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another ship, and after we cast anchor, part of the crew of the other ship came on board of ours; one of them was a black, he could speak English, and could read. We commenced talking of Jesus Christ, and how good he was to us, in giving his life a ransom, that we might live; when the poor black man said, I wish that I had some person that would teach me the Gospel; I would be happy. I then handed the Bible you gave me to him, and said, there is the Gospel entirely for you, and read it, and believe it! Thus I sent the Bible to preach the Gospel itself to the poor heathen, and he seemed to receive a wonderful gift; and sure it was. This is what happened to the Bible,' said he. I found that he was educated at a Baptist free-school for some time. In him, I hope, is verified the saying of Solomon, "Train up the child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it.""

DEPLORABLE SHIPWRECK OF THE GEORGE CANNING.

DURING a heavy gale of wind from E.N.E., on the 2d of May, the brig George Canning, from Hartlepool, laden with coals, was lost on the Heaps, when all on board, except one man, including the master, his wife, and child, and female servant, perished. The master, his wife and child, and one man, got into the boat; all the rest of the crew, eight in number, and the female servant, having been washed off the wreck and drowned. These had not long been in the boat before a sea overwhelmed them, and washed the master, wife, and child overboard; the master, in attempting to rescue his wife and infant child, was washed out of the boat, and all three thus met a watery grave. One of the crew of this vessel was a pious seaman, who was duly in attendance at the Sailors' Chapel, and at the Sabbath afternoon prayer-meetings, and Tuesday evening services at my house, whenever in London. Often had this pious sailor left his ship at Blackwall, Greenwich, or Deptford, to worship amongst us; and we had reason to believe, having heard it from his own mouth, that those means of grace, together with the public ordinances of the Sailors' Chapel, had been made the means of his conversion to God. We were called to

observe his growth in grace and in the Divine life; his prayers were earnest and truly devotional; and most singular to state, previous to his leaving London on his last voyage, in which he was lost, he expressed his fears to a friend that he should not again return, but feared he should meet a watery grave; and said to this friend, "If I should be lost this voyage, and you hear how I came to my end, go to the Sailors' Chapel, Dean Street, and inquire for Captain Prynn, or some of his family, and tell them what you may know of my death." The sailor who was saved brought the tidings of his death to this person, who came on Sunday evening, the 8th instant, to the Sailors' Chapel, and at the close of service, previous to the commencement of our Sunday evening prayer, called two of my daughters into the vestry, and gave the melancholy tidings that T. G. was no more, making the statement I have related. After one of our brother sailors had engaged in prayer, I was informed of it. I mentioned the mournful circumstance; it brought tears from my eyes, and from many more, whilst I pointed out the spot where our dear brother always took his seat when in the chapel, and referred to the many earnest supplications he had offered up there, but now in the eternal world. I trust his spirit is now where winds and waves distress no more; Free from a world of grief and pain,

Our loss is his eternal gain.

The remembrance of this man and his earnest prayers will long be retained in my memory and those of my family, to all of whom he was much endeared. He came, as is usual with many of our pious sailors, to bid us farewell, on leaving London for Hartlepool.

B. PRYNN.

NAVAL AND MILITARY BIBLE SOCIETY. THIS valuable Institution held its fifty-sixth anniversary on Tuesday, May 12, at Freemason's Hall, Marquis Cholmondeley in the chair. The following summary of the Society's proceedings are highly encouraging.

Receipts during the year, 2,5701. 9s. 1d. Payments, 2,561l. 8s. 7d. Issues of the Scriptures during the year to the Navy, 995 copies; to the Army, 3,233; and to Merchant Seamen and others, including 500 Bibles to libraries at the Coast Guard station, being one Bible for each station, 6,983; making a total of 11,211 copies in

the year; and forming a grand total, from the beginning, of 308,249 copies. The total supply to the Army, since the existing regulations were adopted in 1825, has been 54,801 copies.

J. P. Plumptre, Esq., M.P., General Tolley, Captain Hon. T. Maude, R.N., Rev. Peter Roe, Captain Pakenham, R.N., Rev. W. Clayton, Captain Elliott, R.N., Rev. T. Grimshawe, Captain V. Harcourt, R.N., and Captain Bazalgette, R.N., severally addressed the Meeting, and the collection amounted to 891. 7s. 6d.

Among other resolutions the following was passed.

"That this Meeting, confident that moral, as well as physical strength, should constitute the defence of a Christian empire, witnesses, with heartfelt pleasure, the continued circulation of the Holy Scriptures among the seamen of His Majesty's navy, as also the distribution among sailors in the Merchant service; and, relying on the Divine promise that His word shall not return unto him void, they would thank God for the past, and take courage for the future."

DESTITUTE SAILORS' ASYLUM.

THIS very useful Institution held its Ninth Anniversary, May 20, at Exeter Hall, Captain Lord Radstock, R.N., in the Chair. The following is an interesting summary of its proceedings during the past year, in relieving seamen in distress, by affording them gratuitously, a temporary lodging, with a supper and breakfast, while they are seeking employment.

Receipts, 945l. 2s. 8d. Payments, 9471. 14s. 9d. Receipts for Building Fund, 7931. 11s. 9d. Payments from that Fund, 8861. 7s. A new building was opened December 23, 1835, which has since afforded an asylum to seventy sailors, on the average, every night; and an average of one hundred attend Divine worship on Tuesday and Thursday evenings.

SAILORS' HOME.

THIS noble establishment is a seamen's lodging and boarding house, in which the discharged crews of ships may find a Home," at moderate charges, about 12s. per week, until they can obtain employment. The receipts

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of the year were 2,1237. Ss. 8d. The payments were 2,1637. 19s. 10d. Sailors received into the house in the year, 531. The Society is now in a condition to supply full crews to vessels.

The Directors report, "The crews of an American Temperance ship, and of an English Indiaman, both received into the house, exhibited a striking contrast, greatly to the discredit of the Indiaman, the chief part of her crew manifesting the insubordination of habitual spiritdrinkers, while nothing could exceed the orderly conduct of the Americans."

These two Institutions being under the same direction, held their general meeting conjointly, and the assembly was addressed by Hon. Captain W. Waldegrave, R.N., Captain V. Harcourt, R.N., Rev. N. Jones, chaplain of the Floating Ship, Rev. S. Robins, R. Hyndman, Esq., Captain Saurin, R.N., Captain Sir H. Hart, R.N., and Captain Elliott, R.N.

EPISCOPAL FLOATING CHURCH SOCIETY. THE Eighth Anniversary of this Institution was held on Tuesday, May 24, in the smaller room, Exeter Hall, Captain Lord Radstock, R.N., in the Chair. The assembly was addressed by Captain Allen, R.N., A. Heaviside, Esq., Hon. Captain Maude, R.N., Rev. N. Jones, Rev. V. Sawyer, and Captain Elliott, R.N. The receipts of the year had been 2937., and the payments, 3177.

The Report states, that "The attendance of sailors afloat had not been so good as was expected; and, in order to greater efficiency, it was proposed, if funds can be obtained, to open an Episcopal Chapel on shore."

Correspondence and Proceedings of the British and Foreign Sailors' Society.

AMERICAN SEAMEN'S CHAPLAIN AT RIO DE

JANEIRO.

ZEAL and devotedness characterize the Christian pastors in America for the religious improvement of seamen in their several ports; while the labours of the American

Seamen's Friend Society are directed in noble efforts, principally to the support of chaplains or missionaries to seamen in foreign ports. The following extracts of a letter from Rev. O. M. Johnstone, their missionary at Rio de Janeiro, will be read with much satisfaction by the friends of sailors in England.

"Rev. and Dear Sir,—I have no doubt the information of the appointment of a chaplain to this port, by the American Seamen's Friend Society, reached you several months since; and possibly the secretary, Rev. Jonathan Greenleaf, may have written to you to ask the co-operation of the British and Foreign Sailors' Society, in the efforts which may be made here for the spiritual welfare of seamen. Suffice it to say, that the chaplain has been at the station about seven weeks; has commenced his labours by preaching on board American and British vessels, &c.,,with encouraging prospects of usefulness. Frequent opportunities are afforded for the distribution of Bibles, books, and tracts. Books to constitute the formation of a stationary library for the use of seamen in port were placed at my disposal before leaving the United States. I am anxious to have this stock of books increased, by additional donations from the British and Foreign Sailors' Society, as well as from other friends of It is to request your aid in this matter that I write. A few Loan Libraries might be disposed of here to good advantage. But I need not enlarge; you can well imagine what I need, and any particular information that you may wish, will be readily given by my friend the bearer. I am anxious to increase the Seamen's Library, by a set of the publications of the London Religious Tract Society, and any other, and as many other suitable books as can be obtained. There is no duty on books.

seamen.

If you can obtain any thing of this kind, as books to constitute Loan Libraries, tracts, &c., for individual distribution, magazines, especially your own publication, the PILOT (which I will venture to request may be sent regularly), I will cheerfully make use of them to the best of my ability, for the promotion of the good of seamen. received for the library a set of books from the American Tract Society, and also a quantity of tracts, in amount forty, and a large box of Bibles and Testaments from the American Bible Society.

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For other particulars, allow me to refer you to James

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