to the tranquillity of that country, either in a political or religious view.

England, during the commotions and disquietude of the adjacent continent, seems to be enjoying a state of tranquillity more considerable than has for many years been her lot. Some embarrassment is felt among her agriculturalists owing to the abundance of her produce compared with the demand for its consumption. But, however much distress may arise, when there is a greater quantity of manufactured articles produced than can be sold; the difficulties are of a nature radically different when the surplus consists of the necessaries of life in the latter case there may be equal local poverty, but no want, no famine, no desperate mobs, no tumults needing the presence of an army. In this prosperous condition of Great Britain, the land, although at times, indeed, the persecuting land of our fathers, we feel a hearty satisfaction. The condition of other countries affects us as strangers: that of England as kinsmen. Although the efforts of many worthless men in that country as well as in this, have been employed to engender a national hatred similar to that which prevails between France and England; and although the haughty pride of England and and an undue vanity, perhaps, on the part of this country, have given more success to these efforts than we could have hoped, yet we on this side of the great water do, from our common language, our common systems of education, the common sources of our literary, political and philosophical knowledge, from our intimate commercial intercourse, and our unison with them in religious views, pursuits and institutions, feel a friendship which it is impossible from the nature of things that we should feel towards any other nation in Europe. This friendly feeling, as men desiring good, we delight to cherish and to foster; especially so long as we can be excited by it and by a generous appreciation and emulation of the religious efforts made in that country, to imitate its people, and in some instances to give them examples for imitation, in plans for spreading the Bible over every land, and preaching the Gospel in every tongue and to every creature. Our natural feelings of friendship, cemented by bonds of this nature, and elevated by a common pursuit of objects of this kind, will not make us less ardent patriots or less active Christians, but on the contrary will form a powerful excitement by which we shall provoke one another to good works. May such be the effect of all our na▾ tional friendships and rivalry.

DOMESTIC.

Since our last, nothing very material has occurred. Congress has risen after a long but not very important session. Its chief acts have been the rejection of the bankrupt law, and the recognition of the independence of the South American governments.

The mercantile part of our community have been much excited by the prospect which appears to be opening of direct intercourse between the English West Indies and this country. It seems that measures are contemplated by the English government for opening to us this trade formerly so valuable to this country. We rejoice at it, as we

do at every new spur which is given to the industry of our country by the opening of new markets for our produce and manufactures, and new employment for our ships and seamen. We also rejoice at it as a new progress made in the commerce of the world, being an evidence, from the conduct of two great commercial and maritime countries, of the excellence of the policy of free trade. It may not appear evident to those who have not reflected on it, why the extension of commerce should seem to us, who profess to be religious politicians, so very important: The reasons why it so seems to us, are, that commerce has always been the principal means by which society has been advanced from ignorance and barbarism, and by the help of which the Gospel has been spread; it has been one of the strongest bonds by which nations have been kept in peace with each other: from its resources, and by the spirit of liberality, to the promotion of which it is so favourable, more has been done towards establishing seminaries of education, and founding institutions for improving the moral and religious condition of mankind, than by any other pursuit of men. Greece, in ancient times the most commercial country of the age, was the most advanced in learning, civilization and morals: while England, in our days, who has to the greatest extent sent forth her ships to every clime, has also been the most distinguished as the patron of every useful art, and the founder of the greatest charities in which the hand of man has ever been permitted to take a part. By a commercial intercourse our principles are liberalized and our feelings enlarged; the manners and the institutions of those who communicate with each other are elevated to the higher standard; local prejudices and national bigotry are broken down, and the light of truth is admitted into the dark and solitary places of the earth. It has often been wondered at, that so large a portion of the globe should have been a waste of waters; this very fact is a proof of the value and importance of commerce; that more than half of the globe which might as easily have been made fruitful as Eden, has been devoted, almost exclusively, as to its apparent usefulness, to supplying the means of commercial intercourse among men.

We would beg pardon for our digression from our duty as newsmen, and add one other remark. That if commerce be thus important, thus deserving the high estimate of religious men, how willing and how active ought they to be in promoting the welfare of those by whose labour it is carried on. How generous should be the liberality of the commercial world towards those institutions which are calculated to improve the characters of the servants of commerce, and to lead them to the performance of their duty to God here, and secure to them the enjoyment of his favour hereafter. How inadequately would all the mere wealth which is acquired by their labours recompense the benefits rendered to society by the commerce thus carried on, and yet how miserable and scanty is the pittance which the most pressing solicitations, and the exhibition of the greatest spiritual necessities, can extort from the hands of many of those who are individually most favoured by commerce!

May 29, 1822.

Seaman's Magazine,

He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still. Then are they [sailors] glad because they be quiet; so he bringeth them unto their desired haven. Psalms.

From the Sailor's Magazine.

CAPTAIN CHALKLEY, OF THE SOCIETY OF FRIENDS.

He was born in Southwark, in 1675, of honest and religious parents, and went to settle in America, in 1710, (I take it from his own journal, written by himself,) and died in the island of Tortola, in the year 1741. In page 231, he says," On the 15th of the sixth month, 1729, having loaded the ship "New Bristol Hope" a second time, I sailed in her as master from Philadelphia, and, having a concern to visit the Meeting of Friends at Salem, I left the ship at Gloucester, under the care of the pilot, and went by land to the first-day meeting at Salem, and from thence to Elsenborough, and staid till the ship came down; and on the 20th of the month we got to sea, and had a fair wind for several days, and lived very lovingly on board, being respectfully treated by my Sailors. In this voyage we had several meetings on board, the first of which was at the request of my second mate, to call the Sailors together in the cabin; I not being forward to propose it to them, lest they should suspect me of some vanity, in desiring to preach to them, they not knowing the cross of Christ in that exercise. This time we came to a tolerable market with our provision, which made our stay but short, yet I was divers times at the Bridge-Meeting of Friends. Soon after I went to Bridge-Town, to clear out the vessel, and was at their week-day meeting. The subject matter I had to treat of in that meeting was, that the Lord bringeth low, and he raiseth up again; and that in divers respects, as to kingdoms, families, and particular persons, and as to health, wealth, honour, &c. divers were appealed to as witnesses of it. After this meeting I went to visit the Governor, who was courteous to me, and took my visit kindly, and desired to be remembered to our Governor, and several others, and wished me a prosperous voyage, and well back again; he said whoever lived to see it, Pennsylvania would be the metropolis of America in some hundred of years; he said he "loved downright honest men, but he hated deceit and hypocrisy ;" a great man and a great expression.

"The 21st of the eighth month, 1729, we, having done our business, weighed anchor and went to sea, and on the 26th, we had a good meeting with the ship's company, for the service and worship of God; in which the gospel of Christ was declared without partiality, and the reigning sins of Sailors openly exposed, according to the doctrine of the gospel and the Most High Lord, who was entreated to carry on in the earth the great work of reformation. Hitherto we had fine pleasant weather. The beginning of the ninth month, we had a very blustering stormy time for many days; and met with some disasters. VOL. IX.

8

Twelfth of the same month we found ourselves in lat. 36 deg. 17. mia. north; but the wind was ahead, and our fresh stock of provisions almost expended, and winter coming on apace, the nights dark, and long, made it seem tedious to our people, the which I was helped to bear with patience. The 14th day, about eight o'clock at night, John Plasket, one of our best Sailors, through the violent pitching of the ship, fell into the sea, from off the bowsprit; one of the Sailors, seeing him fall, nimbly threw a rope to him, which he caught hold of, and the people helped him into the ship; though in all probability he had perished in the sea if he had missed taking hold of the rope. I was thankful to the Almighty for this young man's life, and took it as a great favour from heaven. 1730-I was now preparing for the fourth voyage, as master of the New Bristol Hope, for Barbadoes, but it grew harder and harder for me to leave my family, which, for many considerations, was very exercising; yet I was obliged to continue going to sca, upon an honourable account, i. e. that no person might suffer by me if I could help it; and, having got our vessel loaded, we sailed from Philadelphia the 9th of the fifth month, 1730. Next day came to anchor at Chester, and visited my old friend, David Lloyd, who, with his spouse Grace, treated me with tender Christian love. The Judge and I being old acquaintance, and both of us in years, and he not well, we took leave as if we were not to see each other any more, (which happened so,) for he died before I returned. We weighed anchor at Chester, and got down to Elsenborough, and went to Salem meeting (it being the first day of the week) with some of our passengers and Sailors. The meeting was pretty large, and I was earnestly concerned for their welfare, (as I had often been when I was absent,) and was glad I was with them that day. On the 16th of the ninth month we arrived at Barbadoes. The 17th there arose, about midnight, a hard gale of wind, which the Barbadians call a tornado, and blew more than ten vessels ashore, great and small, which were wholly lost; and our ship was very near the rocks, people looking every minute when she would come on shore; but through Divine favour we escaped with only the boat stove against the rocks. I would have got on board, but that was impracticable; but I got on the highest place I could, from which I could see them in the ship, and they me on shore, for we could not, for the violence of the wind, hear one another; yet they were so near the fort, where I stood, that I could discern them one from another, and they me from the multitude of people, (many being in the fort with me.) Seeing the chief mate look towards me, I waved my hat to him, and he, in answer, his to me; then I made signal to him to go to sea, which they immediately did, letting slip their cables, and went to sea without either boat, anchor, or cables, and came in the next day, and got their cables and anchors again, to the great joy of many of the inhabitants, whose hearty prayers were for our safety, as many of them told me.

"This, among many others, I put among my calendar of deliverances and preservations from imminent dangers by the hand of Divine Providence. We staid this time in Barbadoes about five weeks, leaving it 27, (7) 1730; and there I met with my friend Robert Jordan, a

N. E. L. Auxiliary Seamen's Friend Society and Bethel Union. 59

brother in the work and fellowship of the gospel of Christ, who took his passage with us for Philadelphia, and whose company was pleasant and comfortable. One evening he was repeating some verses of the excellent Addison's, which I transcribed as well in memory of that great author, as also that they answered my state and condition in my watery travels, and in the extremes of heat and cold, and some poisonous airs I have often breathed in."

[T. C.'s journal, dated 6th month, 1733, viz. "I had on board three Whitehaven Sailors, Wm. Towerson, Wm. Trimble, and Wm, Atkinson; and I do not remember that I heard either of them swear an oath during the whole voyage; which I thought worthy to stand on record, because it is so rare in seafaring men. So far-Thomas Chalkley."]

[T. C.'s journal, viz. 6th month, 31, 1, 34,-"We had another meeting on board our vessel, to which came several from other vessels, and some from the shore, &c. I was invited next first day on the ship King George; the master told me his cabin was large, and would hold more than mine; but we did stay till first day." Thus thou seest he was ready to do all good in and out of season.]

NORTH-EAST LONDON AUXILIARY SEAMEN'S FRIEND SOCIETY AND BETHEL UNION.

On Tuesday, Feb. 5, the Second Anniversary of this Institution was held at Albion Chapel, Moorfields; when the President, Capt. Sir George Mouat Keith, Bart. R. N. was called to the chair. The Report (from which we make the following extract) was read by Mr. E. O. Dyson, the Secretary.

At a ship prayer-meeting, where there were more than 40 Sailors present, one of them, who engaged at that time, said to a friend, "Do you not remember on board such a ship I was called upon to pray, and, attempting it, I could not go on? but now, blessed be God! he has unloosed my stammering tongue, and has set my soul at a happy liberty;" which indeed was true, as the visitors found it a time of refreshing from the presence of the Lord. About a fortnight after the above meeting, another was held, where general interest was felt : two captains, two mates, and one of the captain's wives, poured out their hearts before God in solemn and affecting supplications, and humble and hearty praises for his having had compassion upon their sinful souls, and for the enjoyment they experienced at the prayermeetings on board ships. At another time, as your Committee were taking a boat to the ship where the meeting was to be held that evening, two Sailors were on the beach looking at the signal: they were invited to accompany them to the prayer-meeting; they replied, they were strangers in London, had heard of such meetings, and should be happy to attend. They went, and one of them engaged in prayer, and, in a very fervent manner, expressed his gratitude to God for the kindness of the friends in conducting them there. Another Seaman blessed God that, through a long voyage, their ship's crew had had divine worship every day, morning and evening. At another meeting, Capt. H-addressed the Seamen, in a solemn and pathetic manner, on the importance