IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 4 // // .^^% M£o V fe % 1.0 I.I ■A112.8 12.5 Urn ^^ ^"'' U£ yi 12.2 «* 140 12.0 i.8 11.25 IIIIII.4 IIIIII.6 % ean |Ki]iulation luul as yet hardly an existence. The several islands named after Captain Vancouver, K.N., who had circumnavigated them 110 years ago, were beautiful perk-like lands, well wiKnled, with a fertile bracken soil, little disturbeial intcn;oU''.s<- witit llio liirm which has now to be mentioned. If the new colonists were curious to see a man-of-war, the sailors were no less curious to witness the foundations of a British colony. Each had some- thing to loam from the other. Showing them over the ship, the gunner, Mr. George Cook, ascertained that these gcKxl Scotch folk wen- .a some danger of forgetting the worshij) of the Iiord'ii Day and the religious customs of Scotland. They had Ijeen well brougttt up in the old land, Init a six months' voyage in a ]>rayi'ilt'ss merchant ship, with the novelties and discomforts of such a life, without woi-ship or | rivacy, on the seas, h:i'l brokiMi up old religious habits. The difficulties of the beginnings of life in the WihkIs, with its ever-preient struggle to jirovide shelter and daily fcMnl, were s\^, one care, One form of wonlx, one coninion prayer." The sailors attending the daily prayer-meeting in Mr. Cook's cabin liecame deeply interested in the proposed Sunday servitw for the Scotch people ashore. One seaman collected a few tracts, etc., done up carefully in a red handkerchief, to take ashore as his contribution. A midshipman lent his canoe for the landing party, a somewhat perilous loan it was found to be at first. A few Prayer l^iks were lent for the occcasion. Hymn fHKiks wo had none, except a single copy of Wesley's Hymns. There were, however, Tate and Brady's psalms bound up with the Prayer Books in those days. And we ho,!, of course, the church's Iwst B(x>k, for is not "the church a witness and a keeper of Holy Writ?" It was with no little trepidation, but with much prayer, that some of us landed that Sunday after- noon. In the depths of the great woods, the little Scotch settlement was found. Several of the men were absent with guns, trying to add to their rations some savoury game. Some of the women were washing or mending clothes. Still the scene was peaceful, and otherwise in harmony with the Bablxith day. The Sunday clothing of the sailors wfi.; itself a message from above, and their books hel{)ed to explain their devout errand. So soon as the object was under8trk was laid aside ; one family offered their house in which a few planks supported on tubs supplied seats. The congre- gation had not far to come, and they did come very readily. Each w:w willing to condone the inexperience of the sailors, to occept their good intentions for better deeds, and to lend his or her own share of assistance to make the little service a time of real blessing from alK)ve. The anticipated difficulty about the singing was easily surmounted, for most of the people had brought their Bibles with the Scotch paraphrost^s at the end ; aad right lustily they sang the song for the first time in a strange land. ItJ a bit of old Scotland transferreks and other appurtenances ; but there was no lack of l>oth attention and order, as the sailors en- deavoured, however lamely, yet fervently, " to tell them t le old, old story of Jesus and His love." The ice had l)een broken. The sailors had found out their own powers. They were amazed at the gratitude which their little effort evoked. They were asked to come again the following ounday ; the sportsmen would surely be present ; the little difficulties of ♦'•e first attempt would be provided against ; and the Sabbath service and school would be valued by all. God had indeed been with them and blessed them, so that the sailors returned to their ship in somewhat of the joyful spirit of the seventy whom our Lord hiul sent forth by twos " whither He Himself would come." In tlie intervening week some sailors visited the farm, and made friends with the men at their work, becoming deeply interested in the variety of operations going on. A young brick-maker (for the time), at work shaping bricks for building >chimneys to the plank houses, well educated, as Scotchmen of that social rank often are, became a fast friend and fellow-helper in the subsequent arrangements. There was, of course, no saying when the Trincmnalcc might trip her anchor and be off ; so that, if permanence was to Ije given to the Divine ser'.icc and Sunday school, these must not be made wholly dependent on the presence of sailors. The " fort," too, at Victoria had to Ije ransacked to find out what school-books, maps, slates, and copy-books, as well as Biblfs and hymn books, could be discovered amongst its ample stores of more sitleable articles, chiefly intende those days, at that end of the world, were surren- lumbia, the H'^ w\ Dr. George Hills, who brought out from iiUgland duly (jualitied clergymen to minister to the increased and increasing island population. Therefore the Holy Communion was not adminis- tered either ashore or afloat. The 240 seamen in the Trincomiilec during their five years' com- mission, had not a single opportunity on l)oard their ship to " shew the I.if)rd'8 death till He come." After tt delightful stay of several months ut £s(iuimault, during which the Sunday services anhore were further built up, the Trinromalce sailed northward for the then Russian settlement of Sitka, one of the cluster of (teorge the Third Islands which hide the coastline of North West America, a territory now belonging to the United States and better known as Alaska. We had a most pleasant visit of a few weeks, \-ery interest- itig in many ways, experiencing much kindness from the Russians, which was not forgotten when, a year afterwards, the frigatj again dropped anchor off Sitka, but, alas, as an enemy, the two countries being then at war, and did her hostile duty with special gentleness towards our quondam hosts. Turning south to the Queen Charlotte Islands, the Indian inhabitants of which interested ' exceed- ingly, we reached Esquimault onte m<. after a six weeks' absence. Naturally^ the sailors' first visit was to Mac- kenzie ' s Farm, where tticir r i^tiirn w as warmly" welcomed, a nd iney were allowM to resume the lead m the Sunday services which they had been privileged to originate. It was very gratifying to find that, during the absence of the ship, the little congregation had held stedfastly together, that the Sunday sch(Ki| was well maintniued, the day school prosiM-ring, and the young brickmaker ade(|uately sui)iMirted by the heails of families. S steamship days, might well l»e called " the uttermost part of the earth." "HOW VERY TRYING!" " How very trying t " That phrase is widely current. I know one or two j)eople with whom it is the accepted and normal commentary uixin every thing thivt does not happen exactly as they would have it. A sudden shower — " How very trying ! " A broken f)late — " How very trying ! " That parcel not sent up as promistnl " How very trying ! " The phrase is used as j)retty nearly an ei)uivalent for "How very irritating" or " llow very provoking." The persons who (unploy it — and, dear me ! in what busy and ubiquitous employment the poor interjection is kept ! — intend to assert that these incidents are altogether crfK)keeping back the waspish Words and by striving hard for cheerfulness and sweetness. K. L, 163317