Baraga thanks the Bishop for his kindness, for the manual, the Almanac of 1847 and for the Lenten regulations. Baraga had made his missionary visit to Point Keweenaw in January and spent 3 weeks there. He is very satisfied with the mission and was surprised to have found so many Irish, German and Canadian Catholics in the mines. There are more than 240, according to the enclosed list, but there are still 2 or 3 smaller places which are not marked down. Baraga had heard that in the coming year there will be still more people settling in several places, especially Irish people; in other places there will be less and there are a few places which will be abandonned altogether this spring. But on the whole there will be more in Keweenaw next year than this year. The Catholics of Keweenaw are sending a message to the Bishop. They ask him humbly and urgently to consider their forsaken situation and their number and to try to send a missionary next year, who could reside at Eagle River or Eagle Harbor and make from there frequent trips to the other places. The people would take care of his maintenance. Baraga told them that he would do his best with the Bishop, but that there is a great shortage of priests in his diocese and that the Bishop cannot send priests wherever he would like to. Baraga will of course not abandon them, but he can only visit them about 3 times a year. He must also visit the mission of Lapointe every year at the time of the Goverment payment, which takes a month and a half at least. Altogether he will be absent from his mission al L'Anse for 4 months every year and that is not good for the mission, because there is no school during his absence. Baraga wants the Bishop's answer in English, because he wants to show the letter to the people when he will visit them next May. The Americans at L'Anse of both sides, who are more for the Catholic mission than for the Methodist, have among themselves made a petition to Mr. Richmond in which they ask him to let the Indians have a blacksmith and carpenter to be located on Baraga's side, because there are many more Indians on his side than on the other, and they get along much better. He also gave his signature and he asks the Bishop to see Mr. Richmond himself and to speak to him in favor of the Indians. They think that the Bishop has the most ponderous influence in Detroit. The petition is being sent to Detroit at the same time as this letter, therefore the Bishop sould see Mr. Richmond immediately. :: III-2-h A.L.S. French 3pp. 8vo