HE narrative of the Voyage and shipwreck of St. Paul

written in the Acts of the Apostles is one of the most sublime, as well as the most striking and interesting, pictures of disaster at sea in the English language.

Paul was a devoted and courageous apostle, and his whole life after his conversion was spent in preaching the Gospel to the Gentiles; in making known that Jesus who had been crucified was the Son of God, and urging all to repentance on account of sin; he also travelled from place to place with this object,

and to encourage the few Christians who were in these places, and to form them into churches. On this blessed errand he went to Jerusalem, and here the Jews opposed him and stirred up great strife among the people against him, and indeed seized him, and would have done him great bodily harm had he not been rescued by the Roman guard. guard. Paul was a freeman of Rome, and the Roman law forbade any Roman citizen to be either scourged or condemned before being heard in his own defence; he had also the power of appealing to the Roman Emperor. The Jews and priests clamoured for Paul's life;

and after being taken to Cæsarea, where he appeared before Felix the Governor, defended himself before Festus, who succeeded Felix in the government of Judæa, and before King Agrippa, who was on a visit to Festus. Paul, knowing the murderous designs of his enemies, did exercise his right of appealing to the Emperor at Rome. It was, therefore, during this journey to Rome. that this memorable shipwreck occurred. Agrippa, believing in the innocence of Paul, said to Festus, that if he had not appealed unto the emperor he might have been set at liberty.

In those days there were no steamships, and not so many sailing vessels as there are now, so that it was sometimes necessary to wait for a ship, or until wind and tide were favourable for sailing. A ship belonging to a city called Adramyttium, on the coast of Mysia in Lesser Asia, was found, and Paul and other prisoners were placed in it, under the care of Julius, a centurion of the Augustan band of soldiers. They started, intending to sail by the coasts of Asia. The narrative says:

"One Aristarchus, a Macedonian of Thessalonica, being with us.

"And the next day we touched at Sidon. And Julius courteously entreated Paul, and gave him liberty to go unto his friends to refresh himself.

"And when we had launched from thence, we sailed under Cyprus, because the winds were contrary. And when we had sailed over the sea of Cilicia and Pamphylia, we came to Myra, a city of Lycia. And there the centurion found a ship of Alexandria sailing into Italy; and he put us therein.

"And when we had sailed slowly many days, and scarce were come over against Cnidus, the wind not suffering us, we sailed under Crete, over against Salmone; and, hardly passing it, came unto a place which is called The fair havens; nigh whereunto was the city of Lasea.

"Now when much time was spent, and sailing was now dangerous, because the fast was now already past, Paul admonished them, and said unto them, 'Sirs, I perceive that this voyage will be with hurt and much damage, not only of the lading and ship, but also of our lives.'

"Nevertheless the centurion believed the master and the owner