on Thursday for our departure, instead of Wednesday.

Tuesday, July 14.-We received the orders from Prince Galitzen for our horses, and we heard that some dear friends had been, and settled for the expense of some little things which had been doing at the coach-maker's for

So, on the whole, instead of expending any thing at St. Petersburgh, I have not only had all my expenses paid for me, but have likewise been greatly helped for my journey. I find no language adequate to express my sense of the Lord's goodness in bringing us to Petersburgh, not only on our own account, but because others were refreshed by our mutual joy and faith. All things are now ready for the journey, excepting the passports. I have finally left out L., as Dr. W. decidedly gives it as his opinion, that she is unfit for the journey. He assures me, that he is quite ready to come and join us, if he hears that we have any opening for him and dear S. K. offers to come and help us in the schools, if we need her. The same willingness was also expressed by Mr. D., to whose kindness I have been particularly indebted in obtaining for me what I required for the journey. He has given himself almost wholly up to us during the last four days. May the Lord reward all those most kind friends. I have procured some Bibles and Testaments; but the number is very limited,

in consequence of so much of our room being occupied by the simplest necessaries for so large a family; and with those Bibles the British and Foreign Bible Society had kindly given me: I might have had many more could I have taken them, as my order was unlimited, excepting in so far that Mr. K. was to concur in the desirableness of the supply I might wish to take.

Wednesday, July 15.—God again follows us with blessing. He has sent us by the hand of a dear Christian, from some others, the amount of my adavojnia, for which I should else have had to pay about 200 roubles. Miss K. has also sent us a bag of biscuits, and another simple-hearted Christian, Mrs. M., has sent coffee, sugar, and cakes; she also gave me a few Russian Testaments for distribution; another sent us a quantity of lemons. There is something so overwhelming in all this kindness, that we all feel quite overcome; and pray we may so walk, that such love may not be disappointed, but that in all things we may prove steadfast and unmoveable.

Great as the love which has been manifested to me in England, and I can never half acknowledge it; still this has more overwhelmed me, because here I expected nothing. The day we were at Mr. V.'s to dinner, we saw the Armenian, named David, whom I had been desired to seek out. He had been very ill,

and was but slowly recovering, or he would have rejoiced to accompany us; but he still firmly purposes to join us if his health allows of his coming. He seems very intelligent, and has suffered much persecution for the cause of Christ from his family, which lives at Astrakhan, so that he left it and came to St. Petersburgh; but the cold does not agree with his constitution. All his brothers but one have become pious.* As he speaks Turkish, Armenian, Persian, and Russ, he would be an invaluable companion; and if it be the Lord's pleasure, we desire he may join us. He has money enough to support

himself.

An Armenian has to-day offered to be our guide to Astrakhan for 200 roubles, about £8. sterling, as he wishes to get to that city. He only speaks Armenian and Russ; but as both Mrs. T. and her servants speak Armenian as well as English, we hope to get on very well, and thus save 400 roubles, as the lowest demand of any who had previously offered was 600; and the man who asked this had never been further thon Moscow, whereas this Armenian has been twice in Astrakhan, and knows every one there; he also feels a sort of religious partiality for Mrs. T. and her party, because they are Armenians, so that the Lord every where prevails for

* We afterwards found this to be rather doubtful when at Astrakhan.

us.

How kind of him who cared so little for his own ease or comfort, to care so much for ours! Wherever I go, I see a sad repugnance in the mass of those who are, I trust, the Lord's children, voluntarily to resign a station, or descend from it for Christ's sake. They think they have more influence where they are, than in any lower station. But surely this is the church taking the ground of the world, and making her influence, and that of the world, to rest upon the same basis; that which the eye sees. I find this brings me into painful opposition to those whom it would be delightful to agree with; but, however, this is a cross that must be borne. I rejoice, nevertheless, that the Lord is daily shewing me some, though but few, who enter into these views. We have agreed to take our farewell of our friends at dear S. K.'s, setting off on our journey from thence. May the Lord be with us. We met Mr. K., Dr. W., Mr. D., Mr. and Miss W., Miss K., and Mrs. M., and after prayer we departed about four o'clock in the afternoon. We pursued our journey with rapidity for the first 30 versts, under the wings, we trust, of the Almighty. Both M. and myself feel daily, and more and more, the utter weakness, and the inadequacy of the little missionary party to the work they have undertaken: but the Lord Jehovah's strength will thus be the more strikingly manifested. Differences of judgment are comparatively little felt in a conversational

intercourse in England, where we know ourselves to be distinct and independent of one another; but when we eat from a common table, and are supplied by a common purse, these differences become most important. Those who think personal indulgences and conveniences are allowable enough, naturally feel that the Christian simplicity to which others might desire, however slowly, to arrive, a pressure and a burthen, and regard every word said on the subject, a tacit reproach to them: and on the other hand, those who feel themselves living on the simple bounty and love of the church, are naturally very jealous, that those who observe any of their motives shall neither see in their dress, their personal appearance, or any thing else, that which bespeaks a care about those things beyond what is strictly necessary, and for the indispensable benefit and health of their bodies or their minds. I feel most deeply convinced of this, that nothing will bring the mission into such deep disgrace, as spending on ourselves those means which the love of the church has supplied us with for Christ's service, as it would tend to establish the necessity of some human controuling power, foreign to ourselves, to prevent abuse: the more I see of the love of dress, money, and work, and of applause and distinction of any kind, the more I hate them, for obstructing the glorious kingdom of Christ by the overflowing of that selfish