the men have been labouring to clear off the advance of wages they received before leaving England. That being cleared off, they now begin to earn for the future. After the horse is drowned there are singing, music, dancing, and an extra glass of grog, which seems to please them as well as anything. A day or two after the above, we crossed the line and received a visit from Neptune, or rather from his secretary, for Neptune was said to be suffering from an attack of measles. His costume and that of his attendant was eminently ludicrous. They were pretty well muffled about the face with sheepskin, and had some difficulty in finding the way to their mouths to introduce a glass of grog. They abounded in compliments to the captain and passengers, and presented a number of letters to different parties present, from Neptune himself. Here is an extract from one to me. The whole scene was certainly grotesque enough. Of course there was no shaving among the passengers, but some of them ventured on the quarter-deck and received bucket after bucket of water, as a reward for their temerity. A lighted empty tar barrel was then thrown overboard, and went blazing astern which so far ended the ceremony. The men then had their amusements. While on these subjects I might mention that the fifth of November was not forgotten. Old Guy was hoisted up in a large chair, and carried round with the well known "Remember, remember, the fifth of November, &c." After a while he was hoisted up to the end of the yard-arm and set fire to, and then amidst acclamations, was cut adrift and down he went into the sea. I should have said that after the affair of Neptune, a subscription paper was sent round for the benefit of the sailors; about £10 was obtained, which would be expended in Calcutta in the purchase of tea, coffee, &c., for the return voyage. No serious accident has occurred except to Mrs. Brooks, who was thrown across her cabin by a violent lurch of the ship, and had one of her ribs fractured. She is, however, through mercy quite well again now. Passing on to other subjects, I am thankful to say we have enjoyed the privilege of holding our regular family worship in the cuddy. This has been conducted morning and evening without one intermission. Generally there have been about thirty persons present. The service has been conducted by the missionaries and brother Brooks in turn. We have also had preaching every Lord's-day, morning and evening. The sailors have been frequently visited in the forecastle on a Sunday afternoon. I do trust these means will not have been in vain, though I regret to say we see no present fruit; they have, however, been refreshing to ourselves. As may be supposed there are a few on board to whom such services have been eminently irksome, and who have done their best to stop them, especially on a week-day, and have been not a little nettled because they could not succeed. No one could have been more kind and attentive to our whole party than the captain. His wife is a truly christian lady, and generally unites in our religious exercises. I am sorry to say Ayah has suffered very much from an affection of her eyes, and is still suffering. I fear if her visit to England may not have done her health a permanent jury. For my own part the pain Arrival of the Missionary Party at Calcutta. in my back has returned with fearful force. It commenced directly we got into the hot latitudes, was better again when we got into cold weather, and now again ever since we got into the tropics it has been most distressing. It makes me feel exceedingly low. I must have further advice about it when I get to Calcutta. Often, very often, have our minds reverted to loved scenes and dear friends at home. Never shall we forget their kindness to us, and I am sure they will not forget us nor our work in their sympathies and prayers. We seem to need them now more than ever, and they will pardon us if we commend to their special prayers, our dear boys, the eldest of whom, William Carey, is at Regent's Park College; and the two younger, Thomas Kirkman, and Alfred Yates, are under the kind care of our dear old friends, Mr. and Mrs. F. Ewen, of Birmingham. And now dear brother, farewell. Present our kindest christian love to Mrs. Pike and family, to Mr. and Mrs. J. J. Goadby, and to all the loved friends who think them worth accepting. In the love of Jesus, Ever yours affectionately, P.S. I should have mentioned what an endeared friend we found especially in Mr. Wenger, and that in all the Particular Baptist Missionaries on board we found affectionate brethren and sisters. The Lord be with them all in their various stations. 3rd December, Calcutta, 30, Lower Circular Road. Here we are safely and comfortably located with our dear old friends, the Beeby's. Mr. Beeby kindly met us at the ship on our coming to anchor about noon on Monday the 1st inst. They have put themselves to immense inconvenience for our accommodation. feel that a great debt of gratitude is due to them both from ourselves and the Society. Very affectionate and congratulatory letters have I 75 come in from all the brethren and sisters in Orissa. We do anxiously long to be among them but fear we shall not be able to leave Calcutta before, at the earliest, the latter end of next week. Our bazaar work here will be almost endless and equally tedious, or we shall have to pay at least double price for everything we purchase. There is nothing to be got at Cuttack, so that supplies, furniture, &c., must be taken from here. As an illustration of the honesty of the people, I should mention that I brought on shore with me a beautiful cash-box that I bought at Birmingham. I placed it on the dressing table in our bed-room, and at night it was gone. The next morning it was found broken to pieces near one of the outhouses. They could not pick the lock as it was a patent Chubb's. Fortunately I had taken out my purse, so that it contained nothing but a few papers which were left. You will have heard of the decision of the Taylor's to return to England. Sister Buckley is better, the other friends all well. Excuse more now. Will write to you again (D.V.) from Cuttack. We are all well, and as busy as any mortal could desire to be. A few additional particulars are given in the following extracts from a letter by Mr. W. Brooks. On board the "Shannon," North Lat. 7.1-East Long. 89.39. IT is high time I commenced to write to you, though I must confess that it requires some resolution to bring ore s mind to put pen to paper again. The captain hoped to have fallen in with some homeward bound English vessels by which we could have sent letters, or by which we could have been reported, but this opportunity has not been afforded us. The voyage has on the whole been a very pleasant though not a quick one. But for the influence of a very few on board, who have no love for us as Missionaries, or for religion, we should have formed a happy, united party. Not being allowed to rule, and have everything their own way, they have vented their spleen on the captain, and have done all they possibly could to annoy and irritate both him and others. The good ship "Shannon" has behaved well, and has proved her qualities as a fast sailer by passing every ship we have seen. We have made upwards of 1,800 miles in a week, but have met with light winds and calms which have stopped our progress. Very little water was brought on board, but a machine has supplied Our wants by transforming salt water into fresh, and very good indeed has it been. In fact we have lacked nothing. For the first month or more after coming on board I did not feel at all well, and began to fear that something seriously was amiss. But I am thankful to say I have for some time past enjoyed my usual health. Mrs. Brooks met with rather a serious accident on the evening of September 27th. When closing the cabin door, she was thrown by a lurch of the ship with very great force to the opposite side, and one of the lower ribs was fractured. As the ship was pitching fearfully, the suffering was intense; but the steward kindly lent us a swing cot, which was a great comfort. The doctor was both skilful and kind; and friends were very kind in offering to give or to do anything they could for my dear wife's comfort. She was confined to the cabin for nearly a month, and suffered greatly from colds and the severe weather. Our dear children have enjoyed very good health. Indeed this may be said of most on board, passengers, officers, and crew. We are hoping to get letters off Kedgeree; and after being shut out from the world, as it were, for so long, who can tell what tidings they may communicate? What has been going on in the world during all this time? December 6th. Calcutta. We all landed here in safety, and all in good health, on Monday last, the 1st. We were obliged to get our luggage away from the ship yesterday, to prevent its going to the custom house. Our intention was to have sent all off to Cuttack direct from the ship, but we could not get ready. Formerly we had nothing to pay for duty, but they are very particular now, and we should have had to pay more than we have but for the help of a friend at the custom house. We are now making our purchases, and shall leave for Cuttack as soon as we possibly can. Everything is fearfully dear in Calcutta ; but purchase we must; for in consequence of the influx of Europeans in connection with the "Irrigation Company," at Cuttack, scarcely anything is to be had. have letters from all our dear friends in Orissa welcoming us back. We DEAR SIR,-As by the good Providence of God, we are now drawing near the end of our voyage, we feel that we cannot leave this noble ship without expressing in strongest terms our gratitude for the uniform kindness and attention that we have received from her excellent captain. Before we left England, you kindly expressed your hope that we should be comfortable on board. We now beg to assure you that everything that could be done by a captain and a gentleman, to make us so, has been done by Captain Daniell. Letter from the Rev. W. Bailey. and unassuming spirit secured our highest respect, and has materially contributed to the comfort and enjoyment of the voyage. 77 Mrs. Daniell too has by her affable | Lancashire Distress, and partly because it seemed undesirable to divert even in the slightest degree the stream of christian liberality from the general funds of the Society. Collections have, however, been received from a few churches, and some others are intending to make them. We shall take our leave of these friends, for such we must now claim the right to call them, with regret, and shall cherish their memory with lasting esteem. We have preferred communicating this expression of our feelings to you, to the more common mode of sending it to a newspaper, partly because you are the personal friend of several of us, and partly because we design it as a special acknowledgment from our large mission party. We beg to remain, I. Stubbins. E. Stubbins. H. N. Stubbins. M. J. Kälberer. 29th November, 1862. FUND FOR THE WIDOWS AND LETTER FROM THE REV. W. BAILEY. THE letter that follows will explain itself. No circular on the subject of Sacramental Collections has been sent out for the present year, partly because of the efforts making in all our churches for the relief of the Berhampore, Dec. 3, 1862. AT our last annual Conference I was requested to convey the thanks of the brethren to all those churches that have so generously contributed to the fund for the support of widows and orphans in connection with the Orissa Mission. As I was prevented by repeated attacks of fever from attending to this duty at the close of our cold season labours, I resolved to defer writing for a few months that the communication might appear in the Observer about the time when the collections are made. Dear brethren and sisters, we do most sincerely and heartily thank you for this expression of your kind. ness. Separated as we are from the homes of our childhood and the friends of our youth, and living as we do amid the dark and depressing influences of heathenism it is to us all a source of the greatest comfort to know that we live in the warmest and best affections of our friends at home. Every brother (without exception I believe) has borne the strongest testimony to the uniform kindness that he has received from the various members of our churches. We have had one and all abundant proof of the thorough warm-heartedness of our own people. The agents of some of the larger societies may perhaps have more advantages than we have; but it has been often said in Orissa that no Missionaries are treated with greater candour and consideration than those of our own Society. We know that you love us for our work's sake, and rest assured that we cherish the fondest affection towards you for your love to us and to the great cause to which we have given our lives. The provision you have resolved to make for widows and orphans is not only in accordance with the custom of other Missionary bodies, but in our judgment is in strict accordance with the teachings of Scripture. And there is, we think, a special pleasure in doing anything to help the orphan or relieve the cares and sorrows of widowhood. God is the God of the widow and the friend of the fatherless, so that in giving to such a fund we are acting in the spirit of our Father in heaven. It is now more than forty years since the first Missionaries arrived in the province, and it is certainly a remarkable fact, that with one exception, no demand has been made on the funds of the Society, either for widows or orphans. What, however, the future may reveal it is impossible to say. Our earnest prayer is that the Lord may preserve useful lives. If we study the history of our Mission we shall find much to convince us that from the beginning of the work even until now, the favour of God has been upon it. God in His great mercy has given us favour too in the eyes of other Societies both in England and America. Our friends have again and again seen that we have put into circulation amongst the heathen 50,000 tracts in a single year; from whence do they think that the funds have been obtained for so important a work? From our worthy Treasurer at Derby? Not so. But from the Religious Tract Societies in England and America. To translate and print the various editions of Oriya Scriptures, and separate portions thereof, for distribution amongst the heathen, no small amount has been expended, From whence did this come? From the British and American Foreign Bible Societies and the Bible Translation Society. Several devoted female teachers have been sent to Orissa. By whom were they sent? They were sent under the auspices of our Own Society it is true, but with two exceptions the Ladies' Society paid for their outfit and passage; yea, more, they did something considerable towards their support, and the support of the schools over which they presided. And our Society has been relieved from all pecuniary responsibility in connection with the two female teachers now in the field. Were it needful we could give many other instances of help and sympathy we have received from those that are in no way identified with us as a religious denomination. My object in referring to these things is to cheer and encourage our friends at this important crisis in the history of our Mission. We were all grieved indeed to hear that the funds are in such a depressed state. Let us have faith in God and He will appear for us. God will help us in this the hour of adversity. He who is faithful to a thousand generations, will not forsake His cause and His people in Orissa. BAPTISM AT CUTTACK. LORD'S-DAY, November 2nd, was an interesting day with us at Cuttack. In the morning after a sermon by Mr. Buckley, I had the pleasure of baptizing ten candidates. The baptism should have taken place in the chapel, but as we were on our way thither we met the hearers in a state of excitement coming to inform us that something had happened to the baptistry, and that the water was all running out. Had such a thing occurred in many chapels the baptism must have been postponed, but fortunately we have a tank with "much water there" in the chapel compound, so all we had to do was to adjourn from the chapel to the tank and there administer the sacred ordinance. Of our native christians there was an unusually large attendance, and as they stood alongside |