me the opportunity I had long wished for. I made arrangements with Mr. Hibbard that he should meet me at Sorel, and that we should travel together inland on towards Three Rivers. Late in the evening of the 8th May I reached Sorel, where I met with Mr. Hibbard according to appointment. Next day we traveled on to the town of St. Francis where we called on the Priest, and had some very friendly conversation with him. You will be pleased to learn that he expressed himself well disposed to the circulation of the New Testament among his people. The Schoolmaster, himself Roman Catholic and all his pupils, has also given his opinion in favour of the use of the New Testaments, and has received them into his school most gladly where they are daily used. Afterwards we visited the parish of La Baie, and called on the Priest there, who in like manner expressed himself entirely favourable to the reception of the New Testament by his people. From thence we went to the town of Nicolet where we visited the Curé and the Rector of the college, for there is an extensive seminary their chiefly, I may say, for the training of Priests. Both the Curé and the Rector spoke distinctly in favour of the circulation and use of the New Testaments among the people and among the students. The next Priest we visited was the Grand Vicar of Three Rivers Mr. Cook whom I mentioned to you in a former letter. I had heard that some change had taken place in his mind, and that he had publicly prohibited the use of New Testaments. I mentioned this to him, but he said he had not done so, but wished and encouraged the circulation of the New Testament as before. I visited the school also, and found the New Testaments were used in it as when I was formerly there.
I have thus enumerated five Roman Catholic French-Canadian Priests who have openly approved of the use of the New Testament among their people, and two Schoolmasters who use the Scriptures as a school book. This is a matter of great consideration, and should called forth from us devout thanksgivings to God who has made this movement towards his kingdom among these people. We here up on the spot necessarily see and feel all this matter more than you who are at such a distance, and have the world under your charge. The friends of the Bible Society in Montreal, I am happy to say, do see, feel, and acknowledge the hand of God in these providential openings, and feel animated by them to persevere in their endeavours in favour of the French Canadians.
I should mention before I close this subject, the Priest at La Baie stated that your edition of De Sacy was not entirely conform to an authorised Paris edition of the same which he had in his possession.
I mentioned the village of St. Francis as one of the places which we visited. That village is inhabited by Indians of the Abenaki tribe. The greater part of them are Roman Catholics, and under the Priest whom we saw there. Some of them however are Protestants, and under very interesting circumstances, and not Protestants only, but also true disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ. Several of these Indians have received a good education at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire in the States, through a donation from Scotland made many years ago on condition of the Indians being taught to the extent of its annual value. One of these whilst studying human learning there, received instruction which flesh and blood could not give, and was brought fully to the knowledge of the Gospel and under its influence. He was in due time regularly ordained as a minister, and for several years past, amidst many difficulties and oppositions, he has been diligently engaged in preaching to his countrymen. He has been the means of bringing several of them to the knowledge of the truth, and of combining them in a little church, where they are walking in the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost. I addressed these Indians, and a little Bible Society was formed among them, which you can register as a branch of your Montreal Auxiliary. The name of it is the St. Francis Bible Society: its president is the Rev. P.P. Osunkhirhine, the Indian minister mentioned: the Treasurer is James Poor, a white man, for the red and white man are here again combined in your service: and the Secretary is James Joseph Annance another Indian.
This James Joseph Annance is, as I have just said, an Indian, and of this tribe. He is one of those who have been at Dartmouth College, where he studied for five years, and acquired a pretty extensive knowledge of Latin and Greek. He is a member of the little church mentioned, and is considered by Mr. Osunkhirhine and the others as truly pious. Having these qualifications it was thought desirable that he should engage in the translation of a portion of the New Testament into the Abenaki tongue. He is to begin forthwith. His chief difficulty for commencing was in the want of a Greek Lexicon. I furnished him with one, namely, Ewing's, which will suit his purpose well. This is the very volume that your Mr. Mills sent me out to Mexico, along with Gibb's Hebrew Lexicon. The latter was left in Mexico to be of use in the translating of the Scriptures there. The former I did not then see a need of, and it has been in my possession ever since. By a combination of unexpected circumstances it was on hand at the present occasion, and came in exactly to meet a case of need. Please let Mr Mills know of the appropriation of his book.
In Quebec during the short time I was there, I met a sub-committee of the Society which was appointed to consider the subject of a fuller distribution of the Scriptures in that quarter. On that subcommittee were the chief persons with whom I had had a little official misunderstanding . That however did not at all affect us in our personal and official duties and friendship. Our meeting and our mutual communications in our great concern were all most frank and brotherly as fellow servants. This, I may say, was my last act in Canada, and I felt truly glad in the sweet intercourse that reigned, and doubly so from the little misunderstanding before noticed. God is the Author of Peace, and may peace ever rule among all his servants.
I have only further to notice, that I left at Montreal a case to be shipped for you in the Great Britain, containing 11 copies of De Sacy's French Bible with the Apocrypha. I found these there, and I thought it best to return them to you. There were 12, but I kept one for private use. – The case also contains some books in the Indian languages for your library. I enclose a list of them.
Please address all your letters for me to Halifax till further notice.
I remain, My Dear Friend,
Very Truly Yours,
James Thomson.
Books in the North American Indian languages,
sent to the British and Foreign Bible Society, 5th May 1840
_________________________________________________
1.The Book of Common Prayer, and Administration of the Sacraments, and other Rites and Ceremonies of the Church, according to the use of the Church of England: together with a Collection of Occasional Prayers, and divers sentences of Holy Scripture, necessary for Knowledge and Practice: in the Mohawk language: prepared and published by the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts. – To which is added the Gospel of St. Mark in the Mohawk language, translated by Captain Brant, an Indian chief of that nation. – London 1787.
2. The Gospel of St. Matthew, in the Mohawk language, translated by A.Hill and J.A.Wilkes. – New York 1831.
3. The Gospel of St. Mark, with other portions of Scripture, in the Mohawk language: translated by Captain Brant. – New York 1829.
4. The Gospel of St. Luke, in the Mohawk language: translated by H.A.Hill.– New York 1827.
5. The Gospel of St. John, in the Mohawk language. – New York 1818.
6. The First Epistle to the Corinthians, in the Mohawk language: translated by H.A.Hill, and J.A.Wilkes. – New York 1834.
7. A Collection of Hymns in the Mohawk language. – New York 1832.
8. The New Testament, in the Chippeway language, translated by Captain James. – Albany, N.Y. 1833.
9. The Book of Genesis in the Chippeway language, translated by the Rev. Peter Jones, and John Jones. – Toronto 1835.
10. The Catechism of the Church of England, in the Chippeway language, translated by Mrs. McMurray. – Toronto 1835.
11. Part of the Discipline of the Wesleyan Methodist Church in Canada, in the Chippeway language: translated by the Rev. Peter Jones. – Toronto 1835.
12. The Speller and Interpreter in the Chippeway (alias Ojibway), and English languages: by the Rev. James Evans, Wesleyan missionary. – New York 1837.
13. A Collection of Hymns, in the Chippeway language: translated by the Rev. James Evans, and George Henry. – New York 1837.
14. Sketch of the Grammar of the Chippeway language, to which is added a Vocabulary in Chippeway and English: by John Summerfield, alias Sahgahjewagahbahweh. – Cazenovia 1834.
15. The History of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, comprehending all that the Four Evangelists have recorded concerning Him: by the Rev. Samuel Liebarkhun, in the Delaware language: translated by the Rev. David Zeisberger, missionary of the United Brethren. – New York 1821.
16. A Spelling and Reading Book, in the Delaware language: with the Vocabulary in Delaware and English: containing also some short historical accounts from the Old Testament, with other useful instruction for children: by the Rev. David Zeisberger. Philadelphia 1806.
17. The Three Epistles of the apostle St. John, in the Delaware language: translated by the Rev. C.S.Denke. – New York 1818.
18. The Spelling and Reading Book in the Abenaki language: by the Rev. P.P. Osunkhirhine, alias Wzekhilain, an Indian of that nation. – Boston 1830.
19. A Small Collection of Hymns, in the Abenaki language: translated by the Rev. P.P. Osunkhirhine. – Boston 1830.
20. The Ten Commandments, and other Portions of Scripture, with Scott's exposition, in the Abenaki language: by the Rev. P.P. Osunkhirhine. – Boston 1830.