358
Request at Boston, 1843
- particulars to be decided upon in consultation with the men.
The results of this would be
- Introducing a band of religious men into the country to exert a good religious influence on the Indians & the white population which may come in—especially near the mission stations.
- Counteracting papal efforts & influences.
- Releasing the missionaries from the great amount of manual labor, which is now necessary for their subsistance, & permitting them to devote themselves to appropriate missionary work among the Indians, whose language they now speak.
- Doing more for the civilization and social improvement of the Indians than the mission can do unaided.
- It would afford facilities for religious families to go into the country & make immediately a comfortable settlement, with the enjoyment of Christian privileges.—Both those who might be introduced upon the lands now occupied by the mission & others who might be induced to go & settle in the vicinity of the stations.
- It would save the mission from the necessity of trading with immigrants. Those now enter the country expect to purchase or beg their supplies from the mission for a year or two, & it would be thought cruel to refuse provide such supplies.
Fine country for sheep—on the hills. Hudson Bay Co. have now 15,000 or 20,000 & have $800,000 or more to be invested by a collateral company for sheep, stock, lumber, agriculture &c 1000 sheep would not cost much over $100 annually—Mr. Spalding has about 100 sheep.
Shall Doct. Whitman adopt any measures to recover from the Sioux, through the U. S. govt. the value of the property taken from Mr. Gray by them in 1838.
Mr. W. H. Gray asks a dismission to engage in a seminary in the Methodist settlement on the Wilammette.
Rev. H. H. Spalding requests that he may be allowed to remain in the mission, in which request the other brethren unite.
