I have tliis summer got an English school erected amongst them, and in a short time, I hope, their children will be fit for catechising. Schenectady is a village situated upon a pleasant river, twenty English miles above Albany, and the first castle of the Indians is twenty four miles above Schenectady. In this village there has been no Dutch minister these five years and there rs no probability of any being settled among them. There is a convenient and well built cliurch which they freely gave me the use of. I have taken pains to shew them the agreement of the articles of our churcli witli theirs. I hcpe in some time to bring them not only to be constant hearers, but cummunicants.

Mr. Lydius, the minister of the Dutch congregation at Albany, died the 1st day of March last. He was a gO(,d pious man, and lived in entire friendsliip with me ; sent his own children to be catechised. At present tliere is no Dutch minister at Albany, neither is any expected 'till next summer ; and from New York to tlie utmost bounds of my parish, tliere is no minister but myself : most of the inhabitant s are Dutch, the garrison excepted, which consists of three companies, eacli company one hundred men. In the city and county of Albany there are about three thousand souls, besides the gariison: in the mean time some Vol. III. 57

898 PAPERS RELATING TO ALBANY

of the Dutch children I have baptized, and married several, and other parts of the service I have performed in tlie Dutcli tongue, and more of them would accept my ministry : but tliat Mr. De Bois, a minister of the Dutch congregation of New York, comes sometimes to Albany ; he is a hot man, and an enemy to our church, but a friend to his purse, for he has large contributionsfrom this place.