He left London for Gravesend, on Wednesday, January 28, 1807, accompanied by Mr. and Mrs. Gordon, and Mr. and Mrs. Lee, who were appointed missionaries to India; but they were also obliged to go to their destination by way of America:-the only survivor of that devoted band is Mrs. Lee. This interesting company was attended by many private friends, and also by one of the secretaries of the London Missionary Society. During their detention at Gravesend, Mr. M. preached, at the request of his friend Mrs. Smith, from the text recorded in his journal, John xiv. 1-3; a passage from which she had heard him discourse on a former occasion, and which was the subject of his last sermon on earth, though he was not spared to deliver it. During his detention at Gravesend, the steadfastness of his faith and holy resolution are evinced in the following letter addressed to his brethren:-"My health and spirits are pretty good. I find support in leaning on God. My engagement is truly an arduous one, but faith can make it easy. I hope that the work is the Lord's, and nothing is too hard for him. If the Lord inspired Bezaleel to frame the work of the sanctuary, the earthly tabernacle, how much more will he, I trust, assist me and his other servants to build his spiritual temple. My dear brother, I hope that you will be enabled, by the grace of God, to hold on in the heavenly way; and that you will walk before your family in the fear of God, and command them to follow after you. We have all a warfare to fight, a race to run; courage and diligence are requisite, to ensure victory or to win the prize.

My very dear brother, farewell! Fear not, be strong; only believe. The most solemn and infinitely important things are before us. Death, and judgment,

and eternity, and the things connected with them, appear in some degree more and more important as they advance nearer. It has been often said to me of late, that we shall meet again before the throne; but how little do we conceive of the importance of such a consideration.

"The ship is not yet come, and the tide is turned; but a fresh breeze gives me hope that it will arrive today. I have at this hour again commended you and yours, with all my dear relatives, to the care of my God. Fare- farewell!"

After leav

Mr. Morrison embarked on Jan. 31st. ing Gravesend, the ship was detained for some time in the Downs, waiting for a favourable wind. On the night of Tuesday, February 17th, a violent gale sprung up, which occasioned immense devastation amongst the shipping, so that a number of vessels went on shore, and some sunk. Serious apprehensions were at one time entertained by their friends, respecting the safety of the missionaries; but God signally preserved them. Out of a large fleet, which was anchored in the Downs, when the gale sprang up, the Remittance was the only one that was able to pursue her voyage. Surely this was "the finger of God." He gave the winds and the waves a charge concerning his servants; and although they suffered much from sea-sickness, and were not free from fears as to their safety, not a hair of their heads was hurt; and God gave them, as he did Paul in the Adriatic, the lives of those who sailed with them. It was not until the 26th of February that they finally left their native shores; and then, although they reached the Banks of Newfoundland about the 11th of March, through the prevalence of contrary winds they did not arrive at

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New York until the 20th of April, having been at sea (109 days. By the circumstances of the voyage, the faith of the missionaries was severely tried; but God graciously supported them, and enabled them to maintain the true spirit of their office, and to win the respect of the ship's company. They availed themselves of all opportunities to do good on the voyage; conversing with the men, individually or in groups, as occasion served, and preaching on the Lord's days when the weather permitted. At this period, such efforts on ship-board were not by any means so easy as they have now happily become, when owners and captains of ships prefer to take out missionaries, and even seek for them, and invite their services. Much, however, still depends on the consistent piety and holy prudence of the missionary, as to the success of such endeavours.

Mr. Morrison kept a journal of the voyage,-part of which only has been preserved. He moreover wrote a continuous account of the circumstances to various friends, of which only a small portion exists. By connecting the whole, the form of a journal may be maintained, and the necessity for distinguishing between journals and letters advantageously superseded. The style will however remain unaltered. From the whole it will appear, that whilst the frame of his mind sometimes varied, his faith in God remained unshaken, and his regard to his great object steadfast and unwavering; and that by the kindness of a gracious Providence, he was permitted to take his full share in the public exercises of religion during the voyage, as well as to display his wonted zeal in privately trying to do good. On consideration, the compiler has been induced to give these extracts at greater length than is usual in such cases. Missionaries have sometimes been

heard to complain that the memoirs of their departed brethren are so fully occupied with that which immediately appertains to the field of labour, as almost entirely to exclude the record of their state of feeling, and of the sentiments by which they were animated and sustained at their entrance on their work, and at that period which is generally felt to be the most trying of the whole term of service.

"In the River, February 1.-I am perfectly at a loss what to say. Whether to attempt to comfort you, or to make my own complaint, I know not. I cast my eyes around me, and then I look inward. But there is nothing to administer support to my mind in the prospect of leaving dear relatives, friends, and country, and engaging in so stupendous a work, from these quarters. For support I look into my Bible and up to my God. Last night I wept bitterly. I felt more strongly the greatness of my engagement. My heart, as I walked the room, ejaculated, O Jehovah, God of Hosts, be thou my strength and my stay! O God, my Saviour, go thou with me!

"February 2.-This morning we have again had family prayer. Brother Lee read the Scriptures, and I prayed. My mind is rather barren. On Saturday evening, I had some degree of communion with God, whilst walking the deck. I have this morning spoken to the Captain concerning preaching to the men, and he professes his willingness that it should be whenever we are able, and the weather will permit it. O for divine assistance!-I have found a place for secret prayer, in the cable-tier. Lord, pour upon me a spirit of

prayer.

"February 4.-Our Captain is a remarkably civil person, and on that account entirely it is, I fear, that he deals so kindly towards us. But I do not judge.

O that our presence may be of real service to him. My mind is tolerably comfortable in the prospect of my future work. I hope that the Lord will incline the hearts of the Americans to allow me to reside with them at Canton. I feel more and more my own insufficiency for so great a work, and continue to pray that I may feel it still more.

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Downs, February 5.—I have just now been walking the deck with an American black [one of the ship's company], and endeavouring to set before his mind the necessity and suitableness of the Lord Jesus Christ as a Saviour. O that the blessing of the Lord may follow this feeble attempt. We still have the permission of the Captain to join together in social worship, and have uniformly had his presence. We shall, if health permit, partake of the ordinance of the Lord's Supper next Sabbath. My mind, my dear father, is tolerably comfortable in the prospect of my great work. I do not repent that I have engaged in this service; and I hope that you still feel perfectly resigned to the leading of Divine Providence in my leaving you. God has, my dear father, led me by a way that I knew not. Very-very far different were my intentions and plans a few years ago. I then wished and prayed that I might be thus employed; but it seemed, even when I prayed for it, so improbable, that I was devising another line of conduct. If at the great day it be found that any good has resulted from my labours, to his name must be all the glory. I leave my brother James with comfort. I trust he is walking in the narrow path that leads to life.

" I go, my dear father, with my life in my hand. The Lord only knows if I shall be spared to finish a long and dangerous voyage on which I have entered;