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YALE Photostat J. T. Hol'y 4-2
Rt. Rev. Leonidas Polk D.D.
Bishop of Louisiana
Rt. Rev. & Dear Sir
The undersigned a Colored Presby= ter of the P. E. Church in the Diocese of Connecticut has long entertained the idea of evangelizing the blacks in the island of Hai{2 dots over the "i"}ti; and prompted by these motives conceived in early childhood, I became a candidate for orders in the Diocese of Michigan, and was made Deacon by Bishop McCoskry in 1855.
Immediately thereafter, I visited Port-au-Prince to spy out the land, and estimate the probable success of a mission of our church if established there. And after having an audience with the {insert symbol}then Emporer and several of his minis ters; conversing with the people, and ob=
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ref. only Yale photosta
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taining the experience of the small missiona ry efforts already established there by Protestant denominations. I received the most indubitable evidence that a mission of our church would be the great desideratum for Hai{2 dots over the "i"}tian evangelization.
Indeed, the long state of schism that has separated Hai{2 dots over the "i"}ti from the communion of the Roman See, which two papal Legates (Bp England of S.C. who went to that island in 1837 or 8; and Monsgr. {illegible: Scappapie tra?}, an Archbishop in{underlined} partibus{underlined} infidelium{underlined} who went there in 1849) have failed to {illegible} up, affords a splendid opportunity to give to these people a church which is Catholic without being Romish; and Protestant without being heretical.
These facts I laid before the {illegible: Fer.?} Com. of our church in the Autumn of 1853; and spread them not as far a possible before the church at large in a lecture on the Religious works of Hai{2 dots over the "i"}ti, delivered
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Robert Gordon, now in Jamaica, but soon to sail for England, who is anxious to en= gage in the same great work. And he promised me last January when visiting me at New Haven, that any plan that could be devised for the execution of this mission under the approbation of the American Bishops, he would gladly coo{diacritical mark}perate in pressing upon the attention of the British Bishops, if desirable.
Now, if this Church should be established under the supervision of the Presiding Bish= op, it would depend upon the Episcopal visitation of {crossed out: the} {insert symbol}some Bishops of the American Church; and it has been thought that you, Rt. Rev. Sir, from your geographi= cal location would be the most conve= nient to visit Hai{2 dots over the "i"}ti annually for this purpose.
Hence, then, while the matter is still in embryo, I take this early occasion
{Upside down on separate card: U of South Manuscript Collection MSS 090 Polk Family Papers Box 9 of 27 Folder April 26, 1860}