Sailors' Society, its affiliated Associations, and the efficient local Institutions at Liverpool, Hull, Bristol, &c.

The Directors are anxious to comply with the numerous and pressing calls made upon them for aid from all quarters, but their limited resources forbid, although they have reduced every branch of their expenditure to the lowest possible amount. They are in immediate need of about £3,000, to employ more agents at home and abroad, to replenish their libraries, and to eréct a sailors' chapel in a vicinity most frequented by seamen.

This is a considerable sum: but every reflecting mind must admit, that it is far less than Christians in the metropolis should yield to an object of so much importance as the evangelization of the maritime population of Britain, not to say of the whole world! The Directors feel that the indifference manifested by Christians towards the immortal interests of perishing mariners, must result from want of information; to afford which they consider a duty devolving on themselves. To the many truly benevolent Christians and churches, who have never yet contributed to aid the cause of evangelizing seamen, no direct application can have been made-presenting the condition of sailors, and the impediments which their immoral habits throw in the way of Missions to the heathen, as deplored by Morrison, Ellis, Williams, Yate, and other honoured Missionaries of the Church, the London, the Wesleyan, and the Baptist Missionary societies. Surely these siderations would have been more than sufficient to engage the friends of the Redeemer to co-operate with the Institution.

con

Many are but little informed concerning the extent to which the precious lives of our seamen are sacrificed in their dangerous employment in procuring the wealth and advantages enjoyed by Great Britain. From Lloyd's Shipping List," it has been found, that from 1793 to the year 1829, the average number of ships wrecked was five hundred and fifty seven annually! In the latter year they exceeded eight hundred! and they are believed to have increased since that time! More than two thousand seamen annually perish thus in the mighty deep! and the greater portion of these, it is to be feared, pass into the awful presence of their God, unprepared by the true knowledge of the Saviour! Are not Christian landsmen, therefore, bound to make known the Gospel to sailors?

Followers of Christ! will you allow this appeal to be addressed to you in vain? Can you be acquainted with the fact, that two thousand poor mariners annually perish in the very act of ministering to your wealth, enjoyments, and knowledge, and yet be indifferent to their salvation? Will you allow them thus to be hurried into eternity, and if unprepared, as in most instances we fear they are, to descend into the place of torment, without exerting your utmost efforts to warn them of their danger, and direct them to the Saviour of the world? The Directors have confidence that you will not, and therefore respectfully submit their claims to your notice : if you respond to their appeal, many more thousands of sailors may be visited with the means of salvation; but, if you refuse, they have no alternative, but to turn a deaf ear to the importunate cries for help that incessantly address them from various quarters.

Contributions in aid of the Society, in donations and subscriptions, are received at the office, 2, Jeffreys' Square, St. Mary Axe, London.

John Pirie, Esq., Alderman, G. F. Angas, Esq., Treasurers. F. A. Cox, D.D. LL.D., Thomas Timpson, Secretaries.

The following special donations have been received,John Pirie, Esq., fifty pounds; G. F. Angas, Esq., one hundred pounds.

PRIZE ESSAY ON THE CLAIMS OF SAILORS. LAST month, just before going to press, we were enabled to state, that the decision of the reverend adjudicators had awarded the FIFTY POUNDS to the writer of the best Essay on the "Condition of Sailors and the means of Evangelizing them." We have now the pleasure of stating that the successful writer is the Rev. J. Harris, "Author of Mammon," Dr. Conquest's "Prize Essay" on "Covet

ousness.

Divine Providence appears greatly to have favoured the British and Foreign Sailors' Society in this remarkable dispensation, as, probably, had the Directors been permitted to wish who should become their advocate, they would, of all our popular writers, have chosen that eminently endowed individual; they feel a confident hope, therefore, that Mr. Harris's well-earned honours will be instrumental in awakening the public mind to the moral claims

of sailors, and the means of engaging many to co-operate in carrying forward to a greatly enlarged extent the benevolent designs of the Institution.

Perhaps it is only justice to state that the reverend adjudicators speak in high terms of some of the other Essays, which they pronounce as having a fulness of matter of fact, illustrative of the condition of sailors, though not put out" in so impressive a form as has been done by that of the eloquent author of "Mammon," and the "Great Teacher." Two of the other Essays, we are informed, will be published, and this, we trust, will be the means of increasing the public feeling with regard to seamen. The following will be the titles of these works :

"BRITANNIA, or HOPE FOR SAILORS," by the Rev. J.

Harris.

"BRITAIN'S GLORY, IN THE EVANGELIZATION OF HER SEAMEN," by the Rev. T. Timpson.

"BRITAIN'S PLEA FOR SAILORS," by the Rev. J. Chapman.

We hope to be able to announce the price of these works on the cover of our PILOT.

SAILORS THE COADJUTORS OF MISSIONARIES.

DIRECTORS of our great Missionary Institutions, notwithstanding their intelligence, practical wisdom, and benevovolence, we have reason to fear, have thought far too little of our seamen, either as co-workers or auxiliaries in their glorious enterprises to evangelize the Heathen. That seamen, when ungodly and licentious, and such, unhappily, are many of those who call Britain their country and Christianity their religion, by their depraved habits, have occasioned brokenness of heart to our devoted Missionaries, blasting the fruit of years of their toil and prayers, is too well known but in how great a degree these men, : when evangelized, might contribute to the advancement of the kingdom of Christ in heathen lands, has probably never been fully considered. We have already endeavoured to call the attention of our Missionary Directors to the importance of this subject, and we doubt not but it will receive increasing attention from the Secretaries of those invaluable Institutions. Sailors, we are confident, might be some of the most efficient coadjutors of Missionaries.

The Rev. William Ellis, Foreign Secretary of the London

Missionary Society, has shown awise discretion as Editor of the "Christian Keepsake and Missionary Annual for 1837,” by giving insertion to the following very interesting paper on "Sailor Missionaries." We are persuaded that it will gratify the Christian public-serve the cause of the British and Foreign Sailors' Society-and be the means of many benevolent efforts to improve the character of our seamen.

With regard to the most beautiful volume to which we have referred, we take this opportunity of recommending it to our friends, on account of the exquisiteness of its plates, and the truly instructive papers it contains, altogether worthy of the title it bears-of CHRISTIAN-KEEPSAKE and MISSIONARY.

SAILOR MISSIONARIES.

From the Christian Keepsake and Missionary Annual for 1837, by the Author of "Labourers for the Harvest."

As a subject which has hitherto been only discussed theoretically becomes of so much importance when corroborated by facts, I may be allowed to bring forward one or two "illustrative anecdotes," in order to prove the position I maintained, that sailors may be reckoned among the best agents for scattering abroad the precious seed of saving truth. In their own descriptive manner, I must likewise be permitted to relate the circumstances as they occurred, for which I make no apology to those who, from frequent association with seamen, are accustomed to sea terms.

"In the spring of the year 1833, a small vessel left the port of Liverpool for the West Indies; she had scarcely cleared the channel, when it came on to blow a hurricane, the gale now at N.W., and then suddenly backing to S. and S.S.W., and then hauling round again to its former point, in consequence of which there was a dirty cross sea on; and because the ship did not very well answer her helm, there was a constant danger of her broaching-to.`

The crew were very profligate, with the exception of the master, who was a member of the Seamen's Church in the port from which he had just sailed. Though in the commencement of the gale much profane swearing had been heard, yet all hands becoming sensible of the danger to which they were every moment exposed, the efforts to

keep the ship in order were at length made in silence. The storm, though violent, was of short duration; towards evening the weather moderated, and at length the anxious master quitted his station beside the man at the wheel, and, worn and wearied, threw himself into his berth. 'It was but a dog's watch,' said the helmsman, who related the story, and he was again on the quarter deck; but the weather had entirely changed, and the day was dawning auspiciously, with a fine steady breeze. All hands were quickly mustered: My boys,' said the captain, here is as fine a wind as heart could wish, and we will take every advantage of it, and cover her from the tucks to the ridge-ropes; but, avast there! before we start a haulyard or a reef-point, all hands turn to, and praise God for preserving us to see this glorious morning.' Down he fell on his knees, just where he stood, and the men, taken by surprise, or seeming to catch his feelings, sunk down one after another, some of them trying to stow themselves away behind the capstan or the jolly-boat, while I hung over the wheel; but never did my ears listen to such a prayer as that! Methought, while he spoke of angels praising God, who were never exposed to the perils by which sailors are surrounded, it might fill an angel's eye and heart to see our gallant crew at their morning devotions. And just as I glanced my eye along the deck, I saw the rising sun upon our larboard beam, as if in admiration of the sight. When the master had done praying, all hands began making sail; but I could see many a shirt sleeve, as the men ran up the tacklings, employed in brushing away the tear and drying the cheek. That evening all hands were summoned aft to prayers. read a chapter out of the Bible, and made a short address. He said, that to preserve a conscience void of offence towards God and man, and to walk in the fear of the Lord, was to have the wind abaft the beam and clear heavens during the whole voyage of life. Afterwards he prayed, and through the voyage (and a happy time we had of it) we had prayers morning and evening, and the sabbaths were much the same as ashore.

The master

By the time we reached Antigua, the captain was not the only religious man on board; but, as the second mate said, we might be a cargo of missionaries sent to drive the devil out of the island. Indeed we tried to do it, to the best of our power, for we held meetings on board and on shore, to which sailors came continually, and several hands could