years ago. I found it the most rude and heathenish country I ever saw in my whole life, which called themselves Christians, there not being so much as the least marks or footsteps of religion of any sort. Sundays were the only times set apart by them for all manner of vain sports and lewd diversion, and they were grown to such a degree of rudeness, that it was intolerable. I having then command of the militia, sent a order to al the captains, requiring them to call their men under arms, and to acquaint them, that in case they would not in every town agree among themselves to appoint readers, and to pass the Sabbath in the best manner they could, till such times as they should be better provided, that the captains should, every Sunday, call their companies under arms, and spend the day in exercise. Whereupon, it was unanimously agreed on throughout the country, to make choice of readers, which they accordingly did, and continued in those methods for some time."

The following letter is extracted from the MSS. of the Venerable Society for Propagating the Gospel in Foreign Parts.

COLONEL HEATHCOTE TO THE SECRETARY.

SIR:

Manor of Scarsdale, Nov. 9, 1705.

I am indebted to you for yours of the 11th Jan. and 9th of April, and am wonderfully surprised that the Society should make choice of me for one of their members. It was a very great satisfaction to me, that any thing I could offer was acceptable to them, and should very joyfully embrace any opportunity of doing service to the Church, and I bless God for it, I am not conscious to myself of ever having slipt one fair occasion therein, when government would give me leave. I beg of you, sir, to present my most humble duty to that honorable body, and thank them for the honor they have been pleased to do me, and may assure them that I shall not only endeavor to give them satisfaction as to any thing they shall desire of me; but if any new matter occurs, which I believe may be of service to the Church, I will not fail laying it before them for their consideration. If I mistake not, the several heads you desire satisfaction of in both your letters now before me, are, first, an exact and impartial account of all your Ministers. Secondly, what fruit may be expected from Mr. Moor's mission. Thirdly, what my thoughts are of sending Mr. Dellius into those parts again. Fourthly, my opinion of the Society's having appointed that good man, Mr. Elias Neau, as Catechist to the

Negroes and Indians, and the cause of misunderstanding betwixt him and Mr. Vesey.

As to the first, I must do all the gentlemen which you have sent to this Province that justice as to declare that a better clergy were never in any place, there being not one amongst them that has the least stain or blemish as to his life or conversation, and though I am not an eye witness to the actions of any, save those in this county, yet I omit no opportunity of inquiring into their behavior, both of the friends and enemies of the Church, and they all agree as to the character of the gentlemen: and that they use their best endeavors to gain over the people. And as to their diligence in the faithful discharge of their trust, the Society, I hope, will, in their instructions, have laid down such rules as they won't fail coming at it without being imposed on. Mr. Urquhart, minister of Jamaica, has the most difficult task of any missionary in this government, for although he has not only the character of a very good man, but of being extraordinary industrious in the discharge of his duty, yet he having a Presbyterian meeting house on the one hand, and the Quakers on the other, and very little assistance in his Parish, except from those who have no interest with the people, that his work can't but go on very heavily, as I understand it does but Mr. Thomas, of Hempstead, having better assistance, the leading men in his parish not being disgusted, are helpful in the work; and having no other sectaries to oppose him by their meetings but the Quakers, makes very considerable progress, as I have been told by some of the most sensible of his parish. As for Mr. Mackenzie, he has a very good report from the people of Staten Island, and I shall not fail making further inquiry concerning him, and let you know it in my next.

But when all is done, what I can tell you concerning any minister, except in this county, is only by information from others, which is often very uncertain; for some gentlemen may many times, and very deservingly, have a fair and good character by the generality of their neighbors, and yet at the same time, by one misfortune or other, not perform much of the service of the Church, in which I will give you this plain instance.

There is not any gentleman whom the Society have sent over, that is clothed with a fairer character than Mr. Bartow, of Westchester, and truly he is a very good and sober man, and is extremely well liked and spoken of by his parishioners in general; yet although he has been three years in that parish, not many are added to the communion, nor baptized, and few catechised; and if he is directed to send an account how he has advanced on each of these heads, annually since his coming there, it will be found accordingly. For this and many other reasons, I can't help still to be pressing that the Society should lay the gentlemen which are sent over under exact rules, and methinks it is no difficult matter to have it ordered so as to know almost as well what is done as if they were present in every parish.

The people of Westchester were very angry with me because I was for

having this county divided into three parishes, and every minister to have 701. instead of 501., and I had brought the county, except that place, to a willingness to have it so, as I formerly acquainted you, and had they permitted that projection to have taken place, it would have been a great ease to the Society: for first, what Mr. Bartow had more than the 501. he now hath, might reasonably have been deducted at home. Secondly, Mr. Bondet would have been provided for. And thirdly, one Mr. Morgan, who was minister of Eastchester, promised me to conform; that there would not have been occasion of another being sent to us, and by that means have saved 50l. a year more at home, and wholly out of all hopes of any dissenting minister getting footing amongst us, and it will never be well until we are in three parishes; and I shall not fail, when I have a fair opportunity, to push for it again. And to satisfy you of the reasonableness in what I offer, I believe there has not six public taxes been laid on this county by the Assembly this fifteen years past, but I have been at the proportioning of, and when the places in Rye parish pay 501. the towns in Westchester parish were allotted 1207.; and there are two places more, which, both together, are one third part as big as Rye parish, which are now in neither of them. And now I am on this subject, it comes in course to make out what I told you in my former letters, viz: that there is no parish in the government but what is able to pay twice as much as they do. For Rye parish which is not by one half so large as the least parish established by law in the government here, since my living here, maintained two dissenting ministers, viz one at Rye and Mamaroneck, and one at Bedford, and gave the former 501. and the latter 40l. a year, which I think makes it out very plain what I have offered on that head; and you may be assured I shall omit no opportunity of serving the Society therein. But the work must be done, in a great measure by the minister's taking pains, and bringing the people into a good opinion of the Church, for though the reason hereof is very plain, it must be a business of time to effect it. We have had it reported that the Queen would be at the charge of maintaining a Suffragan Bishop in these parts. If that was granted, I question not but a great many who have had their education in Boston College would conform, and would be content with the benefices as settled by Assembly, without being very burthensome to the Society.

I have been so long wandering from one subject to another, that I had almost forgot to give you my thoughts of Mr. Muirson whom my Lord of London has sent for this parish. He has been here about three months, in which time he hath by much outdone my expectation; having very fully retrieved all that unfortunate gentleman, Mr. Pritchard lost; and if he continues so faithful in the discharge of his trust, of which I have not the least doubt but he will, he'll be able to give as large account of his services as any that has been sent over to this Province. And I must do him the justice to own that he is as deserving of the Society's favors. For as some of his parishioners told me, and which I know in a great measure to be true, that although they VOL. II.

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