TOWARD the Spring of 1844 we were cheered by the arrival of Rev. Wesley Browning, then of Missouri Conference, and formerly of Pittsburg. He came, under appointment of the Bishop, as superintendent of the other institution provided for and endowed by the same act of the General Council with our own, and known as Nun-na-wa-ya. Brother Browning proved to be a valuable and interesting addition to our society. He remained in the country some months, and much of the time was an inmate of our household. He will always be remembered as a brother beloved. From causes, however, to which I need not refer, the institution, which he came to take charge of, never went into operation. The arrangement was changed by an act of the Council, and the fund distributed among other schools.

      My attention had been directed by the authorities of the Church to the Creek Indians, and a desire expressed that some examination should be made into their condition, with a view to strengthening our missionary effort among them. With that purpose, upon the 3d of April, brother Browning and myself took passage upon a steamer lying at our landing, bound for Fort Gibson. Two letters written by me at that time, and published in one of our religious journals, will best present the incidents and results of that brief trip of exploration. The former of the two was written from Fort Gibson, Cherokee Nation. I give the larger portion:

      "I am now, as you will perceive, at the ne plus ultra of

white population in the West, this being nearly, if not quite, the most westerly of all the military posts in the United States. I arrived here this morning, on board the steamer Eveline, in company with Rev. W. Browning, late of Missouri Conference

      "CANTONMENT GIBSON is situated on the Neosho or Grand River, about two miles above its junction with the Arkansas. It is near the north line of the Cherokee Nation, having the Muscogee or Creek country on the west, and the Seminoles scattered over the contiguous parts of both nations. The Cherokee Agency is at this place and the Agencies of both the Creeks and Seminoles are within a few miles distance. There is also a number of trading posts in the vicinity. These causes, in connection with its extreme western position in the neighborhood of three of the most powerful and warlike Indian tribes, contribute to render this one of the most important of all our military posts. There are stationed here two companies of dragoons and four companies of infantry. This place if I mistake not, was styled by Mr. Adams--John Quincy--'the graveyard of the army,' in consequence of its supposed unhealthiness. This opinion originated, I am told, in the great mortality which took place among the officers and soldiers, to the number, perhaps of one hundred and fifty deaths in one season; occasioned, it is said, by disease contracted by undue exposure in an expedition west. The site is beautiful and commanding, and has every appearance of health. The post has been occupied about twenty years. West of this the settlements of the Creeks extend to a belt of timbered land called the 'Cross Timbers.' Here the timbered land ceases, and the great western openings set in which extend to the Rocky Mountains, occupied by herds of buffalo and equally-wild tribes of roving Indians.

      "The regulations at this post se far as respects health, cleanliness, and general good order, are strict, and the general aspect of the place is that of neatness and comfort. This is true, so far as I have observed, of all our military

posts. The officers live in good style. The religious aspect, however, is far from being flattering. Without chaplains, and seldom having religions service, vice abounds to a fearful extent and almost without control, except as it interferes with army regulations. Intemperance is still the bane of the army, as it is of the Indian tribes. Notwithstanding the withdrawal, by the War Department, of whisky from the regular rations of the soldiers, and the regulations of the United States Government to prevent the introduction of ardent spirits into the Indian country, still both soldiers and Indians can obtain it whenever they have the means to pay for it. So little regard is paid to the regulations upon this subject, that liquor is openly sold to both Indians and soldiers. Even now, while I am writing, the bar of our boat is crowded. It is truly painful to see handsome and sprightly-looking Indian girls standing around and waiting for a dram. Whisky rations are still allowed to soldiers upon 'extra duty.' One of the officers gave us an account of the destruction, by the authorities of the Cherokee Nation, of a quantity of whisky, the property of the United States. Very well done."

      The incident here referred to is too good to be lost. Under pretense of "extra" or "fatigue" duty, large quantities of spirits then were, and probably now are, supplied to the different military stations by the Government. A boat, on her passage up, laden with military stores, met with a misfortune which caused her to discharge her freight upon the Cherokee lands. Among the stores were some twenty barrels of whisky. The authorities of the Nation came to hear it, and men were dispatched to execute the law upon it. In vain was it pleaded that it belonged to the Government. The majesty of their law was maintained, the barrels were tomahawked, and the liquor incontinently spilled.

      The letter continues: "It is a humiliating fact that the authorities of the Indian tribes are far more prompt and vigilant in this matter than many of the officers of our
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own Government. It is even doubted whether there is any less dissipation in the army since the withdrawal of whisky rations than before. Nor will it be better till officers and agents shall unite their efforts in good earnest, and add, in all cases, example to the weight of official authority. It is due, however, to say that there are among the officers of the army, at almost every post, men whose morals are unimpeachable, and who lend the whole weight of their influence and authority to the cause of morals and virtue; and some are men of decided piety. Such are an honor to their profession and a blessing to their country. To maintain a character for consistent piety amid the surrounding adverse influences that exist here, marks a noble and elevated mind. Honorable mention might be made of Colonel Loomis, commandant at this place, Major H., of Fort Smith, Dr. B., Surgeon to the arsenal at Little Rock, and others. The first of the above-named gentlemen exerted, as I am told, a most happy influence, while commanding at Fort Towson, in the improvement of the morals of the soldiers, and is successfully prosecuting the same efforts here. We were furnished with letters of introduction to him, but found him absent. We, however, have received polite and courteous attention from other officers.

      "But I have said more about military posts and military men than I intended. I now leave them.

      "Very favorable changes are taking place among the Creeks. You learn, from the lately-published letter of brother Peter Harrison, a Creek, that the act of their National Council, punishing, under a severe penalty, the preaching of the Gospel, has been suspended. Our Creek brethren have had a fiery trial, and have borne it with Christian fortitude and magnanimity. God is now sending deliverance; the way is again open. I have no doubt that the extreme of violence to which they carry their measures of opposition and persecution is producing a favorable reaction, and that now is the time to strike in the Creek Nation. I hope that our Church will not be behind. I am now within fif-

teen miles of the residence of brother Harrison, and regret that I shall not be able to see him. I have made particular inquiry, however, and find him to be a young man highly respected for intelligence and piety, and likely to exert a happy influence among his people.

      "We this morning had an interview, upon the boat, with the celebrated Seminole Chief, Alligator, and several of his party. He is a small, diminutive old man, much less imposing in appearance than the Seminoles generally. Wild-Cat, whom I saw last Summer at the General Council, is a man of much finer appearance. These two Chiefs have acquired celebrity by the part which they acted in the Florida War. They are about starting, in company with several others, as a delegation to Washington to obtain what they conceive to be their rights. The Seminoles are in a deplorable condition; without home or country, without money, without rations, without habits of life adapted to this climate, and to their present situation. No marvel that they complain! They seem to have lost much of the elevated mien and lofty tread which characterized them at the Council at Tah-le-quah, when surrounded by the other tribes. John Bemo, alias John Douglas, the converted Seminole who came West, is laboring among them. His character has been the subject of vile aspersions. I trust he will outlive them all, and be useful.

      "One design of our present visit is to open up the way, should Providence permit, to some labors among the Creeks and Seminoles, etc." . .

      The second of these letters bears date at the Falls of Verdigris, Creek Nation. I extract as follows

      "I wrote you from Fort Gibson. We left that place on the afternoon of to-day, and came down to the mouth of Grand River; thence up Verdigris to this landing, which is the head of steam navigation upon this branch. These three rivers form a beautiful junction, their months being so near to each other as to be all seen at one view. The water of Grand River is extremely clear; that of the

Arkansas muddy and of a deep red; while the color of that of the Verdigris is indicated by its name; all refusing, like those of the Mississippi and Missouri, to commingle for a long distance below the junction, each pertinaciously (sic) keeping to its own side till, at length, the Arkansas prevails and gives character to the stream below. Grand River is a fine stream, and said to be navigable for steamboats to Grand Saline, fifty miles up. [This is the same stream known as the Neosho, upon the head-waters of which, in Southern Kansas, extensive settlements have been since made.]   .  .  .  .  Arkansas River might be ascended by steamboats some four or five hundred miles further, [we were then about eight hundred miles from its mouth,] but there is no inducement, the highest trading-house being within a few miles above the junction. Travelers give accounts of a very remarkable salt-plain, some hundreds of miles up the Arkansas, where salt is formed by natural evaporation. I have seen a large specimen. Canadian River, another of the principal branches, has its mouth some fifty miles below. Its sources lie southward, and it partakes of the same character with the main Arkansas. A short distance below is Webber's Falls. Here was the residence of Vore, who, with his family, was murdered by the Cherokees last Summer. A man who had been in our employ, as a mechanic, at Fort Coffee, was passing the night as a guest in the house of Vore, and shared the fate of the family. He was the 'stranger' spoken of in the published accounts of the affair.

      "Upon entering the Verdigris we have the Creek country upon our left. They still adhere to their ancient practice of living together in towns or small communities, each of which has its Chief, and all united under one Head-Chief. The influence of these Chiefs is very great.

      "The distinction is still kept up between the 'Upper' and 'Lower' Creeks, which existed previous to their emigration, and each party retains its old name, though their relative positions are reversed. The Upper Creeks retain

their attachment to ancient usages, and, consequently, do not advance so rapidly in improvement. We had a specimen of the villages of the Lower Creeks as we ascended this river, the bank being lined, for about three miles, with cabins and fields occupied by the Coosardie band. The natives perched themselves in crowds upon the shore, greeting us with loud cheers, and waving signals as our boat passed. The Creeks, though less advanced in many respects, have more personal industry than any of the surrounding tribes. They are frequently found, upon steamboats and elsewhere, laboring for wages; a rare occurrence for a Cherokee, and still more so for a Choctaw. They have some excellent soil, and are fast becoming an agricultural people. They raise corn in such quantities as considerably to reduce the price. They have of late taken to the cultivation of rice, which succeeds well upon the lowlands, and bids fair to become a staple article of export.

      "We are here within a few miles distance of the residence of General Roly M'Intosh, Head-Chief of the Nation, [spoken of in a former chapter.] .   .   .   We have also met with Captain Dawson, the Creek Agent, and with Marshall, a chief counselor of M'Intosh, and one of the most influential men of the Nation. Marshall disclaims wholly the oppressive act of the last Council, says it was the act of a minority and never was a law, and that the way is now open for preaching the Gospel among them. It is evident, however, that from causes which need not be named, [previous failures,] there exists a jealous distrust of missionaries, which can only be removed by time, guarded movements, and the most exemplary conduct on their part; and on part of the Nation, a fair experiment of the benefits of missionary operations, confidence among them will be slowly regained. The American Board has a missionary establishment among them, and the Department at Washington is taking measures for the opening of several schools upon a small scale. The Nation has an 'orphan fund' sufficient to support one or two good institutions, which

they are desirous, with the consent of the Government, of appropriating in that way. Marshall speaks in respectful terms of the character and deportment of the members of our Church in the Nation. We design, if Providence permit, visiting the settlements and administering the ordinances of religion to these suffering, persecuted followers of Christ.

      "Here the same scene has been acted over again as at Fort Gibson; the bar open, and the boat crowded with Indians, men, women, and children. There are also numbers of abandoned, loafing white men, who, under one pretense or other, are prowling about the Indian country, greatly to the annoyance of some, and the corruption and debasement of others. Marshall informs me that the country is greatly infested with gamblers, of whom he expresses great abhorrence and desire for their expulsion. The worst of the population is usually found about the steamboat landings and other public places. In the interior there is probably more sobriety and virtue.

      "All our company, whites and Indians, have suddenly disappeared from the boat. I learn that they have repaired to a house not far distant for a dance, and probably a drunken debauch. How ardently should Christians pray that these benighted regions should speedily be visited with the light of Divine truth!"

      As I may not again have occasion to speak of the Creek Indians, a few more particulars may be added. They are one of the largest tribes of removed indians, numbering about twenty thousand, nearly the same with the Choctaws or Cherokees. The original name of the tribe is "Mus-cogees." Of this they are proud, rejecting the appellation of Creeks with disdain. Their warlike character is matter of history. The Seminoles, now a small band, are of common origin with them. The Creeks hold some slaves, though not so many as the Choctaws, Chickasaws, or Cherokees. They have intermingled largely with the negroes by marriage. Some of their leading men are of the mixed blood.

Such amalgamations are now forbidden by law, under penalty of whipping for the first offense and death for the second and M'Intosh, the present Chief, enforces it sternly.

      Missionary operations among them in past years were attended with promising success. A number were converted, and remained steadfast. But confidence was forfeited by gross misconduct on part of persons appointed as missionaries at an early time, and a prejudice was conceived against the missionary work that has never been removed. The persecutions referred to in the foregoing extract were revived again the following year, as will be seen from the following extract of a letter subsequently received by me, dated "North Fork, Creek Nation, February 11, 1845." I give it as written, orthography and all, being a specimen of Indian composition of the better class.

      "BROTHER W. H. GOODE--SIR,--I this day feel it my ---- to write a few lines by Bro. Smedley, to inform you that persecution lately Broke out in the Town of North Fork, and one of our Baptist Bro., named Jesse, was Caught at his Residence and Received fifty lashes on his naked back. The same evening when we appointed to hold meeting at Bro. D----'s old place, one of our Exhorters named Moses when he was Coming down to our appointed meeting he was taken by his cruels friends and they made him stood between two trees and his arms were extended and his legs stretched, too much like the Crucifixtion (sic) of our Savior and they gave him fifty. This is not all, one of our old native woman on account of being the first Convert in the Oke-ti-oc-na Town received the Same. Bro. Peter Harrison threatened to be whiped (sic), because he is the first on the Arkansas side .   .   .   .   Oh, pray for us, tell our Brethren to pray for us, &e., &e."

      Major William Armstrong, as Superintendent of Indian Affairs, strongly urged upon the Creeks the appropriation of their funds to schools similar to ours at Fort Coffee.

There is now before me an extract from a letter of his to Roly M'Intosh, in which he pays a tribute to the missionary operations of our Church in that country, himself being of a different religious persuasion. He writes:

      "I have recommended the Methodist Society, under a full conviction that they are better qualified, taking every thing into view, to conduct a manual-labor school than any other."

      A deep interest was awaken in my mind in behalf of this people and a desire that, so soon as our enterprise among the Choctaws as fully organized and under way, the seat of my own labors should be transferred to the Creeks. These plans, however, were prevented by the occurrence of unforeseen circumstances in the history of the Church, which withdrew me from a field of Southern labor earlier than anticipated.

      Dawson, the Agent referred to in one of the foregoing extracts, a few months after killed, in a rencounter (sic), Seaborn Hill, a wealthy and influent trader among the Creeks, and member of a well-known house in New Orleans. Dawson fled the country. So much for the example and influence of Government officers. Poor Indians! The "tender mercies" of the white man have been "cruel" indeed to them.

      OUR work at Fort Coffee was now in a prosperous condition. The institution was succeeding, and all were peaceful and contented. Our society was small, but we were confidentially united in common Christian feeling and effort, and so remained to the last. Our harmony was never disturbed.

      Our Indian boys, though freakish and attached to their own habits of life, were easily controlled. No bad case of insubordination ever occurred under our charge. A plentiful supply of palatable food has much to do in fixing the local attachments of an Indian. No small object is attained by them when their precarious and often scanty subsistence is exchanged for regular and ample diet. This had been carefully provided for in the act of the Council establishing the school, by requiring that the Superintendent and teachers, with their families, should take their meals with the pupils at the common table--an arrangement always carried out in Indian schools. Our culinary and domestic departments were provided for by the employment of a family of colored persons, among whom the labors were distributed, thus releasing the ladies of our household from the heavy labors which, for a time, they had voluntarily assumed, and allowing them to return to their appropriate positions.

      The progress of the pupils generally in learning was satisfactory and encouraging, and their labors, though only at intervals of the day, contributed to the cultivation and enlargement of our mission farm. Regular religious services were held on the Sabbath, attended by our own household,
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now numbering about fifty, the whites and slaves from the Agency and trading-post, and native Choctaws and Cherokees of the vicinity, constituting a congregation of considerable size. Class meetings were introduced, a Sunday school organized, and all the machinery of religious training and education put into motion.

      The Spring of 1844 was a season of extraordinary and continued rains. These were followed by the "June rise,'' from the melting of the mountain snows, which, finding the river already swollen and earth saturated, raised it to an extraordinary hight (sic). Four (sic) several times, within three months, the Arkansas overflowed its banks. For a length of time intercourse was cut off by land, and even navigation checked by the fury of the current. The lowlands were inundated, cotton crops destroyed, and great damage done to farms, mills, etc., in the State below us. Much injury was sustained from the falling in of the banks. Towns suffered from the encroachments of the river. But our own majestic bluff, like another Gibraltar, stood out midway the stream, and braved the fury of the current; and, peninsulated as we were by the world of waters, the only effect of the dashing surges was to lull us to repose in the stillness of the evening.

      During this suspension of intercourse, the memorable scenes of the General Conference of 1844 were in progress. Exciting subjects, too, were occupying the attention of the National Congress. All the elements of ecclesiastical and political strife seemed to be in commotion, while, through the inevitable failure of the mails, we were kept in utter darkness as to the events transpiring, except as a straggling paper might by chance reach us, and barely indicate the war and tumult that were raging. What disposal was to be made of us, distant, voiceless, fettered as we were? Were we to be bargained off and delivered over, nolens volens? What was to be the fate of our work? Indignantly did we, in conversation with the few friendly outsiders around us, repel the insinuation of a probable dis-

ruption of our body-ecclesiastic. At length, however, the finale was reached. It was announced, in a letter that came to hand near midsummer, from a clerical friend, who, up to that time, had been an avowed and inveterate hater of what he was pleased to term the "abominable system of slavery,'' but who is, to this day, adhering and laboring in the ranks of Southernism, as follows:   "Well, the General Conference is through at last, and the Church is not quite pulled to pieces; but it is believed that a division is inevitable. A basis is laid and a highway thrown up for each party to pick up their pack and walk deliberately off. And there are some, both North and South, that will, no doubt, gladly embrace the opportunity."

     During much of the time of our isolation, we were favored with the company of brother Browning, detained a prisoner of the floods. At a later period we entertained as guests, for some time, Rev. Sydney Dyer and lady, who had come out as missionaries under the auspices of the Baptist Church. Mr. D. did not remain long in the Indian country. Since his return East he has become a popular writer of poetry. Other occasional guests enlivened our little circle; but, among all the members of our group, there was none who imparted more cheerfulness and pleasure to our social intercourse than our never-forgotten sister, Mrs. Benson. Always placid, serene, unruffled, let whatever causes of disquietude there might affect the minds of others, she calmly sat at her window and sung away the hours of daily employment. Often have her melodious notes cheered me in the distance, while my constitutional impetuosity has been checked and my periods of temporary depression encouraged, in words, by the nearer approaches of another voice, now hushed and silent in the grave.

      At the General Conference of that year a new arrangement was made for the Indian work. The whole country between Red River and the Missouri, and between the States and the Rocky Mountains, was formed into an Indian Mission Conference, with a Superintendent appointed by the

Bishop over the whole. Rev, J. C. Berryman, of Missouri Conference, and late of the Indian Manual-Labor School among the Shawnees, was appointed Superintendent. The creation of the Conference was a wise and necessary measure. Our mission work always suffers so long as it is a mere appendage of the established work of the older Conferences. Experience has amply demonstrated this. The office of Conference Superintendent, however, was a sine-cure, serving only to clog and complicate the machinery by creating a system of threefold superintendency and sub-superintendency between the fountain of authority and the actual operatives. The simpler all the machinery of our missionary organization the better, and the more directly responsible all its functionaries are for their acts the more smoothly and efficiently will the wheels roll on. The first annual session of our new Mission Conference was fixed at the Shawnee school; but it was subsequently changed to the Cherokee Council-Ground at Tah-le-quah.

      I have before referred to our large Church membership among the Choctaws and Cherokees, and also to the early piety of some of our pupils. There is an interesting simplicity generally found in Indian piety, little concealment or apparent dissimulation. True, there are many relapsings and backslidings, and some fearful falls; and what less could be expected where there is so little light and so great exposure? But these are, for the most part, open and palpable, attended with frank confession, which opens the way to penitence and restoration--unlike the studied consistency of deportment which, among us, often marks the outward life of the inwardly fallen, and which effectually cuts them off from the pastoral and disciplinary treatment so essential to their recovery and reëstablishment in piety. Indians professing to be converted seem to think it a matter of course that they should, on all occasions, bear the cross in public religious exercises. I never recollect a single refusal to pray or to speak when occasion required it. I was peculiarly impressed with the scenes of our first love-feast

held among the Indian members connected with Fort Coffee Mission. Each in succession among the men and women would arise and modestly walk forward, take a position near my seat, and declare the dealings of God with their souls with all the simplicity and apparent docility of a child approaching to recite a lesson, and then retire.

      The history of the boys, after our separation from the work, was, in a great measure, lost to me. Enough, however, was seen and heard to show that the labor bestowed upon them had not been in vain. Some entered useful avocations, one, at least, became a minister among his people, and several passed away in early life, I trust, to a mansion in the heavenly home.

      Among the employés of our establishment was one whom I will not forbear to mention, both on account of the intrinsic merits of his own character and as an illustration of the workings of the peculiar institution of the South. Soon after my taking charge at Fort Coffee, I was advised by a brother minister to employ among our laborers one or more negro slaves, lest, by seeming to avoid them and employing white persons in preference, I should incur the imputation of being an "abolitionist." I failed to appreciate the reasoning of my good brother. But what his arguments had failed to accomplish was afterward effected by considerations of a different character. The failure, as before stated, of our German cooks, and the severe and unintended drudgery temporarily imposed upon members of our own household, created a case of necessity which could be disposed of in no other way. Accordingly I employed an entire family of sufficient force to perform, with occasional help, the labors of the kitchen, laundry, dormitories, and all incidental service. The head of the family was the man Charles, a stalwart African in the prime of life, large, well formed, and of immense muscular power. Charles had been raised a slave, mostly in the army in the service of the officers. His principal employment had been that of a cook, but he was instructed in performing genteel serv-

ice generally. Part of the duty required of him, while at a certain station, was the care of his temporary master, Captain S., in his drunken frolics. The directions of the Captain were that, whenever he should become so drunk as to be ungovernable, Charles should seize and forcibly confine him till sober, so as to prevent his violence; a service which the superior courage and muscular power of the noble slave enabled him easily to perform.

      Charles had purchased his own freedom and that of his eldest daughter, but the wife and remaining children were still in slavery. He hired the time of his wife for a stipulated sum, besides maintaining for the owner a large family of fine, healthy slave-children, with their annual growth and increase in value, and an almost annual addition to their numbers. I have even paid for him, out of his own hard earnings, a bill of some magnitude for medical attendance upon his wife at the birth of a child born into slavery. Such was the confidence reposed in him by the owner of his wife and children, that he was permitted to make his own contracts and receive payment of their hire; and with him I contracted. He and his family performed their part well, and contributed no little to the comfort of our large household.

      With all his other good qualities Charles was pious. Wicked and unfriendly to piety as had been the influences and associations around him, he had for years been a consistent and worthy member of the Methodist Episcopal Church; and at that time he held a regular license as an exhorter. In all the ordinary duties of his station he was strictly honest, prompt, and reliable; not wholly free, it is true, from traits almost always found among slaves, and which may be apologized for as the "vitium loci non hominis," but true to the standard of morals which he believed correct. I could confide in his integrity. He exhibited great attachment to Mrs. G., under whose control the domestics were mainly placed; and, with great seeming affection, nursed her in illness, his great strength enabling

him, when necessary, to raise her and carry her from place to place in his arms as a child. He had our confidence; we had his affection. He remained with us to the last, and, I believe, himself left soon after. At our parting we left him suffused in tears. Many less worthy have been the subjects of higher eulogy.

      Another African, of rather singular character, lived near the mission an aged woman, having the appearance of a centenarian at least, feeble, emaciated, and almost bowed together. She had been kidnapped on the coast of Africa in early life, and had spent her long years in slavery. Still nominally the property of an Indian near by, but being of no further value she was turned out to die. I found her living alone in a rude little hut or pen of poles, in rear of the mission premises. With all her sufferings she presented an affecting illustration of the workings of maternal affection. "My poor boy buried here," said she, giving a reason for her attachment to the dreary spot.

      Business engagements often called me to Fort Smith, where I always found a welcome and hospitable home at the large hotel of Captain Rogers, an old citizen, with whom many of the army officers made their quarters. With several of these I had an interesting acquaintance, and from the hands of some received offices of kindness. About this time disturbances upon our southern border began to take place. General Zachary Taylor was changed from his position, and placed in command of the southern division of the army, and afterward, at the head of the army, against Mexico. His place was supplied by General Arbuckle, a man of fine military appearance and affable manners, but too far advanced in life for active service, to say nothing of the superior reputation, as an officer, already won by General Taylor. I might name also Major Hunter,* Major Hoffman, and Captain Hoffman, his son, both

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      * Now Major-General Hunter of the army; a courteous and dignified Christian gentleman, a kind and warm-hearted friend; one that may be trusted in any times.--1863.

of whom, I believe, fell in Mexico a few years after. Several of these gentlemen were members of the Presbyterian Church.

      It was occasionally my privilege to spend a Sabbath there, and I always found the officers of the army among the most regular and respectful listeners, and liberal in their contributions for the support of the Gospel. During the absence of my friend, Rev. J. C. Parker, presiding elder of the district, in attending the General Conference of 1844, I, at his request, took charge of a quarterly meeting at Fort Smith. It was soon after a debate in Congress, in which a certain M. C., from my own State, made the declaration that the principles of Christianity were "incompatible with the institutions of our country." In lifting the ordinary quarterly collection for the preachers upon the work, I placed the appeal to the audience on the ground that Christianity was the basis of our free institutions, and referred to the fact that but a solitary member was found, who would rise in his place in the National Legislature, and utter such a sentiment, while the vote in the case stood recorded as an avowed, though incidental, acknowledgment of the Christian religion as the great foundation of civil liberty. It seemed to take, and a hearty response followed, not, indeed, in the form of audible "Amens," but in gold and silver coins, liberally thrown forth, as indicating their suffrages in favor of the Gospel; an evidence that such sentiments find but little sympathy among our army officers, with a view to whose vocation they seem to have been expressed.

      About the same time an "affair of honor" came off near to us; not among savages, who are never guilty of such brutality; not among army officers, who are supposed to be most subservient to the vile code; but between two gentlemen of the civil list from below the State line, one of them since in high office, who came up into the Indian country, and deliberately shot at each other--thus affording to the natives a gratuitous exhibition of the blessings of civilization, but carefully retiring below the line again before the

process of Cherokee law could reach them. A blarneying son of the Emerald Isle, with whom I often ferried, had been employed to transport the party to the place of rencounter (sic). Pat was a generous, kind-hearted fellow, and afterward entertained me with an account of his magnanimous efforts for a reconciliation while he had them on his boat. "I offered," said he, "to give up all my ferriage, and take the whole company back free of charge, if they would only give it up and make friends."

      The first term of our school closed on the 24th of July, by a public examination, in presence of the United States Agent, and such of the authorities of the Nation, and other persons, as chose to attend. The students sustained themselves well, and dispersed to their homes to spend a vacation during the Summer months, previous to the commencement of the regular Fall term.

      As some evidence of the reputation of our school, it may be stated that applications were made for the reception of white pupils from some of the best families below the State line; but our organization forbade it.

      Our Winters at Fort Coffee were bland and fine; the Summers were long, warm, and dry. All laborious business was suspended for some two months, in the heat of Summer. The thermometer, much of the time, stood at over one hundred in the shade, and not unfrequently, at the hour of retirement in the evening, was at ninety in our chamber.

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