No essential change has been made in the employments of the mission the past year, except in the addition of a public service in English on the Sabbath. Bible class and Sabbath school instruction is continued, with an increased attendance. The mission school, which near the close of 1846 was reduced in numbers on account of the establishment of a district school, afterwards increased to more than fifty, including eight boarding pupils. Sabbath schools have been opened also occasionally at other settlements. At Tikvamina our brethren Cameron and Shigud have prosecuted their work as heretofore. The Indians continue to progress in civilization and industry. A visit has been made to Michipicoton by Mr. Cameron, but with little avail; the members of the church having gone to their several places of resort for the summer. The mission continues in urgent need of reinforcement; a suitable helper, it is hoped, will be obtained before the close of the year. OTTAWAS IN MICHIGAN. RICHLAND. Rev. L. and Mrs. SLATER. Mr. Slater has conducted religious meetings on Sabbaths and week days, as heretofore, and for the most pårt they have been well attended. "Those of the church who had fallen into temptation, have confessed their sin and promised reformation, and some of them remain steadfast." The interest awakened in education by the introduction of the "new method" of teaching, appears to be unabated. Those of the Indians who have not been supplied with books, are looking for them with much impatience, that they may read in their own tongue the wonderful works of God. The Indians in the colony continue to number from 130 to 150, but the losses by death are supplied in part by immigration. More than eighty have died since the removal of the colony from Grand River, about eleven years since; at the rate of an entire generation in twenty years; and during the same period there have been only about fifty births. The missionary urges their removal to the Indian Territory as the only means of saving the tribe from utter extinction; but the colonists continue averse to the proposition. Members of church twenty-five. TONAWANDAS AND TUSCARORAS IN NEW YORK. TONAWANDA.-Rev. A. and Mrs. WARREN. The annual report from this station has failed of reaching us. Number of church members last year thirty-nine. SHAWANOE MISSION. SHAWANOE.-Rev. F. and Mrs. BARKER. DELAWARE. Rev. J. G. and Mrs. PRATT; Miss E. S. MORSE. Charles Johnnycake, native assistant. OTTAWA. Rev. J. and Mrs. MEEKER. J. T. and Mrs. Jones, and Shawbundy, assistants. 3 stations; 3 missionaries and 5 female assistants; 3 native assistants. The late occupants of Delaware station having been dismissed on account of immoralities of two of its members, it has been put in charge of Mr. Pratt, who has been authorized to remove from Stockbridge for this purpose. Miss Morse, late of Ottawa station, has also been requested to take part in conducting the boarding school. It was ascertained at Ottawa that the Indians were too dispersed to sustain a district school, and that the children must either be sent to Delaware, or in their own colony be gathered into a boarding school; and this is now under consideration. The Delaware station being removed to its new site, the buildings are not yet completed, and the school is consequently for a time suspended. At the other stations in connexion with the Shawanoe Mission, the work has been prosecuted with a good degree of success, though intermingled with severe trials. From Shawanoe Mr. Barker reports an addition to the church of eight by baptism, and two by experience who had been previously baptized; and three excluded; present number in good standing, twenty-six. At Ottawa the additions have been ten Ottawas and two Putawatomies, beside one German; five have been restored, eight have been excluded, and five have died; present number sixty-seven. The Stockbridge church numbers sixteen. Two have been baptized and two restored; excluded six. The number of members of Delaware church last reported, was thirty-six. The missionaries have suffered from sickness and bereavement in their own families; and the Indian population has been more than usually subject to fluctuation and excitement from the prevalence of a "war spirit." Schools.-The schools at Stockbridge and Shawanoe, attended by ten or twelve pupils each, have been well conducted. Provision is being made for renewing the boarding school at Delaware, as before inentioned, to contain twenty-five boarders. MISSION TO THE CHerokees. CHEROKEE.-Rev. Messrs. E. JONES and W. P. UPHAM; and Mr. H. UPHAM, printer, and their wives. DELAWARE TOWN.-Out-stations, Honey Creek and White Water. John Wickliffe, Oganaya, native preachers. TAQUOHEE.-Tanenole, native preacher. FLINT-Out-stations, Skin Bayou, Grand River, and Spring Creek. Lewis Downing, native preacher. 5 stations and 5 out-stations; 2 preachers, 1 a teacher; 1 printer; 3 female assistants; 5 native preachers. All the churches connected with this mission are reported in a prosperous state. "Among many professors of religion there is a decided increase of spiritual-mindedness and zeal for the success of the gospel." A more general attendance on religious instruction is discernible among all classes. In the meetings at Cherokee a growing seriousness has prevailed throughout the year, and especially the last five months of 1847. The same may be said of other places, where the word is frequently preached. "At all the places visited, there has been evidently a hungering for the bread of life." One hundred and twentytwo were added to the churches by baptism from April 11 to Jan. 14; among these were four of the children of Mr. Jones, and three who had been brought up in the mission family at Valley Towns. A revival of religion has also been enjoyed in the neighboring white population of Arkansas. The school at Cherokee, in care of Mr. Upham, is well attended; number of scholars forty-one. Printing operations.-The printing executed at intervals from May to December, inclusively, amounted to 587,700 pp., consisting principally of translations of Mark, Thessalonians, Philemou, Titus and Jude; 10,000 copies of Mark, and 9,000 copies of the other books; a half of the same being for tract distribution (tracts Nos. 2 & 3) and the other half for an edition of the New Testament. 1,000 copies of a "Social Hymn Book," compiled by Rev. W. P. Upham, were also printed, 160,000 pp. 32mo., with other publications. The whole amount of printing executed from the beginning, is 945.500 pp. 730,560 pp. of the same were in Cherokee, and 480,000 pp. in tract form for distribution. The portions of bible published in the Cherokee language by the mission, are Genesis, Luke, Mark, 1st and 2d Thessalonians, Philemon, Titus and Jude. Also portions of Peter Parley's Natural History, and of Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress, and tract No. 1, on Maternal Duty. The department has had to struggle with various embarrassments in regard to type, printing office, and copy; but these are now mostly surmounted. RECAPITULATION. The whole number of missions in connexion with the Missionary Union is 16, of stations 52, and of out-stations 87. The number of missionaries and assistants is 105, of whom 45 are preachers; and of native preachers and assistants 158; total number of laborers 263. Of churches there are 123, with 10,020 members, of whom 689 were baptized last year; and of schools 44, with 1,472 pupils ;-as in the annexed table. |