preaching, etc., by the crowd, that I concluded it
was my duty to follow his example. We were at that
time more than double the distance from Shanghai
that we are now, and would still have been at as
great a distance had we not met at one place with
a band of lawless people, who demanded money and
threatened to break our boats if their demands
were refused. The boatmen were very much alarmed,
and insisted on returning to some place nearer
home. These people had previously broken in,
violently, a part of Mr. Taylor's boat, because
their unreasonable demand for books was not
complied with.

"We have a large, very large, field of labour in
this region, though it might be difficult in the
meantime for one to establish himself in any
particular place; the people listen with
attention, but we need the Power from on High to
convince and convert. Is there any spirit of
prayer on our behalf among GOD's people in
Kilsyth? or is there any effort to seek this
spirit? How great the need is, and how great the
arguments and motives for prayer in this case. The
harvest here is indeed great, and the labourers
are few, and imperfectly fitted without much grace
for such a work. And yet grace can make the few
and feeble instruments the means of accomplishing
great things--things greater than we can even
conceive."

The incident referred to in this letter, which led to our return to
Shanghai more speedily than we had at first intended, took place on the
northern border of CHEH-KIANG. We had reached a busy market town known
by the name of Wu-chen, or Black Town, the inhabitants of which, we had
been told, were the wildest and most lawless people in that part of the
country. Such indeed we found them to be: the town was a refuge for salt
smugglers and other bad characters. The following extracts are taken
from my journal, written at the time:--

_January 8th, 1856._

Commenced our work in Wu-chen this morning by distributing a large
number of tracts and some Testaments. The people seemed much surprised,
and we could not learn that any foreigner had been here before. We
preached twice--once in the templ