vessel and a brig were seen to go down, the crews are supposed to have perished. The crews of the Albion and the Bridgwater were rescued. Off Yarmouth, the shipping suffered considerably. The Concord, of Ramsgate, got ashore on ShipWash Sands, and was lost; the crew were saved by the life-boat from Yarmouth. The Darlington packet, belonging to Stockton, met with a similar fate. The crew were rescued. The Reform, of Goole, foundered in Lynn Deeps, on Sunday night; the master and his son are said to have been saved,

DISTRESSING ACCIDENT.

It is with feelings of deep regret that we have this week to record another of those melancholy casualties which so frequently happen to the many industrious fishermen who prosecute their perilous vocation on our northern shores, and which spread lamentation and weeping amongst their kinsfolk and acquaintances. Monday morning being mild, several of the Lybster fishing-boats proceeded to sea, and had been sometime at their lines, when a gale came on, raising a heavy surge, and rendering the condition of the unhappy fishermen one of great peril. They immediately left their lines and set sail for the shore with all dispatch. One ran for Whaligoe, and the crew were most miraculously saved, by being hauled ashore with a rope, the boat being driven to pieces, and the line and materials totally lost. The others were landed in safety, with the exception of one; the crew of which, consisting of eight active fellows, all of whom, we deeply regret to say, have perished beneath the billows. The direct cause of this melancholy calamity no one knows; whether the boat was swamped while hanging on the lines, or was struck by a sea when running for land. Certain it is, however, that they have not since been heard of, and, as the evening was one of unprecedented fury, there can be no doubt, that the whole crew have become the illfated victims of that day's storm. It is impossible to describe the excitement occasioned in the Lybster district by this heart-rending calamity, and the feeling of deep sympathy which it has created for the widows and fatherless children. Six widows and twenty children have been cast upon the world, in addition to not a few who greatly depended upon the labours of the unfortunate fishermen. We sincerely and confidently commit their pitiable case to the sympathy and benevolence of a sympathizing and benevolent public. Part of the wreck has come ashore.

SHIPWRECK IN THE CHANNEL.

PORLOCK, Dec. 7.-A large bark from America, bound to Bridgwater, and laden with timber, came on shore last night at Warren-point, about a mile eastward of Minehead-pier. The gale at the time was most terrific, and still continues with almost unabated violence. It appears that the crew attempted to reach Minehead harbour, but failed in the attempt, and ran the vessel ashore at the place before stated, on almost a dead-flat sand. The sea is now making a clean breach over her, and, should the gale continue another tide, she must become a complete wreck. The coast-guard have possession of the vessel, and are making preparations to land the cargo at the first opportunity. We have since ascertained that the bark is the Frances Lawson, Perry, master, the property of Messrs. Stuckey and Bagehot, of this town. She was on her homeward voyage from Quebec.

LOSS OF A SLOOP, WITH ELEVEN LIVES.

On Sunday last, owing to the severity of the weather, it blowing a regular gale, with a spring tide and westerly wind, a sloop, belonging to Mr. M'Coy, was forced from its anchorage at Glin, and not being able to gain her position again, she struck, and, in a short time, all on board met a watery grave, save one man. The boat was bound for Limerick, and was heavily laden with corn, belonging to Dr. Enraght, and also with butter, belonging to several buyers from this city, which had been purchased at the Glin market. This catastrophe happened not many yards from the shore, and in the presence of a great portion of the congregation that had not, at the time, left the chapel. It is said the cargo will be saved, but much damaged. In reference to the loss of life and property, down the river, near Glin, we have received the following account from a correspondent, at Foynes :

"It is with regret I beg to inform you that there has been serious loss of life on the river Shannon, on yesterday (Sunday), between this (Foynes) and Glin. About three o'clock, p.m., a boat, belonging to Mr. Thomas M'Coy, of Glin, laden with butter, &c., belonging to some butter buyers who attend Glin market, having on board twelve human beings, including the crew, was anchored at Glin; the wind rising, she was obliged to give way, and not being able to head Glin point, she struck, sank, and all on board perished, save one boatman, named Michael Roohan, the pilot. The persons on board consisted of four women and eight men, and were bound for Limerick, to make market, having with them a great deal of money and some valuable articles of traffic. Captain Thomas Madigan, of Glin, left Glin harbour, in his own boat, (being forced to let go his cable,) in about half-an-hour after the above occurred, and, I am informed, he got safe to Pound-street, on the Clare side, opposite Glin. About one o'clock on Sunday, I saw a boat off Foynes Island, striving to make Foynes harbour, but, unfortunately, she began to sink; the men on board, being only two in number, ran her into the slob, on the north shore of Foynes, all her hull, and part of her mast, being covered. Two men got up into her rigging; the younger of the men, about twenty-five years old, fell from his place of refuge, about nightfall, and met with his grave in the waves. The other, on old man, the father of nine children, held on until about nine o'clock, when he was saved by a boat, with six men, from Foynes. This is the second time this poor man has been saved at Foynes. His name is Martin Price. I am informed that two turf boats have been lost, up towards Beigh Castle, and no account of the crew as yet."

So high was the tide in Limerick, that the quays were all overflowed, together with the Custom-house: and at the Abbey-bridge, and Sir Harry's Mall, the tide rose so high as to render the passages all round impassable, unless by boats. The waters covered the entire road from the Abbey-bridge, towards Athlunkard-street, and St. Mary's Chapel-yard was completely overflowed. The storm and rain, during the entire day, were almost incessant.

Miscellaneous.

SECRET OF LIVING EASY.

An Italian bishop, having struggled through great difficulties without complaining, and met with much opposition in the discharge of his functions, without ever betraying the least impatience, an intimate friend of his, who highly admired those virtues, which he considered it impossible to imitate, one day asked the prelate if he could tell him the secret of being always at ease. "Yes," replied the old man,

"I can teach you my secret, and will do so very readily. It consists in nothing more than in making great use of my eyes." His friend begged him to explain. "Most willingly," said the bishop. "In whatever state I am, I first of all look up to heaven, and remember that my principal business here is to get there; I then look down upon the earth, and call to mind the space I shall shortly occupy in it; I then look abroad into the world, and observe what multitudes there are, who, in all respects, have more cause to be unhappy than myself. Thus I learn where true happiness is placed; where all our cares must end; and how very little reason I have to repine or complain."

A friend writes us from India, that, in the dockyard of Bombay, is to be seen a new ship of the line, entirely destroyed by an invisible army of white ants, who had riddled every timber to such an extent that they will scarcely hold together. What will not united and repeated efforts effect?—The Builder.

Monthly Chronicle.

Our deputation, consisting of Mr. Fieldwick and Captain Prynn, having recently returned from their tour in Staffordshire, it will be expected by our friends in that locality that we should give a brief statement of the results of their visit. Their first sojourn was at Hanley, in the Potteries; from whence they visited, in succession, the towns of Burslem, Newcastle-under-Lyne, Leek, Stafford, Tipton, and Walsall. The Rev. John Burnet having kindly consented to devote three evenings to further the objects of the Society, he, together with the Rev. J. K. Stallybrass, the Society's chaplain from Cronstadt, now joined our friends already in the country, and attended meetings at Birmingham, Dudley, and Wolverhampton; in each of which places committees have been organized, and several ladies have taken up the cause with much zeal and interest. Two other Ladies' Associations have also been formed at Stafford and Walsall, which promise to render efficient help to the parent institution. At the latter place, the vicar, with the kindness for which he is proverbial, again allowed us the gratuitous use of his excellent room in the centre of the town, and also presided at the meeting. The Rev. J. K. Stallybrass and Captain Prynn then visited Coventry, where their success exceeded their most sanguine hopes; St. Mary's Hall being literally crowded at their public meeting; much lively interest in the Society manifested, and a collection received at its close. They subsequently visited West Bromwich, where an interesting meeting was held, in Trinity Church school-room; the Rev. Mr. Cardall being in the chair.

Although the total proceeds at present resulting from this tour are not so large as we had ventured to anticipate, yet, considering the work has been carried on in a district far from the sea-coast, and amongst a population who are comparative strangers to the condition of seamen,

and the claims of the Society, we feel greatly encouraged by the result, and consider ourselves justified in expecting that, ultimately, the several auxiliaries which have been formed in this district will prove important accessories in accomplishing the great work we have in hand.

Since their return from Staffordshire, Mr. Fieldwick and Captain Prynn have visited Weymouth, at the request of several gentlemen there, who, feeling anxious to promote the spiritual interests of the seamen of that port, were desirous to form an auxiliary to this Society, and had completed their arrangements for this purpose. The results were most delightful. The meeting was held in the Town Hall, and the Mayor kindly presided on the occasion. The platform presented a truly gratifying instance of Christian union; church and dissent, clergy and laity, the navy and the merchant service, alike being represented, and taking a share in the proceedings. A Committee was formed, and several ladies gave in their names, as willing to use their efforts to promote, to the utmost, the newly formed auxiliary.

In the course of their journey our friends have heard frequent and very serious complaints of individuals who are in the habit of travelling through the country, and without calling a public meeting, or even making their object known to the ministers of the several congregations, in any town they may visit, go from house to house, making personal applications for small sums. These are obtained, professedly in aid of some society, whose where-abouts is indistinctly stated, and whose operations are too ill-defined to be completely understood, but which they represent as somewhere, and in some way, having something to do with seamen. We would earnestly caution the public, and our own friends especially, of becoming the dupes of these impostors. Every individual, privately soliciting a contribution, should be able to present printed documents authorized by the names of parties of influence and character, and, moreover, should come authenticated by some respectable minister in the town. We have reason to think that hundreds of pounds, given to promote the interests of seamen, are annually conveyed to the treasury of a cabal of adventurers, or serve to line the pockets of professional mendicants; but, as we do all in our power to open the eyes of the public, both by advertisement from time to time, and the monthly repeated caution on the cover of our own Magazine, if the public are defrauded, they have only themselves to blame.

Our Thames operations, for the benefit of our sailor population, continue to be conducted on the same principles. The labours of the Society's Missionaries and Agents are detailed numerically under their various heads, as follows:

"COME AND HELP US."

ACTS XVI. 9, 10.

We are now to commence a New Year, and we trust we shall be able to record during 1848, the advancing prosperity of a Society deserving well of all true philanthropists in a maritime, and sailor-served country.

The continual increase of our shipping, and constant extension of our commercial relations, make it necessary that the BRITISH AND FOREIGN SAILORS' SOCIETY should display a corresponding activity. We trust that the hearts of those, to whose share the riches of this world have fallen, will not be hardened to our supplications for the spiritual need of their sea-faring, and, in many respects, unfortunate countrymen. We trust to the influence of the Word of GOD on the consciences of all those who admit its authority over us and them. "Go ye out into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature," We trust also in providence, that HE who provided food for the "young ravens," and without whose consent, “not a sparrow falleth to the ground," will put it into the hearts even of those who have not hitherto contributed towards the evangelization of sailors, to offer something towards the spiritual sustenance of this important class of our fellow-men. However, we are sorry to say, that this country, distinguished though it is for its maritime power, is by no means the most forward in the care it takes of its seamen. A sailor came into our office, a short time since, and brought his monthly advance ticket, for £2. 5s., as a subscription towards the objects of the Society. When the generous fellow was asked when we should hear from him again, he replied,-" Never! England is not a place where they care for sailors!" How long will Englishmen submit to bear this character? How long will their negligence be put to shame by the generosity of the very men whom they neglect?

AGENTS' REPORTS.

Rev. Carl Von Bülow's REPORT.-Since my last report, I have had many difficulties to encounter, many disappointments, and afflictions. I, who now write this in great sorrow and weakness, do intreat you, that you would join in prayer with me to our Lord and Saviour, that He, in His goodness and grace, would help, and hear, and deliver; and that I may be enabled to do all things faithfully, as to Him, and to overcome the difficulties which hinder the good work to be done. But to proceed to my report:-I have had but few opportunities of conversing with sailors, as they are generally at work; but I have had several communications with masters. I shall repeat some of each. I boarded a fine Grecian vessel in the West India Docks ; offered the crew Italian tracts, but there was but one who would receive any; he was, however, very eager to have them, and also a New Testament in that language, and I had to repeat my promise several times, that I would bring him an Italian Bible the next week, which, however, I was not enabled to do. The captain came on board-he spoke French; I offered him the French tract, "Emanuel," he looked at it, and said, "This is nothing for us; we are schismatic Greek, and believe nothing of all that." "You don't say so," was my answer; "You do certainly believe in that Lord, by whose name you are called?" He laughed, put it in his pocket, and said, "Well, I will read it." Conversing with a Protestant captain, he said, "But there are many that think, that Christ was but a man." I told him, it matters little what people think-truth is truth after all. It would be easy to demonstrate to him that the contents of the Bible was the truth; but without faith, knowledge is of little use, and faith was the gift of God, and we