Selections: Africans Of The Amistad

1 lic present indicniions and prospecte oí the Missionaries and Meridiana wliu remnin witJi theni, mny be learnod frum tlic follqwjng letter of Mr. llnymond, undor date of April 20rh. As soon as bro:hêrS;eeIe returncel frotri down ' ilic coast. nnd found it mpossibls to' move at ■ once to our place of deninntion, we thüught it neceesaiy 10 move our people mmedintely to som e place wbere they cóuld wö'rk nnd support tlieinselves, or do something tovvarda it. Accordingly 1 set out in séarch of suc-li a placo. í carne to York. It séenied ns though JProvidènce had boen prepari'rjté thé W.iy bcfore us. Tlio Wosleyan Misaiönnry lierebad nëarly fïnishsd a Inrgo stone cliñpel, (it Iris einco been dcdicatcd,) aiid lis poon as jic had coiip!;tcd it hc tuended going home to Fnglond. lt seemcd to bc. the will of God ihat i sliould and fíll his place. - The Lord gave nc snch favor in the eycs ol Weslcyan missioharies. tliat thcy nll, witli ono consent, have invited ine to iill tlic place. authorizini me to adminiáter tbe ordinances. ad uit and discipline niembers, &c. &c It hurnbles 11 iv soul and inclts n;c to tears ás I think of it. VV'ho nni I, that the Lord should do thia lor me? York contains abmit 3'JOO inhabitante. and is apromising tield of labor. I Beliêve the tlie Lord will blcss tny labor, and giv'c me souls for my hiio. He nor only opened a field for me, but also lor the Mendinns. Therc is a large farm of thevery best land, ahoiu a uiile out ol town, thnt was fqriHefly in a high siate of culiivation, Lut lor some years has luid wnsie, and hns been suffered to grow up to giass and sinuH bushes, - Tlic manager liere gave me of hiá uwn accerd the 'ree use of thisf;irrn for the Mendidti.-. you see the Lord lius prepared a field for boih ine nul my peó'pte; accordirig tö our respective calliugs. We niovcd about the 20th of Maieh. 1 expgeted that roóving wóutd bc a trying time - iliat we should then find who' were our triends, and who werc not. I told ihe Mcndians plaiuly. before we carne here. that ifihey did not urork J could nol giye thcin anything to cat. Oui ol thirty-lbree ir.en [ now bnról but ten. Tliese. as a matter of eonrse, n.rc the best of thetn. Cinque, hovever, is absent. Thè resl aie scattc cd. some in one place, soine in another - some rcduccd to a country clo'li for clothing. Ilardly a doy passes but a word Ctunes thai some of my iíj)lüple"' fire in söch a place, or such o plácé, &c. Whcn I first carne here I ntenrféil to give ench man a. piece of grotind, oiid let h'im cultívate il for himself. but tfiey preferred to work for me, let the farm be mine. and let me have the reeponsibility of ee'litifi the produce, Ac. On Thtirsday, Márch 30ih, I made the foHowing agrecmenr wih the icn male Mendtnns who a;conipanied me to York. 1 should remark that soon nfter arriving here. they expressed á desirc to live like civilraöd people and io hrow awny their heaihen names. and never more to be cali ed by theiii. They have assumed Engliüh name as follows: - Fu li [VVa] alias GeorereBrown, Kin-na, -' Lewis Johnson, Ber-ri. " Thomas Johnson, Cani ma, " Johu Smiih, Ka-li, [Wa-lu] " Georgu iewis. So-ko-ma. '; Henry Cowies, Fa-ban-na, " Ale.xander I'nsey, Jarpe l'r.ut. Ba, ;: David Urown, Mo-lu, li John Williams. The abovo named a" ee to work on thearm or clsewhere as I sec fit - to go to ' own and puil [i. c. row tliebbat] when I wiah I - nnd sliould I wisli to go to the Slierbrú, aflcr they have learned to pull, tlicy wíl) go nnd pull, ' :ut sliould 1 wish to go hefprethey háve Icarncd, l am to hire two men. Ou iny part, 1 ngreo to L'ive to caoh, at the comrriencement, enuugh blue Baft [ . o. blue cotton cl;ith.] thread and buttons, for or.e pair of pantnloons - and ut the end oftbree inoiiths each one is to have a shirt. One shilling sterling per week is to be paid monthly, with the exeeption of the boy Ka-li. alias George Lewi.s, vlio is to hivc ninepence per woëk il'he works well, and sevenpence hallpenny it'not; the rest iré to decide whi.ch he is to have. They commenced work on Moniday, April 4th. The nbove ngreement wns propoEed by therri, anri it is not oniy tho rule for theni. but a standing rulo to whioh all, even Cinque, must submit when they come. I also ngree to pay them one shilling sterling prr week for supplyin'g me with water, as it is hard to procure it. a 1 1 1 trrey liave to get itm the night-, on account o! the greal crowd oí fieople at the watering-place in the day time. Sincc they commenccd work they have worked like men. I went out there laat Saturday ;ind was very agreeably disappointed not oniy : ee huw much they had done, but to see how well they had done it. I imend to plant some yams, sweet potatoes, and corn for ourown u?e, but the principal part of my erop will be peanutsr is Capí. Richard Lawrcncc [a worthy man at Freetown, who bas befriended us much] says he will give me cash for all I can raise. I thirik [here is no doubt but I sha!! raise as much oí!' ihe the fnrjn as their expenses will amount to. - Die whole expense they aie to me now, includng u a síes and all. is af)O!it twénty five dollars a iiKinih for the ten. I have made a litlle book, in which I keep all thcir expenses separately, so ihai I sïmll know at the end of theseaso whether ibeir labor pnys their expenses. Such things is I pürchase for thenj. as well as iheir farming tools and thf! like. I do not givc to them for their owri; but retain ihe ownership myself, giving Lhern the. use of thèm. Thcynppcar to.be happy nndenjpy thetnselves well. George Brown [ "i'uli] said to me the other night, "Wenre'all happy now. You M-nnt to do us good, and we want to do yon good." Of Cinque. Mr. R. says he scircely knows wliat to write. No one, he says, had a higlier opinión of him thnn he had wliile he was untlèr bis instruction t Farmington, Conn. At Freetown he feil in with n woman of ihe same name ns his wifc - Ta-fe - and mnrricd hér! R. believes thnt hc is both diihonest nnd licentious - has told him plainly of his wickednesa, - iliat he could be héad man no more - and that if he carne to the farm to work it must be on the saine conditions as the rest, for there was but one law foi all. Mr. R. a'.sö told him that ho could riol :ive him any allowancc for T;i-(e. Cincjue was angry. and talked a good in the Mendi lanSome of ths Mendians afterwarda told Mr. R. that he said hc would niake all these men go awny and leave him: but they ácclared tli.it olthoiigh Cinque could kill them ho could not niake tliom leave Mr. R.'iyiüond. On the Moudny loliowjng, Cinque came to Mr. R as pliani ns a lnmb. Hc said he had got sonic tobáceo, and he wanted to go into the Sherbro for rice, lor Ta-fe to eat, and then hc would come back and work for Mr. R. But the man said be would not let him go into the canoe without he could eet Mr. R.'s consent in wiiiing. Aftcrwords Mr. R. leaTüed frbra Cinque th'tit S!m li. Fa-gun-nn, and another wliost? name he had forgoiten, set out to uo down the coast, cach of tliom liavinga woman. but the canoe man would not take tneni hecause the women were Brilish subjects. The Mendians who reniain with Mr. R. teil him that plenty more wijl return by and by when the rains come on, as rice and other provisions will be very Bcnrce, and they think lhey will come will come afler soniething to cal. The girls - Mar-gru, alias Sarah Kinsorij Te-me. " M;nii, and Kcn-Vnn, ': Charlotte, Jnve indeed been in tryihg circunietancea since they left America. At Freetown nat ünfrenuently would we find thern crying. but wc could not ascertain the cause. Sincc we have heen nt Yjrk. i] ' is succeeded in gnining their üni.iienco to such a degre that they teil her mahy ihiiüis which they would not darc to have told ut Freetown-. Wtiils thero; Cinrjiie, and Ta-fe iricd all they could to tnake them go throimh Bun-du, i. e. the rite of circumcision. This rite is performed in a house made on pU somewhere in the ontskirts of the town. aftor which the females ci.rcumciscd, geuerally girls obout tho age of puberty, stripped naked - ec'er! a etoih about tlie loinn - iheir bodics shining with oil - mnrch through the streets accompniiicd by fïfteen or twenty women drumininrr. singiiü: alid dancing, as much resenibling Bcdlain let loose as anylhing oüf minds can conceive. Sarah [Mar-gruj told them shc knew what was donu there. nnd sho would not go. Her firmness on this point doubtlcss saved me a great deal pi trouble. Sarah told my wile that at Frectosvn some of the men conti ntinlly annoyed her, and [lint wns ihe cnusc of thcir ciying 80 much. ' have watched over them continually with pnrents' enio. Hürah and Marii have eonductcd, so t'ar ns we know. extremely well. Satoh's character. so far as we hnvfl loarnt it, is irreproachfible. She has a wel! balaimrd. and superior mind. Sho is also, opon-heartod and frnuk. Wo heva iKVcrdetecicd hrr in varying irorn tho triuh in the least. Tnuh and honesty. in faet, sc-cm gthrnpüd on her vcr countenance The Ion ger b!i is wiih us the stronger is our attachnietit to lier. and the higher are our hopes raised in lespeet to her. Maria is loss mrwculine, and much mure amiablo and lady-likuin her nppëarance thun Sarah, hut lees intellect, Whcn etroii'ly ti sliu wil! vary (t'ita the trntli Charlotte f Ken-yen J is a continunl sou re t of irial to us. Sho is extremely difiereht IVom die othcr two. und it seenis nlmost iiupossible to makc aiiythfog bui i heaihon öï her. The girls espeoïrtlly Sarah nnd Maria, left Ameriea entirely agöinst iheir will. Thcy kíiew that sanie of the men liad üed re-iecling their country and thoy kiiew we shpuid nol finil things 13 they had rcpresenied. But thcy dared nol open iheir momhs. Whèn we lelt America they wèpt much; not so nuieh ;:s thcy have since told iny wife on nccount of loaving their lïiendfl there, as on account of wfwt they feared wovild befall theni. Tliey wero afraiti of s.nne of the mon as of dentli, and how t h very glad 10 be out pi iheir power and undor our protection. They look to us as children do to iheir parents, and l ani happy to sny thcy are to us like dutiful and obedierit children. Charlone, notwithstanfliug what Iris been eaid of 1p s iine good qualitie?. I do not now recollcct a single instance of disobodience in either of theni. They are very kind and afi'ectionatc to my vi!e, and think everything of our liule girl. We are 1 happy fami'y. The gi'rla are yery lond of their I)iuks.c3{ieciaily Sarah and Maiin. Tüev uve also desirous oi'learniiig to wurk, &,c. Vè lecl a peculiar interest in these girls, particularly in Saráfi, or Marjjr.u. 8he Ins sueli an extraoÖi'dinary intellect thut it is a pity il should not bc thóroughly culliyaled The advantagea wc cm give tbórh must neccf3irily bo small, evon ifwe I accordmi; 10 our beat wishes. 1 would sugest to you tho propriety of sending Sarah ria home to spend somc years ac Oberlin.ï oi uiny rcun muer iliai E.an-na ivvn) always a'ul, in America, that lie had no wife. Instead jf thiit he had sevcn. and severa! clnldcen. I Je th'rough thi3 piuco a linio more üian ;i week ago, on lus woy home. olniost dcétilutc f dot hing. JJe said his cloihes had been êtpIcn. But I could hordij credit hini. 'i'ho fact s. tbcy wjisic ihoir substance upon liarlots, and ilien pretend ii was stoleo. Messrs. S'eel nnd Raymond have separatcd themselves from Mr. nnd Mrs. Wilson, the colDi til icMchers who accornp'inied them irom this country, for rensone satisfnetory to the English missionnrits, nnd to the coiimmice. He has a gooci tradc (beingatailor), and can sup ort hiiñself and vile, hut wheihe'r thëy wÜl remaiti at Sierta Leone, or return to America is uneertain. Brolher Steel feds obüged to return to the Uniicd Statos beíoie the ïains, on account of liis hcahh. Did 1 nol feel that bis hóalth (iemands his return, and that it is the Lord's will.ï should by no means consent to it. We have boen piothers indeed - in spirit nnd courise! one. His return will throw a heavy responsibiliiy on me. hut feeling (.lint it is the will of my hèaver.ly Fatheri I cbeerfully tnkc it upon me. and though 1 lack wisdom. I am assUred tliat my Father will give me liberally aivl upbraid not. 1 am alone - and vel not alone - God is wilh me. My health is rcmnrkably good. I have not, I think. tor years, enjoyed tliree montlis of better heahh tlron the three months I have been in África. I have not been sick a day. I do not know how soon I may be sick, but I eee notwhy - trusting in God und obeying the pbysicial riws of my beini - 1 enn not live as ve!l herc as i:i Americ:'.. Thus much lor my body. As för my soul, my cup is full - I feel hat 1 am just wiiere the Lord wan:s me to be. Somci;mes as I walk out and cast my eyes ïipon the 'mountains nbout me, the thought strikes me. Is this África? Is it possible that I am In-re? Tiren my wiiole soul melis to tears, and I biets the Lord. nnd give glory lo Mis huly name that it is so. 1 have never had one long- ing th nught fbr home - not that I am past feeüng and dévoïd of natural ufi'cction - but the 'witness1 that here in África - is my field, is so stroiig and abiding in my sml, thnt höhVe and all itsjoys. tbough "passing Iovcly." are castinto the shade, and I feel willing, yea. rejoiccd.tocount all the endearments of home - tbc advantagesof civiüzation and the happinrss of Chrisiiañ Society - öut dros?, that I may but have the privilege of laboring,here, ai.d guiding the poor, bcniglited children of Ham in t!ie vvay of Sahation. and pointing tbem to the Lumb of God who can take uVay their sins.