Bishop Heslin, of Natchez, has four hundred Catholic Indians in his
diocese. They have one church and one school. “The number of Catholic
Indians in Neshoba Co., has now increased to 335, a considerable gain
over last year. Rev. B. J. Bekkers, with money lately collected from
friends in Holland, has made a further purchase of some 600 acres to
be portioned out among the Indians according to necessity. He reports
the Indians are very much distressed in consequence of the low prices
obtained for their crops, which were chiefly cotton. He cannot tell how
they will be able to tide over the time lapsing before the new crops. The
poor people have no credit, and they are now left dependent on Divine
Providence. I must confess that I am comparatively ignorant of the other
Indian Colony situated back of the coast; but I expect before long to
get better acquainted with them, and to be able to give a more accurate
account of them. A great deal has been said about the efforts made, and
the aid given by the Indian Bureau and by Mother Catherine Drexel,
in behalf of the Indians, but we have as yet seen nothing of them in
Mississippi.”