rch, and the order of lay evangelists as a lost order
that Scripture required to be restored, were seed-thoughts which were to
prove fruitful in the subsequent organisation of the China Inland
Mission.

Externally, however, our path was not always a smooth one; but when
permitted to stay for any length of time in town or city, the
opportunity was well utilised. We were in the habit of leaving our
boats, after prayer for blessing, at about nine o'clock in the morning,
with a light bamboo stool in hand. Selecting a suitable station, one
would mount the stool and speak for twenty minutes, while the other was
pleading for blessing; and then changing places, the voice of the first
speaker had a rest. After an hour or two thus occupied, we would move on
to another point at some distance from the first, and speak again.
Usually about midday we returned to our boats for dinner, fellowship,
and prayer, and then resumed our out-door work until dusk. After tea and
further rest, we would go with our native helpers to some tea-shop,
where several hours might be spent in free conversation with the people.
Not infrequently before leaving a town we had good reason to believe
that much truth had been grasped; and we placed many Scriptures and
books in the hands of those interested. The following letter was written
by Mr. Burns to his mother at home in Scotland about this time:--

"TWENTY-FIVE MILES FROM SHANGHAI,
_January 26th, 1856_.

"Taking advantage of a rainy day which confines me
to my boat, I pen a few lines, in addition to a
letter to Dundee, containing particulars which I
need not repeat. It is now forty-one days since I
left Shanghai on this last occasion. A young
English missionary, Mr. Taylor, of the Chinese
Evangelisation Society, has been my companion
during these weeks--he in his boat, and I in
mine--and we have experienced much mercy, and on
some occasions considerable assistance in our
work.

"I must once more tell the story I have had to
tell already more than once--how four weeks ago,
on December 29th, I put on the Chinese dress,
which I am now wearing. Mr. Taylor had made this
change a few months before, and I found that he
was, in consequence, so much less incommoded in