has been the day when I again shall see you. The Lord order it and hasten it in His time. Meanwhile, stand fast and stand together. "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem." Care constantly and earnestly for the prosperity of our beloved Zion. The Great Master is trying us with a terrible test. Oh, that we may come out of the fire like purified gold! You are ever on my heart, and I believe I am never forgotten by you; but in our trial let us remember that better than all is the fact that we all alike are ever on His heart, who knows the weight and the why of our sorrows, and who "ever liveth to make intercession for us. Again I linger about this last word, loath to put away my pen. While I write you seem to be all so near to me, but when I cease the awful reality of the distance and separation comes upon me with a weight that is overwhelming. God ever bless you. Pray for me.-With all my heart, ever most sincerely yours, May 19th, 1881. To my beloved people at Dalston. W. H. Burton. P.S.—Saw Cape Otway at 3.30; sighted its light, twenty miles distant, about six o'clock-with you about nine o'clock A.M. "Before they call I will answer." Entered Port Philip Heads about seven o'clock on Monday morning. THE SAILORS' HOME JOURNAL. [SAILORS' Societies and Sailors Homes, are one in their beneficent and Divine Mission. Their originators were religious men, who cared for the moral, as well as the social of the sailor. Revolutions wrought by steam, and changes introduced by government, will, for a time, affect Sailors' Homes. We purpose therefore under this heading, to encourage the same by facts and figures.-ED.] We invite Sailors' Homes to put themselves into communication with this medium. Next to the London Sailors' Home in importance, we should think comes Liverpool. Shipowners, Captains, and Sailors ought to encourage such Homes. In a future number, we hope to give a picture of the Liverpool Homes, and now supply from the respected Secretary's (Mr. Thomas Harmer) report, the following important facts and figures. "The number of seamen making use, during the past year, of the Parent Home was 8,004, of the Branch Home 1,474, together 9,478; the number at the Parent Home being less, whilst that at the Branch Home was more than in the previous year. "The amount of money paid by seamen to current account with which they have made remittances home, paid for board and lodging, and disbursed in other ways, was £37,763, and in the Branch Home £3,469, making a total sum of £41,232. "591 shipwrecked men, aud 105 Consuls' distressed men were sheltered and assisted. "1,752 Advance Notes were cashed for boarders. "A very large number of letters and telegrams have been received for sailors, boarders and others. The correspondence with seamen and their relatives by your Officers increases year by year." UNDER THE BETHEL FLAG. THIRTY-FOUR years ago we find from an old Sailors' Magazine that our worthy old friend, Captain Samuel Bullard, then of the brig "Earl Leicester," was writing to the British and Foreign Sailors' Society for his second Bethel flag. A lady in Norfolk gave him the first flag, which did good service in many parts of BLESSED WORK AT FALMOUTH. 251 the world, and was then handed to a captain in Rio Grande, South America, for yet further service. Captain Bullard said in that letter, "I rejoice to say that ministers from the Established Church, and likewise from other denominations, have, at different times under that flag, pointed sinners to the Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world." We rejoice that there is still a demand for the Bethel flag. Would it not be a good thing for those making their will to bequeath, say £250 or so, the interest of which should go to the Society to encourage the Bethel flag being sold at a reduced price? This is only a hint!! FALMOUTH. FEBRUARY 22nd, 1881.-To-day I visited the following vessels in our harbour and roads: five English, four German, two French, two Welsh, one Norwegian, one Danish, and one Swedish. I conversed with several of the crews, preaching to them in few words salvation by faith in Jesus. I distributed Gospels, tracts, or Christian papers to all the crews, and held a good service on board a London barque. The second vessel I visited I was informed by the mate that the captain was ashore very ill. I resolved to find him out ere the day closed. On reaching home I found a letter from the sick captain's good brother, Captain Clucas, sailor's missionary at Swansea. He wrote, "Dear brother in Jesus, I have been informed that my dear brother, who left Swansea a week since in the "Eliza Mead," is at your port very ill; kindly find him out, and do your best to lead him. to Jesus. I am deeply concerned about his soul, &c." I soon found the sick one at a private lodging, being well attended by one who, a few years since, was brought to Jesus under my visits. After conversing and praying with the sick captain, I said, "I have received a letter from your dear missionary brother at Swansea. He is so anxious you should be saved." I read the letter to him, which led him to weep bitterly, and say, "What would I give to be as my brother is, safe in Jesus." I now hastened home, to write all particulars to Swansea. Soon a messenger came, saying the sick captain was anxious to see me again as soon as possible. I was soon by his side, and was glad to find him in deep soul distress. He said, “How kind of you to find me out, and to take so deep an interest in my eternal welfare. I fear I have put off yielding to Jesus till it is too late. Do you think one apparently so near to death as I am can obtain pardon?” I set before him in few words the ability and willingness of Christ to save all who feel their need of Him. With what eagerness the now awakened sick one received words of Christian instruction. He said, "Thank God there is hope for me; I shall not be lost. What a precions hymn that is you just quoted by way of encouraging me, 'There is life for a look at the Crucified One, God will reward Come again soon, and spend as much time as you can with me. you." I paid him several visits the two following days. On going to him at the close of our Thursday evening service, I was pleased to find Captain Clucas, from Swansea, had just arrived. The meeting of the brothers was very affecting. How earnestly the missionary brother entreated his sick brother to trust alone in Christ for pardon and peace. We knelt before the Lord, and pleaded for the conversion of the dying man, who was soon after led to trust in Jesus; and exultingly said, "How happy I am, I am certain the Lord has pardoned me. I should like to live awhile to tell others of Christ's power to save." On the following Sabbath morning, just as I commenced our preaching service, he peacefully departed, to spend Sabbath with the innumerable company, where sickness and death are unknown. Three days after we laid his body in the grave, in hope of a blissful resurrection. H. V. BAILEY. Our Temperance Banner. [Under this head Legislators, Judges, Physicians, Editors, Poets, and Ministers of the Gospel will speak. Ashore, intemperance is the greatest evil; but afloat the evil is intensified a thousand-fold.] DON'T, UNCLE DICK, DON'T! A VESSEL was caught in a fearful gale, off the South of Ireland, and in trying to reach Salters Island, she struck upon a sunken rock, but fortunately the tide I was on the ebb. "While we were endeavouring to get the boat, a heavy sea broke on the vessel, and carried away the boat, and with much difficulty, by clinging to what we could lay hold of, we preserved ourselves from being washed overboard. The little cabin boy was put below when she struck, for fear he should be washed overboard. After recovering myself, when the wave had gone over us, I found one man missing on deck. In a minute I heard the little boy below crying out, 'Don't uncle Dick, don't.' I shoved back the cover of the companion, and jumped down to see what was the matter. The first thing that struck my attention was, this old Dick supporting himself in the state room door way, with a case bottle of brandy to his mouth, drinking of it like water. I went to him, and took the bottle out of his hand, and said unto him, 'Richard, are you not ashamed to behave thus; and you don't know but that the next moment you may be in eternity?' The man looked at me with much simplicity, and said, 'Master is it not a pity to die, and leave good liquor behind us?" Providence so ordered it, that the wind shifted off the land. We with difficulty and expense got the vessel off again, and put her into Wexford." Our little pet boy Simpson, was drinking a quantity of water the other day at his dinner, we asked sharply "what are you drinking all that water for?" he looked up with an innocent reply, "it will be wasted if I don't." It must be upon this principle that sailors act, even in the emergency of shipwreck, and the prospect of immediate death. But formerly, it was not only the feeling it would be wasted in the sea, but of its infinite preciousness. Then again, how hard to convince (intelligently and morally, at least we found it so), a country lad, that, the apples on a bough leaning over into the road, are not common property. So with many sailors, they would not dream of stealing, and many have gone weeks and months, living on the foulest food which would not be tolerated in a London market, and yet not broach the cargo. But if it is a question of grog sailors of the old school could never understand either the legal or moral right of a nation to tax it, or a person to own it! If you doubt the oblique character of Jack's mind on this subject, (we refer to those represented by Uncle Dick) put a bottle of rum in your chest, and see if it does'nt diminish either in quantity or quality! We knew an FLOATING LIBRARIES. 253 old Jack, who, on board of our fathers vessel, of which he was captain, made one of those rare discoveries of more than gold or diamond value, in the shape of a bottle of life's Elixir, which he seized and swigged with no doubt burning delight, for it proved to be a bottle of VITRIOL!! We have heard those not sailors, smack their lips and say it warmed them all over, in this case it must have been hot with a vengeance, because when diluted, it would burn a hole through your clothes, and in this state was used for taking layers off the ship's copper. His coppers must have been well scoured by such hell fire liquid. We went into a store at Guernsey with a sailor, when the good man asked what we would have to drink. Our friend said a tumbler of rum. It was filled to the brim, and he drank it off like milk! It took no effect till he went into the open air, when it was sudden, and might have been fatal, for he went down a chain on the pier head some forty feet with lightning speed, falling in the water rather than in the boat, and so escaped. “Don't, uncle Dick, don't." That's the human cry, stifled and drowned by governments and churches, men and women. Thank God, we are got from the state, (at least. in some measure), when sailors think "it a pity to die and leave good liquor behind them." THE LATE HENRY REED Esq, OF TASMANIA. (Forwarded for Chart and Compass, by Miss E. H. Harriss, Brixton.) IN the temperance cause Mr, Reed took a deep interest. This was strikingly testified in his dying advice to one of his sons :-"I find no shadow of death in the valley, it is to me full of light, and green pastures, and streams of living waters. Never so happy since I was born. Glory, glory, glory, to a Triune God! Dear son, never touch stimulants, spirits, or tobacco, and This is the dying request of your father in Christ. knees ask God for grace to grant my last request. house; do not allow your wife or any member of your family to have them. Avoid the accursed poison. From The Welcome. keep away from those that do. Lovingly, instantly on your Do not have them in your Floating Libraries. HENRY REED." DURING April, May, and June, sixty-six Libraries were issued-forty-four in boxes. These contained 1,150 bound books, 2,300 tracts, and 2,252 periodicals. LIBRARIES IN BOXES. DESTINATION. Calcutta Melbourne Lyttleton Hobart Town Melbourne Sydney Sydney Calcutta, &c. Martinique St. John's, N.F. The ship collections during the above time have amounted to £18 5s. 10d. Tracts, books, and cash, have also been received from the following: The Treasurer; Mrs. Tritton; Miss Bailey; Mrs. Bligh and Mrs. Clark; The Parent Society at three separate times; Cheyne Brady, Esq.; Mr. Collins, of Totnes House; Mrs. King; Mate of the "Star of Albion; " Capt. Fowler; Mr. |