missionaries and Christian workers make these men of the waters their special care. Firemen, again, like the iron and the clay in Nebuchadnezzar's image, do not unite well on board ship with the sailors. Their work is different, their hours on and off duty are different, and they keep themselves very much distinct from one another. Still they are in the same ship, and earn their living on the high sea. If the Sailors' Societies and missionaries and the Christian public do not try to reach these men and save them, you say truly God will raise up a society for firemen to gather them into the fold of God. It has been a felt difficulty to get these men to come aft to prayer as the sailors do. There are conflicting elements on board, and it may not be at all times convenient, but it is easy to make an excuse. They are under their “chief," as the chief engineer is called, and if he is a pious man he has a mighty influence for good in the stoke hole, and could be the means of leading them aft by coming himself and bringing his crowd with him. In the Christian Herald of 4th February there is an interesting account of mission work at 33, Foo Chow-road, Shanghai. A place is opened there where seamen can go and read, or spend an hour, and where they are spoken to about their souls. Many seamen have been led to the Saviour there. Mr. Galt, a chief engineer, was a Christian, but he got a blessing at the Inland Mission Station such as he had not experienced before. He met a fireman whom he had sailed with before when he was in the world, and invited him up to the mission. He had his mates with him-nine in all. They were going to spend a night on shore, they knew not where. The result was the whole nine were converted before they left Shanghai. 0! for more pious engineers, more pious captains, and more devoted Christian workers, to look after and lead these men of the sea to a saving knowledge of Christ. Much is done, and we rejoice in all that is going on, at most all ports we know, for the well being of seamen. The Lord is not forgetful to raise up friends and missions for seamen, and we will pray that He will bless the work and the workers, and hasten on the time when the abundance of the sea will be converted unto Himself. JOHN SMITH. SUNSHINE. Stand in the sunshine sweet And treasure every ray, With frowns and tears, the while Nor seek with stubborn feet we nurse despair ? The darksome way. CELIA THAXTER. A LETTER FROM HEAVEN'S GATE. D O ANY of our readers will remember Captain Davies for V some time an agent of the British and Foreign Sailors' 6 T B Society in London, and afterwards at Barrow. Of his = consistent life and quiet but good work we need not speak. He was the chief means of erecting the little Sailors' Home and Bethel, in Barrow, which is now the centre of so much good. Our energetic friend, Mrs. Stokes, writes :-“Dear Mr. Matthews. I know you will feel sorry and yet glad to hear poor Captain Davies has gone to rest. He died very calmly, in fact, just slept away on Thursday last, and was buried in the cemetery here on Saturday. I was with him on Sunday, and he prayed most beautifully for us all, and specially for our little 'Home' and • Mission' here. Yesterday we had such a beautiful Gospel address, or as it is called here, funeral sermon, by Mr. Fearn, a joyful sermon it was: 'Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord,' &c. We had the largest meeting we have ever had, one hundred and ten, as our room is not very large, I began to dread seeing the door open. However, in the end all were comfortably seated, I trust they may never forget the wonderful words of life,' which they heard.” Barrow in Furness, Feb. 12th, 1885. “Mr. Matthews.—My dear sir, I just send this one last letter to bid you good-bye, and to express my thanks to you and the directors for all your kindness to me, whilst in the Sailors' Society, also for the £ 2 28., you sent, per Mrs. Stokes, since I left the Society. Kindly remember me to Mr. Lonsdale, Captain Custard, Mr. Dobson, Mr. Hoskins, Mr. Evans, and all others who were acquainted with me. The Lord has in His sovereignty, wisdom and love, seen fit to lay upon me consumption, and I have for some time past been getting weaker and weaker, so that it is now a heavy task to write a letter, and have therefore got my niece to write it for me. I feel certain that the Lord may call me now at any moment. He has been extraordinary kind to me. In His providence He brought me back to Barrow, where to my surprise, He raised me up so many friends to aid me in this my time of need, so that with them and the help of two kind cousins in London, I have wanted for nothing. If anyone has cause to praise God it is me, and I do not only for temporal blessings, but above all for His unspeakable gift (Jesus Christ), who has put my sins away as far as the east is from the west. So that I have no fear in the prospect of death, but rejoice and long for the happy time to come, and now wishing you all every blessing from God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, and trusting that we shall yet see one another in those bright realms of glory.--I remain, yours respectfully, E. Davies,” 104 NAPLES HARBOUR MISSION. His niece in sending us Captain Davies' letter, writes :-“ Dear sir, you will no doubt be surprised to receive this double letter, but since this letter was written by uncle's dictation, he has passed into glory. He died at 9.50 a.m., on Thursday, February 12th, and the enclosed was written same morning at 12.40 a.m. So that you will have some idea of how suddenly he was taken to be with his Lord and Master. Little did we think when watching by him at midnight, and he dictating in a clear voice that letter to you, that he would be soon taken home. My poor dear aunt, feels the loss very much, and now trusting that this will find yourself, and those with whom you are connected, quite well.— I remain, yours respectfully, Jenny McIntyre." NAPLES HARBOUR MISSION. JULY 3RD.-A free tea in Bethel-ship, 60 were present. Rev. Mr. Crawford, U.S.S. “Richmond,” presided, and several seamen from the “Richmond” took part in the speaking. Mr. Crawford is an earnest advocate of Temperance, and told how steady the crew of the “Richmond " were on the coasts of China and Japan, where the men had Sailor's Homes to go to; but at Naples, when there was no such institution, the men got very wild and the prisons on board were full. Happily since that time a Sailors' Rest has been opened at Naples. On the roth, a Temperance meeting was held in the Bethel, well attended, and the carpenter of the s.s. “M- " presided. I find it more homely to have one of themselves take charge of the meeting, and they seem to enjoy it thoroughly. At all these Temperance meetings the sailors take the pledge. Twenty-five visited the “ Vale of Nith," at Castlemare. Several of the men got tipsy ashore, and left, the boatswain himself was very foolish, selling his clothes and travelling barefooted to Naples. I got most of the crew to take the pledge. August 3rd.—Had good attendance in the Bethel. Rev. Mr. Jones preached. The crew of the s.s. “Emberizo" came willingly to all meetings, and took a pleasure in subscribing, unsolicited by me, a large sum to the mission. The Lord gave a gracious blessing at this time, and it brought to remembrance when that ship was here some years ago of a night when the windows of heaven seemed to be opened, and thirty persons professed at the close to having received a blessing. 7th.–At the Temperance meeting this evening a Romanist crew from Cork attended the reading-room. At first they spoke about Home Rule, but having humoured them they got to something more practicable and beneficial. I have no difficulty in dealing with this class, and they attend the Gospel meetings regularly. September 7th, 8th, and 9th. Glorious meetings in the Bethel and on board the s.s. “ Druid.” The captain and mate of the “Druid” took part in the meetings. The whole crew seemed to have been blessed. A young Spaniard and a Romanist from the South of Ireland were amongst those who attended; the latter had not been at such services before. The Bethel was closed at this time on account of the cholera, which came on us like a flood. Services were held in the ships as no seamen were permitted to go on shore, Not one seaman died of cholera in the ships where our services were held, though several of the men were very bad. For this we are most thankful to God. STEPHEN BURROWS, Missionary. IT OPENED ITS DOORS TO ME. on coming to its majority, most soul inspiring and mind k instructive celebrations.* Here is a picture of the building, and as it opened its doors and heart to the editor of this magazine and the present secretary of the British and Foreign Sailors' Society, many of our readers will admit that a few words from our pen will not be out of place. Wemust sing its praises, for its name came to one sailor laddie as sweet music, music which has not yet lost its melody. Most colleges and churches are practically closed to the sailor. He is also prac * Here are some of the speakers and their subjects :-" The Gospel of the Kingdom of Heaven—The Doctrine," Rev. F. Robinson; “ The Inner Mission of the Church," Rev. Dr. Paton; The Work of the Church among the Industrial Classes of our large towns,” Dr. J. H. Wilson, Revs. G. S. Reaney (of London), C. Lcach (of Birmingham), J. Thorpe (of Nottingham), E. D. Solomon of Glasgow), G. Moir of (Aberdeen), A. J. Viner (of Woolwich); “ The Work of the Church in Rural Districts," Revs. J. Holroyd, H. Hagell, C. A. Singleton, J. Brook and T. A. Carritt ; “ The spiritual life of the minister: how it may be quickened, elevated and strengthened,” Rev. R. Brindley ; “The spiritual life of the Church: how it may be quickened, elevated, and strengthened," Rev. T. W. B. Weeks; “How the Church can find and test men for her public services," Rev. J. McClune Uffen ; “ The spiritual and practical training given at the Institute," Revs. J. G. Deaville, J. C. Kirby, Jno. Jermyn, and D. C. Lloyd ; “ How the Institute can be aided to render the greatest service to our churches," Revs. F. S. Williams and H. J. Bannister; “How the men of the Institute now in the field can through the Institute be most efficiently assisted in their work," Revs. A. Cooke and W. Skinner. The Rev. Dr. Fairbairn will preach-subject : “Christ and the Christian preacher.” The annual public meeting will be held. Samuel Morley, Esq., M.P., will preside. Speakers-Revs. Dr. Hannay, G. S. Reaney, W. W. Jubb, J. G. Deaville, W. H. Fothergill, W. S. Houghton, E. W. Matthews and others. The Lord's Supper will be celebrated, and special missions will be held in most of the chapels in Nottingham and the county. 106 THE SAILOR ECCLESIASTICALLY DISFRANCHISED. giflery other in En dishermen and say great we tically disfranchised. Who ever heard of a sailor lobbying a member in the House of Commons, who, on the eve of a great vote, had deep searchings of heart? We have our opinions on his relation to the State, and what it ought to be, but we cannot discuss it now. So to the Church, except in thwarting its missions abroad, he has too often no real existence. He is ecclesiastically disfranchised. The great Wesleyan Church has, perhaps, as many fishermen and sailors attached to its communion as any other in England, but whoever heard of a sailor, however gifted, passing through its colleges, entering its pulpits, and sway. ing its destinies ? The miner, the tailor, the shoemaker, the draper, the farmer, the minister's son, yea sons, and the merchant's son even, might be coaxed to enter the college, and the way is made easy for them all save the sailor! So with other communions! But Jesus once established a little college, and sailors were its first students. That inner circle were sailors to a man, and sailors by profession. And others were not only fishers of men (John xx. 1) but fishers. And if Paul was not a sailor he was what we would call a sailmaker ; born in a seaport, a great voyager, shipwrecked three times, and in that memorable voyage practically had command of the ship ! Can the Church and the college afford to go counter to this high example of their founder in their myriad mission agencies ? If sailors graduate in that grand university of the sea, partaking of experiences as deep, as tempestuous, as changing as the ocean itself, ought not the school of the prophets to be open to receive for Biblical and other studies, the called and consecrated ? This Nottingham Congregational Institute (bless it, it took me in) is specially open for such, and if a cheque of a thousand pounds were handed over to the editor he would ask his Board to sacredly invest it, and keep one or two sailors in training all the time, that they might be better fitted to mission the rivers, lakes, oceans, and ports of the world. We know no other institution that can offer the same advantages to a young man whose friends were not born before him. Ils simple aim is, speaking nautically, to take the present latitude and longitude of the craft (the man), consider his past voyaging, carrying or cargo capacity, refit him accordingly, and send him on those voyages for which he is best adapted. Some other colleges attempt to make small fishing craft into coasters and coasters into ocean steamers, and many of our pulpits are standing witnesses of their folly! Hence some of these man made preachers, even though possessing great learning, are like overloaded ships, ever in a sinking condition. Others are laid up in dock, looking out for a |