Nations than the place where the
school now is; they are about one hundred miles from Mount Royal and
about sixty from Crown Point; and, perhaps, about sixty from the
Indians at St. Francis, to whom there is water portage by Connecticut
and St. Francis Rivers, except a mile or two; there is also water
carriage from hence by the Lakes and St. Lawrence River, etc., by the
Six Nations and the tribes many hundred miles west, except very small
land carriages. Population in this new country is very rapid, and will
doubtless be much more so if the Doctor should remove there with his
school, and their lands will soon bear a great price. From hence I
went with Mr. John Wright (whom the Doctor sent to accompany me in my
further inquiry) to Hatfield, in the Province of the Massachusetts;
and found gentlemen there universally desirous to have the school
fixed in Berkshire County in the western part of that Province."

This region was visited by them, as well as New York. During the
autumn of 1768, by commission of Dr. Wheelock, Mr. Cleaveland, in
company with Mr. Allen Mather, also attended a large "Congress" of
several Indian tribes, at Fort Stanwix. In his report, after referring
to friendly conference with other chiefs, he says: "I also saw one
from Caghnawaga near Montreal, who desired to know if he could get his
son into Dr. Wheelock's school, and manifested a great desire to send
him. I told him there was talk of the school's going to Cohos. He said
if it should be fixed there, he believed that many of that tribe would
send their children to it."[20] This Canadian chief's statement was
considered, most carefully, by Dr. Wheelock. The proper documents were
forwarded with the least practicable delay to the English Trustees,
and elicited the following response:

[20] See Appendix.

"London, 3d April, 1769.

"Reverend Sir:--Last week we received your letters of the 22d and 23d
December, 1768, and 10th of January, 1769; and being convinced how
necessary it is for the prosperity of your pious institution, as well
as for the peace of your own mind, that a place should be fixed upon
for the future establishment of your school as soon as possible, we
have attentively considered the report of Mr. Ebenezer Cleaveland,
whom you employed to take a view of the several spots proposed for
that purpose, together with the other papers which have now and
heretofore been transmitted to us relative to that matter; and, upon
weighi