Читать книгу The Preaching Tours and Missionary Labours of George Müller of Bristol - Susannah Grace Sanger Müller - Страница 7

Table of Contents

After returning from the Continent, a few weeks were spent at the Orphan Houses on Ashley Down, where everything was found to be going on well; but, after much prayer, considering it to be the will of God we should respond to the letter of invitation received at Amsterdam, and visit the United States, on August 18th, 1877, we went to Liverpool, in order to embark for Canada, having been strongly advised to take the shorter sea voyage to Quebec instead of going to New York. On the morning of Sunday, the 19th, Mr. Müller, spoke at the Albion Hall, in the evening he preached at Toxteth Tabernacle; and whilst we remained at Liverpool held three other meetings.

On Thursday afternoon, August 23rd, we went on board the steamship "Sardinian" (Allan Line) and sailed at 7 in the evening. The following morning we touched at Moville, on the North coast of Ireland; and, after waiting there a few hours, to take in the mails, steamed out into the Atlantic. Our cabin, the chief officer's deck room, was tolerably comfortable, and the voyage, though rough, was a favourable one upon the whole. Off the Island of Newfoundland, the weather became cold, and the progress of the vessel was retarded considerably by fogs; but on August 30th, the welcome cry of "land!" from the steerage passengers was heard, and when the fog lifted, Belle Island on our right was in full view, at a short distance only from the ship. On the evening of that day Mr. Müller held a meeting in the forecastle for the sailors and steerage passengers, and spoke afterwards in the Chart Room to as many of the cabin passengers as were able to attend. On the 31st we entered the Gulf of St. Lawrence—460 miles in length—where a heavy sea was running, and soon came in sight of the island of Anticosti, inhabited only (it is said) by bears and wolves.

On the evening of that day, Mr. Müller gave an address at a meeting in the saloon, and early on the morning of Saturday, Sept. 1st, the mail bags were landed at Rimouski, where a few passengers went on shore. The remainder of the day was occupied in going up the River St. Lawrence. On its northern bank, a long range of mountain district extends for many miles; and on its southern side close to the river's brink, numbers of white houses—the homes of French-Canadian settlers—are dotted along the shore for a great distance. In the evening, as we drew near Quebec, the "Sardinian" fired guns as a signal of her approach; and at half-past eight we reached Point Louis, South Quebec, after a voyage of nine days, six hours and a half, and anchored alongside the wharf. From the landing-place a carriage conveyed us up a steep hill to the Hotel St. Louis, where a number of letters awaited our arrival, containing a warm welcome to America, and numerous invitations for my husband to preach in the United States. On Sunday evening, Sept. 2nd, at the Baptist Church, he preached for the first time in Canada, and the following day at a Hall in the city held two other services. We had happy interviews also with several Christian friends. An abundance of work would have been ready for him at once at various places in Canada; but as the letter of invitation, received at Amsterdam came from pastors in the United States, it seemed right to go there first, and particularly to Brooklyn, where Mr. Thwing resided.

On the morning of Sept. 4th, some friends took us in a carriage to see the beautiful Falls of Montmorenci, nine miles distant, where the river of that name, after leaping for miles over a rocky bed, rushes with great velocity to the edge of the high rocks over which it falls, and pours its snowy cataract 250 feet into the valley below. Quebec is beautifully situated, and is a place of great historic interest. Near the town are the "Plains of Abraham," and the spot where General Wolfe fell. A monument erected to his memory and to that of Montcalm, stands upon it. The Citadel, sometimes called the "Gibraltar of America," is a fortress upon the summit of a very high rock, from which there is a magnificent view of the St. Lawrence, and of the surrounding neighbourhood. At 6 o'clock on the evening of the 4th, we went on board a river steamer, and, after a favourable night passage, at 7 the next morning, arrived at Montreal, where some brethren waiting on the landing-stage asked us to remain; we did not, however, accept their kind invitation, and at 9 o'clock started for Toronto, where, after a long railway journey of 333 miles, we arrived at half-past 11 the same night. On the 6th we went on, viâ Hamilton, to Niagara, and—having decided to remain there till the next day—spent the afternoon in surveying the wonders of the celebrated "Falls," situated on the River Niagara, a strait connecting the floods of Lake Erie and Ontario.

The first distant view of them was rather disappointing; but a closer inspection revealed their magnitude and grandeur to the full. "The waters for which the Niagara (a name signifying Thunder of Waters) forms an outlet cover an area of 150,000 square miles, floods so grand and inexhaustible as to be totally unaffected by the loss of the hundreds of : millions of tons which they pour every hour through succeeding centuries over rugged, perpendicular cliffs into the depths beneath."

After driving to a bridge just above the American Falls, we made a partial circuit of Goat Island on foot, halting at all the chief points of interest. A staircase on the right led first to Luna Island, where, standing by a railing close to the edge of the precipice, we beheld the vast, swift, overwhelming waters of the American Falls, 169 feet high, immediately beside us, rushing in a tremendous torrent right over the brink, down into the fearful gulf below. "This, we thought, surpasses everything; surely this must be the grandest Cataract in the world." But it was not; for a few more steps brought us full upon the great Horse Shoe Fall, on the Canadian side of the river, a mighty Cataract 150 feet high, and 1,900 feet in breadth, where with overwhelming velocity and force, "1,500 millions of cubic feet of water" (according to Professor Lyell) rush every hour over the ledge of rocks, forming a huge, boiling cauldron at the bottom of the cliffs. And then the "Rapids!" those wondrous Rapids—which some think equal to the great Cataracts themselves—especially attracted our attention. Just above the Falls, the bed of the Niagara descends about 51 feet in three-quarters of a mile, and there, over rough ridges of rock, great masses of stone and large boulders, its waters surge and foam, in ten thousand fantastic shapes, and in the wildest turmoil, as though frantically eager to rush over the precipices into the abyss below. After seeing the "Rapids" we crossed the river by the new Suspension Bridge, and returned to the Clifton Hotel.

The next afternoon, at half-past 2, we left for New York, travelled in a Pullman's sleeping-car all night, and at 7 on the morning of Sept. 8th reached our destination, after a journey of 446 miles. From the terminus a carriage conveyed us to Brooklyn, "the City of Churches," about seven miles distant, where—at the Pierpoint House—we remained for six weeks. On Sunday morning, Sept. 9th, at Dr. Talmage's Tabernacle (said to be the largest church in the United States), in the absence of Dr. Talmage, Mr. Müller was most affectionately introduced to the audience by Professor Thwing, who in the course of a short speech from the platform, paused for a few moments, and shaking hands with him before the assembled multitude welcomed him to the United States. Mr. Müller then addressed the congregation, and preached for three-quarters of an hour with much help from the Lord. In the evening he spoke again at the Tabernacle, and after the meeting, amongst the numbers who pressed forward to greet us was a sister in Christ, one of the former Orphans from Ashley Down, who has been married for many years.

During our visit to Brooklyn, Mr. Müller held a great number of meetings. On Sept. 12th he spoke at the Fulton Street prayer meeting, New York, and besides his regular preaching, visited Orphan and other Institutions, ministered amongst the Germans (of whom there are about ten millions throughout the United States), and continued actively engaged in the Lord's service until Sept. 20th, when we went by river steamer up the Hudson, to the city of Hudson, and attended a Convention, where be gave three addresses. On the 22nd we returned to Brooklyn, and on the following morning and evening he preached at Plymouth Church. On the 24th he spoke again at the Fulton Street prayer meeting, preached in German at Newark on the 25th, addressed the German students of the Theological Seminary at Bloomfield on the 26th, attended meetings for pastors, whom he addressed, visited a Hom[oe]opathic Institution, preached at Williamsburg, East Brooklyn, on Oct. 7th, and continued day after day to labour uninterruptedly, until Oct. 20th, when we went to Boston, after he had spoken in public at Brooklyn and the other places above mentioned 50 times.

At Boston Mr. Müller began his work by speaking on Sunday morning, Oct. 21st, at Mr. Moody's Tabernacle—a large building which holds 7,000, but where on this occasion, as rain fell heavily, the congregation was comparatively small—and in the evening he preached at Park Street Church. On Oct. 22nd he held a meeting at Berkeley Street Church, and the next morning was called upon by an inquirer, a young man under deep conviction of sin, who, having experienced an overwhelming consciousness of his lost condition by nature, during the sermon of the previous evening, was so affected that he could scarcely speak for weeping. During our stay at Boston my husband held meetings also at Dr. Cullis's Chapel; addressed the 350 young ladies at Wellesley College, 15 miles from Boston; preached at the Clarendon Street Baptist Church, at Warren Avenue Baptist Church, at Charlestown; spoke at Dr. Cullis's Faith College; addressed 500 school teachers at Cambridge; preached at Dudley Baptist Church, at Boston Highlands, at Clarendon Street Church; visited Dr. Cullis's Institution for Consumptive patients, whom he addressed, when Dr. C. remarked, "But for your example, all this would never have been in existence"—and continued his labours until Nov. 3rd, on which day we went to Newburyport.

There, on the morning of the 4th, at the Old Presbyterian Church—founded by George Whitefield, and where he ministered—Mr. Müller spoke from Isaiah liii. 5, 6, and read out of the Bible which belonged to that eminent servant of Christ, a circumstance noted with interest by the hearers, as this Bible is not generally used. He occupied a pulpit also which stands just above the spot where the remains of Whitefield lie interred. In one corner of the Church a handsome monument has been erected to his memory, and the vault is shown in which his coffin rests; but when the lid was removed, the skull and a few bones only could be seen of the celebrated man, whose voice once reached the ears of tens of thousands, and whose eloquent appeals, in years gone by, made careless, unconverted sinners tremble. The following inscription is upon the monument:—"This Cenotaph is erected with affectionate veneration to the memory of the Rev. George Whitefield, born at Gloucester, England, Dec. 16th, 1714, educated at Oxford University, ordained 1736. In a ministry of 34 years, he crossed the Atlantic 13 times, and preached more than 18,000 sermons. As a soldier of the cross, humble, devout, ardent, he put on the whole armour of God, preferring the honour of Christ to his own interest, repose, reputation, or life. As a Christian orator, his deep piety, disinterested zeal, and vivid imagination, gave unexampled energy to his look, action, and utterance. Bold, fervent, pungent, and popular in his eloquence, no other uninspired man ever preached to so large assemblies, or enforced the simple truths of the gospel by motives so persuasive and awful, and with an influence so powerful on the hearts of his hearers. He died of asthma Sept. 30th, 1770; solemnly exchanging a life of unparalleled labours for his eternal rest."

In a "Memoir of his Life and Labours," published in the United States, his biographer remarks that—"His out-of-door audiences consisted of twenty, thirty, and forty thousand at a time, whose singing could be heard two miles off, and Whitefield's own voice also could be heard at a distance of a mile from where he stood. When exhorting Howell Harris about his people in a letter, Whitefield wrote—"Show them in the map of the Word, the kingdoms of the upper world, and the transcendent glories of them; and assure them that all shall be theirs, if they believe on Jesus Christ with their whole hearts. Press them to believe on Him immediately. Intersperse prayers with your exhortations, and thereby call down fire from heaven, even the fire of the Holy Ghost. Speak every time, my dear brother, as though it were your last; weep out, if possible, every argument; and, as it were, compel them to cry—"Behold how He loveth us!" The author of this Memoir further says—"Present duty was the only thing that ever pressed hard upon him; past bitternesses he quickly forgot; future troubles he left with God. He lived one day at a time and lived it thoroughly; exhorting every one around, to follow his Lord and Master."

On the afternoon of Nov. 4th, Mr. Müller preached again at Whitefield's Church. During our stay at Newburyport, he held three other meetings, and on the evening of the 7th at the Baptist Church he gave a farewell address. On the 8th we went to Amherst, where there is a College containing 350 students, to whom and to other hearers from the town, my husband spoke for an hour on the evening of that day. During our stay, at the house of President Seelye, Principal of the Institution, the following interesting account of a former College student (a Japanese) was related to us. Whilst in his native country, many years ago, this young man, becoming dissatisfied with his gods of wood and stone, happened one day to meet with a Primer for children, written by a missionary in the Japanese tongue, when his eyes lighted upon these words:—"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." Genesis i, 1. The thought, that there was a Being who had created the material universe around, the beautiful earth with all its wonders, and the starry host in the spacious firmament above, struck him forcibly. "That God (thought he) is the Being I will worship;" and for some time he ignorantly, but sincerely, worshipped the God of Genesis i. At length, ardently desiring to learn something more about the true God, he determined to leave the country secretly, and to go to China, with the hope of obtaining further light. At Shanghai a New Testament in the Japanese language was given him, when, on opening the book, he immediately caught sight of this verse:—"God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on Him should not perish but have everlasting life." John iii. 16. "Whosoever?" (he thought to himself) "that must mean anybody, and as I am somebody, that must mean me." He studied his New Testament with the deepest interest; believed what he read, and, through the teaching of the Holy Spirit, became a decided Christian. Desiring to be more fully instructed in the truth, he determined to go to the United States, and sailed for Boston in a ship belonging to a Christian merchant of that city, who, on his arrival, became so much interested in the young convert, that he sent him to school at Andover, where he remained three years. After that, he studied for three years at Amherst College, and then returned to Andover, where, at a Theological Seminary—as he intended to become a minister of the gospel—his education was further carried on. Finally he returned to Japan as a missionary, and was the means of bringing his parents and brothers to a saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. A photograph of this young man was shown to us by President Seelye.

On Nov. 9th we took a drive to Mount Holyoke Seminary, South Hadley, founded by Mary Lyon; a most interesting and important Institution, where, in a large Hall, Mr. Müller addressed the 225 lady students and their 25 teachers. We afterwards walked through the beautiful and extensive grounds connected with the Seminary, were conducted through its various Departments, and visited Miss Lyon's grave. From Amherst, on Nov. 10th, we went to Providence, Rhode Island, where my husband preached four times to large, attentive audiences, and—at the request of the President—addressed the Students of the University. After leaving Providence we proceeded to New York. There he spoke for an hour at the Bible Union meeting, preached at the Baptist Central Church, and at the Hall of the Young Men's Christian Association addressed a very large German congregation, including about 30 German ministers. On the 15th, at the Presbyterian Church, Orange, New Jersey, he addressed the teachers of 22 different Sunday Schools with reference to their service, when the building was crowded with an immense congregation; and on the 16th, preached at a Baptist Church, New York.

On Nov. 17th, we left for Jersey City—at which place, as well as at Elizabeth and Morristown, several important meetings were held—and on the 24th, went on to Philadelphia. There my husband began work the next day, and, during our stay, preached many times to crowded congregations. On the evening of Nov. 26th, a meeting for Christian workers was held at Chambers' Presbyterian Church, when he addressed about 1,400 brethren and sisters in Christ for an hour and a half, with great help from the Lord, and on the morning of Dec. 3rd (by invitation) attended a meeting of pastors at one of the Methodist Episcopal Churches, where, at their request, he addressed about 500 ministers of various denominations, who had assembled to hear him. Upon this occasion he spoke to them for an hour and 20 minutes on 15 different points connected with their service for the Lord, and considered this meeting one of the most precious opportunities of witnessing for Christ ever afforded to him in his whole life. Numbers of these brethren pressed round him afterwards, expressed their thanks, and cordially invited him to preach in their churches. In a very short time also, he received an invitation to address the Episcopal ministers on the following Monday morning. On the 4th Dec. he preached at the Scott Methodist Episcopal Church from 1st Tim. i. 15, 16, with great power, when the people appeared to be deeply impressed; and on the afternoon of Sunday, Dec. 9th, spoke at the Hall of a Sunday School, built by a Christian gentleman at a cost of 150,000 dollars. This school (probably the largest in the world) is generally attended by 2,200 children; but, on this occasion, the younger ones having been dismissed, 1,500 only were present. As about 1,500 other hearers, however, were there, he had altogether a congregation of 3,000. The arrangements connected with this Sunday School were the most perfect we have ever seen, and the Hall, where the school is held, is a very large beautiful building. Before our departure from Philadelphia, Mr. Müller preached at Haddonfield, New Jersey, on Dec. 6th and at German Town, on the 7th, to a very large audience, at the great Hall of the Young Men's Christian Association. On Monday, Dec. 10th, he attended the united meeting of Episcopal ministers already referred to, when he addressed them for an hour, on ten weighty points connected with their service; 48 were present. At All Saints Episcopal Church, on the evening of Dec. 14th, he preached from the 103rd Psalm, when the church was filled with hearers. No clerical gown was put on, and a few collects only were read by the minister at the commencement of the service.

On Dec. 15th, we left Philadelphia for Baltimore, where, the next morning (Sunday, 16th), he preached at the largest Methodist Episcopal Church, which was crowded, the aisles, etc., being thronged; and in the evening held a meeting at the First Presbyterian Church, when this building also was filled—many had to stand, and others to go away for want of room. During the whole of our stay at Baltimore, my husband continued to labour uninterruptedly, preaching night after night to immense audiences; but as a minute account of his work in the various cities we visited, throughout our long tour, would take up too much space, a few particulars only of his ministry at the most important places can be given. On Dec. 21st, he spoke at a State Convention, in the presence of about 150 gentlemen connected with jails, reformatories, etc., who had assembled to consider this subject—"Is religious instruction an agent necessary for the reformation of prisoners?"—a question which was answered by him most decidedly in the affirmative.

On Dec. 22nd we went by rail to Annapolis, 21 miles from Baltimore, and by steamer afterwards down the Severn out into the Bay of Chesapeake, which is the largest Bay in the United States. On our return to Baltimore by water, we got into important conversation with some German infidels, and were glad to have opportunities of giving little books and tracts to them as well as to other passengers on board the steamer. On Dec. 25th, Mr. Müller preached at the Independent Methodist Church, and continued to labour at Baltimore until the 29th, when we went to Washington. There, on the morning of Sunday, the 30th, he preached at the Congregational Church—the largest in the city—and in the afternoon at 3 o'clock at Lincoln Hall. On the evening of Dec. 31st, at Dr. Sunderland's Church, he spoke from Psalm ciii. 3–5, with particular reference to the close of the year, when he addressed his hearers with great solemnity, earnestness, and power.

On Jan. 1st, 1878, the firing of canons early in the morning ushered in the new year, which is a time of much excitement and gaiety in Washington, when the President holds a "reception," and there is a great deal of visiting from house to house. On the evening of that day my husband preached at the Foundry Church, from Exodus xvii. 1–7, when, although it was a time of so much pleasure and amusement, between 700 and 800 people were present. On Jan. 3rd we visited Wayland Seminary, a few miles from Washington, where he addressed 97 male and female coloured students, who were being trained for missionary work: a deeply important service. As they possessed great taste for music, and considerable vocal talent, it was quite a treat to hear them sing; for music—in the Lord's service—being carefully studied at this Seminary, the sacred pieces which they sang were exquisitely given. In the evening Mr. Müller preached at Dr. Mitchell's Church, from Romans xii. 2, where, after the service, one of the pastors came up to him and said: "God sent you to America, dear Brother. That's just the kind of teaching that we want; something that will rouse and wake up Christians as well as the unconverted. God sent you to America, Sir; of that I am certain." On Jan. 4th he preached at the Calvary Baptist Church, and on the 5th we went to the Virginia Episcopal Theological Seminary, near Alexandria, about 11 miles from Washington, and were driven three miles from the railway station to the Institution in an open carriage in bitterly cold weather, the thermometer being six degrees below zero, that is, it registered 38 degrees of frost. There, in the presence of their professors—4 in number—and the President, my husband addressed 41 young men, students, who were preparing for the ministry and for missionary service; and about 40 young students from the High School besides, who, with their tutors, had been invited to attend the meeting. On Sunday, the 6th, he preached three times: in the morning at the Metropolitan Church, a very large one, which was crowded; in the afternoon at Lincoln Hall to about 1,500 persons; and in the evening at the Foundry Church.

On the morning of Jan. 10th, at half past 9, we accompanied Mr. Shipley, of Cincinnati (by appointment), to the White House, to be introduced by him to the President and to Mrs. Hayes. They received us with much courtesy, and, after making some inquiries about our work in England, the former entered for half an hour into conversation with Mr. Müller. Mrs. Hayes afterwards conducted us through the White House, a large old mansion, and showed us the State apartments, with the various objects of interest which this residence contains.

On Jan. 11th Mr. Müller addressed about 1,000 Christian Workers, at the Lutheran Memorial Church, for an hour and 20 minutes; and on the 15th spoke to the coloured students at Howard University for an hour, where the work carried on is of a most important character. During the whole of our stay at Washington, his time was fully occupied, and he preached every evening, and sometimes twice a day, as long as we remained. On the 19th we visited the Capitol, which has a dome nearly 400 feet in height; from the top of which the river Potomac, Mount Vernon, Alexandria, Washington, and the whole neighbourhood could be seen, and afterwards walked through the Government Buildings, public offices, etc. On the morning of Sunday, Jan. 20th, Mr. Müller preached at the First Baptist Church, and in the afternoon at 4 o'clock gave a farewell address at the Lutheran Memorial Church to a very crowded audience.

On Jan. 21st we left for Salem, in Virginia, 239 miles from Washington, and on our way passed many of the places which were the scenes of deadly conflict between the Federals and Confederates during the civil war that raged in the United States many years ago. Near the line of railway Cemeteries were to be seen, filled with long rows of graves placed close together, and marked by white stones, where the corpses of those who were slain in battle lie interred. Alas! what an awful, melancholy war was that! After travelling for twelve hours, at 8 p.m. we arrived at Salem, a small secluded town, 1,450 feet above the level of the sea, situated in a beautiful valley amongst the Alleghany Mountains. On the following evening my husband preached at the Lutheran Church to a most crowded congregation, consisting of pastors, theological students, ladies, country people, negroes, children, the visitors from the Duval Hotel—where we were staying—its three proprietors, the servants (one woman only being left at home); and an elderly Welch minister from Merthyr Tydvil, for 30 years a resident in the United States, walked seven miles from the country to be present at the meeting. All who could possibly attend turned out to hear George Müller, of Bristol, England, who preached for upwards of an hour, and was listened to with the liveliest interest and attention. On the evening of the 23rd he held a second meeting at the Lutheran Church, and addressed a densely crowded congregation, when the appearance of the building plainly showed that it is not necessary to go to large cities in order to have vast audiences. Hundreds of young men were present, most of them students from Roanoke College and the Theological Seminary, many of whom were standing at the entrance closely packed together; whilst others sat upon the pulpit platform side by side. The gallery was thronged. At the back of it several young men were standing upon forms, with their heads near the ceiling, and upon the edge of the front seats in the gallery a few boys were perched, with their legs hanging over the pews, in a somewhat dangerous position. Mr. Müller spoke for an hour and 35 minutes, giving (by particular request) some account of his life and labours, and the meeting, which lasted two hours, was a very blessed one. The next morning he spoke at the Theological Seminary to the students, and in the evening preached for the third time at the Lutheran Church, his particular object being to address the young men from Roanoke College and the students of the Theological Seminary. The portion of Scripture from which he spoke was Eccles. xi. 9, 10, and chapter xii. 1.

On Jan. 25th we rose at 4, left the railway station—at some distance from our hotel—at a quarter past six, and travelled, viâ Lynchburg, Dundee, Salisbury, and Charlotte, to Columbia, in South Carolina, where, after a long, fatiguing journey of 378 miles, which it took 21 hours to accomplish, we arrived at half past 3, early on the morning of the 26th, and (by special invitation) went to the house of Chief Justice Willard. The next day, (Sunday,) Mr. Müller preached in the morning at the Presbyterian, and in the evening at the Methodist Episcopal Church, where, though the congregations were small compared with those in the North, they were large for the Southern States. On the morning of the 28th we went through the State House, the Capitol of Columbia, and were introduced by Judge Willard to the Governor, the Secretary of State for South Carolina, the Comptroller-General, and other government officers. We visited the Senate Chamber also while the senators were sitting, and the House of Representatives, where, on the following morning (by particular request), Mr. Müller opened the deliberations of the day, according to custom, with prayer. At 1 o'clock he addressed the young men and lads at the Reformatory Prison, and, before our departure from Columbia, preached four times at the different churches, giving an address besides to 41 students, with their President and professors, at the Theological Seminary on Feb. 21st. Columbia was a fine city once; but two-thirds of it were destroyed by fire during the civil war, and the place, though now re-built, has never thoroughly recovered its former beauty. It is situated on the Bluffs of the Congaree, and used to be celebrated for its delightfully shaded streets, its lovely flower-gardens, and the model plantations in its vicinity.

On the afternoon of the 1st we left Columbia for Charleston, the metropolis of South Carolina, seven miles from the ocean; and after a journey of 135 miles, arrived there on the 2nd, at half-past 12 in the middle of the night. There, on the morning of Sunday the 3rd, Mr. Müller preached at the Citadel Baptist Church, and in the evening at Trinity Church; but in consequence of the rain, which fell heavily all day, the congregations were only small. On the two following evenings he held meetings at the Second Presbyterian Church, addressed the orphans of the Charleston Orphan Asylum on the 6th, in the presence of their teachers and a number of gentlemen and ladies connected with the Institution, and on the evening of that day preached at the First Baptist Church. On the following evening he held a meeting for Christian Workers, and on the 8th preached at Morris Street Coloured Baptist Church, with great help from the Lord, to 1,000 negroes and coloured people, and about 60 whites. On the morning of Sunday, the 10th, he preached at the Bethel Methodist Church, and in the evening at the Citadel Baptist Church, a very large building, where a union service or mass-meeting was held, which was crowded to overflowing, most of the churches in the town having been closed, that their congregations and ministers might be present. On the following morning he addressed a meeting of pastors for an hour and 10 minutes, preached in the evening at the Old Bethel Church for coloured people, and on the 12th held a meeting at the Centenary Church, where an immense congregation of negroes and coloured persons assembled, many of whom stood in the aisles and outside the doors, whilst numbers were unable to get in.

On Feb. 13th we left Charleston for Savannah, the chief city of Georgia, and travelled all day slowly by "accommodation train" through one of the great American swamps, a morass with stagnant water and luxuriant vegetation on each side of the railway.

"This route lies within a few miles of the coast, and passes through many of the seaside and lowland towns and villages of the State, situated in the midst of the wildest, richest scenery. For miles the rails are laid on piles passing through marsh and morass, and crossing swift rushing streams; but it is in regions of this nature that the grandest and most tropical vegetation is to be found. In this country of miasmas, fever, and excessive heat, where, in the summer months, few but the negro can exist, the most profuse and abundant vegetation thrives luxuriantly. Extensive pine forests, lofty cypresses wreathed with garlands of grey moss, the bay and the laurel covered with the vines of the wild grape or ivy, and immense live oaks, line the road on each side. Wild flowers grow in profusion during the spring and summer, and the canebrake rises to a height of ten, twelve, or fifteen feet. In these regions alligators abound, which delight in the muddy, stagnant waters, and find in them a river home."