of Scandinavians, Italians, &c. During a great part of this winter I have not been able to go afloat owing to the great quantity of drift ice on the river. I feel that in order to meet the requirements of this station a colporteur is much needed to assist the missionary in this branch of the work.

TEA METINGS. We have had several happy tea meetings during the past year given by individual members of the committee, or by captains of ships, which have been much appreciated by the sailors, indeed at such times the Institute has been over-crowded, but of these mention has already been made in Chart and Compass.

READING ROOM. Our comfortable reading room continues to be well used, as will be seen when I state that over 4,500 visits have been paid to it during the year, and about 400 letters have been written and received. Our circulating library is also well patronized. There are forty tract bags doing duty on board the regular traders, which are kept well supplied with good wholesome reading.

WORK DONE BY THE SAILORS THEMSELVES. The sailors have shown their appreciation of the benefits of the Institute in their own hearty way. First, by their offerings in the Bethel boxes after services of the sum of about £25, whilst by their united contributions we have been enabled to procure a magnificent tea service with large boiler and table cloths complete, for tea meetings, and they have also bought a new set of Sankey's hymn books for Bethel use. Shortly after my arrival I was niuch perplexed by the large number of destitute seamen coming to the Institute seeking relief which I was unable to give from my own pocket. At the suggestion of a few friends we opened a penny contribution after the Monday entertainments, which was heartily responded to, thus enabling me to relieve many a poor hard-up sailor-some by sending them home to their friends and others by giving them food and lodging when they would have had to walk the streets or sleep in a railway waggon. Some will say it is the men's own faults that they are thus destitute, doubtless this is the case in too many instances, but I have felt how useless it is to preach morality and reformation to a hungry man, or to give a tract to one who has nowhere to lay his head, and our Gracious Lord and Master tells us that only those that are without sin must throw a stone at their erring brother.

I would here and now return my heartfelt thanks for all kindness and sympathy shown to myself personally and to the mission generally. To the Directors of the British and Foreign Sailors Society for appointing me to this post and for their continued support, and to all friends who have shown their sympathy with the work either in the gift of money or parcels of tracts, magazines, &c., and last, but not least, to the great Giver of every good and perfect gift, and may He in His great mercy cause that many more sons of the ocean may say of this corner of His vineyard, “ That was, indeed, Bethel, the House of God and the Gate of Heaven to my soul.

JOHN C. JONES, Port Missionary. Hamburg, April 10th, 1885.

SAILORS' HOME, BARROW. Rev. E. W. MATTHEWS,-Dear Sir,--Please find enclosed P.O.O. for 145. 4d. being payment for fifty Chart and Compass and six Bibles at is. I am pleased to say the work is still prospering with us here, our meetings are simply glorious times of refreshing, and souls are being saved. The Lord is with us and His power is constantly being manifested in our midst, to His great name be all the glory.-With kindest regards, yours sincerely, ...

B. FEARN.

AMERICAN SEAMEN'S FRIEND SOCIETY. We are indebted to its able Secretary, the Rev. Dr. Hall, for the block and the article on “ The Rescued Islanders.” We give their heroic Christian fortitude in contrast to the terrible Mignonette and kindred disasters. O that all sailors experienced “My grace is sufficient for thee." We congratulate this great national Society, and quote from its valuable report. We hope it may be so supported by its nations, that other stations might be opened.

LOAN LIBRARY WORK. During the year ending April 1st, 1883, the Society has sent out five hundred and thirty-one loan libraries (of which two hundred and five were new, and three hundred and twenty-six refitted) containing 2,336 volumes, and placed on vessels carrying 7,052 seamen. This makes the whole number of new libraries sent to sea from the Rooms of the Society at New York and Boston, 8,249, and the reshipments of the same, 8,859, aggregating 17,108. The number of volumes in these libraries was 441,434, accessible by original shipment to 315,987 seamen. As a recent incident endorsing its practical usefulness it may be mentioned that Conrad Stegner, a Scandinavian, who was himself converted at sea, through reading a book in the library provided for the ship on which he was a sailor,-in sending his last annual gift for still another library for some sea-going vessel, requests that the volume which brought him to Christ, Pike's Persuasives to Early Piety, be certainly included.

PUBLICATIONS. The Society has published during the past year, 56,400 copies of the Sailors' Magazine ; and for gratuitous distribution among seamen, 20,000 copies of the Seamen's Friend ; with 123,000 copies of the Life Boat for the use of Sabbath schools. It has also printed for distribution, 1,000 copies of its Fifty-sixth Annual Report, and numerous tracts and leaflets illustrating and emphasizing its work.

THE BITTER CRY. “Strong drink shall be bitter to them that drink it.”—ISAIAH xxiv. 9. The Bitter Cry of London is a groan- The children of the slums are in the a groan;

street-the street ; While other towns are uttering a moan With nothing on their head or on their -a moan;

feet-their feet; And everywhere intemperance, like While taught to beg they learn to steal “famine, war, and pestilence,”

just to procure a scanty meal, Makes want, strife, sorrow, and pain, In rags, dirt, hunger, and cold, with and many a wretched home.

only a wretched home. The drunkard's home is often but a Let friends of temperance everywhere stye-a stye;

unite-unite; Where many human beings live and And buckle on their armour for the die—and die;

fight—the fight; Without the meanest kind of bed on The liquor forces put to route, and cast which to rest the weary head

the drinking demon out ; But rags, dirt, squalor, and pain-a And so give comfort and peace to thoroughly wretched home.

many a wretched home. Our esteemed and venerable friend, the Rev. John Parker, of Sunderland, sends us the above verses from a poem by Mr. James Holland, of Yarmouth. Mr. Holland was for some time Sailors' Missionary in Sunderland, where his services were much appreciated. With some, their circumstances are not so bright as once they were, but God wonderfully opens the way for His servants.-ED.

THE GOOD TEMPLAR INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS.

[We rejoice in all true Temperance work. Thank God not only for the great work done in this country by Mr. Joseph Malins and his order, but for the im. petus given to the movement in the Northern nations of Europe. We believe the Scandinavian nation, if loyal to Christ, if true to the morality and Christianity of the glorious Gospel, shall have a glorious future. To save the nations from drink is no small thing. Many Scandinavian' sailors show a blessed example to our own sailors. We gladly insert this brief account sent us by Mr. J. B. Collings, and the sketches of these two Swedish brethren.-ED.)

The R.W.G. Lodge of the world met in the Swedish Parliament House at Stockholm, in July. Joseph Malins, presiding. The G.L. of England was fully represented by Messrs. D. J. Scott, J. B. Collings, W. Winton, J. Derrington, W. Dodgson, W. Woodall, and Miss Impey, of Street. The reports showed a gain in membership over last session, and the recent planting of the Order in Ontario, Manitoba, Michigan, Minnessota, and Alabama ; also Holland, Finland, and Iceland; while new Grand Lodges had been formed for Madras, and Victoria, Australia. The works of the Order had been lately translated into the German, Icelandic, and Maori languages. The following are the new officers : Chief, Rev. W. G. Lane, Nova Scotia ; Councillor, Joseph Malips, Birmingham, England ; Superintendent of Juveniles, Gilbert Archer, Leith, Scotland; Vice. Templar, Miss Forsyth, Boston, U.S.A. ; Secretary, W. W. Turnbull, Glasgow, Scotland; Assistant Secretary, Sir William Fox, New Zealand ; Treasurer, Mr. Allen, Dublin, Ireland ; Chaplain, A. H. Bery, Stockholm, Sweden ; Marshal, Dr. Selmer, Copenhagen, Denmark; Deputy Marshal, Miss Gray, Antwerp, Belgium; Messenger, W. Cook, Newtown, Wales ; Guard, J. Potter, Jersey; Sentinel, Mr. Henrickson, Stavanger, Norway; Past Chief, Rev. William Ross, Rothesay, Scotland. Declarations on Temperance Political Action were adopted, and a good deal of business done. The R.W.G. Lodge had a steamboat trip to the King's Gardens, where they dined, and several great demonstra. tions were held. Next Session to be at Carnarvon, Wales.

BRITISH AND FOREIGN SAILORS' SOCIETY. MR. WILLIAM LYONS, the well-known travelling representative of this worthy mission to seamen, held a meeting on Wednesday last in the U.P. Church Hall, Millport. The Rev. Mr. Frame, B.D., occupied the chair, and there was a good attendance. Mr. Lyons gave a most interesting account of the Society's work at home and abroad. The meeting was closed by the Rev. Alex. Walker, M.A. The Rev. Mr. Macnab was prevented by indisposition from being present. An auxiliary, we are glad to learn, has been fairly started in Millport, the collectors being Miss Paterson for the Free Church, Miss Goldie for the Established Church, and Miss Reid for the U.P. Church. It may be noted that the patron of this Society is Prince Albert Victor of Wales, and the president Sir' Thomas Brassey, K.C.B., M.P.-The Largs and Millport Weekly, June 13th.

OUR ENGLISH TONGUE. AMONG the languages of civilised nations, English is the most widely spread. It is the mother tongue of about eighty millions. German is spoken by between fifty and sixty millions, French between forty and fifty millions, Spanish forty millions, Italian twenty-eight millions, and Russian between fifty-five and sixty millions.-Educational Monthly. “They might have added,” says Chart and Compass, “the language of the sea is English.”

SKETCH OF BRO. OSCAR EKLUND, GW.S., SWEDEN. “ MR. EKLUND is one of the leading Temperance workers of Sweden. At the Grand Lodge of Good Templars, held at Manchester in Easter week, he was introduced by Mr. Malins as “a high official of our Order, representing the Scandinavian people.” He spoke at the great Free Trade Hall meeting, and showed a remarkable knowledge of the English language. To him the Swedish people are indebted for nearly all their translations of Good Templar books, and he publishes a healthy-looking Good Templar newspaper.

"Mr. Eklund was born on July 8th. 1861, at Arboyn, a little town of 3,000 inhabitants. My father (he writes) is a builder, and was, when I was a little boy, a very moderate Temperance' man. Any other kind of Temperance than

moderate' was not known at that time in Sweden. My grandfather was a rich farmer in the Southern part of the country, but began to make brandy and to drink it himself. He died and left nothing for his children. Brandy seems to be the curse of Sweden, and reference was made to it in his Free Trade Hall address. He invited his hearers to Sweden, for he wanted to tell them something about the great brandy king, who was said to have amassed his riches by the sale of liquor. The Pall Mall Gazette, the other day said he was the greatest Temperance worker in Sweden, but this was not so, for he was not the brandy king of that country.'

A few years ago, the Swedish, or rather Gothenburg system of licensing was strongly advocated in England as the panacea for all the evils that afflict the English nation. It does not seem, however, to have eradicated drunkenness in Sweden; for in no other country are the laws against it so severe. The late Dr. Beard, of New York, in his usual work on Stimulants and Narcotics, says:

"0"Of all countries, Sweden has enacted the severest laws against intoxication. Drunkenness itself is a crime, even when it does not lead to disorder. He who 276

A SKETCH OF BR. OSCAR EKLUND.

is seen drunk is fined for the first offence 12s. 6d., for the second 255., for the fourth £5., or is publicly exposed in church on the Sabbath ; for the fifth offence be is confined in the House of Correction; for the sixth offence he is condemned to twelve months' hard labour. It is not allowed to sell liquors to students, workmen, servants, apprentices, and private soldiers, that is to the classes most likely to become intoxicated. Of the fines, half go to charity, and half to the informer. These laws are read several times a year from the pulpit, and every taver keeper is obliged to keep them hung up in the principal rooms of his house,'

“ Yet even these severe punishments have failed to effect a reform in the habits of the people. It was the prevalence of drunken men, and the assurance that Good Templary was calculated to rescue and retain such men, that led Mr. Eklund to join the Order.

“The year 1879 witnessed the introduction of Good Templary into Sweden. At first it met with little success. It was ridiculed by some and opposed by others; and at the time Mr. Eklund joined it-January 1880—it had only about 100 members. At the next meeting he was elected secretary of the Lodges, and during the year a representative to the Grand Lodge. An account of the rise and progress of the order, and the condition of the Temperance movement in Sweden was given by Mr. Eklund, who said :—'The first man who planted the Temperance movement in Sweden was an Englishman, fifty years ago, and at that time the King of Sweden allowed English books on Temperance to be sent over to that country. Many Swedes of great influence started a National Temperance Society; but there was only one member left. Bro. Malins knew him very well. But that National Temperance Association had some money to receive from the Government for ever, but they did nothing; they only took the money. But the Good Templar Order was doing the work without Government aid, and did not want any. The Good Templar Order had grown every year, and had 5,000 pfenings and over in its cash. The people in Sweden sadly wanted the Order when it was sent over. But some men of influence thought it was coming into Sweden to destroy Christian religion and to put down the King from the throne! and they came to him and said, Tell us if the Good Templar Order is a branch of the Russian Nihilists ?' but he said 'No.' They had no place to meet in when they began the movement, but now all the churches in Sweden were open to them, and many of the ministers were among them, and had about forty Good Templar houses in Sweden, and Good Templar Halls which they had built. They had one house in Stockholm which was lighted by the Electric Light. Their influence in Sweden, he thought was very great now. At the last election to the Parliament in Sweden, the Conservative party came and said

Will you vote for our candidates ?” And the Liberal party came and said " Will you vote for our candidates ?” And the Templars said, “Yes ; but you must take one of our candidates on your list." The Conservative would not; but the Liberal party took one, and they put him into Parliament. (Cheers). And that man had about 200 votes more than for the Conservatives. The Good Templar Order in Stockholm alone had 250 votes. When the King, some time ago, had a dinner for the Parliamentary members, he had at the table special provisions for such as were Temperance men. Last year, in 1884, the Parliament of Sweden resolved that the public-houses should be closed on Sundays; but the king would not sanction it as yet, but he hoped he would do so, because he had several times said that he was very satisfied with the Good Templar Order and with the Temperance movement generally. He had, in fact, sometimes attended the Good Templar meetings, and at one of them he said that he was