SEVENTEENTH ANNUAL REPORT.

1850.

IN presenting the Seventeenth Annual Report, the Directors beg to congratulate the Members upon the accession as President of the Right Honourable the Earl of Ducie, whose cheerful compliance with the request to take this office has placed the Institution under great obligations; and whose influence and efforts on its behalf have already materially aided, and will, they confidently believe, still more extensively promote its honour and usefulness.

It will be recollected that, since the last Annual Meeting, important alterations have been made in the constitution of the Society. These changes principally relate to such an enlargement of objects, as combine the intellectual and social improvement, with the religious welfare of seamen. This legitimate combination of effort had long been felt, both by members of the Society and others, to be highly desirable, if not indeed absolutely necessary, in order to secure to the maritime population the full benefit of systematic and comprehensive plans of operation. The enlargement was brought about in consequence of a number of gentlemen having formed themselves into a Provisional Committee to establish a new Society, to be called "The Merchant Seamen's Institution," the object of which was to promote the intellectual and social improvement of sailors, as also their religious welfare. On the 29th June last, a public meeting was held at the Hall of Commerce, for the formation of the Institution, the Earl of Ducie in the chair, supported by the late Bishop of Norwich. At that meeting it was proposed, by the Directors of this Society, that the projectors of the new Institution should unite with them, so that, by combined influence and exertion, the objects contemplated might be more effectually promoted. This proposition led to several conferences between the respective parties; and finally JUNE.

M

resulted in the much to be desired consolidation of effort.

As

it then became necessary formally to enlarge the constitution of the Society, as also to make provision for its future management, a special meeting of members was convened by circular, on the 3rd September last, for the purpose. The changes and enlargement were then cordially adopted; and, at a public meeting, held 12th December last, at the London Tavern, they were again explained, approved, and adopted. At this meeting the Right Honble. the Lord Mayor presided, supported by the Right Honble. Sir James Duke, Bart., M.P., Thomson Hankey, Esq., Deputy-Governor of the Bank of England, Mr. Sheriff Nicoll, Mr. Under-Sheriff Wire, James Dowie, Esq., and a great number of other influential merchants and gentlemen.

The Directors have, at subsequent periods, been favoured with the views of persons whose intelligence, influence, and zeal in the cause entitle their opinions to respect and consideration. These friends have uniformly hailed the movement with satisfaction. One communication upon this point the Directors must not omit to quote, as it refers to a matter of considerable magnitude in the future prosecution of the Society's labours. In a letter dated Calcutta, 4th February, 1850, from their highly valued fellow-labourer, the Rev. J. C. Herdman, Corresponding and Foreign Secretary of the Calcutta Seamen's Friend Society, he says,

"We look forward with pleasure to a more detailed statement of the proposed changes in the constitution of your Society. We trust and believe that, however it may be necessary to enlarge the basis, so as to embrace intellectual and social, as well as purely religious purposes, you will never abandon the simple spirit of religion, nor depart a hair's breadth from Gospel purity and sincerity; nor resile one jot from the position, that the grand remedy for the ills of the mariner, as for every other class of the human family, is to be furnished by holding forth the Word of Life."

Upon this latter point, the Directors are equally anxious there should be no misapprehension. The religious welfare of British and foreign seamen will continue to form the one grand, commanding object, to which the labours of the Society will be directed. Valuable as the Directors and others deem the intellectual and social improvement of seamen, they will, however, never for one moment be allowed to divert the resources, or weaken the efforts of the Society from this primary and paramount design.

The Directors now proceed to state the character and results

of their labours during the year. The sphere of operations which first claims attention is

THE PORT OF LONDON.

In this centre of commerce with the world, replete with evidences of wealth, industry, and of vice, it is the privilege of your Society to seek out the men to whom that commerce is so materially indebted; and, by augmenting their religious happiness, lessen the amount of wickedness and misery. They employ, therefore, the grand remedy appointed by God for making known His will, and bringing men into a state of enlightened and willing obedience to His authority by preaching the Gospel of Christ. At the Sailors' Church, Wellclose Square, religious services are held thrice every Lord's day, and also three times during the week. The number of sailors in attendance has varied with the fluctuations incident to their arrival in Port. There have, however, always been such numbers present as indicated the deep interest seamen happily now evince in favour of religious instruction, discipline, and peace. Nearly 6000 have attended during the year.

The Word of Life has also been conveyed on board ship by your missionaries. They have met with not a few difficulties, and very many encouragements. The former may be estimated by the statement of one of them. He says:

"An uncivil mate of a vessel gave me rather a coarse reception, and insolently asked me what business I had on board the vessel. I told him my object was purely for the benefit of himself and other sailors. Well,' replied he stay till you are sent for, before you come here again.' I wished him to take a tract, but he would not; he wanted no tracts; he could get to heaven without tracts or Bibles either. I left tracts, however, with some of the crew, and disposed of a Bible to one of them. May the Lord cause his blessing to rest upon the perusal of this book, and may the prejudices of the mate of this vessel give way, and his heart be renewed by the power of divine grace. When visiting the vessels in the London Docks, and conversing with a captain lately arrived from Odessa, he said, 'I suppose you make a good thing of it with your Bibles and tracts, but if I know any of my people to have dealings with you, I'll discharge them.' I replied, Sir, you would surely have no objection to your men or boys having Bibles.' I'll take care there shall be no Bible in my ship, if I know it, and I insist upon your not leaving any of your trash of tracts on board. I will order them to be burnt; and the sooner you leave my ship the better-I don't want such customers as you are.' However, I have since repeated my visit, and left tracts, when the mate told me the captain was a complete deist, and never attended any place of religious worship.--What an example for sailors! There were three apprentices in this vessel,--what an awful training for those unfortunate youths thus placed!"'

By the side of this painful illustration of enmity against religion, the Directors are happy to place the following extract from the journal of one of the other missionaries:

"February 5th, on board the Maria Elizabeth, Captain Carr, our meeting was attended by twenty-five, eight or nine of whom were captains. After the address, five engaged in prayer. One of them was the master of a vessel lying near. I have always had free access to his vessel, to hoist the Bethel flag, but he never made any pretensions to religion. When I went over the tier to invite to the service, I found him and two others studying navigation in a ship's cabin. He knew my voice, and called me down. I invited them to the service, and they put away their books and The Gospel found its way to his heart; he said he had never shed a tear for many years, either at the death of a relative, or for anything else, but that he had been melted down, and had wept then; and he expressed his thanks that he had been invited there. May these impressions be lasting, and effectual to the salvation of his soul.

came.

"In my last report, I remarked that a pleasing opening had been made to hold Bethel meetings on board the Newcastle traders. Since then, I have had the ship promised to me, and others also. On the 11th, I had the pleasure of holding a meeting on board the D, Captain B.; he was most willing to fulfil his promise. The service was attended by twenty seamen and captains, three of whom engaged in prayer. Our hearts were gladdened by the Divine presence. The Gospel seemed to make a deep impression on the minds of those present. When the service was closed, another captain, in the same trade, unsolicited, said, 'You are welcome to my ship any time when she is at liberty.' His friend said, ' Bravo! that's right! hoist up the bunting!' I called on board next morning, to remove the Bethel flag to his ship. As I went towards the cabin, the captain was coming on deck to go on shore. He expressed his pleasure at seeing me, and invited me down into his cabin, where we had some pleasing conversation. He said he was glad we had begun to hold meetings among them, for he had enjoyed and profited by them. He added, 'Last voyage you made one remark, which, though simple in itself, was applicable to me-speaking of people setting out with good resolutions, and because they fail to accomplish their object, give it up. You said, if you fall down, get up again; don't lie there. That just suited me. I have formed resolutions for good, and have fallen, and have laid there. You gave me a tract last night; I have read it this morning, and it exactly describes me.' (Its title was, 'The First Prayer in the Family.') I gave him all the advice and encouragement I could, and there is every reason to hope that good has been the result of our efforts."

It would be expecting too much, were the friends of the Society to look for immediate results to attend every service. The same lengthened process of thoughtful inquiry, serious impression, and firm resolve, are required in the case of seamen, as with those on shore, before the full manifestation of sincere conversion to God can be satisfactorily evinced. Many instances have, however, occurred in which the preaching of the Gospel has been attended with such immediate effects, as have proved that sturdy sons of the ocean, who could brave the storm, have yet, by the simple enunciation of the Gospel of the Son

of God, been melted into contrition. They have not only heard the Word with joy and gladness, but have given it an almost instantaneous docile reception.

During the year, the Thames Missionaries have made nearly 23,000 visits to ships; they have held 549 meetings on board, and 1,107 services on shore; the number of seamen in attendance has exceeded 21,400; and a great number of them have taken part in the prayer meetings usually held after each service; in some of which, eight, ten, and sometimes as many as fourteen pious captains, mates, and seamen have engaged in short and impressive devotional exercises. Next in importance to preaching the Gospel, the Directors place—

THE DISTRIBUTION OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES.

This interesting department of their labours the Thames Missionaries have vigorously prosecuted. During the year they have sold nearly 2,000 English and foreign Bibles and Testaments.

THE CIRCULATION OF RELIGIOUS TRACTS

Has been very extensive, and attended with the most gratifying results. One of the missionaries thus writes::

"Capt. Dunn informed me of the following particulars of the usefulness of a tract I had given him several months ago (27th of September last):—I was holding a service on board the Neptune, of Whitby (the last ship I went to sea in), then lying in Regent's Basin. While going over the ships to invite the sailors, I met this captain, who was then mate; I asked him to come to the meeting, and gave him the tract, entitled, 'An Address to Seamen, by the Portland Marine Bible Society.' He put it into his pocket, and came to the service. A short time after he went master of a vessel. His crew were shipped, and they went to sea. He had not called his men into the cabin for prayer since they had left port. One evening, one of the men (not a religious character) went to him, and said, 'Master, I don't know what you think, but I think you ought to have called us aft to prayer.' The captain said, 'I have done wrong; let you and me go down just now, and ask God to forgive us.' This they did, and, from that time, family prayer was held at all opportunities. One night the captain's eye caught the title of the tract I had given him; it attracted his attention, and he read it to his crew before prayer. Such was the effect, that three of his men burst into tears. After their devotions, they took the tract into the forecastle with them, and read it again and again; and the master said he believed that, by the blessing of God, that tract was the instrument of the conversion of three of his men, and he prized it so much, that he would not give it to anybody, not even his wife. He had put it into his Bible, and locked it in his chest, and was very much gratified, the other Sabbath, when I gave him two more of the same sort."

The Directors cannot but here express their sense of obligation to the Committee of the Religious Tract Society for