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Sepoy Mutiny was put down twenty years ago. It has left grand monuments of its splendour in the great mosque at Delhi and the far-famed marble mausoleum at Agra.

Queen Victoria now reigns over forty millions of Mussulmans, who make up one fifth of the population of India. But one-half of these, in Lower Bengal, are Moslems only in name, being more than half Hindus, observing caste rules and practising idolatrous rites. Their ancestors submitted without a struggle to the sword of one of the earliest conquerors seven centuries ago. They are of the very lowest classes, and only one in a thousand attend the Government Schools. The remainder, who are most numerous in the North-West and the Punjab, are chiefly the descendants of the old invaders.

Mohammedan princes governed India for eight hundred years, and during the greater part of that time the sword devoured the land; but Islam, as a religion, totally failed to overcome the ancient faith of the Hindus.

M

A GOOD EXAMPLE.

To the Editor.

Y DEAR SIR,-I was walking, a few weeks back, in a large town in Yorkshire with the C.M.S. local secretary. We were passing along one of the main streets when he suddenly said to me, "I should like to introduce you to a Miss H- in this street, who is a great friend of the Society." We crossed the road and entered a confectioner's shop. The shop was full of customers, and the first thought which came into my mind was that its occupant must be too busy to attend to anything but her own business. My friend asked her if she would kindly tell me in a few sentences the history of her working party. She then told us that a few years ago she had given sixpence to two young nieces who wished to do something for Missions. This sixpence they had invested in something which they sold again, and with the proceeds they again invested, and so went on, until this year they had held a sale of work which realised £46. Of this sum £21 was devoted to the C.M.S., £20 was given to the C.P.A.S., and £5 was kept to purchase material for another sale next year. Surely there are many others who could go and do likewise, and by so doing enable the Society to send missionaries to those heathen chiefs who are asking in vain for teachers. AN ASSOCIATION SECRETARY.

BISHOP CROWTHER: HIS LIFE AND WORK.

VI.-ABEOKUTA (continued).

T is not possible, in these short biographical chapters, to enlarge on the trials and triumphs of the Mission at Abeokuta. In all of them, for several years, Samuel Crowther bore his part; and the practical wisdom manifested by him again and again was gratefully acknowledged in the Instructions of the Committee delivered to him on his return to Africa after the short visit to England in 1851 referred to in our previous chapter. (See C.M. Intelligencer, January, 1852.) The motto of those Instructions was, Sent forth as sheep in the midst of wolves; be ye therefore wise as serpents and harmless as doves; but beware of men." And the Committee referred to Mr. Crowther's dealings with the chiefs of Abeokuta, with regard to certain national superstitions (such as " Oro"-see our March number, p. 33), the persecution of the converts

by the babalawos or priests of Ifa, &c., as illustrations of his having combined the wisdom of the serpent with the harmlessness of the dove.

The persecution here alluded to had occurred two years before. For a

while the converts had been forbidden to communicate with the missionaries on pain of death; and Crowther's house was watched day and night. Ultimately he (in conjunction with Mr. Müller and Mr. Hinderer-Mr. Townsend was away) persuaded the head chiefs to interpose. The details of this episode appear in the Society's reports of the time at great length in Crowther's own words. It need scarcely be said that the steadfastness of the Native Christians and the discomfiture of the babalawos greatly strengthened the Mission.

On his return to Africa, Samuel Crowther made a short stay at Sierra Leone, preaching in the different churches, relating his missionary experiences in the Yoruba country, and everywhere exciting the greatest interest among the now large Native Christian population. "His sermons," wrote one of the English missionaries, "have been deeply interesting and profitable to the people, and his friendly visits refreshing to us all." His home during this visit was the house of his eldest daughter Susanna, the wife of the second ordained African clergyman, the Rev. G. Nicol.

In June, 1852, he rejoined the Yoruba Mission. This time he landed, not at Badagry as before, but at Lagos, no longer a great slave-trading centre, but a gate for lawful commerce into the interior, owing to the action of the British squadron referred to in our last chapter. Crowther had not been there since, as a little boy, he was shipped as a slave thirty years before :

costume. At one end of the church, where we took our seats, were placed about fifty children of the school, under the eye of the schoolmistress. The service was performed by the Rev. S. Crowther. Being in the Yoruba tongue, we of course could not understand what he preached. But from the text (Luke iv. 15-17), which I could not help thinking was an exceedingly felicitous one, and appropriate to the circumstances and situation, it was not difficult to conceive its general tenour. The Yoruba language is full, soft, and sweet; and, delivered in the affectionate and impressive manner of the preacher, seemed to us peculiarly so. The general expression of his hearers was that of grave, serious, solemn, rapt attention; their bearing not abject, but quietly composed. Each, as he took his place without noise or haste, arranged the folds of his country cloth and prepared to listen. It had a strange and most pleasing effect to hear the voices of so many men, women, and children uniting in the service of the true God, rising in the midst of a population degraded, ignorant, superstitious-the slaves of the rites of fetish-with so much earnest humility; and it would be a good thing for the would-be knowing men of the world, who sneer at missionary, labour, to take a lesson from the church of Aké.

In November, 1854, Abeokuta was favoured for the first time with an

NEGRESS OF ABEOKUTA WITH INDIGO.

On June 14th (he wrote) our little schooner anchored off the place from which I was shipped for the Brazils in 1822. I could well recollect many places I knew during my captivity, so I went over the spots where slave barracoons used to be. What a difference! Some of the spots are now converted into plantations of maize and cassava; and sheds, built on others, are filled with casks of palm oil and other merchandise, instead of slaves in chains and irons, agony and despair.

For the next two years Mr. Crowther continued his varied labours at Abeokuta. To this period belongs the very interesting picture of the Mission drawn by Dr. Irving, R.N., as he saw it on visiting the town with Captain Foote, by desire of the British Admiral on the coast, in January, 1853. He thus describes a service conducted by Crowther :We entered the church, which is well lighted, and ventilated, if necessary, by eight glass windows on either side and two at the end, where is the communion-table, enclosed by a railing; at one side is the pulpit. On entering we found a full congregation, the male portion occupying the rows of cross benches on the one hand, and the women on the other. There might be, in all, about 300 present, generally cleanly dressed, and many in European

Episcopal visitation. Bishop Vidal, of Sierra Leone-the very man who, when a country clergyman, had learned Yoruba, and assisted Mr. Crowther in the preparation of his Dictionarywent up from Lagos, and found in the town and its out-stations, after nine years' labour in a country which had been the chief seat of the slave-trade, more than a thousand Natives worshipping the true God and reading the Scriptures in their own tongue. He confirmed more than five hundred of the converts, and ordained two African catechists, one of them another sonin-law of Samuel Crowther, T. B. Macaulay (the same who died lately).

But Crowther was not at Abeokuta when his old friend the Bishop visited it. He was away up the Niger, whither he had accompanied another expedition sent to open up the river to trade, the first that had dared to ascend it since the disastrous attempt of 1841. But of this journey we shall speak hereafter.

On his return from the Niger, Mr. Crowther went up to Abeokuta again, and from thence visited Mr. and Mrs. Hinderer at Ibadan, and Mr. Mann at Ijaye, and discussed with them the extended openings for missionary effort which were then presenting themselves throughout the Yoruba country. But his own share in taking advantage of these openings was cut off by his being obliged to go down to Lagos to superintend the coast stations, left vacant by the return of Mr. Gollmer to Europe.

Two years, from June, 1855, to June, 1857, were spent at Lagos; and the journals of the period show the same activity as before at Abeokuta. The work at Lagos itself was trying in many ways, owing to the motley character of the population of a place which was rapidly developing as a mercantile port; besides which, the stations at Badagry and Otta, and two in the Jebu country (since given up), had to be superintended and visited. In December, 1856, Mr. Crowther had the joy of welcoming another old friend in the second Bishop of Sierra Leone-Dr. Vidal having died on the voyage back to Sierra Leone after the visitation mentioned above. This was none other than the old West African missionary, Mr. Weeks, from whom Crowther had learned carpentering as a boy, and under whom he had afterwards laboured at Regent. But he too was soon to lay down his life in the cause of Christ and of Africa. After a happy visitation of the Yoruba Mission, Bishop Weeks sailed from Lagos, fell ill on the voyage, and died a few days after his return to Sierra Leone.

While at Lagos, Crowther continued his useful labours as a translator of the Bible into the Yoruba language. But his literary work also began to take a wider range. His heart was going forth towards the degraded tribes on the great river he had twice explored; and a Native Christian from Sierra Leone, named Simon Jonas, who belonged to one of those tribes, the Ibos, and had been the interpreter in both the Niger

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expeditions, was sent to Lagos to assist him in preparing a primer, vocabulary, and some portions of Scripture, in the Ibo tongue. Thus both the agents and the implements for the future Mission were making ready; and in 1857 the Gospel was planted on the banks of the Niger.

OUTLINE MISSIONARY LESSONS.

For the Use of Sunday School Teachers.

II. " FAR OFF-MADE NIGH."

"Ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ." Eph. ii. 13.

HESE words part of a letter. Who wrote it? To whom written?

Great city long ago-Ephesus-people rich and gayknew not God-worshipped a hideous wooden imagethought it fell down from heaven-called it Diana. St. Paul went there-his message-many believed it-gave up idol-worshipped "the Lord Jesus" (see this particular phrase in Acts xix. 10, 13, 17). Years after, Paul in prison at Rome-wrote them this letter. In text reminds them of three things:

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1. What they had been once-"FAR OFF." From whom? From their Creator, Preserver, Provider, Redeemer, Father. But is not God every

where? Yes; but the Bible calls those "far off" who don't like to be near Him, and keep away, or who are afraid of Him, or who know Him not. [Illust.-Child does wrong-mother angry-father grave-can child come near them ?-does it not feel "far off"?] Why this? Something between. SIN. So Adam in Eden-" hid himself." A great wall-a great gulf. [Illust.-Cloud cutting off sun's light and warmth.]

2. What they had become " NIGH." If you had walked through street of Ephesus at night-passed house-said to yourself, "Ah! bad people live there "-suddenly heard soft, sweet hymn-then voice crying earnestly to Father above-then "Amen from many voices-you start -"How is this?" They are changed-not "far off" now-" made nigh"-feel they may come to God-quite happy.

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3. What made the change?" THE BLOOD OF CHRIST." Two things done: (1) Jesus died, shed His blood, to take away their sin; (2) they believed it, trusted, so their sin put away-no great wall now-can draw nigh unto God" (Heb. vii. 19). See 1 Pet. iii. 18-“Christ suffered . . . that He might bring us to God."

THERE ARE MULTITUDES "FAR OFF" NOW. [Illust-See "How the Heathen Pray," Gleaner, 1875, pp. 22, 27, 94, 130, 136; and "African Catechist's Evangelistic Tour," Gleaner, 1876, pp. 88, 107, 112.]

BUT MANY HAVE BEEN

MADE NIGH."

[Illust.-Sick and Dying Christians in Yoruba, Gleaner, April, 1875, p. 37; Imam Shah, Gleaner, Nov., 1876, p. 122; First-fruits at Liyanwela, Gleaner, Sept., 1877, p. 104; Shaou-hing Converts, Gleaner, Oct. and Dec., 1877, pp. 89, 138.]

You may hear all over the world what could be heard at Ephesussinging and prayer to God. [Illust.-Red Indians singing hymns on canoe journey; Prayer-meetings every Saturday night all over Fuh-kien.] HOW WERE THEY MADE NIGH? Same way" by the blood of Christ." But, "How shall they believe on whom they have not heard? and how hear without a preacher? and how preach except sent ? " must send the preachers.

EPITOME OF MISSIONARY NEWS.

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A Special Fund has been opened for the C.M.S. Mission in Palestine, chiefly for the purpose of helping to provide the requisite buildings in the different mission stations, and other similar purposes. The cost of the Mission, it will be remembered, has been increased by the expenses of the work taken over from Bishop Gobat last year. It is hoped that many who take a peculiar interest in the Holy Land will be glad of the opportunity thus afforded them of contributing specially to the spread of pure Christianity among the people.

The speakers at the C.M.S. Annual Meeting were the Earl of Chichester, who presided; the Bishops of Sydney and Saskatchewan; Gen. Sir W. Hill Canons Miller and Martin; the Rev. T. P. Hughes, of Peshawur ; and the Rev. W. T. Satthianadhan, of Madras. At the Evening Meeting the Bishop of Sodor and Man presided, and the speakers were the Revs. R. V. Dunlop (Ceylon), W. P. Schaffter (Madras), W. T. Satthianadhan, and B. Baring-Gould, and Major Morton. The address at the Clerical Breakfast was given by the Dean of Ripon.

The venerable Bishop W. Williams, late of Waiapu, entered into rest at Napier on February 9th. He was the third Oxford graduate sent out by the C.M.S. He went to New Zealand in 1825, and laboured there for half a century. One of Bishop Selwyn's first acts was to appoint him, in 1842, Archdeacon of Waiapu; and in 1859 he was consecrated first Bishop of the see of that name. He resigned the bishopric two years ago.

A Special Ordination was held at St. Mary's Parish Church, Islington, on May 1st, by Bishop Perry, acting under a commission from the Archbishop of Canterbury, when Mr. G. Litchfield, of the C.M. College, was admitted to deacon's orders. The sermon was preached by the Rev. E. H. Bickersteth. On Sunday, May 5th, Mr. Litchfield received priest's orders from Bishop Ryan at St. Mary's, Spital Square, with a view to his immediate departure for Central Africa.

The Nyanza Mission party appointed to proceed to Uganda by way of the Nile left England on May 8th. It consists of Mr. C. W. Pearson, the Rev. G. Litchfield, and Mr. J. W. Hall, of the C.M. College; and Mr. R. W. Felkin, a young surgeon. Mr. Pearson, who will be the leader, has been a sailor, and served as chief officer on board large steamers running to India, &c.

The following locations of C.M. College students have been made:Mr. R. Elliott, to the Santâls, as a medical missionary; Mr. H. W. Eales, to the Telugu Mission; Mr. J. Grundy, to China; Mr. C. H. O. Gollmer, and Mr. T. A. Haslam, to the Yoruba Mission, the former for the Lagos Training Institution, the latter for evangelistic work; Mr. H. D. Day, to Calcutta; Mr. J. J. Pickford, to Tamil work in Ceylon; Mr. T. Kember, to Tinnevelly; Mr. J. T. Alley, to Port Lokkoh; Mr. W. Goodyear, to New Zealand.

Five C.M. College students passed the Oxford and Cambridge Preliminary Examination of Candidates for Holy Orders held in April, viz., Messrs. Elliott and Pickford in the 1st class, and Messrs. Gollmer, Grundy, and Litchfield in the 2nd.

We regret to hear that the Rev. John Fuchs, the senior C.M.S. missionary at Benares, who went out to India in 1847, died of small-pox on March 29th.

Mr. W. H. Collison, of the Metlakahtla Mission, was admitted to deacon's orders on March 17th, and to priest's orders on March 24th, by Bishop Bompas, of Athabasca.

On Jan. 20th, at Waimate, New Zealand, the Bishop of Auckland admitted to priest's orders five Maori deacons: the Revs. Hare Peka Taua, Meinata Te Hara, Alexander Wharemu, Matiu Kapa, and Reinhara Kamiti. The sermon was preached by the Rev. Piripi Patiki.

The following missionaries have lately arrived in England:-The Rev. J. G. Deimler and W. A. Roberts, of Western India; the Revs. J. Brown, B. Davis, S. Dyson, F. Gmelin, and S. T. Leupolt, and Mrs. Elmslie, of North India; the Rev. R. Collins, of Ceylon; the Rev. R. Palmer, of China; the Rev. C. Baker, of West Africa; and the Rev. J. A. Lamb, of East Africa.

The Henry Venn mission steamer arrived safely at Sierra Leone on April 6th, on her way to the Niger.

The North Pacific Mission had the advantage during the winter of a visit from Bishop Bompas, of Athabasca. He crossed the Rocky Mountains in November, and remained on the western side till March, visiting Metlakahtla, Kincolith, and Queen Charlotte's Island. He confirmed 124 candidates at Metlakahtla. There are now 1,000 souls connected with that settlement.

At a great fire at Abeokuta, on March 22nd, the church and missionhouse at the C.M.S. Ikija station were burnt down.

The baptisms in the Yoruba Mission last year numbered 409, viz., 202 adults and 207 children. Of the adult baptisms, 65 were at Lagos, 38 at Ebute Meta, 38 at Abeokuta, 29 at Ibadan, besides a few at the smaller stations. The Native Christian adherents have increased by 1,100, and the communicants by 300, in two years, the figures being now 5,815 and 2,024.

A special fund has been opened by Bishop Ashton Oxenden, the Metropolitan of Canada, in aid of the Mission carried on under the auspices of the C.M.S. among the educated Natives of Madras.

The statistical returns from South India again show decided progress. The Native Christian adherents connected with the C.M.S. are 66,513, an increase of 1,640 in the year; the communicants 13,924, an increase of 583. Yet the deaths have been 2,052, nearly double the usual number. The baptisms in the year were-adults, 1,153; children, 2,320. Of the adult baptisms, 641 were in Travancore, 349 in Tinnevelly, 146 in the Telugu Mission, 17 in Madras. There are 725 schools of all grades, taught by 773 teachers, and educating 15,012 boys and 8,253 girls.

Female education is spreading in Tinnevelly. Mr. Lash's schools for girls of the middle and upper classes now number 50, and the pupils 1,551, an increase of 15 schools and 727 scholars in the year. There is a large increase also in the girls attending the village schools.

Miss Laurence, of the C.M.S. Mission at Ningpo, has, by permission of Lord Hatherley, translated his valuable book, The Continuity of Scripture, into Chinese.

The Rev. A. E. Moule has published a Chinese version of the Thirtynine Articles, with a Commentary. The first edition of 600 copies has been sold at once, and a second is being printed by the American Episcopal Mission press.

A revised version of the Prayer-book in Arabic, for the use of the Palestine Mission, has been completed by the Rev. F. A. Klein.

THE CHURCH MISSIONARY GLEANER.

VINEYARD WORK.

JULY, 1878.

Thoughts for those Engaged in Christ's Service. BY THE REV. G. EVERARD, Vicar of St. Mark's, Wolverhampton. VII. THE SPIRIT OF CHRIST IN WORK.

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T was the remark of a young man going out to India some years ago, Pray for me that I may do the Master's work in the Master's spirit." It is a prayer each one of us may well offer for ourselves and for all others engaged in Christ's service. His love must be our motive, His arm our strength, and His mind and spirit that which we must strive to catch. What unflinching courage, what unsparing self-sacrifice, what fearless rebuke of sin, what meekness and lowliness, what utter putting aside of self, what tender compassion for sinners, what patient endurance of hardship and reproach and suffering, do we behold in every moment and in every action of His wondrous life! It is our wisdom to study His holy example, and to put our feet in the footprints He hath thus left behind.

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Oh, for more of His unwearied zeal! Oh, for more of His cheerful self-surrender to the will of God! "Nevertheless, not as I will, but as Thou wilt." "The cup which My Father hath given Me shall I not drink it?" Oh, for more of His diligence in labour! May it be our meat to do the will of our Father in heaven, and even in seasons of rest and recreation, may we ever be watchful to leave behind a savour of Christ wherever we go, and to speak a word by the way that may guide a soul to Him. Oh, for more of His spirit of unselfish love! Most of all do we need this. Love is the fulfilling of the law, and the crown of all obedience. Would to God we were so moulded and fashioned by the spirit of love, that we might render a life of loving service both to God and man!

O Father, for Christ's sake, grant unto us this grace. "Pour into our hearts such love toward Thee, that we may love Thee above all things." "Send Thy Holy Ghost, and pour into our hearts that most excellent gift of charity," that we may love all men as Christ hath loved us. Fill us with pity and compassion, with kindness, gentleness, and long-suffering. Give us hearts to yearn over the lost and perishing! O Blessed Saviour, in all things renew us in Thine own image, and give us the same mind that was in Thee, that we may do Thy work according to Thy holy will, for Thy name's sake. Amen.

MORE NEWS FROM CENTRAL AFRICA. URTHER letters have reached the Society from the Rev. C. T. Wilson, and also a most interesting journal kept by Lieutenant Smith during the month of November, which, having been sent to the British Consulate at Zanzibar, has come through the Foreign Office. These and the previous dispatches are printed in the C.M. Intelligencer of this month, and it is only possible in the GLEANER to give a brief outline of their contents. Of Mr. O'Neill's clever sketches we present three on another page, which speak for themselves, and others have been reproduced as coloured lithographs in the publication just issued by the Society, Sketches of African Scenery (see advertisement).

From Lieutenant Smith's diary we learn that, after the voyage of exploration up the Shimeyu and Ruwana rivers, described in our last number, he returned to Ukerewe on November 5th. He found the king, Lukongeh, full of warlike projects, and the war-drum beating to summon his people to an expedition with the object of annexing a part of the island not owning his

sway. He asked Smith for poison with which to kill his enemies, but seemed satisfied with the reply that "the King of kings abhorred such dark and treacherous deeds, and would be very angry if this request were complied with." On the 14th the dhow (which had been named the Chimosi, being "bad Kisuahili" for "The First," and also, as to its consonants, embodying the initials of the Society, Ch., M., S.)-was at length successfully launched; but, to Smith's surprise, Lukongeh immediately turned out with an armed force, demanded why his property was being removed, and seized the mast, rudder, anchor, &c. "We looked on," says Smith, "with passive unconcern, knowing all would come right in the end;" and it soon transpired that Songoro (the Arab trader) had never informed Lukongch that the vessel was sold to the missionparty, had never paid for the timber, and had pocketed a present of twenty dollars which Smith had given him for the king. Two or three days' delay took place, owing to Songoro's absence; but on the 19th, Smith met him in Lukongeh's presence, and after five hours' discussion, which was renewed on the 20th and 21st, the king was entirely satisfied of the good faith of the white men. "God," he said, "brought you here; God brought Songoro here; but [very emphatically] he is a great rogue." One of the topics of discussion was the value of a bill of exchange on Zanzibar, which Smith had given to Songoro :

Lukongeh asked how a piece of paper could be turned into cloth or beads, to illustrate, which I tore a slip out of my pocket-book, and, writing to O'Neill, asked him to send back a cloth by the bearer. The paper was handed to Lukongeh with instructions to send it by messenger to O'Neill. This he did, after turning it over several times, and carefully scrutinising the writing to see that the writing was not black beads tied on. The messenger soon returned, bringing a cloth, which so pleased Lukongeh that he asked for the ceremony to be repeated.

Songoro ultimately agreed to pay a certain amount of ivory, and to leave hostages until he could obtain it; whereupon the embargo on the dhow was removed, and on the 22nd the party got away, after three visits from Lukongeh to the vessel, in perfect friendliness. One was a special visit to Mr. O'Neill, to request him to remain on the island, as "all the people loved him, because he said Watcha sugu (good morning) to them." "O'Neill," writes Smith, "has been very kind to the people; his amiable disposition and untiring good nature are the very things wanted in Africa." He had taught the children their alphabet, and they ran about repeating "eckiss, y, z." Nor had the real purpose of the Mission been allowed to drop out of sight. In the midst of these troublesome disputes we read:

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Sunday, Nov. 18.-Assembled a few to listen to St. John's Gospel being read in Kisuaheli. It was a more attentive gathering than usual. May the entrance of the Word give light! It was a foreshadowing of better things to come, and a cause of deep thankfulness to see Nagombwa, the Mganda sent by Mtesa to attend upon us, come into the tent, and, kneeling down, ask to be taught to pray the same as Mtesa did. He could only remember one word, for he had been present at the services held in Uganda, and that word he devoutly repeated-it was "Amin." On leaving, he promised every day to ask God for the Holy Spirit, that he might learn of Jesus and understand His Word.

Lieutenant Smith gives the following account of the wreck of the dhow off Kagei. The women and children alluded to were some of Songoro's party, to whom he had given a passage:—

Saturday, November 24th, saw us at sunset running before a pleasant N.W. breeze; fires were lit on shore, and at 7 P.M. we dropped our grapnel in 34 fathoms, 100 yards off the pier at Kagei.

There was a slight swell on, and the sand being bad holding ground she dragged, nor had we rope for a cable to our second anchor, neither time to unreeve the running gear to make one before she bumped on the rocks astern, unshipping the rudder. We vainly endeavoured to pole her off, but were powerless against the wind and swell, so, drifting on to a bed of pointed stones, she was stove in and filled.

It was dark, and the noise of the yet darker crew, and I suppose we must say "fair" women, combined with the cries of children and cackling of fowls made confusion worse confounded, and with feelings of relief I saw the Daisy, in charge of Hassani our interpreter, come to our succour. Women, children, and those who cannot swim are taken on shore, the remainder set to and dive up the most valuable part of the cargo, such as chronometer, theodolite, compass, medicines, and cloth, so that by 10 P.M. we reluctantly leave the dhow to the wild sport of the now moonlit waves.

You will naturally ask why we did not attempt to get her off? With an English crew it would have occurred to each man that such was the right thing to do, but not so to ours. Many were too frightened to return, and those who did were unable to work in the cold, cold water-so doubtless it was to them, though standing at a temperature of 78° or 80°. It may be

some satisfaction to know that the attempt would have been futile, as we have since found that the stove-in plank admitted a pointed rock which transfixed her.

As they could not get the vessel off, they broke her up, saved the good timbers, nails, &c., and prepared plans for building a new one on arriving in Uganda. They sailed away in the Daisy on December 6th, but put into Ukerewe in consequence of contrary winds, and the next day, alas! was the day of their death, the native accounts of which, given in our last number, are confirmed by our latest letters, though the exact circumstances are still not quite clear.

In the meanwhile, ever since Lieutenant Smith left Uganda in July, Mr. Wilson had remained there with King Mtesa. He sends a very encouraging account of his Sunday services at the palace:

As in all tropical countries, we are early here; so, about half-past seven every Sunday morning, I set off for the palace, the fact of its being Sunday being announced to the public by the king flying

"Amens." The people, as a rule, are very attentive, and seem to take an interest in what is read, especially in our Lord's parables; and the hearty expressions of assent which come from them, when anything comes to them with special force, are very pleasant to hear.

I was much pleased last Sunday with what the king did. The passage from the New Testament was the raising of Lazarus, which was listened to with unusual attention. At the close, after speaking of our Lord's power and willingness to save all who came to Him, I urged them to come to Christ at once, while there was time. As soon as I had finished, the king took it up and spoke most eloquently to them, telling them to believe in Christ now, saying they could only do so in this life; when they were dead, it would be too late.

These services are attended only by what may be called the aristocracy of Uganda; but it is a great thing that in so young a Mission we can

give some, at any rate, the opportunity of hearing regularly the Word of God; and we have God's promise to encourage us, that His Word shall not return unto Him void. I, of course, do not confine my work to Sundays, but whenever I go up to the king's court, which I do several times each week, I take my Bible, and generally contrive to read or say something about religious matters. At these courts the attendance is more mixed, and there are people present from all parts of Uganda, so that one cannot but hope that the seed thus sown may be carried far and wide, to spring up in due time to God's honour and glory.

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A few words in Mr. Wilson's last letter, written in February near Unyanyembe, whither he had gone to procure cloth (for money), reveal a silver lining even in the dark cloud that has been permitted to overshadow the Nyanza Mission. He says, "I can already see how God is bringing good out of evil in this matter [the death of our brethren], in the favourable feeling it seems to have created towards us in the minds of many of the natives." Assuredly our brethren have not died in vain. In their case, as in so many others, the blood of the martyrs will prove to be the seed of the Church. The dispensation is indeed a mysterious one; but

FAMINE VICTIMS IN SOUTH INDIA. (From a Photograph.)

his flag from the flagstaff by his palace. This flag is a nondescript sort of thing, consisting of pieces of red, blue, and white calico sewn together. The service begins with a chapter from the Old Testament. I read three or four verses in English, and Mufta then reads them in Kisuahili-the king generally translating into Kiganda. I then explain and comment on the verses just read, and answer any questions that may be asked; then three or more verses are read and explained, and so on till the chapter is finished. A chapter is then read and explained in a similar manner from the New Testament, and I give a short address, consisting principally of a sort of summing up of what we have just read, and drawing particular attention to anything of special importance. This keeps the people's attention better than reading longer portions at a time, and also gives them more opportunities for asking questions, of which I am glad to say they avail themselves pretty freely. We then conclude with some prayers from the Prayer-book, in English and Suahili, the people (except the Arabs) all kneeling and joining in the

"God is His own interpreter, And He will make it plain."

FAMINE VICTIMS IN SOUTH INDIA. AST month we gave a picture of some famine-stricken children in Tinnevelly, with an accompanying narrative from the Rev. H. Horsley. His relief camp was, however, a small one. A very much larger one was carried on at Mavalur, near Madras, first by the Rev. W. P. Schaffter, and on his return home by the Rev. J. D. Thomas. For some time no less than six thousand persons were provided with two meals daily. The above picture is from a photograph taken at this camp and given to us by Mr. Schaffter.

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