length he burst out in prayer himself with strong crying and tears.' It was now after midnight, and the Sabbath had come. It proved a peaceful Sabbath to his soul, though he could not yet rejoice in God. During a farewell sermon from the text, 'And Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow,' he wept abundantly; but they were not as the night before, tears of anguish. In the evening, just before coming into the Madras roads, there was a meeting on deck, attended by all; when, after an address by one of our number, the captain rose, gave out from memory a very appropriate hymn, and delivered a most feeling and powerful address, describing his own change of views, and exhorting the sailors, one and all, to accept of the Saviour, and then closed with fervent and appropriate prayer: the effect was very manifest on all the seamen. God was in their midst by his Spirit, and they could not resist their conviction of the reality of religion.

Monday evening was a farewell meeting, as two of us expected to leave the ship finally the next day. Such a scene was seldom witnessed on the deck of a ship. After a parting address from one of us, leave was given for the seamen to express their feelings if they wished, as a testimony of what God had done for their souls. Two English sailors, who had followed the sea many years, rose and spoke with deep feeling of what they trusted God had done for them, and then each made an appropriate prayer.

They were followed by the first officer, and language would fail to describe fully, either the pathos or the energy with which he spoke. He had been entirely regardless of religion,-had not been in a church for seven years. On board he had at first ridiculed the idea of any becoming Christians. He had told some, that enough had been said to him by the Missionaries, and he did not wish to hear any more. A Bible had been given him not many days before. He carried it down and threw it into his chest, thinking he should not soon look at it again; but when he was convinced of sin, he took it up, and opened it at a passage, which seemed as suitable to his case as if written on purpose for him, and the Lord whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple.' He thought that Jesus Christ would then come to him, and make him his temple. He expressed strong faith, and invited all to the Saviour, especially those whom he had before been the means of confirming in sin. His voice was often interrupted by deep emotion.

The captain asked, if any could resist the evidence before them, that this was a work of the Spirit. He spoke of the change in the seamen, and the importance of their being steadfast in the faith, and resisting the many temptations to which they would soon be exposed. He exhorted them most affectionately to avoid all approaches to evil; to resist the devil, and he would flee from them. He hoped that they should still have the presence of God with them, and even on their return home, when the Missionaries should have left them. He was followed by the young man who had been awakened two or three weeks before, and afterwards became careless, though by no means wholly unconcerned. He spoke of his feelings with much weeping. He had hoped that he had before found the Saviour, but, 'Oh!' said he, how I left him.' He prayed with much earnestness and propriety. Some of the Missionaries delivered short addresses, and the meeting, which had been somewhat protracted, was closed with a farewell hymn, sung under a deep impression of the presence of God. Two of the most hardened seamen, immediately after, requested to have some religious conversation, and all appeared more or less impressed.

There was still another parting scene on the morning of Wednesday. The first officer had intimated a willingness to lead in prayer, before those about to

leave should go; and after breakfast all on board were invited into the passengers' cabin. After a prayer by one of the brethren, the first officer began, and offered up an appropriate and fervent petition for those about to leave, and for the different classes of those who were to remain, in which it seemed he must be assisted by the Spirit of God. He prayed for the captain, that he might return home to bless his household;' for the young man, who was like a shipwrecked mariner, buffeting the waves and ready to sink, when straining his eyes, he saw something, and, behold, it was a spar. He clung to it, and soon a ship was-bearing down upon him, under full sail, with a master pilot on board. He prayed that this young man might be taken in, and not again left to go from the ship. He prayed, also, most earnestly for the seamen, especially for some who were saying they would be glad to be religious, but did not know how, and were waiting for some miracle to be wrought. He prayed that they might feel the gentle breezes of the Spirit, increasing to a gale of grace, carrying them safely into port before the great city, the New Jerusalem. His language was perfectly unstudied. He had never prayed in public before, and it was a pouring out of his soul; but though highly figurative, the expression of his feelings was very appropriate, as well as impressive. There was much weeping in almost all during his prayer.

He then referred to the seamen, as those on whom they formerly looked down, and could not address but in the language of command; but now were willing to take by the hand as brethren, and, if possible, lead to Christ. Most urgently and affectionately he invited all to the Saviour. When one of the Missionaries had offered a short prayer, and given a few words of exhortation, it was requested that such of those present as were resolved to be for the Lord, should express the determination in that parting moment. The captain, the officers, the young man mentioned as a passenger, and several of the seamen, immediately signified their resolution to follow Christ. Two or three of the sailors did not shew their readiness to do so, and the first officer begged they would not reject offered mercy. They at length yielded, but whether merely at the request of the mate, or under the conviction of their need of a Saviour, is uncertain.

All the seamen on board, however, thus professed a desire to be the Lord's. What may be their state of feeling when again at sea, and what their conduct when they arrive at another port, cannot be foreseen; but that the Spirit of God has been in their midst, there can be no doubt. The missionaries had hope, that ten or twelve in all, (including the captain, mate, and passenger,) had really accepted the terms of salvation; and there is ground for confidence that the good work will still go forward.

It is of course too soon to judge concerning the result; but so manifest have been the answers to prayer-so deep the convictions of sin-so great the joy of some in God, (one of the seamen saying, he had now more enjoyment in one hour than in weeks and months before,)-so remarkable the change of conduct in some, that the work must be ascribed to the Holy Spirit, and the expectation may be cherished that some fruit will redound to the glory of God.. The young converts, or those who appear so, need to be remembered in the prayers of Christians, who should also render thanks to God for these displays of his grace. Were all christians more united in prayer for the descent of the Holy Spirit, might it not be hoped that scenes similar to this, and those in which vastly greater numbers would share, would be multiplied, until the fulness of the sea is converted to the Lord? Affectionately your's,

CORRESPONDENCE.

WE have received several letters, embodying much valuable information, and many useful hints; but we can give only a few extracts:

CONSTANTINOPLE.

[Communicated by Captain Henry Hudson, in a letter to the Secretary.]

Since I left England, the Lord has often met with us in our little cabin, at our morning and evening services. Truly we have been constrained to say, that it was none other than the house of God, and the gate of heaven. I am blessed with a fine steady ship's company. Some of them are decidedly pious, and others are enquiring.

I have been at Castel a Mare, a port in Italy. The people are all Roman Catholics, so that we had no opportunity on shore, to speak about the Saviour's love. I had several meetings on board of my own ship; a few of the natives occasionally attended, but could understand scarcely anything that was said. The inhabitants appear very ignorant, the blessed word of God is kept from them. Thence we had a fine passage to this place. The natives are nearly all Mahometans: there are several English vessels here; but nothing is doing among the English people for the sailors. I visited the hospital yesterday, some tracts were offered to the patients; they received them with gladness. I exhorted them to call upon the Lord for help in the time of trouble, and he would deliver. One of them told me that I was the first person that had spoken to them on the subject of religion; yet I am informed there are, at least, one million of souls in this city.

My stay is short. I am bound to Odessa, in the Black Sea, and there I expect to winter, as the season is getting very late. I hope to find several English ships there. This day I met with one of our Bethel Captains, bound to the same port. I intend, if the Lord spare me, to lift up my voice once again in a foreign land, in the cause of seamen, and trust good will be done among our sailors. If the good Lord spare me to see you again on earth, I hope to be able to tell you much about our proceedings.

A MISSIONARY'S TESTIMONY.

The letter from which the following extract is made, was addressed by a missionary, on his voyage to the East, to the Rev. W. Upton, of St. Albans, and has been kindly forwarded to us by his esteemed brother, and our friend, the Rev. James Upton, of Poplar. It deserves the serious attention of every one who has any interest in Missions. He writes:

-

From that time, until August 5th, I preached regularly once every returning day of rest to the assembled crew, beginning a little after 12 o'clock, and ending about 2. The hardened condition of the seafaring portion of the human race, if I were to judge from my observation while on board our vessel, and if some of them (I mean particularly the chief officers) are a specimen of the whole, is such as to terrify a sensitive christian; and when he meditates on the awful characteristics of the Divine nature and attributes, such as utterly to amaze him. Familiarized with danger, and beholding repeatedly, as I have learned from their lips, their

shipmates swept off by the diseases of inhospitable climes-by the volume of the waves-or the sudden breakage in some part of the vessel-they are necessarily driven, in the absence of religion, to case themselves against the terrors of death, by sullen, and resolute, and I had almost said, desperate hardihood. Many have been my conversations with the captain and mate, but at present with apparently little success, although I think the captain has never been in closer quarters. He is a shrewd, worldly-minded man, with a great knowledge of the scriptures.

The sailors have listened at times with the deepest attention, and one of them regretted to me the absence of ministerial instruction, to which they are generally subjected. I have distributed tracts, supplying them with new ones as well as my stock enabled me.

BIBLES FOR SAILORS.

"At the recent meeting of the Sailors' Society in the East of London, one of the speakers threw out the noble idea of supplying every English sailor with a copy of the word of God. The idea fixed strongly in the minds of some present, and has since been the subject of serious conversation.

"Will the Editor of the Magazine favour us with his thoughts on the subject? Doubtless the British and Foreign Bible Society would gladly aid in the work.

A FRIEND TO SAILORS."*

A HINT FOR THE SAILORS' SOCIETY, BY A LADY.

"MR. EDITOR.-I am an inhabitant of the East of London, and with some of my neighbours was induced to attend the meeting at the Eastern Institution. I was much pleased with what I saw and heard; and in conversation with a lady, whose husband is at sea, (herself a warm friend to your Society,) was struck with her remarks.

Lamenting the awful state of the sailor (of which she had seen much) she observed, that very much depended, as to outward conduct, on the example of THE OFFICERS, and suggested the propriety of a serious Address to them on the subject, issuing from the British and Foreign Sailors' Society.

"I assure you, Sir, this lady is not singular in her opinion, either as to the desirableness or probable advantage of such an Address. It is much needed in the merchant-service.t

AMICUS."

*We hope, so soon as we are relieved from the pressure of business connected with the approaching anniversary, to devote our attention to the two preceding points; and trust, by God's help, to prepare some suitable Address.-ED.

+ We shall take an early opportunity of directing attention to this subject.-ED.

NAUTICAL INFORMATION.

A Table of Wrecks, in which the Crews have all perished!

The following tabular view exhibits an equal number of wrecks, and an equal loss of life, with last month:-EIGHTEEN SHIPS have been totally wrecked, and no fewer than ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHTY SOULS have perished in the deep.

The following Returns are taken from Lloyd's List, and the Shipping and Mercancantile Gazette, from February 12th to March 16th, 1839.

The Calcutta Commercial Advertiser, October 25th, 1838, says, "The effects of the late gale have been most disastrous. And, extraordinary as it may appear, the barometer gave no signs of the gale's proximity, till within an hour or two previous to its outbreak, when the mercury began to fall very rapidly. THE EASTERN CHANNEL IS COVERED WITH FLOATING WRECKS!!

On the 16th of February, the Harriet Rockwell,' of Portsmouth, (New Hampshire,) from Liverpool for Boston, of 450 tons, with a general cargo on board, was seen from Barrahead Light house with her sails spent, and American colours reversed in token of distress. Signals were made from the light-house, and the vessel was brought to an anchor, between the islands of Barrahead and Mingalay. The ship's boat was immediately put out, when Mr. Jewitt the commander, Mr. Palvert, second mate, and Balls, Higgins, Benson, and Moore, seamen, part of the crew, attempted a landing at Mingalay. There is not one upon that island who can speak English, and the master of the Rockwell, mistaking the signals of the natives, directed the ship's boat upon a sandy beach, instead of towards a small creek, where a safe landing might in all probability have been effected. The consequence was, that the boat swamped, and was turned over and over by the heavy swell, when all on board unfortunately perished. One man, after a severe struggle, got so near the shore, that the inhabitants, joining hands, formed a line through part of the surf, and had nearly got hold of him, when a heavy rolling sea carried him off for ever. The boat, along with the bodies of the unfortunate men, was carried to sea, but the oars drifted ashore.