tered and dismasted, ran through the darkness,
every sea, as, foam-crested, it came rolling up astern, threatening to
overwhelm us. Who but fools would not, on such occasions, feel the
utter helplessness of their own arm to help them, or would fail to put
their trust alone in Him who is all-powerful to save. Yes; it is amid
the raging storm and on the battered wreck that the seaman, if his mind
be but directed aright, gains a practical knowledge of the value of
religion. But alas! how few--how very few--are taught religious truths;
and the very men who wander round the globe, and might act as important
pioneers of civilisation and Christianity among the heathen, are
allowed, for the most part, to remain ignorant and profane--a disgrace,
instead of an honour, to the Christian nation to which they belong.
Such a state of things ought not to exist; and I ask you, my young
friends, to aid in conveying the blessings of the gospel to our gallant
seamen, and, through their means, to the far distant nations of the
earth. But to return to the brig. For two days we ran to the
southward, without any change in the weather. At length it began to
moderate, and in three days more we had run into comparatively a smooth
sea.

No one would willingly have blamed our late unfortunate commander; but
we all felt that, had he bore up in time, as a seaman should have done,
instead of obstinately persisting in holding his ground, he would have
saved his own and many valuable lives, and the brig would have escaped
the disaster she had suffered.

Mr Pullen had shaped a course for the Bermudas; but, low as they are,
it was necessary to keep a very sharp look-out, to prevent running past
them, or on to the coral reefs by which they are surrounded. Our
landfall, however, was better than we expected; and one of the fine
pilot-boats, for which the islands are so deservedly noted, coming off
to us, we were safely towed into harbour. The brig was some months in
the hands of the dockyard people before we were ready for sea, our
despatches, after some weeks' detention, being sent on to their
destination.

During the period of our stay, the merchants, as well as the military
officers, were very kind to Dicky and me. The Bermudas are also called
Somers' Islands, because Sir George Somers was cast away on them in
1609, since when they have been inhabited by English settlers. Their
productions are very similar to those of the West Indies. There