gathered them in a circle around us: quiet soon prevailed, such a quiet as I have not often known to be exceeded. Before I had expressed much of what I had to offer amongst them, the tears rolled down their cheeks: this tenderness spread nearly over the whole company; with some it appeared an effort to avoid crying out, under the sense they were favoured with in their own minds, of Divine conviction: one young woman was obliged to be borne away by some of her companions. This opportunity proved the most heart-melting which I ever was before a witness of: and on my informing them of my desire at our parting to give each of them my hand, they crowded round me in an affectionate manner for that purpose. The large portion of good wholesome provisions served out to the women, with the clean, neat appearance of their persons and apparel, and the order that appeared to be preserved, did great credit to the managers of this prison.

On our quitting the women, although I found the pastor and governor were well satisfied with our visit to them, yet I was aware that fear still predominated in the mind of the governor, and that a consultation was going forward how we were to see the men together, their yard not being considered a safe place for them all to be collected together: it felt evident to my mind that hesitation was still working in the mind of the governor, against our seeing the men all assembled; and he still expressed his fears, that a disturbance would take place amongst them, adding, that some of them were such terrible characters. However, I continued to feel that which I thought warranted me in saying, my confidence had not left me, and I was not afraid of going amongst them. The governor, finding his arguments did not prevail with me, proposed, that instead of admitting us now, as I had expected, we should come again to the prison at three in the afternoon, when he would have the men collected in the chapel the event proved this delay was only to allow time to separate such prisoners as they feared were the most likely to commit outrage. I requested our interpreter to tell the pastor, I should be sorry to give just occasion of offence to him or any present by our keeping on our hats in their chapel, to which he replied, we were at liberty to use our own freedom in that respect. On entering the prison in the afternoon, we were followed by several persons of genteel appearance, besides the police-master and the principal officer of the military department. The governor then informed us, that the prisoners were collected in the chapel. Seeing a convenient seat near the pulpit, we took our seats there; quietness soon prevailed; the prisoners generally appeared solid and attentive to what was communicated: some of them were tendered to tears. The opportunity being over, the governor arranged the prisoners on one side of the chapel, as I had requested, to give each of them my hand at our parting, notwithstanding the flesh had pleaded against it, lest I should by such

means take a disease, or if any of the prisoners should be maliciously disposed, it would be affording them an opportunity of doing me an injury. They however passed away in a very orderly manner, and appeared grateful, pressing their hands in mine, and would have saluted it, had I not put them by from so doing. The number of men thus collected appeared few to what I had expected to have seen, and why it was so, I was at a loss to understand; and it so happened that I did not feel that relief to my own mind on leaving the men, as I had done when leaving the women. We retired to the governor's apartment; shortly after we had been there, he surprised me by laying before us, taken down in short-hand, what had been communicated in the chapel to the prisoners; this circumstance occasioned me some momentary embarrassment, but the retrospect afforded a peaceful reflection as far as I had gone. There still felt in my mind a shortness in our visit to the men, which I could not account for: however, we returned to Berlin, thankful to Almighty God for the help he had in mercy vouchsafed to us this day. As far as respected my visit to the women, my mind continued to feel fully relieved; but my visit to the men did not afford me that full relief I had hoped for, but why such should be the case I was still unable to understand.

We

Second-day, as the concern still remained with me to make a call on the Stadt-director and chief police-master, I again looked at attempting the discharge of this duty; but the way did not open for it with sufficient clearness to justify my proceeding. No intelligence as yet being received relative to an interview with the king, was indeed, an exercise of patience; and such were my plungings, that I was led to conclude, should a messenger arrive fixing the time for it, that I was not equal to the task. received agreeable visits at our hotel, from the magistrate who attended upon us at the town-prison, and from the young man who accompanied us to Spandau, which proved a little cheering to my mind; believing they were, as well as others we have met with in Berlin, rightly concerned to be found seeking the way to Zion, with their faces thitherward. The cause of my mind not feeling fully relieved by my visit to the men prisoners at Spandau, now became developed for it came out that the governor had separated the most desperate characters, and kept them back, so that we were not allowed to see them. This circumstance would, I feared, from my feelings, involve me in the necessity of attempting a further visit to them, which would be trying to my mind, as well as to my dear companion, Thomas Christy, who was soon expecting to leave Berlin for Hamburgh on his way home. I had at times entertained a hope, I should have been at liberty to have accompanied him thus far, on my way for Cronstadt in Russia; but every gate of Berlin appeared in my view closed against me: my prospect of a visit to the Stadt-director, and police-master, making

calls on persons I had not yet seen, and appointing a meeting for such as inclined to give their attendance, still remained with me; but no authority was felt to move towards the accomplishment of them. My dear companion, as well as my friend Lewis Seebohm, for whom my sympathy was excited, (as their calls home were now become very pressing,) were both solicitous, as well as myself, to be able to come at something definite with regard to an interview with the king a further application to the prince Witgenstein was therefore proposed, but my way did not appear clear to move

in it.

Third-day, on our way to the hotel, we met our kind friend who had given us the address to the Count —— who informed us he had understood from very good authority, that the king had so many engagements before him, he would not be able to see us before he left Berlin. This report coming from an attendant at the court, my companion wished me to consider as decisive information; but from my own feelings on the occasion, I could not give up the hope that the way might be made for me to obtain the desired interview; and I believed that nothing would be so likely to bring it about as quietness and entire confidence, (if my concern was rightly begotten,) that the same Almighty Power who had thus begotten it in my mind, and in whose hands the heart of the king was, would, in his own time, make way for the accomplishment of it. We had not long returned to our hotel, before, to my humbling astonishment, a messenger arrived from the prince Witgenstein, requesting our interpreter to wait upon him after waiting a considerable time to know the result, Lewis Seebohm returned with a message from the prince, saying, that the king would receive us at Charlottenburgh the following day; that all things would be arranged at the palace for our reception, and that the prince would introduce us to the king. Although, as far as respected the prospect of my more speedy release from Berlin, this message was relieving to my mind, yet the increased load of exercise of mind it occasioned, can only be felt to the full, by those who have been placed in a similar situation: to appear before an absolute monarch, whose word is law, to plead the cause of Him who remains to be King of kings, and faithfully to deliver His counsel, be it what it may, involves the mind in many awful considerations. The reception of this message, was followed by such a stripped state of mind, that I was tempted to conclude the movement I had thus made, was under the influence of the adversary of all good; in order that my weakness might be exposed to those, in whose minds I had already found a place; which brought on a severe attack of nervous cough, that tried me much; yet under all these discouragements, I was favoured with strength to crave of the Lord my God, (who is all-sufficient to fill the vessel of my mind in the needful time,)

to empty and strip me, as he saw best for me, and best for the honour of his cause, when my faith and faithfulness to his requirings were to be put to the test. Oh! the earnest cries I was enabled to put up to be preserved, faithfully delivering that which I was favoured clearly to see to be the counsel of my Divine Master, without yielding to those slavish fears of man; which, if yielded to, more or less disqualify for doing the Lord's work faithfully.

Fourth-day morning, the fore part of the night I was favoured to sleep well, and to have my mind preserved quiet, which was another great favour; but I found that to witness this quiet state of mind, which was so essential to the well ordering of my steps in the prospect of duty now before me, unremitting watchfulness was indispensably necessary; as the adversary of all good was diligently watching his opportunity to set my mind afloat, with considerations of what I should say to introduce myself to the king; but Divine mercy bore me up against this torrent, which rushed upon my mind; for, indeed, had it been yielded to, it would have robbed me of the heavenly quiet in mercy dispensed.

We left our hotel this afternoon for Charlottenburgh, about four English miles from Berlin: on our arrival at the palace, the sentinel brandished his naked sabre to us to come forward, when a person, who spoke English, took charge of us, and conducted us into an apartment of the palace. As soon as the palace-clock struck three, the person in attendance upon us informed us the king had finished his dinner, saying, the king's practice was to sit down to the dinner-table at two o'clock, and rise again from it at three, allowing himself only one hour to take his dinner. In this respect I thought this monarch set a good example to the great men in my native land. The person in attendance upon us requested us to follow him into the garden, where the king would see us, as I had requested to be excused from an introduction in the usual form: this mode to me felt a pleasing one. Waiting at the spot where the king was to meet us, the person in attendance announced to us, "The king is now advancing up one of the avenues towards you," and immediately withdrew. The king then approached us, attended by the prince Witgenstein and his aidede-camp on coming up, he inquired, "What is your business?" We then first presented to him the petition of Earns Pytesmyer, which he took and handed it to his aide-de-camp: on the king's being informed the petition was on behalf of a member of our religious Society, who had been under prosecution on account of his conscientious scruples against serving as a military man, he replied, it was not his intention they should have proceeded thus against the Friend. On the king's being reminded, on a former occasion he had said, conscience with him was a sacred thing, he replied," It is so, and the man shall not suffer." We afterwards heard that he remitted the whole of the sentence. I then re

quested the king would accept of some Friends' books, which his aide-de-camp took charge of. Observing the king made use of some English expressions, on my saying, "I perceive the king does speak English;" he replied, "A very little." The important moment was now arrived, when I believed I was called upon to address the king in the Lord's name: on my taking off my hat when I began to speak, the king took off his cap. After I had expressed a few words, the king replied, "I see what he wants, Sunday to be well observed; tell him I have read his address to Hamburgh, and it has pleased me much;" adding, "I wish the Lord may bless you in these your undertakings." I then declared it to be my belief, that the present was a very important day to Prussia,-a day of renewed visitation from Almighty God, —a day in which the light of the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ our Lord, was dawning in the souls of many of his subjects, and the desire which attended my mind was, that nothing might be suffered to retard the progress of this glorious gospel-day in his dominions; but that it might so spread and prevail, that Prussia might become the beauty of nations, and the praise of the surrounding kingdoms; setting an example of holiness to the rest of the Continent; that in order for which there are some matters in the state which must be remedied, amongst which is the sorrowful abuse of the day called Sunday, which loudly calls for a remedy. To which the king replied, "I am one with you in this respect, but it requires time; such disorders are not easily remedied." I then replied, "I am not wishing to promote a superstitious observance of that day, this would be of little avail; but an observance of it agreeable to the design of its first institution; and that it was my firm belief, by the king's thus endeavouring to do all in his power towards promoting true religion and righteousness amongst his subjects, it would do more towards his being preserved in a peaceable and quiet possession of his dominions, than all the fortifications or armies he could possibly raise. To which the king replied, "I believe so myself: to which I found I must add, "Except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain, except he build the house, in vain do they labour who build it:" to the truth of which the king by his countenance and motion of his head gave a solid assent. Before we parted, I felt constrained to lay before the king the reproachful manner in which the First-day was passed at Minden; informing the king I had made a visit to the police-master on that occasion: the king inquired what the police-master said; on hearing his reply, the king said, "It shall be attended to."

We were now, as we supposed, left alone in the garden; but the person who took charge of us here soon joined us again, and gave us to understand he had received orders from the king to attend upon us to the mausoleum, a new crection in the garden of the