The relics of General Joseph Warren : a paper read before the New England Historical and Genealogical Society, Wednesday, November 4, 1857 / by James S. Loring.
- James Spear Loring
- Date:
- [1857]
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: The relics of General Joseph Warren : a paper read before the New England Historical and Genealogical Society, Wednesday, November 4, 1857 / by James S. Loring. Source: Wellcome Collection.
Provider: This material has been provided by the National Library of Medicine (U.S.), through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the National Library of Medicine (U.S.)
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![was quile interesting, and was listened to with deep attention. Col. Samuel Swett followed with some reminis- cences that he had gathered of General Warren and his appearance at the battle of Bunker Hill. One who saw him early on that day states that having presided in a public assembly, he was much dressed. He wore a light cloth coat, covered but- tons worked with silver, with his hair curled up at the sides. Col. Swett afterwards spoke of Aaron Burr and stated that beyond doubt Aaron Burr worked his passage home from Europe to Newburyport, on which occasion the ship was driven by stress cf weather into Boston. Neither Burr nor his biog- rapher have stated this fact, but Col. S. considered it well authenticated. The thanks of the society were tendered to Messrs. Richardson and Loring for their papers — copies of which were requested for the archives — and to Dr. Warren for the loan of the relics. NEW YORK. American Ethnological Society. — On the evening of Oct. 13th, this Society held their first meeting since the summer recess, at the house of George Folsom, Esq. It has been in existence about twelve years, and, under the presidency of the late Hon. Albert Gal- latin, published two large volumes of Transactions, which are known in Europe as well as in America. The first part of the third volume, which was printed three or four years ago, Avas unfortunately destroyed by fire before its publication. The So- ciety now propose soon to commence the publica- tion of frequent bulletins, to contain their original papers and foreign correspondence. The Society have directed their researches primarily to Ameri- can antiquities, customs and languages, as their first duty; and, by confining themselves to facts, and passing by theories, have done their part to repair the faults of past times, and to lay a solid basis for future investigations in that interesting department. They have availed themselves of some of the facilities offered by the commercial position of New York, to obtain information from remote and secluded portions of the human family, from which individuals are sometimes brought by vessels visiting the centre of American commerce. At the late meeting, in the absence of the presi- dent, Professor Robinson, Mr. Figaniere, the Por- tuguese minister, was called to the chair; and after some preliminary business, a paper was read by Mr. Hodgson of Savannah, describing and com- menting on a curious manuscript volume, which he exhibited. It had been obtained from a gentleman in Texas, who had removed thither from Virginia, and it was the production of one of his negroes, a native of Africa. Although it was written in the Arabic character, Mr. H. discovered, after studi- ous attention, that it was a part of the Gos- pel by John in the Negro English dialect spoken through the Southern States. The writer, who seems to have been a Mandingo, and had rei eived an education in Africa, became a convert to Chris- tianity in the United Stales, and undertook the difficult task of writing down in Arabic characters a portion of the New Testament, probably from the lips of some fellow slave, who could re,id Eng- ligh, though in an imperfect manner. Mr. Hodgson gave some interesting particulars of the application of several alphabets to boo] originally written in others; as Arabic works in the Gothic character, taken to Africa in the 16th century, by Nuevos Cristianos, or convert- ed Moors, who were driven from Spain with their Mohammedan brethren. lie then suggested the im- portance of our missionaries applying the Arabic alphabet to the negro languages in Northern and Middle Africa, and the European alphabet to those in the southern part of that continent, on the ground that they have been already so far estab- lished in those regions respectively, as to render it easy to extend them, and difficult to introduce others. Mr. H. then exhibited a page of Arabic writing, from the pen of an aged negro, named Rahman Abdel, who was manumitted by his master in Mississippi, and sent back to Africa in 1885, by the Colonization Society ; and lie referred to another African, lately living in Fayctlex ille, N. C, who writes Arabic with facility. The Recording Secretary then informed the Society that he happened to have in his pocket a specimen of the writing of the individual last re- ferred to, written in 1831, which he had laid before the Society several years ago, with a trans- lation made by the Treasurer, Mr. A. J. Cot heal. Although the author (Omar ben Said, a Moro) stated that he was ignorant of Arabic gram- mar, and had been in America twenty-five years, he gave a few interesting particulars of his life, in a style which, with all its difficulties, the translator succeeded in comprehending. The M S. was dated in 1831, and was obtained by the Secretary in 1835. It stated that the author was a native of Futa Toro, taken prisoner in war, sold and carried to Charleston, where he had a hard master, from whom he ran away, and after reaching North Car- olina, found a kind master with whom he had lived ever since. The Secretary informed the Society, that Rah- man Abdel, (above mentioned) was the man from whom he obtained the information he laid before the Society several years ago. He was called Paul in this country, and by the Serecules (his people,) Lahmen Kebe. A brief notice of him published in 183C had excited interest in Europe, and up-](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b21137717_0008.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
