IV.-North India-Berhampore, Moorshedabad.

THE MISSION BOAT JESSIE.

BY THE REV. W. B. PHILLIPS.

TOME reference to this mission boat has already appeared in the CHRONICLE.* It received its name, about three years after birth, from Mr. Albert Spicer. When he and Mr. Thompson came as a deputation from the Directors, we went down to the river side together and on board the boat. After noting her points Mr. Spicer exclaimed, "But what is her name?" I was obliged to confess that she lacked that possession, and was commonly known as the Man-ofWar. "Call her Jessie, then, after my wife," said Mr. Spicer, "and I will send you a flag." So Jessie she is, and flies her flag. But there is a secret about that flag, unknown as yet even to Mr. Spicer. When our friend saw the boat, its actual dimensions were 35 feet long and 7 feet 6 inches broad. But by the time he had reached England, and allowed his generous imagination to work on the matter, it had reached about the following size-135 feet long and 57 feet 6 inches broad. The consequence was that his warm heart worked away in response to the imagination, and produced a flag almost big enough to wrap up the whole concern. We will not trouble to tell him this; but the fact is, that flag has made one for the boat and another for a preaching tent.

You will observe that our little craft compares favourably with Mr. M'Farlane's Venture and Captain Hore's first Tanganyika boat. It is two feet longer than the Venture and about the same size as the first Central African boat. It contains two rooms-one eight feet long, and one two and a half feet long. Both of them are seven and a half feet broad. The small shed behind is where our cooking is done. Right at the stern is the flagstaff, where "Jessie" flies conspicuously in the wind. The helm is quite different from your English make, but it is quite the usual style here. The crew consists of one head man at the helm, and three oarsmen. This is the smallest number that can safely work the boat. Unless there be wind for sailing, they goon against stream. Gooning is pulling the boat along by long, thin, strong ropes, called "goons." These are fastened to the top of

See number for December, 1883.

the mast, one for each man, and the oarsmen pull them by a piece of thick bamboo across the shoulder.

The photograph of the boat was taken in the afternoon in a blazing sun. By way of a sun-shade, I put up a little blackamoor on my left hand. Whether the sun shone through him and transferred his colour to my face and hands, or whether the shadow was to blame, let experts say, but black I have become in the photograph by some means. Perhaps an engraver can restore the complexion. The white dress and pith hat—or sola topee—is our usual summer costume.

Since the photograph was taken in May, two months have gone by, and now the river has risen about half-way up the embankment, and is as wide as the Thames at London Bridge. The boat will be doing its missionary journeys over a distance of seventy miles, almost continually between now and January. Two days ago we returned from a forty miles' journey, after a fortnight's absence. In a few days, Babu Sharat Chander Ghose and I will be off again. The people must be waking up a little, for they are adopting opposition preaching. Last week, at Jungipore, the Hindoos gathered an opposition audience near us for three consecutive nights. In Berhampore they persisted in it for nearly three months. We are thankful to see this, although it sometimes tries our patience. Opposition is infinitely better than indifference, and at least draws attention to the religion of Christ.

From the map of Moorshedabad, our readers will be able to trace the winding course of the river, from the famous field of Plassey, to Sooty, close to the mighty main current of the Ganges. We must work on and pray until there is either an English or native missionary in each important place along this seventy miles of river. After that we will also think of several large interior towns. With a population of 1,250,000 in this district, there is room for many workers. We are very thankful to hear that the Directors have just appointed a new missionary to come out in October.

GRATIFYING TESTIMONY.

A respected correspondent, enclosing his subscription, writes:"I must be near the end of my pilgrimage, being near my 74th year, and I wish only to say that, as an old friend and subscriber, I am pleased to see you maintain, amidst all the heats of controversy, a moderation of tone and a Christian charity towards those who differ from you, and that you value still the old Gospel principle of peace on earth, goodwill towards men."