The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-01-10 00:00:00

outpourin' cf His Holy Spirit might he given to the young
men throughout the universities and schools of learning in
the land. (Hear, and applause.) After a few eloquent
closing sentences, the Archdeacon concluded by proposing
• the resolution.

Mr. Adam Hodgson seconded the resolution, and in the
course of his brief address, urged that the Indian popu-
lation had an especial claim upon the care of the white
men, and the converting and exalting efforts of Christians,
inasmuch as no race had disappeared so rapidly as the
Indian race, before the advance of the European.
The resolution was then carried amid loud applause.
' The Chairthan then called on ,the Lord I3ishop of
Rupertsland to address the meeting. (Loud applause.)
The Right Rev. David Anderson, Bishop of Ruperts-
land, came forward, and was received with renewed
applause. He said—My Christian friends, I feel very
much indebted to your member for having been good
enough on the present occasion to favour us with his
presence and take the chair. I feel extremely indebted
also to my rev. brethren for coming in large numbers this
evening, to be presegt with us here. I feel indeed,
much indebted for 'this opportunity of speaking in
Liverpool, it having been, as you have already
heard, ' the first scene of my ministerial labours ;
and especially thankful to Archdeacon Jones,
,vith when, as a son with a father, I laboured at St.
Andrews happily for a period of two years. This place,
my friends, rt calls the past, and 1 feel some little difficulty
in remembering at the present moment that my home is
now 4,000 miles or more from Liverpool. I feel a
difficulty in addressing you to-night-on many accounts.
One reason is, that I am unaccustomed to address large
numbers abroad; and another reason is, that I feel some-
times a measure of difficulty in using the term home. I
sometimes speak of my far distant land as my home, and
so it is ; and then, of course, when resident among you I
may speak of England as my home, and so it is for the
season. These two terms have produced some confusion
when I have spoken in several places. You will therefore
account for it if during the remarks I lay before you I
should sometimes speak of home, and link it in that way
with the spot in which the Providence of Gad has placed
me; Those are some of the difficulties I feel in speaking
tonight, but I ask merely at your hands for a kind and
patient attention. I presume that your
.own feelings
to-night are very much in harmony with those described
by the poet—l mean the poet who has written so truthfully
and so nobly regarding Indian life—the American poet
Longfellow. (Loud applause.) You, I hope,
•
" Believe that in all ages
Every human heart is human—
That in every savage bosom
There are longings, yearnings, strivings,
For the good they comprehend not."
I believe that there are feelings in the savage's mind lead-
ing him onwards towards God—(hear, hear)—tbelings of
dissatisfaction with his present condition, which, if we
but approach at the proper moment, and pray that our
labour may not be in vain, we may be blessed with the
conversion of a soul and the leading of it up to the Lord.
(Hear, hear.) I hope our condition in connection with
this effort may be that which the same poet has described
—that it may be said of all ministers of God in his words—
" All your prayers are heard in Heaven,
:For you pray not like the others,
Not for greater skill in hunting,
Not for greater craft in fishing,
Not for triumph in the battle,
Nor renown among the warriors,
But for profit of the people,
For advantage of the nations."
I hope our labours are given up in that spirit, for the proit
of the people—for advantage of the nations. ( A pplause )
Now, my friends, without further preface, I shall go onwart
and tell my tale, and shall only endeavour to transfer yea
for a few moments to my distant land. You must forget
for a moment that you are in Liverpool, and think yourselves
carried in spirit to that land—think yourselves in the heat I
and sphere of our labours. Having described the situation
of the mission on the Red River in Roperes Land, his
diocese extending from Labrador to the liscky Mountains,
his lordship
_proceed to make some observations on the
climate, and observed that we considered it more severe
than those who really experienced it. It was 30 degrees
below zero, but when unaccompanied with wind, its
severity was not so severe. The heat in summer was
more trying, it being 95 in the shade for a short time,
accompanied with vivid lightning and awful thunder,
which caused many accidents. They were also subject to
periodical floods. The greatest was in the year, 1652,
when the river, which at their place was only 150 yards
broad, rose above its banks and covered an area of
country to an extent of twelve miles, flooding many
houses and destroying much property. His lordship then
described the manner of travelling in the country.. He
himself travelled in a birch-bark csnoe wi'h eight men, and
exhibited a small model of his boat, illustrating its character
by quoting' a passage from " Hiawatha," in which the
construction of such frail barks are beautifully described.
In that manner they travelled in summer from the Red.
River to Moose, a distance of 1,200 miles, encountering
dangers by way, chiefly from the rapids, which at some
parts run with the force of a cataract. In winter they
travelled differently. Ali was frozen, and so remained to
the middle of April or first of May in each
year. On going into the interior they travelled
with dogs, like Esquimau!, and could travel with four
dogs 200 miles in four. days, the dogs 'travelling some
times sixty miles a day. All the goods sent out to them
should be carried up 700 miles to the Red River, so that
every package of clothing that was sent out was thirty-
seven times taken out and repacked, there being that
number of portages on the journey. From' the mode of
travelling he passed to the character of food which the
country supplied them. At his station they could ra's
corn and van cattle, but throughout the vast extent of .the
country nature denied that boon. Other sources of supp\y
were however opened to the Indian, but he was naturally
improvident and husbanded not for the future. Herds o
buffaloes eame up far into the country, and these were
hunted and killed, when their flesh was pounded into what
was called " pemmican," which was much relished by -all.
There were also the wild duck and goose, and, the bear
which was very good meat and excellent food, like stewed
beef, but of a richer description. His lordship then spoke
of the clergy of his diocese. He had two excellent
archdeacons Archdeacon Cochrane, who had great
authority over the Indians and was on the station thirty-
two years, teaching the Indians the arts of husbandry, and
instructing them in the truths of religion; and Arch-
deacon Hunter, who had not long since addressed theni from
the platform' on which he (the bishop) then stood, and whose
translational lahoers were very great, he having already
translated the prayer book and three of the Gospels into
the Indian tongue. (Applause). Including himself, there'
were 20 clergymen in the diocese, while in 1819 there
were only five, and he hoped they would go on 'increasing,
in a like ratio, until the religious wants of the country
were fully supplied. Among the stations were Fort George
and Moose, the latter being a most important station, but
hundreds of miles lay between them. They had m tny
stations (Is the Red River, but many more were required,
for, although the population was not large, it was widely
scattered throughout the country. His lordship then
described the changes in the Indian character in the process
Of conversion : fierce, in the first instance, when his own
superstitions are assailed ; then doubting ; then thoughtful ;
and, finally, receiving, with child-like faith, the mysteries
of the Gospel. He had, himself, confirmed 1,300 of them,
and had the pleasure of conversing with each, and learning
from them the manner in 'which they had been led to the
truth, before going through the ceremony of .confirmation.
He had, as yet, only intercourse with two tribes, but there
were many further north to whom the light of the Gospel had
not yet been carried. His Lordship illustrated his, discourse,
which partook largely of the character of a lecture, by the ex-
hibitionof Indian objec's of interest, such as "mocassins" &c.,
and by reference to a map of North America, and concluded
by asking for the prayers and support of all Christians in
his arduous missionary labour, assuring them that their
contributions would be applied to that branch of the mission
to which they would wish it to be devoted. (Applause.)
The Rev. Dr. M‘Neile, then addressed the meeting. He
said :—I hope every one in this assembly feels it to be a
serious thing to listen to such a statement as has just been
made. All our privileges are taxed. Ido not nuw speak

of our temporal privileges or of taxation by the legislation.
I speak of our higher, our spiritual privileges, and of that
taxation upon theta which is an invariable rule and law of
Divine Providence. There is danger—a taxational danger
attending such privileges as the present. The danger is
that such a statement should be heard and no practical
results produced. (near, hear.) To hear such a state-
ment unmoved betrays a hardness of heart already
formed ;—to hear such a statement with some feeling,
and to have no practical results, is a step in a
hardening process. Therefore, I fe't it a serious
thine, to be here. It is in this tone, in this frame of mind.
that desire to propose the resolution now to be submitted
to you, and, feeling, it myself, leave you to feel it Hav-
ing heard from Bishop Anderson a statement of the peculiar
wants of his diocese in Rupert's Land, resolved that it is
the convictiction of this meeting that his diocese has special
claims upon the sympathy and support of the Christians
at home, arid that with this view certain gentlemen te
reqeusted to act as a committee. (Hear, and applause.)
The sympathy is the immediate effect produced upon every
Christian heart, and the support is tho practical result that
should follow, if we would not injure ourselves. I say not
merely if we would refrain from benefiting the Indian, but
if we would not injure ourselves, some practical results
should follow from the sympathy expressed. I would feel
it much out of place, if, under the circumstances of
what we have heard this evening I were to attempt to direct
your attention into any other channel, to awaken any other
graver thoughts, or suggest any other description of feeling
than that which I hope has boen gathering in every mind
by listening to the bishop, and in which I have ventured to
make thee few remarks. (Applause.)
The Rev. C. W. Lawrence seconded the motion, which
was unanimously adopted.
Thanks were voted to the chairman, and the meeting
separated.