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this coast, and in that case the total destruction of the ship, I caused the long-boat to be hoisted out, and, with the four smaller ones, to be stored to a certain extent with arms and provisions. The officers drew lots for their respective boats, and the ship's company were stationed to them. The long-boat having been filled full of stores, which could not be put below, it became requisite to throw them overboard, as there was no room for them on our very small and crowded decks, over which heavy seas were constantly sweeping.

"In making these preparations for taking to the boats, it was evident to all, that the long-boat was the only one which had the slightest chance of living under the lee of the ship should she be wrecked: but every officer and man drew his lot with the greatest composure, although two of our boats would have been swamped the instant they were lowered. Yet such was the noble feeling of those around me, that it was evident that had I ordered the boats in question to be manned, their crews would have entered them without a murmur. In the afternoon, on the weather clearing a little, we discovered a low beach all around astern of us, on which the surf was running to an awful height; and it appeared evident that no human power could save us. At 3 P.M. the tide had fallen to twenty-two feet (only six feet more than we drew) and the ship having been lifted by a tremendous sea, struck with great violence the whole length of her keel.

"This we naturally conceived was the forerunner of her total wreck; and we stood in readiness to take the boats, and endeavour to hang under her lee. She continued to strike, with sufficient force to have burst any lessfortified vessel, at intervals of a few minutes, whenever an unusually heavy sea passed us. As the water was so shallow, these seas might almost be called breakers rather than waves; for each, in passing, burst with great force over our gangways: and as every sea topped, our decks were continually, and frequently deeply, flooded.

"All hands took a little refreshment; for some had scarcely been below for twenty-four hours, and I had not been in bed for three nights. Although few or none of us had any idea that we should survive the gale, we did not think that our comforts should be entirely neglected. An order was therefore given to the men to put on their best

and warmest clothing, to enable them to support life as long as possible. Every man therefore brought his bag on deck, and dressed himself; and in the fine athletic forms which stood exposed before me, I did not see one muscle quiver, nor the slightest sign of alarm. The officers each secured some useful instrument about them for the purposes of observation, although it was acknowledged by all that not the slightest hope remained.

"And now that every thing in our power had been done, I called all hands aft, and to a merciful God offered our prayers for our preservation. I thanked every one for their excellent conduct, and cautioned them, as we should in all probability soon appear before our Maker, to enter His presence as men resigned to their fate. We then all sate down in groups; and, sheltered from the wash of the sea by whatever we could find, many of us endeavoured to obtain a little sleep.

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Never, perhaps, was witnessed a finer scene than on the deck of my little ship, when all hope of life had left us, Noble as the character of the British sailor is always allowed to be in cases of danger, yet I did not believe it possible, that, amongst forty-one persons, not one repining word should have been uttered! The officers sate about wherever they could find shelter from the sea, and the men lay down conversing with each other with the most perfect calmness.

"At about 6 P.M. the rudder, which had already received some very heavy blows, rose, and broke up the afterlockers; and this was the last severe shock which the ship received. We found by the well that she made no water, and by dark she struck no more. God was merciful to us, and the tide almost miraculously fell no lower. Heavy rain fell but this was borne with patience; for it beat down the gale, and brought with it a light air from the northward. The ship kept off the ground all night, and the exhausted crew obtained some broken rest.

"In standing out from our anchorage—which, in humble gratitude for our deliverance, I named The Bay of God's Mercy. we saw the buoy of the anchor we had lost in ten fathoms, and weighed it by the buoy-rope, losing therefore only one bower anchor. We now hoisted the long-boat in; and an occasional glimpse of the sun enabled us to determine the situation of our recent anchorage, which was lat. 63° 35′ 48′′; long. 86° 32′ 60′′.

"Keeping abreast of Cape Kendall, and steering west, in from ten to thirteen fathoms, at six or eight miles off, at 7 P.M. we anchored in thirteen fathoms.

"The ship being now somewhat to rights, I called the hands aft; and we offered up our thanks and praises to God, for the mercy he had shown to us. All hands then turned in, and the ship lay quiet for the night."

After other very severe trials, and the loss of the anchor and cables, the Griper gave up the further pursuit of the expedition, and returned homeward. On the 10th November she passed the Needles; and showing her number, and signalizing her very distressed state, she ran into Portsmouth Harbour in a heavy squall, and was soon secured to a three-decker's moorings. Many of the crew were much exhausted, by their constant exposure to the wash of the sea. Three were sent immediately to the hospital, where, by its comforts and proper attention, they soon recovered. The Griper was paid off on the 13th December, 1824.

Captain Lyon adds,

"I hope that I may be allowed to make a few observations respecting my shipmates, seamen as well as officers, whose conduct on all occasions was such as to entitle them to the warmest praise I can bestow. I can with truth assert, that there never was a happier little community than that assembled on board the Griper. Each succeeding day, and each escape from difficulties, seemed to bind us more strongly together; and I am proud to say, that, during the whole of our voyage, neither punishment, complaint, nor even a dispute of any kind, occurred amongst us."

ADDRESS TO ABLE SEAMEN.

ARE you professional seamen? Beware of becoming so familiar with winds, and waves, and storms, as to neglect that caution and vigilance which are necessary for the safety of the ship, of the cargo, and of the passengers and ship's company.

God had showed by his angel to the Great Apostle, that though the ship was destined to be wrecked in the storm, there was to be no loss of any man's life;' but when the sailors were about to flee out of the ship for their

own safety (Acts xxvii), whatever might become of the passengers, Paul said, by the Spirit, to the centurion, Except these abide in the ship, ye cannot be saved!"

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That they should all be saved was determined and declared, but the skill and efforts of the sailors were the appointed, and therefore necessary means of deliverance. Every seaman ought to be sober and vigilant, and, at the same time, sensible that the success of his endeavours to keep all safe, and to make the voyage prosperous, DEPENDS ON GOD. Let no seaman forget or neglect to pray to that God, who "stilleth the noise of the seas as well as the tumult of the people." In the case of Jonah (see chap. i), the heathen seamen joined prayer with their rowing hard, and other methods to effect safety. Though heathens, they conducted themselves more suitably to the very threatening appearances of peril than many now do who are called Christians. Even the captain of that vessel, after himself joining in fervent prayers with the seamen, each man to his God, rebuked the servant of God sharply, saying unto Jonah, "What meanest thou, O sleeper! arise, call upon THY God; if so be that God will think upon us, that we perish not."

BUT WHAT IS RELIGION?

RELIGION is that which constitutes the most important distinction in human character. Religion is the fear, and love, and service of God by faith in Jesus Christ. It is that which forms, as it were, the dividing line between LIFE and DEATH eternal!

All other distinctions will speedily vanish. Those of character, of temper, of conduct, of beauty, of deformity, will all be soon forgotten. Those of learning or ignorance, of wealth or poverty, of wearing the gem or of digging in the mine whence it was taken, of possessing a throne or toiling as a slave, of youth or age, of revelling in health or of lingering long in agony,-all will shortly pass away, and be as if they never had been.

They who were separated so widely apart in this world will sink, if strangers to the converting grace of God, to an equal level of guilt and misery; or rise, if possessors of heartfelt piety, to equal heights of happiness and honour, and wear eternally the high distinction of being the lovers and children of God.

When Moses was about to take leave of the children of Israel, he said to them (Deut. xxx, 15), "See! I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil; therefore (verse 19), choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live that thou mayest love the Lord thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him; for he is thy life and the length of thy days." J. P.

SAILORS IN IRELAND.

MR. EDITOR,

I AM a constant reader of your valuable PILOT, and most heartily wish that its circulation may be greatly aug mented. Perhaps you will oblige me by the insertion of the following extract from the Report of one of the Agents of the Baptist Irish Society. It is delightful to observe that in the labours of that most useful Institution sailors are not forgotten. He thus writes:

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Dec. 17, 1835.

"I go to the quay to speak to the sailors, as they are a class of men that are in much need of instruction; they always gladly receive me, and join me in prayer at the chief boatman's, Mr. Thomas. The last day that I was on board a Scotch ship, I was recognized by a cabin-boy, who said, 'Sir, do you know me ?' 'No,' said I, 'I do not.' Well,' said he,' I know you. I was at your house at Ballina, two years ago, in company with some other sailors, and you gave us some tracts, and you gave me a Bible.' Well,' I said, were they of any use to you?' 'Yes,' said he, they were of much use to us; by reading the Bible, and believing it, we are enabled to look danger in the face without fear; for the seas may rage, and the winds may blow, but we know that Jesus can bid the winds to cease, and cause the seas to be calm; and if we be shipwrecked here below, we poor sailors that believe will be in that safe harbour where the storms never rage.

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"But as to the Bible you gave me, I hope you will not be displeased for my parting with it, when I tell you what happened,' said he I said I would not. 'Well,' said he, I was sailing into port in Spain, in company with

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