Communicated to the Literary Section of the Zealand
Academy of Sciences at Middelburg.

The Librarian, Herr Nagtglas, called attention to two copies of a very remarkable book in our Library, a translation of the Bible into the language of the American Indians, by John Eliot, called by his contemporaries the Apostle of America (Indorum Americanorum Apostolus). He communicated various particulars about the reasons for this translation and the emigration of the English Puritans for freedom of worship. He recalled the fact that the so-called Brownists, or Independents, had already, in 1588, left England for the Netherlands, and founded congregations in Middelburg, Amsterdam, and Leyden; that, in 1633, they had in the ship "Mayflower," of Plymouth, removed to New England, and there made strenuous efforts to convert the natives to Christianity. Among the first and most zealous of their preachers was John Eliot. His missionary work was not without fruit in a single year many thousand redskins called themselves Christians, some were even ordained teachers, and several schools and a church organization were established. The first translation of the Bible into the Indian tongue was published in 1663, and 1,500 copies were printed at Cambridge, near Boston. Most of these seem to have been destroyed in a contest (1674) between Indian tribes. A second edition of 2,000 copies of the New Testament appeared in 1680, and in 1685 one of 2,000 copies of the Old Testament.

These publications created no small excitement in Europe, especially as connected with the great noise about the progress of Christianity among the heathen. People talked of fifty thousand converts; and about the same time, in 1687, there appeared a Latin letter from Crescentius Matherus, V.D.M, of Boston, in New England, to Professor J. van Leusden, of Utrecht, of which Professor Grævius gives an account.*

The first edition of this translation of the Bible has become exceedingly rare. In a work lately published at New York, an opportunity to examine which was afforded the Librarian by the kindness of Messrs. F. A. G. Campbell and Nijhoff of the Hague, it is stated that a copy of this edition was sold not long ago for 1050 dollars, or 250 pounds sterling.†

The two copies of this first edition in our Library are peculiarly interesting. The first, the Old Testament, seems to have been long considered valuable, as it has been elegantly bound in red morocco, with green silk on the inner covers, and tooled with gilt edges. The titlepage is wanting. In its place we find the following manuscript note:

*This letter, of July 12, 1687, "translated out of Latin into English," was published in Cotton Mather's "Life and Death of the Reverend Mr. John Eliot." 3d ed., London, 1694. pp. 94-99. — C. D.

† An Essay towards an Indian bibliography, being a catalogue of books relating to the history, antiquities, languages, customs, religion, wars, literature, and origin of the American Indians, in the library of Thomas W. Field. With bibliographical and historical notes and synopses of the contents of some of the works least known. New York: Scribner, Armstrong, & Co. 1873. pp. iv. 430, roy. 8vo.

"All the Bibles of the Christian Indians were burned or destroyed by the heathen savages. This one alone was saved; and from it a new edition, with improvement, and an entirely new translation of the New Testament, was undertaken. I saw at Roesberri (Roccsbury?), about an hour's ride from Boston, this Old Testament printed, and some sheets of the New. The printing-office was at Cambridge, three hours' ride from Boston, where also there was, close to the borders of the savages, a college of students of another nation. The Psalms of David are added in the same metre.

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"At Roesberri dwelt Mr. Hailot" (N. B.- The Zealand sound of Eliot), "a very godly preacher there. He was at this time about seventy years old, and his son was a preacher at Boston. This good old man was one of the first Independent preachers to settle in these parts, seeking freedom to worship. He was the principal translator and director of the printing of both the first and second editions of this Indian Bible. Out of special zeal and love he gave me this copy of the first edition, for which I am, and shall continue, grateful. This was in June, 1680.*

"JASPER DANCKAERTS."

In April, 1757, this Bible was marked as "extra rare " in the catalogue of the library of Mr. H. J. Bosschaert, of Middelburg. It was bought by the bookseller Gillissen on the 26th April, 1757, for £6 38. 18d. (f. 23.40), and came into the possession of Professor Willemsen, and appears in the catalogue of his library, sold at Middelburg in April, 1781. It was not offered at the sale, but was withdrawn, and came into the hands of Professor de Fremerij, who, in February, 1807, presented it to the Zealand Academy of Sciences. It was then remarked as something curious that the letter r does not once occur in the whole book.

The other copy, in specially good condition, bound in stiff leather with red edges, contains the Old Testament of 1663 and the New Testament of 1661, with the double title and the dedication to Charles II., which, according to Mr. Thomas W. Field, is found in very few copies. In conclusion, the Librarian spoke of Jasper Danckaerts. He was probably the person mentioned by De la Rue in his Geletterd Zeeland," and in his private annotations. He was a cooper (kuiper ‡) in the service of the East India Company at Middelburg, and wrote some books, which were, however, never published, but for which he, among others, was praised by Professor Campegius Vitringa, in a letter written in 1699. In a manuscript considered valuable by De la Rue,"Triumph of the Holy Hebrew Bible over time, and the chronology

The spelling of this note has been modernized.

↑ The book is thus described in this catalogue: "The American Indian Bible, containing the whole Old Testament, and the Psalms in the same order as in English metre. . . . Wants the title and some few leaves of the Psalm Book."

In a journal of Danckaerts, alluded to further on, he speaks of himself as a "wine-racker"; that is, one who put up wine in casks. — C. D.

of the world and the birth of the church, each in six periods, with a seventh added for rest," - Danckaerts calls himself a lover of mathematics. Upon this see "H. Sinnebeelden, History en Godsgeleerdheid tot Middelburgh in Zeelandt."

DECEMBER, 1873.

Mr. DEANE proceeded to say that some information concerning Jasper Danckaerts, or, as the name was sometimes spelled, Dankers, additional to that given in the above communication, might be found in the first volume of the "Memoirs of the Long Island Historical Society," published in 1867, which contained Dankers's "Journal of a Voyage to New York in 1679-80." Dankers belonged to a sect of Christians, known as Labadists, so called after its founder, Jean de Labadie, born near Bordeaux in 1610. He came here in company with a fellow missionary, named Sluyter, in search of a suitable place to found a colony for persons of that faith. In June, 1680, he came from New York to Boston, to re-embark for home, arriving here on the 23d of that month. In the following extracts from his journal he gives his impressions of Boston, its inhabitants, and also describes his visit to Eliot at Roxbury:

Dankers's Journal.

[July] 7th, Sunday. We heard preaching in three churches, by persons who seemed to possess zeal, but no just knowledge of Christianity. The auditors were very worldly and inattentive. The best of the ministers whom we have yet heard is a very old man, named John Eliot, who has charge of the instruction of the Indians in the Christian religion. He has translated the Bible into their language. We had already made inquiries of the booksellers for a copy of it, but it was not to be obtained in Boston. They told us if one was to be had, it would be from Mr. Eliot. We determined to go on Monday to the village where he resided, and was the minister, called Roxbury. Our landlord had promised to take us, but was not able to do so, in cousequence of his having too much business. We therefore thought we could go alone and do what we wanted.

8th, Monday. We went accordingly, about eight o'clock in the morning, to Roxbury, which is three quarters of an hour from the city, in order that we might get home early, inasmuch as our captain had informed us he would come in the afternoon for our money, and in order that Mr. Eliot might not be gone from home. On arriving at his house, he was not there; and we, therefore, went to look around the village, and the vicinity. We found it justly called Rocksbury, for it was very rocky, and had hills entirely of rocks. Returning to his house, we spoke to him, and he received us politely. Although he could speak neither Dutch nor French, and we spoke but little English, and were unable to express ourselves in it always, we managed, by means of

Latin and English, to understand each other. He was seventy-seven years old, and had been forty-eight years in these parts. He had learned very well the language of the Indians who lived about there.

We asked him for an Indian Bible. He said in the late Indian war all the Bibles and Testaments were carried away, and burnt or destroyed, so that he had not been able to save any for himself; but a new edition was in press, which he hoped would be much better than the first one, though that was not to be despised. We inquired whether any part of the old or new edition could be obtained by purchase, and whether there was any grammar of that language in English. Thereupon he went and brought us the Old Testament, and also the New Testament, made up with some sheets of the new edition, so that we had the Old and New Testaments complete. He also brought us two or three small specimens of the grammar. We asked him what we should pay him for them, but he desired nothing. We presented him our Declaration in Latin, and informed him about the persons and conditions of the church, whose declaration it was, and about Madam Schurman and others, with which he was delighted, and could not restrain himself from praising God the Lord that had raised up men and reformers, and begun the reformation in Holland. He deplored the decline of the church in New England, and especially in Boston, so that he did not know what would be the final result. We inquired how it stood with the Indians, and whether any good fruit had followed his work. Yes, much, he said, if we meant true conversion of the heart; for they had in various countries instances of conversion, as they called it, and had seen it amounted to nothing at all; that they must not endeavor, like Scribes and Pharisees, to make Jewish proselytes, but true Christians. He could thank God, he continued, and God be praised for it, there were Indians, whom he knew, who were truly converted of heart to God, and whose profession was sincere. It seemed as if he were disposed to know us further; and we therefore said to him, if he had any desire to write to our people, he could use the names which stood on the title-page of the Declaration, and that we hoped to come and converse with him again. He accompanied us as far as the jurisdiction of Roxbury extended, where we parted from him. (pp. 382-384.)

In 1683 Dankers and Sluyter returned to this country in prosecution of their colonization scheme, and founded a settlement on a tract of land called "Bohemia Manor," situated principally in Maryland. The colony came to an end before 1780.

A few errors in chronology, in Herr Nagtglas's interesting communication, were thought to be too obvious to the student of English or of American history to need special correction.

JUNE MEETING, 1874.

A stated meeting was held on Thursday, June 11th, at 11 o'clock A. M.; Vice-President ADAMS in the chair.

The Recording Secretary read the record of the last meeting.

The Librarian read the monthly list of donors to the Library. The Corresponding Secretary read a letter of acceptance from the Hon. William Gray, elected a Resident Member at the last meeting.

The Chairman noticed the decease of a Corresponding Member, Mr. John Carter Brown, of Providence, which occurred in that city on the 10th instant, in the seventy-seventh year of his age. Mr. Brown had been for many years a member of the old mercantile house of Brown & Ives, almost an historical house, -and was a gentleman of the highest character for probity and intelligence. His noble library of books relating to American History, collected by himself at a great expense, was sufficient evidence of his claim to be regarded as a benefactor to the cause for which this Society was founded. He was elected a member of the Society on the 10th of August, 1854.

The Recording Secretary read an extract from a letter of Mrs. Emma Rogers, daughter of the late Hon. James Savage, presenting to the Society her father's copy of the Society's Collections, with copious MS. notes, for which the thanks of the Society were ordered.

The Chairman then said:

The following communication has been laid before the Council of the Society:

W. H. WHITMORE, Esq.

TROY, N. Y., June 2d, 1874.

DEAR SIR, You are of course aware that the late H. G. Somerby wished to have his manuscript collections used to the greatest advantage, and that he desired me to consult with Mr. W. S. Appleton, Mr. Henry A. Whitney, and yourself as to their ultimate disposal.

I am satisfied from what you tell me that the best disposition that I can make of the papers is to transfer them to the Massachusetts Historical Society on certain conditions, as follows: :

1st. That the Society shall agree to keep the MSS. safely and distinct from all other collections, and shall, as soon as may be, have them arranged in proper form for examination, or at least such parts as are of value to students.

2d. That the Society shall appoint a committee of three to decide upon the mode of making them available for public inspection and use,