OBITUARIES. During the year the mission family at Dwight has been visited with severe sickness, which has terminated in the removal of three of its members by death-Mr. Matthias Joslyn, Rev. Jesse Lockwood, and a daughter of Mr. Jacob Hitchcock, five years of age. Nearly all the members of the mission family have been afflicted more or less severely with fevers during the past summer. The family of Mr. Newton, at the Forks of Illinois, has also suffered much. Sickness and very great mortality has prevailed among the Cherokees, especially those who have arrived from the old nation. Of some hundreds who arrived during the winter and spring, it was estimated that one seventh had died.

RELIGIOUS STATE

OF THE MISSION.

-No extensive or powerful revival has been enjoyed in the mission, during the year, though at some periods considerable religious feeling has been manifested in some districts. In one it is believed that ten or fifteen have been renewed by the Spirit of God. Others are anxious concerning their spiritual state, and a great reformation in morals is visible. Instances of hopeful conversion have occurred in other parts of the nation. The whole number of members in January was 106, of whom 91 are Cherokees, or persons connected with Cherokees.

The places for stated and occasional preaching, and the congregations, are supposed to remain nearly the same as they were last year. The Cherokee Bible Society held its annual meeting in June, at which great joy was expressed on receiving the portions of the Scriptures printed in their language at the press in the old nation, and an earnest desire was manifested that the other parts of the Bible should be translated, so that they might have access to the whole written word of God. One hundred dollars were subscribed on the occasion to aid in accomplishing this object.

SCHOOLS. The number of pupils in the schools at Dwight has been greater that at any former period, the whole number, including the children of the mission families, having been above eighty; of whom more than seventy were of Indian descent, and of these about forty were boys. More than half of them can read the word of God understandingly. Nearly one third of them are orphan children. All, except five, board in the mission family.-The school at Fairfield, under the superintendence of Doct. Palmer, but supported principally by the Cherokees, has succeeded well, and numbers about sixty pupils.-The day school at the Forks of Illinois has been much interrupted by the sickness. The number has fluctuated from six or seven to twenty. A school consisting of about twenty children, principally Cherokees, has been taught at Union during the summer. It is probable that a permanent school may be continued there.

Proposals have recently been made to employ itinerant teachers for instructing the people in the art of reading their adopted among the eastern Cherokees; own language, according to the method and captain George Vashon, the United States Agent for this tribe, has generously offered one hundred dollars for the outfit of such a teacher, and thirty dollars annually for supplying the learners with books. The whole number of pupils taught in this tribe during the year

is about 175.

DECEASE OF COL. WALTER WEBBER. By the death of this chief, which occurred on the 4th of April, the mission and the Cherokees have suffered a heavy loss. He resided near Fairfield, was received to the church in May 1833, and was a truly patriotic and worthy man; intelligent and enterprising, and extensively engaged in agriculture and trade.

Not less than twenty-five or thirty of the immediate connections of the Brown family, to which Col. Webber was nearly allied, have been professedly pious; all but two of whom have died in the faith, or now adorning the doctrine of God their Savior, and exerting a salutary Christian influence among their people. The name of Catharine Brown will ever stand among the sainted ones in the history of missions.

The population of this portion of the tribe has considerably increased during the past year, and will probably continue to increase, by immigration from the Cherokees still residing on their lands, east of the Mississippi.

MONROE.-Thomas C. Stuart, Missionary, and Mrs. Stuart.

TIPTON COUNTY, TEN.-Hugh Wilson, Missionary; Mrs. Wilson, and Prudence Wilson.

The state of the Chickasaws has remained during the year nearly the same as represented in the last report. Divisions have prevailed between the halfbloods and the full-blood Chickasaws; white settlers have continued to press into the nation; intoxicating liquors and other means of tempting and corrupting the people abound every where; and great confusion and wickedness prevail.

Four persons, three of them full-blood Chickasaws, have been added to the church during the year. Some painful

cases of defection and excision have oc

curred. During the fall of last year no school was taught at Tokshish for want of a teacher. It was recommenced in January, and has since been kept in successful operation.

No definite information has been received respecting the schools formerly connected with the stations at Martyn and Caney Creek, which were removed from the nation, and united at a seminary to be conducted by Messrs. Wilson and Holmes, in Tipton County, in West Tennessee. The Chickasaw chiefs have applied their annuity which had been appropriated for the support of these schools, to some other purpose.

A delegation of the Chickasaws have, during the year, visited various tracts of country west of the Mississippi river, in search of a place for a permanent residence; but have found none which they recommend to their countrymen.

BETHABARA.-Loring S. Williams, Missionary; his wife; and Miss Eunice Clough, Teacher. CLEAR CREEK-Ebenezer Hotchkin, Catechist; his wife; and Anna Burnham. Teacher.

BOK TUKLO.-Henry R. Wilson, Missionary and Physician: and his wife.

Samuel Moulton, Teacher; and his wife.

CLOSE OF THE MISSION EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI. The arrangements with the families which had been connected with the mission to the Choctaws before their removal, but which retired from the service of the Board after that event, were completed, and most of the moveable property belonging to the Board was disposed of early last fall. The last party of the Choctaws, who were to be

States, according to the stipulations of the treaty of September, 1830, departed from their old country about the same time. The whole number of Choctaws who have removed to the west is estimated at about 15,000. Many still remain scattered over their former country.

Messrs. Kingsbury and Byington remained at their stations a large part of the year, closing the concerns of the mission, and preaching as they had opportunity to small companies of scattered Choctaws and in the white settlements adjacent.

The mission property has been appraised, but it is still uncertain how much, if any thing, the Board will receive for the buildings and improvements relinquished on closing the mission.

TOURS OF MESSRS. KINGSBURY AND BYINGTON.--In view of important changes which were likely to be made in the location of the Indian tribes west of the

Mississippi river, and in their relations to each other and to the United States, the Committee deemed it expedient that Mr. Kingsbury should visit the stations occupied by the missionaries of the Board in that quarter, and in consultation with his brethren there, be authorized to recommend such changes, and adopt such measures, as the circumstances of the several missions should seem to require at the existing crisis. He accordingly spent five months, beginning in October 1833, in visiting the missions west of Arkansas Territory.

By the appointment of the Committee he, accompanied by Mr. Byington, proceeded up the Mississippi river in June and July, to the country of the Sac and Fox Indians. Subsequently they ascended the Missouri river, on their way to the tribes lying on the Missouri, Platte, and Kansas rivers, for the purpose of ascertaining the practicability and expediency of sending missionaries into that quarter. Having visited most of the small bands of Indians which have been removed from the east of the Mississippi to that country; and having also met and conferred with Messrs. Dunbar and Allis, who are about commencing a mission among the Pawnees, they proceeded by way of the Osage missions to the stations on the Arkansas river, where they arrived early in November.

The mission among the western Choctaws now embraces five stations, all near Red river, or Little river, a northern branch; and not far from the south

The missionaries have been much interrupted in their labors by sickness in their families and among the Indians. From June til November of last year, fevers were generally prevalent and severe. Scarcely an individual in the mission-families escaped the disease. It is estimated that not more than one in fifteen of the Choctaws escaped the fever, and that as many as one in fifteen fell victims to it. In some settlements the mortality was much greater. Out of the seventy families living nearest to Wheelock, seventy individuals died.

CHURCHES AND CONGREGATIONS.-A considerable number of those who were members of the church in the old nation, have not removed to the new country, or reside remote from the stations, or for some other cause, have never united with the churches as at present organized. There are now three;-one at Wheelock, one at Bethabara, and one at Bok Tuklo. The first had received, previous to May last, seventy-one members; the present number is fifty-nine. The church at Bethabara now embraces 113 members. Twenty-one, all Indians, have been admitted during the year; twenty have died, leaving evidence that they have entered heaven: the church at Bok Tuklo consists of twenty-three members; making the present number of members in these churches 195. The state of re

ligious feeling has been low in the church, and little religious anxiety or inquiry has prevailed among those without. The impaired health of the missionaries has prevented their preaching extensively or regularly among the people, and confined their labors almost exclusively to the stations. The congregations have varied through the year from twenty or thirty to 100 or 200; and on special occasions 400 or 500 assemble.

EDUCATION. Six or eight schools for instruction in the Choctaw language, under native teachers, employed and superintended by the missionaries of the Board, had either been opened, or were ready to go into operation, at the commencement of the severe sickness last

fall. All labors of this kind were then suspended for some months. There are now five schools for common branches, and as many more Sabbath schools.

TRANSLATIONS.-A small tract on the Sabbath has been composed in the Choctaw language by Mr. Williams, and 3,000 copies of it printed. A new edition of the Choctaw spelling-book, toVOL. XXXI.

Rev. Joel Wood, formerly a teacher at Elliot in the old Choctaw country, is about to join this mission as a preacher of the gospel. He was compelled to leave the missionary work for a time, on account of impaired health.

MISSION TO THE CREEKS.

John Fleming, Missionary; and his wife. Roderic Lathrop Dodge, M. D., Physician and Teacher, has recently proceeded to join this mission.

braces about 2,500 souls; the remaining This portion of the Creek nation emin the State of Alabama. Parties are 18,000 or 20,000 still reside on their land joining their brethren in the west from 5,000 Seminoles are to be removed from year to year. It is reported that about Florida to join this band during the present season. These are of the Muskokee or Creek race, and speak nearly the same is about seven miles from fort Gibson, language. The station of Mr. Fleming two from the Verdigris, and three from the Arkansas river.

Mr. Fleming has heretofore been principally occupied in acquiring a knowledge of the language, in which he has made considerable progress; though he of an interpreter. No other person has is not yet able to preach without the aid attempted to reduce the language to Mr. Fleming has prepared an elementary writing. With the aid of interpreters, book in the language, containing, also, select portions of scripture, amounting to 100 pages, of which 500 copies have been printed. The book is much desired by the people, some of whom have already learned to read from manuscripts prepared by Mr. Fleming. On one of his visits he found the house full of Indians learning the alphabet. A few hymns have been prepared, and are introduced and sung at the meetings.

In addition to his study of the language, Mr. Fleming has visited much among the Indians, and preaches statedly on the Sabbath at one or two places, to small congregations of twenty or twenty-five Indians. Two persons, fullblood Creeks, have been admitted to the church.

Mrs. Fleming has attempted to teach a school in the English language, but 3*