4th. What is it that constitutes a family? Resolved-A number of individuals living together. 5th. What is the binding obligation of the Word of God upon a family? Resolved-See Genesis xviii, 19.-Joshua xxiv, 15.— Jeremiah x, 25. Therefore, in obedience to God's command, we consider it binding upon us to call our crews or families together, once every day for worship. 6th. What is the most suitable hour, in the general experience, for this duty? Resolved-Eight o'clock in the evening. 7th. What shall the worship consist of? Resolved-- If singing be practicable, not more than three verses; read, not more than five appropriate verses of Scripture, and conclude with prayer: the whole to occupy a quarter of an hour. N. B. It is recommended that the duty of the ship be concluded, on Saturdays, three hours before sunset, whenever practicable. 8th. What services shall be observed on the Sabbath day? Resolved-In obedience to the fourth commandment, that one service be held at noon, calling the watch below, at seven bells, to prepare themselves: and to have the usual prayer-meeting in the evening. 9th. In case of disobedience to command, what is the penalty to be incurred? Resolved-Private expostulation; or the individual to be degraded from duty, as circumstances may require, agreeably with the articles :* or his name to be entered in the log-book for future consideration. 10th. What will tend most to improve our own minds, and to promote godliness? Resolved-Taking care to read the Scriptures, and to provide ourselves with books of a religious nature, and of general usefulness, with a view of improving our time to the very utmost. The Bethel Union Societies, in most large ports, have provided portable libraries for this purpose. "That every lawful command the master shall issue for the effectual government of the vessel, suppressing immorality and vice of all kinds, be strictly complied with, under the penalty of the person or persons disobeying, forfeiting his or their whole wages or hire, together with every thing belonging to him or them on board the vessel." 11th. What are the most eligible plans for improving our crews? Resolved-Encouraging the reading of books and tracts on all leisure occasions; and instructing them, individually, on the quarter deck, as opportunity serves, at two hours each; to be relieved with the helm; when and wherever practicable. 12th. What regulations are advisable for the Sabbath day in port? Resolved-That our crews be strongly recommended to attend a place of worship; or that divine service be held on board at noon and, if leave be given to go on shore in the afternoon, admonish them to refrain from visiting grog-shops, and to return in proper time in the evening. 13th. How can the merchants and owners be best induced to co-operate with these designs? Resolved By a respectful, but powerful appeal from the captains of this port, that they would not unnecessarily require the men to work, or the vessels to sail on the Sabbath-day; that they would encourage the men and apprentices to resort to well regulated boarding-houses; and sanction the intentions of their captains, for the safety of the cargo, and the welfare of the crews, under their charge. INTEMPERANCE IN SEAMEN. TO THE EDITOR. SIR, I feel concerned for the welfare of British seamen, and greatly regret to find many of them accustomed to habits of intemperance, and as a consequence of this, indifference to the great concerns of the soul. In the village in which I reside (G), but few of the pilots and seamen attend to the means of grace and salvation. Very rarely do I behold this class of men among my hearers. This is true of the other places of worship in this place. And this, I fear, is equally true of GY——————. Sir, one great cause of this state of things is, the use of intoxicating drinks. Malt liquor and beer-shops possess enchantments to them superior to the house of God. And never shall we see extensive good effected among sailors till we remove the cause of intemperance, alcoholic drinks. I might here extract largely from " Britannia," the Prize Essay on the Moral Claims of Seamen, by the Rev. John Harris; or from "Britain's Glory in the Evangelization of of her Seamen," by the Rev. T. Timpson, as to the effects of intemperance, and the advantages of Temperance Societies. The drinks in common use are enemies to moral and spiritual reformation, as they are to the human constitution; and not only would I preach total abstinence from ardent spirits, but from all the drinks which contain the poisonous and intoxicating_ ingredient. This is the only safe and consistent way. Either let us abandon Temperance Societies altogether, or go to the full extent of our principles. Men are intemperate here, and in this neighbourhood, from malt liquors, drinks which contain but little nutriment, much water, and plenty of alcohol. Let not sailors say these drinks are necessary, when facts prove that they may safely be abandoned. But supposing that they were both lawful and necessary, the present state of things calls for self-denial, and for the exercise of Christian benevolence. The following is a statement worthy of notice; so much so, that a gentleman in Yarmouth, of great respectability and wealth, upon hearing the ori ginal letter read, had a hundred printed at his own expense for general circulation. Mr. Cassell, in advocating Teetotalism at Yarmouth, stated that 407. was saved by the crew of one ship, in consequence of abstaining from intoxicating drinks, and referred to Mr. Tovell in proof of his assertion. The statement being denied by a rude fellow in the meeting, the gentleman was written to, and the following is his reply. To that statement I need add nothing at present. I consider the subject of my letter worthy of notice, and I pray that God may own it in the pages of the PILOT for good. Yours in Christian love, 66 TOTAL ABSTINENCE IN SEAMEN. J. B. "Mr. Cassell's Statements at the Town Hall, on Tuesday, 14th inst., respecting a Merchant of Manningtree, having been questioned, that gentleman was written to on the subject, and the following is a copy of his answer. "DEAR SIR, "Mistley, 16th Feb. 1837. I have a bark called the Brothers, navigated by six men and two lads, members of the Temperance Society. She is employed in the coal trade, and is now expected to arrive in the London river, on her fourth voyage this win 66 ter, since the men signed the Total Abstinence Pledge. The crew deliver the cargo, working from ninety to a hundred tons per day; the last voyage, two hundred and sixtyseven tons were delivered from her in eighteen hours, and their testimony after all this is, they never were so able to perform their duties as they now are. "Now for Mr. Cassell's 401.! Each of the crew received 4s. allowance-money, for working the cargo, and ls. 6d. for delivering the ballast; making for five men, at 5s. 6d., 21. 12s. per voyage; allowing the ship to make thirteen voyages per year (and she is more likely to make fourteen), is 287. 12s.; then as long as they remain good members, I pledge myself to pay their monthly money, say Is. per head, for six men (lads I paid before), or 6s. per month and to give to the five men 4s. per month each extra pay, and the master 5s. extra pay; this, I think, is 1. 11s. per month, or £. s. d. 18.12 0 in the year: add this to the above stated, 28 12 0 and if I have calculated correctly, it makes £47 4 0 the amount saved by the crew of one ship. ance. And I don't care how soon all my vessels are upon the same plan. I believe I am a gainer; at any rate, I have not to dread the loss of my property through intemperI have had a schooner laid upon the main on the north-west coast of Ireland, where she lay exposed to the sea rolling in from the Western Ocean, for about ten days; but providentially one night the wind came from the land, and she floated into deep water, without the least exertion having been made by any one to save her, the master being on shore in a state of intoxication. I had another ran upon Hasbro' Sands at noon-day-and a third nearly lost in the Pees Bay—all through drink: the men who had the command were very useful and clever men when sober. "What ship-owner would not do all in his power to promote temperance? What merchant would not? And what seaman, whose love of his family, solicitous for their comfort and happiness-to say nothing of his life, which I fear is too often very foolishly sacrificed—I say, what seaman would not? "If my testimony can do any good, I can assure you that my family, consisting of myself, wife, seven children, and three servants, have taken nothing stronger than tea or coffee for nearly six months, and were never in better health or spirits; and, I thank God, not one of us had the influenza, although it has been very prevalent; my father, mother, and three brothers (who are not abstainers) have all been very ill with it. I conclude with my own best wishes for the prosperity of Temperance Societies. "I am, dear Sir, sincerely yours, LOSS OF A CAPTAIN THROUGH INTEMPER ANCE. WE Copy the following melancholy case from the Morning Chronicle of April 12, not by any means to reflect upon captains or seamen, but to illustrate the principles of the two preceding papers, to admonish those who may be addicted to drinking, and to awaken landsmen to seek the evangelization of our mariners. 66 Suspected Murder.-The towns of Greenwich and Deptford were in a state of great excitement yesterday, in consequence of the finding of the body of a fine young man near the edge of a pond, between the Isle of Dogs' factory and the new iron steam-boat yard directly opposite Greenwich. The body, on being discovered, about eleven o'clock in the forenoon, presented a dreadful spectacle, being not only covered with blood and filth, but also the hands severely lacerated, and a ring of apparently coagulated blood visible about the neck. The clothes of the deceased were torn to pieces, particularly the sleeves of his two shirts, a white over a blue one. The report that a man had been murdered soon reached the ears of Mr. Litton, the landlord of the Salutation, Garden-stairs, Greenwich, from whose house a number of watermen instantly started, and having arrived at the spot, a majority of them most positively declared that the unfortunate individual was the captain of a Scarborough collier which arrived on Saturday, and who had been drinking rather freely on the previous day, the colour of the dress and other particulars exactly corresponding to the identity of the captain. The only doubt was as to the form of the features, which were much disfigured. The sum of 3s. 10d. only was found in his pockets. The general impression is that the man was waylaid after crossing the river, but |
