rejoice that so many of the masters in the merchant service are now setting a Christian-like example to their men; and am, Dear Sir, your obedient servant, Mr. T. Fieldwick. W. GILCHRIST, Rd. Com. R.N. A REFORMED CREW. The following interesting letter we are happy to insert, not only as a pleasing instance of individual usefulness, but as showing how much the characters of a crew may be moulded and improved by a pious captain, whilst at sea. We would that there were many more such as our excellent friend referred to, Captain Robinson. "Barque Tropic, Sydney, July 7, 1850. "Dear Sir,-I feel the greatest pleasure, as well as considering it my duty, in addressing a few lines to you. Humbly trusting that, through God's blessing, you were the instrument of plucking me as a brand from the fire, (although your reward will be abundantly administered to you, by Him who has provided a rest for his people,) yet since you are labouring in your Master's cause here, and occasionally meet with discouragements, it is but fit you should be sometimes cheered on your road. I have thus taken the liberty to write, and intend to be very plain. "Your words I shall always remember when we assembled in the cabin. I being no enemy to the cause, but thinking but little of it, entered with the crew, when you began thus,-Psalm ciii. Bless the Lord O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.' Álas, I had remembered none of them, but had been pursuing vain and empty shadows, ever since I first launched into life. Warnings, mercies, and exhortations, alike made no impression on me. Surely thy Master was at hand and tempered my hard heart to receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save my soul. I now say to you, as a father, that I prize that inestimable treasure above everything else, and I humbly hope I may, through the grace of our blessed Lord, be enabled to endure unto the end. I will now give you a brief account of its further effect on the crew. Our captain, as our guide, shines as a light before us, walking in the Spirit, and therefore not in condemnation. He diligently prepares his heart, supplicating the gracious influence of the Holy Spirit for himself and for us all. He and I never fail to meet together morning and evening in prayer, and Divine service is always performed on the Sabbath. His example, admonition, and exhortation, together with his moral command and readiness to administer to the temporal comforts of the crew, and educating any of them as they require it, in reading, writing, arithmetic, and navigation, have so wrought on their hearts, by the Divine blessing, that Satan's kingdom has been much weakened, and evil communication and swearing, commonly so prevalent among sailors, but for some time past on the decline, is now rarely heard. "Your books are getting well read, and I can truly say I never witnessed such a change amongst a set of men. Instead of, as it is frequently with sailors, (who whilst at sea, cut off from the vicious and profligate, store their hearts with wickedness, which breaks forth with greater violence when they arrive in port, for being so long withheld,) I trust that, during the passage, they armed themselves against temptation; and now, having arrived in port, some have returned thanks to Him who preserved them across the deep, who never did before, and who hitherto had been unmindful of Him who redeemeth their life from destruction.' "I have little more to say, only it is to be regretted that there are not more commanders disposed to labour in the same field as yourself, who at sea, shut out, as it were, from the world, and a few of us together, have such an excellent opportunity of improving the morals of a crew, whose minds probably, while on shore, were in an unfit state to receive impressions of this nature. I hope every obstacle will be removed, and the pious labours of such men as yourself, who go about endeavouring to arrest the heedless sinner in the progress of his sin, may by the blessing of God be everywhere crowned with success. "So I now conclude, trusting to see you well, if it please God I return safe; and requesting your prayers for me. Wishing you every earthly happiness, and an abundant entrance into that rest which remaineth for the people of God, I am, with the greatest respect, your well-wisher, HENRY C. FRASER, Mate. "Capt. B. Prynn, Thames Missionary." Monthly Chronicle. Our space being this month considerably abridged by the publication of the Preface and Index, we have been unable to insert several interesting papers which we had wished to lay before our readers. Amongst others, we should have referred to circumstances which have recently occurred at Lowestoft, showing the character of the beachmen of that locality, and proving the necessity of a mission such as we announced in our last number we had just commenced. Our friend, Mr. W. Johnson, writes encouragingly of the manner in which his visits have been received; and next month we hope to be able to furnish a report of his proceedings. In our last we stated that the Directors were in treaty for very eligible premises, for a model lodging-house and reading-room, in the full anticipation of success. We regret, however, to state that our hopes have been disappointed; the owners of the property having urged, as their only objection, the inconvenience they, as immediate residents, might possibly experience from the sailors loitering on the pathway around the door. This objection the Directors did all in their power to remove, but in vain. Foiled in this instance, inquiries are still being instituted for suitable premises, of which the Directors will not fail to avail themselves, so soon as such shall be found. We have recently received satisfactory proofs of the successful labours of previous deputations, both from Yarmouth and Epsom; and we anticipate similar results from the towns in Monmouth, Hereford, and Salop, where our friend, Rev. T. C. Finch, is about to introduce the claims of the Society. To the annual meeting of the Spa Fields Auxiliary, advertised on the cover, we respectfully invite attention, trusting the public sympathy will be so manifested, by a large attendance and liberal collection, as greatly to encourage our valuable friends in that neighbourhood. At this season of the year, when festivity and social comfort gladden the heart, we would put in our plea for the tempest-driven mariner; and we venture to suggest to our friends, that probably, at no season, could an application on his behalf be made with better prospect of a successful result. We earnestly solicit the generous donations of those who have it in their power to afford us their aid; or if any are disposed to help us, by applying to their friends, we shall be most happy to supply them, on application, with cards for this purpose. BB SERVICES, ATTENDANCE, AND VISITS. CIRCULATION OF BIBLES, TESTAMENTS, PARTS OF SCRIPTURE, : Day Schools-average attendance of Boys, 72. Girls, 61. 99 27 540 580 115 78 20 37 : 1 Total. 78 1333 74 1465 2560 504 222 102 107 144 4) Sunderland. Wisbeach Yarmouth : : : : : : Missionary Operations. PORT OF LONDON. CAPTAIN PRYNN'S REPORT. I have, this past month, met in various vessels not a few who, though, when first I knew them, were enemies to Christ, are now the subjects of Divine grace, and with them I have taken sweet counsel. I have been favoured with the company of several pious captains who have arrived from Cronstadt, Riga, Memel, Dantzic, and Quebec, who have informed me that in those ports much good is being done amongst our brother sailors; more especially has it been the case at Cronstadt, both in the spring and fall voyages, when our ships assemble there. On these occasions there have been several pious captains, well known to us as men of piety and zeal in the cause of Christ, and who have, from time to time, been furnished with Bethel flags from this Society. These men have boldly espoused the cause of Christ, and have been holding Bethel meetings, not only on the Sabbath days, as heretofore, but on week-day evenings. The attendance of sailors has been more numerous than on former occasions, and the blessing of God has followed these labours of love. I have had the happiness, also, of meeting four of the new converts from Cronstadt, and trust they are sincere in their professed attachment to Christ. Many of my meetings on the river Thames, have been well attended; and the very earnest prayers of many of the men, who have poured out their petitions at the throne of grace, have been very delightful,— some returning grateful thanks for signal deliverance in the hour of peril, and for again being brought to their desired haven,-others praising God for his abounding grace, in bringing them out of nature's darkness into marvellous light, and not a few groaning under the burden of sin, and praying to be delivered therefrom. A few days ago, in the course of visiting the vessels on the Thames, whilst soliciting the sailors to attend a Welch service that evening, the mate thus addressed me. "Ibelieve I know you, Sir." I replied, "It is very possible you do." "Were you not," he said, "at Havre de Grace, some nineteen years ago, and did you not preach to the sailors there on board ship?" I replied, "Yes." "I well remember it," he said, "I was then mate of a brig, and there were some particular circumstances connected with the captain I then sailed with and yourself, and also with myself and you." He then entered into detail, when I recollected having had often to reprove both these men for their intemperance, and the unpleasant measures I was obliged to make use of with this man when under the influence of liquor. After many prayers and entreaties I had succeeded in persuading him to abandon his drinking habits, which, by the grace of God, he was enabled to do. As soon as he arrived at home he became an altered man, and not long after was admitted as a member of a Baptist church. His wife shortly after followed his example. At this time they had an only child, a boy about five years old; their great care was to train him up in the fear of the Lord, and in this God blessed their efforts, for at the age of twelve years he gave proofs of the power of Divine grace in the Sabbath school. He then became a teacher, and soon after this he went to sea, but was mercifully preserved from the many evils and vices of a seafaring life. At the age of eighteen he was mate in a vessel then at Cronstadt, and was then enabled to speak a word or two on behalf of the cause of Christ to his brother sailors, and so much were his labours valued there, that one of our pious captains gave him a Bethel flag, which they made at Constradt. Not long after this he was shipwrecked; a portion of the crew were drowned, whilst himself and a few others were miraculously saved, This providential deliverance made a deep impression upon his mind, and by the advice of his pious friends he quitted the sea, was received as a pupil amongst the Baptist friends in Wales, and is now a preacher of the Gospel in that denomination of Christians. This account I received from the father, the mate referred to above, who, with tears in his eyes, referred to the circumstances that took place at Havre de Grace, where I had the honour of hoisting the first Bethel flag that had been seen in that port, and there preaching the word of truth to many hundreds. Out of those labours has arisen the present sailors' cause at Havre, of which the Rev. E. E. Adams has the pastoral charge. I have met many others who have also acknowledged the good they received at the early Bethel meetings held at Havre. Sailors' Church.-During the past month three members have been admitted, and it is very pleasant to see the numbers in attendance at Divine worship on the Sabbath days. On the whole, there is much cause for thankfulness in the thought and knowledge that God is there owning and honouring his own word in the conversion of souls. Sailors' Lodging-houses.-In the visitation of these houses there is very much to discourage, although at times we are not left without hope that our labours may be blest. During the past month I have found five sailors at the lodging-houses, who give full proof of a change of heart; two are Baptists, and three of them Wesleyans. Would that the number were a thousandfold increased. I have held 14 Bethel services, attendance 214. Services on shore 3, attendance 89; church attendance 2155. Visited 351 vessels. Distributed 1517 tracts. Visits to sailors' lodging-houses 161. Bibles sold 5. Testaments 4. Old magazines given, 33. MR. BAILEY'S REPORT. My report includes the labours of two months, the former of which was, to some extent, interrupted by personal and family affliction. But through the tender mercy of our Heavenly Father, my health has been so far restored that I have since been enabled to discharge my duties, with some degree of satisfaction to myself, and, I trust, benefit to others. The services I have conducted have been generally of an interesting character, some of them especially so. The Great Head of the Church has been in our midst, giving effect to his own word, and crowning with visible success the feeble instrumentality of his servants, which will be seen from a few extracts from my journal. October 6th, Lord's day.-Visited several seamen's lodging-houses in the morning. In the afternoon, held a service on board of the S- of H--. The service commenced with singing a verse of a hymn upon deck, which, though to some it might appear a novel proceeding, yet had its desired effect. Soon masters and men were to be seen making their way from their vessels to our cabin, and in a few moments the cabin, state-room, and steerage were crowded. Masters and men were present whom I could not before induce to attend a service. October 16th.--Visited several vessels, and held a service on board of the T-of S. Eight masters had come from different vessels, bringing with them some of their crews. Our cabin was well filled. At the close of a short sermon, seven engaged in prayer; some, who, to a great extent, had lost their peace of mind, received good at this service. They were present on two or three subsequent evenings, and engaged in prayer, testifying that, by thus waiting upon the Lord, they had renewed their spiritual strength. October 22nd.-Visited several vessels lying in the Lower Pool; in the evening held a service on board of the M- and E- of S-. On leaving the Bethel flag in the morning, the master said "I fear, Sir, you will have but a poor attendance in the evening, as my men seem to have no fear of God, nor any desire to receive spiritual instruction. Indeed, I cannot get them to attend any place of worship, even on the Lord's day." I replied, |