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it is not improbable that his death arose from accident. There are a number of tenter hooks fastened to the railing which surrounds the pond, into which he might have fallen, and in getting out injured his hands and torn his clothes."

COURAGEOUS HUMANITY OF A MIDSHIPMAN. A Medallion Case rewarded by the Royal Humane Society, as per their Report in April 1837.

AN officer belonging to H. M. schooner Pickle, in Feb. 1835, jumped overboard in a fit of insanity at Bermuda, at 10 P.M. Mr. F. W. Mant, midshipman, instantly jumped after him, and after a great struggle, a long swim, and a deep dive, he rescued him. He was a strong man, perfectly deranged at the time; and not only dived twice, but drew Mr. Mant down with him.-Another letter states, "That Mr. Mant was just recovering from a sprained ankle, being the only ill effect of a subsequent heroic adventure, wherein he again boldly hazarded his life to save two seamen from drowning. On the 24th March, 1836, on returning on board the Cassador (prize to the Water Witch) at Sierra Leone, a severe tornado came on, and capsized the boat at the moment when the men were mooring her astern. The night was awful; and finding

the

poor fellows could swim but little, Mr. Mant took the log-line in his hand, and plunged overboard to their relief. With much difficulty he succeeded in supporting the worst of them, and encouraged the other to keep his spirits up. They were, however, ten minutes in the water before the tempest would allow their voices to be heard. The sea, it appears, was too much disturbed to allow the sharks to see them. At last, and at the moment when their strength giving way, they heard voices and oars; but it was too dark to distinguish any thing. A large dark object passed over Mr. Mant, which he thought was an alligator, but it turned out to be the galley upon her first reaching them. They were insensible when taken out of the water, and some time elapsed before their recovery.

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Certified by CHARLES GAZELEE. The Honorary Medallion of the Royal Humane Society presented to Mr. Mant for courage and humanity in

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1833.

HUMANE BRAVERY.

Another Medallion Case rewarded by the Royal Humane Society in April 1837.-(Case 12,992.)

On the Magicienne carrying away her jib-boom in a heavy squall, off Cascars, on the 8th September, 1836, when on her way into the Tagus, three men fell overboard. Mr. William Hugh Dobbie, mate, at the greatest risk, and with the utmost gallantry and promptitude, instantly jumped overboard to their relief, the ship at the time going above nine knots, and was of great assistance in enabling them to reach the life buoy.

Certified by the signature of

G. W. ST. JOHN MILDMAY, Captain.

CAPTAIN BRENTON'S TESTIMONY CONCERNING SAILORS.

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MR. EDITOR,-Your useful publication ought to have on its pages the following record to the honour of the officers of the royal navy, in the testimony of the worthy Captain Brenton. He deserves the thanks of the whole community for his unwearied efforts to benefit the outcasts of British youth by "The Children's Friend Society," of which he is the founder. Your readers will, I think, be pleased with what he has said and has written about sailors; and I copy it from a publication now before me, in the hope that by its appearance in the PILOT, it may be productive of some good effect for sailors, on those who shall peruse it. He says, Nelson gained his honour by the seamen to such men England owes her safety; to such men I owe my rank in the service; and shall I not be grateful, and serve them and theirs as much as in me lies? No ridicule- -no contempt-no frowns-no threats, shall ever deter me from my fixed purpose. But I will not ask to do away with impressment, or with punishment, until I have provided a sure remedy for both." (He is writing of the improvement by the education of the poor.) He adds-" Ladies and gentlemen may pack up their travelling-carriages, and set off for the Continent, to feed, with the produce of British labour, the peasantry of foreign countries, while their own are starving at home.

Distillers and gin sellers may erect their palaces, and emblazon their houses with gas-lamps of Royal pattern, while they, like Circe, turn men into beasts. The New Beer Act may fill our highways with riot, and consign the peasantry to destruction: all these things may exist for a time, but the day of reckoning must come; and if they are not amended, the fate of Britain is as certain, and will be as terrible and as exemplary, as was that of Nineveh, of Palmyra, of Babylon, of Jerusalem."—Yours,

Ratcliffe, April 5, 1837.

A CONSTANT READER.

American Chronicle.

LISBON, OPORTO, AND CADIZ,

FIELDS FOR OPERATION IN THE SEAMEN'S CAUSE. From one who has recently visited Spain and Portugal. "AT Lisbon we have but little commerce, much less than at Oporto. At each place there is a clergyman of the Church of England, and Mr. W., of Oporto, is actively engaged in promoting the interest of the British and Foreign Bible Society. How he is affected as to the seamen's cause, and what can be done for them there, I hope soon to learn. Our Consul at Cadiz informs me, that in the year 1834, there arrived at that port 71 vessels from the United States, carrying 20,630 tons, and having on board 941 seamen. The number of vessels during the same year was 240, of 31,899 tons, and sailed by 1,968 seamen. In the year 1835, there was at Cadiz 79 vessels from the United States, 286 from Great Britain, 2,176 Spanish vessels, mostly small, 34 Russian, 25 Sardinian, 24 Swedish, 22 French, 17 Portuguese, and 12 Dutch. What a field is here open for the distribution of books and tracts in various languages, as well as for preaching the Gospel. Should the Rev. Mr. Rule, of Gibraltar, remove to Cadiz, as he thinks of doing, he might do much for seamen in that corrupt and demoralizing port."

BIBLE DISTRIBUTION TO SEAMEN AT NEW YORK.

From the Journal of the Marine Bible Society's Agent. May 17th.-I invited those who were standing about the door of a boarding-house in Water Street, to attend

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168 Anniversary of the B. & F.Sailors' Society. [MAY, pulsive, that I was about leaving her in disappointment. But just then, a message was brought me by one of the midshipmen from the first officer, requesting me to come into his cabin. I immediately went down, and while waiting a minute for his arrival, took a glance at his books, in order to learn the character of the man from his companions. Finding the Bible prominent there, and other religious books, I augured well of one who chose such society. When he came in, he said, 'I am most happy to see you, sir. I thank God for the benefit I have received in hearing you preach the last two Sabbaths.' I now recollected him as one whose remarkable attention had attracted my notice. He then told me much about himself, and the interesting course he had run for three or four years past; that he had found his situation in his last ship so very unpleasant, that for peace sake he was forced to leave it, but could not leave his pursuit of eternal peace. He was not at all aware of any religious worship here till he saw our flag, when he came aboard, and now rejoiced in the Lord with all his heart. From others afterwards I heard a good account of him, and he was already armed with tracts and books in the service of Christ.

Correspondence and Proceedings of the British and Foreign Sailors' Society.

FOURTH ANNUAL MEETING OF THE BRITISH AND FOREIGN SAILORS' SOCIETY,

Being the Nineteenth from the establishment of the Port of London Society.

On Wednesday, May 3, 1837, the Annual General Meeting of this Society will be held at the City of London Tavern, Bishopsgate Street, London. The Right Hon. Lord Mountsandford, President, will take the Chair at five o'clock. The attendance of all the friends of sailors is requested by the Committee.

Tickets of admission may be had of Messrs. Ward and Co., 27, Paternoster Row; Messrs. Seeley's, Fleet Street, and Mr. Nisbett, Berner's Street, Oxford Street.

MR. BARCLAY, FOREIGN AGENT FOR SOUTH AUSTRALIA.

WHILE the funds of the British and Foreign Sailors' Society will not allow the Committee to send seamen's chaplains to foreign ports, they are anxious to make the best provision in their power to supply, in all parts, the means of grace to seamen. Circumstances peculiarly favourable have arisen in relation to the new colony of South Australia; and while the Government Commissioners are employing their resources to send forth a select body of settlers of good character, the South Australian Company are taking vigorous measures to advance the interests of that promising settlement. The rapidity with which the colony is increasing, settlers being sent out without expense of passage, that being defrayed by the sale of its rich lands, and the great number of ships that are sure to frequent its most commodious and convenient harbours, renders it necessary that the means of grace should be provided for the seamen. This the Committee have a favourable opportunity of doing by the emigration of Mr. Barclay, one of the Society's preachers in the port of London. They have, therefore, availed themselves of the services of this respected individual, appointing him their agent for that colony, furnishing him with a Bethel Flag, a sailors' library, and a supply of books and tracts for the use of seamen; and from his faithfulness, zeal, and acceptableness to sailors in London, they doubt not but, under the Divine blessing, his labours will be the means of salvation to many in South Australia.

UNION OF BETHEL CAPTAINS.

CAPTAINS and masters of ships, occupy stations of influence in their respective circles, and in relation to foreign ports, beyond the power of calculation. Their importance, when influenced by the grace of Christ, in diffusing the knowledge and spirit of the Gospel, has, in various instructive instances, been shown in the pages of the PILOT. We need only refer to the paper on "Sailors Missionaries," in the number for January; and there is happily an increase of pious captains.

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Union," however, among these excellent Bethel cap

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