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THE
WELCH INDIANS.
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THE
^
WELCH INDIANS;
OR, '
>
A COLLECTION OF PAPERS,
RESPECTING A PEOPLE WHOSE ANCESTORS EMIGRATED
FROM WALES TO AMERICA, IN THE YEAR 117W,
WITH
PRINCE MADOC,
(three hundred VEARS before the first VOYAGE
OF Columbus),
And who arc laid now to inhabit a beautiful Country on the
Weft Side of the MississiPi.
DEDICATED
TO THE '
MISSION J RV SOCIETY
BY
GEORGE BURDER.
7.0iVZ)0iV:
PRINTED FOR T. CHAPMAN,
NO, 151, !• I.F.ET-STREET.
Price One Shilling.
Vd
A
•>*•
V
TO THE .
DIRECTORS AND MEMBERS
OF THE
MISSIONART SOCIETT.
Gentlemen,
YOU arc engaged in ihe moft honour-
able of all purfuits, the difFufion of evangelical know-
ledge among the benighted heathen. With unex-
ampled liberality you have difpalched a number of Mif-
fionaries to Otaheite, and other iflands of the Pacilic
Ocean. You have now in contemplation the benevo-
lent plan of chriflianizing the poor opprefled Africans.
May the Almighty Saviour fucceed your philanthropic
labours !
Permit me to introduce to your compafTionaie no-
tice a numerous and long-neglefted race of men, origi-
nally Britons, and ftill retaining the ancient Britiih
language ; but feparated by the vaft Atlantic from this
illumined ifle for more than fix hundred years.
If we may credit the mod rcfpedable telHmonies,
they preferve among them, with religious veneration, a
manufcript volume, which is, with the greatefl: proba-
bility, fuppofed to be The Bible, that blcfled book
which is able to make us wife to falvatlo!^ They
cannot read it, yet long to know its contcius ; tliey
have wept when Grangers have vKifed them, unal)le like
themfelves to perufe it. Tradition has taught them to
exped that fome meffenger of God will one day come
among them, and unlock the iacred cabinet. I in-
dulge
n
35R20
C Ivr )
dulge the hope that this honour is referved for the
Englifli Miflionary Society. Thrice happy fliall that
man be efteemed, who, (landing up among them, and
holding the Bible in his hands, fhall cry in the Britifh
tongue, " I am come from Madoc's country to read
and explain to you this holy book of God, and to
preach among you the unfearchable riches of Chrift.*'
Gentlemen, the following pages contain hiflorical
relations of the emigration of Prince Madoc from
Wales, with a numerous train of his followers in the
year 1170; together with a variety of remarkable cir-
cumflances reported by travellers, and corroborating
proofs from writers of different nations, all uniting to
confirm the faft of their exiftence on the banks of the
Miffouri.
If this publication fhould draw forth further, and
ftill more i'atisfaclory, information concerning them,
and efpecially if it Ihould induce you to extend your
generous and compaflionate regards to their diftant
abode, it will afford the mofl cordial joy to,
Gentlemen,
Your humble Servant,
GEORGE BURDER.
Covcntr}',
Mai ch\0, 1191.
THE
WELCH INDIANS.
No. I.
'flit Difcoz-ery ef America //v the Welch, from The Univerjal
Ilijlory, Vol. xliv. p. 'J.
WF, miift not omit mat. the lVe!chc\o.\i-n a more ancient
dUcovcry than any y<'t })n)clucC(J ; ailcrling tluit
Prince Madoc, lun otOwen Guincth, was caft on tiie coaft
of KloiicUi as early as 1 ITO or 1 190. 'Jliough, indeed, lomc
Itxik. on this relation as fabulous, it has a 2;cat many t:ovru-
horating ciixumihmccs thai make it appear not iuipiobablc ;
for Meredith ap I-Jheiic, who gives us tlie aeeount, was prior to
Oliinibus, and died in the year 1477, whieh is fifteen years
l,efore Columbus began his expedition. To this we may-_
add the affinitv between tlie language of the Welch, and oi
fome of the lettlements in thoi'e parts, whicli receives fome
weight from the evidence of Nir. Davies, who tells us he met
with a whole fettlement that fpoke the Welch language in its
uttermoft puvitv ; and Irom the tradition of lome of the inha-
bitants, whoaliert tiiat their anceftors eauic from u country
l:('V(;nd the great waters, nearlv about the lame time, from
the lame i)jinl of the eompals, ur fiom the riling of thj?
llni.
Xo. 11.
^lic fcllo'-'^.nn^^ icas f'y.fud (iniony^ the Piipcrs of thi late Ludy
Fiajti, cf Crtjty Ihnje, in Lnuchijhhe *• .
Columbus's Discovery or America quf.stiowed.
THK chief thing lliat indui cd nie to look into fome authors
Jicre mentioned, was my reading a fmall book iu oftavo,
Gentleman's Magiuuie. \i»<.), Vol. il. i . i')6-.
lent
( 6 )
lent me by a French gentlemnn lo perufe about twenty-five
years ago ; it was tranilated into Knglifh, and gave an ac-
count oi' a great nation of Indi-ms within-land from Cape
Florida that a>5laiil!v fpcak Welch.
1. Plcal'e to look into James Howell's Letters, vol. ii.
p. 71. concerning, the ancient Britlaines, and you will find that
Maddocap(Jv\en, a Prince of Wales, made two voyagesfmm
Wales to America, the fiiil in the year 1 HO, -vvhich is three
hundred and fixLeen years before Columbus faw it. He died
at Mexico, and tliis following epitaph was found engraven on
liis tomb in the Welch language :
** Madoc wifmio ydie wedd,
Jawn y( nan Owen Gwynedd,
Ni fennum dvi i'lg enricldocdd,
Ni dv mawr ondy mcrvedd."
ENGLISHED.
•* Madoc ap Owen was 1 calTd,
Strong, tall, and comely, not cnthralVd
With home-bred pical'ures ; but for fame,
Through land and fea 1 fought the iame. "
2. See iliird volume of the Voyages of the Englifh Na-
tion, by Uichard llackluyt, Student of Chrifl Cliurch, in
Oxford, p. 1.
3. ice i^agett's Chrifiianography, p. 47.
4. See the third and kill volume of the Turkifh Spy,
p. 2u'i.
5. See Purchas's Pilgrimage, book viii. p. 9,99.
6. Sec Brougliton, who afiirnis that the laith of Chrlft was
preached in America by fome of our lirrt planters that preach-
ed in Britain.
7. See George Abbot, Lord y\rchbifliop of Canterbury's
Hiftoryof the V\ orld, p. 255, 56, and 57, who inforuis us,
that King Arthur had fome knowledge of America, and that
a Prince of Wales iirft f'jund it out.
8. See the Welch Cambria, wrote by David Powtll, and
Sir John Price, Knt., tranflated into ICr.glilh by Humphry
Lloyd, Gent. ; iliivc you will lee the reafons that induccq
the Prince Madoc ap Owen Ciwvnedd to tr.ivch
9. See Sir Walter Kaleigh's I'liltorv of tlie World, an4
the w( r s il.e n :ti". csufcd whentl.ey talked fogclhcr. They
fay the.'e cjid the iikc words : gwruiuJo, which is hearken,
or liften, in VV ek h ; a bud with a white hca^l, they call
pengwyn ; tm. while rock, carcgwen ; a jiver, gwndwr; an4
'
( ^ )
there is a promontory, not far from Mexico, called Cape
Breton, ail which are Brililh words ; and many more words
of like nature ; which does manifelHy Hicw that it was that
country that Frince Madot's people inhabited.
No. III.
The following Account cf Madoc and his Family^ taken frohi
IVetch Jli/hrians and Poet^., appeared in the Monthly Mui(a'^
zine for Deiember, \.19(i,Ji^ncd Meiron.
OWAIN, Prince of 6^j«fz, who died in the year 11C9,
had nineteen children ; the names of the fons were, Hhodrit
Cyuoric, Jiiryd, Mcrcdyz, EdiL-nl, ('yuan, '/t/V«, Mael^ony
^Lywelyn, JorwerthyDav^z^Ccidwiillofi^ liynicll. Cade!!. Madoc^
jLifiien, iind Phylip; of tlicle, Ji/iodri, IJywcII, Davyr., and'
Madoc were the moll diftincuiflicd. Hywcll was a fine poet,
as appt^ars by his compohtions, of which eight are prc-
ferved. His mother was a native of Ireland ; and, tliouch
not born in wedlock, he was the firft who afpircd to the
crown after the death of Owain, which event no looner took
place, but his brother Daiyz became his competitor, under
the fanflion of a legitimate bivth. The coiuecjuencc was^
that the country became embroiled in a civil war.
Inriuenced by dilguft at the unnatural dilien^ions among
his brothers, Madoc, who is reprefented of a very mild dil-
pofilion, refjlvcd upon the matchleis entcrprlze of exploring
the ocean weftward, in fcarch of more tranquil icenes. The
event was, according to various old documents, the difcover-
ing of a nev/ world, from which he cfFciSlcd his return, to in-
form his country of his good fortune. I'he conlcqucnce of
which Wits the fitting-out of a iecond expedition ; dxxAMadoCf
with his brother Hit yd. Lord of Clocran, in Ireland, prevailed
upon ft) many :o accompany them, as to fill feven Ihips; and
failing from the IHc of Lundy, they took an eternal leave of
Wales, 'i'herc is a large book of pedigrees flill extant,
Written by JmoH Sre^va, who llourilhcd in the age pieccd-
ing the time of Coluvdius, where the above event is thus no-
ticed, in treating of the genealogy of Owain Gwynez^
** Aladoc a Riryd a ^awfant dlr yn mpcll yn y Merzucryzy ac
ytto y cyvannezafanty Madoc and Riryd found land far in
the fea of the weft, and there they fettled. '/^w«ry, the fon
b 2 of
( « )
o{*L\iveIyny fccms to have cotnpofed two trf Ms po6ims in
the time between the firftand the lecond of the two vovagcs
of Madoc. One of" thele pieces mufl: be confidercd of groat
importance and curiofitv : it is an invocation, as if he were
undergoing tlic iicry ordeal, to exonerate himfelf fiom hav-
ing any knov.'lcdgc of the fate of Madoc \ the fccond, being
a panegyric upon /iV/o//;/, another brother, has a remarkable
allufion to the fame event. It is thus tranllated :
" Two princes, of ftrong palhons, broke off in wrath ; be-
loTcd by the muUitiide of tlic earth. One on hind, in Arvju,
allaying of arabition ; and another, a placid oiie, on the bo-*
fom of the vail ocean, in great and ininiealurable trouble,
prowling after a poflelfion eafy to be guarded, cflranged from
iW for a country." ^
No. IV.
Ohfcrvauons on the Madawciwvs, by IViliiam Given. Pul~
lijhcd in the Gentlonan's Magazhu., 17yi, Vol. i. p. 32L'.
TMK ernigratitm and confoqucnt fettlemcnt of iMadawg
ab Owain Owvncdd on the Amciicancontinent, v;!s an event
which, considering the period when it is reported to have
happened, it is no wonder Ihouid have been diieredited, not-
withflanding the proc^fs of hiftorical documents, and the more
explicit evidence of the fa£t, that the dclccndants of fuch
t-migration do now exill: as a diftinft race, unmixed from the
aboriginal natives. Indeed, one of the kevicws of laU
month, unfortunately for its credit as a prophetic oracle, in
paffing its judgment on Dr. W'illiams's inquiry refpeding
Madawg's voyage, calls it a revival of the ainioll exploded
fvibjeft : however, I have the latisfaftion of having received
fuch proofs refpe(?\ing the lurious occurrence in the hillorv
of antient Britons. :i.. will pmcuie it the full credit from the
world it has licrctwfore received from myieif and many of
mv friends.
Within tlicfe hill two years i have received no lefs than
three feveral accounts, pcrfc£lly agreeing with one another,
proving the cxiftente of an extenh\e nation of white ]ieo})ie,
fpeukhig the \\ elch language ; and we find them even no-
ticed in our connuon maps, under the name of the White
Padoueip:, the centre of tliembeijig about hit. 40, long, luo,
rliwaj-h \\\L. curious circuuiflancc of a white people being
placed
-»itfc^
placed here hath not atliac^cd the public notice. Thofe tit^
counts aic now mull dccifivcly co: rftboratcd by tlie telliniony
of Mr. Bowles, and the companions of his expedition to this»
countiy.
'1 hcMadawgwys, or the people of Madawg, are very well
known to the Creeks, and tlie other Indians in general, and
;u'e called indifcriininately the Padoucas, and the White hiJ
dians. Mr. liowJcs deicribrs them to be as nx'hite asivcate,
\\ji\\ng foil. c nd,Jome Jundv, and Joi:,e black Iwir. 'J'hey arc
very numerous, and one of the mod warlike nations on
the Continent, lie travelled their ibuthern boundary from
one end to the other. The tradt they inhabit is rather hig.'i
nnd hilly; but one of the tnoj} f)u'itf:d and diiightj'ul coun-
t)iii ht liud t'vcr Jftu. Vour'.^, ice.
w ILLIAM o^VE^^
CONTTNJTATION h;ioM MR.OWKN.
((it-nthnutns Ma^az:nf, IT:.'!, ¥<;!. i. p. o97.^
'rMl''a( counts whi: h were received prior to Mr. Bowles's
conuuunieaUons lud not furniilied mc with the name by
which the W elch Indi.ins weie known : but, on compvuing
Lliem together, 1 was fully of opiiuon that the Padoucas wcic
thule ]>eople ; efpecidly as that name was but a lliglit de-
viation in found from Madawgwys, the real appellation which
we may julUv iup])o1o thev give ihemrdvcs, 'riierctore it
made a verv ri);\ible irvtorrHion on mv mind, when the rirlt
tiling Mr. Bowles laid v,\:s, wb.at ih.'. y are called, tlic Padou-
cas, in conlimialion of the idea i IkuI formed, prior tu any iu-
(]uiry being made at all on the iubj'\'l. And ns to the
muii important point, wlietlu r the luuguagc i"p<.kcn by tjioic
people wris /fVA//, the proois I'.ddiicod wctf ■.■(ju.nlv (a .t;n.-
torv and clear : there was, faid Mr. ii, a W ekhm.ni witli mc
at lioine, who eic aped ironi the Spaniards in iNkxico, Iw
making his wav acrois the Continent, pailing tlrruugh the
rouiitrv of the P.;dut.icas ; where, to his lirear furpnfe, h«
foinid hinilflfwith.1 people tpeakiiighisown language. Me re-
m.'.incd among ilicm for foine tin-.c, -.nd hnnu! they I: -.t fou;f
books, \vhii.h were wrapped uy in llins. and religiouilv pre-
ferwd, and coiifidi.vcd to be fome kind of !n\tlciie;i. as Uiertt
wasa tradiiioii thai tliok things coiitaijied^an aee<nint rrorn
whenci- tiiev had conn-. 'I li.it the Padouias ipeak the
W'elen language is fuillur < onrirnied by Ur. Price, one of
the com], nions of Ml . InusU^. who was burn anwnalr iLt-;"
Crocks.
He
( 10 )
He, after obfcrving his being acquainted with Welch him-
felf, declared that his t"..thcr, wiio was a Wdchman, had
opportunities of frequent interviews, and convcifcd with the
Padouras in his native hingiiagc, ns he had Hvcd thegreateil
part of his Hfc, and died in the Crcelc Country.
iVIf. Bowles, in eon'equcnce of being told at what period
Mada'v:'s emigv..tion t(Kik phue, obTervcd, that his fol-
lowers could nj'. have in rcaled to fo numerous a people,
conhdeiing haw few rhev were when they emigrated. But
the arecunts of Mr. Pi ice and of the Rev. Mr. Rankinr of
Kentucky, agiee in faying, that the Fudoucas have lately
lellened their number, through the rage of civil difcord.
Mr. Rankin aifo rcprefcnts, that there are evident traces
of their having fovnieriy inhabited the country about Ken-
tucky i partieul.irly vjftis dug, which flill remain unfilled,
and rxi'itu «/' bmlumgs^ neither of v^-hich were the works of
the Indians. From the luft particulars wc may infer, that
the Welch Indians, found by Morgan Jones in North Caro-
lina, about one I:undi\ d jnd thirty years ago, were the Pa-
doucas, or at leafl; a p.irt of them ; who, receding into fuch
of the interior parts .is were unpolieiled by the natives, as
the European CulonilLs fpic.d over the maritime countries,
remained ftationar;, for a lime on the banks of the Ohio ;
but, in confecjiience of exploring that river to its junt 'on
with the Minilhpi, and lUil preifing onward, they dik-ov* "-
ed, and finally fettled in, the beautiful region where wcn-A
Und them.
WILLIAM OWEN.
This letter concludes, by lamenting the fubjeft has not
excited more attention ; but oblcrves, that there are now
two or three pcrft;ns, properly qualified, delh-ons to fct out
upon the expedition, but deltituio of the necellary rcquiiue —
money— to carry it into elicih
No. V.
'fhc foUjiv'ing h extfai^ed from a Letter of the Rev. Mr^
Lynn., of A'oifc/i, to a Mr. IVilllam Owen.
I HAVE bellowed fomc attention upon the fame fubjpft ;
fcut itispoffbic I am pohefled of very little relating to it that
is new to you. I have Icea icveral letters from a refpec'l-
able
{ n )
able inhabitant of Kentucky, from f'«ne paflagcs of which
I could not help concluding, that Ivladawg and his attend-
ants niuit have landed foinevvhcre on the Ihores of Florida,
Georgia, or one of the Carohnas, and from thence pailed
by degrees to Kentucky ; and afterw ;;.(.'s wcitward, acrofs
the MilTilTipi, till they iinally fettled in that country which
thcv nmv inhabit. In one of tlic above-nicnlioucd letters I
met with the following paffage :
" You requeft an account of the Welch Indians. Such a
people I believe there is far to the wclhvard of us, on tlie
Milfouri river, the main branch of the MiiilHipi. 1 have
fomc authentic accounts of fuch a people, ca:led the White
Panes, or bearded Indians. Indeed the dilcoveries made
among us, by abundance of nice earthen ware, &c. &c.
often ploughed up in fomc of our fields, indicate that our
country, iieretofore, has been fettled by whites. "Jut of
late, Sir, a report has prevailed, that a number of our peo-
ple, exploring that part of the country, came to a cii/Ierent
tribe, and could not talk with them. I'hcy came back with
pur people to fomc others they had at a camp. A VVcIch-
nrin, that was in the camp, could talk with tliom ; but they
excee<kd Inin, as not being li) corrupt in their hniguage.
ft has been reported tliat miliionaries were to be fent, if
they could be got, to fee if it was them.
1 muil not forget to tell you, that I am in polTcirion of the
copy of a curious letter, from a Mr. Crochan to the late
Governor Dinwiddie, on this fame fubjcft. The original is
depolited in one of the public otiiccs ; and a copy of it was
fome tin^e ago procured by iVI.iurice Morgan, Efi]. late Se-
cretary to Sir Guy Carleton, and is as follows ;
IVinchcJier, Augujl 24, I753y
•* Mav it pleask your Honour,
" LAST year i underfcood, by Col. Lomax, tliat youf
Honour would be glad to have lomt; infornuilion of a nation
of people letlied to the welt, on a ■' large livcr that runs to the
Pacitic <.3cean, commonly culled the IVclch Ituiums. As i had
an opportunity of gathering fome account of ihofe people,
I m;ike bold, at the inilance of Col. Crelilip, to fend you
the following accounts. As I formerly hod an opportunity
of being acquainted with ievcral French traders, and parti-
cularly with one tliat was bred up from his infancy amongft
f The tint Oregan.
the
' • .'
( -12 )
the; Wcflcrn ladians, on the weft fide of the lake I'.rie,
he informed me, that the tirft iutelHgencc the French had
of them was by fo:ne Indians feuled at the baek of \ew
Spain ; who, m tlieir way hi)me, happened to lofe thein-
felves, and fc.l dovvn on this fettlement of people, which
they took to be r'lcnch, bv their talking vi-ry quick : fo, on
their return to Canada, tliey informed the Governor, that
there was a large fettlement of French on a river that ran
to the fun's fettiiig; that they were no Indians, althoup;h
they lived within tiicmielves as Indians ; for they could not
perceive thattiuy traded vith any people, or had any tr<ide
to fea, for the V had no boats or Ihips as thev could lee ; and
though they had guns amone,ft: them, vet thev v.ere fo old,
and fo much out of order, that they made no ufe of them,
but hunted with their bows and arrows for the fupport of
their families.
On this account, the Governor of Canada determined to
{end a partv to difcover wluLlicr thev were French or not ;
and had 300 men railed for that purpol'e. But when they
were ready to go, the Indians would nol go with them, but
told the Governor that if he lent hut a few men, thev would
go and Hiew thciu the c<Hintrv : on which the (Governor
lent three voung priells, who diclfcd thenifelves in Indian
dLCiTcs, and went with thofe Indians to the place wliere thefe
people were fettled, and found them to he Welch. They
brouj^ht foiue old JVcic/! liib/es ^ to fatisfy the Governor
, that they were there ; and ihey told the Governor thnt tliefc
people had a gieat avcrfion to the I'rench ; for ihcy found
bv them, that they had been at fidl fettled at the mouth ut'
the river Mi'.iiiiipi, but had been almoll cut off by the
French tlu-re. So that a fmall remnant of them efcaped
back to where they were then lettled, but had huce be-
come a numerous people. The Govei .nor of Canada, on this
account, determineil to ruife an armv of Irench Indians to
r i ii'id cut them jiF; but, as the French have been eni-
barralied in w.ir ^v•ith feveral other nations nearer home, I
bi.'lievc thev have laid that projett alidc. — '1 he man who
furnilhc 1 nie with this account told me, that the mellen-
?;crs, who A\ ent to make this difcoverv, weie gone llxtecn
nionth.s In-i'erc they returned to Canada, fo that thofe peo-
• Lfff tlu'ni b\- Wflclimen, wiio f-ll in with ihcm at different limes. They
h.ive A lioo;-', Id tiiaiiuscripl, vvliicii t ev wi uld not part wiiii.
I am inJucccI Ij liilnk ii wa> a dctu'lied iribe of ilusi' people lliat was f iiind
. , there, ;uid h ivi' pr.'ul to ...i. tliiTc arc pait of tlit'in reiiviiiriiff iiniJjr tlid iiiimc
»f Kaiu'.z, lu 11 i..-; f.ili of tlit river Akatis.i inly Uie .Vlississipi.
pIc
.
( 13 )
pie muft live at a great diflance from thence due weft. This
is the moft particular account I ever could get of thofe peo-
ple as yet. I am
Your Honour's
Moft obedient humble Servant,
(Signed) GEORGE CHROCHi\ N.
N. B. Governor Dinwiddle agreed with three or four of
the back traders to go in queft of the Welch Indians, and
promifed to give them ,£500 for that purpofe ; bufhe was
recalled before they could let out on that expedition.
pU-
No. VI.
Further Accounts of the Welch Indians, publijlied in the Gen--
tleman's Magazine for 1792, Vol. ii. p. 597.
MUCH has been faid for fome time paft with refpeft to
the exiftencc of the above tribe of Indians, inhabiting a traft
of country bordering on the MifTouri, in the province of
Louifiana, or New France, in North America, who are fup-
pofcd to be defcendants of a party of the Welch nation, who
left Wales with Madoc, Prince of that country, in the year
1 170, which is a period of 322 years prior to the difcovcrv of
America by Chriftoplier Columbus. It is a pleafing futisfac-
tion to the contemplating mind of the curious, to alcertain a
proofof intereftingcircumftances, which has hitherto refifted
the invciUgation of ages. The Society of Gwincddigion,
hold at the George, in George-yard, Lombard-ftreet, have
Lad the matter in contemplation for a length of time ; and
however defirous their inducement mightbe to bring the mat-
ter to ■• '"vilis, nothing effectually h:isbecn hitherto done. In
riccompulhing an undertaking where there is fome rill;, two
objefts will naturally arile, which will require much delibe-
ration: Theftrft, to adopt a wcU-digcfted fyftem ; 2dly, to
find ways and means to carry that lyllem into cfFcft. It ap-
pears to me highly worthy of being remarked, that, Ihould an
attem[)t ever be made to invcftigate this interefting period of
hiftory, with regard to the firft difcovcry of America by Eu-
ropeans, the lending perl'ons prr)perly qualified to thofe
tribes called the Welchor White Indians, would be attended
with very little expcnec, and ftill IcCs danger.
As evcrv information touching what I have before faid, I
am well alfurcd, will bo plf-afing to the curious inquirer, I beg
leave to give verbatim the copy of u letter 1 received from a
C ijtntleman
( 1+ )
gentleman who has lived at New Orleans, and on the banks
oi^ the Mifliflipi. upwards of twehty ycavs, and who is now in.
London : . ^ ^
Dear Sir, ' " ' Cheapfick, January 28, 1791:;.
1 now return you the pamphlet, written by Dr. Williams,
on the rubjcit ot the Padoucas, or Welch Indians.
If .\h". loncsdid inlfiCiOfind atribeof Indians in the ncit>h-
bourhood of Carohna, who Ipokc the ^Velch language, it Is
very certain that for thcfc many years patl no vellige of it
rcmainsamong the tribes inhabiting that country, or its ncigli-
bourhood.
On the other hand, it is well known that, within thefc fifty
years paft, a numbcrof tribes have, fromwarand debauchery,
become cxtinft, and that others (as encroached on by tlie
white people) have removed weftward ; I myfelf having
known within thefc twenty years fevcral fmall tribes of the
ancient Indians to have removed to the weftcrn iide of the
?.iifrilTipi ; am«)ng thofe, and in the neighbourhood of the Spa-
nilh fettlements, there yet remains the remnant of a once
powerful nation, called the Mobilians, reduced at prefent to
iibout twenty families. ^I'heir language, with refpedl to the
dialcifls of the Creeks, Chatilaws, and Chickefaws (the moft
powerful tribes now inhabiting the back of (jeorgia, llic
Carolinas, and Virginia), would appear a mother tongue \
for they can undcrftand, andconvcrfe with all thofe tribes in
their different dialects, but yet fpeak a language which no
other tribes undcrfland. 'I'his has been frecjuently proved
bv thofe French who have acquired the Mobilian language.
That the natives of America have, for many years pail,
emigrated from the caflward to the weftward, is a known
fi(ff. That the tribes, mentioned by Mr. Jones, who fpokc
the Welch tongue, may have done fo, is much within the
order or" probability ; and that a people, called the Welch
or White Indians, now rcfidc at or near the banks of the
Miffouri, 1 have not the leaii- doubt of, having fo often been
aiTured of it by people who have traded in that river,
and wlio could have no pofTibic inducement to relate fuch a
flory, unlefs it had been founded in faft.
Since writing the above, a merchant from the ».;inois
country, and a pciibn of reputation, is arrived in London,
lie afliires me there is not tiie fmallell doubt of a people
pxifting on the wellern fiaeof the Millifiipi, called by the
[rcnch the White bearded Indians, none of the natives of
America wciiriog beards , thiit tliefe people arc seally white ;
tkat
I
It
( J5 )
that they arc faid to confift of thirty-two villages or towivs ;
are exceedingly civilized, and vuflly attached to certain re-
ligious ceremonies ; that u Mr. Cli., a merchant of reputar
tion at the Illinois, has been to their country, which is,
as he fuppofes, upwards of a thoufand miles from the
Illinois.
Having been prevented from calling on you as I intend-
ed, 1 now return you the pamphlet, and will, at any time
you pleafe, procure you a meeting with that gentleman.
Yuur's, 6cc.
J.J.
I have the fatisfaftion to add, that I have met the
nbovc gentleman fevcral times ; that he conlirms the lat-
ter part of this narrative; that Mr. Ch. is a near relation ot
his i that when Mr. Ch. was intro«Iuced to the Chief of the
Padouca nation, he was received with much ioicmnitv, ow-
ing to his being of white complcxiv^ii, and by which circum-
Aance, as far as Mr. Ch. could underlliind by being amongil
lliem, he was deemed an angel of (iod, his hands ii.nd feet
being walhcd by order of the Chiettain, who appealed much
atlvanced in years, his hair being lon^ and perfectly white ;
that the ])eopU; chiefly fubfiil by the prodiRc of the cha( e ;
that the inilriiments they nfe on the occaiion are generallv
bows and arrows; that tlie further he advar.ced from the
frontiers, the different tribes lie palfed through were the more
civilized; that he fuppolcd the realon to l)e (which 1 am
afraid is the cale) owing to the continual encroachment
made on their land by the white peo^ 'e in thiMe parts con-
ti^^uousto them.
'J he late trani'atStions on tlie back frontieis < f the I'nitcd
States of America, it is probable, are owing to the lame cir-
( umdanie. U may be necefiarv to remark, that the dil'^ancc;
from the mouth of the Miniiripi to the entr.mce of the .Mil-
fouri into it, is about I'JOO miles; that the navigation of die-
Miilifiipi ujiw.irds is fedious and difncult, ovving to the cur-
rent coi\iinually running the iame way, by which means tho
velfels employed on the occafion feldom make that diilancc
in lefs lliau tliive months; a light boat, v>.-ell- manned, how
ever, might go from New Orleans to the Milfouiis in fix
weeks, and from Kentucky on the Ohio in Iris tlum three
weeks, whereas, on their return, the fame diilance is made
in a few days ; that '.he country burdtriiig on thojc rivers
is extremciv fcriile ; that in very feveie winteis they ate
fubjctlt to froil, which is generally of lliert ciiiiat^yn • ih.it
C2 t«U;
' ■ ( !<» )
every article for the ufe of man grows almofl fpontaneoufly ;
that large numbers of buffaloes are taken ; the hides and tal-
Jow of thole animals, as well as deer-ikins, beaver, 6cc. arc
carried down the Mifliffipi to New Orleans, from whence
they are exported to different parts of-l'iurope ; that all forts
of timber and naval llores are to be had in abundance ; that
during the late war, had the Minifters or the public fervants
of the Crown of the country, had its real intereft at heart,
they would, in preference of the bufinefs of St. Kuftatia, have
taken pofleflion of New Orleans, the key of the MifTiffipi,
and by that means have opened the navigation of that river,
which, in the hands of the mercantile genius of the Britifh
nation, would be opening a mine of wealth which would have
filled the channels of commerce of this country. It would
alfo have tended to another grand objeft — it would have af-
forded an afvlum to the American Loyalifts (with whom I
have ever differed in political opinion), were they inclined
really to relieve them, inftead of fending them to the ba'rren
rocks of Nova Scotia, where they find it difficult to raifc a
common fized cabbage, where it is deemed a wonder to fee
a field of twelve acres abound with grafs fix inches long. In
this it will be a pleafure to me to be controverted.
GRIFFITH AVILLIAMS.
No. VII.
^ Letter from Mr. Edward JVil/iaws. GentlemarC s Magazinf,
1791, Vol. ii. p. 6-l;3.
ABOUT twenty years ago I became acquainted with a
Mr. Dinon, of Covty, in the county of Glamorgan. He had
" been about thirty years abfent from his native country, and
during a great part of that time an Indian trader from. Phila-
delphia. Being once with fomc friends in his company, and
the iV elch langu^igc being the fubjeft of convcriation, he
told us that there was in North yXmerica a tribe of Welch
Indians, who fpokc the Welch language with much greater
purity than we fpeak it in Wales. Indulgingmy natural inquifi-
tivctiirnof mind, Idcfiiedhimtofavour me with an accountof
wlialhckncvv of tholc people, upon which hegave me the fol-
lowing information, vi%. that about Uie year 1750, being oi->e
of u party of live or fix traders, thev penetrated much farther
than uluii into tlic rcmo'e parts of the continent, far beyond
the MillJliipi, where, to tlicir great I'urprile, they found a na-
tion
( n ) . -*•
tion of Indians, who fpokc the IFeul'i tongue ; they gave
Mr. Binon a very kind recc[)tion, but were very Jufplcious of
h'is Engl'ijh companionsy and took, them for Spaniards or
Frenchmen, with whom theyfeemcd to be at w«r ; but Mr.
Binon foon removed their doubts, on which a friendly in-
tcrcoLirfc enfiied. 'Ihofe Indians had iron amongft them,
hved in ftonc-built villages, and were better cloathed than
other tribes. 'I'herc were fome ruinous buildings amongft
them : one appeared like an old W elch caflle ; another Jike
a ruined church, bcc. ihey flicwtd Mr. Binon a MS.
book, which they carefully kept, believing that it contain-
ed the myftcrics of religion, and laid, that it was not long
fmcc a man had been among them who underllood it. This
man (whom they eftccnicd a prophet) told them, they faid,
that a people would fome time vii'it tlicm, and explain to
them the myl\crics contained in tlicir book, which would
make them completely happy. 'J hey very anxiouily alked
Mr. Hinun if he underftood it ; and, hcir.g anlWcicd in ihe
jicgative, appeared very lad, and carncilly clefired him to
fend one to them who could explain it. At'tcr he and his
fellow Knglilh travellers had been for fome time amongft
them, they departed, and were conduced by tholi; friendly
Indians for man^ days through vq/i dejcrts, and were pku-
tifully fupplied by them with a profujioncf provijion, which
the woods afforded ; and after they had been brought to a
place they well knew, they parted with their numerous In-
dian guides, ivhc wept bitterly on th.eir taking leave of thcirij
and very urgcnih intreaicd Mr. Binun to tend a perfon to
them who could interpret their bonk. On his arrival at Phi-
ladelphia, and relating the llorv, he found that the inhabit-
ants of tlic 'Welch tra^t had feme knowledge of thefc Indians,
juid that fome Wcichmen lu:d before been amongft them.
REMARKS ON THK I ORKG6iKG.
Captain Cook found plenty of iron at Noolka Sound, that
did not appear to be of I'.uropean, Spanilh, American, or
Afiatic manufafture.
The I'adoucas arc in about 1 10 degrees weft longitude,
according to moft maps ; Nootka Sound is IL'5 weft, accord-
ing to Cuptain Meares ; by whole difcovcrics, it appears
that thofe two Indian nations have an cafy communication
with each other by the ftraits of Juan dc luca and the
river Orcgan, which apj)cars to have been difcovcrcd as tar
as ten degrees, at leaft, eaft of Nootka.
In Coxe's Defcription of I.ouifiana, &:c. 1722, it is faid,
pa^c Mi (fee ahu p. It)), that the I3an>n La Hontan having
traced
( IS )
traced the MifTiuiii for eight hundred miles due wcrt:,
found a vail lake, on which inhahitcd two or three great
nations, much raorc civilized than other Indians ; and favs,
that out of this lake a gr^'al river difcmbogues itfelf into the
South Sea. — '2ucr\- — Docs not tliis river fccm to be the
Oregan of Captain \Uarcs ?
Charlevoix, vol. ii. p. l;2.t of the K.nglilh tranflation,
mentions a great lake very far to the weft of the Milhfhpi,
»n the banks ofwhic/i are a people rtjimhlhig ilic I'Venc/i, u-it/i
kuttans on their clo.iths, living in cities, and n//>:^ horfcs in
hinting the buffalo : that they are cloathcd -u.-ith the fkins of
that animal ; but vjithov.t any arms but the bovj and arrovj.
BolTu, in his account of f.ouiliana, vol. i. page 182, fays
that he had been informed by the Indians of a nation of
cloathcd people, far to the wclhvavd of the Miililhpi, who
inhabited great villages bud' ivitli zvhite Jiones, navigated in
great piragnas on the great [alt Zfati r lakes, and were govei ned
iy one grand defpotie cJtiej, iv/io foit great armies into the field.
It deferves attention that the Maftotatas of Charlevoix,
and the Matocantes of Coxo leein to retain fomcthing of
Madoc in their qames.
Boflii, page 30:5, obfervcs that " Powel, an Knglifli wri-
(rr, mcuuons, in his Hiftory of Wales, that, in the year
i 170, there was a w'ar in that country for the luccellion to
the throne. A baftard took the crown from the legitimate
children : one of the latter, whofc; name was Mad k, em-
barked in ordt r to make new diiroverics. Divc*5ting his
courfe to the weftward, he came to a country, the fertility
and beautv of which was amazing. As this country was
without inhabitants, Madar. fettled in it. llalluii aflints
us that he made two or three voyages to Kngland to fetch
inhabitants ; who, upon the account he gave of that fine
rounti-y, went to lettle witli him. The l''nghlh believe that
this Prince difcovered I'i^gniia. Peter, Martyr icems to give
a proof of it, when he lays that the nations of I'irginia and
thole of Guatimala celebrate the memory of one of thcFr
ancient heri)es, whom they call Madoc. Several modern
ttMvellcrs have teund ancient Britifh words ufcd bv the
North American nations. 'J he celebrated Bifliop Nirholfon
btlievcs that the Welch language has formed a conliderablc
part of the languages of the American nations. 'J'hcrearc
antiquarians who pretend th;'t the Spaniards got tl'iCir double
or guttural / fll) from the Americans, who, according to
the Englifh, mull luivc gut it tloni the Welch."
( li> )
No. VIII.
Jn Outiitie of the Uijlory of the Madaw^mys, by Mr. IV.
Oivcn. Gentleman's Ma^aziuf. 1191. Vol. i. p. 3'J9.'-
IN the yczx 1170, Mudawg, a younger ion of Owen
(JwvnecUl, piincc of Noit.li AValcs, oblciving a continual
itrife icign among his bixlhrcn for a fcanty inheritance of
barren rocks, determined to try his fortune in fcarch of a
moie peaceful country. He accordingly fitted out two
lliips, iind failed weihvard, and diicovered the fouthcru
Ihores of North America, as the event has proved. Leav-
ing part of his followeis there, he was enabled providen-
tially to return to Kurope ; and, on reprefenting to his
countrymen what had hunpened, lb many of them were
induced to Iharc in his cntcrpri/.e, that, in his fecond emi-
gration, he failed nearly in the fame direction, with lea
Ihips, completely filled, but without beiiig lb furtunate as
to fall in with them he had left behind in his firfl voyage.
'I'hcrc arc good grounds to alTert that Madawg, in this fe-
cond voyage, fell in with the coall of the Carolinas ; for^
the firll: difcovcry of the defcendants of that emigration was
made by the Rev. Mr. Morgan Jones, in 1685, who found
them, or at leaft a part of them, up Fontigo river. \n
coniequence of the iluropean colonics fprcading over that
country, or for fome other caufes, they removed up the coun-
try to Kentucky, where evident traces of them have been late-
ly found; fuch as the ruins of forts, miilllones, earthen w;!re,
2tc. It is prcfumed that, as their fituation was fecluded, and
not liable to be molcflcd, they left it only inconfcqutMicc of
diicovcring a more inviting country ; and none could be
jnore fo than where they finally li ttlcd. The centre of the
lountry of t!ie Madawgwys, and v.here their villages arc
moil numerous, is about ?,6 degrees north latitude, and 102
«iegrees well longitude of London ; but they extend (pol--
ilhlv in detached connnunitics) from about 31 degrees north
latitude, and .0" degrees well longitude, to 43 degrees uorih
jatitude, and 110 degrees well: longitude. 'I'lic general
name of Cvmry is not loft among them, thougli they cali
llicmfelves Madavvgwys, ALidogiaid, Madagiaint, and Ma-
dogian ; names of the lame import, meaning the people (.f
MadaWG:. Mence the French travellers in Louifiana Iv.v.k:
<alled them Padoucas, Matocantcs, and other namvi
bciiring ii llmilitudc; tu what tiicy call tiicmfelves, and i>>
whi.h
>,o.
I 20 )
which they arc known to the native Indians. — From the
countrv of the Madawgwys fome of the rivers run eaftward,
and oUu'is to the weft : by the former they come into the
MiHouvi, :inj fo inio the MifTiffipi, bringing with them ikins,
Eickled l)L»ftalo-tongn(-s, and other articles for traffic ; and
V the Litter they liavf a cv):T;niunication with the Pacific
ocean, from a grtat filt water lake in their country, down
tl)e Orcgan, or the great river cf the weft, through the
^ftrailsof fuuii de luca, and other openings. The charafter
of thcll' iniuhited Cambrians, who are a numerous people,
is that they arc very warlike ; are more civilized than the
Indians ; live m large villages in houfes built of flone ; arc
commodiouily clad ; ufc horfcs in hunting. They have iron,
of which they make tools, but have no fire-arms ; and they
navigate tlie lake in large piragnas. 'I heir government is on
the feudal fyilem, and their princes are conlidered as the di-
rect defiendanis of Madawg.
No. IX.
ji Letter concerning t/:e IVclcJi Indlaus by the Hev. JoJJium
Thninas^ of l.comhiJ}''r, "xitii addillonal Remarks by Mr.
Lcominftcr, .//</)' 30, 1791.
THr^ Ivcv. Thomas Jones, of Nottage, in the county of
Glamorgan, .vent to America In 17 37. His fon Samuel was
then tinee vears of age. He gave him a liberal education
in I'hiladelphia, where he took the degree of Dof^or of Di-
viaitv. He (J)r. Samuel Jones) wrote lately to the Rev.
Mr. 'Wiliiam Richards, of Lynn, m Norfolk." In that letter
lie iavs, Ipeaking of the Madocian Indians, " the finding
of them would be one of the joyfulleft things to me that
could liLippen. I think I fhould immediately go among
tluin, t!u)ugh I am now turned 55 ; and there are in Ame-
rica N\'clch picaciiers ready to fct out to vilit them as foon
j.s the way to their cuunlry is difeovcred."
I'he Rev. Morgan J'Mwards, yV. M. went over to Phila-
delphia in ITiil. He is a native of Monmouthlhire. In a
Jt.tter 1 had from him, dated Newark, in Pcnnfylvania, fuly
1j, 176ti, he lays, in your book (Hancs y Bcdyddvvyr)
you take notice of the Welch who emigrated with Madoc
ap Owen (nvvnedd to Ameri<. i in 1170. One Mr. John
I-jjloii has lately (17S1; publillied a book, iiUituled,''"'l'he
DifcoYcry,
rom the
; aft ward,
into the
m Ikins,
fHc ; and
e Pacific
y, down
ugh the
charafter
s people,
than the
one ; arc
avfc iron,
and they
nentis on
as the di-
V. JoJIlUM
'is by Mr.
', 1191.
coiintv of
imucl was
^duration
lor of Di-
the Hcv.
:hat letter
le rinding
me til at
50 among
; in Amc-
111 as foon
to Phila-
le. In a
ania, July
'dyddvvvr)
th Madoc
Mr. John
iledj-'The
L)ifcoYcry,
( 21 )
Difcovcry, Settlement, atid prcfcnt State of Kentucky ;
wherein, after mentioning the ftory of Madoc ap Owen, he
has tilde words: J his account has fcveral times drawn the
attention of the world ; but as no velllgcs of them (the
^Vclch) had then been found, it was concluded, perhaps too
ralhly, to be a fable, or, at leaft, that no remains of the
colony <'xiftcd ; but of late the Wellern fettlers have re-
ceived freciuent accounts of a nation at a great diftancc up
the Milluiri (a branch of the Milfiflipi), in minners and ap-
pearance icItMiibling other Indians, but fpc iking Welch,
and retaining ibme ceremonies of the Chriitian wodhip ;
and at lenj^ih this is univerlally believed to be a f:i£t. Cap-
tain Abraham Chaplain, of Kentucky, (a gentleman whole
veracity may be depended upon) alfurc'l nie that in the late
war, being with his company in ganilon in Kaikalki, fome
Indians came there, and, fpeaking the Welch language,
were perfectly undeiftood, and converled with, by two
Welchnien in his company ; and that they informed them
of their iltuation as above." — Thus far tranfcribcd out of
Mr. I'ilfon's book.
Then Mr. M. I'.dwards proceeds: — j'he fiiid Miflliuri
river is faid to run a courle of 'MMO miles before it falls
into the Milhlfipi. Kentucky was difcovered by one James
M'l'ride in 175 K Since the peace abundance of people
have emigrated there. This country was certainly inhabit-
ed by white people many years ago, as appears by the
remains of two regular fortifications, the plowing up of
broken earthen ware, a pair of millllones, &c. ; all which
were unknown to the Indians. Mr. Kilfon afcribes them to
the Welch, who removed from thence to the MilTouri, as
he fuppofes. — I'hus far Mr. Morgan Edwards.
As this is a new affair, or rather a fubject long and deep-
ly buried in oblivion, and of late thus railed up, 1 can fay no
more to it of any importance. I have heard fome hints of
Welch people being about the Mifliflipi about forty years
ago, and fome other hints of no ufe now ; becaufe 1 do not
pcrfedtly remember the particulars and authority of them.
1 am, &e.
JOSHUA THOMAS.
In addition to the above account of Mr. Thomas, I here
add a palTage from his Hanes y Bedyd durgr, i. e. The Hif-
tory of the Baptills in Wales, mentioned above. In Englifh
thus : — " Many authors mention this Welch nation (in
America). The following words are in a letter from Mr.
J> Reynold
( 22 )
Kcvnold Ilowells to Mr. Miles, dated Philadelphia, 17.^2:
'^J Ik; Welch Indians arc found out ; they arc Tuiiatcd on the
weft fide of the great river MifTiliipi."
Mr. Owen and Mr. \V'illiams had an opportunity hitely
of eoniulting Mr. William Priehard, bookleller and printer,
of Philci'lelpliia, who is now, or lately was in London, about
the Wek h Indians. He told them that he had often heard
of them, and that they were, in Pennlylvania, univer-
I'ally believed to be very far vvellward of the Miililhpi, and
that he had often heard of people that had been anionglt
them ; but the moft particular account that he had receiv-
ed was what he heard within thcfe very i'cw years of ])r.
Samuel Jones (who is mentioned in Mr. Jofliua Tliomas's
letter). He knows now, he fays, fevcral in Pennlvlvania
who have been aojongll t.hofe Indians ; and is very aflivc at
prefent in that country in endeavouring to obtain all the in-
formation pofhble on this curious fubjeft ; and fays that, if
he Ihould be but very little alTillcd, he would iuunediately
vifit thefe Welch tribes.
No. X.
Jnj'crmatlon re [pelting the Welch hid'wnsy obtained by /a'»
Ameyiecni MiJJiojiariei, in the lent lltiC.
IN the year 1766, the Rev. Meflis. Ikatty and Duffield
were fent, by the Synod of New York and I'hiladclphia, (o
vifit the inhabitants on the frontiers of Pennfylvania, and
the Indians fituatcd beyond ihcm *. Their errand to the for-
mer was, to inquire what aliiftance llicy needed with rel"pc(i\
to their religious concerns, in confequenees of the diftrcllcs
occafioned by the late war ; and by viliting the latter, to ex-
;imine whether they difcovered any favourable difpofition to
receive ihe miniftry of the Golpel.
In the courfe of their journey they met with a Benjamin
tStitton, a pcrlon who had betn taken captive by the Indians,
liad been in different nations, and lived many years among
them. From him they had the following relation :
" When he was with the Chaftaw Nation, or tribe of
Indians, at the Miffiiripi river, he went to an Indian town,
* About joo miiej v.cst of Philadclpliid.
•I
A vciy
( 23 )
a very confidcrablc diftancc from Kcw Orleans, whole in-
habitants were of different complexions, not fo tawny as
thole of the other Indians, and who fpoi«;e Welch. He faid
he law a book among them, which he fuppofed was a Welch
Bible, wh.ich thev careful Iv kept wrapped up in a Ikin, but
that they could not read it ; and that he heard fome of thoic
Indians afterwards, in the Lower Shavvanaugli town, fpeak
AV'elch with one Lewis, a Welchman, captive there. This
"Welch tribe now live on the welt-fide of the Milfillipi river,
a great way above New-Orleans."
On the lame journey thev alio met with a I.ev'i Hicks,
wlio had been captive with the Indians from his youth, and
w!io allured thcMii, that, when attending an embalfv, he liad
been in a t(nvn of Indians on the weft-lidc of the Milfilhpi
river, the inhabitants of wnich talked Welch (as he was
told, for he did not underftand them) ; and their interpreter,
Jofcpli, law lome Indians, whom he lUppoled to be of thii
fame tribe, who talked Welch, and repeated fome of their
words, which he knew tu 1."^ Welch, as lie had been ac-
quainted with fome \Velch people.
" Correfpondent hereto (adds Mr. Beatty), I have been
informed, that, many years ago, a cler(j,yman went from
Ihitain to Virginia, and having lived fome time there, went;
from thence to Soutli-Carolina ; but, cither becaufcthe cli-
mate did not agree vvil!) him, or for fome other realon, re-
lolved to retur,i to Virgtuia, and accordingly fet out by land,
iiccompanied with fome other pcrfons ; but travelling through
the back parts of the country, which was then very thinly
inliabited, fuppoling verv probably this was the neareft wav,
Ik; fell in with a partv ot' Indian warriors, going to attaelc
the inhabitants of Virginia, againlt wliom they had declared
»var.
" The Indians, upgn examining the clergyman, and find-
ing tliat lie was going to Virginia, looked upon him and his
rompanions as belonging to Virginia, and therefore took
them all prifoners, and lei them know tliey mull die. The
ell rgyman, in preparation for another world, went to prayer,
and. being" a Welchman, praved in the Welch language ;
poHiblv becaufe this language was mofl familiar to him, or to
pi'event the Indians underllanding him. One or more of the
party of the Indians was lurprilcd to hear him piav in their
language. Upon this they Ijioke to him, and linding that
he could underftand their Ipeech. they got the lentence of
death reverlcd : and thus tliis happy (.iicuuilhin<,e was the
means gf I'uvine his life.
J:) 2 ■ " They
( 24 )
" They took lilin h;u:k witli them into ihcir country,
where he found ;i tribe whofe native hmguage was Weieh,
though tlie diiilecl was a Ultle dili'ovent from his own, which
lie loon came to undcribuul. TIr-v lliewed h.im a book,
which he found to be the Diblc, but which tliey could not
read ; and, if 1 laiilake not, his ability to read it tendfd to
raife their rec^ard for Iiiin.
" Me ilayed fonie lime among them, and endeavoured to
inftruft them in the Chriftian reh'gion. lie at length pro-
pofed to go b:a:k to his own countrv, and return to (hem
with fome other teachers, who would be able to infuuft
them in their own language ; to wiiich propofal they conlent-
ing, he actovdinglv let out from thence, and arrived in Bri-
tain with full intention to ictuvn to them with fome of his
countrymen, in order to te;ich thefe Indians Cluillianity.
But I was ac(]u;tinti;a that, not long after his arrival, he was
taken lick and died, which put an end to his fchemes."
SitttoH farther laid, that he oblerved iome culloms among
the Dcliiwarc Indians relembling thofe of the Jews; and
that from fome of their aged men he had the following
tradition : — That of old time their people were divided by a
river, nine p:irts of ten palling over the .ivcr, and one part
tarrying behind ; that thev knew not, certainly, how they
firft came to thiii continent, but account tl\us for Ihei'- fettling
where they now are : that a k'ng of their nation, when they
formerly lived far to the weft, left his kingdom to his two
Ions ; that the one making war upon the other, the latter
determined to fee k anew habitation, and accordingly let out
with a number of his })eople ; and that, after wandering to
and fro, for the Ipace of forty years, they came to Delaware
Mver, where the/ fettled Lilo years ago ; that they kept an
account of tliis by putting a bhick bead, every year iince, on
a piece of wampum kept for th;u purpoie *.
[Taken
• Dr. CoKim Af.i.'i.T, \nh\i Mdffmlla CbrLii .Imrr'nar.-i, p. 3, q'lotc"! an author,
whom he docs not nami', who says, " It ut may cndit any re;-or(ls bfsidfs the
Holy .Scripture, I know it iriii>,hl bo said and provt"! well, that this new world
was known, ami u/irtly inliahncd bv Bnl.uns, or by iitrDnt, from l-.n;^:am{, three
or four huriilr-'d years b^jfoie the Spjn^arJs ^-owmi^ ihiilir ;" wiiieh ascition,
tlie Doi'tor adds, ia dcinon>trated from ll,(? disciursfs oetw.eii the MrMuant and
the i'ptniiirJt al their lirst arrival, a:id ihr Popish rfli(|U,s, a^ well as JJrili^^
words and trrii'.s, which the Sttaniiinls tl vn found amouR ih'" Mttlcnns ; as well
as from undoubcd paasagcs, not only in other authors, but in tlie Brihtb annals
alsM.
Dr. Mather, after cbservinp that mankind geiu-ially agr-'c to give ilic honour
of discovorinpr America to Columbus, addx, «♦ , vnd yet the siory ol Coiumbut liiui-
uil inuti be corie(:i£d truni ttiw iutvrmvdvii of U* k F'S'^t that one Smi-hx, a
A
J
)untrv,
Vekh,
which
book,
ild not
ided to
( 25 )
[Taken fiom a pamphlet, entitled " The Journal of a
Two Months' "^four, with a View of promoting ReHgion,
&c. &c." By Charles Beattv, A. M. London. 1768.]
CONCLUSION.
THE reader has now 'v^forc him all the information I
have been able to collcft on this curious and difputcd fubjcft;
upon which 1 beg leave to offer a few remarks. It is diffi-
cult to fuppofe that hiftorians and poets Ihould have
combined to impofe on the world by a fabricated fiory of
Madoc's emigration. It is admitted that tlie art of naviga-
tion was very imperfeflly undcrftood in the twelfth century ;
yet furely it is polfible that the voyages here related, might
be performed '. The idea of a wellcrn hcmifphere might
liavc
n.ilivr of flt'tii, in Sf),mt, did boforc liim find out these reginns. He tells us, that
£iinchz, usinp to trade in a small vossel to tin' Cmaries, was driven by a furiou«
and tedioub tempest over unto these western rounirii^ ; and at his return lie gave
to Calen, or Coivmhus, an account of what lie had seen, but soon after died ol a
disease he had got on Ins dangerous voyai^e." He further add.s, "Indeed the twa
( tb.Hr, father and soti, under the coiiniiission of our King Uer.ry VH. entering
upon iheir ))Cllerou^ undertakings in the year 1497, made further discoverie*
ol Aineriea ttian either tV/wmiur or /'irf/iHrtuj. Yea, since the ('aii;/x tnjde a Jii-
rovery of tliis CoNTlNi VT m 1497, and it was l4yS before Co/umAw discov. retl
any part of the ("ontiiient, I know not why the ftpan'uri should go uniivalied in
the claim of this tiew work!."
• Since the above went to the press, the following communicaiion has been
received from a fiiend.
" It is much more iniprnbable, that'therc should be no foiiiidaliosi for all the
reports that have been made of Mad.'c's voyijjes, and tiie existence of Welcti
Indians in North America, than that an expedition should have been uiiderta-
Ken ill Ilie 12th centurv, siinilarto those which were lepeatedlv pcrloriiud in 'ht?
15th. 'I'he niariner's compass was probiM) known at the furuiir period ; fur
it ih described by a French poet, who wrotv ciriy in tue 1 jili century : but the
applicalicin of astr( nomy, which had been customary Iron) leniole antiquity,
mi^ht have sulliccd for a voyage to America witii persons who had cour.i);?
enouj;h Ibi the enterprise. Brhaiti was at that time celebrated for its marine;
and, indeed, bad b en so 600 years before. In the lleet which Kichard I.
equipped, in the yiar 1190, wire more than 160 thiee-masted ships. Hcnctf
the expressions of Matthew, of sS'cstminsii r, who wrote in the 1 4tli contiir.,
need not be considered as very hyperbidical : " O l'.n|j|and ! lliou wast lately
n|ual to the ancient Cl'.aldcjns in power, piosperitv, and filory. Tlie ships of
'I .irshisli could not be compared uitli thy ships, which brought thee spiies, .Mid
every precious lhiii(f» from the four corners ol the world." There were many
ten-ports tdvbritted furcumnieive, and none more «9 than Unstolj at the p«riu<i
«r
( 2.i )
have occurred to Madoc as wr!l :is to Columbus ; and; by
tlie aid of Inch knowledge as mariners could then attain, he
might be enabled to maintain a wcftcrly courfc, provided he
had fufficicnt courage to pcrievcre in it.
'I'hc numerous tcrtimonics ot" rei'peftable perfons, totally
tmconnef^ed with each othej-, ;inci who have actually cun-
vcrfed with the Welch Indians, can Icarcely be uuertioncd ;
for they could have no poffiblc interell in the invention and
propagation of a falfchood.
It is, indeed, fomcwhat remarkable that more pains have
not been taken, bv the inhabitants of the new or old world,
to invelligatc a fubjeft of fo much curiofity and imporlance.
The complete dil'covery of this nation may prove highly in-
tcrefting. A new and extenlivc fource vf commerce may
po'hbly be opcMied by a friend'v intcrcourfe with them ; and.
what is infinitely nrore important, we, as Chriilians, may
become the happy inllrumcnls ofconvcving to them the in-
eftimablc blefTmgs of the Gofpel of Chrill.
Unaccountable and criminal fupincncfs, in this rcfpeft, li
chargeable upon almoft all Chriftian countries. "I'he great
command of our Saviour has been already forgotten — "Go
yc into all the world, and preach the Clofpel to every crea-
ture." Commendable diligence has been exerted in making
geographical difcoveries ; and tlie mercantile world has not
tailed to extend its commeicial efforts to the ends of the:
earth ; but our infidelity has led us to undervalue the glorious
Gofpel at home, and to be carelefs about its univerfal fpread.
This conduft, however, is inexcufable, if, according to the
of Madoc's voy.ige ; previous to wliicli (he Flemings had been settled liy Hen-
ty I. in I'embroJvL'sliire. It Is probable that, from either of these places, Madoc
might obtain siifricieiit assistance for the equipment of iiis vcistis, if he needed
it. For tliciie and many otiier instances of the early maritime power of Britain,
liie reader may refer to Hackluyt's Voyages, and I)r, Henry's History.
"That modern writers have concvirred to disrreiHt the whole account ^^ ill not
appear surprisiiif?, nor of much consecjuencc, whc)) it is considered that ihoaj;e
in '.vliich we live is remarkably prone to disregard the evidence of fatjis, to
which any natural imprubabilily is attributed. It is often the case that cavils
arise from the ignorance of those who make them ; and one of the objeclions
that has been raised against the proofs of Madoc's expedition ali'ords a striking
instance ofthistiuth. Amoi>gst several Welch words ih it are said to be Ui^ed
by Amerioin Indians, is the name given to a well-known sca-f'ow', the Penguin,
l^hich, in the Britisli lansjuage, signifies u-hiit l;e,id. To oppose this argu'iient,
it has been confidently asserted that the Penguin is not an iidiabitaiit of the
northern hemisphere ; although it is, in fact, the most coitinon bird upon the
coasts of North America. There is more scirihlance of force in the objection,
that the Peii^^uin's head is not white, but bla.-k. Yet as the rest of the bird,
when it swims, appears of the latter colour, and it has a white patch about th«
«ye, it might be so called on that account : and this derivation is at least mor«
kkeljr than that whivh is substituted by the obje^tur),''
~ opinion
( 27 )
opiiiion of the late celebrated Dr. Johnfon, *' to oinit for a
year, or for a day, the moft clFu-acious methods of ad-
vancing Chriftianity is a crime of the greateft magnitude ■■■.'*
J'lic recent formation of fcveral focieties in England, Scot-
land, and America, for the purpole of fending Millionarics
among llic Heathen, mufl afford finccre pleaiure to tlie gc-
jiuinc dilciplcs of Chrill ; and I cannot hut think that the
W'clcli Indians have the ftrongefl: claim imaoinable to the
regard of thofe Societies, i indulge a hope, that the exill-
cnce of ilich u people will be ellablilhed bcyor.d a doubl,
an»l that fome effectual means will be devifed to fend Welch
pieachers among them.
I have been credibly informed, that, in the year 17n;5, a
Mr. John Evans, a native of Wales, who had relided lomc
years in London, was {Irongiv inclined to recognize his
IJritilh brethren on the Milfouri ; and aec(jrdingly went to
America. 1 know it to be a fact, that, ha\ing obtained
proper letters of recommendation, he left the houfe of J)r.
Jones, near Philadelphia, early in the Ipriiig of that year,
and let out upon his long journey, through Kentucky, to the
Milliflipi. Eor a long fcalon nothing was lieard of him, and
his friends began to fear that he had periOied. But I have
a letter fnnu the Rev. Mr. 1) , of Somerfetlliire, who
received information from his fon in America, that Mr.
Jvvans had returned in I'afety, having fully accomplifhed the
ob)e£t of his iournev. 'I he following is an extract :
" He ftates, that a young Welchman is returned from a
long journey which he had undertaken, with a view to dif-
covcr whether luch a people exillcd as the Welch Indiajis.
lie faith, this perfon has dilcovered fuch a tribe, inhabiting
the country wert of tlie mouth of the Milfouri about 700
miles ; that they treated hiu^ with friendlhip and holpitality,
ami adopted him as their ion. Their language is the old
IJriiilh, and he particularly noticed the conunon words io be
the fame as are now in ufe in Wales to defcribe the fame
ohjccls ; i'uch as houfes, light, windows, water, bread, &c.
^('. The hirtory thefe Indians give of thcmfelvcs is this:
'I'liat their anceilors came from a far countrv. and landed at
ihe mouth of the MiffilTipi from thirteen lliips, about the
year ut'C'hriil 1018 ; there tliey built a town ; but lincc that
jeriod, their delccndants have been falling back to their
j.ieleut refidence.''
* ,9ee a Lrtter on (his tubi«(.^ hi Bgswcll's Life ufDr. Johnson, vol, i. p. 2S6.
It
I
( 28 )
It is more than a year flncc I received this intelligence.
I have made the moft diligent inquiries concerning Mr.
Evans, but have received no further information ; but hope
Ifoondiall, in anfwer to Icveral letters fent to America.
Should no certain information be received of, or by, Mr.
Evans, I trull that the very ftrong probability of the cxift-
cnce of fuch a people, as evinced bv the preceding papers,
will induce the Miflionary Society, or fomc other body ot
Chriitians in England, or America, to lend a fufficient num-
ber of perfons, properly informed and provided, fully to in-
vcftigate a matter lb replete with curiolity and importance.
POSTSCRirX.
( 29 )
POS
T S C R I
PT,
SINCE the foregoing pages were font to the prcfs, I have
procured Dr. Williams's p- -iphlct, entilicd, An In-
quiry into the Truth of the Traut^ian, concerning the Difco-
•uery of America, by Prince Aladog ab Owen Givynedd, and
which I had long fouf;!it for in vain, not knowing its proper
title. To this trad, and another he has fuioe publifhed '',
I gladly refer the reader who wilhcs fur further information
concerning the Welch Indians. 'I'he Dodtor appears to be
a pcrfeft mafter of the fubjeft, and has beftovvcd much
learned labour upon it. Moll of the circuniftani,:cs here re-
lated are contained in his pamphlets ; the ancient hiitovians
and bards, who fufl; recorded the exploits of iMadog, are
cited, and their charaders defended. The author alio
largely aniwers the objedions of Dr. Kobertlon, Lord Lvt-
tleton, and others, againft their authority. Iroiii thefe pub-
lications I fhall take the liberty of making the foliovvini-,
extracts, tending to enlarge and confirm the teilimoniei. al'-
ready adduced.
No. XI.
The Firfi Difcovcry of the Welch Indians, by the Rev.
Morgan Jona, in the rear loGO.
'• TMF.vSK prefents may certify all perfons whatever, tliat
in the year KitiO, being an inhabitant of \'irg;nia, and
C:hapUiin to_ Major General Hrnnet, of Maafonian Countv,
the laid Major Hcnnct and Sir AViiliam Be'keiev lent iwo
Ihips to Port Royal, now called South Carolina, which is
(ixty leagues to the louthward of Ca[.etair, and I was fent
Entit'cl, Farther C^jerrMicnsm the Discoiiry if ..'mfriciiby tie I'.uri'b an.r. 1792.
SoM bv VViiite and boiis flca-tucct , and J. Joliiistn, fct. i'aiil'a Cliur, ii-
yard, l.omlon.
K therewith
?
( 50 )
therewith to he their miniftcr. Upon the 8th of April \vc
fet out from Virginia, and arrived at the harbour s ra ;U'h of
Port Royal the IDlh of the fame month, v. here we waited
for the refl of the fleet that was to fail from i'aib^oocs and
Bermuda, with one Mr. VVeit, v/ho was to 1a Deputy Go-
vernor of the fald place. As foon .is the f.c^ei, i.am.c m, tho
fmalleft \ elfeis that were with us lailed \!p the river to u place
called the Oyfter Point. There I conti'.uied about eight
months, ail which time being ahnoll: llarved for want of
provifions ; I and iivc more travelled through the wildcrncfs
till we came to the Tufeorara coi.ntrv. There the Tiifco-
rara Indians took us prifoncrs, bccauie we told tlicm that
we were bound to Roanock. That niglit the/ carried us to
their town, and fhut us up clofc. to our no Imall dread.
The next ckivthey entered inlo a conlultation abou*^ us, which,
after it v.-p.s over, their interpreter told us that we muft pre-
pare ourii-lves to die the next morning. Thereupon being
very much dejefled, and fpeaking to thiseffccl: in ilie Bn\M(h
tongue, " Have I elcaped fo many dangers, and mult 1 now
be knocked on the he.id like a dog !" than prcft'iitly an In-
dian came to me, which afterwards appeared to be a war
captain belonging to the Sachem of the Doegs (whofe ori-
ginal, I find, muif- needs be from the old Britons), and took
me up by tlie middle, and told me, in the Rriiifli tongue,
" I Ihouid not die ;" and thereupon went to the Kmperor of
'J'ufeorara, and agreed for my ranfom and the men that were
witii me. 'I hey then welcomed us to their town, and enter-
tained us vevv civilly and coidialiy lour months ; during winch
time 1 had tlie opportunity of convcrhng with them f.mii-
liarly in the Eritilti language, and did preach (o them three
times a-wcek in the fame language ; and they would ( onfer
with me about any thing that was dillieult therein: and, at
our departure, they abiindantlv Aipplied us with whatever
was neceffary to our hipport and well-doing. 'J hey are fei-
ded upon Pontigo * river, not far from Cape Atros. This
is a brief recital of my travels among the Doeg Indians.
" MORGAN JONES,
" Son of John Jones, of Bafaleg, near
Newport, in the county of Mon-
pioiith.
* I'cntign mw bodfiivpd from llie Wolrli P, n/ 5 jfc, Tlie Smith's Bridff-; or
Pani y qo, The biuitli's V alley. Dotg Indians isf robably a corriiptioiiof il/auV^'f
Iniam,'
«f I am
( 31 )
<* I am ready to conduft any Welchman, or others to
the countrv.
" New York, March 10, 16S5-6*."
It can fcarcely be doubted that Mr. Jones was the clergy-
man of whom Mr. Ikatty liad heard Ibme unperfedt account,
and which vvc have related page 23.
No. xir.
The TeJl'nnoyi;j of Captain Tfaac Steuiart.
CAPTAIN STEWART gave the following account,'
March r(H2, and which was publliln^d in the Public Adver-
tiler, Odl. S, 1785. He was taken prifoner in the year
n<' i, by the Indians, about 50 miles well: of Fort i*itt, and
fortunately delivered from the cruelties luffered by his com-
panions. Picing redeemed from his Captivi*--, which conti-
nued two years, he accompanied a VV'ciJiraan atid a Spa-
niard to the welhvard, crolfing ihe Millilhpi near Rouge, or
Red River, up " hich they travelled 700 miles, when Jiey
found a nalioi , i' Indians remarkably while, 'f'he \V'elch-
man was dcL, imined to remain with thcni, becaufe he un-
dcrftood their language, which differed but little from his
own. The chief men of the town laid, taat their ancollors
came from a foreign country, and landed on the eaft lide
of the MilhlTipi, dclcribing particuhuiy the countrv now
called Florida ; and that, on the Spaniards tnking poiiellion
of Mexico, they tied to their then abode. And as a proof
of the truth of what they advanced, he (the Welch.man)
brought forth rolls of parchment, which were carefuUv tied
up in otters' ikins, on which were large chara6^ers *vritten
with blue ink. Captain Stewart could not underlland theib
charaftcrs, nor could the \Velchman, as he could not read
«' I am
* This letter was sent, or given, to Dr. Lloyd, of Teunsylvniiia, hy whnin it
vas ininsniitteil to CMvirk's Llwyil, Esi]. of Dul y f'r.iu, in M.jr i^omery.l'ire ;
and afterwards to Dr. Pioit, of tlic Ashmoleai; Museum in (ixvid ; and in-
serted ill tlif Cjentlcman's Mag.n^ino, 1740, by tlic Ktv. 'f liiophilita Evans, wiio
observes, that several British words used by the Mexicans, when their country
was discovered by the Spaniards, tend to confirm the Iniih of Madoir's voyajre :
for instance, Fingvyn, While-head, the name n'H i nly ef a hire, but of a higli
and bare rock; (.iroeio, Welcunic ; Gxvtihihi.r, While or hnipid v.a'pf; ff,jra,
15 re id; To,!, Futlur; Mam, Mother; B:iJj, a Cow; Cig-Jar, a Partridge,
&c. &c.
E 2 even
( 32 )
tycn his own language *. The people appeared to be bold ,
hardy, and intrepid, very warlike, and the women beautiful
when compared with other Indians. . •
No. XIII.
*'' TeJl'tDionies of various Traders^ isfc.
MR. RICHARD BURNELL, a gentleman who went to
America in Ho:}, and has (incc returned, informed Mr.
Williams, that during his refidencc at Philadelphia, he be-
came acquainted with many ancient Britons, who aflured
him that the \Velch Indians were well known to many in
that city ; and that a Mr. Willin, who obtained the grant of
a large traft on the MilTilTipi, took with him, among nii-ny
other fctdcrs, two Welchmen, who perfeftly underllood the
language of the Indians, and convcrfed with them for hours
together, 'riiefe Welchmen aflured Mr. Willin that the
Indians fpokc W^elch ; that fome of them were fettled in
thofe parts (in the diftrifl: of the Natches), others on the
the wcft-fidc of the Miffilfipi, and fome in very remote
parts.
Mr. "WlLi.TAMs had an interview with Sir John Cald-
well, Barr. who, dining the laft war, was Rationed on the
eaft-lide of the Mifiilhpi, who laid there were fome Welch-
men in his cumpany, who undcrftood the language of the
Indians (the Panis, or Pawnees), which was >Velch ; and
that they are a people conliderahly civilized, living in hcufes,
cultivating the ground, and brought up in habits of induflry,
which other Indians are llrangers to.
Mr. Rimingtok, an Knglifhman, who had been among
t!ic Indians, informed Mr. Williams, that being at an Indian
mart at tlie forks of the Ohio, fome llrange Iniiians came there
from the wcfl of the MiiiiiTipi, who were not underftood by
the Shawanefc Indians ; but one Jack Hughes, a Welch-
• It is pos?iI)!c 'hat the .MSS. FJiblc (if such it was) might be written in
Crtt': chara<'"fC'r.-, abbelny thou;,'ht more sacred, whicli accounts for theC.iptain
iiij: bung able to leac! tlieiii ; but the Clerg_vman, befori; alluded to, ii said to
li;!>'e ttcunmicudcd liiuiicif to the Indians byrcadiiig them, which is very pro-
man,
b,
( 33 )
man, who was with Mr. Rimington, underftood them well,
and was tlieir interpreter while they llaid. He immedi-
ately recognized them as the Welch Indians.
Mr. Gir.soN, a trader, told Mr. Kennedy, a gentleman
now in London, that he had been among Indians who fpoke
W'cicli ; and that he had eonverfed, at different times, with
very many others, who afTured liim that tliere is I'ueh a peo-
ple. 'I'he cultivation of their e(juntry, and the eiviiization
of the people, is a niatter of aftoniihment to the traders in
general.
Dr. Wii.mams alfo relates the particulars of a convcr-
fation between Mr. Owen and General Bowles, a Cherokee
Chief, who was in London a few years ago. The General
liad travelled all along the ioulhcrn boundary of thecountnr
inhabited by the Welch Indians, and abundantly confirmed
tlie accounts we have already given of tlurn. This is the
convcrfation referred to in pages 8 and 9 of this ])amphlet.
I Ihall only add, from Dr. Williams's intcrctling publica-
tions, fome oblcrvations he makes, in anivver to ih.c fup-
pofed impratSVicability of Madoe's voyage at lo early a pe-
riod as the year I nu.
Ileobfervcs, that the maritime force of the Britons was
very coniidrrabic in the days of jul'us (Ja:far, and that tlic
realbn (jf his invading this ifland was, bccaufe the Britoiia
alliflcd tlie Gauls by land and lea ; that their naval powv.r
iiiiifl have been very relpedable, when " Vincula dare
Oecano," and " Briiannos fubjugarc," were convertible
terms. Me alfo obft rves, it is admitted that " the Phoeni-
cians and others i'ailcd to Britain, and other countries, for
tin «nd lead, and to the Baltic fea for amber ; voyages
which feem as dithcult as that of Madog's, and a longer na-
vigation. It was hardly poffiblc for the Britons not to learn
how to navigate fliips, when they faw it was done by others *."■
Me admits that, probably, chance firft threw Prince Madog
on the American eo.iO: ; and fuppofes, that on his return to
AV'alcs (for he made two voyages) he might fall into the
current; which, it is laid, runs from the Weft India Iflands
northward to Cape Sable in Nova Scotia, where, interrupted
b ■{ the laiid, it runs eaitward towards Britain.
In t!ie nin;li ccnlary, AlfieJ the Great liad a very formidable fleet.
man,
But
(31. ) •
But I refer again to the Doftor's pamphlets, in which the
reader will find a lunJ of entertainment, and, if I mitlake
not, verv fatista£lory proof of the voyages of Prince Madog,
and the prefcnt exiitence of the W'cirh Indians in America.
I cannot hut unite with him in wilhiiig that a fubfcription
were opened, for the purpofe of fending proper perfoi.s to
afeertain the fn't, beyond the pcfhbiiity of doubt ; hoping
that the difcoveiy would lead to the moft important and
falutury ends.
,_ '■ , . ylpiU 10, 1797.
THE reader will rccollet^, thai a Mr. Evans fet out in
the year 17P3, determined, if poffible, to find out his
Cambri-Ameriran brethren. I am happv to be able, in
tonfequence of a letter 1 received yefterday from the Rev.
Mr. 'J homas, of Eeominflcr, to give the public fome fur-
ther account of him, and of his journey ; fiom which it
will appear, that Mr. D. was miJintbrmcd when he wrote
to England (as mentioned page 14), "that John Evans had
fully accomplilhcd the objeA of his journey :" it may be
iiopccf, howevci-, that he is in a fair way of lb doing.
Mr. Thomas informs me, that John Evans was born near
Carnarvon ; that he is the fon of a Welch preacher, in con
nexion with the Mcthodifts ; and that he is a young man of
very good character, prudent, good-natured, and much in-
clined to travel. Mr. Morgan '\.ees, an intelligent perfon,
who went to America in the year 1794, has written to his
friend at Hala, in Merionethlhire, giving the following ac-
count of this adventurous traveller.
" John Evans, is, at laft, gone up the river MifTouri, in
quell: of the Welch Indians. He was taken by the Spaniards,
una impriloned at St. Louis, on the MilhlTipi. By the in-
lercelhon of a Welclunan, living at that place, he was li-
berated. About that time. Judge Turner came into the
province of Cahokia and Kafkalkia, on the MiifiiTipi, ex-
ecuting his office in the country N. \V . of the Ohio. The
Spanii'h Ccernor paid him a vifit, and in converfation men-
tiuned a John I'A'anr>, who thought to go up the Miflbuii ;
but added, that he had detained him till Le could get further
account of hiux and his defign. Judge 'lurxaer, it feems,
had
{ 35 ) ■
iiad prcviuufly hcHvd fomcthing of Jolin Evans, and rcquefl-
cd the; Govcvnov to permit liim to proceed on his journcv ;
obl'ervinf;, that if he could not lind out the people in view,
yet his joui;i/:v might prove a common bcnciit to the woild.
in confequcnce of this requtft, the Ciovcrnor not only pro-
niifed Mr. Evans pcmilfion to proceed, but to give him a,
letter of reeommendati(jn, written in Spaniih, French, and
Knglifli, to be prefcnted as occalion might require ; toge-
ther with fume articles that would be acceptable to the
Iiidians uc might meet ^ilh on his way. Judge Turner was
alfu fo obliging as to give him every needful inftru6tit)n how
to conuu(-t himt'clf among the Indians, with dircdlion to
keep a journal, &c. So tiiat now he is more likely than
ever to fuccced. Before he returns he is to follow the Mif-
fouri up to the very fpring-head ; to viht the Volcano ; and
to bring proof, if lie can, that he has touc'ied upon the
Pacific Ocean. He is then to receive uooo dollars of thij
Spaniih Government. — Thus the W'elchman, ihould he live
to return, whether he fucceed or not in difcovering the
Welch Indians, will obtain a comfortable fupport for his
life, and his diary may probably be worth a very confiderable
ium.^' .
Tiie Editor onlv adds, that he will thankfully receive
any communications on this fubj.et^t from AV'ales, America,
or any other part of the world ; and intends to communi-
cate to the public the iiitcrefting intelligence he may be
favoured with, lie alfo holds himfelf in readinefs to alFift,
as far as he mav be able, in furthering any attempt for the
4ilcovering, civilizing, or Chriftianizing the Welch Indians.
FINIS.
JlilSSIONARY SOCIETY.
r '
JuJ! piihlijlied, by T. Chapman, Flcet-Jlreety
A SERMOxN AND CHARGE
DCLIVERED AT
SION-CHAPEL, LONDON,
July 28, 1796,
On occafion of the Deilgnation of the First Missionariet.
to the Iflands of the South-Sea.
The Sermon by Henry Hunter, D. D. Minhler of the
Scots Church, London Wall ;
The Charge by Edward Williams, D, D. Minifter at
Rothcrham, Yorklhire.
To whicli is prciixeJ,
A SHORT NAURAl'IVE
Of the Order of the Solemnity of that Day.
Price One Sruliivr.
'. SIX SERMONS,
preached in London at the Formation of the
MISSIONARY SOCIETY,
September 22, 2 >, 24, 1795,
By the Rev. Dr. Haweis, Aldwinckle,
Rev. George Burder, Coventry,
Rev. Samuel Gre:i'.'u:ed, NVoburn,
Kcv. John Hey, Driltol,
Rev. Rowland Hill, ^L A. Surry Cliapel,
Rev. David Boguc; Cofport.
To wiilch are preiixed. Memorials refpedling the Eftabliflt-
nu/nt and lirll yVttempts of that Soeiety.
Price Two ShUlni^^ ar.d i'ixpcMcc.
" FOUR SERMONS,
Prcaclied in London at the Second General Meeting of the
MISSIONARY SOCIETY,
May II, 12, 13, ]19b,
Bv the Rev. Mr. Lambert, Mull.
Rev. Mr. IVntverols, \VallIngford,
Rev. Mr. Jay, Bath, and
Rev. Mr. Jones, Llangan.
To which arc preiixcd, the Rroceedings of the Meeting, and
the Report of the Oiredtors,
^Vit.h a i\iriralt of Captain Wilson.
Pr'u-r TixQ Shlil'ino^i and Sixpence.
t
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