Senior Thames Missionary.—CAPT. PRYNN.-In the review of another month there is much to excite gratitude and thankfulness, and yet we are still left to mourn over the abounding sin and iniquity of our brother sailors. Not a little of this passes under my notice, in my visitation both on the river and on shore. What necessity to exhibit the light of the gospel, and faithfully warn those who go down to the sea in ships, and see the wonders of God in the great deep, to flee from the wrath to come; and now, in this their day of visitation, to accept the overtures of mercy! This then is the object we pursue, in humble dependance on the promised aid of Him who hath said, "Lo! I am with you alway, even to the end of the world." This is our encouragment, that God is with us; and that underneath are the everlasting arms.

It is matter of much joy to know that the thick dark clouds which have long hovered over the spiritual vision of thousands of our brave, generous, and unsuspecting British sailors, is passing away, and an auspicious day is seen to dawn. Its refulgent rays have already gilded the eastern horizonand from Europe's northern icy shores to far Golconda's golden coast-the hymn of praise is heard, and songs divine by sailors loudly sung.

Good news from a far country have reached our ears. At Archangel, pious captains have hoisted the Bethel flag, and in the gracious accents of the gos

pel many a wanderer has been pointed to Christ;-at Petersburg, the labours of the Rev. E. E. Adams are abundantly blessed ;;—at Riga, Dantzic, and Hamburg very much good, under the divine blessing, has been done through the instrumentality and united efforts of pious captains, mates, and seamen. The shores of America also, both in the United States and in the British dominions, have been visited with a very gracious shower.-Letters of a most pleasing nature have been received from those parts. The Lord is making bare his arm; and this is our song of rejoicing in the wilderness, that He is gathering in the strayed sons of Zebulon, together with the dispersed of Judah, and bringing many sons to glory.

Visitation of Shipping.-Important, but soul-enlivening duty to point the wanderer to Christ,-to direct the thoughtless to him who is the way, the truth, and the life, and to pour the oil of consolation into the heart oppressed by sin and woe-by bringing to the view of our brother-sailors the riches of that grace that bringeth salvation! Of this grace many have been made the happy recipients, and by faith have realized the glories of the eternal world.

Many have been conversed with, who appeared anxious to be informed of the way of salvation. I have visited about two hundred and seventeen vessels-conversed with some hundreds of

sailors, distributed about seven hundred tracts, etc. on the river-held thirteen meetings afloat in the Lower Pool, and six at the Sailor's Chapel. My meetings have been, in general, well attended, accompanied with some pleasing tokens for good.

A new field of labour has been opened in the Wapping Basin, London Dock; here, in the providence of God, five pious captains, laying with their ships near each other, have hoisted the Bethel flag every day, and held a public religious service in the evening. Many have attended-and a holy influence has been felt. A pious captain and a young man (formerly a local preacher) acted alternately as priest. I have been present twice with these dear christian brethren, and I have found it good to be there.

I have again visited Long Reach and Greenhithe. When I arrived, I saw a Bethel flag-took a boat and went on board, and the same evening held a religious service. I left the ship about nine, in a dense fog, and being a dark night with much difficulty reached Greenhithe in safety. Early on Sunday morning I went on board the 'Manlius,' a ship of seven hundred tons register-had an interview with the captain, and very soon the Bethel flag was seen waving in the breeze at the mast head. The signal was soon responded to, by many coming in their boats to attend divine service,- the morning sun shone forth with splendour and nature seemed to rejoice over the hallowed scene.

At nine A.M. the ship's crew, twentyeight in number, with many others assembled on the quarter-deck-all was solemnity-the address, after singing, reading the scripture, and prayer, was given from Hebrews ii. 3. Many a tear was shed, and the Spirit of the living God appeared to move upon the minds of some present. This was a time long to be remembered. Being under engagement to speak at the

Wesleyan chapel at eleven A. M., I had to leave this scene, pleasing as it was, sooner than I otherwise should have done, but breathing out this prayer,— Lord, preserve this ship's crew, and save them with an everlasting salvation!

In the afternoon at the Wesleyan chapel, I had again the pleasure of addressing many of my brother sailors. In the evening at six o'clock, held a meeting on board the Athens;' the quarter-deck well filled with sailors, who heard very attentively.

Loan Libraries.-Four loan libraries have been granted to ships going to Sydney, Petersburg, Odessa, and Denmark; one has been returned and exchanged.

Junior Thames Missionary.- MR. WELCH.-"I will bring the blind by a way that they know not," is a divine promise, which has met with a blessed fulfilment in the sound conversion of many a poor wanderer of the deep; and strikingly illustrated in THE CASE OF AN OLD SAILOR, whose christian sincerity I have observed for some months.

Yesterday morning whilst on my spiritual look-out along the coast, I made out two sailors deeply engaged in a corner, under the lee of a gate. What to do?-not to curse and swear at each other, and fix on the spot to meet in battle. No!-they had met here in brotherly love to read the bible, and help each other in prayer! Not to consult where the best grog is to be sold-they had a temperance publication in their hands, rejoicing over the spread of total abstinence amongst sailors and others in the present day. As I unawares advanced upon them with a-"Halloa! my lads, what are ye both about here?" They started,being surprised, till seeing who I was, said, "Sir, you see we are helping each other all we can, on the passage to

a better world,-we understand each other best.

Well, I am heartily glad to find you so well employed, go on.

As one of them was the old tar referred to above, I took the opportunity of getting an outline of the history of his chequered life, which is as follows.

Now, Billy, for some time I have noticed you luffing up to windward of the public house, and fetching right into the chapel with a single board.

Yes, sir, I've been long enough upon a lee-shore-its quite time I was tacking about.

Well! but I want you to overhaul the store-room a little, and see what you got stowed away there.

Well, sir, if you'll 'xcuse a rough knot, and take it as it comes, I'll try what I can haul out of the locker. In 1801, I took my departure from a workhouse in Norfolk. Father was in the army-poor mother died in 1800:shall never forget her. There were four of us left adrift:-I went to sea. I need not tell you what kind of schooling I had on board a ship in those days. It was, who could swear the hardest was the best scholar. I got on board my uncle's ship of war; and there they completed me. So I could drink grog, -curse and swear-dance and sing songs-get drunk, and take a flogging as well as any man in the ship. I was aboard a man-of-war twelve years, and this is about the course I run every day of my life. I never hove to, to think for a moment there was a God, a heaven, or a hell; or that I had a soul. Nor was there, indeed, any one to tell me better, sir - as you are doing. You may as well put down forty years of my life expended in doing worse than nothing. And I wish it could be all buried in the Bay of Biscay, where there are no soundings-never to be seen again.

But stop, old friend, look into the locker again. Have you received no mercies all this time?

Mercies! yes, sir! It has often been nearly low water with me. I have been in two heavy engagements at sea, when my shipmates have been blown to shivers all round, and never a splinter hit me. One battle lasted from seven at night till two in the morning, when twenty-three of our brave men were killed out-right, and fifty-one wounded: so that when the enemy was taken, our ship was like a butcher's shop. Well-is this all?

No, sir: I have been in many scrimages, cutting out, when my boatmates have been shot alongside of me, and fallen like dead sparrows. I have been many times overboard :-once fell seventy feet from the yard-arm ;—was twice picked up for dead, when they said, 'it's all over with poor Billy now -where is his bag?'

Well; but stop, did you never think of eternity in all this?

Why, sir, we used sometimes to talk about fiddler's green, and such like places, and then drink it off with a war song.

Well-but there is some more yet: let's hear how you came to get her on the tack at last.

Aye, aye, sir! now you come to the best of it. Well; in all the storms and shipwrecks, battles, scrimages, and dangers, I have been in at sea, for upwards of thirty years, I've lost nothing but this one leg, you see; till a few months ago, my wooden leg slipt, and let me down from a height, and almost made a complete wreck of my poor old hull, so I was obliged to bear up and go into dock, and moor in Blanket Bay, on board the Dreadnought. Now, thought I, this is the last push for Billy; but they got me patched up again; so I was able to walk about, and a worthy good gentleman in this neighbourhood, who heard of my being dismasted, came to see me; indeed he took me in tow, and I hope the Lord will have mercy on him for it. The first few times, he talked to me so much about my soul