at this time, we find this strong and emphatic language: "The deplorable state of affairs in this part of your government is truly distressing. We are robbed, insulted, and dragooned by Connolly and his militia, in this place and its environs." So far was this matter carried, that a party of armed men under command of Connolly, went to Hanna'stown, and released two prisoners, confined in the jail under execution; and a few months after, another party repeated the act, releasing three prisoners. Three of the magistrates also of Pennsylvania were arrested and held in custody for performing the duties of their office. The continued collisions and disorders at Pittsburg and throughout Western Pennsylvania, could not fail to attract the attention of all the patriotic citizens of the two states-and on the 25th of July, 1775, the delegates in Congress, including among others, Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry, and Benjamin Franklin, united in a circular, urging the people in the disputed region, to mutual forbearance. In that circular was the following language: "We recommend it to you, that all bodies of armed men, kept up by either party, be dismissed; and that all those on either side, who are in confinement, or on bail, for taking part in the contest, be discharged." As there were no armed men maintained by the Pennsylvanians, the expression "either party" was probably only used to avoid any invidious dis

tinction.

The war of the Revolution for a considerable period suspended the excitement and the dispute, and though a military officer, Captain John Neville, came out with a small force and occupied Fort Pitt under the authority of the government of Virginia-he appears to have been a prudent man and soon allayed the jealousies which his presence at first excited. It seems to have been gradually understood on both sides, that it was wiser for them to defer, till a more auspicious period, the settlement of the boundary line, and to unite all their zeal and energies in the common cause of their country, to whose interests they were alike devoted. It would not be

easy indeed to determine which party were the warmest whigs, or which expended most, in sufferings and blood, for the cause of American Independence. That cause once secured, it was their interest and their desire, that all further trouble about disputed territory, and conflicting jurisdictions should be brought to a peaceful issue. Under the kinder feelings, produced by united resistance to Great Britain, movements were made as early as 1779, to bring the question to an amicable settlement. For this purpose, George Bryan, the Rev. Dr. John Ewing, and David Rittenhouse on the part of Pennsylvania; and Dr. James Madison, late Bishop of the Protestant Episcopal church in Virginia, and Robert Andrews, on the part of Virginia, were appointed commissioners to agree upon a boundary. These gentlemen met at Baltimore, on the 31st of August, 1779, and entered into a preliminary agreement to run the southern boundary, from the river Delaware along Mason and Dixon's line-the old line between Pennsylvania and Maryland-five degrees west; and thence by a meridian line from the extremity of this line (Mason and Dixon's, extended), to the northern limit of the stateto be the western boundary of Pennsylvanian forever. legislatures of the two states concurred in this; and nothing was left but the actual drawing of the line-which was done. in 1784, by the commissioners. Thus forever was settled this long dispute, giving to Pennsylvania what perhaps few of the people interested expected, not only Pittsburg and its environs and all Alleghany and Westmoreland counties-but all Washington, Fayette, and Green counties. It seems a pity now, that what is called the Panhandle of Virginia, including at least Hancock and Brook counties, could not have been included. But this was out of the questiom. The Virginians, no doubt, thought they had much the hardest of the bargain, as it was.

The

But while this contest lasted, it contributed much to distract our people, and to turn away their minds from their spiritual interests. Yet we cannot doubt that one indirect

advantage flowed from this conflict for the West, between the two States. They both contributed more cheerfully to aid in protecting it against the French and Indians, and afterwards against the British. We doubt whether either of the governments would have done as much for this country, had the line been early settled. Again, it brought out two streams of emigration from these States, and filled up the country much sooner with a thriving population, and promoted, more rapidly, the progress of converting the western wilderness into thriving farms, and, at length, into happy homes. "Per damna, per caedes, ab ipso, ducit opes, animumque ferro."-Horace.

CHAPTER XI.

OTHER EVANGELICAL BODIES IN THE WEST.

THE historical sketch we have attempted, of the early efforts of our Church to spread the gospel through what, at length, became the field of the Redstone Presbytery, has not been given with a view of making an impression, that Presbyterians monopolized this work of faith and labor of love.

The Seceders early began their efforts to organize Churches in Washington County, and to supply them with the stated ministrations of the gospel. At a very early period, a distinguished minister of that denomination, Mr. Henderson, was settled near Canonsburg.* The Rev. John Anderson, of

"The Rev. Matthew Henderson was the first minister of the Associate Church settled west of the Allegheny mountains, where he was settled a number of years previous to the Union of 1782."

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A strong current of emigration had already set in from the Eastern to the Western parts of Pennsylvania. Many who understood and were attached to the principles of the Associate Church, were among the emi

King's Creek, who had received his theological training, ia part, from the celebrated John Brown, of Haddington, was one of their first ministers. We have not access to any work, however, that would enable us to extend this notice of that respectable branch of the Presbyterian family, in their first efforts among the frontier settlers.

The Baptists were early in the field, also, and labored with diligence and zeal, and great success, especially in what is now Fayette County. The Redstone Association, Mr. Benedict, their historian, supposes, was organized in 1776.

"One of the oldest Churches was gathered in 1770, under the ministry of Elder John Sutton. It was, at first, called Great Bethel-now Uniontown, in the County of Fayette. This Church was the mother of many others which arose around it. Mr. Sutton was a native of New Jersey, and was one of five brothers who were Baptist preachers. Two of them removed to this country with him. He settled in the Redstone country when it was in a wilderness state, and was long a laborious and much respected preacher, throughout an extensive circle of Churches, which were planted, either wholly or in part, by his means. The time of his death is not known, but it is believed to have been not far from 1800.

"Cotemporary with this evangelical servant of God was the pious and successful John Corbley, who was made to drink deeply of the cup of affliction, (by the massacre of his wife by the savages, on a Sabbath morning, as they were going on foot to the place of worship-of which see a thrilling account in Day's Hist. Coll. of Penn.*) This distinguished man was a native of England, where he was born in 1733-came to this country in very early life-paid for his passage by four years' service in Pennsylvania-became a Baptist preacher in

grants. These carried their profession with them, and wherever they settled, they generally formed the beginning of a congregation. These congregations were rapidly multiplied in the Western part of Pennsyl vania."-Miller's "Sketches and Sermons," p. 80.

*See, also, our Sketch of the Life of Mr. Dod.

Virginia, where he suffered maltreatment and imprisonment, in the times of persecution in the Old Dominion-settled in Western Pennsylvania, in 1768, and became the coadjutor of Sutton, and others, in planting the first Churches of our order in that region.

"For half a century, or more, the Old Redstone Association was regarded as a very important institution in the whole Baptist connection, and embraced the talent and enterprize of our Society, in this great field of labor."-Benedict's Hist. of Bap.

We have no means of ascertaining at what time and where the Methodists began their itinerating labors; but have reason to believe it was not much, if at all, before the beginning of the present century, or at least, till after the period of the Old Redstone Presbytery.

RECORDS OF THE PRESBYTERY OF REDSTONE.

IN placing before the reader the minutes of the Presbytery during its earlier history, we hope that we will not merely gratify curiosity, but furnish additional materials for a monument to the honor and praise of our fathers. Our original plan was to publish these Records entire, and we had carefully twice transcribed them for this purpose- employing a system of abbreviations, in order to condense the whole into a reasonable space. But we have since concluded to drop out of our transcript all those portions of the Records that are only used as necessary forms in such cases; as, for instance"Presbytery adjourned to meet to-morrow morning at 9 o'clock concluded with prayer." "Presbytery met according to adjournment-ordered to read the minutes of the last meeting," &c., &c. We have also drawn our pen across all statements about congregational settlements — and

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