[1] See also an elaborate article on the same subject in the
_Edinburgh Review_, September, 1818. No. 60.
[2] In September, 1849, five colliers were wrecked off the Gunfleet
Sands. The crews were saved, and the following extract from the
_Ipswich Express_, copied into the _Times_ of the 12th of December,
contains a proof of the strong hold which religious awe has on the
minds of seamen:--'Yesterday (Monday) afternoon, the united crews,
amounting to about thirty men, had a free passage to Ipswich by the
River Queen. The scene on board was of the most extraordinary and
affecting description. The rough, weather-beaten seamen, who had gone
through the perils of that night with undaunted courage, were, in the
review of it, completely overwhelmed with gratitude to God for His
mercy in granting them deliverance. For the most part they were in the
fore cabin of the steamer, and at one time all would be on their knees
in devout prayer and thanksgiving to God, then a suitable hymn would
be read, and the voices of those who had been saved from the yawning
ocean would presently sound it forth in solemn thanks to God. From
port to port they were entirely occupied in these devotional
exercises, and the effect of them, and indeed the whole scene, upon
several hardy sons of ocean who were on board, will never be
forgotten.'
[3] His duties would be similar to those described in the following
letter from a clergyman in one of the colonies, though more general in
their extent:--'My own duties are pretty much those you would suppose.
I visit the emigrant ships _immediately_ on their coming into port,
and am often on board before they drop anchor. I then inquire for the
members of the Church of England, and for such others as may require
the services of a Church of England clergyman; and having assembled
them together, inquire as to the occurrences on the voyage, whether
they have had schools, and a regular Sunday or daily service, whether
there are children to be baptized, and a thousand other matters of a
like nature, which it would be but tiring you to detail. We then
appoint an hour for holding a thanksgiving service for their
preservation from the perils of the sea, and their safe arrival in the
colony. This service consists in the proper service for the day, with
a short sermon suited to the occasion.'