THE LIBRARY 
 
 OF 
 
 THE UNIVERSITY 
 OF CALIFORNIA 
 
 PRESENTED BY 
 
 PROF. CHARLES A. KOFOID AND 
 MRS. PRUDENCE W. KOFOID 
 
:f 
 
 
 
 
 N F V; 
 
ST. HELENA 
 
 THE CAPE OF GOOD HOPE : 
 
 OB, 
 
 INCIDENTS IN THE MISSIONARY LIFE 
 
 REV. JAMES M GREGOR BERTRAM, 
 
 OF ST. HELENA. 
 
 BY REV. EDWIN F. HATFIELD, D.D., 
 
 PASTOR OF THE SEVENTH PBESBYTKRIAN CHURCH IN* THE CITY OF 
 NKW YOKK. 
 
 an Kntrotmctfon, 
 BY REV. GEORGE B. CHEEVER, D.D., 
 
 PASTOR OF THE CHURCH OF THE PURITANS, NEW YORK. 
 
 NEW YORK: 
 PUBLISHED BY EDWARD H. FLETCHER, 
 
 141 NASSAU STREET. 
 
 1852. 
 
Entered, according to act of Congress, in the year 1852, by 
 
 EDWARD H. FLETCHER, 
 
 in the Clerk s Office of the District Court of the United States for the 
 Southern District of New York. 
 
 N. V- STKBEOIJTPK ASSOCIATION, 
 
 201 William-street. 
 
TO THE 
 
 FRIENDS OF MISSIONS, 
 
 OF VARIOUS EVANGELICAL CHURCHES IN THE UNITED 
 STATES, WHO HAVE SO NOBLY RESPONDED TO 
 
 MR. BERTRAM S APPEALS, 
 
 AND SO GENEROUSLY CONTRIBUTED TO THE ERECTION 
 OF CHURCHES ON 
 
 Ho eft of t|)e <>ccan, 
 
 THIS HUMBLE MEMOIR IS AFFECTIONATELY INSCRIBED BY 
 
 THE AUTHOR. 
 
B 
 
 3.3 S-f 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 To those who have heard, from the 
 lips of the Eev. JAMES M GEEGOK BER- 
 TRAM, of St. Helena, the particulars of his 
 missionary experience at Table and Sal- 
 danha Bays, in the South of Africa, and on 
 the Island of St. Helena, no apology need 
 be offered for the publication of this 
 memoir. It has been written, in compli 
 ance with frequent and pressing solicita 
 tions on the part of many of his hearers, 
 who regard his statements as worthy of 
 more than the fleeting publicity of a pul 
 pit address, and who desire some lasting 
 memorial of a visit, which they will ever 
 remember with pleasure. 
 
 M311584 
 
11 PREFACE. 
 
 Mr. Bertram came to this country in the 
 year 1850, landing at Boston on the 10th 
 of July, and has visited numerous places in 
 the New England States, New York, New 
 Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and else 
 where, in the prosecution of his work of 
 "benevolence. Six thousand dollars were 
 wanted for the erection of two mission 
 chapels, and the removal of a mortgage 
 upon another, in the Island of St. Helena, 
 in addition to what had been contributed 
 by the friends of the Gospel on the Island, 
 and at the Cape of Good Hope. Wher 
 ever he has gone, and addressed the peo 
 ple in this behalf, he has met with a ready 
 response, and found a goodly company of 
 cheerful givers. In a few more days lie 
 hopes to have received the substantial aid, 
 to obtain which he sought these shores, 
 and to set sail, full of gratitude to God 
 and his large-hearted friends in America, 
 for his far-off home in the sea-girt isle, 
 
PREFACE. Ill 
 
 where the illustrious Corsican rested from 
 his brilliant career of conquests, and end 
 ed his days in inglorious exile. 
 
 The sketches here presented have been 
 derived, for the most part, from the pub 
 lic addresses of Mr. Bertram, and from 
 publications and statements that he has 
 kindly put into the possession of 
 
 THE EDITOE. 
 
 NEW YORK, May 10th, 1852. 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 THE spectacle of Divine Power in action is always 
 sublime. It is a glorious sight when you look upon 
 the waters of Niagara, and listen to the roar of its 
 thunders ; or upon the fall of an Alpine avalanche, 
 as of a mountain from the sky. It is glorious to see 
 the sun rise and set, sublime to see the ocean in a 
 storm, or a volcano in action ; still more, to gaze 
 upon the planets in the firmament of heaven, and 
 think of that Infinite Power that keeps them silently 
 rolling in the depths of space, in such countless num 
 bers, yet in such order, harmony, and beauty. But 
 more glorious by far is the spectacle of Divine power 
 and grace in the regeneration of congregated souls. 
 To see a nation, a whole nation, in a space of time 
 only one third the span of human life, one third the 
 span given to the development of individual charac 
 ter, taken from the deepest depths of heathenism, 
 raised up from the unutterable abominations of the 
 most despotic idolatry, from the beastliness of habits 
 of pollution, sanctioned and enforced by the rites of 
 superstition , and to see that nation so changed in that 
 short space of time as to possess and put on all the 
 
VI INTRODUCTION. 
 
 characteristics of Christian purity and refinement; 
 this is a manifestation of Almighty power more 
 wondrous than the creation of a world ! It is, in 
 deed, the standing and startling miracle of modem 
 times a miracle of wisdom, omnipotence, and love. 
 It shows what the gospel of Christ and the grace of 
 God can do. 
 
 This glorious miracle of Divine power and grace 
 has been witnessed in the SANDWICH ISLANDS ; and, 
 adorning the same age, and fit to be set in the same 
 record, though on a smaller scale, is the miracle of 
 God s power and mercy, of which some account is 
 given in this volume, wrought, or begun to be wrought, 
 in the Island of St. Helena. Truly, the island proph 
 ecies in the Word of God are coming out into great 
 light and majesty. They are as morning stars of 
 fulfillment before the Great Sun of Righteousness 
 pours His beams on all the nations. 
 
 And these prophecies are fulfilled in so extraordi 
 nary a manner, as to reveal with great clearness and 
 power the manner in which the Lord Jesus causes 
 His strength to be perfected and glorified in human 
 weakness, when there is only a simple and strong 
 faith in Him. These records of transactions in the 
 island world, that may have caused greater wonder 
 and joy in heaven than all the transactions in the 
 
INTRODUCTION. Vll 
 
 same space of time elsewhere evolved on our globe, 
 show the sublimity of faith, and the important part 
 it must ever bear, in subduing a fallen world to Christ 
 Jesus. It is faith in God, on man s part, whereby He 
 will accomplish His purposes ; or, rather, this faith 
 in God, and the heavenly courage produced by it, 
 giving glory to Him, constitute the disposition, in 
 behalf of which, and in the exercise of which, God 
 can, with justice to Himself and lasting good to His 
 creatures, make bare the arm of His power, and lead 
 His children to victory. They shall have the victory 
 when their heart is fixed on Him, and their eye sin 
 gle to His glory. For God will make His people 
 and the world understand and feel that great princi 
 ple of holiness and glory, of victory and success, not 
 by might nor by power, but by the Spirit of the Lord 
 of Hosts. 
 
 When that is understood and acted upon when 
 God s people rely boldly and only upon Him, then 
 one of them can chase a thousand, and two put ten 
 thousand to flight. Let them go forth, armed with 
 God s Word, fervent in prayer, relying on the Holy 
 Spirit, crying out with the good King Asa, "Lord 
 God, this cause is not ours, but thine, and these ene 
 mies are not ours, but thine; let not man prevail 
 Against THEE !" and then shall the hosts of darkness 
 
Vlll INTRODUCTION. 
 
 be scattered, and the Church of God shall shine forth 
 fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an 
 army with banners. But let them not be afraid of 
 God s Word, nor of the application of it, for it is by 
 that alone that error and iniquity can be conquered ; 
 for the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but 
 spiritual, and mighty, through God, to the pulling 
 down of strong-holds. " Hearken unto me, ye that 
 know righteousness, the people in whose heart is my 
 law. Fear ye not the reproach of men, neither be 
 ye afraid of their revilings. For the moth shall eat 
 them up like a garment, and the worm shall eat them 
 like wool ; but my righteousness shall be forever, and 
 my salvation from generation to generation." " Who 
 art thou, that thou shouldst be afraid of a man that 
 shall die, and of the son of man, which shall be 
 made as grass, and forgettest the Lord thy maker, 
 that hath stretched forth the heavens and laid the 
 foundations of the earth, and hast feared continually 
 every day, because of the fury of the oppressor, as 
 if he were ready to destroy ; and where is the fury 
 of the oppressor ] I am the Lord thy God, that di 
 vided the sea, whose waves roared. And I have put 
 my words in thy mouth, and have covered thee in 
 the shadow of my hand, that I may plant the heav 
 ens and lay the foundations of the earth, and say 
 
INTRODUCTION. IX 
 
 unto Zion, Thou art my people !" Yes ! lor this it is 
 that God hath given His Word, and covers His peo 
 ple while they proclaim it, that the world may be con 
 vinced of sin, and conquered by it, and a church built 
 up, who are the people of the living God the reveal- 
 ers and partakers of His righteousness. Therefore, 
 let His people be faithful with His Word ; let them 
 trust in it, and in God who gave it, and let them never 
 be afraid of it. There is nothing lost by faithfulness ; 
 there is every thing gained by boldness. 
 
 We think this is strikingly manifested in this rec 
 ord of .the work of God in St. Helena. God prepared 
 His instrument in that work by faith ; childlike, sim 
 ple, unquestioning, unhesitating, God impelled him 
 forth, and God went with him. It really reminds us 
 this spiritual conquest in that rocky, sea-girt isle 
 of the expedition apparently wild and romantic, 
 and the success and the victory, manifestly from 
 God, as the impulse was from His Spirit of Jon 
 athan, when he went alone to the garrison of the 
 Philistines. " And Jonathan said to the young man 
 that bare his armor, Come, and let us go over unto 
 the garrison of these uncircumcised. It may be that 
 the Lord will work for us. For there is no restraint 
 to the Lord, to save by many or by few." 
 
 How admirable ! How worthy of all imitation 
 
X INTRODUCTION. 
 
 and praise ! This was not the native courage of the 
 warrior only, but the fearlessness of the Christian, 
 relying on his God. It may be that the Lord will 
 ivork for us. How humble, simple, childlike, and 
 beautiful is his faith ! He does not pretend to cer 
 tainty, does not profess to have met God in a 
 dream, or to have had any special revelation from 
 Him, as the ground of his confidence, or any assur 
 ance that he should be successful in the present case. 
 But the effort was worth making, and it might be 
 that God would give it success ; at any rate, they 
 were not to sit still, and venture nothing. Some 
 thing was worth hazarding in the cause of God, and 
 if they never attempted any thing without being first 
 sure of success, they never would gain any thing. 
 Jonathan was willing to leave the event with God ; 
 and, trusting in God, his conduct was boldness, but 
 not rashness. 
 
 Boldness in the cause of God is prudence. If the 
 path of any enterprise be the path of duty, then dis 
 miss your fears, and go forward, leaving the result 
 with God. You need ask for nothing more than this 
 young Christian warrior s humble confidence and wil 
 lingness. It may be that the Lord will work for us. 
 Suppose He should not, what then ? Is the doubt or 
 the fear that He will not, a good ground for relinquish- 
 
INTRODUCTION. XI 
 
 Ing an effort, where you may accomplish great things 
 for God ? Does the fear that God will not work for 
 you, release you from the obligation of working for 
 Him ? You must be willing to work on a may-be. 
 Positive assurance of success is not to be demanded ; 
 and if men wait for that, they will do nothing, un 
 dertake nothing. Enterprises begun in faith are most 
 successful. It is right to count the cost, but, after 
 all, you must throw yourself on God ; and the fear 
 of the cost of a possible failure ought not to hold 
 you back from a possible success. It may be. If 
 you do not undertake it, it certainly will not be. 
 God will not work for you, if you do not give Him 
 opportunity ; but if you do, He may. If you hazard 
 nothing, for fear that He will not work, you are a 
 great coward, and it is a very selfish plan that you 
 go upon. Jonathan committed himself to the Lord s 
 cause, quite regardless of his own interests. It was 
 truly a sublime sight to see him cast himself on God, 
 and go forth on such a desperate undertaking, quite 
 willing to meet all the hazard, quite forgetful of self, 
 and ready to make any sacrifice, for the sake of ac 
 complishing, possibly, a great thing for his country, 
 by God s help. It may be that God will work for 
 us ; we will go, at any rate. If He does work for 
 us, we shall do a great work ; we will not let the 
 
Xll INTRODUCTION. 
 
 possibility of His not working enter into our calcu 
 lation. 
 
 Now, that was not only true courage, but true wis 
 dom, as genuine courage always is. It was a true 
 missionary spirit. It was just in this way that our 
 devoted missionaries to the Sandwich Islands and to 
 India went forth first, against such incalculable odds, 
 with nothing but God to rely upon. It may be that 
 God will work for us. The supposition that He will 
 not, shall not enter into our calculation. But even 
 if He does not, the effort is for Him, and cannot be 
 lost. Fruitless it may be, but lost, or disregarded, 
 or forgotten of God, it cannot be. It will be precious 
 in His sight, it will meet His approbation. Even 
 supposing that we die in the midst of it, is it not a 
 death for God ? Do we not give ourselves up to 
 Him 1 ? The path of duty is the path of safety, 
 though death itself stood in the way ; but in a battle, 
 the boldest are the safest, and they are the most like 
 ly to come off uninjured. 
 
 This was a true revival spirit an example of what 
 may be done, even by one man, with great faith, in 
 a time of insensibility and lukewarmness. It may 
 be. There was no beginning of a revival of courage 
 or of piety in the army ; there were no extraordinary 
 signs. The beginning of the work was in Jonathan s 
 
INTRODUCTION. Xlll 
 
 own heart: all things externally looked discourag 
 ing. But Jonathan said, It may be. Who knows ? 
 There is this great work to be accomplished, and per 
 haps God will use us to accomplish it. Indeed, we 
 are only two or three, but that is nothing against the 
 enterprise, if God be with us. It may be that the 
 Lord will work for us, for there is no restraint to the 
 Lord, to save by many or by few. It was a mode of 
 argument taught by the Spirit of God ; it was a di 
 vine inspiration in Jonathan s soul the inspiration 
 of faith, a strong sense of the presence and power 
 of God, an entire reliance upon Him, and a most 
 sincere and fervent desire for God s glory. 
 
 These are the graces that indicate and prove an 
 appointed work from God. In moving under these 
 impulses, Jonathan could hardly be presumptuous, 
 or in danger of mistake as to the path of duty. In 
 deed, the path of duty was clear, and the only ques 
 tion was, would Jonathan do right to venture upon 
 it so entirely alone, and without human assistance ? 
 But Jonathan knew that whether with or without hu 
 man assistance, except by the blessing of God, he 
 could do nothing; and he also knew that the less 
 there was of man, the more sometimes there was of 
 God. Just so David felt when he went against Go- 
 liah. It was an undertaking that seemed, in the judg- 
 2 
 
XIV INTRODUCTION. 
 
 ment of some men, merely presumptuous and fool 
 hardy, not to say ridiculous, and the more so, because 
 David refused to be girded with Saul s armor. Some 
 times the things that the men of the world rely upon, 
 and by which they expect every thing to be accom 
 plished, and without which they think nothing can be 
 done, are mere impediments to faith. 
 
 For the illustration of these lessons, we refer to 
 the interesting and instructive narrative in the fol 
 lowing pages. It is a narrative that utters in .every 
 part the anthem of brighter worlds Glory to God 
 and the Lamb ! It is a narrative that shows what 
 God may at any time be pleased to do, inspiring the 
 weakness of man ; and what man may do, trusting 
 in the strength of God. To the Christian at home 
 and the missionary abroad, it is a narrative full of 
 heavenly suggestion and encouragement. 
 
 The relation of it to the churches in America has 
 gained Mr. Bertram and his island mission a place of 
 remembrance and affectionate prayerful interest in 
 thousands of hearts, that otherwise would have heard 
 of this great work of grace only by faint and far-off 
 voices. What has been given, has been given joyful 
 ly ; never did any appeal for any station in the wide 
 missionary field of the world meet a more welcome 
 response, and prayer has gone before the offering. 
 
CONTENTS, 
 
 Page 
 PREFACE 1 
 
 INTRODUCTION, BY REV. G. B. CHEEVER, D.D V 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 LIFE AT HOME 17 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 LIFE AT THE CAPE 40 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 LABORS AT SALDANHA BAY 68 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 LIFE AT ST. HELENA 113 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 A DECEASE OF MRS. SARAH B. JUDSON .. . 191 
 
 B CASES OF HAPPY DEATHS AT ST. HELENA 196 
 
 C MISSION TO AMERICA 218 
 
LIFE AND LABORS. 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 LIFE AT HOME. 
 
 JAMES M GREGOR BERTRAM is a native of 
 Scotland. He was born February 24th, 1806, at 
 Southfield, in the parish of Gladsmuir, East Lo 
 thian, Haddingtonshire, where, a hundred years 
 ago, the great historian, Dr. William Robertson, 
 ministered in the name of Christ, and where he 
 wrote his " History of Scotland." The home of 
 his childhood was in the western part of the par 
 ish, not far from the village of Tranent, and in 
 full view of the majestic Frith of Forth, which is 
 reached by an easy descent of land toward the 
 North. Preston Pans, where Charles Edward Stu 
 art, the Pretender, having already taken Edin 
 burgh, met and completely routed the forces of 
 Sir John Cope, on the morning of Saturday, the 
 21st of September, 1745, on which occasion the 
 godly Colonel James Gardiner lost his life, is in 
 the immediate neighborhood on the west. The 
 capital is but eleven miles distant. Haddington, 
 
18 LIFE AT HOME. 
 
 where that man of God, the Rev. John Brown, of 
 the Associate Synod, so faithfully taught and il 
 lustrated the Gospel, and whose fame is in all the 
 churches, is about four miles to the east. It is a 
 neighborhood full of interest to the lover of Scotch 
 history, and of stirring associations. 
 
 The father of Mr. Bertram, true to the faith 
 of his noble ancestors, adhered to the Church of 
 Scotland, and faithfully endeavored to bring up 
 his children (deprived of their godly mother at an 
 early age) in the nurture and admonition of the 
 Lord. He taught them to w r alk in the fear of 
 God, to reverence His name, to hallow His sab 
 baths, to study His word, and to offer the morn 
 ing and evening sacrifice. His children were sev 
 erally brought to the sanctuary in their infancy, 
 and consecrated to God. JAMES M GREGOR was 
 thus baptized, according to the usages of the Scot 
 tish Church, shortly after his birth, by the Rev. 
 Mr. Brown, in the parish church of Gladsmuir. 
 
 In the year 1809 the family removed to the 
 southwest of Scotland, and took up their resi 
 dence at Mount Pleasant, about half a mile from 
 the ancient town of Dumfries, on the eastern 
 bank of the river Nith, and about nine miles 
 from the Solway Frith. Here in the midst of 
 beautiful scenery and splendid prospects, for 
 which Dumfries is so justly celebrated here, 
 among the hills and vales of bonny Nithsdale, im- 
 
LIFE AT HOME. 19 
 
 mortalized by Scotland s favorite bard, where 
 Burns spent the last eight years of his life, and 
 where he was buried, as indicated by the noble 
 monument in St. Michael s church-yard, over his 
 remains Mr. Bertram passed his youthful days, 
 and grew to the stature of manhood. His worthy 
 sire, shortly after his arrival at Dumfries, became 
 connected with the Relief Church, then under the 
 pastoral care of the venerable Andrew Fife, by 
 whose ministrations the religious impressions, made 
 on the youthful mind of James by parental faith 
 fulness, were greatly confirmed. He received the 
 rudiments of learning at an excellent school in 
 Dumfries, but the limited means of the family 
 could not afford him the advantages of a finished 
 education. 
 
 The father was a tiller of the ground, on a 
 small scale. He occupied himself principally in 
 the cultivation of plants, and flowers, and seeds ; 
 in which healthful and inspiring employment he 
 was assisted by James. His boyhood thus was 
 passed amid the beauties of nature, in close famil 
 iarity with some of her most delightful works. He 
 spent his early days, not in the feculent atmo 
 sphere of the crowded haunts of vice and dissi 
 pation, but in the midst of umbrageous woods, and 
 graceful plants, and smiling flowers, 
 
 " Where the fantastic tulip strives to break 
 In two-fold beauty, and a parted streak; 
 
20 LIFE AT HOME. 
 
 The twining jasmine and the blushing rose, 
 With lavish grace their morning scents disclose : 
 The smelling tuberose and jonquil declare 
 The stronger impulse of an evening air." 
 
 It is a privilege not sufficiently appreciated, to 
 have our earliest associations formed away from 
 the artificial habits, and dusty streets, and dingy 
 walls of the city away from the thousand temp 
 tations that there beset the minds of the youth, 
 and lead them astray to dwell where God is seen 
 in all His works, and where sweet innocence, sim 
 plicity, and purity are found. 
 
 " Oh ! friendly to the best pursuits of man 
 Friendly to thought, to virtue, and to peace, 
 Domestic life, in rural pleasure passed! 
 Few know thy value, and few taste thy sweets ; 
 Though many boast thy favors, and affect 
 To understand and choose thee for their own." 
 
 An elder brother had found his way to England, 
 and established himself, in company with Mr. Alex 
 ander Grierson, as a cloth merchant, in the nourish 
 ing town of Manchester. Thither James was sent 
 in 1824, at the age of eighteen years, to assist his 
 brother Thomas, and learn the art and mystery 
 of trade. Thomas Bertram was a member of 
 the Independent Church, worshiping in Chapel- 
 street, near Gravel-lane, Salford, under the pas 
 toral care of the Rev. John A. Coombs. Oc 
 casionally the young Scotchman was found at St. 
 
LIFE AT HOME. 21 
 
 Clement s Church, Levers-street, at that time 
 served by the Rev. William Nunn. Under the 
 ministry of the latter, in the year 1825, his con 
 science appears to have been aroused, and his soul 
 awakened to a vivid religious sensibility. The 
 precious seed, that had so long before been sown 
 in Nithsdale, now began to vegetate and bear 
 fruit in Lancashire. He was led to seek the for 
 giveness of sin and peace with God, through faith 
 in the blood of Jesus Christ. From this time 
 the course of his life was changed. In his nine 
 teenth year he became a subject of grace, and 
 cherished a hope of salvation. 
 
 Although Mr. Bertram had thus been brought 
 to regard himself as a believer, he was still by no 
 means decided as to the particular church, in which 
 he should make a profession of religion. It is not 
 necessary to state the considerations which kept 
 him for a length of time from the Lord s table. It 
 was not until the twenty -seventh year of his age 
 that his course was made plain, and the way pre 
 pared for his complete separation from the world. 
 In the year 1833, the Rev. ROBERT AITKEN, at 
 that time a preacher of wonderful power and pop 
 ularity, came to Manchester, and exerted, by the 
 blessing of God, that influence over the mind of 
 Mr. Bertram, which resulted in his full and en 
 tire consecration to the service of God. 
 
 This distinguished preacher deserves more than 
 
ZZ LIFE AT HOME. 
 
 a passing notice. He is a native of North Brit 
 ain, having been born at the close of the last cen 
 tury, in Roxburghshire, not far from the Tweed, in 
 Tiviotdale. Sent, by a friend of his father s fam 
 ily, into England, to be educated for the Church, 
 he was introduced into the ranks of the clergy of 
 the Establishment about thirty years ago. Some 
 little time after his admission to orders, he be 
 came the incumbent of the chapel at Douglas, a 
 sea-port town on the eastern shore of the Isle of 
 Man, and the principal place on the island, lying 
 about sixty miles in a northwesterly direction from 
 Liverpool. Shortly after, he was united in mar 
 riage to a lady of the place, of considerable prop 
 erty and high respectability. For a period of 
 about ten or twelve years, Mr. Aitken continued 
 in the performance of his official duties as a parish 
 priest, respected and flattered by the people, but 
 destitute of the power of godliness. Greatly at 
 tached to the Church of England, he held no com 
 munion with dissent, and scorned to be found in 
 attendance on the ministrations of a Non-con 
 formist. 
 
 It pleased God, however, to make use of an in 
 strumentality so despicable in the sight of the 
 self-righteous clergyman, to bring him to the 
 knowledge of the truth. He made choice, as He 
 so often does, of " the foolish things of the world 
 to confound the wise," and " the weak things of 
 
LIFE AT HOME. 23 
 
 the world to confound the things which are mighty, 
 and base things of the world, and things which are 
 despised." Some time about the year 1831, Mr. 
 Aitken was passing a Wesleyan chapel in the Isle 
 of Man, while the society were occupied in an 
 evening conference. His attention was arrested, 
 and he stopped without, to listen to the artless 
 statements made by the brethren, in the narration 
 of their Christian experience. He heard enough 
 to convince him, that he was an entire stranger to 
 such spiritual exercises, and utterly destitute of 
 that " joy and peace in believing," which seemed 
 to characterize these poor, despised dissenters. As 
 he returned home, the conviction fastened itself 
 upon him that he was a lost sinner. He shut 
 himself up in his study, and began to cry for mer 
 cy. His prayer was heard, his pride humbled, 
 his former righteousness renounced, and his heart 
 renewed by Divine grace. 
 
 The change thus effected in his views, feelings, 
 desires, hopes, purposes, and plans, was most thor 
 ough. Filled to overflowing with the joy of a new 
 convert, his whole countenance glowed with heav 
 enly radiance. He longed to impart the same spir 
 itual gift instrumentally, at least to his loved 
 companion. He almost flew to find her, and com 
 municate to her the glad tidings ; but he seemed 
 to her as one bereft of reason. At length, how- 
 
24 LIFE AT HOME. 
 
 ever, she too was led to seek the Lord, and be 
 came as happy and zealous as himself. 
 
 He now entered upon the work of preaching 
 Christ with all his heart and soul. The people 
 soon perceived the change in their minister, and 
 flocked from all quarters to hear from his lips the 
 wonders of Divine grace. The sanctuary was 
 filled to overflowing with the crowds, and great 
 numbers of them were pricked in their hearts, 
 and led to cry, " What shall I do to be saved ?" 
 The awakening became general, not only in the 
 town, but in other portions of the island. Taking 
 advantage of the growing excitement, Mr. Aitken 
 went everywhere preaching the word. As the 
 churches were utterly insufficient to receive the 
 multitudes, he adopted the practice of Whitefield 
 and Wesley, and preached under the open canopy 
 of heaven, in the fields, in the streets, and whenever 
 the people could be gathered together. On one of 
 these occasions, the congregation and their preacher 
 were surprised by a heavy shower of rain, and found 
 shelter within a Wesleyan chapel in the neighbor 
 hood, where, by the urgent invitation of the pro 
 prietors, Mr. Aitken continued and concluded the 
 service. So uncanonical an act could not be over 
 looked by the Lord Bishop of Sodor and Man. 
 The Right Rev. William Ward, D.D., at once 
 decided, that the man, who could pay so little re 
 gard to the canons of the Church, should feel 
 
LIFE AT HOME. 25 
 
 the weight of her ordinances. Mr. Aitken was 
 accordingly removed from his incumbency, and his 
 name erased from the number of the clergy. Such 
 are the tender mercies of lordly prelacy ! u From 
 such apostles," God " preserve the Church !" 
 
 But the fire thus kindled was not so easily to be 
 quenched. The fame thereof reached Liverpool ; 
 and soon an invitation was received from some of 
 the dissenting people of that great commercial 
 mart, and Mr. Aitken made them a visit. He 
 was received with open arms, and invited to the 
 pulpit of the Wesleyan chapel in Pitt-street. 
 The results of his preaching soon appeared, as in 
 the Isle of Man. He possessed a most attractive 
 and commanding person, being fully six feet in 
 height, and well-proportioned ; of black hair, and 
 heavy whiskers, with a voice full, powerful, melo 
 dious, and perfectly at command. A well-trained 
 mind, of far more than ordinary powers, brought 
 into full exercise by the impulse of the new-born 
 zeal with which his whole soul was fired, aided by 
 vehement but graceful gesticulation, gave him a 
 most wonderful control over the crowds and masses 
 that flocked to hear him. He had seen so much 
 of the deceitfulness of his own heart, that he 
 trembled with apprehension for the vast multitude 
 of professing Christians and others, whom he could 
 not but regard as " having no hope, and without 
 God in the world." He therefore deemed it to 
 3 
 
26 LIFE AT HOME. 
 
 be his duty to bring the terrors of the Lord to 
 bear with burning weight upon the ungodly, and 
 so to prevail upon them, if possible, to turn from 
 the error of their ways. He took for his motto, 
 " The sword of the Lord, and of Gideon !" and 
 armed himself for a crusade against all ungodli 
 ness. To the wounded sinner he held up a Re 
 deemer crucified, and bade him "Look and live." 
 
 Numerous chapels were opened to welcome him, 
 but none were large enough to contain the crowds. 
 Deep impressions were made by the truths that 
 he preached, and many souls were added to the 
 Lord. He went up to London, and preached 
 with like results in White s Row Chapel, Spital- 
 fields, and in other chapels in the metropolis. He 
 visited several of the large provincial towns, and 
 ranged through Yorkshire, where his coming was 
 like a tornado, sweeping all before it. He laid 
 siege particularly to Sheffield, and so mightily 
 prevailed the word of the Lord, that no less than 
 six thousand souls, as was thought, were awakened 
 to seek the Lord. At Birmingham and Manches 
 ter also, the populace were stirred, and ran to 
 hear this second Whitefield. A wonderful revival 
 of religion attended his ministrations wherever he 
 went, and his fame spread abroad through all the 
 land. His services were in great request, and his 
 labors almost superhuman. 
 
 Measures were taken by some of the Scotch 
 
LIFE AT HOME. 2*7 
 
 residents of Liverpool, in 1835, to induce Mr. 
 Aitken to locate himself among them. In confer 
 ence with him, they pledged themselves to co 
 operate with him in a vigorous assault on the un 
 godliness and hypocrisy of the town, and to furnish 
 the means for his support, and for the erection of 
 a suitable place of worship. A commodious hall 
 in Cook-street, capable of seating about eight 
 hundred persons, was rented, and immediately 
 opened for public worship. Ground was also ob 
 tained in Hope-street, and the foundations of a 
 house of worship speedily laid. 
 
 About this time Mr. Bertram s acquaintance 
 with Mr. Aitken commenced. The latter had 
 visited Manchester on a preaching excursion, and, 
 as usual, attracted vast multitudes. A worthy 
 Scotch citizen, at whose house Mr. Aitken was 
 entertained, invited Mr. Bertram to his house, 
 and introduced him as an ardent-minded Christian, 
 whose views and sympathies were in unison with 
 those of the distinguished preacher. The mind of 
 Mr. Bertram had long been turning toward the 
 work of the ministr$ and he was anxiously desirous 
 to learn the path of duty. In Mr. Aitken he 
 found an ardent friend and faithful counselor. A 
 mutual attachment was formed, which led to a 
 frequent correspondence on the return of Mr. 
 Aitken to Liverpool. At the end of six months, 
 Mr. Bertram concluded to listen to the pressing 
 
28 LIFE AT HOME. 
 
 invitation of his friend, to go down to Liverpool, 
 and take up his abode in the hospitable mansion 
 of Mr. Aitken, with a view to prepare himself for 
 the gospel ministry. After his removal, he gave 
 himself to the work of exhorting, instructing, 
 and praying in the social meetings of the new 
 society. 
 
 Hope-street Chapel was completed in 1836, and 
 dedicated to the worship of God about five months 
 after the foundations were laid. It was of respect 
 able appearance, built of stone, and adapted for 
 the accommodation of about two thousand persons. 
 It was immediately filled, and continued to be 
 filled to overflowing. Month after month the 
 Spirit of God was poured upon the congregation, 
 and great numbers were hopefully converted to 
 God. In ten months, the society, which had been 
 organized with only nine members, had increased 
 to fifteen hundred, of whom twelve hundred had 
 been gathered out of the world, and received into 
 the church on the relation of their experience. 
 The work had extended into other towns. In 
 Manchester, Burslem, Hanley, Congleton, Pres 
 ton, and Leigh, where Mr. Aitken had occasion 
 ally preached, little bands of brethren had gath 
 ered around him. It was desirable that these 
 stations should be occupied. Accordingly, Mr. 
 Bertram, with three other zealous brethren, Messrs. 
 Campbell, Delaney, and Read, were publicly set 
 
LIFE AT HOME. 29 
 
 apart, in tlie summer of 1836, to the work of the 
 ministry. 
 
 At a convocation held in Hope-street Chapel, 
 October 27th, 1836, in which the several stations 
 were fully represented, it was resolved to form 
 themselves into a society, to be called " The 
 Christian Society in connection with the Rev. R. 
 Aitken." Rules and regulations were adopted, 
 and the policy as well as purpose of the new or 
 ganization defined. It was agreed that, while the 
 word of God alone should be regarded as the only 
 infallible standard of their faith, " Wesley s Ser 
 mons and Notes on the New Testament" should 
 be considered as containing their " sentiments of 
 doctrinal truth," and be adopted as their legal 
 and scriptural standard of doctrine ; although the 
 views of the body were rather more Calvinistic 
 than this would indicate. An ecclesiastical polity, 
 compounded mainly of the Wesleyan and Presby 
 terian systems, was also adopted, and experimental 
 piety made an indispensable prerequisite to mem 
 bership. They determined to be "a working, 
 soul-saving society;" to make the salvation of 
 souls the one great object and business of the 
 association ; to labor and pray for revivals of re 
 ligion, and to seek for mighty effusions of the 
 Holy Spirit. Prayer meetings were to be held 
 weekly, and oftener, i* possible, and to be so 
 multiplied as to give abundant opportunities for 
 
80 LIFE AT HOME. 
 
 every one of the members to exercise their gifts 
 of pra} r er. After every evening service, penitent 
 meetings, or, as we call them, inquiry meetings, 
 were to be held. The sermons were to be " not 
 neatly-composed essays to amuse the intellect, but 
 plain, strong, pointed appeals to awaken the con 
 science. The lazy, useless system of talking 
 about good things in the pulpit," was to "be to 
 tally discarded, and every minister" required to 
 " throw his body, soul, and spirit into the work." 
 At the penitent meetings, " the elders and lead 
 ers" were to " go from pew to pew and exhort 
 sinners to repentance." Gayety of dress, parties 
 of pleasure, the use of intoxicating drinks, except 
 as medicine, and marriage with unconverted per 
 sons, were not to be allowed, and all were con 
 scientiously to observe private, family, and public 
 worship. In the admission of members, no true 
 Christian was to be rejected on account of any pe 
 culiarity of doctrinal views. 
 
 Such was the frame-work of a society which, 
 within a few years, exerted a large influence in 
 the work of calling sinners to repentance. The 
 doctrinal views of Mr. Aitken and the preachers 
 in the connection, almost coincided with those of 
 the Rev. Charles G. Finney, of Ohio, an edition 
 of whose " Revival Lectures" he put to the press, 
 with an Introduction, " vindicating and enforcing 
 
LIFE AT HOME. 31 
 
 Mr. Finney s plan of conducting the work of 
 God." 
 
 Immediately after the convocation, Mr. Ber 
 tram removed to the market-town of Hanley, near 
 the sources of the Trent, near Newcastle-under- 
 kyne, in the northern part of Staffordshire, to 
 which station he had been appointed, in connec 
 tion with Mr. Delaney. Here, among the pot 
 teries, with which the region is studded, he found 
 ample employment for his ministerial gifts. Two 
 churches were organized, and a number of out- 
 stations were established. At the expiration of 
 a year he was removed to Doncaster, an ancient 
 and beautiful town in the southern part of York 
 shire, on the southeastern bank of the river Don, 
 about eighteen miles northeast of Sheffield, and 
 famous for its races. Here, too, his ministry was 
 prospered, and a church of about one hundred 
 members was gathered. In the fall of 1838 he 
 was appointed to Stockport, a large and flourish 
 ing town, exceedingly picturesque, on both sides 
 of the Mersey, and lying partly in Cheshire and 
 partly in Lancashire, only seven miles from his 
 former residence in Manchester, to the southeast. 
 Here, too, he found a wide field of usefulness 
 among the numerous workmen employed in the 
 cotton factories, for which the town is famous. 
 His ministry was much prospered, and a church 
 of three hundred souls was gathered in the course 
 
32 LIFE AT HOME. 
 
 of twelve months. From Stockport he removed 
 in the autumn of 1839 to the city of Bristol, where 
 he labored for the two years following in connec 
 tion with the Rev. John Richardson, and gathered 
 two churches, one containing about two hundred, 
 and the other about three hundred members. 
 
 During his residence in Bristol, his views on 
 the mode of baptism were considerably modified. 
 To this subject his attention was called by the 
 preaching of the Rev. Thomas Matthews, of Bed 
 ford. After a short season of inquiry, he con 
 cluded to offer himself as a candidate for immer 
 sion ; and with his wife, the Rev. Mr. Richard 
 son, and several others, he was accordingly im 
 mersed in the year 1838, by the Rev. John Bowes, 
 of Dundee, without forfeiting, by this proceeding, 
 his standing in the connection. He adopted main 
 ly the views of the great Robert Hall, and a large 
 portion of our Baptist brethren in England, on 
 the subject of church fellowship. 
 
 In the mean time, Mr. Aitken, and the other 
 ministers in the connection, were laboring, full of 
 zeal and energy, in the prosecution of what they 
 deemed to be their particular mission. 
 
 Mr. Aitken had procured, in 1838, the old 
 chapel in White s Row, Spitalfields, in the east 
 ern part of London, where formerly the venerable 
 Dr. Townsend ministered. Leaving Hope-street 
 Chapel, in Liverpool, to be supplied by others, he 
 
LIFE AT HOME. OO 
 
 removed to the metropolis, and, assisted by Mr. 
 Delaney, conducted the services in White s Row 
 Chapel, producing here, as elsewhere, a great 
 sensation. In the latter part of the same year, he 
 purchased a commodious and comfortable place of 
 worship on the Surry side, called Zion Chapel, 
 Waterloo Road. In both of these chapels, service 
 was maintained twice every Sabbath day, and fre 
 quently on the evenings of other days in the week. 
 Immense crowds of all classes were attracted to 
 hear Mr. Aitken, and a great excitement was 
 produced. 
 
 Shortly after his removal to London, he was 
 deprived of his wife by death. This excellent 
 lady had proved her devotion to the cause of her 
 Lord and Master by unwearied services. She 
 was regarded by the preachers and the people as 
 a mother in Israel. Her influence over her hus 
 band was highly salutary and sanctifying. As 
 long as she lived the work prospered ; but, after 
 her death, it was soon perceived that Mr. Aitken 
 was disposed to make his court to the great, the 
 fashionable, and the wealthy. A part of the 
 service of the Church of England, hitherto en 
 tirely discarded, was introduced into Zion Chap 
 el. The solemn tones of the organ, too, swept 
 by the fingers of his sister, accompanied the 
 songs of praise. Great offense was given to the 
 society by these innovations. It was soon ru- 
 
34 LIFE AT HOME. 
 
 mored that he was about to make his peace with 
 the Church, and abandon his late associates. An 
 unmarried lady, of title and large fortune, the 
 Hon. Miss G., was seen to be invariable in at 
 tendance on his ministry. It was not long before 
 this lady obtained a complete ascendency over him, 
 and urged upon him the desirableness of his en 
 tering the Church, in order to rouse the Estab 
 lishment, and promote as great a revival within, 
 as he had for years without. It is possible, and 
 so it was said, that the hope of a miter was held 
 out to him. The temptation prevailed. He re 
 solved to conform. His obeisance was made and 
 accepted. He was enjoined to make his con 
 fession, and be publicly rebuked. This humili 
 ating scene took place in his own chapel in Liv 
 erpool, which he succeeded in carrying over with 
 him. The rebuke was administered by the Rev. 
 Hugh M Neile, the gifted and popular rector of 
 St. Jude s, Liverpool. It was an occasion of 
 great mortification to the godly men and women 
 who had so long been associated with him in pro 
 moting the work of God. Thousands reproached 
 him for his Sampson-like course, in betraying the 
 cause of his Master for another Delilah. 
 
 The Honorable Miss G. became the wife of the 
 Rev. Robert Aitken, and introduced her husband 
 to the gentry and nobles, among whom she herself 
 had hitherto moved. He resumed his ministry in 
 
LIFE AT HOME. 
 
 35 
 
 Hope-street Chapel, but " he wist not that the 
 Lord was departed from him." The people no 
 longer thronged the house as in other days. The 
 unction, the power, the soul, were gone. The 
 chapel was almost deserted. Despised by the 
 people whom he had betrayed for a woman, he 
 soon grew wearied of Liverpool, and sought an 
 other place of service. A church in Leeds, the 
 great woolen metropolis, was in want of a minis 
 ter, and Mr. Aitken obtained the situation. It 
 is understood that, in conformity, he now out-Her- 
 ods Herod, and is verging even upon Popery it 
 self. He is an Anglo-Catholic of the Oxford 
 school, and quite enamored with " The Tracts for 
 the Times." During the ten years immediate 
 ly succeeding his conversion, he was valiant for 
 the truth, and reaped a rich harvest of souls. 
 Thousands on thousands were awakened under 
 his fervid appeals to seek the Lord, and great 
 numbers were hopefully converted. But for the 
 last ten years his name has seldom been heard, 
 and never in connection with spiritual awakenings 
 and revivals of religion. Sad and impressive is 
 the lesson derived from his experience. It was 
 love for " this present world," that drew a De- 
 mas away from Paul and his Master. Like the 
 royal lion, the Rev. Mr. Aitken made his voice to 
 be heard, full of power, majesty, and grandeur ; 
 but " a dart strikes through his liver," and he 
 
36 LIFE AT HOME. 
 
 drops, is seized and tamed, no more to strike ter 
 ror into the hearts of the wicked no more to 
 sound an alarm in Zion. Mournful spectacle ! 
 Alas ! that such instances are not more rare. 
 
 The defection of their leader disheartened the 
 greater part of the brethren associated with him, 
 and they separated. Many of them became con 
 nected with other dissenting bodies, and continued 
 to serve God in the ministry, carrying, in many 
 cases, their churches with them. A small num 
 ber of them, however, resolved not to abandon the 
 " soul-saving" work to which they had devoted 
 their lives. They accordingly combined, and 
 formed an Association, entitled, u The Ebenezer 
 Christian Missionary Society." The object of 
 the new organization was set forth as having spe 
 cial relation to the preaching of the Gospel in the 
 large manufacturing and sea-port towns, princi 
 pally in the North of England. Mr. Bertram ad 
 hered to this missionary band, and united with 
 them in this organization. 
 
 Mr. Bertram now removed to the large and 
 flourishing town of Newcastle, on the northern 
 bank of the river Tyne, in Northumberland, so 
 long renowned for its collieries. Here, and at 
 North Shields, and South Shields both of them 
 at the mouth of the Tyne, about eight miles to 
 the east of Newcastle he labored effectively in 
 the ministry some two or three years. He spent 
 
LIFE AT HOME. 37 
 
 about nine months, in 1842-3, on Holy Island, 
 about six miles southeast of Berwick-upon-Tweed, 
 lying near the coast of Northumberland, in the 
 German Ocean, about nine miles in circumference. 
 It is inhabited mostly by fishermen, whom he found 
 in a very neglected state, and among whom he ob 
 tained about fifty seals to his ministry. He re 
 turned thence to Newcastle, and, after a short 
 residence, revisited the home of his fathers in 
 Dumfries. 
 
 A period of almost nine years had now elapsed 
 since his consecration to the work of the ministry. 
 The whole period had been fully occupied in ar 
 duous and self-denying labors, principally among 
 the poor and the destitute. He had been a mis 
 sionary from the beginning ; nor had he labored 
 in vain. Hundreds of precious souls, among the 
 thousands to whom he had ministered, had been, 
 through his instrumentality, brought from dark 
 ness to light ; while to many more he had admin 
 istered consolation and instruction in the Lord, to 
 their edification and growth in grace. Nor had 
 he wearied of his work ; he delighted in it he 
 gloried in it. It was a source of increasing de 
 light to him, and a perpetual occasion for grati 
 tude to God. 
 
 But he had come to regard himself as under a 
 call to a field of labor still more self-denying and 
 laborious. The thrilling appeals from foreign 
 4 
 
38 LIFE AT HOME. 
 
 missionaries, for more laborers, had reached his 
 heart. As he listened occasionally to the artless 
 and forcible statements made by some of these 
 brethren, who had returned to their native land to 
 recruit their exhausted health, worn down by un 
 ceasing exertions among the wretched, the ignor 
 ant, and the debased heathen, his spirit was 
 stirred within him, and his heart panted to carry 
 the glad tidings of the Gospel to the most be 
 nighted of Adam s race. At home he saw that 
 thousands of godly ministers were ready to break 
 the bread of life to the hungry, while millions of 
 the heathen world had none to care for their souls. 
 He could not rid himself of the conviction, that 
 duty called him to labor among the heathen. In 
 the strength of the God of Jacob, he at length re 
 solved to leave his native land, and the friends 
 of his youth, and the homes of civilization, for 
 some pagan shore. He withdrew, in consequence, 
 from the society, under whose auspices he had 
 latterly labored. The field of its operations was 
 at home ; they sent no missionaries abroad. In 
 closing their connection with him, they gave him 
 the following testimonial : 
 
 "Ebenezer Christian Missionary Society. 
 
 [Official.] 
 
 " This is to certify, that I have been intimately 
 acquainted, and labored in the ministry with the 
 
LIFE AT HOME. 39 
 
 Rev. JAMES M GREGOR BERTRAM for the last 
 seven years, during which time he has maintained 
 a character becoming the Gospel of our Lord Je 
 sus Christ. As it respects his ministerial quali 
 fications, they are of a superior order ; and when 
 ever he preached, there was invariably an over 
 flowing congregation. His zeal in the cause of 
 God is almost unbounded ; and his success in win 
 ning souls to Christ has been such that I believe 
 hundreds shall be the crown of his rejoicing when 
 the redeemed are gathered home. And I humbly 
 pray that God may direct him to that sphere of 
 labor where he will be most useful, and where he 
 will be recompensed for his valuable labors. 
 " J. D. RICHARDSON, 
 
 " Corresponding Secretary, 
 " And Pastor of the Church, South Shields. 
 " SOUTH SHIELDS, October 26M, 1844." 
 
CHAPTER II. 
 
 LIFE AT "THE CAPE." 
 
 THE visit of Mr. Bertram to Dumfries, in 1844, 
 determined the course of his future life. He had 
 formed a matrimonial connection, the result of a 
 youthful attachment, with Mary, the daughter of 
 Mr. Jonathan Currie, a respectable citizen of 
 Dumfries. Three children were born to them in 
 Hanley, Stockport, and Manchester a daughter 
 and two sons. Mrs. Bertram, whose health re 
 quired close attention, had left her husband at 
 Newcastle-upon-Tyne, in the spring of 1844, and, 
 with her children, had spent the summer season 
 among the scenes and friends of her childhood in 
 Nithsdale. Mr. Bertram rejoined them in the 
 following autumn. 
 
 As the days were passing pleasantly along, in 
 the midst of their kindred, and in the renewal of 
 former friendships, Mr. Bertram very casually, 
 as it would seem to all but reflecting minds, called 
 one day at the counting-house, or ware-room, of 
 Mr. James Afleck, with whom he entered into a 
 free conversation on the subject which had lately 
 
LIFE AT THE CAPE. 41 
 
 so interested his own mind the work of missions 
 among the heathen. 
 
 Perceiving that the mind of Mr. Bertram was 
 very fully set on going abroad, Mr. Afleck says 
 to him, " Come, now, if you wish to go out to the 
 heathen, here is a fine chance for you ; the brig 
 Luna, Capt. Carmichael, is lying down at the 
 wharf, taking in a cargo for the Cape of Good 
 Hope. She sails in about a fortnight, and a Major 
 M Kee goes out in her with his family, so that 
 you will have good company by the way. She is 
 owned by the house of Afleck, Turner, and Co., 
 and, I dare say, your brother-in-law, Thomas 
 Currie, will see my brother Samuel, one of the 
 owners, and secure a passage for yourself and 
 family." 
 
 To this proposal he had no reply. It seemed 
 to him, as he thought of it, that the hand of God 
 was in it. He went away, and pondered it in 
 his heart. The more he thought of it, the 
 more was it impressed upon his mind, that God 
 was calling him to embark in this vessel for the 
 scene of his future missionary labors. The busi 
 ness, however, required haste. He could not 
 keep it long in abeyance. The brig was soon to 
 set sail, and the decision must be made without 
 delay. 
 
 But this was not the only avenue of usefulness 
 that was opened to him. A chapel, that had been 
 
42 LIFE AT THE CAPE. 
 
 occupied by an Independent Church, in Dumfries, 
 was now vacant. The friends of himself and wife 
 were anxious to retain him among them. They pro 
 posed to him the gathering of a congregation on the 
 banks of the Nith, and offered to secure the vacant 
 chapel for the enterprise. The proposition was 
 attractive. It spread before him a beautiful vista 
 of pleasant scenes and delightful prospects. It 
 would have been exceedingly grateful to all the 
 family and friends, as well as gratifying to himself. 
 But he could not rid himself of the conviction, that 
 this was not to be his abiding-place. He carried 
 the matter, day by day, to the throne of grace, and 
 seemed to hear a voice from the inner sanctuary, 
 saying to him and his, "Arise ye, and depart; 
 for this is not your rest." His doubts were 
 solved ; his purpose formed. He resolved to put 
 himself under the guidance of the "fiery, cloudy 
 pillar," and obey the voice divine. 
 
 Immediately, therefore, he set himself to the 
 work of arranging for his departure in the Luna. 
 He made known his intention to his companion, 
 who, if she did not regard him as already a victim 
 of a jLt7ia"-cy, thought him in great danger of it. 
 But repeated representations of the case secured 
 at length her assent and cooperation. He then 
 sought another interview with Mr. Afleck, and told 
 him of the result of the conversation which they 
 had had together a few days before. Mr. Afleck 
 
LIFE AT THE CAPE. 43 
 
 consented to break the matter to Mr. Currie, Mr. 
 Bertram s wife s brother, whose circumstances 
 were such as enabled him to help the would-be 
 voyagers on their way, if he should approve of 
 their course. But Mr. Currie was one of your 
 prudent, worldly-wise men, that are wont to have 
 great faith in the old proverb, "A bird in the hand 
 is worth two in the bush." He had never approved 
 of the roving life that his sister had led, and very 
 plainly told her and her husband, that it was high 
 time for them to settle down, and lead a more 
 quiet life. Mrs. Currie, the widowed mother of 
 Mrs. Bertram, an excellent lady, attached to the 
 Church of Scotland, and a worthy member of the 
 kirk, united with her son Thomas in these repre 
 sentations. But when they saw that the heart 
 of Mr. Bertram was fully set in him to go to the 
 heathen, they " ceased ; saying, The will of the 
 Lord be done !" 
 
 Through the good offices of Mr. Currie, a pass 
 age was secured for Mr. Bertram, his wife, and 
 two youngest children, in the brig, for the Cape 
 of Good Hope, the expense of which Mr. Currie 
 paid from his own purse. He also furnished them 
 with a very suitable outfit, valued at about one 
 hundred pounds. Their eldest child, a son, was 
 left with Mr. Bertram s sister, Mrs. James Ham 
 ilton, at Manchester, who had ever shown a great 
 fondness for him, and desired to retain and bring 
 
44 LIFE AT THE CAPE. 
 
 him up as her own, having had the charge of him 
 since he was eighteen months old. 
 
 The Luna sailed about the first of November, 
 1844, with Major M Kee, Mr. Bertram, and 
 their families, as passengers. It might truly be 
 said of the missionary, as it was of the Father of 
 the faithful, that "he went out, not knowing 
 whither he went." No missionary society had 
 taken him under its fostering care, and given him 
 instructions as to his future course. He went at 
 his own charges, so far as his missionary service 
 was concerned. He went forth without purse or 
 scrip, assured that He who feeds the ravens and 
 the sparrows, and clothes the lilies of the field, 
 would give both food and raiment to him and his. 
 Though destitute of all earthly dependence, and 
 having not where to lay his head when he should 
 reach the Cape, he could say, in the sweet words 
 of one of New England s sons : 
 
 " Yes, I hasten from you gladly, 
 From the scenes I love so well ; 
 
 Far away, ye billows, bear me, 
 Lovely native land, farewell ! 
 
 Pleased I leave thee, 
 
 Far in heathen lands to dwell." 
 
 His fellow-voyagers were, by no means, such as 
 a pious heart would have chosen for companions. 
 The captain and crew, as is so commonly the case, 
 had not the fear of God before their eyes. The 
 
LIFE AT THE CAPE. 45 
 
 most of them were shockingly addicted to profan 
 ity, and frequently their oaths and blasphemies 
 could be heard above the howlings of the tempest, 
 with which, on several occasions, the vessel was 
 furiously assailed. Major JVPKee had spent the 
 greater part of his life in the East Indies, in the 
 service of the Hon. East India Company. Having 
 reared a numerous family, he had returned to 
 Scotland, his native land, to spend his declining 
 years in retirement and comfort. But the .keen 
 blasts of the North were too severe for a constitu 
 tion that had so long been tempered by the enerv 
 ating heat of a torrid clime, and he was compelled 
 to seek a home in a land more congenial to health 
 and life. The Cape of Good Hope, where he had 
 formerly tested the proverbial mildness of the at 
 mosphere, offered him a pleasant home, and thither 
 he had now turned his face. Like the most of 
 those who are bred to arms, the major was as 
 profane as the captain and crew. 
 
 The voyagers encountered, as before intimated, 
 a number of terrific storms, of which the last was 
 far the most furious. While the ungodly crew 
 were pouring forth their imprecations, and in 
 voking damnation in their cursings and blasphe 
 mies, the missionary betook himself to prayer, 
 fervent and importunate, apprehensive that so 
 much impiety would draw down upon them the 
 vengeance of heaven. His prayers were heard, 
 
40 LIFE AT THE CAPE. 
 
 and, full of gratitude to God for His sparing mer 
 cy, he resolved to make a renewed effort for the 
 reform and salvation of those with whom he sailed. 
 He took the captain aside, when the storm had 
 subsided, and remonstrated with him, kindly but 
 faithfully, on the impropriety and wickedness of 
 his course of life. He pursued the same treat 
 ment with, the first mate. They listened, and 
 were not enraged. Permission was given the 
 missionary to hold, when the weather would per 
 mit, during the remainder of the voyage, a daily 
 morning and evening service of prayer, and to 
 preach on the Sabbath. 
 
 From this time forward, every morning and 
 evening, the word of God was read in the cabin, 
 and the voice of prayer was heard. The cap 
 tain, who was by no means a hardened wretch, 
 and whose conscience was quite alive, piped all 
 hands that could be spared from duty, and, with 
 considerable reverence, he and they waited upon 
 the services of their chaplain. On the Sabbath 
 they were no less attentive to the preaching of 
 the word. A marked and delightful change in 
 the deportment of both the officers and their crew 
 soon was manifested. Nor was the change less 
 observable in the cabin. The old East India sol 
 dier, who had never, in all his life, save perhaps in 
 childhood, bowed his knee in prayer, became an 
 earnest seeker of the way of salvation. Ere 
 
LIFE AT THE CAPE. 47 
 
 long he might be seen gathering his wife and chil 
 dren around him, reading to them a lesson from 
 the Holy Scriptures ; and then, on bended knees, 
 pouring forth his fervent supplications to God in 
 their behalf. The voice of profanity was hushed, 
 and the voice of prayer and praise arose. God 
 was with His servant, and owned his humble la 
 bors, while on the way to his destined haven. 
 The concluding part of the voyage was as pleas 
 ant as the former part had been trying. Not a 
 few of that company who embarked on the Luna at 
 Dumfries, full of cursing and bitterness, will re 
 member, with eternal gratitude to the Almighty, 
 their happy experience in the South Atlantic 
 Ocean, while they were drawing nigh to the Cape 
 of Good Hope, and beginning, some of them, to 
 entertain a " good hope^ through grace," of en 
 tering a haven of everlasting rest. 
 
 At the expiration of the tenth or eleventh week, 
 the wearied voyagers were greeted with the ever- 
 welcome cry of " Land !" The elevated mount 
 ain-range, that commences at Table Bay, and 
 stretches some two hundred miles in a northerly 
 direction along the western coast of the southern 
 extremity of Africa, was seen spreading out before 
 their gladdened eyes. As they neared the shore, 
 they could easily distinguish, by its peculiar for 
 mation, the huge mass of rock, rising more than 
 three thousand five hundred feet almost directly 
 
48 LIFE AT THE CAPE. 
 
 out of the ocean, whose flattened top has given it 
 the name of " Table Mountain." The " Devil s 
 Peak," an almost conical elevation, towered a lit 
 tle to the left, to the height of more than three 
 thousand three hundred feet ; while on the right, 
 and more distant, two peculiar prominences, re 
 sembling a crouching lion, to which have been in 
 consequence affixed the name of the " Lion s 
 Head," and the " Lion s Rump," the former 
 nearly two thousand eight hundred feet in height, 
 and the latter more than eleven hundred, com 
 pleted the background of the noble picture, to 
 which all eyes on board of the Luna were now ea 
 gerly directed. They were presently abreast of a 
 beautiful cluster of white villas, bearing the name 
 of Green Point, on their right as they entered the 
 bay, embowered among verdure. 
 
 The bay, which also derives its name from the 
 mountain, is approached from the northwest, and 
 is open to the winds that blow from that direc 
 tion. As these winds prevail most in the winter 
 months, May, June, July, and August, the road 
 stead for it can scarcely be called a harbor, for 
 want of a breakwater is then very insecure, and 
 frequently becomes the scene of great distress. In 
 the month of August, 1842, only two years and a 
 half before Mr. Bertram s arrival, the convict 
 ship " Waterloo," and the transport ship " Aber- 
 crombie Robinson," had gone to pieces on the 
 
LIFE AT THE CAPE. 49 
 
 rocks in the bay, when more than a hundred of 
 the convicts found a watery grave. At the south 
 ern extremity of the bay, the long line of white 
 houses marks the site of u Cape Town," the prin 
 cipal settlement of the colony of the Cape of Good 
 Hope. It lies on a gently ascending strip of 
 ground, nearly three miles wide, that occupies the 
 space between the mountain and the beach, and 
 is a thriving, busy, and spacious town of more 
 than thirty thousand inhabitants, with its Gov 
 ernment-house, Garrison, Forts, Parade-ground, 
 Exchange, churches, chapels, College, school- 
 houses, and other public buildings. The Luna 
 had now reached her destination, and her anchor 
 was dropped in the roadstead, among the ship 
 ping, some distance from the beach. 
 
 As Mr. Bertram and his family were leaving 
 the brig, and were in the act of going over the 
 gangway to enter the boat that was to carry them 
 to the beach, the seamen came crowding around 
 him to bid him farewell. It was hard for them to 
 part with one, whose voice had roused them from 
 the dreadful stupidity that was hurrying them to 
 endless destruction, and awakened within them, 
 by the blessing of God, an earnest desire for the 
 salvation of their souls, through the grace of our 
 Lord Jesus Christ. These hardy sons of the 
 ocean were completely overcome ; they wept and 
 sobbed like children. He who had been their 
 5 
 
50 LIFE AT THE CAPE. 
 
 ringleader in all mischief and iniquity, the most 
 daring, hardened, and blasphemous wretch among 
 them, John M Donald, who had grown gray in 
 profanity and dissipation, was now the most af 
 fected to tenderness. They could not consent 
 that the missionary should leave them thus, to re 
 turn to them no more ; and so they entreated him 
 to come back to the ship : " We cannot hear of 
 your leaving us, Mr. Bertram," they cried, " un 
 less you promise to come back and preach to us 
 next Sabbath, as you have been in the habit of 
 doing. We never read our Bibles, or thought of 
 our poor souls, or of the Almighty himself, until 
 you came on board the Luna. You must come 
 and preach to us again." Mr. Bertram very 
 readily gave his consent, and assured them that, 
 if it pleased God, he would surely be with them 
 the next Sabbath morning. 
 
 It was literally a new world into which our voy 
 agers had been introduced. It seemed strange to 
 them, that the atmosphere was so hot and almost 
 stifling in the month of January; and that the 
 land before them was clothed with the rich ver 
 dure and vegetation of midsummer. The habita 
 tions also, so low, and so quaint, with their ga 
 bles to the streets, covered with whitewash, and 
 adorned with green Venetians, each with its stoop 
 or porch before it, after the manner of the old 
 Knickerbockers, seemed exceedingly odd. The 
 
LIFE AT THE CAPE. 51 
 
 small window-panes, and the singular sign-boards, 
 and the absence of shop windows, had a singular 
 effect. They were greatly amused at the almost 
 constant serenading of the barn- fowl, and the vast 
 number and variety of lazy dogs, of which no two 
 scarcely were alike. But most of all were they 
 impressed with the strangeness of the people 
 whom they met. At home they had seldom seen 
 a genuine tawny son of Africa; but here they 
 were seen on every hand, and of all descriptions 
 and shades of ebony. They seemed to be the 
 most numerous portion of the population. There 
 were the Hottentots, or " Totties," as they are 
 familiarly called, the aborigines of the territory, 
 of stunted growth, and sallow skin, like " the 
 seared and yellow leaf," not a little bedaubed 
 with grease and filth with their angular faces, 
 flat noses, high cheek-bones, pouting lips, woolly 
 heads, and small, sunken, twinkling eyes ; ar 
 rayed in their ragged, thread-bare jackets, leather 
 trowsers, or " crackers," and crumpled, slouch 
 ing, broad-brimmed straw hats ; and their vrouws, 
 as the Dutch call them, of corresponding repul- 
 siveness of person, in their patched and not over- 
 cleanly chintz gowns, and turbans made of crimson 
 cotton handkerchiefs. There, too, was the genu 
 ine African negro, of the deepest dye, of woolly 
 hair, and protruding lips, the " galley" of the 
 Cape, the patient bearer of burdens, whose home. 
 
52 LIFE AT THE CAPE. 
 
 or that of his fathers, was Mozambique or Mada 
 gascar once the slave, the property, of the colo 
 nist, but now free, and working for him as any 
 other laborers. To these must be added, the 
 swarthy Malays, imported from the East Indies, 
 and commonly known in the British colonies as 
 coolies ; a patient, industrious, and useful race, 
 that serve as mechanics, and house-servants, and 
 fishermen. These, and their various intermix 
 tures, swarming everywhere, and mingled with 
 various other African tribes, and the copper- 
 skinned sons of China, and various nondescript 
 specimens of humanity from the far East, of all 
 aspects, of every variety of complexion, and hab 
 its of dress, formed a population most singular as 
 well as novel to the newly-arrived. These were 
 the laboring classes, and the lower strata of so 
 ciety. 
 
 But hardly less remarkable was the variety 
 among the whites. Of these, a very large propor 
 tion they found to be of Dutch descent ; the colony 
 having been principally settled by the Lowlanders 
 of Holland, just two hundred years ago (1652), 
 under Dr. John Anthony Van Riebeck, their first 
 governor, and having continued in their possession 
 until the close of the last century. For the last 
 half-century it has been under the British govern 
 ment. The Dutch continue to form the staple of 
 the peasantry, and retain, to a great extent, the 
 
LIFE AT THE CAPE. 53 
 
 primitive manners and customs, as well as the 
 language, of their ancestors of the seventeenth 
 century. 
 
 It was curious to observe the singular head 
 dress, also, to which so many were addicted ; the 
 red handkerchiefs with which their heads were 
 bound, in many cases, and the conical straw hats, 
 somewhat resembling inverted funnels ; and to see 
 eight or ten yoke of oxen harnessed to a rudely- 
 built wagon, sometimes heavily loaded, but as 
 often with almost nothing in it, like a huge ele 
 phant tugging at a mouse. Very refreshing, too, 
 it was to see the little flower-gardens in front of 
 the houses, with their blooming roses, and climb 
 ing vines, and orange trees with their golden fruit; 
 and even hedges of roses, myrtles, aloes, and cac 
 tuses blooming profusely, and filling the pure at 
 mosphere with their delicious fragrance ; and to 
 walk in the grateful shade of the long rows of 
 venerable oaks, poplars, and pines that line the 
 sides of the principal avenues. 
 
 They found, also, that the town almost covered 
 the plot of ground extending from the beach 
 southward to the almost perpendicular sides of 
 Table Mountain ; that the broad streets inter 
 sected each other at right angles ; that some of 
 them were threaded with canals, as in Holland ; 
 that most of them were destitute of sidewalks, 
 and many of them without any pavements ; and 
 
54 LIFE AT THE CAPK. 
 
 that the upper part of the town, near the mount 
 ain, is watered by a sprightly stream that issues 
 from the upland on the east, and finds its way 
 into Table Bay, at Cape Town ; the banks of 
 which are the resort of hosts of laundresses. 
 They were gratified to find that there were nu 
 merous walks and drives in and around the town, 
 of the most inviting character, and in the midst 
 of beautiful scenery ; especially over the macad 
 amized road that leads eastward to Simon s Bay, 
 amid corn-fields, orchards, gardens, and vine 
 yards, shadowed overhead with stately aspens, 
 darkly-waving pines, and majestic oaks, along 
 the base of the Devil s Peak, with its cloud-capped 
 summit, to the little village of Rondebosch, and the 
 charming villas of Wynberg, a spot full of beauty, 
 and enjoying a most delightful temperature of the 
 atmosphere, the favored resort of the citizens of 
 Cape Town, from which it is distant about seven 
 or eight miles ; and that gardens and pleasure- 
 grounds, glittering with the graceful foliage of 
 the Protea Argentea (silver tree), extended 
 around the town, indicative of wealth, pleasure, 
 and refinement. Their attention was particularly 
 directed to the noble square, or parade-ground, 
 called the " Heere Gracht," covering several 
 acres of ground, in the midst of which stands the 
 handsome structure, called the "Commercial 
 Rooms," and the far-famed library of the Cape. 
 
LIFE AT THE CAPE. 55 
 
 Here, under the noble avenues of pines, with their 
 foliage of deepest green, sheltering from the bum- 
 ing rays of an almost tropical sun, troops of gay 
 pedestrians might be seen enjoying the balmy at 
 mosphere, and luxuriating in the midst of the 
 grand and inspiring scenery. Every thing seemed 
 to conspire to arrest their attention, and to furnish 
 them with pleasing topics of thought and conver 
 sation. 
 
 While they found so much that was strange 
 and peculiar, they also found that, even there, the 
 gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ had shed its hal 
 lowed influence over Africans and Asiatics, as well 
 as the boors and the British. Mr. Bertram had 
 been furnished with letters of introduction to sev 
 eral of the servants of God who had made the 
 Cape their home. Immediately on his arrival, he 
 sought out these worthy men, and was most 
 heartily welcomed to the southern hemisphere. 
 He found himself very speedily at home in the 
 society of that venerable man of God, the Rev. 
 JOHN PHILIP, D.D., who, since 1829, had occu 
 pied the position of superintendent of the London 
 Missionary Society s operations in Southern Africa, 
 the tidings of whose recent decease have been re 
 ceived with so much sorrow by the Christian world. 
 The Rev. JOHN C. BROWN, also, the minister of 
 Union Chapel (Congregational), formerly of St. 
 Petersburg!!, Russia, the grandson of the renowned 
 
56 LIFE AT THE CAPE. 
 
 John Brown, of Haddington, Scotland, whose visit 
 to America, in 1836, will be remembered with 
 pleasure by all who formed an acquaintance with 
 him, and who has subsequently resided at Cape 
 Town, as the assistant of Dr. Philip, gave him a 
 cordial greeting. But from none did he find a 
 more warm and brotherly reception than from the 
 Rev. GEORGE MORGAN, of the Scottish Church, 
 pastor of St. Andrew s, Somerset Road, who from 
 the first deeply interested himself in the peculiar 
 mission of Mr. Bertram, and continued to mani 
 fest the same untiring interest to the last moment 
 of his stay at the Cape. Through the kind offi 
 ces of these and other Christian friends, to whom 
 he was introduced, among whom the name of the 
 excellent and learned JAMES ADAMSON, D.D., de 
 serves special mention, Mr. Bertram was soon 
 provided with agreeable lodgings at the Cape, and 
 encouraged in his plans for missionary service. 
 
 On the morning of the first Sabbath day after 
 his arrival, he went down to the beach, to go on 
 board the Luna, and preach to his former ship 
 mates, agreeably to his appointment on leaving 
 them to go ashore. He found Captain Carmichael 
 waiting for him with his boat, and glad to receive 
 him on board. To his surprise he found, on reach.- 
 ing the vessel, that the deck was almost covered 
 with seamen, who had come from other vessels in 
 the harbor to hear a sermon from the missionary. 
 
LIFE AT THE CAPE. 57 
 
 On inquiry, he was told that all this was the work 
 of " Jimmy Watt." Jimmy was an uneducated 
 Scotch carpenter, who had resided at Cape Town 
 about fifteen or twenty years, and, during all this 
 time, had untiringly cared, without compensation, 
 for the religious welfare of the thousands of sea 
 men who had visited the port. Having furnished 
 himself with a small boat, he was wont, on the 
 morning of the Sabbath, when the weather would 
 permit, to take with him a bundle of religious 
 tracts, and row out into the anchorage, where not 
 a few vessels were always to be found, and visit 
 as many of them as he could, distributing his 
 tracts to the seamen, and dropping a word or two 
 of good advice to each of them, as opportunity of 
 fered. If at any time he could obtain from one 
 of the shipmasters the privilege of a public gath 
 ering on the Sabbath for a sermon, he would en 
 deavor to prevail upon some one of the ministers 
 of the place, or missionaries who might be stop 
 ping there for a few days or weeks, to accompany 
 him in his little boat to the Bethel, and give a 
 sermon to the sailors, whom he took good care to 
 invite from all the vessels in the harbor. He had 
 thus gained the good-will of the mariners, and ac 
 complished no small amount of spiritual good. 
 
 As soon as Jimmy Watt learned of the appoint 
 ment on board of the Luna, he was on the alert, 
 and spread the information among all the seamen 
 
58 LIFE AT THE CAPE. 
 
 at the port, with an invitation to attend the service 
 on Sabbath morning. Nor had the captain of the 
 Luna been idle. Between them both, a large con 
 gregation had been gathered, to whom Mr. Bertram 
 proclaimed the message of salvation. Several of 
 the shipmasters also had come to hear him, to 
 whom he was introduced after the services were 
 concluded. One of them pointed to his vessel, 
 and said, " There, Mr. Bertram, is my ship." 
 " A fine, large vessel," he replied ; " how long do 
 you remain in port?" "Two or three weeks, 
 perhaps," was the answer. " Well, then," he 
 asked again, " can t I preach on board your ship 
 next Sabbath day ?" " Certainly, Mr. Bertram," 
 was the quick response ; u I shall be most happy 
 to have you come and preach on board, and I ll 
 take care to see that every thing is ready for you." 
 Accordingly, on the following Sabbath he went, 
 and found a still larger congregation than on the 
 previous occasion. Sabbath after Sabbath he 
 went and preached, while the number of his hear 
 ers was continually increasing. 
 
 The work, into which he had thus been provi 
 dentially directed, began also to attract the atten 
 tion of the numerous Christian people of the town. 
 They looked upon his coming as & call of God, to 
 lead them to do something for the hundreds and 
 thousands of seamen who resorted to that port. 
 They held a preliminary meeting, and then a sec- 
 
LIFE AT THE CAPE. 59 
 
 ond more general meeting, at which it was de 
 termined to secure a sufficient salary, and engage 
 Mr. Bertram to labor as the seamen s chaplain at 
 Cape Town. With this arrangement Mr. Bertram 
 was satisfied, although it was not just the thing that 
 had brought him from Scotland ; but, as the hand 
 of God was so plainly in it, he could not as yet 
 withdraw from it. 
 
 Just, however, as he was entering fully into his 
 work, he was laid aside for a time by a severe dis 
 order in one of his knees, during which period he 
 received the utmost attention from his friend, 
 Rev. George Morgan. By the kind and generous 
 services of Dr. Bickersteth, under God s blessing, 
 he obtained, after a short season of pain, entire 
 relief, and resumed his labors. 
 
 Another sphere of usefulness was presently 
 opened to him. One of the brethren of the Bap 
 tist persuasion called upon him on a Sabbath 
 morning, to direct his attention to a work in which 
 he himself, full of zeal and devotion, had for some 
 time been employed. " I have heard," said he, 
 " of your preaching among the seamen in the har 
 bor, and it has given me great joy. It is needed 
 very much. But I want you to come down this 
 afternoon and preach to the prisoners, who are in 
 still greater need, if possible. We have a snug 
 little chapel within the prison walls, where you can 
 be accommodated with a pretty large congrega- 
 
60 LIFE AT THE CAPE. 
 
 tion ; for the prison is quite full, principally, too, 
 of seamen, who have committed some depredation, 
 or other enormity, on ship- board. I myself go 
 down at times and read to them a portion of God s 
 word, and sometimes venture upon a few remarks. 
 But you can be of far greater service to them, and 
 I hope that you will consent to go down and preach 
 to them this P.M. at three o clock." Mr. Ber 
 tram consented to go, after preaching to the sail 
 ors in the morning. 
 
 A scene of peculiar interest was presented in 
 the afternoon, when he went down to the prison. 
 The brother who had invited him informed the 
 keeper of the object of their coming, by whose di 
 rection the turnkey opened the cells, and marched 
 the inmates into the chapel. But such an un 
 couth, disorderly, and unmannerly assembly he had 
 never before addressed or seen. They seemed to 
 have been the victims of long-continued dissipa 
 tion, and to have indulged in all manner of un 
 godliness. One or two of them had even been ar 
 raigned for murder. It was with some instinct 
 ive shudderings that he saw the key turned upon 
 himself and attendant, and felt that he was com 
 pletely at the mercy of these unprincipled creat 
 ures. 
 
 But without delay he addressed himself to his 
 work. As for reducing them to any kind of or 
 der, it seemed utterly impossible. They were 
 
LIFE AT THE CAPE. 61 
 
 noisy, rough, and profane, jostling each other 
 about as if determined to prevent the missionary s 
 object, arid to produce as much confusion and dis 
 turbance as possible. It seemed to be a hopeless 
 task to undertake to gain the attention of such a 
 rude and ungodly assembly. It was like casting 
 " pearls before swine." Yet, in the strength of 
 the Lord, he determined to make the trial. 
 
 The brothe r, who had introduced him, com 
 menced the service by giving out a hymn, which 
 they two sang alone as well as they could. Mr. 
 Bertram followed with prayer and a portion of 
 Scripture. Still, the disturbance ceased not ; and 
 the irreverence of the audience was unblushing 
 and shocking, so much so as almost to compel the 
 missionary to abandon the attempt in despair. 
 However, he resolved to go through with the serv 
 ice, if possible, and look to God to bring his un 
 manageable hearers into something like subjec 
 tion. 
 
 Among this singular audience, the eye of the 
 speaker had caught sight of one, a tall, muscular, 
 lion-hearted fellow, with large whiskers and a bra 
 zen face, who seemed to be the ringleader in all this 
 mischief. Having taken his text, Mr. Bertram 
 endeavored to bring the burning truth of God s 
 word to bear particularly and pointedly on this 
 hardened creature, while the disturbance still con 
 tinued. At length, " the strong man armed" was 
 6 
 
62 LIFE AT THE CAPE. 
 
 seen to bow his head, as one crest-fallen and 
 ashamed. When that head was again lifted up, 
 it was evident that the fountains of feeling had 
 been reached, for the tears had been coursing 
 each other down his cheeks. The tender sympa 
 thy began to spread, and one and another to pre 
 serve something like respectful silence, so that 
 the service was concluded with much more de 
 cency and propriety than was observed at the com 
 mencement. 
 
 Encouraged by the success attendant upon this 
 first effort, Mr. Bertram resolved to preach to 
 them again, and to repeat his visits from Sabbath 
 to Sabbath, if the way should be open. On the 
 following Sabbath he succeeded still better, and 
 had a comparatively sedate audience. An oppor 
 tunity also presented itself for a weekly sermon at 
 the hospital ; so that he soon had as much work 
 on his hands as he could well manage. Every 
 Sabbath he preached in the morning to the sail 
 ors, in the afternoon to the prisoners, and at five 
 o clock in the afternoon to the poor, diseased in 
 mates of the hospital. It was among some of the 
 most degraded, criminal, and wretched of the pre 
 tenders to civilization that he was thus called to 
 labor ; nor did he shrink from it, or sigh for a 
 more elevated class of hearers. It was for such 
 as these that Jesus had died ; and none, more than 
 they, could profit by the purchase of the Redeem- 
 
LIFE AT THE CAPE. 63 
 
 er s blood ; and surely none could be found who 
 more needed the benefits of that purchase. The 
 meek and lowly Saviour, who came to seek and 
 save that which was lost, and whom none heard 
 BO gladly as the common people, the poor, the 
 wretched, and the outcast, was pleased to stand 
 by His feeble servant, and strengthen him for his 
 self-denying and arduous work. And never did 
 that servant more habitually feel that he was 
 walking in the footsteps of the God-man, the 
 great pioneer in the work of missions to the per 
 ishing. 
 
 Not many weeks after the introduction of these 
 services among the prisoners, the turnkey came 
 up, on a Monday morning, to the lodgings of Mr. 
 Bertram, and desired him to go down speedily to 
 the prison, as his help was very much needed. A 
 strange occurrence had taken place. " Why, 
 sir," said the turnkey, " when we took the break 
 fast to the prisoners this morning, instead of being 
 accosted with profane jesting, and blasphemous 
 oaths, as usual, several of them appeared to be in 
 the greatest distress, and begged us, for God s 
 sake, to bring them Bibles. 3 It was even so. A 
 work of grace had commenced among these vile 
 and abandoned sinners. God had blessed the 
 word to their conviction ; and now, as the mis 
 sionary came to instruct and comfort them in 
 their distress, they accosted him with the cry that 
 
64 LIFE AT THE CAPE. 
 
 was heard in the prison at Philippi, " What must 
 I do to be saved ?" 
 
 A short time after this, as Mr. Bertram was 
 coming out of the door of a stationer s shop, he 
 perceived two seamen, in decent apparel, and of 
 orderly conduct, who appeared to recognize him, 
 and to be desirous of accosting him. Going up 
 to them pleasantly, he said, " Do you know me, 
 men ? I don t recollect to have seen either of you 
 before." " Oh ! yes," they replied, " we know 
 you well. We belonged to your congregation in 
 the prison, and are glad that we ever heard you." 
 " But," as one of them looked at the other, he 
 said, " I could not have believed that such a hard 
 heart as mine would ever have been softened." 
 " Nor I mine, either," responded the other. " I 
 think," they continued, " that we were all soft 
 ened. As for us, ever since we heard you preach, 
 we have been determined to lead new lives, and 
 try to saVe our souls and serve God. We have 
 been discharged from prison, and have shipped on 
 board that vessel that you see out there in the 
 bay. We leave this afternoon, and would be glad 
 if you could give us some religious tracts to read 
 on the voyage." He took them to his lodgings, 
 and gave them instruction in the way of life, with 
 some suitable advice for their conduct at sea. He 
 selected for them several tracts, and, bidding them 
 farewell, he charged them to cleave with full pur- 
 
LIFE AT THE CAPE. 65 
 
 pose of heart to the Lord, and acknowledge Him 
 in all their ways. 
 
 Another incident may be related, in this con 
 nection, bearing upon Mr. Bertram s usefulness 
 in these prison ministrations. Among the poor 
 creatures under arrest for crime, and confined in 
 the jail, was a poor Hottentot, charged with mur 
 der. Having observed, in his visits to the prison, 
 an appearance of deep anxiety and distress in the 
 countenance of the criminal, he learned from the 
 turnkey the nature of the accusation with which 
 he was charged. But as he was unable to ad 
 dress him in the Dutch-Totty dialect, in use by 
 these creatures, he called upon the Rev. George 
 Morgan, who kindly consented to act as inter 
 preter, and accompanied him to the prison. By 
 the inquiries of Mr. Morgan, as well as his own 
 through Mr. Morgan, he learned that the poor 
 Hottentot could give no account of the matter 
 with which he was charged ; that, at the time when 
 the man was killed, a mistake had been made in 
 dealing out on the farm the spirit-rations, brandy 
 having been substituted for the usual rations of 
 Cape wine ; and that, in consequence, the two 
 men had become deeply intoxicated ; that in this 
 state they had first wrestled, and then quarreled ; 
 and the Hottentot, being at first brought down 
 by his antagonist, had recovered his footing, and 
 catching up a piece of a plowshare, had in turn 
 
66 LIFE AT THE CAPE. 
 
 prostrated with it the man, who thereby had lost 
 his life. 
 
 On the trial, it was fully proved that the Hot 
 tentot had killed his companion with the danger 
 ous instrument, and no defense was made. As 
 it was about to go to the jury, and the attorney- 
 general had risen to sum up the case on the part 
 of the government, Mr. Bertram, who had been 
 anxious to communicate what he knew, sought an 
 opportunity of getting the ear o? the distinguished 
 attorney ; who thereupon called the attention of the 
 court to the fact that a reverend gentleman was 
 present who had visited the prisoner officially, 
 and who could present some mitigating considera 
 tions, which he briefly related. His Honor, the 
 judge, immediately observed, that if it could be 
 proved that the man had thus been surprised into 
 a state of intoxication, it would take away all evi 
 dence of a murderous intention. Inquiry was 
 then made, whether there was any one present 
 who could testify to the facts respecting the liquor. 
 A stranger rose in the court-room, and declared 
 that he was ready to testify. After his exam 
 ination, the case went to the jury, who returned a 
 verdict of manslaughter^ and the man was sen 
 tenced to three years hard labor on the roads. As 
 the court adjourned, Mr. Bertram was universally 
 congratulated by several distinguished citizens, as 
 having had the happiness of saving the life of the 
 
LIFE AT THE CAPE. 67 
 
 poor Hottentot, who, but for him, would have been 
 found guilty of murder, and executed. 
 
 In the midst of such useful services to human 
 ity, and in the prosecution of his spiritual labors 
 among the sailors, the sick, and the prisoners, Mr. 
 Bertram s time glided pleasantly along. He saw 
 the fruit of his services, thanked God, and took 
 courage. 
 
CHAPTER III. 
 
 LABORS AT SALDANHA BAY. 
 
 A NEW and remarkable scene, in the history of 
 Mr. Bertram, now opens before us. While pur 
 suing his self-denying and useful exertions at the 
 Cape, he resolved to make an excursion some sixty 
 miles to the north. A large number of vessels 
 had called at Table Bay, and procured permission 
 of the government to proceed to Saldanha Bay, 
 and take in a cargo of guano. In addition to 
 their crews, each vessel also shipped some ten or 
 twelve coolies, or Malays, to serve them in getting 
 in their cargoes. The business held out a pros 
 pect of large pecuniary returns, and was, of course, 
 much talked of in the commercial circles at Cape 
 Town. It was ascertained that from one hund 
 red and fifty to two hundred vessels, some of them 
 of one thousand tons burden, were anchored in 
 Saldanha Bay, and that a population, most het 
 erogeneous, of nearly or quite two thousand souls, 
 were congregated in the bay. 
 
 The hearts of God s people at the Cape were 
 moved, at the thought of the heathenish condition 
 
LABORS AT SALDANHA BAY. 69 
 
 in which this large number of souls were living for 
 weeks and months, without the ordinances of re 
 ligion, with no one to give them spiritual consola 
 tions in sickness, none to point the dying to the 
 Lamb of God, and none to perform the services of 
 religion at the burial of the dead. Mr. Bertram 
 was so much affected by these considerations, as 
 to determine to go down, if possible, to Saldanha 
 Bay for a short time, and do something for the 
 souls of this neglected and destitute population. 
 On making, known his intentions to his friends at 
 the Cape, he was encouraged to proceed. The 
 Rev. John C. Brown, of Union Chapel, in partic 
 ular, took a very deep interest in the matter. As 
 soon as he heard of it, he came to Mr. Bertram, 
 and said, " Go, my brother, in the name of the 
 Lord ; and may Jacob s God go with you." He 
 furnished him also with the means of purchasing 
 an overcoat, for protection from the storms to 
 which he might be exposed, in a place where there 
 were none but canvas tenements to shelter him. 
 His kindness in this particular, as in many oth 
 ers, is, and ever will be, held in grateful remem 
 brance. 
 
 The ship "Ward Chipman," of St. John s, 
 New Brunswick, commanded by Captain Aymers, 
 a Scotchman, was then lying in Table Bay, ex 
 pecting to sail in a few days for Saldanha. Mr. 
 Bertram sought him out, and made known to him 
 
70 LABORS AT SALDANHA BAY. 
 
 his desire to procure a passage on board his ship. 
 The captain was a man of a large heart, and very 
 readily offered the missionary a passage, and the 
 attentions of the steward of the ship, during all 
 his continuance at Saldanha Bay, without any com 
 pensation. The necessary arrangements having 
 been made on shore, Mr. Bertram bade farewell to 
 his family and friends, and embarked on board the 
 " Ward Chipman," on a Wednesday evening, in 
 the latter part of April, 1845. 
 
 Saldanha Bay is a " magnificent haven" on the 
 southwest coast of Africa, about sixty miles north 
 of Table Bay, in lat. 32 54 south. It was dis 
 covered by the Portuguese, not long after the dis 
 covery, in 148T, of the " Capo de Boa Esperanee," 
 or Cape of Good Hope, and called " Saldanha," 
 after a town of that name, in the northwest of 
 Spain, in the province of Leon, probably the birth 
 place of some of the discoverers. 
 
 It was first visited, so far as we can now learn, 
 in the summer of 1620, a few months before the 
 landing of the Pilgrims on the shores of New En 
 gland. Two East India merchantmen, on their 
 outward voyage, put in at this bay, and their 
 commanders, Fitzherbert and Shillinge, issued a 
 proclamation, dated " Bay of Saldanha, 3d July, 
 1620," in which they claimed the territory for 
 King James I. No attempts were made, either 
 then or subsequently, to colonize the country by 
 
LABORS AT SALDANHA BAY. 71 
 
 the subjects of the King of Great Britain. In the 
 journals of Dr. Van Riebeck, the first Dutch 
 Governor of the Cape Colony, frequent mention 
 is made of the natives that came from Saldanha 
 Bay. One of the vessels belonging to the Dutch, 
 called the " Good Hope," was employed in 1652 
 in exploring expeditions to Saldanha Bay, and in 
 bringing thence, for the use of the colonists, sup 
 plies of penguins and sea-birds eggs, which were 
 there found in great abundance. 
 
 John Baptist Tavernier, of Paris, on his return 
 from the East Indies, in 1649, passed a few days 
 among the natives at the Cape, where the ship ob 
 tained a great supply of birds eggs, " as big as 
 goose eggs. He represents these birds as a sort 
 of goose, and says, " They breed in such great 
 quantities in the country, that in a bay. about 
 eighteen leagues from the Cape, you may knock 
 them on the head with a stick," Commodore 
 Roggewein, who visited this region in 1733, says, 
 that " at the distance of about eighteen leagues 
 from the Cape, there is another port, called the 
 Bay of Salderiey, which is, in all respects, an in 
 finitely better harbor than that of the Cape, ex 
 cept one, and that is, in point of water." The 
 distance accords with the description of Taver 
 nier, and shows that the latter had reference to 
 this bay, when he spoke of it as the resort of in 
 numerable birds. In the journal of Governor 
 
72 LABORS AT SALDANHA BAY. 
 
 Zacharias Wagenaar, the successor of Van Rie- 
 beck atthe Cape, appears the following memo 
 randum, under date of February 17, 1666 : " Sent 
 the Crowned Herring to Saldanha Bay, to fetch 
 a load of sea-birds dung for our gardens." 
 
 The colony of the Cape of Good Hope was sur 
 rendered to the forces of Great Britain, under the 
 command of General Craig, September 16th, 1795. 
 But the Dutch, not willing to relinquish a naval 
 post of so much importance, of which they had re 
 tained possession since 1652, fitted out an expe 
 dition, under Admiral Lucas, consisting of two 
 sixty-fours, one fifty-four, four frigates, and a 
 sloop, which arrived safely, and cast anchor in 
 Saldanha Bay, August 2d, 1796. While they 
 were refitting the vessels, and refreshing the crews 
 and marines after their long voyage, a British 
 fleet, under the command of Admiral Elphinstone, 
 consisting of two seventy-fours, five sixty-fours, 
 one fifty, and six other vessels came to anchor 
 within gun-shot of the Dutch fleet ; and, knowing 
 how much superior his own force was to that of 
 the blockaded squadron, the British admiral sent 
 a written summons for the surrender of Admiral 
 Lucas s command. Reasonable terms of capitu 
 lation having been submitted, the latter surren 
 dered his whole fleet without the firing of a gun. 
 The bay has thus acquired a considerable histor 
 ical importance. 
 
LABORS AT SALDANHA BAY. 73 
 
 But a few years since it acquired a still great 
 er, and far more substantial, importance, by rea 
 son of the guano traffic, to which allusion has al 
 ready been made. The fertilizing properties of 
 the excrements of birds seem to have been known 
 by the second governor of the Cape, nearly two 
 hundred years since. But it is only within these 
 twelve or fifteen years that scientific agriculture 
 has brought fully to light the valuable qualities 
 of these ammonial deposits, and created a de 
 mand for the article. During a long succession 
 of ages, a considerable number of the rocky and 
 uninhabited islands on the coasts of Africa and 
 South America, particularly in the neighborhood 
 of the two capes, at the southern extremities of 
 the two continents, and along the shores of Peru 
 and Bolivia, have been the resort of immense 
 numbers of the singular water-fowl, known as 
 the penguin, or pinguin, and others of like habits. 
 
 Ferdinand Magellan, who sailed along the At 
 lantic coast of Patagonia in 1519, u met with a 
 couple of islands so full of seals and penguins, 
 that, in an hour s space, they could have laden all 
 the five ships." He describes them as " a black, 
 unwieldy fowl, extremely fat, covered over with a 
 sort of down, instead of feathers, and armed with 
 a bill like a raven s." These islands have since 
 been known as "the Great and Little Penguins." 
 They were visited also by the Dutch commander 
 
?<! LABORS AT SALDANHA BAY. 
 
 De Weert, in 1599, who says, that such was the 
 multitude of penguins, " they might have fur 
 nished twenty-five ships with them ;" and that 
 " they took above nine hundred in two hours 
 time." He gives a minute description of them, 
 and says, that, when full grown, they weigh from 
 twelve to sixteen pounds ; that they are black 
 upon the back, and white on the under parts, hav 
 ing also a white ring around the neck, having a 
 skin like a sea-dog s, and as thick as the skin of 
 a wild boar ; that their bill is as long as a raven s, 
 but not as crooked ; that their necks are short 
 and thick, and their body as long as a goose s, but 
 not so big. He says that, instead of wings, they 
 have two fins hanging down, and covered with 
 feathers, with which they swim with great ease. 
 
 Laval, on his voyage to the East Indies, in 
 1601, landed at Annabon, an island about one 
 hundred miles south of the line, in the Atlantic, 
 and discovered in the neighborhood a small rocky 
 island, bare of vegetation, but so covered with 
 penguins, that no one could walk an} r where with 
 out treading upon their eggs. Commodore Beau- 
 lieu, who visited the Cape of Good Hope in 1620, 
 describes an island about two leagues north of 
 Table Bay, a large league in circumference, on 
 which great numbers of penguins were found. 
 Captain Funnel, in 1706, calls it, "Penguin Isl 
 and," and says, that it takes its name from a vast 
 
LABORS AT SALDANHA BAY. 75 
 
 number of birds, about the bigness of a wild duck, 
 with a sharp bill, and feet like a duck, having no 
 wings, but stumps only, with which they fly not, 
 but flutter, called penguins. 
 
 The name is by some supposed to have been 
 derived from the Latin word pinguis, fat. Oth 
 ers derive the word from a term in the old British 
 language, signifying whiteness, because of their 
 white heads. But Dr. Harris, in his Bibliotheca 
 of Travels, affirms, that the name was given them 
 by the aborigines. 
 
 The congregation of these birds, for ages, in 
 countless generations and immense numbers, on 
 some isolated rock, undisturbed by human vis 
 itants, has resulted in the vast deposits of the fer 
 tilizing substance to which the name guano has 
 been affixed, and which, at the time of Mr. Ber 
 tram s visit, was found in such quantity at Sal- 
 danha Bay. The name is of Peruvian origin. In 
 that tongue, huano, pronounced by the Spaniards 
 guano, means dung. The Peruvians have long 
 been acquainted with the agricultural virtue of 
 this substance. Vast stores of this bird s dung 
 have been found for ages on the Chincha Islands, 
 near the fourteenth parallel of south latitude, 
 three rocky protuberances from the sea, of five or 
 six miles circuit, and about ten miles from the 
 main land. Here it was found, at the commence 
 ment of the traffic, in a perfect state of preserva- 
 
76 LABORS AT SALDANHA BAY. 
 
 tion, by reason of the infrequency of rains on that 
 coast, and of the average depth of one hundred 
 feet, in some places two hundred. Humboldt, in 
 1804, called attention to this deposit, and re 
 ferred to its enriching qualities. The great gu 
 ano port of Peru is Iquique. The Peruvians have 
 a proverb, " Huano, though no saint, works mira 
 cles ;" referring to the wonderfully- fertilizing pow 
 er of this article. 
 
 At the commencement of this trade, the prin 
 cipal source of traffic on the coast of Africa was 
 a small island, called Icheboe, farther to the 
 north, in the twenty-sixth degree of south lati 
 tude ; but the demand soon exhausted the sup 
 ply, and the attention of the trade was now di 
 rected to the spot whither Mr. Bertram was bound. 
 
 The " Ward Chipman" proceeded on her way, 
 and arrived off the bay about ten o clock in the 
 evening of Thursday. The night was dark, and 
 the captain, not being acquainted with the chan 
 nel, attempted to enter on the wrong side of the 
 island, that divides the mouth into two nearly 
 equal parts. Presently the breakers were seen 
 within a few yards, and the position of the ship 
 became quite perilous. The main anchor was 
 speedily dropped, and the vessel stayed. As soon 
 as it was known in the harbor, six and twenty 
 boats were manned by the shipmasters and their 
 men, by whose timely and powerful aid, the vessel 
 
LABORS AT SALDANHA BAY. 77 
 
 was towed, with the loss of her anchor, and with 
 no further injury, to a safe and quiet anchorage 
 within the land-locked harbor. 
 
 The morning light revealed the hidden dan 
 gers of the previous evening, and the peculiar 
 ities of the scenery in the midst of which they 
 had reposed during the night. The dark olive- 
 tint of the water, approaching almost to black, in 
 dicated, to some extent, the character of the traf 
 fic which was prosecuted on its surface. A more 
 beautiful and safe haven for ships, they had sel 
 dom, if ever, seen. It seemed to be of several 
 leagues in circumference, capable of containing the 
 whole navy of Great Britain, and almost entirely 
 shut in by the land, which rose on nearly every 
 hand in gentle swells, and verdant plains, and 
 was covered with a prolific vegetation. Imme 
 diately in front, toward the sea, and occupying a 
 large portion of the strait, by which the bay was 
 entered, appeared a small island, of singular as 
 pect, called Maleasen, Malagasen, or, more com 
 monly, "Malagas Island." The bay was dotted 
 in every direction with merchant-vessels of all de 
 scriptions, and hundreds of yawls, barges, and 
 freight-boats were attached to the ships, or mov 
 ing quietly over the smooth surface of the bay. 
 
 In the center of the island was a flag-staff, from 
 which lines extended in every direction to the wa 
 ter s edge. On nearer inspection, it was found 
 
78 LABORS AT SALDANHA BAY. 
 
 that the soil with which the island was covered, 
 was a vast bed of guano, some twenty or thirty 
 feet in depth, that had been accumulating for 
 ages, and which was now in the process of ex 
 portation to the four quarters of the globe. The 
 lines from the flag-staff were designed to mark out, 
 like the divisions of a plum-cake, to the crew of 
 each vessel, the particular portion which they 
 might claim as their own. At the water s edge 
 was a jetty, or wharf, near which were seen scaf 
 foldings, designed to facilitate the transportation 
 of the various " diggings" to the boats ; while all 
 over the island the canvas huts and tents of the 
 workmen, formed of sails and tarpaulins, thrown 
 over spars and yards from the vessels, gave evi 
 dence of a numerous population. Gay banners 
 and streamers were floating over these nautical 
 encampments, inscribed with some fanciful appel 
 lation, indicating the vessel or country to which 
 the occupants belonged, or showing some of the 
 eccentricities of seamen ; such as " Sheerness," 
 " Wapping," " London Docks," etc. 
 
 The spectator was at once reminded of the re 
 semblance of the whole scene to a country fair, 
 such, particularly, as are held every August at 
 " Donny brook," in the county of Dublin, where 
 for six days the usquebaugh circulates most free 
 ly, and the shillalah flourishes in the air, giving 
 weight and force to the brilliant points of Irish 
 
LABORS AT SALDANHA BAY. 79 
 
 wit and argument. That Scripture, whicn says, 
 " Wheresoever the carcass is, there will the eagles 
 be gathered together," was strikingly fulfilled at 
 Malagas Island. The opportunity of trading with 
 such an assemblage, as were there congregated for 
 weeks, could not be resisted by the suttlers and 
 grog-sellers at the Cape, who had flocked hither 
 to share in the golden harvest, and pitched their 
 tents along the shores of the bay. They found a 
 ready market for their vile compounds of wine, 
 rum, brandy, and other death-dealing liquors ; and 
 frequent, as well as violent, were the scenes of 
 riot and blood-letting, with which this woeful traf 
 fic was followed. The poor sea-fowl, whose do 
 main had thus summarily and unceremoniously 
 been invaded, had fled to other rocky points in 
 and along the bay, where they seemed to be taking 
 counsel as to the best means of regaining their 
 time-honored territory. 
 
 Such was the spectacle that presented itself to 
 the eye of Mr. Bertram, on the morning after his 
 arrival. After breakfast, he was put ashore on 
 the main land, in the vicinity of a large cave 
 formed by overhanging rocks. This natural hab 
 itation had been appropriated by an old Hiber 
 nian, of the sons of J^sculapius, a stout, over 
 grown, and somewhat venerable personage, who 
 had converted the interior of his primitive hab 
 itation into a rude resemblance of an apothecary s 
 
80 LABORS AT SALDANHA BAY. 
 
 shop, with mysterious-looking bottles and vials 
 ranged around, in number sufficient to kill or cure 
 all who might wish to avail themselves of his won 
 drous pharmaceutic lore, and unrivaled skill in 
 the treatment of all the ills to which the fle^h of 
 man is subject. There, ensconced in his myste 
 rious habitation, that served him as office, parlor, 
 ante-chamber, dormitory, and kitchen," he sagely 
 gave out, that he would undertake the wholesale 
 cure of broken bones and bleeding wounds, for the 
 moderate sum of five pounds a ship. Nor was he 
 unemployed. The disorderly and dissipated man 
 ner in which a large portion of the sailors and la 
 borers lived ; the exposures to which they were 
 constantly subjected ; the large potations of in 
 toxicating liquors with which they were furnished ; 
 the want of vegetable food ; the constant use of 
 salt provisions, and the overpowering effluvium of 
 the guano itself, producing, by reason of the vast 
 quantities of ammonia, inflammation and bleeding 
 of the eyes and nostrils, served to bring into con 
 stant service the skill and the drugs of the old 
 Irish doctor, and to test his power over such ob 
 stinate diseases as the dysentery, scurvy, and 
 "redness of eyes." 
 
 At the time of Mr. Bertram s landing, a con 
 siderable number of the shipmasters were assem 
 bled about the " doctor s shop," apparently in 
 earnest and anxious consultation. On inquiry, he 
 
LABORS AT SALDANHA BAY. 81 
 
 learned enough to show him the hazardous nature 
 of the mission, with which he had charged him 
 self in coming to Saldanha Bay. The islanders, 
 it appeared, were in a terrible state of insubordi 
 nation and mutiny. The sailors, under the influ 
 ence of frequent draughts of alcoholic compounds, 
 had quarreled with the sable coolies from the 
 Cape, and, in the terrible excitement of rage and 
 intoxication, had belabored them with furious 
 blows, and then driven them into the sea, where 
 they would have been drowned but for the lug 
 gage-boats employed in transferring the guano to 
 the ships, into which they were drawn out of the 
 sea by the shipmasters, who had witnessed the 
 mutiny. All business was in consequence sus 
 pended, and the most terrible scenes of drunken 
 ness and insubordination ensued. In vain were 
 all the efforts of the masters of the vessels to 
 bring them into subjection. They were met with 
 volleys of guano, assailed with the carcasses of 
 penguins and gannets, and compelled to flee for 
 their lives, and betake themselves to their boats. 
 A second attempt to subdue the rioters by means 
 of cutlasses and fire-arms, resulted in complete 
 failure, only serving the more to exasperate both 
 parties. 
 
 The shipmasters were now at their wit s ends. 
 It was determined to hold a conference on shore, 
 and consult on the best means of quelling the re- 
 
82 LABORS AT SALDANHA BAY. 
 
 volt. Something effectual was demanded, and 
 that speedily, or they could not answer to the 
 owners of the vessels for their failure in securing a 
 cargo, and subjecting them to severe loss. As for 
 unfurling their sails, and putting out to sea as 
 they were, it was out of the question. At length 
 it was determined to dispatch, over land, four of 
 the most respectable shipmasters, to Cape Town, 
 and solicit his excellency, Sir Peregrine Maitland, 
 the governor of the colony, to send them a ship of 
 war, to bring the mutineers to their senses and 
 duty. 
 
 The land-route was circuitous, and much lon 
 ger than by sea. Three or four days were occu 
 pied in the journey, assistance being afforded them 
 by the Dutch farmers who occupied the interior. 
 Several days, therefore, elapsed before any infor 
 mation or assistance could be procured from the 
 Cape, during all which time the state of insubor 
 dination continued. 
 
 Mr. Bertram, being thus shut out from the 
 great body of the seamen, whose spiritual welfare 
 had brought him to Saldanha Bay, endeavored to 
 employ his time with as much profit as the cir 
 cumstances would permit. As the Sabbath was 
 at hand, he desired to secure an opportunity for 
 preaching. Learning that Captain Samson, of 
 the ship " John Jordan," from Bristol, was a re 
 ligious man, he made an arrangement with him to 
 
LABORS AT SALDANHA BAY. 83 
 
 convert his ship into a Bethel. Quite a goodly 
 number of the officers, and many of the seamen 
 who were not compromised in the mutiny, assem 
 bled on the " John Jordan," at the appointed time, 
 to whom he opened the treasures of God s word, 
 and made known his commission as an ambassador 
 of the Prince of Peace. At the pressing invita 
 tion of Captain Samson, whom he found to be in 
 reality a man of God, he removed from the " Ward 
 Chipman," and took up his quarters on the " John 
 Jordan." The captain gave up to him his own 
 cabin, and showed him every attention and kind 
 ness in his power, during the whole time of his so 
 journ at Saldanha Bay. 
 
 The delay, occasioned by the non-arrival of the 
 aid expected from the Cape, gave Mr. Bertram 
 frequent opportunities for exploring the shores of 
 the bay. His early occupation had served to make 
 him familiar with the vegetable creation. A pas 
 sion for flowers had grown with his growth, and 
 strengthened with his strength ; and here, on this 
 virgin soil, he found abundant means of gratifying 
 it. Every day, after breakfast, the Jordan s boat 
 was at his service, and he was put on the shore, to 
 ramble off into " the bush," and meditate in the 
 fields. Hour after hour he would ramble on for 
 miles together, without the slightest interruption 
 from any human being, and without any earthly 
 witnesses of his footsteps, save an occasional mon - 
 
84 LABORS AT SALDANHA BAY, 
 
 key sporting on the rocks, and numerous birds, of 
 most beautiful plumage. Nothing can exceed the 
 splendor of the coloring blue, green, yellow, scar 
 let, and crimson, alternating with the purest black 
 and white with which the feathered tribes are 
 here adorned. To a lover of nature they present, 
 with their infinite variety of song, a constant 
 source of admiration. 
 
 Nor are the beauties of the vegetable world in 
 Southern Africa less inviting and peculiar. u At 
 every step we take," says Sir Cornwallis Harris, 
 " what thousands and tens of thousands of gay 
 flowers rear their lovely heads around us ! Of a 
 surety, the enthusiasm of the botanist has not 
 painted the wonders of these regions in colors 
 more brilliant than they deserve ; for Africa is the 
 mother of the most magnificent exotics that grace 
 the green-houses of Europe. Turn where we will, 
 some new plant discovers itself to the admiring 
 gaze ; and every barren rock being decorated 
 with some large and strong blossom, it can be no 
 exaggeration to compare the country to a botan 
 ical garden left in a state of nature. The regal 
 protea (silver tree) here blossoms spontaneously 
 on every side ; the buzzing hosts of bees, beetles, 
 and other parasites, by which its choicest sweets 
 are surrounded, being often joined by the tiny 
 humming-bird, herself scarcely larger than a but 
 terfly, who perches on the edge of a broad flow- 
 
LABORS AT SALDANHA BAY. 85 
 
 er, and darts her tubular tongue into the chal- 
 ce." 
 
 "But the bulbous plants," adds the same au 
 thor, " must be considered to form the most char 
 acteristic class ; and in no region of the globe are 
 they to be found so numerous, so varied, or so 
 beautiful. To the brilliant and sweet-smelling 
 ixia, and to the superb species of the iris (flower 
 de luce), there is no end ; the morell, the corn- 
 flag (gladiolus), the amaryllis, the haemanthus, 
 and pancratium, being countless as the sands upon 
 the sea-shore. After the autumnal rains, their 
 gaudy flowers, mixed with those of the brilliant 
 orchidae, impart life and beauty, for a brief sea 
 son, to the most sandy wastes, and, covering alike 
 the meadows and the foot of the mountains, are 
 succeeded by the graphalium, the xeranthemum, 
 and a whole train of everlastings, which display 
 their red, blue, or silky-white flowers, among a 
 host of scented geraniums, flourishing like so many 
 weeds. Even in the midst of stony deserts arise 
 a variety of aloes and other fleshy plants, as, the 
 stapelia, or carion-flower, with square, succulous, 
 leafless stems, and flowers resembling star-fish. 
 The brilliant mesanbryanthemum, or fig-mari 
 gold, extends to nearly three hundred species. But 
 amid this gay and motley assemblage, the heaths, 
 whether in number or beauty, stand confessedly 
 unrivaled. Nature has extended that elegant 
 8 
 
86 LABORS AT SALDANHA BAY. 
 
 shrub to almost every soil and situation the 
 marsh, the river-brink, the richest loam, and the 
 barest rural cliff, being alike 
 
 Empurpled with the heather s dye. 
 
 Upward of three hundred and fifty distinct spe 
 cies exist ; nor is the form of their flowers less di 
 versified than are their varied hues. Cup-shaped, 
 globular, and bell-shaped ; some exhibit the figure 
 of a cone ; others that of a cylinder ; some are 
 contracted at the base, others in the middle ; and 
 still more are bulged out like the mouth of a trum 
 pet. While many are smooth and glossy, some 
 are covered with down, and others, again, are in- 
 crusted with mucilage. Red, in every variety of 
 depth and shade, from blush to the brightest crim 
 son, is their prevailing complexion ; but green, yel 
 low, and purple are scarcely less abundant, and 
 blue is almost the only color whose absence can be 
 remarked." 
 
 Such are the beauties of the vegetable creation 
 in the southern portion of that mysterious conti 
 nent, whose vast interior yet remains to be ex 
 plored by civilized man, and to the richness and 
 gorgeousness of whose productions no other portion 
 of the world can scarcely afford a parallel. 
 
 The season of the year in which these rural walks 
 of Mr. Bertram were prosecuted, was not the most 
 favorable for the development of all these floral 
 
LABORS AT SALDANHA BAY. 87 
 
 beauties. The heats of summer had passed, and 
 the period of vegetable repose was drawing on. 
 The April of that hemisphere, it will be remem 
 bered, answers to our October, and it was near the 
 close of the month when he arrived. But still he 
 saw enough, especially in the endless varieties and 
 quantities of the bulbous tribes, to give him some 
 conception of what the scene must be in the early 
 spring, August and September. There he found 
 plants, which in his youth he had cultivated in 
 the green-house, and treated as precious exotics, 
 growing wild, and in the greatest abundance. 
 
 It was not his fortune to come in sight of any 
 of the mighty beasts of prey with which the inte 
 rior abounds, and which sometimes show them 
 selves on the coast. Many of the large African 
 bullocks, brought in by the Dutch boors, or farm 
 ers, were slaughtered on the shore for the use of 
 the ships, by the butchers who had been attracted 
 to the spot, and whose tents were pitched on the 
 main land. On one occasion, as Mr. Bertram 
 was preparing to take his morning walk, one of 
 these sons of slaughter said to him, " I would ad 
 vise you not to go very far into the bushes this 
 morning, as the lions have been roaring about our 
 tents all night. We have killed so many cattle 
 that they have been drawn here by the scent of 
 blood." With some hesitation, and in the exer 
 cise of a good degree of cautiousness, he however 
 
88 LABORS AT SALDANHA BAY. 
 
 concluded to go, but met with no other harm than 
 a good scaring at a sudden rustling in the bushes, 
 which proved to be only a winged lion, or some 
 thing else that takes to itself wings, and flies 
 away. 
 
 The vast quantities of arable land, exceedingly 
 fertile, and entirely unoccupied, capable of pro 
 ducing immense crops of grains and other vegeta 
 bles, arrested his attention, and turned his thoughts 
 to the starving millions of Europe, and especially 
 of Scotland and Ireland, who know not how to eke 
 out a subsistence from day to day. He could not 
 but think, what a blessing it would be to both 
 hemispheres, if a few thousands of the hardy sons 
 of toil would emigrate to the rich and unoccupied 
 lands of Southern Africa, and begin to develop 
 the immense but hidden resources of that luxuri 
 ant continent. Millions, who at home have not 
 so much as a small cabbage-garden, might there 
 possess their broad acres of meadow and of grain, 
 with all the vegetable products that are desirable 
 for man s comfort on earth. Sometimes, in these 
 rambles, he would amuse his idle hour^ by fancy 
 ing himself a planter. "Here," he would say, as 
 his eye rested on a spacious level rock, surrounded 
 by beautiful meadows " here would be just the 
 spot to build my house ; here I would have my 
 garden ; there my barns, there the lawn, and here 
 the park. What a magnificent site it would be !" 
 
LABORS AT SALDANHA BAY. 89 
 
 While he was thus amusing himself with these 
 daily recreations, and airy castles, it came into his 
 mind that this was not just the thing that brought 
 him to Saldanha Bay. u All this," he said to 
 himself, " is very fine ; but what sort of a mis 
 sionary am I 7 When I was at home in Great 
 Britain, I thought that I could go and preach 
 Christ even to the cannibals. Like the great 
 Apostle to the Gentiles, I could say, ( Neither 
 count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might 
 finish my course with joy, and the ministry which 
 I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the 
 Gospel of the grace of God, even among the most 
 degraded and abandoned of the heathen world. 
 But now that I have come in sight of danger, what 
 a cowardly missionary I prove to be ! I came to 
 this bay for the very purpose of preaching to these 
 seamen on Malagas Island, and now I have not 
 courage enough to show my face among them !" 
 The example of the noble John Williams, who laid 
 down his life among the cannibals of the South 
 Sea Islands, came to his mind ; and he thought of 
 other holy missionaries, who had jeoparded their 
 lives even unto death in carrying the Gospel to the 
 perishing ; arid he was mortified and humbled at 
 his own pusillanimity. 
 
 Thus brought, as it were, to his senses, and to 
 a proper conception of the nature and require 
 ments of his mission, he sought a retired place 
 
90 LABORS AT SALDANHA BAYc 
 
 among the rocks, and confessed, with a broken 
 heart, to his Saviour, the unbelief and sinful fear 
 by which he had been actuated, sought forgive 
 ness at the feet of his Lord and Master, and sol 
 emnly vowed before God, that, life and health per 
 mitting, he would go on the following Sabbath to 
 Malagas Island, and preach, even if he should die 
 for it, to the mutineers. 
 
 At three o clock, the hour when the Jordan s 
 boat came daily to the shore to take him on board 
 to dine, he returned to the ship. At the dinner- 
 table, he said to the captain, " Captain Sam 
 son ! I wish to ask a favor of you." " Very well, 
 what is it?" "I want you to take me in your 
 boat next Sabbath morning to the island, that I 
 may preach there." 
 
 The captain was taken wholly by surprise. 
 Suppressing for a few moments his amazement, as 
 he stared av Mr. Bertram, he at length said, 
 " What, sir ! are you mad ? You do n t catch me 
 doing so foolish a thing as to take you up to the 
 island among those men. They would only des 
 ecrate the service, and perhaps take your life." 
 
 " But what then?" was the reply of Mr. Ber 
 tram ; " will you leave these men under the influ 
 ence of the devil, and make no effort for their im 
 provement? What is to make them better, if we 
 refuse to carry the Gospel among them ?" " Well," 
 responded the captain, u say what you will, I 11 
 
LABORS AT SALDANHA BAY. 91 
 
 never take you up to the island." The captain 
 was evidently nettled for once ; but it was only 
 for once. The matter was dropped for the present. 
 
 Just then a ship of war hove in sight, which 
 proved to be one of Her Majesty s vessels that had 
 been lying at Simon s Bay, or False Bay, as it 
 was formerly called, on the eastern side of the pe 
 ninsula, that terminates in the Cape of Good Hope, 
 on the west side of which Cape Town is built ; 
 which vessel had been ordered to Saldanha Bay to 
 quell the mutiny. The rioters had given them 
 selves up to gluttony and drunkenness. Day after 
 day they had kept up their horrid frolic, until they 
 had exhausted the stores on the island. Then 
 they had crossed over to the mainland, and pos 
 sessed themselves of the contents of some of the 
 suttlers shanties, with which they had returned, 
 and recommenced their terrible carousing. 
 
 In the midst of their bacchanalian revel, they 
 were brought to their senses by the presence of 
 an armed detachment of marines from the ship of 
 war, who had effected a landing from their boats 
 with the greatest order and dispatch. They saw 
 at once that resistance was useless,; and, when 
 ordered by the commander of the frigate to ac 
 knowledge their wickedness, and sue for mercy, 
 or he would open his ports upon them, and blow 
 them to pieces, they begged, in the most abject 
 manner, that he would let them off this time, and 
 
92 LABORS AT SALDANIIA BAY. 
 
 promised to go to work like honest men, and 
 never again be guilty of such wicked conduct. 
 
 The result was very gratifying to the officers 
 of the man-of-war, and to the shipmasters. Con 
 gratulations were exchanged from one to another, 
 and the commander of the armed vessel received 
 on board the various ships with every testimonial 
 of gratitude. He assured them all, that the re 
 bellion was at an end ; that the rioters were com 
 pletely humbled, had manifested the greatest sor 
 row for their disorderly and criminal conduct, and 
 given him the utmost assurance, that they would 
 all quietly and submissively return to duty ; that 
 they might now take in their cargoes with all 
 dispatch, and ere long heave anchor, unfurl their 
 sails, and bend their course homeward. 
 
 It was not in the power of the commander to 
 make any stay in the harbor. He had been or 
 dered to the western coast of Africa, on a cruise, 
 to watch the slave ships, and break up their pi 
 ratical traffic. He could not, therefore, remain 
 in port any longer, after he had fulfilled his com 
 mission in coming to Malagas Island. His ves 
 sel was soon again under way, and, with a favor 
 ing breeze, pursuing her course toward the north. 
 
 But, no sooner had the vessel disappeared, than, 
 relieved of their fears, the revelers broke over all 
 restraint, and returned to their former state of 
 insubordination. They became more and ore 
 
LABORS AT SALDANHA BAY. 93 
 
 infatuated and maddened; they formed parties 
 among themselves according to the port or ships 
 to which they belonged ; they chose ringleaders, 
 calling them by the names of wild beasts, as they 
 really seemed to be. To one they gave the name 
 Lion ; to another, the name Bear ; to another, 
 Tiger, and the like. All hope of a compromise 
 was entirely taken away, and the shipmasters 
 were completely at their wit s end. 
 
 Mr. Bertram had watched the progress of the 
 whole affair with the deepest interest ; and, when 
 he saw the utter failure of the remedy devised by 
 the wrath of man, he assuredly gathered, that the 
 Lord was calling him to put in practice the pur 
 pose that he had formed, and fulfill his solemn 
 vow to God. He therefore renewed his applica 
 tion to Captain Samson, on the morning of the 
 following Sabbath, and requested him to accom 
 pany the missionary to the island, in his boat ; but 
 the captain was resolute. He would not be a 
 party in such a rash expedition, nor would he risk 
 the life of his friend among such a set of incarnate 
 demons. 
 
 Among the vessels in port was the brig Hebe, 
 of London, under the command of Captain Mosey. 
 Mr. Bertram had formed an acquaintance with 
 him at Cape Town, and learned from him that he 
 had once made a profession of religion, and had 
 "run well" for a season; but that on these long 
 
94 LABORS AT SALDANHA BAY. 
 
 voyages he bad got away from duty, and, falling 
 into temptation at foreign ports, had suffered him 
 self to be carried along with the tide of ungodli 
 ness, which he had not sufficient grace to stem 
 and resist. He had, in consequence, become a 
 wanderer from God, and a grievous, but not in 
 veterate, backslider. He had manifested, in the 
 apparent sorrow with which he had confessed all 
 this to Mr. Bertram, that his conscience was yet 
 tender ; and so had led the missionary to think., 
 that some traces of grace remained. When a 
 soul has once been renewed by the Spirit, he can 
 never again be as other men are. Let him wan 
 der ever so far, he will still have some clinging 
 of heart, like the prodigal son, to his former ex 
 perience, and be often saying to himself, " Oh 
 that I were- as in months past, as in the days when 
 God preserved me, when His candle shined upon 
 my head, and when by His light I walked through 
 darkness !" He will now and then be saying 
 
 " Where is the blessedness I knew, 
 
 When first I saw the Lord ? 
 Where is the soul -refreshing view, 
 Of Jesus, and His word ? 
 
 What peaceful hours I once enjoy d ! 
 
 How sweet their memory still ! 
 But they have left an aching void, 
 
 The world can never fill." 
 
 Mr. Bertram, relying on this knowledge of the 
 
LABORS AT SALDANHA BAY. 95 
 
 case of his backsliding friend, went off to the 
 Hebe, and found the captain standing on deck to 
 receive him. " Captain Mosey !" he said, " I 
 have come to beg a favor of you this morning." 
 " What can I do for you, Mr. Bertram?" was the 
 reply ; " you know that I 11 do any thing and every 
 thing that I can for you." " Yes, I know it," 
 said Mr. Bertram, "and so I have come to ask 
 you to take me up in your boat to the island, that 
 I may preach the Gospel to those poor rebels there, 
 this morning." 
 
 The request occasioned quite a struggle in the 
 breast of Captain Mosey. After pacing the deck 
 for a few moments, he turned, with moistened 
 eyes, and a full heart, to the missionary, and said, 
 " You know, Mr. Bertram, that I dare not take 
 you up to the island. It was barely with my life 
 that I escaped the other day. But come over to 
 Captain Kerr s vessel with me, and we ll talk it 
 over." So to Captain Kerr s ship, the " Fama," 
 of London, they went, who, as soon as he saw 
 them on deck, saluted them with " Good-morn 
 ing, gentlemen ; what has brought you here this 
 morning!" " Why," said Captain Mosey, " here s 
 Mr. Bertram begging me to take him in my boat 
 up to the island, to preach to those seamen." 
 " What !" exclaimed Captain Kerr, " preach to 
 those seamen ! preach to those devils ! preach to 
 those devils /" " Yes," replied Captain Mo- 
 
96 LABORS AT SALDANHA BAY. 
 
 sey, " and I think that he will not rest until we 
 take him up." " What, to those devils ! those 
 infamous scoundrels ?" responded Captain Kerr ; 
 " they ought to be hung, every devil of them. And 
 are you going to take him up, Captain Mosey?" 
 " Why," said Mosey, " if you will go, I 11 make 
 one of the company." " But you know, Mosey," 
 replied Kerr, " how they love me on the island, 
 and how they treated me the last time that I was 
 there ! And where, if we go, are we to find a 
 couple of oarsmen?" So, stepping to the hatch 
 way, he shouted the name of one of the sailors ; 
 and the quick response, " Aye, aye, sir," was 
 presently followed by his appearance on deck. 
 " Come, my lad," said Kerr, " I want you to pull 
 an oar to take Mr. Bertram to the island to preach 
 to those devils there : what say you ?" " Are you 
 going, captain ?" the man anxiously asked ; " if 
 you go, I 11 go, too." Another oarsman was ob 
 tained from Captain Mosey s brig, and presently 
 they were pulling away for Malagas Island. 
 
 The morning was as lovely as can be conceiv 
 ed just such a Sabbath as disposes the heart to 
 peace and quietness, while it leads the soul away 
 to the bowers of paradise, and impressively re 
 minds the soul of that rest which remaineth to the 
 people of God. Hardly a word was spoken, or the 
 silence of the five adventurers interrupted, dur- 
 
LABORS AT SALDANHA BAY. 97 
 
 ing the two miles and a half, at which distance 
 the Hebe was moored from the island. 
 
 As the boat neared the landing-place, scores of 
 the rioters hurried down to the jetty, or wharf, to 
 see who dared approach their territories. A hor 
 rid sight these poor, infatuated creatures present 
 ed ! Their clothes were almost torn from their 
 backs, and hung about them in tatters. Hideous 
 gashes, in some cases, and in others, blackened 
 eyes, and dreadful bruises, gave evidence of the 
 maddening fumes of dissipation by which they 
 had, for days together, been driven to the ex 
 tremes of brutal fury. Captains Kerr and Mosey 
 sat almost stupefied, as they gazed on these hid 
 eous wretches. Nor was Mr. Bertram less moved 
 with instinctive apprehension. He trusted not, 
 however, in himself, but in the living God, and 
 lifted his heart to the Almighty to nerve his soul 
 for the hazardous enterprise. 
 
 Having fully committed himself to the protec 
 tion and guidance of his Lord, he seized the ladder 
 of ropes, as soon as the boat touched the jetty, 
 and, pulling himself up, in a few moments he 
 stood in the midst of the horrid crew. Singling 
 out one , whom he took to be a ringleader, a tall, 
 powerful, ferocious- looking fellow, apparently pre 
 pared for any deed of desperation, he went di 
 rectly to him, gave him his right hand, and, with 
 his left, tapped him on the shoulder, and said, 
 9 
 
98 LABORS AT SALDANHA BAY. 
 
 "Jack! do you know me?" "How should I 
 know you, sir ?" he muttered. " Well, well, ? 
 replied Mr. Bertram, " I am a minister of Christ, 
 and I have come to-day, in the name of the Lord, 
 to preach among you the glorious Gospel of the 
 blessed God." Then, pulling from his pocket a 
 flag, with which he had furnished himself before 
 leaving the vessel, he continued, " Do you see this, 
 Jack 1 This is the battle-flag of the Cross, that 
 I brought down with me from the Cape of Good 
 Hope. I see that you have a flag-rtaff up there on 
 the island. Now, my brave fellow, take this flag, 
 and let me see how quick you can run it up to the 
 mast-head." Turning to another savage-looking 
 fellow, who stood by, he patted him also on the 
 shoulder, and said to him, " That s a brave fel 
 low, Jack ; off and help him." 
 
 It was enough. The right chord was touched. 
 Away they went, hurrahing, the whole of them, and 
 in a few moments more the Bethel-flag was flying 
 from the top of the flag-staff. The signal roused 
 the whole island, and they flew from every tent and 
 lounging-place, hundreds of them together, to 
 know what was to pay now. The preacher plant 
 ed himself on a pile of guano-bags, and began his 
 brief arrangements for the service. But what a 
 motley assemblage of human beings stood before 
 him ! They seemed to be the offscourings of 
 every British port on earth, such as might well 
 
LABORS AT SALDANHA BAY. 99 
 
 remind him of the hideous tenants of pandemoni 
 um itself. 
 
 They gazed mutually at each other in silence, 
 a moment or two, and the missionary began : 
 " Men ! I have somewhat to say to you. What 
 think ye, that the shipmasters down yonder in the 
 bay said to me, when I told them that I was com 
 ing here this morning to preach the Gospel of 
 Christ to youl Why, they told me that you 
 were the greatest vagabonds under heaven ; that 
 you would desecrate the service of God, and take 
 my life. But, my brave lads, I tell you that I 
 am never afraid, under God, to trust my life in 
 the hands of seamen. Now, men, if you will 
 only listen to what I have to say to you, and take 
 the good advice that I am about to give you, you 
 will have an opportunity to-day of redeeming your 
 lost character. Some of you, I dare say, were 
 brought up in your tender years under the care of 
 pious parents. Your godly fathers and mothers 
 used to talk to you, no doubt, about your souls, 
 and the things of God and heaven. They read to 
 you, perhaps, the Holy Scriptures, and took you 
 with them to the sanctuary of the Lord on the 
 Sabbath day. Some serious impressions may 
 have been made upon your minds by the good 
 Spirit of God. You may remember the pious 
 ministers whose sermons you heard in your boy- 
 
100 LABORS AT SALDANHA BAY. 
 
 hood, and under the sound of whose ministry you 
 sat. 
 
 " But, ah ! that was c long, long ago. You 
 left the parental roof, and shipped for a foreign 
 port ; you were thrown into the company of un 
 godly men, by whose example, conversation, and 
 raillery, you were led to shake off the impressions 
 of early days ; and by degrees you lost the re 
 membrance of a father s counsel, a mother s 
 prayers, your good minister s discourses, and 
 those earl} 7 impressions from the Lord. You were 
 led into haunts of dissipation and vice, and grad 
 ually became hardened in sin, until you have ar 
 rived at your present pitch of iniquity. 
 
 " Think, men ! bethink yourselves of your 
 early impressions, of the good advice of your par 
 ents, and the instructions of those Christian min 
 isters ; and let there be now a little serious re 
 flection, while I preach to you, on Malagas Island, 
 the glorious gospel of the blessed God. Some of 
 you, I doubt not, are good singers. Your vocal 
 powers are admirable. You can sing in your 
 groggeries and merry-makings, but you never em 
 ploy these powers for the glory of God. Perhaps 
 there never was sung on Malagas Island a song 
 of praise to God. Let us have the first song of 
 praise to our Maker here this morning." 
 
 He had brought with him several seamen s 
 hymn-books, which he now took from his pocket, 
 
LABORS AT SALDANHA BAY. 101 
 
 and distributed among them, saying, " Here, men, 
 are some pretty little hymn-books hymns made 
 for sailors. I brought them down from the Cape 
 of Good Hope. Now I will give out one of the 
 hymns. Captain Kerr" (for the two captains 
 had followed him) " will pitch the tune, and let 
 us all sing together, the hymn commencing with 
 these words : 
 
 God of Bethel, by whose hand, 
 
 Thy people still are fed ; 
 Who through this weary pilgrimage, 
 
 Hast all our fathers led. 
 
 Now, Captain Kerr, be so good as to pitch the 
 tune. Come, my lads, strike in sing all togeth 
 er : a long pull, a strong pull, and a pull altogeth 
 er. Lift your hearts and voices in praise to God. 
 Remember that we are now worshiping God." 
 
 Captain Kerr, who had a good voice, and was 
 familiar with the favorite tunes in which the 
 " Psalms of David" are sung in Scotland, struck 
 up " Old Hundred." One by one they began to 
 fall in ; and, as line after line was parceled out, 
 they joined more and more heartily, until the good 
 old tune came free and full from hundreds of lips, 
 and the whole island, bay, and farther shore echoed 
 with these closing words of the excellent Dodd- 
 ridge : 
 
 " Such blessings from thy gracious hand, 
 Our humble prayers implore, 
 
102 LABORS AT SALDANHA BAY. 
 
 And thou shall be our chosen God, 
 And portion evermore." 
 
 " Now, men," said the preacher, " you have 
 sung nobly, and, blessed be God ! you are behav 
 ing yourselves well. I am happy to see it. Let 
 us now look up to God in prayer." He closed his 
 eyes, clasped his hands, and gave free course to a 
 full heart in a fervent address to the Almighty. 
 
 At the close of the prayer, he saw that the tears 
 had been streaming down the cheeks of many of 
 his hard-visaged hearers. Taking fresh courage 
 from this manifest blessing of God, he then read, 
 in the most impressive manner of which he was 
 capable, the fourth and fifth chapters of the sec 
 ond epistle to the Corinthians. They gave a 
 good degree of attention as he proceeded. " Now, 
 lads !" he added, " you are behaving well, and I 
 am glad to see that you have so much respect for 
 the worship of God. You sung very well the first 
 time ; come, let us sing another hymn from the 
 little book." Once more they made the island 
 ring with the good old church-music, endeared by 
 a thousand recollections of the far-off land, and 
 their native cot. 
 
 The missionary began now to seat his audience. 
 " Come, my good lads !" he said, " don t stand up 
 here any longer ; gather round me here, and sit 
 down on the rocks, and make yourselves comfort 
 able, while I endeavor to preach to you the good 
 
LABORS AT SALDANHA BAY. 103 
 
 word of the Lord." The congregation were pres 
 ently seated, with the exception of a gang of five 
 or six scores of vicious- looking characters, who 
 appeared to be at the beck and call of two or three 
 blackguards, on the right of the mass of the au 
 dience, and at some little distance. He soon ob 
 served that they seemed to be planning to break 
 up the meeting by a tumultuous rush upon the 
 missionary. Holding up his finger, and then 
 pointing at them, he said, " Come, come, you fel 
 lows there, I see what you are about ; and now, if 
 you do n t stop your mischief, and break up all 
 your contrivances, my good friends around me 
 here will soon put you straight. So, the sooner 
 you break up, the better. Come and take your 
 seats here along with your other companions, and 
 I will tell you things that will do your souls 
 good." They complied with the invitation, and 
 presently were all seated in expectation of the 
 sermon. 
 
 In proceeding to preach, he called their atten 
 tion to the first clause of the eleventh verse of the 
 fifth chapter of the second epistle to the Corinthi 
 ans : " Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord, 
 we persuade men." He began the discourse with 
 an exhibition of some of the threatenings, or ter 
 rors, of the Lord, addressed to. the ungodly ; and 
 showed how surely those threatenings would be 
 executed against all who died in unbelief and im- 
 
104 LABORS AT SALDANHA BAY. 
 
 penitence. He then showed them who the ungodly 
 were, and spoke of them under several classes ; 
 such as drunkards, liars, swearers, sabbath-break 
 ers, profane persons, idlers, and evil-doers. The 
 evils of drunkenness were spread before them in 
 the first place, as one of the sins against which 
 the wrath of God has been revealed. They were 
 reminded of them by an appeal to their own expe 
 rience, and especially to the consequences of their 
 recent course of conduct, as well as by what they 
 had seen and known of these evils in the lives and 
 deaths of their comrades and others. Earnest 
 expostulations were used with them against any 
 further indulgence in this worse than brutal vice. 
 
 Mr. Bertram also presented before them the 
 iniquity of malice, hatred, revenge, and all strife 
 and contention ; he endeavored to make them 
 ashamed of their violence one toward another; 
 to show them that their hands were not made to 
 beat and tear one another s flesh, but to minister 
 to their comfort, and the good of their fellow- 
 creatures. He told them that " God is love," 
 and that the kindness of the Almighty, as well as 
 His holy word, taught us to love one another, and 
 give up the practice of fighting with our fellow- 
 men. 
 
 The sin and evil of swearing were next dwelt 
 upon, and they were told how exceedingly provok 
 ing it was to God, as well as how profitless and 
 
LABORS AT SALDANHA BAY. 105 
 
 unreasonable it was. As he drew near the close, 
 he said, " And, now, let me persuade you, men, 
 after I have left the island this morning, and you 
 no longer hear my voice among you, to sit down 
 together in groups about the island, and read to 
 each other these beautiful religious tracts that I 
 have brought down with me from the Cape of 
 Good Hope. Some of you, I know, can read, if 
 others cannot ; and, as you have been helping one 
 another in the dreadful work of destroying your 
 bodies, breaking God s laws, and ruining your 
 souls, do try and help one another, through the 
 reading of these tracts, to repent of your wicked 
 ness, return to God, and lead new lives. Let me 
 also add, if you are permitted to live until to 
 morrow morning, just go about your work like 
 good fellows. God never intended us to be idle : 
 
 And Satan finds some mischief still 
 For idle hands to do. 
 
 Let me persuade 3 7 ou to go right about it on Mon 
 day morning, and labor honestly and industriously 
 in your calling, as God and man would have you 
 do, for your daily bread. And now let me say, in 
 conclusion, if you will be persuaded to take this 
 kind advice, I will come back again, and preach 
 to you, if the Lord spares my life, next Sabbath 
 morning. What say you, men, shall I come *?" 
 With one voice almost they cried out, " Come, 
 
106 LABORS AT SALDANHA BAY. 
 
 sir ! Oh ! come. We like your preaching, sir, 
 and will be glad to have you come again ; and 
 then we will have a far better place prepared for 
 you." "Blessed be God!" he responded; "it 
 is not guns and pistols that you want ; it is not 
 cutlasses, and ships-of-war, and cannon-balls that 
 will serve to subdue you. No : it is the blessed 
 gospel of Christ ; it is the precious blood of Jesus ; 
 it is the Spirit of God. Now, men, you have be 
 haved well, very well ; blessed be God ! You 
 sung well at the commencement of the service, 
 but you will sing better at the conclusion." 
 
 Another hymn was given out, that was sung 
 with a right good-will, and the meeting was closed 
 with prayer and the benediction. He then took 
 leave of them, invoking upon them, as they heartily 
 responded to his parting salutations, the blessing 
 of the Almighty ; and, accompanied by his two 
 friends, he stepped into the boat at the end of the 
 jetty, and soon made his way down the harbor to 
 the principal anchorage. But, not as they came, 
 went they back. Captains Mosey and Kerr, who 
 kept their peace before, were now full of what 
 they had seen and heard. They declared that 
 the humble missionary of the Cross, with the sim 
 ple gospel of Christ, had accomplished far more 
 that morning than her Majesty s ship-of-war, with 
 all her carnal weapons. Mr. Bertram preached 
 in the P.M. to the shipmasters and the crews 
 
LABORS AT SALDANHA BAY. 107 
 
 on board, and with none the less force from the 
 remarkable experience of the morning. Thus 
 ended his second Sabbath in Salclanha Bay. 
 
 The developments of the following morning 
 were awaited with no little interest at the anchor 
 age. Very soon after the rising of the sun, it 
 became apparent that the mutineers had returned 
 to duty. The luggage-boats were put in requisi 
 tion, and the most active operations of business 
 were resumed. "The sword of the Lord and of 
 Gideon " had triumphed. The walls of opposition 
 had fallen down at the blowing of the Gospel trum 
 pet. The weapons of a spiritual warfare, more 
 potent than bristling bayonets, had proved 
 u might} r , through God, to the pulling down of 
 strongholds." The island presented an appear 
 ance of busy and orderly industry, as opposite as 
 possible to the scenes of the preceding fortnight. 
 The quarreling, fighting, and horrid dissipation 
 of those two weeks had given place to peace, con 
 tentment, diligence, promptness, and sobriety. 
 Let God be praised, and man adore ! 
 
 It was no fitful movement. Throughout the 
 week, the bay and island presented the same busy 
 and happy scenes. The following Sabbath morn 
 ing brought with it a perfect readiness on the part 
 of the shipmasters to send Mr. Bertram to the 
 island. On his arrival he was greeted with a 
 hearty welcome by his grateful congregation, 
 
108 LABORS AT SALDANHA BAY. 
 
 whose appearance presented a striking contrast 
 to the tumultuous and riotous assembly into which 
 he had cast himself, a week before, unheralded 
 and unbidden. The bloody faces had been 
 washed ; the soiled and torn garments had been 
 exchanged for clean and tidy clothes ; and a much 
 more convenient place had been prepared for the 
 field-preacher, whose ministrations they now re 
 ceived with the utmost gladness. 
 
 Thus, for several weeks, the humble missionary 
 of the Cross, who, by God s grace, had achieved a 
 nobler triumph than any ever won on battle-fields 
 in " garments rolled in blood," continued to preach 
 to the temporary inhabitants of Malagas Island, 
 every Sabbath morning, with increasingly happy 
 results ; and in the afternoon to the shipmasters 
 at the anchorage within the bay. Every facility 
 for the prosecution of his voluntary mission was 
 afforded by the masters of vessels ; and, to their 
 credit it should be spoken, they gave heed them 
 selves to the word preached. Grateful for what 
 they had seen and heard, they appeared to be im 
 pressed also with a vivid sense of the obligations 
 of religion, and to feel a sincere desire, some of 
 them, at least, for a personal interest in the grace 
 of the Gospel. This they manifested, not only by 
 a most respectful attendance on the Sabbath ser 
 vices, but by coming together for religious services 
 occasionally during the week, on board several of 
 
LABORS AT SALDANHA BAY. 109 
 
 the vessels, where such meetings were held. 
 Death was not idle during this period, as he never 
 is ; and several of the shipmasters as well as sea 
 men, by some casualty, or virulent disorder, were 
 summoned to their audit with the Great Judge. 
 They slept the sleep that knows no waking until 
 the last great morning dawns. It was customary 
 when a seaman was taken sick to send for Mr. 
 Bertram to read, and talk, and pray with him, al 
 most as regularly as to send for the physician ; 
 and at the death of any of them he performed the 
 solemn services of prayer and exhortation, so ap 
 propriate to the last sad scene of our mortal pil 
 grimage. 
 
 While thus diligently and usefully employed, 
 Mr. Bertram received a communication from Cape 
 Town, conveying the distressing intelligence, that 
 his only daughter, a lovely child, six years old, 
 had been run over in the street near his dwelling- 
 place, by an eight-horse wagon, and was lying 
 in a very critical state, having barely escaped 
 with life. His immediate return to the Cape was 
 required, and the unwelcome information soon 
 flew from ship to ship. The deepest sympathy 
 was universally expressed for their beloved chap 
 lain, in his affliction, and regret at the necessity 
 of their being deprived of his inestimable services. 
 A polite and affectionate note was sent him, re- 
 10 
 
110 LABORS AT SALDANHA BAY. 
 
 questing him to deliver a farewell discourse the 
 same evening on board of Captain Kerr s ship. 
 
 In the evening about sixty or seventy shipmas 
 ters assembled in the " Fama," to whom he 
 preached as requested. At the conclusion of the 
 service, three of the shipmasters rose, and, ap 
 proaching the preacher, stated, that they had 
 been appointed by the masters of vessels in the 
 harbor, to present him, in their name, with a 
 purse of gold, which they put into his hands, with 
 their most grateful thanks for his kind services, 
 and for what God had enabled him to do for them 
 by the preaching of His blessed gospel ; and that 
 they further desired him to purchase, from the 
 contents of the purse, a silver cup, as a memorial 
 of their gratitude, and to place upon it this inscrip 
 tion : 
 
 " Purchased by request out of a purse of gold presented 
 to the Rev. James M Gregor Bertram by about fifty com 
 manders of vessels and other gentlemen at Saldanha Bay, as 
 a mark of esteem for his zeal, manifested for the moral and 
 spiritual improvement of their crews and workmen employed 
 on Malagas Island, in preaching among them the unsearch 
 able riches of Christ. 
 
 DEPUTATION, 
 CAPTAIN ENGLISH, CAPTAIN NEIL, 
 
 CAPTAIN AYMERS. 
 Saldanha Bay, 10th June, 1845. 
 
 Mr. Bertram expressed his deep sense of their 
 
LABORS AT SALDANHA BAY. Ill 
 
 kindness, and assured them that, when he came 
 down from the Cape to preach among them, he 
 had no expectation of receiving a shilling for his 
 services ; that he came not for their silver or gold, 
 but purely for the salvation of their souls; and 
 that in receiving the purse he had to request them, 
 that, instead of a cup, they would allow him to 
 purchase a silver watch, of which he stood in need, 
 and to have the inscription placed upon its case. 
 It was a very tender and affecting scene. They 
 parted, to meet no more, in many cases, until 
 they should meet " at the judgment-seat of Christ." 
 
 On the following day he took his departure by 
 land, and at the expiration of four days, being 
 assisted by the Dutch farmers in passing from one 
 settlement to another, he arrived at Cape Town, 
 and had the happiness to find that his daughter, 
 (under the kind and unremitting attentions of Dr. 
 Abercrombie, to whom he will ever feel under the 
 deepest obligations,) was rapidly, by the blessing 
 of God, recovering from her injuries. His jour 
 ney gave him also an admirable opportunity to 
 see something of the beautiful scenery and exu 
 berant fertility of Southern Africa. The watch 
 was purchased, and, with the inscription prepared 
 at Saldanha Bay, has become his inseparable 
 companion. 
 
 At the time of Col. Napier s visit to the Bay, 
 about the first of October, 1846, nearly sixteen 
 
112 LABORS AT SALDANHA BAY. 
 
 months after Mr. Bertram s sojourn of eight or 
 ten weeks, " a solitary bark lay motionless at 
 anchor in one of the small rocky inlets of the gulf; 
 the guano had disappeared, and the penguins had 
 resumed their sway over the gray rocks of Malagas 
 Island ; " a scaffolding or two, on the water s 
 edge, to facilitate the embarkation of the manure, 
 were the only remaining indications of the busy 
 scenes which had of late enlivened its now aban 
 doned shores." The revenue accruing to the 
 government, at the rate of twenty shillings per 
 ton, is said to have reached the sum of .200,000, 
 leaving a vast sum to swell the fortunes of the 
 principal dealers in this lucrative traffic. 
 
 Thus helpful is the gospel to the pursuits of 
 commerce, and to the productiveness of human 
 labor. The merchants of Great Britain and 
 America might well afford to plant a seaman s 
 chaplain in every sea-port on the globe. They 
 would be vastly the gainers by such an operation. 
 Remember, ye merchant princes ! the hardy sons 
 of the ocean, by whom ye have your wealth. 
 Think of them, care for them, save them from 
 perdition. The least that you can do for them 
 is, to give them the gospel. You cannot give 
 them a greater gift. Withhold not that. 
 
CHAPTER IV. 
 
 LIFE AT ST. HELENA. 
 
 " A MAN S heart deviseth his way ; but the 
 Lord directeth his steps." The hand of God is 
 very often distinctly seen in the shaping of human 
 counsels, as it may always eventually be seen in 
 human history. In cases not a few, enterprises 
 of immense importance have been undertaken, not 
 as the result of far-seeing calculation on the part 
 of the agents enlisted in the work, but in obedi 
 ence to some unforeseen and unthought-of move 
 ment in the operations of Divine Providence. 
 The very failure of our own plans, the disappoint 
 ments to which we are subjected, and the preva 
 lence of opposite counsels, serve frequently to 
 bring us into spheres of labor, and positions of 
 influence, where we can accomplish far more, for 
 God and man, than if our fondest hopes, and 
 wisest counsels, had been fulfilled. 
 
 " Our indiscretion sometimes serves us well, 
 
 When our deep plots do pall ; and that should teach us, 
 . There s a divinity that shapes our ends, 
 Rough-hew them how we will." 
 
114 LIFE AT ST. HELENA. 
 
 Previous to the return of Mr. Bertram from 
 Saldanha Bay, the good hand of the Lord was 
 preparing for him, without his knowledge, and 
 without so much as a thought of any such thing, 
 a field of labor, and a home, in the midst of the 
 vast Atlantic. One of the inhabitants of Cape 
 Town, a young man, who had resided there about 
 five years, and had recently been converted to 
 God through the labors of some of the missionary 
 brethren at the Cape, resolved to make a visit to 
 the island of St. Helena, the place of his nativity. 
 To this he was actuated in part, by a natural de 
 sire, not only to see again his friends and kindred, 
 but to tell them also what the Lord had done for his 
 soul. When he looked around on the spiritual des 
 olation of his kinsmen, and their fellow-islanders ; 
 when he saw that thousands of immortal beings 
 were living at St. Helena, in almost entire disre 
 gard, and many of them in ignorance, of the 
 " Great Salvation," his heart was stirred within 
 him, and he longed to do something for their spir 
 itual good. 
 
 On the return of this young man to the Cape, 
 he could not but tell, to his Christian friends, 
 what he had seen and heard, of the destitution 
 in his native isle. So deplorable was the picture 
 that he presented, and so earnest was he in his 
 representations, as greatly to move the hearts of 
 the ministers and their people. They took coun- 
 
LIFE AT ST. HELENA. 115 
 
 sel together, and in the name of the Lord resolved 
 to undertake the enterprise of sending a mission 
 ary to St. Helena. 
 
 It was while the Spirit of God was thus direct 
 ing their minds to this new field of labor, that 
 Mr. Bertram unexpectedly returned from his suc 
 cessful mission at Saldanha Bay. Immediately 
 on his return, he received a visit from his friend 
 and brother, the Rev. George Morgan ; who was 
 accompanied by the Hon. Judge Williams, who 
 had come thither from India for the recovery of 
 his health ; a man of the greatest devotion, and of 
 most exemplary life, as a follower of Christ. 
 They came to press upon his consideration the 
 mission to St. Helena. They urged him to aban 
 don his original intention of penetrating into the 
 interior of the continent, and called his atten 
 tion to the fact, that here was as wide a sphere 
 of influence opened before him as he could expect 
 or wish. They represented that a large number 
 of the population of the island were in an exceed 
 ingly benighted state, and expressed their aston 
 ishment, that no Protestant dissenting missionaries 
 had been sent thither from Great Britain or 
 America, while, it was confidently stated, the 
 Church of Rome were contemplating the estab 
 lishment of a mission among the natives of the 
 island. They entreated him to go and take pos- 
 
116 LIFE AT ST. HELENA. 
 
 session of the ground, before the arrival of the two 
 priests and emissaries of the Pope. 
 
 As the proposition was entirely unlooked-for, 
 and the sphere of service novel, Mr. Bertram, like 
 a prudent man, desired time to inform himself, 
 and, as in duty bound, ask counsel of God. In 
 all former emergencies of the kind, he had be 
 taken himself to the throne of grace, with the 
 prayer of the converted Saul, and asked, " Lord ! 
 what wilt thou have me to do 1" and never in 
 vain. A voice from the inner sanctuary had again 
 and again responded, u This is the way, walk ye 
 in it." Some of his good brethren at the Cape 
 would have had him remain there, believing that 
 he was more needed in that port than even at St. 
 Helena. But what was to become of the good 
 work so happily commenced at Saldanha Bay? 
 His return to that station was urgently entreated. 
 A letter had been addressed to the Rev. George 
 Morgan, begging him to use his influence to send 
 Mr. Bertram back again to Malagas Island. 
 
 " I have taken the liberty," says Mr. John- 
 stone, June 23d, 1845, " of addressing you these 
 few lines, at the request of the seamen and Eu 
 ropean laborers employed on this island ; and they 
 much regret that the Rev. Mr. Bertram s stay 
 was not of a longer duration, as his visits to this 
 island proved a most beneficial service to the poor 
 islanders ; and every Sunday morning a general 
 
LIFE AT ST. HELENA. 117 
 
 inquiry takes place, to know if his visits will be 
 renewed, as he would be hailed with enthusiasm, 
 and a most welcome return." Mr. Tait also 
 wrote to Rev. J. C. Brown, by the same convey 
 ance, and said, "It would be doing an act of 
 charity, by those who can order the same, to let 
 us have our much and late respected friend again 
 with us for a short period, as his services would 
 be hailed with the greatest esteem." 
 
 At the expiration of about ten or twelve days, 
 the path of duty became so plain, that he deter 
 mined to make a visit, at least, to St. Helena, 
 preparatory to the commencement of a mission in 
 that island, should the way be clear. Measures 
 were immediately taken, on the part of the Rev. 
 Messrs. Morgan, Brown, Hodgson, Beck, and 
 Ridsdale, with other Christian friends, to provide 
 an outfit for the missionary. The following state 
 ment was drawn up as the basis of an appeal for 
 contributions to the enterprise : 
 
 " The Island of St. Helena, though hitherto un 
 occupied by any missionary society, presents a 
 most interesting field for missionary labor. The 
 population of the island amounts to between five 
 and six thousand, of whom about two thirds are 
 people of color. A large proportion of this latter 
 class is scattered over the island, ^and left too 
 destitute of religious instruction ; while many who 
 are within reach of the means of grace are living 
 
118 LIFE AT ST. HELENA. 
 
 in a state of irreligion and immorality, and need 
 the labors of a zealous missionary to stir them up 
 to a due concern for the salvation of their souls. 
 In addition to this all- important consideration, the 
 4 signs of the times render it extremely desirable 
 that a Protestant missionary should enter on this 
 promising field of labor without delay. Nor is it 
 unworthy of the true Christian philanthropist to 
 regard, with peculiar interest, the spot where Na 
 poleon terminated his career in exile and in death, 
 and to cherish the fond desire, that St. Helena 
 should obtain a far more glorious celebrity from 
 the triumphs of the Cross. 
 
 " The Rev. J. McGregor Bertram, who has 
 lately been laboring at Saldanha Bay, has ex 
 pressed his willingness to proceed immediately to 
 St. Helena, to preach the gospel to the destitute 
 portion of its population ; and it is proposed to 
 raise a subscription to aid in defraying his ex 
 penses. 
 
 " It will be understood that those, who may be 
 pleased to subscribe their names, do not in the 
 least degree pledge themselves to repeat their con 
 tributions, the object being simply to enable Mr. 
 Bertram to enter upon his benevolent enterprise 
 without pecuniary embarrassment, leaving it to be 
 determined by the result of his labors, whether he 
 shall take up his permanent residence at St. Hel 
 ena, or proceed to some other part of the world. 
 
LIFE AT ST. HELENA. 119 
 
 whither Divine Providence may direct his 
 steps." 
 
 To this paper were subscribed the following 
 names, with the amount of their contributions : 
 
 Rev. GEORGE MORGAN, Scot- Mr. "W. CAIRNCROSS, Junior. 
 
 tish Church. " T. CAIRNCROSS. 
 
 " J. C. BROWN, Union Ch. " BROADWAY. 
 " T. L. Hodgson, Sup dt. J. REID. 
 
 of Wesleyan Missions. " A. HUTCHINSON. 
 " J. H. Beck, S th African " C. S. PILLARS. 
 Missionary Society. " G. THOMPSON. 
 
 " B. RIDSDALE, Wes.Miss. " BORRODAILES. 
 Mr. ALEXANDER, B. C. S. " J. LAWTON. 
 
 " HAWKINS, do. Dr. ABERCROMBIE. 
 
 " BROWN, do. Mr. RUTHERFORD. 
 
 " WILLIAMS, do. " SOLOMON. 
 
 " W. CAIRNCROSS, Senior. A FRIEND, etc., etc., etc. 
 
 A similar statement also appeared, June 21st, 
 in the " Commercial Advertiser," of Cape Town ; 
 and in the July number of " the Cape of Good 
 Hope Christian Magazine," a monthly periodical 
 of decided ability, which had been commenced in 
 the preceding January. In answer to these ap 
 peals, a sum exceeding sixty-five pounds was con 
 tributed by the gentlemen above-named, of which 
 nearly forty pounds were collected by the truly 
 excellent Judge Williams, who had manifested so 
 great an interest in the enterprise. Captain 
 James Adams, of the brig " Velox," since de 
 ceased, very generously made him the offer of a 
 free passage to the island ; for which, and his 
 
120 LIFE AT ST. HELENA. 
 
 subsequent kindness to one of Christ s disciples, 
 he has ere this received, we doubt not, the reward 
 promised by the Great Head of the Church to him 
 who giveth a cup of water to any of His servants 
 in the name of Christ. On Saturday, June 28th, 
 Mr. Bertram bade farewell to his family, and, 
 provided with letters to a worthy resident of the 
 island, he set sail, with a favoring wind, for his fu 
 ture home. 
 
 ST. HELENA is a singular elevation of rock 
 in the midst of the Atlantic Ocean, eighteen hund 
 red miles from the Cape of Good Hope, twelve 
 hundred miles from the nearest coast of Africa, 
 two thousand miles from South America, and six 
 hundred miles from the Island of Ascension, which 
 is the nearest land. It lies in 15 15 south lati 
 tude, and 5 49 west longitude from Greenwich. 
 Its extreme length is ten and a half miles ; its 
 breadth, six and three-quarter miles ; and its cir 
 cumference, twenty-eight miles. It contains an 
 area of thirty thousand three hundred acres. 
 
 The island was discovered, May 21, 1502, by 
 the Portuguese navigator, Juan de Nova Castel- 
 la, and received its name in honor of the day of 
 its discovery, the festival of " Saint Helena." 
 Not a human being, probably, had ever before 
 trodden its soil. An unbroken forest covered the 
 island. Its shores abounded with seals, sea-lions, 
 and wild-fowl. So it remained until the year 
 
LIFE AT ST. HELENA. 121 
 
 1513. Fernandez Lopez, a Portuguese noble 
 man, on his way home from India, where he had 
 been mutilated for crime, by order of Governor 
 Albuquerque, prevailed upon the captain to set 
 him ashore on this uninhabited island, whose sol 
 itudes he preferred to the shame and contempt 
 that awaited him in his native land. His situa 
 tion having been made known to his friends in 
 Portugal, they quickly furnished him with sup 
 plies of useful plants and trees, and various kinds 
 of domestic animals, all which flourished and mul 
 tiplied greatly. Lopez was suffered to remain 
 only about four years, when the island was again 
 left without a human tenant. 
 
 A somewhat different account is given by oth 
 ers ; who say, that Governor Albuquerque, after 
 the battle of Goa, condemned several of his coun 
 trymen, who had previously deserted, and who 
 now fell into his power, to lose their noses, ears, 
 right hands, and thumbs of their left hands, and 
 to be sent in this condition to Portugal ; but that 
 they were all put on shore, with a few negroes, at 
 St. Helena, with poultry of various kinds to serve 
 for their subsistence. 
 
 The former authorities represent that it next 
 became the abode of four negroes, who had es 
 caped from a slave ship, and who shortly in 
 creased to twenty. The Portuguese, however, 
 who had found the island a convenient place for 
 11 
 
122 LIFE AT ST. HELENA. 
 
 obtaining a supply of fresh provisions, and feared 
 lest the live-stock and fruits, which had vastly 
 multiplied since the days of Lopez, would be en 
 tirely exhausted by the negroes, hunted them out 
 and destroyed them. A Franciscan friar is said 
 after this to have occupied the island alone for the 
 space of fourteen years, until his death or removal 
 by the Portuguese. 
 
 About the middle of the sixteenth century, the 
 island appears to have been made a, regular settle 
 ment, and to have been subjected to cultivation. 
 It was visited, in June, 1588, by Sir Thomas Cav 
 endish, on his return from a voyage around the 
 world. A church had been erected, which he par 
 ticularly describes. He speaks of the valley 
 where it was built as extremely pleasant, and full 
 of plants and fruit-trees, having long rows of lem 
 on, citron, pomegranate, date, and fig-trees, nice 
 ly trimmed, and forming beautiful shady walks. 
 He found great store of partridges, pheasants, 
 turkeys, goats, and swine. 
 
 From this time it became a convenient stopping- 
 place for English, Dutch, Spanish, and Portu 
 guese vessels. It would sometimes be the case, 
 that hostile vessels would meet here ; and conse 
 quently naval battles be fought in the harbor, fol 
 lowed by the wanton destruction of the town and 
 plantations, when the victors were at war with 
 the Portuguese. On these accounts, the settle- 
 
LIFE AT ST. HELENA. 123 
 
 ment was abandoned in the early part of the sev 
 enteenth century, and once more became desolate. 
 
 Several Portuguese sailors, having escaped from 
 the wrecks of their two vessels, landed here in 
 1643, and again stocked the island with cattle, 
 goats, swine, poultry, etc. Two years after, it 
 came into the possession of the Dutch, who plant 
 ed here a colony, but abandoned the island, when, 
 in 1652, they formed their settlement at Table 
 Bay. It came into the possession of the British 
 government, under the Protectorate of Oliver 
 Cromwell, shortly after, on occasion of a visit 
 from the homeward-bound East India fleet. A 
 fort was erected in 1658, by Captain Button, the 
 first British governor, which was, after the Res 
 toration, called " Fort James," in compliment to 
 the Duke of York, from whom, also, the principal 
 settlement at the anchorage received the name of 
 a James Town." Settlers were encouraged, and 
 slaves were imported from Madagascar. Charles 
 II. gave it by charter to the East India Company. 
 It was visited by Rennefort in 1666, who found a 
 population of about seventy whites, of whom twen 
 ty were females, besides a few negroes. The great 
 fire of London in the same year added several col 
 onists, who were driven abroad to amend their ru 
 ined fortunes. 
 
 It fell into the hands of the Dutch in 1672, but 
 was recaptured in the following year by a squadron 
 
124 LIFE AT ST. HELENA. 
 
 of British vessels under the command of Captain 
 Munden ; who succeeded by false colors in decoy 
 ing and capturing six East Indiamen, and an out 
 ward-bound ship of the enemy ; for which ex 
 ploits he received the reward of knighthood. His 
 name was also given to the point and fort on the 
 left of the entrance to the harbor. In 1676, 7, 
 and ? 8, the island became the abode of the youth 
 ful astronomer, Edmund Halley, who, at the age 
 of twenty-two, visited the island to observe the 
 transit of Venus ; and, during his abode, made his 
 observations of the fixed stars in the southern hem 
 isphere, and formed them into constellations, of 
 which he published an account in the following 
 year. The hill on which his instruments were 
 erected has since been known as " Halley s 
 Mount," and has an elevation of two thousand 
 four hundred and sixty-seven feet above the sea. 
 
 When the island was visited in 1691 by Captain 
 Dampier, he found there a fort, with a garrison, 
 " and a good number of great guns." The town 
 was small, " the inhabitants having their planta 
 tions deeper into the country, which furnish them 
 with potatoes, plantains, bananas, hogs, bullocks, 
 cocks and hens, ducks, geese, and turkeys, in vast 
 plenty." The latter years of the seventeenth cen 
 tury were characterized by frequent and violent 
 disturbances at the island on account of taxes ; 
 which continued, more or less, until, in 1700, all 
 
LIFE AT ST. HELENA. 125 
 
 the " spirit-stills" that had occasioned the trouble, 
 were suppressed. During the following century 
 the population continued to increase, and the 
 products of the island were greatly multiplied. It 
 prospered much at the close of the century under 
 Governor Brooke, in whose time it was made a de 
 pot for training recruits for the armies of the East 
 India Company, to the number of more than twelve 
 thousand soldiers, and the fortifications were great 
 ly strengthened. About two hundred Chinese la 
 borers were introduced, in and shortly after 1810, 
 as well as new colonists from England ; so that 
 a larger amount of land was speedily brought un 
 der cultivation. 
 
 The subsequent history of St. Helena is better 
 known. On the 15th of October, 1815, a British 
 squadron, under the command of Admiral Sir 
 George Cockburn, cast anchor in James Town 
 Harbor, St. Helena. From the deck of the 
 " Northumberland" ship-of-war, NAPOLEON BUO 
 NAPARTE gazed, with glass in hand, on his sepul 
 chre. The next day beheld him treading that soil 
 which he was never to leave with life. This isl 
 and had been chosen as his place of confinement, 
 because of its immense distance from every other 
 inhabited coast, its complete isolation in the wide 
 waste of waters, the perfect ease with which its 
 walls of precipitous rock might be made impreg 
 nable, and the greater freedom that could be 
 
126 LIFE AT ST. HELENA. 
 
 given to the imperial prisoner within his sea-girt 
 fortress. 
 
 The government of the island, which to this pe 
 riod had been in the hands of the East India 
 Company, was now surrendered to the crown. The 
 military force was largely increased, and every ac 
 cessible portion of the rocky coast put in a state 
 of complete defense. Four or five hundred can 
 non, some of them thirty-two pounders, were 
 mounted on the rocks and hills that commanded 
 the harbor and avenues, so that the whole island 
 bristled with munitions of war. The average an 
 nual charges were increased from 90,000 to 
 .242,000 for seven years. The imprisonment of 
 the Corsican, therefore, cost the British govern 
 ment not less than one million pounds sterling ; 
 from which they were relieved by the decease of 
 their illustrious captive, May 6th, 1821. During 
 the following year, the royal forces were removed, 
 and the custody of the island reverted once more 
 to the East India Company, in whose hands it re 
 mained until the year 1833, when, the Company 
 having failed to secure a renewal of their ancient 
 charter, it was finally relinquished to the crown of 
 Great Britain. Since that time it has been put 
 on the footing of a British colony, under the ad 
 ministration of a governor and council. It is gar 
 risoned with a battalion of riflemen, and a de 
 tachment of artillery. The fortifications are forty- 
 
LIFE AT ST. HELENA. 127 
 
 three, defended by two hundred and forty- three 
 mortars, howitzers, and guns. 
 
 The brig Velox, with the first Protestant dis 
 senting missionary that had ever sailed for St. 
 Helena, to live and labor among its neglected pop 
 ulation, arrived in James Valley Bay, early on 
 Monday, July 14th, 1845. The island may be 
 seen at the distance of about forty miles, and then 
 seems like a dense cloud, of an undulating out 
 line, just within the horizon. The night prevent 
 ed Mr. Bertram from obtaining a nearer view, un 
 til the brig had come close up to the rocky coast, 
 which now frowned in gloomy grandeur almost 
 overhead. A dark pile of rocks it seemed, rising 
 precipitously out of the sea, roughly jagged at the 
 sides, and peaked at the top, bare of verdure, with 
 the exception of a small patch of moss here and 
 there ; the vast mass looking like the summit of 
 some lofty volcano, whose base is planted deep in 
 the ocean, and rises from five hundred to twenty- 
 seven hundred feet above the level of the sea. It 
 forms a girdle of inaccessible precipices of basal 
 tic rocks, some of them rent to their bases, and 
 presenting immense and frightful chasms of the 
 most fantastic shapes that can be thought of. 
 
 As the brig glided around the northeast corner 
 of the island, in the usual track of vessels from 
 " the Cape," point after point of the same grand 
 and gloomy character was passed, until they came 
 
128 LIFE AT ST. HELENA. 
 
 in sight of a small fort at the top of a rock, rising 
 about five hundred feet from the sea, so abruptly, 
 that a ship may pass in full sail within a few yards 
 of its base. On rounding Munden s Point, below 
 the fort just named, the striking panorama of 
 James Valley, on the northwest side of the isl 
 and, came full in view. Directly in front of them, 
 on the right of the anchorage, rose a lofty preci 
 pice, known as " Ladder Hill," surmounted, at an 
 elevation of about eight hundred feet, by fortifica 
 tions, and ascended by a circuitous road, cut with 
 immense labor out of the face of the rock, for the 
 convenience of carriages. The hill derives its 
 name from an inclined railway, or ladder, extend 
 ing almost directly from the fort down to the land 
 ing-place, for the conveyance of provisions and 
 other supplies to the summit ; which may also be 
 ascended by pedestrians, although few can endure 
 the fatigue. Over against this hill, another rocky 
 ridge arose on the east, almost as high, called 
 " Rupert s Hill." Between these two mountain 
 ous cliffs, a deep gorge was seen to extend, as 
 through a natural gateway, into the interior ; 
 along which, and particularly at its lower termina 
 tion, appeared a pretty cluster of white houses, 
 embosomed in verdure, known as "James Town," 
 among which are seen most conspicuously the gov 
 ernor s house and an Episcopal church. 
 
 Almost as soon as the anchor was dropped, 
 
LIFE AT ST. HELENA. 129 
 
 Mr. James Morris a resident of the town, to 
 whom Mr. Bertram had been commended, in a 
 letter of introduction from the Rev. T. L. Hodg 
 son, Superintendent of the Wesleyan Missions in 
 the Cape Colony, and who had learned by another 
 arrival two days before that a missionary was 
 coming hastened on board, and, finding him, 
 said, after reading Mr. Hodgson s letters " Have 
 you come here, Mr. Bertram, to preach Christ s 
 Gospel?" "I have, by the will of God," was 
 the prompt reply. " Do you intend to make the 
 island your home T 9 " I do." " And pray, sir, 
 who sent you here?" " Why, sir, I believe that 
 God sent me here." " Well, my dear friend," 
 said Mr. Morris, " there are only four or five 
 persons on the island who know any thing about a 
 work of grace in their hearts, and they have met 
 twice a week for the last six months, to beseech 
 God to send them a missionary to break to them 
 the bread of life ; and is it possible, that God has 
 already heard our poor prayers, and sent you to 
 minister to us in the name of the Lord 1 My 
 dear sir, I cannot tell you how welcome you are." 
 Mr. Morris at once bade him accompany him 
 to the shore, and take up his abode with him until 
 he could be better accommodated ; and his invi 
 tation was promptly accepted. Both persons and 
 goods are landed at a jetty, the only one in the 
 harbor, which is provided with cranes and stairs 
 
130 LIFE AT ST. HELENA. 
 
 for the purpose, not very well adapted, however, 
 for the accommodation of either. From the land 
 ing-place, a narrow road, lined with evergreen 
 trees, of the banian species, called in Bengal, the 
 peepul tree, leads along the face of the perpendic 
 ular cliff, toward the gate of the fortress and 
 town, at the mouth of the valley or gorge, which 
 is here crossed by a strong and lofty wall, pierced 
 with embrasures, and mounted with guns. Be 
 fore reaching the gate, a wide moat is crossed by 
 a drawbridge. Beyond the gate the town resem 
 bles an orderly garrison; every portion of the 
 gully over which it is built, and which, narrowing 
 rapidly as it ascends, is nowhere more than 
 six hundred yards wide, has been improved as 
 much as possible. The houses are built along 
 three principal streets, are generally of cut stone, 
 and slated ; but are seldom more than two stories 
 in height. The gateway forms one side of the 
 parade-ground, which is about two hundred feet 
 square, and is kept very neatly. In two of the 
 streets are found numerous shops, in which are to 
 be had the produce of both hemispheres and con 
 tinents. The principal street is Macadamized in 
 the center, with pebble-walks on the sides, and 
 extends the distance of a mile, with rows of the 
 peepul tree, the most of the way, on either side. 
 The scenery is altogether unique. The bold 
 Crags towering on either hand ; the hills far away 
 
LIFE AT ST. HELENA. 131 
 
 up the winding road that leads into the interior ; 
 and the hroad expanse of ocean, the wide waste 
 of waters in front, form one of the most pictur 
 esque scenes on which the eye can rest. 
 
 The house is shown in the town where Napoleon 
 rested the first night after his landing. It is said 
 to be the same that was occupied by the Duke of 
 Wellington, when, on his way to India, he passed 
 some weeks on the island. Singularly enough, 
 Wellington was, at the time of Buonaparte s arri 
 val, in the occupation of one of the ex-emperor s 
 palaces. It is also said, to have been owing to a 
 suggestion of the duke s, that St. Helena was 
 chosen as the prison of Napoleon, the quick eye 
 of the experienced soldier having discerned how 
 admirably fortified it was by nature, and could be 
 by art. 
 
 The coming of Mr. Bertram was soon made 
 known to the little band of praying disciples at 
 James Town, who presently found him at the 
 house of Mr. Morris, and with tears of joy made 
 him welcome to St. Helena. Among them was 
 an old soldier, who had spent his early life in the 
 service of the East India Company, had for many 
 years been put on the retired list, and was now 
 living on a pension. Captain D. O Connor was 
 a godly man, of the Congregational denomination, 
 who, for thirty years or more, had testified for 
 God, like Lot in Sodom. His name and char- 
 
132 LIFE AT ST. HELENA. 
 
 acter were known throughout the tropics. He 
 corresponded with good men abroad, and, among 
 others, with the Rev. Rufus Anderson, D.D., of 
 Boston, one of the Secretaries of the A. B. C. of 
 Foreign Missions, from whom he used to receive, 
 with the Annual Report of the American Board, 
 a package of religious tracts, which he and his 
 good lady took pleasure in distributing among the 
 Europeans on the island. This valiant old soldier 
 of the Cross, like blessed Simeon of old, was wait 
 ing for the consolation of Israel. He had attained 
 a good age, and, like the ancient patriarch, " wor 
 shiped, leaning upon the top of his staff." 
 
 It was a joyful day to Captain O Connor, when 
 with his own eyes he beheld the missionary of the 
 Cross, who had come to gather in Christ s scat 
 tered sheep, and to make St. Helena his home. 
 Doubtless he said in his heart " Lord ! now 
 lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, for 
 mine eyes have seen thy salvation." ^ Grasping 
 Mr. Bertram by the hand, and with moistened 
 eyes, he said " I have long been praying, my 
 dear sir, that some missionary of the Cross might 
 be sent to preach to this perishing population. 
 And now the day begins to dawn !" During the 
 remaining twelve or fifteen months of his life, he 
 continued the devoted friend of the missionary, 
 and died, blessing God for all the good that he 
 had lived to see accomplished. 
 
LIFE AT ST. HELENA. 133 
 
 Preparations were made for a sermon on the 
 evening of the next day, Tuesday, at the house of 
 Mr. Morris. The large dining-rooin, where the 
 praying band had been wont to meet, was seated 
 so as to hold about sixty persons, and was filled 
 with an intelligent congregation of whites, to whom 
 Mr. Bertram preached from Acts xvi., 14, 15 : 
 " And a certain woman, named Lydia, a seller of 
 purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshiped 
 God, heard us ; whose heart the Lord opened, 
 that she attended unto the things which were 
 spoken of Paul. And when she was baptized, 
 and her household, she besought us, saying, If ye 
 have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come 
 into my house, and abide there. And she con 
 strained us." It was a word in season, and high 
 ly appropriate to the occasion. 
 
 He told them that the natural heart, univer 
 sally, is closed against its Maker and Lord ; that 
 God had a key by which to open the heart, a 
 wonder-working key ; the plan, the shape, the 
 design of which were devised in the counsels of 
 heaven from eternity, and finished on earth, in 
 Gethsemane and Calvary, when the Saviour of 
 mankind travailed in the greatness of His strength, 
 and gave birth to the world s redemption ; that 
 God had already opened millions of hearts with 
 this key, and could as many more ; and that he 
 had brought that key "the glorious gospel of 
 12 
 
134 LIFE AT ST. HELENA. 
 
 the blessed God )? with him from the Cape of 
 Good Hope, in the hope that He, who had there 
 with opened the heart of Lydia, would open the 
 hearts also of many of the St. Helenians. 
 
 It was evident, from the number attending this 
 first service, and the interest manifested by the 
 audience, that a larger room would be needed. 
 It pleased God to put it into the heart of an ex 
 cellent lady, Mrs. Janisch, to open her parlor for 
 the use of the missionary. She was the widow of 
 the late Dutch consul, from whom she had been 
 separated about twenty months. Her house was 
 one of the largest in town, and she herself of the 
 first respectability. Mr. Bertram very gratefully 
 waited upon her, and arranged for a service there 
 on Friday evening. Information of the appoint 
 ment having been generally circulated, the place, 
 large as it was, would not hold the people who 
 came together to hear the word of God. It was 
 a style of preaching to which they had never lis 
 tened on that island. The chaplains, who alone 
 had officiated there, were of the Church of Eng 
 land, and their preaching destitute of power and 
 life, if not of godliness. When the people, there 
 fore, heard a minister of Christ, pouring forth a 
 burning stream of gospel-truth upon his hearers, 
 they were most deeply interested. The Spirit of 
 God appeared to be at work at the very first ser- 
 
LIFE AT ST. HELENA. 135 
 
 vice, stirring up the sinner to think, and feel, and 
 pray. 
 
 The great respectability of Mrs. Janisch, at 
 whose house Mr. Bertram was permitted to hold 
 his religious services on the Sabbath, as well as 
 at other times, operated very favorably upon his 
 enterprise. In that portion of the world, and 
 generally in the British colonies, a wide chasm 
 separates the crown officers and their families, 
 from the households of the mechanics and trades 
 men. Not seldom they have no more dealings 
 one with another, in matters of social intercourse, 
 than had the Jews and Samaritans of old. The 
 former pride themselves on their education, official 
 position, and fortune. They are the aristocracy ; 
 far more consequential than the same class at the 
 court of St. James, and more difficult of approach. 
 When Mr. Bertram was introduced, by a minis 
 ter of the gospel, in a book-store at Boston, to his 
 Excellency, Governor Briggs, and saw nothing 
 but a plain Yankee farmer, in appearance, dressed 
 arid demeaning himself like any other man, and 
 neither exacting nor receiving any other testimoni 
 als of respect from his fellow-citizens than are 
 paid to one another in the ordinary intercourse of 
 well-bred gentlemen ; and afterward, at Pitts- 
 field, Massachusetts, was sought out by the gov 
 ernor, and invited to his hospitable mansion, 
 where the door was opened by his son, and his 
 
136 LIFE AT ST. HELENA. 
 
 reception was as frank and genial as if he had 
 been an intimate friend of the family ; he could 
 scarcely believe his own senses ; it was so entirely 
 different from the cold, stately, ceremonious, and 
 frequently pompous receptions of colonial govern 
 ors, who seem to regard themselves as representa 
 tives of Imperial Majesty, and bound to keep 
 themselves at a respectful distance from men of 
 non-official dignity. 
 
 In justice, however, to a most worthy servant 
 of the British crown, it should be said, that his 
 Excellency, Lieutenant-Colonel HAMILTON TRE- 
 LAWNY, the Governor of St. Helena, showed no 
 little kindness to Mr. Bertram, and proved him 
 self a gentleman in every sense of the word. 
 During the trials to which the missionary was 
 subjected subsequently, he threw around him the 
 shield of his official protection, and, at his death, 
 some two years after the commencement of the 
 mission, Mr. Bertram mourned as for a father 
 departed. Owing, in part at least, to the coun 
 tenance given by the governor, whose daughter, 
 with her husband, became an attendant on his 
 ministry, he obtained a hearing from the most re 
 spectable families in the town. 
 
 Very shortly after he began to preach at the 
 house of Mrs. Janisch, he learned from this 
 worthy widow, that she was greatly distressed on 
 account of her eldest son, Hudson, who, at his 
 
LIFE AT ST. HELENA. 137 
 
 father s decease, had been left, next to his mother, 
 in charge of the family. For some time he had 
 proved a worthy helper to his widowed parent, 
 but latterly had associated with giddy young men, 
 was becoming addicted to late hours, and some 
 what skeptical. She wished Mr. Bertram to em 
 brace a favorable opportunity of counseling him 
 in private. He had been absent in the interior, 
 on a frolic, when his mother s house was first 
 opened for preaching. On his return the next 
 morning, he remonstrated with his mother, on the 
 impropriety of making her parlor u a meeting 
 house," and somewhat angrily insisted on her 
 withdrawing the permission that she had given. 
 To this she could by no means give her assent ; 
 but said : " You must come yourself, my son, 
 and hear the missionary, and if you should not be 
 pleased, it will be a very easy matter for us to 
 say, that it will no longer be convenient to open 
 our house for preaching." 
 
 On the Sabbath, July 20th, Mr. Bertram 
 preached at nine o clock, A.M. ; the hour having 
 been appointed so as not to conflict with the ser 
 vice in the church at a quarter to eleven o clock ; 
 and so deep was the impression, that almost the 
 whole congregation were in tears. Mr. HUDSON 
 R. JANISCH was present. At the close of the 
 service, he met his mother in the drawing-room, 
 and said : " Do not say any thing, mother, to Mr. 
 
138 LIFE AT ST. HELENA. 
 
 Bertram about not preaching here again. Those 
 are solemn things we have heard this morning." 
 He retired to his chamber, with the arrows of 
 conviction rankling in his heart, and began to 
 weep and pray. Not long after, he called at the 
 house of Mr. Morris, (at whose dwelling Mr. Ber 
 tram was entertained as a most welcome guest, 
 free of charge, for several weeks after his arrival,) 
 made known to the missionary the distress of his 
 soul, and was gladly instructed by him in the 
 way of salvation. About five weeks from that 
 time, he found "joy and peace in believing," at 
 a prayer-meeting held at the house of the only 
 American lady on the island. 
 
 The conversion of Mr. Janisch was soon noised 
 abroad, and produced a deep sensation. He was 
 universally regarded as not having his superior, 
 for talents and education, among the young men 
 of St. Helena. No expense had been spared, by 
 his deceased father, in preparing him for public 
 life. He occupied a place of distinguished trust 
 in the employ of the government. The Home 
 dispatches mostly passed through his hands, and, 
 it was supposed, proceeded in some cases from 
 his own pen. His appearance was also very pre 
 possessing, being tall and of good proportions. 
 Having found peace with God, he gave himself 
 fully to the service of his Maker, and cast in his 
 influence with that of Mr. Bertram, to whom he 
 
LIFE AT ST. HELENA. 139 
 
 afterward became an invaluable helper. His 
 noble mother, who moved in the highest circles of 
 society, had hitherto been a stranger to experi 
 mental piety. But He, who opened the heart of 
 Lydia, opened the eyes and heart of her who had 
 opened her doors for His ambassador, and she too 
 was soon found among the happy subjects of re 
 deeming grace. Salvation literally came to her 
 house, and several of her family were brought into 
 the kingdom of Christ. Three daughters, also, 
 of Captain Pritchard, one of whom has since be 
 come the wife of Mr. Janisch, were also brought 
 to believe in Christ, and, with many others, in 
 similar circles, to rejoice in hope of the glory of 
 God. A blessed revival of religion had com 
 menced, which resulted, within a few weeks, in 
 the hopeful conversion of about fifty souls. 
 
 A few days after the arrival of Mr. Bertram, 
 inquiry having been made as to the Missionary 
 Society by whom he had been sent to the island, 
 and the fact having been made known, that he 
 came at his own charges, and received no salary 
 from any source whatever, several individuals 
 drew up and subscribed the following paper : 
 
 " JAMES TOWN, ST. HELENA, July 23d, 1845. 
 
 " DEAR SIR : 
 
 " Having understood that it is your intention to 
 request Mrs. Bertram and children (with the 
 
140 LIFE AT ST. HELENA. 
 
 blessing of the Almighty), to join you upon the 
 return of the brig Velox to this island We, 
 the undersigned, your friends and sincere well- 
 wishers, being desirous that your sojourn among 
 us should be more permanent than it otherwise 
 would be, if separated from your wife and family, 
 beg, in furtherance of your intention, to present 
 you with the amount affixed opposite our respec 
 tive names, which we earnestly hope will meet 
 with your acceptance. 
 
 " We beg to offer our sincere wishes for the 
 health and happiness of yourself, Mrs. Bertram, 
 and children, and that your residence among us 
 may be mutually beneficial to yourself, and, dear 
 sir, 
 " YOUR SINCERE FRIENDS AND WELL-WISHERS." 
 
 This very complimentary note, written only 
 nine days after his arrival, was signed by Captain 
 O Connor, Messrs. S. & J. Scott, Mr. W. Car 
 roll, U. S. Consul, Messrs. T. Charlett, J. Elliot, 
 and H. R. Janisch, with Mrs. Galbraith and 
 several others ; and the sum presented was <20 ? 
 or about one hundred dollars. Captain Adams, 
 of the Velox, very generously offered a free pas 
 sage to Mrs. Bertram and her two children, as he 
 had to her husband ; and about the middle of 
 September, they embarked at Cape Town, on the 
 Velox, for St. Helena, where they arrived about 
 
LIFE AT ST. HELENA. 141 
 
 the first of October, and were welcomed by a host 
 of ardent friends, whom God had raised up for the 
 missionary and his family. 
 
 The house of Mrs. Janisch served to accommo 
 date the increasing congregation for a short time 
 only. The blessing of God had so manifestly 
 rested on the undertaking from the very day of 
 Mr. Bertram s landing, as to make it evident, 
 that a permanent and more commodious place of 
 worship must be procured. He was under the 
 necessity of making the appeal " The place is 
 too strait for me ; give place to me, that I may 
 dwell." Application was made, but without suc 
 cess, for the use of one of the public schools. 
 Better success attended the request for the use of 
 a school-room, occupied by Mr. Thompson, the 
 teacher of a private school ; but this, which they 
 could use only in the evening of other days than 
 the Sabbath, also proved insufficient. Yet 
 thronged as were the places of their assembling 
 together, so much so that the people frequently 
 crowded around the doors and windows, and stood 
 in the open streets to hear the word of God, they 
 were not able to furnish themselves with better 
 accommodations for about ten weeks. 
 
 It was determined to call a meeting of the 
 friends of the enterprise, on the 30th of July, only 
 sixteen days after Mr. Bertram s arrival, to con 
 sult on the propriety of securing the erection or 
 
142 LIFE AT ST. HELENA. 
 
 purchase of a mission house. Of this meeting, 
 Mr. Janisch, who was appointed its secretary, 
 gave the following account, two days after, in a 
 letter to the Rev. George Morgan, of Cape 
 Town: 
 
 " ST. HELENA, 1st August, 1845. 
 
 " REV. SIR : 
 
 " It affords me much pleasure to inform you, that 
 the views of yourself and worthy supporters, in 
 sending the Rev. Mr. Bertram among us, have 
 met with great success, and bid fair to be attend 
 ed with a prosperity worthy of the cause. In 
 furtherance of your intentions, a subscription has 
 been set on foot for raising the means of building 
 a mission house (or chapel), and on the first 
 meeting for the purpose, 163 were subscribed, 
 and, we have every reason to add, with a readi 
 ness and cheerfulness highly gratifying to every 
 one truly interested in the good cause. 
 
 " It was also proposed, and carried by unani 
 mous assent, that our most heartfelt and sincere 
 thanks be conveyed to yourself and the other 
 friends associated with you, who have so liberally 
 furnished the means, under God, for the coming 
 of our reverend friend among us. 
 
 " I doubt not you will be highly gratified to 
 know, that our worthy governor s family attended 
 a meeting held last evening; as their countenance 
 of it must undoubtedly have great influence over 
 
LIFE AT ST. HELENA. 143 
 
 the many, who are guided by example even more 
 than precept, and will tend greatly to remove any 
 unfounded prejudice which may exist. 
 
 " Trusting you will convey to your friends the 
 united thanks which I have been requested to 
 tender you, and with a confident hope of the con 
 tinuance of their support, I have the honor to re 
 main, etc." 
 
 At this meeting, Mr. Carroll proposed that a 
 sum of .500 be raised, for the purpose of pro 
 viding for the congregation a place of worship ; 
 and a committee, consisting of Captain O Con 
 nor, Thomas Charlett, Esq., Messrs. William 
 Carroll, Hudson R. Janisch, and five others, was 
 appointed to ascertain what could be done for the 
 accommodation of the worshipers. As their ne 
 cessities were urgent, and they could not wait un 
 til a building could be erected for their use, they 
 were authorized to procure the largest stone edi 
 fice in the town that could be purchased. A large 
 stone dwelling-house in the central part of the 
 town, directly opposite the officers barracks, be 
 longing to a lady in India, was purchased of her 
 agent for 550, subject to the ratification of the 
 owner. Possession was immediately given, on the 
 condition of an annual rent, should the owner re 
 fuse them the privilege of purchase. 
 
 Measures were at once taken to alter, repair. 
 
144 LIFE AT ST. HELENA. 
 
 and furnish the building, for the two-fold purpose 
 of a house of worship, and a dwelling-place for the 
 missionary and his family. All this, however, 
 could not be accomplished in less than about two 
 months. 
 
 In the mean time, Mr. Bertram continued at 
 his work.* After the novelty of the occasion had 
 passed, and the evangelical style and matter of 
 his preaching became more fully known, some of 
 his early hearers began to be offended. u From 
 that time many of his disciples went back, and 
 walked no more with him." This defection of 
 some of the families of the place arose from the 
 opposition made to him by the ecclesiastical au 
 thorities of the town. 
 
 The colony was provided with two clergymen 
 of the Church of England, in the pay of the gov 
 ernment, with large salaries, one of whom was 
 called the colonial, and the other, the military 
 chaplain. The former ministered to the Euro 
 pean residents, and the other to the soldiers. 
 They were both of the Oxford School, and fully 
 embraced the Romanizing doctrines of Dr. Pu- 
 sey and the Tractarians. They were great stick 
 lers for the dogmas of apostolical succession, con- 
 substantiation, baptismal regeneration, and the 
 opus operatum of the sacraments. They, were, 
 
 * See Appendix, A 
 
LIFE AT ST. HELENA. 145 
 
 as a matter of course, greatly alarmed, when they 
 heard that a dissenting preacher had come to take 
 up his abode on the island ; and still more so, 
 when Sabbath after Sabbath, and night after 
 night, they saw the people flocking to hear him. 
 They endeavored to dissuade the community from 
 giving him any countenance. But when they pre 
 vailed nothing, and it appeared as if the whole 
 town would go after him, they proclaimed in pri 
 vate and in public, that " the Church was in dan 
 ger. To this it was very properly replied, that 
 if such was really the case, it could not be Christ s 
 Church ; for that never was, and never will be, in 
 danger. Christ had promised that the gates of 
 hell should never prevail against it. 
 
 Several of the Oxford Tracts were put into free 
 circulation ; particularly the Tract of Archdea 
 con Wilberforce, on " Disunion." The cry of 
 u Schism !" was now raised, and the people were 
 told, that it was a grievous sin against God and 
 His Church, to attend upon the ministry of a man, 
 on whose head the apostolical hands of some lord 
 bishop had never been laid; that such a man, 
 whatever he might pretend, and however he might 
 find favor with men, could find no favor with God, 
 was no minister of Christ, and nothing better than 
 a wolf in sheep s clothing, a minister of Satan, an 
 impostor. They warned the people, to stand 
 aloof from him, lest they also should partake in 
 13 
 
146 LIFE AT ST. HELENA. 
 
 the plagues which were sure, sooner or later, ta 
 come upon him and his adherents. They bade 
 the people bring their children to them to be duly 
 regenerated, made members of Christ s body, and 
 inheritors of the kingdom of heaven, in the waters 
 of holy baptism ; and assured them, that if their 
 children died without this ordinance, they could 
 never be saved ; and their bodies could be buried 
 only in the shades of evening, or by night. 
 
 But none of these things moved him, against 
 whom they were aimed, from his purpose of preach 
 ing the unsearchable riches of Christ. Contro 
 versy was avoided, and the truth plainly and point 
 edly preached. The work of grace ceased not, 
 " and believers were the more added to the 
 Lord." 
 
 The mission house was completed, and set 
 apart for the worship of God, early in October. 
 The services of dedication were graciously owned 
 of God, and attended with the deepest interest by 
 a crowded assembly. The following letter, writ 
 ten on the 8th of November to a friend at Cape 
 Town, and published in the Cape Magazine for 
 January, 1846, makes mention of this event, and 
 gives other interesting particulars of the progress 
 of the good work : 
 
 " Five weeks ago we entered into the new mis 
 sion house, a very neat and comfortable place in 
 every sense of the word. So much zeal and en- 
 
LIFE AT ST. HELENA. 147 
 
 ergy had been displayed by the then few friends 
 of Mr. Bertram, to procure this place, and make 
 it suitable as a place of worship, that, on the day 
 it was opened, Mr. Bertram was quite overcome 
 with joy that the Lord had thus prospered him, 
 and provided a place where prayer should in fu 
 ture be made. All the service was beautifully ap 
 propriate. The afternoon s discourse was an ex 
 position of the word Gospel ; and, I can assure 
 you, the hearts of many appeared touched. The 
 room is calculated to hold three hundred persons, 
 and during the last three weeks many have not 
 been able to find a seat. It is open every evening 
 in the week, Mondays excepted, and a Bethel it is 
 indeed. As the attendance increased, it was pro 
 posed that a certain sum should be raised for Mr. 
 Bertram s support, and in less than a week 100 
 were subscribed ; and it is supposed that the mis,- 
 sion-box will yield about <50 more per annum ! 
 This you would call great doings, could you but 
 witness the shameful opposition and party-spirit 
 prevalent here. Many persons are convinced of 
 sin, and some of influence are among those who 
 are showing their faith by their works. The great 
 interest in things spiritual felt by the soldiers is 
 surprising. About twenty of them went to Mr. 
 Bertram on Monday last, and asked permission to 
 have an unfinished room in his yard as a place for 
 prayer. Mr. Bertram immediately consented, 
 
148 LIFE AT ST. HELENA. 
 
 and, during their hours for meals, they are en 
 gaged, heart and hand, in getting the room in or 
 der." 
 
 Another letter, written about two months later, 
 and published in the Cape Magazine for March, 
 1846, after giving an account of the interesting 
 exercises in the chapel on Christmas Day, and on 
 New Year s Eve, which were very much thronged, 
 and deeply solemn, adds the following : 
 
 " Mr. Bertram s ministry is assuredly crowned 
 with success ; and, I trust, he has, and will have, 
 souls to his hire in this place. You would be 
 pleased with our neat little chapel, and the com 
 modious dwelling occupied by the minister ; truly 
 it seems peculiarly adapted in every respect, and 
 to have come into the hands of the committee as 
 of God s providing. 
 
 " Wonders have been done at St. Helena with 
 in the last few months, which, had any one fore 
 told a year ago, he would have found skeptical 
 hearers ; yet I fear poor temporal support is to 
 be found for Mr. Bertram on this barren spot. 
 Of this he seems totally regardless, assured that 
 the Lord will provide as long as he is engaged 
 in his Master s work. The will is not wanting, 
 I firmly believe, among his hearers ; but they are, 
 almost all, of the poorest of the community. 
 Should help be wanting, I do hope our neighbor 
 Colony, who so kindly and nobly came forward to 
 
LIFE AT ST. HELENA. 149 
 
 send the man of God to us, will not withhold fur 
 ther aid. 
 
 " A good work has commenced among the sol 
 diers, to some of whom Mr. Bertram s ministry 
 has been greatly blessed. The chapel is situated 
 just opposite the lower end of the officers parade, 
 close to the barracks. An outer room of the 
 building, to which there is access, without any in 
 terference with the dwelling, Mr. Bertram allows 
 the soldiers exclusively for their own use ; it is so 
 close to their barracks, that they can hear the 
 slightest bugle call, and is, consequently, pecu 
 liarly convenient to them. They repair there at 
 any and all hours, when not on duty, for private 
 or for social prayer. If they have but a few min 
 utes to spare, they can thus turn it to the best ac 
 count. They have stated meetings for religious 
 exercises, also ; two pious sergeants are among 
 them. These two were at first the only soldiers 
 that attended the chapel, but two or three at a 
 time have become anxious about their eternal in 
 terests, and there are now more than a dozen al 
 tered characters among them, some of whom there 
 is every reason to believe are savingly converted. 
 The colored people also flock to hear, and Mr. 
 Bertram s visits among the sick have been much 
 blessed. What a blossoming in this moral wil 
 derness ! It is the Lord s doing, and wondrous 
 in our eyes. " 
 
150 LIFE AT ST. HELENA. 
 
 The good work of grace that was thus begun at 
 James Town, was not confined to that narrow val 
 ley. Other portions of the island were still more 
 in need of the missionary s attentions. The pop 
 ulation is considerably dispersed, and many of 
 them quite remote from the seat of government. 
 Their number is about seven thousand, of whom 
 about two thousand are whites, or of European 
 origin ; of these, from five to seven hundred are 
 attached to the army. Something like one thou 
 sand liberated Africans, brought in by the Brit 
 ish cruisers from captured slave-ships, who have 
 chosen to remain, by the consent of the governor, 
 are employed as hired servants. Slavery, of 
 course, does not exist. It was in the process of 
 extinction before the passing of the British Eman 
 cipation Act, by which every slave in the British 
 Empire obtained his freedom. 
 
 In addition, there are about four thousand na 
 tives. These are the descendants of the first set 
 tlers Portuguese, East Indians, Africans, and 
 British soldiers who for several generations have 
 been intermingled in almost every variety, and 
 formed a race peculiar to the island, of a dark 
 copper-color. These were all in a state of bond 
 age formerly, and were left, after their emancipa 
 tion, in the same miserable state of spiritual ig 
 norance in which they and their fathers had been 
 kept, generation after generation. In some cases 
 

 LIFE AT ST. HELENA. 151 
 
 the African blood predominates ; but in other in 
 stances, and for the most part, they have long, 
 glossy black hair, like the American Indians, and 
 expressive features. These last are generally 
 possessed of considerable intelligence and shrewd 
 ness, and are capable of a high degree of cultiva 
 tion. 
 
 Not long after Mr. Bertram s arrival, and while 
 he was breasting the waves of ecclesiastical oppo 
 sition, he was waited upon by Captain MAPLE- 
 TON, the principal magistrate of the island, who 
 gave him a hearty welcome, and said, " I am glad 
 to see you here on our island, Mr. Bertram, 
 preaching the gospel of Christ. If any part of 
 the world needs the gospel, we need it here. But 
 you do not intend, I trust, to confine your labors 
 to the town. Come over, sir, to Sandy Bay Val 
 ley, where I live, and where there is a great num 
 ber of natives, who never in all their lives heard a 
 gospel sermon in their valley. Come over, and 
 preach to those poor neglected souls ; and when 
 you come, put up at my house. My lady will be 
 glad to see you, and will make you as comfortable 
 as possible. I am not a religious man myself; 
 but I truly respect religion, and know that I ought 
 to possess it. It would give me pleasure to see 
 all our population put in possession of its bless 
 ings." 
 
 A call so earnest, from the honored lips of so 
 
152 LIFE AT ST. HELENA. 
 
 worthy a magistrate, was not to be slighted. Mr. 
 Bertram conferred about it with Mr. Thomas 
 Charlett, a respectable merchant in James Town, 
 and one of the first fruits of his ministry in St. 
 Helena ; and he said, " Yes, Mr, Bertram, go ; 
 it is just the very thing that should be dono. Go, 
 and I will go with you ; I will order a couple of 
 horses, and we 11 ride over to Sandy Bay, as Cap 
 tain Mapleton desires. I know a respectable and 
 worthy couple there, William Lambe and his wife, 
 who live on the produce of a fine garden, about in 
 the center of the valley, who will be very glad to 
 see you. I think that they will let you have the 
 use of a part of their new house in which to make 
 a commencement." 
 
 It was the morning of a beautiful day in sum 
 mer December or January when Messrs. Ber 
 tram and Charlett mounted their steeds, and set 
 forth on their benevolent excursion across the 
 island. In a few minutes they were climbing the 
 steeps of Ladder Hill, on the right of the town 
 and bay. No little nerve is required in passing 
 over this precipitous road, that in most places is 
 cut out of the side of the hill, and supported on 
 the outer side by almost perpendicular walls. 
 About half way up the hill, the zig-zag path is 
 blasted out of the rocks, and is completely over 
 hung by large masses of stone, which seem to be 
 destitute of a sufficient prop, and threaten the 
 
LIFE AT ST. HELENA. 153 
 
 passer-by with an instant crash, and hopeless de 
 struction. This remarkable and fearful pass is 
 called " Col. Pearce s Revenge." 
 
 At the summit of the hill, a sublime prospect 
 presents itself to the visitor. The mighty ocean, 
 stretching far away to the north and west, vast, 
 boundless, fathomless, ever in motion, ever chang 
 ing, and yet ever the same, lies at your feet : 
 
 Glorious mirror ! where the Almighty s form 
 Glasses itself in tempests ; in all time, 
 Calm or convulsed in breeze, or gale, or storm, 
 Dark-heaving; boundless, endless, and sublime, 
 The image of eternity the throne 
 Of the Invisible." 
 
 The town, at the base of the hill, and the gorge 
 in which it lies, has a very pretty, neat, and 
 cheerful appearance, as seen from the summit. 
 The fortifications, with which the hill is crowned, 
 are admirably constructed, and completely com 
 mand the anchorage and the town. 
 
 Leaving Ladder Hill, the road winds a little 
 east of south, over low hills, and through majestic 
 prickly pears, dwarf junipers, and scattered for 
 ests of firs ; among which may be seen flocks of 
 sheep, goats, and swine, with vast numbers of do 
 mestic fowls feeding on the tender herbage. The 
 surface of the interior is exceedingly uneven. The 
 plains are few, and of small extent. Hills and 
 mountainous peaks are seen on every hand, some 
 
154 LIFE AT ST. HELENA. 
 
 of them crowned with the dark and dense foliage 
 of the redwood, stringwood, dogwood, Australian 
 willow, and the cabbage-tree, with its beautiful and 
 showy white blossoms, as large as the cauliflower ; 
 while their sides frequently present beautiful slopes 
 of pasture, and patches under cultivation. At short 
 intervals, very tasteful cottages and country seats 
 appear, embosomed in verdure, and surrounded 
 with gardens, whose flowers among which the 
 beautiful white bells of the moon-plant appear 
 conspicuous fill the atmosphere with their deli 
 cious odors. Occasionally a glimpse is caught, 
 through the deep gorges, and abrupt ravines, and 
 precipitous chasms of the rocky substratum, of the 
 surging ocean dashing against the storm-lashed 
 rocks, and stretching far away to the dim and un 
 varied horizon. The hedges, by which the farms 
 are bordered, are adorned with a pleasing variety 
 of wild flowers, while the fields are carpeted with 
 luxuriant grass, in the midst of which the most 
 graceful plants are ever blooming. 
 
 Passing over a depression called " Half-Tree 
 Hollow," the road leads across another elevation, 
 known as "Red Hill," and along the base of 
 " High Knoll," which rises on the left 1,903 
 feet above the sea. From this point, the central 
 portions of the island are seen to great advantage. 
 At a short distance on the left, in a northeasterly 
 direction, romantically situated at the head of the 
 
LIFE AT ST. HELENA. 155 
 
 ravine, on which James Town is built, is the 
 pretty cottage, called " the Briars," where Na 
 poleon took up his temporary abode, the day after 
 his landing, with its owner and occupant, Mr. 
 Balcombe, and remained, secluded from observa 
 tion, until the premises at Longwood, in the north 
 eastern quarter of the island, were put in order 
 for his accommodation. Here he dwelt from Oc 
 tober 17th to December 9th, 1815, at which time 
 he removed to his future home. The grounds 
 attached to the cottage are about ten acres in ex 
 tent, and are laid out in beautiful walks and beds 
 of flowers, giving to the place an air of decided 
 comfort and repose, rendered still more lovely by 
 contrast with the arid and irregularly-precipitous 
 rocks of the ravine, which thence finds its way to 
 James Town and the ocean. 
 
 To the right of High Knoll, and of the Sandy 
 Bay Road, stretches off toward the setting sun, 
 a beautiful slope of ground, appropriated to the 
 use of the government. Here is the official resi 
 dence of his Excellency, the Governor, called 
 " Plantation House." It is a most delightful 
 spot, and cultivated with the greatest care. The 
 grounds are laid out with taste, and adorned with 
 every variety of shrubbery. Some of the choicest 
 shade and fruit-trees of Europe are seen growing 
 here, side by side with the stately palm of India, 
 and other trees of tropical climes. The gardens 
 
156 LIFE AT ST. HELENA. 
 
 abound with the most charming flowers, and the 
 house is surrounded by the most pleasing walks 
 and drives. It was the only place which the 
 British government excepted in the selection of a 
 residence for their imperial prisoner. 
 
 From the base of High Knoll, the road runs a 
 little to the west of south, and then southerly to 
 an elevation called " Sandy Bay Ridge," which 
 overlooks the valley of Sandy Bay on the south. 
 Far away to the east, " Diana s Peak " lifts its 
 majestic head to the heavens, and attains the 
 height of 2,700 feet, overlooking, in its peerless 
 elevation, every other point on the island, and 
 commanding an uninterrupted prospect of the 
 boundless ocean, north, east, south, and west. 
 From the sides of this mountain, are seen oozing 
 out, in numerous places, cooling streams of the 
 purest and sweetest water, spreading fertility over 
 the island, and refreshing, not only the residents, 
 but the thousands of mariners who resort hither 
 for supplies. The prospect, by moonlight, from 
 the sides of the mountain, is spoken of with delight 
 by every visitor. So clear and bright is the light 
 of the moon, as to make it easy to read the small 
 est print. All along the base of the mountain, 
 in the valley, grows the pure white Egyptian lily, 
 called the calla. Seen by the silvery light of a 
 South Atlantic moon, these callas appear like 
 starry spots on the verdant plain; and the behold- 
 
LIFE AT ST. HELENA. 157 
 
 er seems to stand between two firmaments, above 
 and below, in mid-heaven. 
 
 In passing over Sandy Bay Ridge, whose sum 
 mit rises a short distance from the road, the vis 
 itor leaves on the right, at a somewhat greater 
 distance, toward the southwestern extremity of 
 the island, another elevated point called " High 
 Peak," but little inferior to Diana s Peak. It is 
 the termination of a calcareous ridge, which 
 stretches across the island from east to west, di 
 viding it into two unequal parts. The northern 
 portion is much the largest, and the most valuable. 
 It embraces, interspersed with curious and roman 
 tic knolls and hills, besides the valley of James 
 Town and Plantation House already described, 
 the Plain of Longwood, Rupert s Valley, the 
 crater-like dell, called "The Devil s Punch-bowl," 
 u Lemon Valley," and other interesting spots, 
 where the principal residents have built their coun 
 try residences, and where they live in an almost 
 perpetual summer, or rather spring. The southern 
 portion of the island is much less extensive. The 
 range of hills, which border it on the north, slope 
 somewhat abruptly to the south, and overlook a 
 most lovely rolling valley, famed for its coffee 
 plantations, extending about four miles from east 
 to west, and about two miles in breadth, to the 
 rock-bound shore of the Atlantic. It is the valley 
 of Sandy Bay. The latter is the only spot on the 
 14 
 
158 LIFE AT ST. HELENA. 
 
 southern shore, from which the interior of the 
 island can be reached. It was, therefore, put 
 under the closest scrutiny by the government, 
 during the confinement of Napoleon, and the ap 
 proach guarded by frowning batteries. 
 
 The descent to this valley is not easily accom 
 plished. The road winds around the sides of the 
 precipitous hills, and in many places is both steep 
 and dangerous. But the visitor is amply compen 
 sated for his occasional fears, and the fatigue of 
 his journey, by constant developments of the ever- 
 changing loveliness of the scenery. 
 
 At the hospitable dwelling of Mr. Lambe, Mr. 
 Bertram and his companion received a hearty 
 welcome, and soon obtained the consent of himself 
 and wife to the proposition for holding religious 
 services at their house. They had recently erect 
 ed a new edifice for their own use, which was yet 
 hardly finished. A part of this house, it was ar 
 ranged, was to be open statedly for the worship 
 of God, and the accommodation of the inhabitants 
 of that section of the island, who could be induced 
 to attend upon the ministrations of the woi-d of 
 God. The house was built on a rocky elevation, 
 at the left of a singular conical mountain, a thou 
 sand feet high, called " Old Lot," and about a 
 mile to the east of another group, called " Lot s 
 Wife, and her Children." Adjacent to the house 
 is a fine garden, where, beneath the fig-trees, 
 
LIFE AT ST. HELENA. 159 
 
 peach-trees, guava-trees, and majestic bananas, 
 or plantains, the visitors walked or reclined in the 
 refreshing shade, and partook of the pleasant and 
 excellent fruit. 
 
 The first sermon ever preached in Sandy Bay 
 Valley, was delivered by Mr. Bertram, on a 
 Thursday evening, at the house of Mr. Lambe, on 
 the occasion of the visit just described. From 
 that time forward, he ordinarily preached at Sandy 
 Bay, once or twice every week ; generally on 
 Thursday evening, and every Sabbath afternoon. 
 Afterward, when Mr. Janisch began to preach, 
 service was also held there every Sabbath morn 
 ing. 
 
 The effort thus happily begun, was attended by 
 the Divine favor, and followed with His blessing. 
 The poor neglected population of this remote val 
 ley, for whose spiritual welfare none had cared, 
 were grateful to the missionary for his kind ser 
 vices, and flocked to hear the word with delight. 
 Not a few of them were led to see their need of a 
 Saviour, and to cry to God for mercy. 
 
 But no sooner was it known that the despised 
 band of dissenters were beginning to spread them 
 selves over the island, and to carry the message 
 of salvation to its farthest shores, than the stick 
 lers for " the Church" were seized with alarm. 
 All at once they made the discovery that there 
 were souls to be cared for in the secluded valleys 
 
160 LIFE AT ST. HELENA. 
 
 of St. Helena. At the entrance of Sandy Bay 
 Valley is a school-room, most eligibly located for 
 a place of worship. Mr. Bertram had applied to 
 the authorities for permission to use it, as occa 
 sion offered, for the worship of God, but had 
 been denied. Very soon, however, after he had 
 begun to preach at Mr. Lambe s house, one of the 
 parochial clergymen made arrangements for a 
 stated religious service at this very school-nooni, 
 and at the very hour when Mr. Bertram usually 
 preached. As the people, in their simplicity, pre 
 ferred to go where they could learn the way of 
 salvation, and have their hearts warmed with long 
 ing desires after God and heaven, although they 
 were warned of the awful danger of schism, and 
 told to beware of the damning sin of setting up 
 another altar, and substituting a conventicle for 
 the church of God, the liturgy was often read in 
 the hearing of a very small and uninterested au 
 dience. Pains were, therefore, taken by some of 
 the adherents of " the Church," to station indi 
 viduals " in the ways," and to accost the natives, 
 as they passed along to Mr. Lambe s house, with 
 entreaties, promises, warnings, and threats, to in 
 duce them to forsake the schismatical preacher, and 
 show themselves good Christians and churchmen, 
 by joining with the congregation at the school 
 room. This course of conduct, so intolerant and 
 sectarian, so worthy of scorn and reprobation by 
 
LIFE AT ST. HELENA. 161 
 
 every true follower of Christ, was applauded by 
 the Church party and their priests, as evidence 
 of the piety and zeal of their bigoted adherents. 
 
 To carry forward this opposition, required more 
 exertion than the two chaplains, so long used to 
 the easy, quiet way of their class, were willing 
 to put forth. An assistant was needed. Word 
 must be sent to England that the Church is in 
 danger, and another full-fledged Tractarian cler 
 gyman must be sent out, not only to preach on 
 the Sabbath to the natives, but to lecture during 
 the week, to keep a school for instruction in the 
 higher branches of learning, and to visit the poor. 
 Public meetings were called, and a sufficient sal 
 ary readily subscribed by the officials, and the 
 zealous churchmen of the town. 
 
 Several months passed, and the long-expected 
 Oxonian arrived. Great was the expectation, 
 and loud the exultation, of the party in power, at 
 the success of their application. This new suc 
 cessor of the apostles, or rather, candidate for the 
 succession, was quite a curious specimen of cler 
 ical sufficiency. Dressed according to the latest 
 Oxford fashion, in the cut of the ecclesiologistical 
 school, he stepped on shore, and very condescend 
 ingly suffered himself to be escorted by some of 
 the residents to the lodgings that awaited him in 
 his new home. Whether short-sighted in real 
 ity, as his frequent use of an eye-glass would indi- 
 
162 LIFE AT ST. HELENA. 
 
 cate, or not, he certainly proved himself exceed 
 ingly short-sighted in leaving the academical 
 shades of old Oxford for the tropical sky of James 
 Town. 
 
 It was soon found, that he had no more dispo 
 sition than his two elder brethren in the priest 
 hood, to make himself one of the people, to go 
 out into the highways and hedges, the lanes and 
 alleys, and gather in guests for the gospel-supper, 
 to instruct the young in useful knowledge, or to 
 preach the acceptable year of the Lord. He 
 could read the liturgy with a grace, and pro 
 nounce u a beautiful, pious sermon" of some fif 
 teen or twenty minutes length ; he knew all the 
 attitudes and gestures, and could display a jew 
 eled finger, and a lily-white hand to admiration, 
 but nothing further in the way of winning souls. 
 The subscribers to the salary, and the petition 
 ers to " my Lord" of London, were alike morti 
 fied. They had evidently " paid too dear for the 
 whistle." A brief period sufficed to convince this 
 scion of Oxford that he was out of his place, and 
 to determine him to leave St. Helena to her own 
 fate. Great was the relief to the instigators of 
 the Quixotic undertaking, when their hero bade 
 farewell to " the Rock of the Ocean," and re 
 turned the way that he came, to expatiate in a 
 wider field, and in more hopeful circles of so 
 ciety. 
 
LIFE AT ST. HELENA. 163 
 
 These anti-evangelical movements were not en 
 tirely without their designed effect. Some, who 
 at first came to hear Mr. Bertram, and appeared 
 to be interested in his preaching, withdrew from 
 his meetings. Some were intimidated by threats 
 of being discarded from service, and others were 
 flattered with the attentions of those to whom 
 they had been wont to look up as to beings of a 
 superior order. The minds of some were stag 
 gered for a time, and they knew not what to be 
 lieve. 
 
 But this state of uncertainty did not long con 
 tinue. Prayer, unceasing, was offered to God ; 
 and, in season and out of season, Mr. Bertram and 
 his brethren labored to pour the light of eternal 
 truth into the darkened understandings of these 
 perishing islanders. Their prayers were heard ; 
 their labors were not in vain. The word of God 
 took effect. One and another began to weep for 
 sin, and to cry, " What shall I do to be saved 1" 
 The showers of divine grace began to descend. 
 The well-watered soed began to spring up, and 
 bear fruit to the glory of God. The gracious in 
 fluences were diffused throughout the valley ; un 
 til scarcely a house could be found, in that part 
 of the island, in which there was not some one 
 soul rejoicing in hope of the glory of God ; while 
 in some habitations, two, three, and even more 
 were raising their songs together in praise of re- 
 
164 LIFE AT ST. HELENA. 
 
 deeming love. Many of these were wonderful 
 trophies of grace. From among the most unprom 
 ising and hopeless hearers of the word, it pleased 
 God to select the subjects of His saving love. 
 " The publicans and the harlots" believed, when 
 the proud and self-righteous Pharisee rejected the 
 humbling doctrines of the lowly Jesus. And so it 
 was at Sandy Bay. 
 
 During the progress of this work of grace, in 
 the early part of 1848, the island was visited by 
 the Rev. Jonathan Wade and his wife, mission 
 aries of the " American Baptist Board for For 
 eign Missions," who had been laboring, since De 
 cember, 1823, in connection with the now sainted 
 Judson, in Burmah. Their stay was prolonged, 
 by the will of God, for the space of three months. 
 Mr. Wade very gladly entered with Mr. Bertram 
 into the delightful service of directing the awaken 
 ed sinner to the Lamb of God ; and greatly was 
 his kind assistance prized. " We witnessed," he 
 says, " the first baptisms administered there. A 
 church was established, and sixty believers were 
 added to it during the three months of our stay 
 with them." 
 
 The faithfulness of these converts has been 
 fairly tested. Few, if any, have gone back to the 
 world, or brought reproach upon the cause of 
 Christ. Their zeal for the worship of God is 
 worthy of all praise and imitation. Nothing but 
 
LIFE AT ST. HELENA. 165 
 
 the hand of God can keep them from the place of 
 prayer. In all weathers, by day and by night, 
 when the bright moon sheds her clear light on 
 their path, or when the earth, in her absence, is 
 shrouded in darkness, they will thread their way 
 through the deep gorges, and along the shelving 
 paths of the beetling cliffs, where a foreigner 
 would not dare to trust his foot, or even a do 
 mesticated goat venture to climb, and reach the 
 place where the word of God is to be preached, in 
 season to unite in the opening exercises of public 
 worship. 
 
 The success, which crowned this first attempt 
 to extend the dissenting interest beyond the im 
 mediate neighborhood of James Town, prompted 
 Mr. Bertram and his brethren to find other 
 places for the preaching of the gospel. " FRAN 
 CIS PLAIN," lies but a short distance south of 
 " The Briars," having " Halley s Mount" on the 
 northeast, " Alarm-house Mount," on the south 
 east, and u High Knoll" on the west. It occupies 
 nearly the exact center of the island, and is sur 
 rounded by noble scenery. A station was com 
 menced at this point, not long after the one at 
 Sandy Bay was established. Here, too, the word 
 took effect. A worthy matron, residing at " Rose 
 Bower," in the neighborhood of Francis Plain, to 
 ward the northeast, with her lovely family, fre 
 quently attended on Mr. Bertram s preaching ; 
 
166 LIFE AT ST. HELENA. 
 
 and the eldest two of her daughters were soon 
 brought to trust in Jesus Christ for salvation and 
 eternal life. 
 
 But it soon became evident that Mr. Bertram 
 ivas not wanted at Francis Plain. The door was 
 closed against him and his brethren ; not, how 
 ever, until u a great door and effectual" had been 
 opened for him at Rose Bower, by Him who 
 "openeth and no man shutteth." At this station, 
 a regular service was speedily established, and 
 every Lord s Day the word of God has since been 
 proclaimed. God has owned His people, heard 
 their prayers, and poured out His Spirit. A 
 mixed congregation of whites and native island 
 ers, not large at the commencement, as the popu 
 lation was limited, but constantly increasing, have 
 continued to assemble here for instruction in holy 
 things ; and a goodly number of them have turned 
 to the Lord. 
 
 Attempts had been made by Mr. Bertram, pre 
 vious to this last arrangement, to establish preach 
 ing stations both at Longwood, the residence of 
 Napoleon, and Sane Valley, the place of his buri- 
 ial ; but not meeting with sufficient encourage 
 ment, Rose Bower was fixed upon, as being near 
 ly central to Francis Plain, and these two local 
 ities ; and- as affording sufficient facilities for all 
 in this part of the island who desired to attend. 
 
 Sane Valley is about three and a half miles 
 
LIFE AT ST. HELENA. 167 
 
 from James Valley, and was selected by Napo 
 leon himself as the place for his sepulchre. It is 
 a quiet and romantic dell, at some little distance 
 from the road, approached by a circuitous and 
 somewhat precipitous path, overhung by yews, 
 cedars, and weeping willows. A well of pure and 
 delicious water springs up about ten or fifteen 
 yards from the tomb, where the Chinese domestics 
 of the Emperor were wont to fill their silver pitch 
 ers, which they carried to Longwood for the use of 
 their master. It is said to be the best water on 
 the island. Hither, also, Napoleon frequently 
 resorted for recreation and repose sometimes 
 alone, and at other times with Madame Bertrand 
 for his companion. " Here," he had said, " if I 
 die on this island, I wish to be buried." And 
 here his mortal remains were deposited, with mil 
 itary honors, on the 8th of May, 1821, in a plain 
 vault, about eight feet in length, three in breadth, 
 and seven in depth. The tomb is inclosed by a 
 plain iron railing, about ten feet square, and over 
 hung by a willow-tree, now almost leafless and 
 branchless, by reason of the Vandal ravages of 
 visitors, who have borne it away piece-meal as 
 memorials of the illustrious exile. A few small 
 cedars are planted around it. 
 
 In this beautiful and secluded retirement, the 
 body of the Emperor was suffered to repose until 
 the 15th of October, 1840, exactly twenty-five 
 
168 LIFE AT ST. HELENA. 
 
 years from the day that he arrived at St. Helena ; 
 when, by arrangement between the French and 
 British governments, it was exhumed, with much 
 parade, under the direction of the Prince de Join- 
 ville, and placed on board of the Belle Poule 
 frigate, to be conveyed to France. It was found 
 in a state of excellent preservation, in conse 
 quence of the admirable manner in which it had 
 been embalmed by the French physicians. It 
 now reposes under the dome of the magnificent 
 " Hotel des Invalides," at Paris, where it was de 
 posited with immense pomp and ceremony, on the 
 15th of December, 1840, in a marble tomb, that 
 has already cost the French nation more than six 
 millions of francs. 
 
 A poor widow, Mrs. Torbet, occupies a cottage 
 about thirty yards from the tomb, w r ho rents the 
 grounds from the government, and collects from 
 the visitors the sum of one dollar, for which she 
 also furnishes refreshments to such as wish them. 
 A superannuated British sergeant, also, lives near, 
 who has had the charge of the tomb ever since it 
 received the imperial remains, to whom it is cus 
 tomary also to give a shilling for the information 
 which he prides himself in giving with the great 
 est accuracy. 
 
 Longwood is but a short distance beyond Sane 
 Valley, but cannot be reached in a direct route. 
 It is approached by a good road, some two miles 
 
LIFE AT ST. HELENA. 169 
 
 in length, nearly level, running along the top of a 
 barren ridge, Rupert s Valley being in full view 
 on the left, and the beautiful valley leading to Lev- 
 elwood on the right. On either hand, deep and 
 inaccessible gullies are passed, to which have been 
 given such names as the " Devil s Gorge," etc. 
 Longwood is the largest plain on the island, com 
 prising, inclusive of Deadwood, about fifteen hund 
 red acres of fertile land, sloping toward the south 
 west. The name was given on account of the ex 
 tent of wood formerly found here. The house, 
 originally the residence of the lieutenant-governor, 
 is elevated one thousand seven hundred and sixty- 
 two feet above the sea. It is the highest table 
 land on the island, and, in consequence, is less 
 subject to heat than almost any other residence, 
 enjoying a pure air and bracing atmosphere, as 
 well as an extensive prospect. The grounds are 
 adorned with dense patches of shrubbery, and the 
 herbage has a peculiarly fresh and verdant ap 
 pearance, by reason of its exposure to the baimy 
 and grateful sea-breezes. The house is sur 
 rounded with tasteful pleasure-grounds, and has 
 on the northeast a spacious common, covered with 
 a rich carpet of the finest wire-grass, and pleas 
 antly shaded, at appropriate distances, with the 
 luxuriant gum-tree. It is approached from the 
 road through an avenue of pine and gum-trees, 
 the branches of which are hung with a drooping 
 15 
 
170 LIFE AT ST. HELENA. 
 
 moss. The plain is bounded on the east and 
 west by conical hills, giving a pleasing and ro 
 mantic character to the scenery. " Flag-staff 
 Hill," which overlooks the plain on the west, at 
 tains an elevation of twenty-two hundred and 
 seventy-two feet above the sea. The grounds ex 
 tend on the northeast to the rocky barrier against 
 which the ocean-waves are for ever breaking. The 
 place is entirely secluded from the other portions 
 of the island, and afforded the Emperor abundant 
 opportunities of walking, or riding on horseback 
 or in his carriage, over a space of twelve miles 
 in circuit, unattended and uninterrupted. Beyond 
 these bounds he could also go at pleasure, under 
 the escort of a British officer. Every indulgence 
 was granted him compatible with the entire se 
 curity of his person. 
 
 The house itself, though by no means hand 
 some, or having any pretensions to architectural 
 beauty a low, one-story building, in the form of 
 an L had been fitted up with all the conveniences 
 of which it was capable, and was well suited to a 
 gentleman of rank living in retirement. In the 
 year 1816, the materials and furniture for a new 
 house were sent at great expense from England, 
 but, owing to the difficulty of ascertaining from 
 Napoleon how he would have the materials used, 
 much delay occurred in the erection ; so that, ere 
 it was finished, he was too unwell to be removed 
 
LIFE AT ST. HELENA. 171 
 
 to it. It was built of yellow sand-stone, one story 
 in height, contains a handsome suite of rooms, and 
 is some hundred yards to the northwest from the 
 old house, compared with which it is quite a pal 
 ace. The Emperor s residence and grounds are 
 now held by Captain Mason, a retired army offi 
 cer, who rents the place from the government, and 
 exacts half a dollar, or two shillings sterling, from 
 every visitor. The house is now but little better 
 than a barn, with broken glass, and disfigured 
 walls, unoccupied except by fowls, and as a sta 
 ble in one portion of it. It seems to have under 
 gone no repairs for thirty years. The new build 
 ing is occupied by some one or more of the British 
 officers, to whom is committed the charge of the 
 magnetic observatory, the instruments being erect 
 ed in a detached building. 
 
 The population of this portion of the island, it 
 will thus be seen, is very limited, and furnishes 
 but little inducement for the establishment of a 
 preaching station in the neighborhood. The few 
 families at Longwood and Sane Valley can all 
 very easily attend, if they will, upon the services 
 at Rose Bower. 
 
 Thus, in the good providence of God, Mr. Ber 
 tram was furnished with great opportunities for 
 usefulness at St. Helena. Three preaching sta 
 tions had been established, and a church gath 
 ered, to which constant accessions were made from 
 
172 LIFE AT ST. HELENA. 
 
 month to month. The work grew upon his hands, 
 and demanded more time and strength than he 
 could possibly devote to it. Once or twice he was 
 brought low by severe illness. When the Rev. 
 Mr. Jamieson, a missionary of the Presbyterian 
 Board, stopped at the island in the summer of 
 1846, on his way from India, he found Mr. Ber 
 tram suffering from a severe affection of the 
 throat, which prevented his preaching for some 
 considerable time. To the eminent skill, and as 
 siduous attentions of his excellent physician, John 
 Stewart, M.D., he was placed under great obli 
 gations, during his illness and recovery. The im 
 paired state of his health compelled him to seek a 
 residence in the country. A snug cottage was 
 found at Sandy Bay, near Mr. Lambe s house, 
 which he has since occupied at least a portion of 
 the year. 
 
 During his illness, his place was in part supplied 
 by his young friend, Hudson R. Janisch, whose 
 profiting had appeared to all. The superior tal 
 ents and education of Mr. Janisch so manifestly 
 fitted him, together with his ardent piety, to be a 
 helper to Mr. Bertram in the ministry, that, after 
 a season of preparatory study, he was ordained, 
 April 2d, 1848, to the ministry of the gospel, on 
 the occasiotfi of the Rev. Jonathan Wade s visit 
 to the island. He has proved himself a wcrthy 
 coadjutor of his spiritual father, and been of the 
 
LIFE AT ST. HELENA. 173 
 
 utmost service to the church in many respects. 
 God has owned his labors ; and, by means of his 
 preaching, not a few have turned to the Lord. 
 
 Two of the brethren, James Elliott, one of the 
 few who had been converted previous to Mr. Ber 
 tram s arrival, and Thomas Charlett, were elected 
 and .ordained to the office of the eldership, both 
 of whom have proved themselves faithful and 
 valiant soldiers of the Cross. The former, hav 
 ing exhibited a good degree of talent in the exer 
 cise of his spiritual gifts, was licensed to preach 
 and exhort in public worship. At the close of 
 1849, more than one hundred souls had been 
 hopefully converted, and added to the Church. 
 Two other brethren, George F. Milne and Thomas 
 Dick, have been licensed to give a word of exhorta 
 tion among the people. 
 
 Schools, also, have been Established under the 
 influence and by the enterprise of this humble 
 body of dissenting Christians, which are accom 
 plishing much good. They have Sunday schools, 
 containing about two hundred scholars, at James 
 Town, Sandy Bay, Half-Tree Hollow, and Level- 
 wood. Day schools also have been opened in 
 the town and at Sandy Bay, in which from eighty 
 to one hundred children are taught. 
 
 The poor natives, as well as the imported Afri 
 cans, for whom almost nothing had ever before 
 been done, in the matter of preparing them for 
 
174 LIFE AT ST. HELENA. 
 
 death and the judgment, have many of them been 
 brought under the influence of these schools, and 
 the preaching of the word, by which some of them 
 have been led to Christ. Much praise is due 
 also to the benevolent Mr. Thompson, (whose 
 school-room was obtained for Mr. Bertram soon 
 after his arrival,) for his humanity to the Africans 
 of St. Helena. For several years he has sought 
 to give them the advantages of education, and 
 taught many of them by night in a school that he 
 opened for the purpose. The blessings of the 
 poor African will long rest upon him for these 
 labors of love. 
 
 The condition of these Africans is fitted to 
 awaken in their behalf the deepest sympathy and 
 commiseration. They have, the greater part of 
 them, been rescued from slavers, on the coast of 
 Africa, or on the middle passage, and brought 
 into St. Helena by the British armed cruisers. 
 About a mile to the east of James 7 Valley, and 
 parallel with it, is a similar ravine, or gorge, of 
 about the same width, extending some two or 
 three miles into the interior, called " Rupert s 
 Valley." It has been appropriated by the gov 
 ernment to the use of the liberated Africans, who 
 are brought to the island in these slave-ships. 
 As soon, of course, as they touch the soil of the 
 island, they are free. 
 
 It is an awfully horrid sight to witness the un- 
 
LIFE AT ST. HELENA. 175 
 
 lading of one of these slave-ships. When brought 
 out from between decks, where they have been 
 packed together, men, women, and children, in a 
 state of almost entire nudity, in the midst of their 
 own filth, destitute of air, and almost suffocated 
 with the terrible stench, they are scarcely able, 
 in many cases, to crawl, much less to" stand ; so 
 emaciated and enfeebled have they become, in 
 consequence of the dreadful fevers and other dis 
 eases to which their confinement and treatment 
 have subjected them. When brought on shore, 
 they are laid out on the ground in rows, crying, 
 as well as their strength will permit, in the most 
 doleful accents, " Vava! vavaf" Water ! wa 
 ter ! 
 
 Hundreds and thousands of them perish, not 
 withstanding all the care that is taken of them 
 after they land. The whole valley has in conse 
 quence become a " valley of dry bones." The 
 sick are placed in hospitals, built on an elevated 
 ridge overlooking the valley on the east, and have 
 medical attendance ; the naked are clothed, and 
 the hungry fed. In the course of about six weeks 
 those of them that survive the inhuman treatment 
 of the slavers, and the infernal horrors of the mid 
 dle passage, are sent over to the West India 
 islands, to find employment. Some of them re 
 main on the island, when there is a demand for 
 labor. To send them back to Africa again, would 
 
176 LIFE AT ST. HELENA. 
 
 be to subject them once more to capture and 
 slavery. 
 
 If any apologist for slavery could see what Mr. 
 Bertram has seen in Rupert s Valley, and what 
 may be seen there month after month, and year 
 after year, and still continue to uphold a system 
 conceived in the very depths of iniquity, fraught 
 with all the evils that can be heaped upon poor 
 down-trodden humanity, and sustained by the 
 most diabolical cruelty, he must have a heart lost 
 to all sense of justice, of pity, and of humanity. 
 It is the most horrid system ever devised by men 
 or devils for the, eradication of God s image from 
 man, and the conversion of human beings into 
 brutes, on the one hand, and on the other, fiends 
 incarnate. " How long, Lord ! how long," 
 shall the accursed traffic be supported by the tol 
 eration of the system in Christian lands ? How 
 long shall Ethiopia stretch out her hands to God, 
 and cry for pity and compassion ? Speed, oh, 
 speed the day, when the shackles shall fall from 
 the last slave on earth, and the day of universal 
 freedom shall shed its blissful light on every hab 
 itation of man ! 
 
 Previous to August 1st, 1834, when the British 
 Emancipation Act, by which every slave in the 
 empire was declared free, went into force, slavery 
 existed on the island in a mild form. During the 
 administration of Sir Hudson Lowe, and while 
 
LIFE AT ST. HELENA. 177 
 
 Napoleon was on the island, a regulation was vol 
 untarily adopted by the citizens, at a public meet 
 ing, held August 13th, 1818, by which it was 
 provided, that all children born of a slave mother, 
 from and after the next Christmas, should be 
 free ; the boys to be apprenticed to the proprietors 
 of the parent until eighteen, and the girls until 
 sixteen years of age. Through the benevolent 
 exertions, principally, of Mr. Bertram and his 
 associates, these freed men and their families, 
 who constitute the native population already de 
 scribed, are gaining instruction in matters pertain 
 ing to their moral and religious duties, and making 
 creditable advances in the various pursuits of in 
 dustry, by which they are rapidly rising to their 
 proper rank in society. 
 
 Reference has already been made, on a previous 
 page, to the work of grace which, shortly after 
 the commencement of this mission at James 
 Town, prevailed among the soldiers of the gar 
 rison. Not a few of these hardy, and, too often, 
 profane and dissolute, sons of war were brought, 
 from year to year, to enlist under the banner of 
 the great " Captain of their Salvation ;" and be 
 come each of them " a good soldier of Jesus 
 Christ." 
 
 Shortly after the opening of the mission-house, 
 a theatre was attempted in the barracks, directly 
 across the street, and opened on the same even- 
 
ITS LIFE AT ST. HELENA. 
 
 ings of the week on which the dissenting chapel 
 was opened. The attention of the soldiers was 
 thus diverted or distracted from the preaching of 
 the word. Of course, every inducement was held 
 out, to draw a full audience, to witness the stage- 
 playing, both from the garrison and the town. 
 The introduction of a species of amusement which 
 has ever proved a fruitful means or occasion of 
 dissipation and uncleanness, as well as an effectual 
 source of hardness of heart, and blindness of 
 mind, was a great grief to the little band of breth 
 ren, who were laboring for the salvation of the 
 souls of their fellow-sinners. It was regarded as 
 one of the greatest obstacles to the success of 
 their heavenly work. 
 
 But though "troubled on every side," they 
 were " not distressed perplexed, but not in de 
 spair." They knew that the cause was God s, 
 and must prevail. " Prayer," therefore, " was 
 made without ceasing of the church unto God," 
 that this hindrance might be removed. Month 
 after month they prayed, until " the Lord heark 
 ened and heard." The hearts of God s people 
 were at length gladdened by the sight of Sergeant 
 Noble among the penitents, crying for mercy and 
 confessing his sins. Soon after Sergeant Wright 
 also was seen bowing his head like a bulrush be 
 fore the gales of grace from the heavenly world. 
 They had both been among the foremost in the 
 
LIFE AT ST. HELENA. 179 
 
 support and management of the theatre, as well 
 as in their opposition to religion. But now they 
 became illustrious trophies of redeeming love, and 
 gave themselves with all their hearts to the ser 
 vice of Christ. The operations of the theatre 
 were suspended, and the gospel triumphed glori 
 ously. At a subsequent period the theatre was 
 again opened but it pleased God once more to 
 stretch out His hand, and bring their stage-man 
 ager, Cluney, of the army, to bow at the feet of 
 Jesus. Such manifestations of the power of the 
 gospel, not only encouraged the hearts of Mr. 
 Bertram and his brethren to pray and labor in 
 hope, but carried conviction also to the minds of 
 the careless and the profane, of whom not a few 
 were brought to hear and believe. 
 
 It was not, however, without many and severe 
 trials arising from domestic bereavement, (the 
 death of his youngest son, August 22, 1848,) and 
 pecuniary embarrassments, that Mr. Bertram was 
 enabled to prosecute his benevolent and useful 
 plans. A very heavy burden was devolved upon 
 the humble brethren, who had clustered about 
 him, in the purchase of their mission-house, the 
 payment of the annual interest on the mortgage 
 with which the property was incumbered, and the 
 support of their pastor and his family. They 
 were not, as has been seen, of the wealthier class 
 es, and but few of them able to advance much on 
 
180 LIFE AT ST. HELENA. 
 
 the necessary expenses of their households. Yet 
 what they could do, they did freely and gladly. 
 Their pastor could truly say of them, as Paul 
 said of the Corinthians, that " the abundance of 
 their joy and their deep poverty (in some cases,) 
 abounded unto the riches of their liberality. For 
 to their power I bear record, yea, and beyond 
 their power, they were willing of themselves, 
 praying us with much entreaty that we would re 
 ceive the gift." 
 
 It will be borne in mind, that, when the agree 
 ment was made in August, 1845, for the mission 
 premises, it became necessary to wait for the rat 
 ification of the contract by the owner, who resided 
 in the East Indies. Several months elapsed be 
 fore an answer could be received. The state of 
 the treasury of the infant enterprise, when at 
 length the arrangement was completed, may be 
 seen from the following letter, written by a mem 
 ber of the congregation, in the early part of June, 
 1846, to a friend in Cape Town, which appeared 
 in the columns of the Cape Magazine for August, 
 1846: 
 
 " You are aware that a house and premises 
 have been hired for the chapel. The situation is, 
 I think, decidedly the most eligible the town af 
 fords ; the lower part of the house was thrown 
 into one. It is a commodious place of worship, 
 sufficiently large for the congregation usually as- 
 
LIFE AT ST. HELENA. 181 
 
 sembling there. The mission-box, monthly col 
 lections, and subscriptions of some few individuals, 
 pay the current expenses, and afford Mr. Bertram 
 <150 per annum, a small and straitened income 
 in this expensive place. His hearers consist al 
 most wholly of the very poor ; so that it seems 
 wonderful that even this much is effected. But 
 no surplus remains when the necessary and cur 
 rent expenses are paid. When the preparation, 
 or building, of a mission house was first proposed, 
 persons put down their names for various sums, 
 together amounting to nearly <300. Upon the 
 strength of this, the committee of management, 
 too sanguine in their expectations, offered to pur 
 chase the premises now occupied for <550 ; <300 
 to be paid down, the remaining 2bO in install 
 ments. The owner of the premises being in In 
 dia, it became necessary for her agent to write for 
 her sanction to this proposal. An answer of ac 
 ceptance has now arrived ; but, alas ! there are 
 no funds. Another purchaser is ready to pay 
 down the whole amount, anxious to procure the 
 premises for a far different purpose, and if the 
 committee cannot lay down the c300 within six 
 months, the opportunity is lost. Without aid, and 
 liberal aid, too, from the Cape, I fear there is no 
 possibility of obtaining the necessary amount. 
 Mr. Bertram has strong faith that the Lord will 
 send help in time of need, and some of the com- 
 16 
 
182 LIFE AT ST. HELENA. 
 
 munity here are deeply anxious, and much engaged 
 in prayer for its accomplishment. And, much as, 
 we know, there is to occupy the attention of Cape 
 friends, we yet hope that you will not desert us. 
 Sums amounting to <60 are sure, I believe ; but 
 what is that to 300 ? If I were at the Cape, I 
 would beg from door to door for the cause, rather 
 than see it fail. The evident blessing that has 
 attended, and still attends, Mr. Bertram s labors 
 in this benighted spot, is such as proves him to 
 be sent of God ; and therefore I believe it will 
 prosper ; it must succeed." 
 
 An appeal to the friends of the Redeemer at 
 Cape Town was prefixed to the letter as it ap 
 peared in print, and followed by another in the 
 Magazine for September. In this latter, it was 
 stated, that the " opposition, which ever attends 
 the doctrines of the Cross when boldly and faith 
 fully preached, threatens to deprive this flock of 
 the place of worship that has been provided." 
 
 Although it was a season of great commercial 
 depression in the colony of the Cape of Good 
 Hope, the sum of forty-two pounds, of which thirty 
 were contributed by four individuals,. Messrs. 
 Hawkins, M Leod, Alexander and A. Steedman, 
 was presently obtained, and forwarded to St. He 
 lena. 
 
 In the " First Report of the Christian Mission 
 from the Cape of Good Hope to St. Helena," pre- 
 
LIFE AT ST. HELENA. 183 
 
 sented at a public meeting in the mission house 
 at James Town, December 29th, 1849, and 
 which was presently published in pamphlet form, 
 the state of the funds is spoken of as follows : 
 
 " The purchase of the mission house had been 
 now effected for the sum of <550, payable in four 
 years with interest ; two of which have now 
 elapsed. But the yearly installments, resting 
 principally on a few, have indeed been trying, up 
 hill work. Four of the brethren have subscribed 
 for this special purpose .27 10s. a year each, 
 and for the rest we have sometimes been driven to 
 our wits end, not knowing how or where to turn. 
 Every way blocked up, and apparently every av 
 enue closed, Moses-like we have stood still to see 
 the salvation of God. The great sea of difficulty 
 has divided in the midst. A friend has stepped 
 forward ; relief has appeared. A SOLOMON has 
 once and again stretched out his hand. A SCOTT, 
 with others who have always thought they had a 
 right to do what they thought proper with their 
 own, have kindly lent their aid ; and for which, 
 in this public report, we beg to express our grate 
 ful sense. To help us temporally, God has hith 
 erto said c to the north, Give up, and to the south, 
 Keep not back. At Jehovah s bidding, Chris 
 tian sympathy has been excited ; holy benevo 
 lence has stretched out her lovely, helping hand. 
 Cape Christianity hath not forgotten to make her 
 
184 LIFE AT ST. HELENA. 
 
 collection for the poor saints, in behalf of this in 
 fant cause of God on this rock of the ocean. 
 Christian friends and gentlemen at the Cape, in 
 the spirit of the glorious gospel, free from all sec 
 tarian bigotry, subscribed their names and put 
 down their consecrated pounds to aid us in our 
 time of need. The enemy felt our new strength 
 and feared, and the weak said, we are strong. 
 Our prayer to God is that He may reward those 
 our kind donors a hundred-fold, and that those 
 acts of Christian benevolence may not be forgot 
 ten in the day of the Lord Jesus. 
 
 " In consequence of this yearly installment for 
 the mission house purchase, and other incidental 
 expenses arising from the lighting and cleaning, 
 Mr. Bertram has been but scantily supported." 
 
 At the expiration of four and a half years, a 
 debt of three hundred pounds (fifteen hundred 
 dollars) still remained, for which the mission 
 premises were mortgaged. In the circumstances 
 in which the congregation were placed, it was very 
 desirable that this burden should be removed. In 
 addition, moreover, to this demand, the provi 
 dence of God was evidently calling upon them to 
 erect a house of worship for the accommodation 
 of the residents in Sandy Bay Valley, on the op 
 posite side of the island ; and another in the 
 neighborhood of Rose Bower, in the very heart of 
 the island. Both of these stations had now be- 
 
LIFE AT ST. HELENA. 185 
 
 come centers of a most salutary influence, and 
 could not be dispensed with. Hitherto they had 
 been under the necessity of meeting, for public 
 worship, in the private houses of the two friends, 
 whose hearts God had opened to receive His word 
 and His ministers. 
 
 To effect these objects, application must be 
 made for foreign aid. It was not to be obtained 
 on the island. The congregation had strained ev 
 ery nerve to meet the current expenses of the en 
 terprise thus far, and had done nobly. A great 
 work had been accomplished in a very short pe 
 riod. Out of themselves they could look for but 
 little sympathy among the wealthier classes of St. 
 Helena, who were mostly connected with, or de 
 pendent for patronage upon, the government ; 
 and so under the influence of the colonial Church. 
 
 In this state of things, after much deliberation 
 and prayer, it was determined, to make an appeal 
 to the friends of the Redeemer in the more fa 
 vored portions of His vineyard. The health of 
 Mr. Bertram, by reason of the incessant labors to 
 which he had cheerfully devoted himself for the 
 past five years, had now become somewhat im 
 paired. A season of rest, or recreation, it was 
 thought, such as a long sea-voyage, and a visit to 
 Great Britain and America, would afford, might 
 recruit his waning strength, and refit him for re 
 suming, with increased vigor, the delightful work 
 
186 LIFE AT ST. HELENA. 
 
 of evangelizing the native population of St. Hel 
 ena. 
 
 Nor was such an appeal to be regarded alone in 
 the light of asking alms. St. Helena is the half 
 way house on the high road from the shores of the 
 North Atlantic to the East Indies. The mer 
 chants and the missionaries of Great Britain and 
 America find it a most convenient and welcome 
 stopping-place, on their way home from an Indian 
 residence. To those of them, whose health has 
 been sacrificed to the purposes of commerce, or of 
 the gospel, it is indeed most refreshing to find, in 
 the midst of the weary waste of waters, such a 
 convenient haven, and so delightful a climate, 
 where to tarry a few days or weeks, amid health 
 ful and balmy breezes, on their homeward way. 
 Mr. Bertram and his brethren had been accus 
 tomed, year by year, to extend the hand of fel 
 lowship and welcome to the weary, worn-out mis 
 sionary, and to cheer him in his feebleness and sor 
 row, as the following testimonial, from the pen of 
 the Rev. Jonathan Wade, makes abundantly evi 
 dent : 
 
 " Both the Baptist and Psedo-Baptist de 
 nominations, having missionaries in the East, 
 owe these St. Helena disciples a large debt al 
 ready ; and this debt will increase every year. 
 Their missionaries, who are returning home in 
 feeble health, mostly call at the island ; and, but 
 
LIFE AT ST. HELENA. 187 
 
 for the hospitality of the members of this church, 
 would be obliged to pay a guinea a day for board. 
 Mrs. Wade and myself shared their hospitalities 
 during three months, which enabled us to board 
 there at an expense which our usual salary would 
 cover. Brother Bertram and his family vacated his 
 own house for the accommodation of Brother Has- 
 well (Baptist missionary at Amherst, in Burmah) 
 and his family, when they were detained some three 
 or four weeks on the island. Other missionaries, 
 now in this country, have shared their hospitali 
 ties for a longer or shorter period." 
 
 Thus actuated and encouraged, " the Christian 
 Brethren of the Missionary Church in the Island 
 of St. Helena," as they style themselves, pre 
 pared to part for a season with their pastor, and 
 to send him abroad with their salutations and en 
 treaties for help in the good work of the Lord. 
 Relying on the ministerial services of the Rev. 
 Mr. Janisch, and the three licentiates, Elliott, 
 Dick, and Milne, to supply them, in the absence 
 of Mr. Bertram, with spiritual ministrations, they 
 committed him and his beloved family to the 
 guidance of the Great Head of the Church. The 
 farewell services took place at the mission house, 
 on the 18th of February, 1850 ; on which occa 
 sion they mingled their tears with their petitions, 
 and pastor and people wept together at the pros 
 pect of separation. 
 
188 LIFE AT ST. HELENA. 
 
 It was an occasion of the deepest interest. 
 Only about four and a half years had elapsed 
 since the lone missionary had set foot on this 
 " Rock of the Ocean," unknown to every inhab 
 itant of the island, and altogether uncertain as to 
 the reception that awaited him. No missionary 
 society had taken him under its patronage, and 
 pledged him a support. He was destitute entire 
 ly of all earthly dependence for his daily bread. 
 A single letter to a tradesman, whom he had 
 never seen or known before, was his only pass 
 port to favor. His coming had not been heralded 
 in the periodicals of the Cape or the Island, so as 
 to attract the attention of the great, the honora 
 ble, and the rich ; nor was there a waiting church 
 or religious society, anxiously expecting the ar 
 rival of a pastor. Of all the residents on the 
 island, not more, perhaps, than four or five indi 
 viduals had ever known, by sweet experience, the 
 blessedness of vital piety. Professors there were, 
 and two of them, priests also ; but they pertained 
 to the Church of England, were attached to the 
 formalities of a heartless system of religion, and 
 gave but doubtful, if any, evidence of being any 
 thing more than mere nominal Christians. But, 
 whatever they were, he had nothing to expect 
 from them, but discouragement and resistance in 
 every practicable form, to the purpose and aim of 
 his mission. 
 
LIFE AT ST. HELENA. 189 
 
 But now how great a change had been effected ! 
 A fond and admiring church (numbering at pres 
 ent about two hundred members) had been gath 
 ered around him ; the word of God had been 
 preached in every quarter of the island ; preach 
 ing stations had been established in town and 
 country ; weekly meetings for prayer and the study 
 of the Scriptures had been set up ; Sunday schools 
 and day schools had been gathered, or were soon 
 to be started ; the fruitful soil had been plenti 
 fully sown with the good seed, and a blessed har 
 vest of souls was springing up all around him, 
 portions of which were already ripe for the sickle. 
 Well might he and his grateful brethren exclaim, 
 in view of these unspeakable mercies, " This is 
 the Lord s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes." 
 
APPPENDIX. 
 
 VERY shortly after Mr. Bertram s arrival at St. Helena, 
 he was called to sympathize with the late lamented ADONI- 
 RAM JUDSON, D.D., in a season of deep affliction. Dr. Jud- 
 son, in consequence of the alarming state of his wife s health, 
 had been induced to leave his field of labor and his three 
 younger children in Burmah, and to accompany his sinking 
 companion and their three elder children to his native land. 
 They embarked on the "Paragon," for London, April 26th, 
 1845, about the time that Mr. Bertram arrived at Saldanha 
 Bay. After a brief sojourn at the Mauritius, or Isle of 
 France, of about three weeks, they hastened on their home 
 ward way. Mrs. Judson continued to become more feeble, 
 until the ship came to anchor, at a very early hour in the 
 morning of the 1st of September, in the harbor of James 
 Town, when, at three o clock, she closed her earthly pil 
 grimage. The affecting scenes that followed, are thus re 
 lated by Mr. Bertram : 
 
 " Early in the morning of the 1st of September, I received 
 a note from Mr. Carrol, the American Consul of that island, 
 informing me that a ship, named the Sophia Walker, had 
 dropped anchor in our bay, the previous night, and that she 
 had on board two distinguished passengers, Mr. Judson and 
 lady, with their three children ; but, sad to state, since that 
 brief period, Mrs. Judson had departed this life. He fur- 
 
192 APPENDIX. 
 
 ther stated, that Mr. Judson sent his Christian regards to 
 me, requesting that I would come on board, as he was very 
 desirous to see me. I had heard of Mr. Judson long before, 
 and had learned to think of him as one of the most noble he 
 roes of the cross of Christ. With a heart full of painful 
 sympathy, I hastened to the vessel. As the boat in which I 
 was, neared the floating house of death, I perceived several 
 of the crew approaching the gangway. Deep sorrow was 
 depicted on their countenances. The captain received me 
 with a welcome, and, after a few touching hints, conducted 
 me to the cabin, where I was, for the first time, introduced 
 to Mr. Judson. He held out his hand ; but, for a moment, 
 his heart was too full for articulation. He looked pale and 
 careworn. The bitter tears flowed down his cheeks in rap 
 id succession, moistening his lips, as if seeking to find their 
 way back again into that heart of sorrow, whence they 
 flowed. Such a touching scene I never witnessed before. 
 With him stood his three small children, weeping, and re 
 fusing to be comforted, because she, whom they so dearly 
 loved, was not. Mr. Judson soon regained his self-posses 
 sion. He spoke to his afflicted children in the sweetest man 
 ner, and in the most consoling language a Christian father s 
 lips could utter, and then turning to me, said, 
 
 " sir, she died in the Lord so peacefully. I asked 
 her, but a little before she died, if she loved the Saviour, 
 and could trust her soul into His hands. She answered, 
 " Yes, yes." Come, Mr. Bertram, will you look at my 
 love ? She is just like herself, lovely, even in death. 
 
 " He led the way into the state-room, where lay the cold 
 remains in which once dwelt the soul of her who had given 
 and devoted to the Saviour s cause, her life, her all Pleas 
 ant she was, indeed, even in death. A sweet smile of love 
 seemed to rest on her countenance, as if heavenly grace had 
 stamped it there. Mr. Judson stood at her head, and the 
 children around her, weeping and sobbing. He kissed her 
 cold forehead, again and again, bedewing it with tears. 
 
APPENDIX. 193 
 
 After a few moments, he said, My love suffered much be 
 fore she died, but never murmured. Her sufferings are 
 over. Yes, she is now in heaven. I did all for her myself; 
 dressed, and laid her out myself. This was her own re 
 quest. To me it was a painful duty ; but God sustained 
 me. 
 
 " He then informed me that arrangements had been made 
 for the funeral, which was to take place at four in the after 
 noon, and begged I would attend and conduct the religious 
 services on board the vessel. I then left the ship and has 
 tened on shore, to summon all my Christian brethren to be 
 in waiting on the wharf at half past three o clock. Return 
 ing to the vessel, I remained with Mr. Judson until after 
 noon. When the time for the religious service arrived, the 
 captain called together all the friends who were on board, 
 and all hands who could be spared from the ship. I then 
 read a suitable portion of the Divine word, and gave a brief 
 address I trust from the Lord a word in season and then 
 we all knelt in prayer to the wise Disposer of every event. 
 When the service was ended, we again visited the solemn 
 state-room, to take a last look of the departed wife and mis 
 sionary. The bereaved husband and weeping children fas 
 tened their eyes upon the loved remains, as if they could 
 have looked for evei*. Weeping, kiss after kiss was imprint 
 ed on the cold forehead. The last look was taken, the last 
 kiss imparted, and then all was hid from mortal vision, un 
 til the morning of the resurrection. The coffin was removed 
 to the boat which was to convey it on shore. Other boats 
 were connected with this, so arranged as to form a funeral 
 procession three going ahead, towing the one which con 
 tained the corpse, and moving forward with the heavy beat 
 ings of their oars, and another followed, in which were Mr. 
 Judson and the three children, with the captain of the ship 
 and myself as chief mourners. Our Christian brethren and 
 sisters were in a goodly number, with Mr. Carrol, the 
 American consul, and his family, and some others of his 
 
 IT 
 
194 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 friends, already -waiting on the shore, to join the funeral 
 procession. The body was then transferred from the boat 
 to the bier, which was carried by a number of seamen. 
 The pall-bearers we selected from among our Christian sis 
 ters. -They were four in number, and chief women, viz., 
 Mrs. Captain O Connor, of the East India Company ; Mrs. 
 Janisch, widow of the late Dutch consul ; Mrs. Torbett, of 
 Napoleon s tomb ; Mrs. Carrol, American consul s lady. 
 Mr. Judson and myself walked first, leading one of the chil 
 dren ; the captain next came, leading the other two ; the 
 American consul followed, with his friends ; then our Chris 
 tian brethren and sisters, two and two : the whole number 
 ing about one hundred persons. It is nearly half a mile 
 from the landing to the burying-ground, the way to which 
 lies through the town. The inhabitants paid their respects 
 by closing their shops. The street was considerably lined 
 on either side with spectators, who all appeared to mani 
 fest a mournful sympathy with Mr. Judson and the dear 
 children. 
 
 " On arriving at the grave, the Episcopal clergyman read 
 the burial service of the Church of England. The body was 
 then committed to its mother dust. Our Christian brethren 
 stood around the grave and sung a solemn hymn, selected 
 for the occasion. During this service, as Mr. Judson stood 
 supported by my arm, I felt his animal frame frequently 
 ready to give way, particularly toward the last, when the 
 coffin was about to be lowered into the grave. I could see 
 him heaving his heart to God, for power from on high, to 
 strengthen him. God heard his prayer, and held him up. 
 All being now over, the Christian friends began to with 
 draw ; but Mr. Judson and the children appeared to linger, 
 as if reluctant to leave the sacred spot. We left the re 
 mains of Mrs. Judson in one of the choicest spots of the 
 burying ground a banian tree spreading its branches over 
 it, as if to guard the precious treasure which lay interred 
 beneath its shade. 
 
APPENDIX. 195 
 
 We then conducted Mr. Judson and the children to the 
 house of Mr. Thomas Alesworth, which stood adjacent to 
 the burying-ground. His large parlor was filled with Chris 
 tian friends. A prayer-meeting was held. A goodly num 
 ber engaged, each and all praying God for comfort and sup 
 port to His dear servant and his children, in this their time 
 of need. We all took tea together, and spent the remain 
 der of the time in religious conversation, speaking much of 
 Jesus and the resurrection. And now the time of Mr. Jud- 
 son s departure drew nigh. The captain called, informing 
 him that there was little time to spare, as the ship was to 
 put out to sea again that evening. Mr. Judson then arose 
 and addressed us. He spoke with feelings of the highest 
 gratitude of the Lord s goodness unto him, in sparing him 
 the painful task of burying the remains of his beloved wife 
 in the restless deep ; in bringing her to our island, and in 
 giving her a Christian burial, and surrounding him with so 
 many kind friends, who had joined with him in paying the 
 last tribute of respect to her, who to him had proved one of 
 the best of wives, and the most devoted mother. He said he 
 never could have thought God had so many who loved Him 
 on the island, and that he expected, when Mrs. Judson died, 
 to have buried her with the assistance of a few seamen and 
 a small number of sympathizing friends. He thanked us all 
 from his very heart, in the name of the Lord, for our Chris 
 tian sympathy and kindness to him and his children, pray 
 ing God to reward us a thousand fold, to bless us as a 
 Christian Church, and requested that we would follow him 
 with our prayers, when on the mighty deep. He then gave 
 Mr. Carrol and myself charge of the grave, and instructions 
 concerning the headstone. He desired me often to give the 
 hallowed spot, where lay the remains of his beloved wife, a 
 friendly look, instead of himself, who would soon be far 
 away from it ; but should continue to visit it in the mourn 
 ful remembrance of his spirit. We accompanied him to the 
 ship, sorrowing with double sorrow, that we should see his 
 
196 APPENDIX. 
 
 face no more in the flesh. Bidding him God speed, we said 
 the last farewell." 
 
 B. 
 
 CASES OF HAPPY DEATHS AT ST. HELENA. 
 
 As an illustration of some of the blessed results- of the St. 
 Helena Mission, the following cases of individuals, who have 
 departed this life, after a happy experience of the power of 
 converting grace, are presented to the reader. 
 
 Mrs. BURNHAM, residing at Hutt s Gate, a short dis 
 tance south of Napoleon s tomb an aged person, of large 
 family was hopefully converted in her last sickness, through 
 the instructions of the missionary. Her youngest daughter, 
 Mrs. EDMONDS, also, became a subject of divine grace, was 
 baptized, and shortly after fell asleep in Jesus. Mrs. 
 YOUL, a young mother, was led to embrace religion on the 
 bed of death, and died rejoicing in her Saviour. CAESAR, a 
 native resident of Sandy Bay Valley, became a remarkable 
 trophy of divine grace, and died a triumphant death at the 
 hospital in James Town. 
 
 On one occasion, late at night, a pressing message reached 
 Mr. Bertram, asking him to visit one of the native women in 
 the country, who was lying at the point of death. " I mount 
 ed my horse," he says, " and, accompanied by a friend, rode 
 into the interior about three miles. Leaving our horses at 
 Ridge Hill House, in care of Mr. Scott, where I found a 
 couple of Christian friends awaiting me, we wended our way 
 along the rear of Plantation House, the governor s seat, and, 
 entering a dense forest of pines, by a winding and rugged 
 foot-path, we groped along in darkness, toward the mid 
 night hour, quite uncertain of our footing, and frequently 
 stumbling over some unseen obstruction. It was a gloomy 
 walk, and well fitted, in the circumstances, to fill the mind 
 with deep solemnity. 
 
APPENDIX. 197 
 
 " At length we reached the place of our destination, and 
 tvere heralded by a faithful watch- dog. A cluster of rude 
 and humble cottages was before us, scarcely visible in the 
 gloom, known as Chinatown, and formerly occupied by a 
 number of Chinamen, who had mostly been removed by 
 death, leaving their dwellings to be occupied by others. Mr. 
 MAY, the husband of the sick woman, met us at the door 
 with a taper candle, and conducted us t<? the bedside of the 
 sufferer. Two or three of the native Christian women were 
 present, who had been in attendance upon their afflicted 
 neighbor for some time previously to our arrival. The in 
 habitants of St. Helena are distinguished for their kind at 
 tentions to the sick and afflicted, as many of the strangers 
 who have visited the island can fully testify. Every deli 
 cacy, or alleviation, or relief of any description in their 
 power, is furnished with the greatest tenderness and sym 
 pathy. 
 
 " The sufferer was dozing when I approached her bed ; but 
 after a little, she opened her eyes and gazed about. One of 
 the sisters present said to her, Would you like to see Mr. 
 Bertram ? Oh ! yes, she replied, with great earnestness. 
 Do you know me, Mrs. May ? I asked. Yes, sir, she an 
 swered, and have been waiting, wishfully, to see you be 
 fore I died. Have you ever attended my preaching ? 
 Yes, many a time, both in the town and at Sandy Bay. 
 Before my marriage, I lived at the Bay with Sister Jones. 
 Alic Jones wife is my sister. While there, I attended your 
 preaching frequently at Mr. Lambe s house. After my mar 
 riage, not long since, I removed to this place, where I have 
 been so much afflicted as to be unable to go and hear you. 
 
 "Have you learned anything from the preaching that 
 you have heard ? I asked again. Much very much, she 
 replied ; I learned my lost and ruined condition as a sin 
 ner against God; His goodness, also, in giving a Saviour, 
 and the love of the Saviour in giving Himself a sacrifice for 
 my sins. I often left Mr. Lambe s house with an aching 
 
198 APPENDIX. 
 
 heart, and -would weep in secret, among the rocks, over my 
 grievous sins. I lifted up my cries to God for pardon, until 
 at length I found the Saviour precious to my soul. And 
 oh ! He is precious to me now. I feel the sweet comforts of 
 His presence. I am not afraid to die death hath no ter 
 rors for me. Turning her eyes toward the hearers, she ex 
 claimed, Oh ! my precious Saviour ! I long to be with thee. 
 Methinks I see Him now. I feel that I am His, and He is 
 mine. She then praised God, that ever she had heard His 
 gospel at my lips. 
 
 "Prayer was then offered, in which she engaged most 
 fervently, and every heart seemed to be full of adoring grat 
 itude to God for His wonderful grace. She then asked us 
 to sing a hymn with her before we left ; and while we were 
 engaged in the holy exercise, the dying convert sung with 
 more than human voice and ecstasy, her clasped hands being 
 raised toward heaven, and her eyes sparkling with a holy 
 radiance. When we had concluded, she sung on, and cried, 
 Sing with me do n t stop sing more sing again. Praise 
 the Lord, my soul ! Thus she continued, until her phys 
 ical strength was exhausted ; and early in the morning, be 
 fore the dawning of day, her happy spirit was wafted by an 
 gels to her Redeemer s bosom. 
 
 " Mrs. YOUNG, also, was brought," says Mr. Bertram, 
 " to a saving knowledge of the truth as it is in Jesus, and 
 lived, for two years after her conversion, a most holy and 
 exemplary life. During a painful and lingering illness, she 
 was gloriously sustained by divine grace, and manifested 
 the greatest Christian patience and resignation. Not a 
 murmur was heard to escape from her lips. Often, during 
 her illness, she was filled with joy and peace in believing. 
 She had a faith which took hold and rested upon the imper 
 ishable promises of the gospel. As death advanced, her joy 
 increased, her prospects brightened, her tongue was loosed; 
 and, from the abundance of a heart filled with the love of 
 Christ, she spoke at different times to those around her in 
 
APPENDIX. 199 
 
 language more than earthly. She literally died singing the 
 praises of God and of the Lamb. 
 
 "Mrs. GYOND had attended Sister Young in all her ill 
 ness, had heard many faithful warnings, earnest entreat 
 ies, and precious invitations to come to the Saviour; and 
 often, during the exercises, had been deeply affected and 
 powerfully awakened ; but would again return to folly, un 
 til she sat under the sound of another gospel sermon, when 
 she would again melt and quail, and again relapse intc her 
 former state of carelessness and indifference for her soul s 
 salvation. But the arrows of God had fastened on her con 
 science, and rest in her sins was for ever banished from her 
 soul. She struggled for a long time against the truth of 
 God and her own conscience, until she was suddenly seized 
 with a severe illness, when attending her husband at Rose 
 Bower, who was also in a delicate state of health. 
 
 "All at once the terrors of death and judgment stared 
 her in the face ; the thunders of Mount Sinai s burning and 
 fiery mount carried terror to her quivering soul ; she quailed 
 beneath the angry judgment of the Almighty ; she felt the 
 value then of a Saviour ; and, for refuge, was enabled to flee 
 to the foot of the cross. The family at Rose Bower was pi 
 ous, and the two eldest daughters, during her illness, daily 
 supplicated for her at a throne of grace. Under their prayers 
 and pious instructions, she was enabled to lay hold of the 
 hope set before her in the gospel ; her fears were all sub 
 dued, and peace in believing possessed her heart. A short 
 time before her departure, she fell into a doze, from which 
 she awoke in a state of perfect sensibility, giving those 
 around her a most sublime description of a heavenly vision 
 she had seen, sweet music to which she had listened, and 
 holy angels that she had seen. Those, who witnessed her 
 death and all its attendant circumstances, had reason to be 
 lieve that this was also a brand plucked from the burning. 
 
 "GRANNY WELLS, also, an aged woman, converted after 
 she was sixty years of age, exhibited all the glorious evi- 
 
200 APPENDIX. 
 
 dence of a change of heart. She became an object of uni 
 versal Christian love among the brethren and sisters on the 
 island. When she could no longer attend the house of God, 
 from feebleness of health and shortness of breath, she had, 
 every Sabbath, a meeting held with her in her own room. 
 This was a sister s meeting, in which numbers regularly en 
 gaged in prayer, read the Holy Scriptures, and sang God s 
 praises together. This was Granny Wells s Sabbath-day 
 blessing ; nor could her soul, hungering and thirsting after 
 righteousness, ever be satisfied without it. She died in the 
 Lord, in deed and of a truth, beloved by every Christian on 
 the island. 
 
 " Sister THOMAS, also, a native, was a glorious example 
 of the converting grace of God. To hear the word of Life, 
 this native would travel over every part of the island, to 
 every missionary station, or preaching place in the town, at 
 Francis Plain, Rose Bower, Sandy Bay, and Longwood, tear 
 ing lest she might lose a single gospel sermon. She was a 
 woman of no ordinary mind, and became well instructed in 
 the things of God. Like the woman of Samaria, her zeal to 
 bring others to Christ was manifest in the long journeys 
 she took to different parts of the island, to bring the people 
 under the sound of the glorious gospel, and to win them to 
 Christ. She had wisdom from Heaven to combat error, and 
 to contend earnestly for the faith once delivered to the 
 saints. Both threats and promises were used to draw her 
 from the right way of the Lord ; but, with her ears closed, 
 she went on her heavenly course, shouting Life, life eter 
 nal life ! She was, however, at times subject to great per 
 sonal affliction, suffering much from a distemper in the 
 head, which frequently laid her up for days and weeks to 
 gether. She sickened, at length, for the last time; and, in 
 the triumphs of faith, exchanged this world of suffering and 
 death for the heavenly land, where there shall be no more 
 death, and where the inhabitant shall not say I am sick. 
 
APPENDIX. 201 
 
 " Mrs. WESTON was also brought to a knowledge of the 
 truth as it is in Jesus. She was considerably enlightened 
 and instructed by the preaching of the word at her mother s 
 house at Green Hill, but particularly after her removal to 
 the town, on the bed of affliction, and death. We have good 
 reason to believe that she experienced then a change of 
 heart. She fell asleep in Jesus, in early life, shortly after 
 her marriage. She was accomplished in person and in mind, 
 as well as of a most kind and gentle heart. She was la 
 mented by all on the island. A goodly number of her rela 
 tives were brought to the Lord through the preaching of the 
 word, and became members of the mission church. Their 
 consolation was, that she gave good evidence of having found 
 the Lord before her death, and that their painful loss was 
 her eternal gain. 
 
 " GEORGE M NOUGHT was born, in the north of Ireland, 
 of Presbyterian parents, and was therefore, to a considera 
 ble degree, brought up in the nurture and admonition of 
 the Lord. He had but an imperfect education, could read 
 not very well, and write not much better. He was bred a 
 weaver, and for a time supported himself by his trade ; but, 
 being addicted to profanity and dissipation, he at length en 
 listed as a soldier in her majesty s service, and was sent to 
 St. Helena. He had a fondness for music, and was, in con 
 sequence, put in training for the band, into which, after a 
 suitable drilling, he was introduced as a proficient in the 
 art. He was thus elevated above the ranks, and a dress was 
 given him much superior to that of a private. His personal 
 appearance was very attractive ; and, by a strict attention 
 to his regimental duties, he won the respect, and secured the 
 approbation, of his officers. But his life, when out of the 
 ranks and the barracks, was very irregular and profane. 
 For two years he continued to pursue a course of high-hand 
 ed wickedness. 
 
 " The soldiers, who had been converted in the revival, 
 were wont to meet at stated times for prayer and confer- 
 
202 APPENDIX. 
 
 cnce, in what was called the soldiers room, attached to the 
 mission premises. This meeting was conducted by Sergeant 
 Brook, a very devoted servant of Christ. These soldiers 
 were animated with an ardent desire for the conversion of 
 their comrades, and frequently singled out one and another 
 as special objects of prayer. At the same time, they en 
 deavored to persuade them to attend upon the preaching of 
 the word. 
 
 " Among others, George M Nought shared in their Chris 
 tian solicitude, and was at length prevailed upon to enter 
 the house of God, and hear His word. Presently he was 
 awakened to a sense of his guilt, wretchedness, and danger. 
 He was brought to see into what depths of iniquity he had 
 plunged, and how dreadfully wicked and abandoned his life 
 had been. A letter came, just then, from home, in which 
 his godly parents poured forth their affection, in pious coun 
 sels and entreaties, urging him to forsake the ways of sin, 
 and turn to the Lord. This timely epistle deepened his con 
 viction, and soon he was led firmly and penitently to re 
 solve, in the strength of the Lord, to seek the mercy of his 
 God, if there was any mercy for such a wretch. Encouraged 
 by his comrades that were pious, who took him by the hand, 
 prayed for, and instructed him, he was brought, under the 
 preaching of the word, to believe with his heart unto right 
 eousness, and to cast the burden of his sins upon his Savi 
 our. His soul was now filled with joy, as one alive from the 
 dead, as a new creature in Christ Jesus. To his anxious 
 parents he sent, in reply, the joyful tidings of the restora 
 tion of their prodigal son, and his reconciliation with his of 
 fended God and Father. 
 
 " He cast in his lot fully with the people of God, and, 
 like Caleb and Joshua, followed the Lord with his whole 
 heart. He was neither a Demas, clinging to this present 
 evil world, nor a Diotrephes, loving the pre-eminence. His 
 was not the Laodicean lukewarmness, nor the Galatian un 
 steadiness. He counted all things but loss for Christ, set 
 
APPENDIX. 203 
 
 his eyes on the goal, and pressed toward the mark, for the 
 prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. His motto 
 was, This one thing 1 do. So remarkably did he grow in 
 grace, that all his acquaintances took knowledge of him 
 that he had been with Jesus. 
 
 "He abounded and delighted in prayer, spending hours 
 daily with God in the soldiers room of the mission prem 
 ises. He shrunk not from the exercise of his gifts in pub 
 lic, and most fervently, as well as effectually, did he pray. 
 It was a great pleasure to all the church to hear him ; and 
 rich was the blessing, which seemed always to flow upon them 
 from above, when George prayed. 
 
 " He loved the sanctuary, and drank in, with awe and 
 holy reverence, the instructions of God s word, relishing 
 most the strong meat, on which his soul fed and grew apace. 
 He was an example to the believers in the regularity and 
 punctuality of his attendance at prayer and conference meet 
 ings, whenever not on regimental duty, as well as on the 
 Sabbath day, to hear the word. His spirituality appeared in 
 his whole deportment, as well as in his speech and devo 
 tions. He adored the free, rich, and sovereign grace of 
 God, and greatly delighted in the contemplation of the in 
 finite riches of grace and wisdom that are treasured up in 
 Christ, ever seeking to magnify and exalt the wonders of re 
 deeming love, and to lead his comrades to Jesus. His faith 
 and courage was such, that he could go through fire and 
 water for his beloved Lord. Such, too, was his remarkable 
 proficiency in the knowledge of the truth, as to give un 
 doubted confirmation to the promise, * All thy children shall 
 be taught of the Lord. 
 
 " Nor was he less distinguished for his humility. Of him 
 self he never spoke, but as less than the least of the saints, 
 and as not worthy to be called a disciple, or to receive even 
 a crumb from the Master s table, or a cup of water from 
 the Lord. If at any time he was troubled with remaining 
 
204 APPENDIX. 
 
 infirmity, he mourned over his corruption, and, with deep 
 contrition. 
 
 At the foot of the cross, 
 He would weep for his loss, 
 Till the blood made him holy again. 
 
 " His exertions to lead his comrades to the Saviour were, 
 not only unremitting, but patient and long-continued. He 
 wearied not, nor was he discouraged under rebuke and re 
 proach. He sought them out, entreated and besought them ; 
 and not in vain. Many of them were persuaded to accom 
 pany him to the sanctuary and the place of prayer, of whom 
 several became happy subjects of grace. 
 
 " He delighted, also, in conversing with his fellow Chris 
 tians on the things pertaining to the kingdom. Often they 
 would gather round him in groups, on the mission premises, 
 and stand, with open mouths and ears, drinking in his 
 homely, yet savory and heavenly talk, by which the sleepy 
 professor was roused, the conscience of the unfaithful stung, 
 the timid encouraged, the feeble strengthened, and the wan 
 dering reclaimed. Yet he attempted not to preach or lec 
 ture. 
 
 " George had been chosen, by reason of his fine person, to 
 be the base-drummer. The carrying of the large drum is 
 very injurious to the chest, and but few persons have been 
 known in the British army who could long sustain the bur 
 den. George sank under it, and was under the necessity of 
 leaving the ranks for the hospital. He may have been pre 
 disposed to consumption ; but the climate of St. Helena had 
 not aggravated the disease, as it is well known to be highly 
 favorable to the removal of such disorders. 
 
 " In the hospital he was treated with kindness and skill; 
 so that after some weeks he began to amend, and was per 
 mitted to leave the sick room and resume his place in the 
 ranks. During his sickness, he was enabled, by his fervent 
 prayers, pious instructions, and holy conversation, to prove 
 himself a blessing to his fellow patients, some of whom will, 
 
APPENDIX. 205 
 
 through eternity, have occasion to bless God for their ac 
 quaintance with him in the hospital. 
 
 "Grateful as were his brethren in the church to see him 
 once more among them, it was but for a short season only. 
 His disorder soon became more alarming, and he was obliged 
 to return to the hospital to leave it no more alive. For the 
 space of three months he was gradually sinking, and wasting 
 away ; but not a murmuring word escaped his lips. With 
 the utmost patience and resignation he awaited the will of 
 God. He knew that all things work together for good to 
 them that love God, to them who are the called according to 
 His purpose. The language of his heart, as well as of his 
 lips, was, Not my will, but thine, be done. Dearly as he 
 loved life, and clung to it, he would say, Though He slay 
 me, yet will I trust in Him. 
 
 " He enjoyed a sweet and serene composure of soul, 
 throughout his illness. Though the outward man was per 
 ishing, the inward man was renewed day by day. He 
 rejoiced to do what his wasting strength would allow, for 
 the spiritual welfare of his comrades in affliction. He was 
 visited by many of his fellow Christians, and others also, to all 
 of whom he spake, as he was able, of the worth of the soul, of 
 the necessity of experimental religion, of the willingness of 
 God to save, of the efficacy of a Saviour s blood, of the un 
 speakable comforts of grace, and the wonderful support of 
 the Spirit. To those who were unconverted, he would speak 
 particularly of the vanities of the world, and the awful dan 
 ger of dying in sin. * Ah ! he would say, What a miser 
 able, guilty, lost wretch would I be now, had I all the world 
 with me, and no Jesus ! How much better am I off, having 
 Christ with me, and but little or nothing of the world. Ev 
 ery day He strengthens me, sustains me, and is preparing 
 me for glory. Then he would tell of the bright prospect of 
 glory that was spread out before him, and say, All this for 
 poor George, unworthy George; not the merited purchase 
 of my own good works ; oh ! no ; but the merited purchase 
 
 18 
 
206 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 of Jesus sufferings, precious blood, and death. He seemed 
 to be completely captivated with the charms of a Saviour s 
 love, and would often repeat those sweet words of Dr. Watts : 
 
 Were the whole realm of nature mine, 
 
 That were a present far too small ; 
 Love, so amazing, so divine, 
 
 Demands my soul, my life, my all. 
 
 " His Christian brethren, with great modesty, yet with 
 great faithfulness, he would exhort to live near to God, and 
 to fight manfully against the world, the flesh, and the devil. 
 To do this, he told them, they must be stronger in soul than 
 in body must be strong in the Lord and in the power of His 
 might. To obtain this spiritual might in the inner man, 
 they must give themselves much to private prayer, spend 
 much time with God, and as little as possible with the world. 
 Brethren ! he would say, Walk with God, and do n t go 
 away from Him ; cleave to Him with full purpose of heart, 
 and He will never leave you, never forsake you. I am sure 
 of this. I have tried God for myself; and, notwithstanding 
 all my unworthiness, He has been a God of faithfulness, a 
 promise-keeping God to me. Only see how He is supporting 
 me now ! See how He holds me up while heart and flesh is 
 failing me ! " The Lord is my portion, saith my soul ; there 
 fore will I trust in Him." Oh ! when I think of the long- 
 suffering of God to me, and that He spared me, and did not 
 cut me down in my sins ; that He sent His servants and His 
 gospel after me, His spirit to quicken, and enlighten, and 
 convert my poor, dead, dark, and guilty soul oh ! the good 
 ness of God to me ! " What shall I render unto the Lord for 
 all His benefits toward me ?" "Bless the Lord, my soul, 
 and forget not all His benefits." Oh ! brethren, if I get to 
 heaven, I 11 praise Him there as I cannot praise Him here. 
 
 " Thus he would talk to those who visited him day by 
 day who felt as if they had spent some time on the very 
 suburbs of heaven ; and, on meeting some one or another of 
 
APPENDIX. 207 
 
 their friends on the street, after a visit to George, they 
 might be often heard to say, Oh! you ought to have 
 heard George, to-day ; such heavenly, blessed things he did 
 say ! What a blessed state of soul he is in ! What a heav 
 enly frame of mind ! His heart is full of God. I 11 tell 
 you what it is, the religion that George has is worth more to 
 him now than all the world. Oh ! that I may have such re 
 ligion as George s, when I come to die. The unconverted, 
 who visited him, all confessed that they saw in him, and 
 heard from him, what they never saw or heard before. He 
 was a subject of discourse all through the town, and all over 
 the island. 
 
 " But it became every day more and more apparent, that 
 the day of his departure was at hand that he was fast 
 ripening for the heavenly kingdom. It was on a dark and 
 drizzly night, and at a late hour of that night, that it came 
 into my mind to visit him. I knew not how, but so it was 
 the conviction was fastened on my mind, that there would be 
 a change with George before the morning. My family would 
 fain have dissuaded me from visiting the hospital that night, 
 as it was late, wet, and dark. But something said, Go, 
 and tarry not. I left the mission house, and proceeded up 
 the valley, toward the house of mourning. The hospital 
 stands about half a mile above the mission house. It was 
 between the hours of ten and eleven when I entered the 
 ward. I found George sitting up, seated in a large easy 
 chair, that had been given me by an American missionary, 
 on his visit to the island, who had received it from a gov 
 ernor in India. When poor George took sick, I sent it up to 
 the hospital for his use. 
 
 He was surrounded by a number of his Christian fellow 
 soldiers, and two or three civilians ; Sergeants Wright, No 
 ble, M Calley, and, as I think, Cooper, were there, and broth 
 er James Buchanan all brought to God through the open 
 ing of the mission on that island. As I approached, George 
 held out his hand, caught mine with eager grasp, held it for 
 
208 APPENDIX. 
 
 some time, and, gazing upon me, said, Mr. Bertram, I m 
 glad that you have come ; you are my father in the gospel ; 
 but for your preaching, I might have lost my soul. I said, 
 George, how do you feel to-night ? His answer was, Oh ! 
 sir, very poorly ; and, lifting up his eyes to Heaven, he said, 
 I thought my Heavenly Father would have sent His chariot 
 of love for me before this time ; it has no* come yet, but I 
 am waiting for it. I am prepared for it, and all ready to 
 go. I sat down beside him, and supported his head for some 
 time with my right hand, holding sweet and delightful con 
 versation with him. George, said I, Do you feel the Sa 
 viour still precious to your soul ? Do you still feel that 
 you love Him much ? Yes, said he, and I long to be 
 with Him. 
 
 " We then all knelt together at the throne of grace, one 
 of the Christian brethren supporting George in the chair, 
 while I commended his soul, for the last time, to the pro 
 tecting and everlasting arms of the Redeemer. The earnest 
 spirit of George accompanied us, in his fervent breathings to 
 the throne of grace, and while beseeching the Saviour to be 
 with him in passing through the valley. 
 
 " When prayer was over, I sat down at the foot of one of 
 the beds of the hospital, and, being wearied with the exer 
 cises of the day, I fell asleep. I slept, perhaps, the greater 
 part of an hour. The conversation, that passed while I 
 slept, was related to me by one of the Christian brethren. 
 He said that it was of the most heavenly and sublime char 
 acter, which he was altogether inadequate to represent. 
 
 " He was not permitted, however, to enter the New Jeru 
 salem, without a vigorous assault from the last enemy. 
 During the first part of the time, his conversation with the 
 brethren bespoke his full assurance of hope, and a soul filled 
 with the joys of the great salvation ; but during the latter 
 part of the time, a dark cloud seemed to steal over his soul, 
 and envelop his spirit in darkness, as if the light of the Di 
 vine countenance was withdrawn. In dismal distress and 
 
APPENDIX. 209 
 
 horror, he began to sink in deep waters where there was no 
 standing ; and in the disquietude of his spirit, to cry out to 
 his Christian brethren, Oh ! what shall I do ? oh ! what 
 shall I do ? The brethren replied, Why, George, what is 
 the matter with you ? What has come over you now ? Are 
 you not happy now, George ? No, said he, I m wretch 
 ed ; I m miserable ; I am undone for ever ; I ve lost my 
 Christ ; He has gone away from me ; oh ! what will I do for 
 my Christ ? Oh ! where shall I find my precious Christ ? 
 Oh ! dear ! dear ! I have lost my Christ ! He has gone away 
 and left me. Oh! what shall I do for my Christ? The 
 brethren reminded him of the precious promises of the gos 
 pel, and betook themselves to the throne of grace in prayer, 
 that the enemy might not be permitted to exact upon him, nor 
 the son of the wicked one to afflict him. 
 
 " Prayer prevailed ; the enemy was driven back ; the 
 snare of hell was broken ; the darkness was scattered ; the 
 light of God s countenance burst upon him like the noon 
 day sun through an ocean of storms. His soul was radiant 
 with the divine glory ; his very eyes sparkled with heavenly 
 joys ; the peace, that passeth all understanding, beamed in 
 his very countenance, and again he cried out aloud, I ve 
 found my Christ ; I ve got my Christ ; I have my Christ ; 
 clasping his arms across his breast, with his eyes raised to 
 heaven, he continued to exclaim, over and over again, Oh! 
 my precious Christ ! What a sweet, lovely Christ ! I will 
 keep my Christ. Oh ! I shall never part with my Christ. 
 I m safe now I m happy now ; and I am all right with my 
 Christ. Turning to the brethren, he said, I was miser 
 able when I lost my Christ. Oh ! I could not live without 
 my Christ. I should be lost, but for Christ. But now I m 
 happy with my Christ. He said, Brethren, are you all hap 
 py ? I am so happy, I think I could spare some of my happi 
 ness. Am I dying, brethren ? Is this dying ? Why, I feel 
 as if I was in heaven. While he thus spoke, the cough 
 seized him, and convulsed him for a length of time. It was 
 
210 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 evident to all that it was death, storming, and shaking, and 
 demolishing the earthen tabernacle ; it was his last struggle 
 with the last enemy. When the coughing fit was over, he 
 was only able to say, Brethren, lay me down on that couch 
 there, on the floor. Four of his Christian fellow soldiers 
 removed him from the chair on which he sat, and laid him 
 on the mat. All now gathered around him, kneeling and 
 Stooping over him. 
 
 " Such a sight my eyes never beheld. Soldiers, with their 
 red coats, and epaulets, bending over this Christian hero, in 
 his last great conflict with the king of terrors ! He opened 
 his eyes once more, and his last words were, Victory ! 
 Sweet Jesus ! Precious Jesus! His head fell over, and the 
 soul of the victorious warrior, shouting from the battle-field, 
 had fled." 
 
 " JAMES F. H. BERTRAM, youngest son of James M Gregor 
 Bertram, a beautiful boy in person, intellectual, talented, 
 and exceedingly affectionate, the hope and delight of his 
 parents, was removed from them suddenly, and at a time 
 least expected. James was brought up, from his childhood, 
 in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. At the do 
 mestic altar, unceasing prayer was offered for his salvation. 
 He was instructed in the good way of the Lord ; to read His 
 word, to respect His laws, and to keep His holy Sabbaths; 
 nor was he inattentive to divine instruction, but felt, in 
 some measure, his obligations to God ; had, however, like all 
 other boys, faults and sins, which, when pointed out to him 
 by his parents, by way of rebuke and correction, grieved 
 him much and afflicted him sore. On those occasions, he 
 would retire to his room alone, confess his sins before and to 
 the Lord with a broken and a penitent heart. It was touch 
 ing to hear him sobbing and begging God to pardon and for 
 give him for Jesus sake, and make him a good boy. Mr. 
 Janisch and his father were in the habit of giving public 
 lectures to the children in the mission house, which were in 
 general well attended and blessed of God. On one occasion, 
 
APPENDIX. 211 
 
 after Mr. Janisch had delivered one of his lectures to the 
 children, James came into the parlor, his heart full to 
 overflowing. Grief seemed to choke his utterance. At 
 length he sobbed out, Oh ! father, you should have heard 
 Mr. Janisch to-night ; what good things he did say. He 
 was evidently convinced of sin, awakened, and deeply con 
 cerned for his soul s salvation. 
 
 " He retired into his room, fell on his knees, and earnestly- 
 pleaded with God for mercy and for a new heart. He contin 
 ued at this exercise for two hours together, until it grew late 
 in the night ; and in this state of mind he was put to bed. The 
 death of George M Nought affected him sore. He was well 
 acquainted with George, and loved him much, for he was al 
 ready a lover of good men; and, when George died, James, 
 in the depth of his sorrowful heart, was one of his chief 
 mourners, and wept for him much. Some time after the 
 death of George, sufficient time for its solemnities to have 
 passed away, James was one evening found, after he had 
 been put to bed, crying bitterly so much so, indeed, that 
 neither his mother nor any one in the house could comfort 
 him. His mother came to his father, desiring that he would 
 go in and see him, speak with him, ascertain the cause of 
 his grief, and comfort him. 
 
 " He went to his bedside, and asked, James, what is the 
 matter with you ? What aileth thee, my dear boy ? But 
 his dear little heart was too full of grief at once to answer. 
 At last he sobbed out and said, Father, I am crying for 
 George M Nought. Why, said his father, my dear 
 boy, should you cry for George ? You know George was a 
 good man, and died happy in the Lord, and is now in heav 
 en. He said, Father, I know that ; but I am crying, too, 
 for my own -soul. His father told him, he was glad to hear 
 that he was concerned for the salvation of his soul. 
 
 " He then entered into a lengthened religious conversation 
 with him, talked to him of the nature of sin, of the guilt and 
 danger of sinners, of the love of God in the gift of His Son, 
 
212 APPENDIX. 
 
 and of the love of Christ in the gift of Himself, in suffering, 
 bleeding, and dying for us. 
 
 " He then pointed out to him the necessity of an atonement 
 for our sins; the nature and the efficacy of that atonement; 
 the necessity of the agency and influence of the Holy Spirit, 
 to apply the blood of Christ, to change and regenerate the 
 heart; and also pointed out to him the way of justification 
 by faith ; exhorted him to believe on Christ, for the salva 
 tion of his soul free pardon and acceptance with God, for 
 the witness of the Spirit, and for adoption into the divine 
 family. All this he pointed out to him in the plainest and 
 simplest language possible, and by the most easy and nat 
 ural illustrations, such as his tender mind might be able to 
 comprehend. To all this he listened with serious and eager 
 attention ; and when his father would ask him if he under 
 stood all these things, he would answer Yes, or nod his 
 assent. Thus he endeavored to point the soul of his dear 
 child to the Lamb of God, who taketh away the sin of the 
 world. Once or twice his father knelt down and poured out 
 his soul to God in prayer for him ; during those supplica 
 tions, he was earnestly engaged with God for himself. When 
 prayer was ended, he seemed comforted and composed, and 
 shortly afterward fell asleep. What work the blessed Spirit 
 of God wrought in his soul that night, cannot be known ; but 
 it was very evident, that a work of grace had begun in his 
 heart, which was to fit and prepare him for a better world. 
 Shortly after this he returned from school during the hot 
 weather, complaining of his head, which continued worse and 
 worse, until he betook himself to bed, from whence he never 
 rose. 
 
 "He had every medical aid and strict attention from his 
 good and able physician, Dr. John Stewart, whose kindness 
 to the child during his illness will ever be held in grateful 
 remembrance by the parents. 
 
 " Little James trouble was all in his head. He seemed to be 
 swallowed up with sleep, from which it was difficult to arouse 
 
APPENDIX. 213 
 
 him even for a moment. Hence he spoke little during his 
 illness ; but, when asked if he loved the Saviour, with firm 
 ness -he would answer Yes, and then fall off to sleep again. 
 " They will never forget the kindness of the little church of 
 God on Ocean Rock, in this their severe trial of faith and sore 
 affliction. By the church, prayer was made to God, without 
 ceasing, for the salvation of both body and soul of James. 
 For him hundreds, if not thousands, of earnest prayers had 
 ascended to the throne. Thus the church continued to cry 
 to God in his behalf until his soul was transplanted from 
 the prayers of the Church militant on earth, to join the 
 songs of the Church triumphant in Heaven. He was the first 
 after the death of George who followed him to heaven, and 
 now sleeps in the dust of death, on the Rock of the Ocean, 
 at the feet of that mother in Israe.1, Mrs. Sarah B. Judson." 
 
 C. 
 
 MISSION TO AMERICA 
 
 THE Church of St. Helena have reason to be grateful, not 
 only for the kind providence which brought Mr. Bertram 
 to their shores, but also for his temporary absence. The 
 object which they had in view has been accomplished, and 
 more. Through the representations of their pastor in his 
 numerous addresses, they have been introduced into the fel 
 lowship of the churches in Africa, Europe, and America. 
 Their history was previously altogether unknown beyond the 
 narrow circle of their own sea-girt isle, and, in most cases, 
 their very existence had not come to the knowledge of God s 
 people in other portions of the world. Now they are known, 
 honored, and loved wherever their pastor has gone, and will 
 be remembered with deep interest by many thousands. 
 
 A brief relation of the incidents of Mr. Bertram s agency 
 will form a proper sequel to the account already given of his 
 life and labors. 
 
214 APPENDIX. 
 
 A few days after the public meeting, in which he bade 
 adieu to his devotedly-attached people at James Town, Mr. 
 Bertram, his wife, and daughter, embarked on board^ the 
 brig Velox once more, now under the command of Captain 
 Ware, on their way to Cape Town. After a long passage of 
 twenty-nine days, they reached the Cape in the latter part 
 of March, 1850. They met with a hearty welcome from the 
 kind friends of former days, under whose auspices they had 
 undertaken their mission to St. Helena nearly five years 
 before. 
 
 After some three or four weeks sojourn at Cape Town, 
 arrangements were made for a public meeting, which was 
 held the last week in April, at Union Chapel (Rev. Dr. Phil 
 lip s), when Mr. Bertram " rehearsed all that God had done 
 with them, and how He had opened the door of faith" unto the 
 benighted natives of St. Helena, and many of the residents of 
 that island. In the account given of this meeting, in the 
 " Cape Town Mail," of Saturday, May 4th, 1850, it is said, 
 that " the Rev. Mr. Freeman took the chair, and the Revds. 
 Dr. Adamson, Mr. Stegman, and Mr. Vogelzegang advocated 
 the claims of the mission on the Christian people of Cape 
 Town, with whom it originated, and the necessity of their 
 aiding Mr. Bertram in the accomplishment of the object for 
 which he has visited Cape Town. Mr. Bertram s report 
 was interesting and encouraging 
 
 " The South African Commercial Advertiser," also, of 
 May 8th, 1850, observed that " those of the public, who pro 
 fess to feel an interest in the diffusion of pure and undefiled 
 religion, have an opportunity of evincing their sincerity, by 
 assisting the Rev. Mr. Bertram, in his praiseworthy labors 
 at St. Helena. Mr. Bertram was favorably known here 
 some years ago as a missionary among the large and some 
 what turbulently-disposed body of sailors in Saldanha Bay, 
 where some hundreds of vessels, with their crews, were 
 crowded together in that place, removing the guano. He 
 has since been highly useful at St. Helena, and is now en- 
 
APPENDIX. 215 
 
 gaged in raising funds for the erection of places of public 
 worship in that island." 
 
 During his stay of about six weeks at the Cape, about one 
 hundred and twenty pounds ($600) were contributed to this 
 object by the different denominations at Cape Town. 
 
 About the middle of May, he embarked with his family on 
 board of the schooner Avon, Captain Webb, for Boston, in 
 the United States of America, where he arrived, after a pas 
 sage of fifty-six days, on the 10th of July, simultaneously 
 with the lamented decease of the late President of the United 
 States, Zachary Taylor. 
 
 He had been kindly furnished with the following testimo 
 nial from the American Consul, William Carrol, Esq., a 
 member of his congregation, but not a communicant, from 
 the first ; and from whom, as Mr. Bertram testifies, he had 
 continued to receive, even to the last, the most pleasing 
 proofs of kindness and regard; to whom, also, not a few of 
 the missionaries who have stopped at the island, have bee^i 
 in like manner indebted. 
 
 "Sr. HELENA, Feb. 18, 1850. 
 " REV. RUFUS ANDERSON, Missionary Rooms, Boston. 
 
 "Rev. AND VERY DEAR SIR, This opportunity serves 
 for me to introduce to you the Rev. James M Gregor Ber 
 tram, who has been carrying out the work of the Lord in 
 this island for the last five years ; and happy I am to tell 
 you that in my belief he has done more real good in that 
 time than has been accomplished for the last one hundred 
 and fifty years. 
 
 " Mr. Bertram s object in paying your liberal country a 
 visit, is, to get his cords strengthened, about which he will 
 no doubt communicate with you freely ; and I pray you to 
 extend to him the right hand of fellowship, arid to give him 
 that Christian support and help which, in my conscience, I 
 sincerely believe he deserves. 
 
 " To write more on this subject, wouM be to write vol- 
 
216 APPENDIX. 
 
 umes, which is unnecessary, as he will give you a faithful 
 account of himself and his operations, and will further ex 
 plain the various obstructions and hinderances he has had to 
 contend with in preaching the unsearchable riches of Christ 
 in this place. Through your help and influence, I trust he 
 will be enabled to return back soon to his work. I there 
 fore recommend him to your Christian sympathies and kind 
 ness, and that of your friends, and remain, 
 " Rev. and very dear sir, 
 
 " Yours, most respectfully, 
 
 " W. CARROL." 
 
 Similar testimonials had been furnished him from H. E. 
 Rutherford, Esq., a distinguished Christian merchant of 
 Cape Town, and one of the truest friends of missions, and of 
 all such enterprises, to be found in the Southern hemisphere; 
 long known to the American missionaries in that portion of 
 the world, as the Financial Agent of the American Board. 
 
 " CAPE TOWN, May 15th, 1850. 
 "REV. DR. R. ANDERSON, 
 
 " DEAR SIR, I take the liberty of sending you a few lines 
 at the request of my friend, Mr. James M Gregor Bertram, 
 who has been very useful as a preacher of the gospel at St. 
 Helena. We have done what we could to assist him here ; 
 but he requires further aid to carry out his intentions, and 
 will, I trust, meet with such aid in your noble country. 
 
 " Our respected friend, Dr. Phillip, is in tolerable health 
 of body, but grows very feeble. His mental powers, with 
 the exception of memory, are still vigorous. 
 " I am, Rev. -and dear sir, 
 
 " Very respectfully yours, 
 
 "H. E. RUTHERFORD." 
 
 He soon found himself among the friends of the Redeem 
 er, by whom he was sincerely welcomed to America. He 
 had the pleasure, also, of finding, at Boston, his friend the 
 
APPENDIX. 217 
 
 Rev. Jonathan Wade, with whom he had formed so delight 
 ful an acquaintance and fellowship at St. Helena, and who 
 now gladly embraced the opportunity of making some re 
 turn to Mr. Bertram for the many kindnesses shown to him 
 and his lady on their way from Burmah in 1848. In the 
 testimonial and recommendation with which Mr. Wade in 
 troduced him to the American churches, he gave an account 
 of what he himself had seen in St. Helena, of the fruit of Mr. 
 Bertram s labors, and said, " May the Lord give him that 
 favor with the pastors and churches in this land, which he 
 and his people have shown to many a poor, worn-out mis 
 sionary, Baptist and Psedo-baptist, who have stopped, stran 
 gers, and otherwise friendless, upon the island." 
 
 He was furnished, also, with a general letter of recom 
 mendation by the pastors of the Baptist churches in Boston 
 and vicinity, in which they cordially commended his object, 
 and spake in the highest terms of his labors of love at St. 
 Helena. Similar letters were kindly given him by the Rev. 
 Rufus Anderson, D.D., and the Rev. S. L. Pomeroy, D.D., 
 Secretaries of the American Board of Commissioners for For 
 eign Missions ; and by the Board of the American Baptist 
 Missionary Union. 
 
 Thus furnished, he entered upon his agency ; and in the 
 course of the next ten or eleven months, visited the churches 
 of different denominations in and about the city of Boston, 
 the principal cities and towns of Massachusetts, New Hamp 
 shire, Rhode Island, and Connecticut, being everywhere re 
 ceived with a cordial welcome by Congregationalists as well 
 as Baptists, and exciting everywhere a deep interest in be 
 half of the " Lone Isle" of the South Atlantic. He was fa 
 vored, also, with liberal contributions to the cause, not more 
 from the Baptist denomination than others. The question 
 was hardly asked, " To what sect do you and your church 
 belong?" It was Christ s work in which he was engaged, 
 and as such he was recognized and received by the friends 
 of Christ, 
 
 19 
 
218 APPENDIX. 
 
 It would be invidious to particularize the names of dis 
 tinguished pastors, in the various places that he visited, from 
 whom he received the most flattering and encouraging let 
 ters of commendation. It will be sufficient to refer to the 
 letter of his excellency, GEORGE N. BRIGGS, the Chief Magis 
 trate, at that time, of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, 
 whose kind and Christian attention to the missionary stran 
 ger will never be forgotten. Governor Briggs wrote as fol 
 lows : 
 
 "I have had the pleasure of an introduction to the bearer, 
 the Rev. James M Gregor Bertram, a missionary at St. Hel 
 ena. He is now in this country to solicit pecuniary aid for 
 the establishments which, under Providence, he has been 
 instrumental in building up on that island. The testimo 
 nials of his character are entirely satisfactory. His posi 
 tion, the success of his labors heretofore, his kindness and 
 attention to missionaries from this country, of different de 
 nominations, on their way to and from their stations, give 
 him strong claims upon the liberality of American Chris 
 tians. 
 
 " Most cordially I commend him to the friends of faithful 
 missionaries, and the lovers of the great cause in which they 
 are engaged. 
 
 " GEO. N. BRIGGS. 
 " PITTSFIELD, MASS., 24A Dec., 1850." 
 
 As the summer of 1851 approached, Mr. Bertram found 
 it necessary to intermit, on account of his health, which had 
 suffered somewhat, the arduous and wearying labors of his 
 agency. He also desired greatly to revisit his native land, 
 and the scenes of his youthful days. Accordingly he took 
 passage on one of the Cunard steamers at New York, in the 
 month of June, 1851, for Liverpool, whence, after a pleasant 
 and speedy voyage, he went up to Dumfries, to see his kin 
 dred according to the flesh, and was of course received as a 
 welcome visitor. His companion had preceded him some 
 
APPENDIX. 219 
 
 freeks previously. They also visited Newcastle-upon-Tyne, 
 and Manchester, in both of which they had formerly resided. 
 At Manchester they had the pleasure of receiving a note from 
 the High Sheriff of St. Helena, S. Solomon, Esq., a man of 
 high standing and great respectability. In this note the 
 sheriff says, " All goes on well at the mission house. In 
 deed, you laid the foundation, and, no doubt, all will pros 
 per. Your exertions to promote the welfare, demands public 
 thanks. God grant you health and long life to follow up 
 your undertaking." 
 
 Five or six weeks having been passed very pleasantly in 
 Great Britain, they left their native shores once more, on 
 board the New York packet ship " Jacob Westervelt," Cap 
 tain Hoodless, August 20th, 1851, for New York city. Ten 
 days out, and not long after they had passed Cape Clear, 
 they were overtaken by a terrific gale, which continued to 
 pour its fury upon the ship and its eight hundred inmates 
 for two days and a night. In this awful storm, the ship 
 was so disabled, by the loss of her main and mizen masts, 
 and rigging, as to be compelled, after the tempest subsided, 
 to put back for repairs to the Cove of Cork, where they short 
 ly after arrived in safety. 
 
 The delay of a fortnight in that harbor, gave Mr. Ber 
 tram an opportunity of forming an acquaintance, not only 
 with the " Green Isle," but with many of her worthy sons, 
 and of addressing congregations of different denominations 
 in the city of Cork, on the St. Helena Mission. On one oc 
 casion, while delivering an address in the meeting-house of 
 the Rev. Benjamin Young, a Baptist minister of Cork, the 
 house, and windows particularly, received the questionable 
 benefit of a shower of stones, but without any corporeal dam 
 age to the ministers or people. 
 
 Embarked again on their westward way, they reached the 
 port of New York in safety, under the guidance of their 
 Great Protector, and with hearts of devout gratitude, on the 
 12tJb day of November, 1851. Here, too, they received a 
 
220 APPENDIX. 
 
 cordial welcome, and Mr. Bertram was admitted to the pul 
 pits of nearly all the Presbyterian and Congregational, as 
 well as the Baptist churches in New York, Brooklyn, and 
 vicinity. Generous contributions of money were received, 
 and the amount of donations to the object, which previously 
 had reached the sum of $3000, was swelled to nearly $ 6000. 
 By the good providence of God, Mr. Bertram hopes to re 
 turn, in the course of the summer or autumn, to his lone isl 
 and home, bearing with him, or having sent before him, the 
 full amount cf funds which lit sought to secure for the erec 
 tion of the chapels at Sandy Bay and Rose Bower, and to re 
 deem the chapel at James Town from the mortgage with 
 which it has- for years been incumbered. But this is by no 
 means the whole of the burden with which he will be freight 
 ed. He bears with him the sympathies, prayers, and lively 
 hopes of the thousands of God s people, whom, by God s fa 
 vor, he has interested in his work, of which this humble 
 volume is a feeble testimonial. 
 
 THE END 
 
Stgljte 
 
 Or Words of Comfort addressed to those who are sowing in tears 
 and shall reap in joy. By JOHN BOWLING, D. D. " Weeping may 
 endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning." CONTENTS : 
 1. Nights of weeping and mornings of joy. 2. Night of convic 
 tion and mornings of conversion. 3. Night of desertion and morn 
 ing of restoration. 4. Night of trouble and morning of deliver 
 ance. 5. Night of weariness and morning of Rest. 6. Night of 
 death and morning of everlasting life. 
 
 ItotrljBS nf n -tort 3Btmrtf, 
 
 BY REV. G-EO. HATT. 
 
 This is a volume of experience, of facts and incidents in the 
 path of personal effort. 
 
 tfjre tttnrag site nf tjp 
 
 OR JUVENILE INFLUENCE. 
 BY J. H. ROSS. 
 
 A good book for Boys and Girls. 
 
 A treatise on the nature of Matrimony, the mutual obligations 
 of husband and wife, with appropriate instruction to both, 
 
 BY REV. S. REMINGTON. 
 
 Some are put up with a neat marriage certificate, folded in like a 
 a map, for the use of ministers to present those they marry. Price 
 from 12| to 75 cents, according to the style of binding. 
 
 3;fomnir nf Slfrrii %mi\, Imnr, 
 
 T OF THE AMERICAN BAPTIST MISSIONARY UNION. 
 By REV. H. HARVEY. 12mo. Price, 75 Cents. 
 
THE 
 
 LIFE OF ALEXANDER CARSON, LLB. 
 
 BY REV, GEORGE C, MOORE, 
 
 OPINIONS OF THE PRESS. 
 
 (From the Independent, N. Y.) 
 
 Mr. Moore has rendered a good service to the memory 
 of his preceptor by this sketch of his private and inward 
 life, and he has rendered also a service hardly less valua 
 ble to Christian truth and charity. 
 
 (From the Religious Herald, Richmond, Va.~) 
 
 This is an interesting work. Indeed, it could scarcely 
 fail to be so, for its subject was not only one of the most 
 learned and able theologians of our own denomination, 
 but one of the great men of the present age. 
 
 (From the New York Tribune.) 
 
 The biography of that eminent scholar and divine in a 
 style of unusual vivacity and point. 
 
 PUBLISHED BY 
 
 EDWARD H, FLETCHER, 
 
 141 NASSAU STREET, NEW YORX 
 
ALEXANDER CARSON, LL.D. 
 
 THE KNOWLEDGETF JESU& 
 
 The most Excellent of the Sciences, 
 BY ALEXANDER CARSON, LL.D. 
 
 (From the Lutheran Observer.) 
 
 This is a charming book, and we could wish it were in every Christian 
 family. The author is a writer of rare merit : learned, philosophic, pro 
 found, devout, and singularly fluent and beautiful in his style. We take 
 great pleasure in recommending it. He has been called "the Jonathan 
 Edwards of the nineteenth century," and those who read this admirable 
 production will not be unwilling to admit his claim to this distinguished 
 compliment. 
 
 (From the Religious Herald, Hartford.) 
 
 This is a book of vigorous thought, deserving of attentive perusal and 
 careful study by ministers and intelligent laymen. It discusses in a con 
 densed manner the facts respecting God and His government which are 
 presented by nature, and then passes to the more explicit revelation of 
 the Bible, and shows the identification of the gospel with the divine char 
 acter, as manifested in the work of redemption through the operation ot 
 the Trinity, and its self-evident truth. 
 
 (From the Watchman and Reflector.) 
 
 The late Dr. Alexander Carson, of Ireland, possessed an intellect of 
 great logical power and a heart of warm affections. His works are hence 
 characterized by depth and clearness of thought, and by vigor and fervor 
 of expression. His views of the gospel, as of the framework and ordi 
 nances of the church, are as luminous as day. The present volume takes 
 rank among the best of the productions of his pen. 
 
 (From the Congregationalist.} 
 
 The work shows for itself that it was written by a man of bold and 
 strong thought. It has no reference to the distinguishing doctrines of 
 his own denomination, though Dr. Carson has some celebrity for writings 
 of <& class. 
 
 PUBLISHED BY 
 
 EDWARD H. FLETCHER, 
 
 141 NASSAU STREET, NEW YORK. 
 
IN PLAIN AND ELEGANT BINDINGS, 
 
 FOR SALE BY 
 
 EDWARD H, FLETCHER, 
 
 141 NASSAU STREET, NEW YORK. 
 
 MISCELLANIES. 
 
 BY WILLIAM R. WILLIAMS, D.D. 
 
 Plain 12mo, $1 25 ; do. 8vo, $1 75 ; half morocco, $2 25 ; cloth, full 
 gilt, $3 00; Turkey, full gilt, $5 00; do., clasps, $6 00. 
 
 DOWLING S CONFERENCE HYMNS. 
 
 Plain, 25c. ; gilt, 40c. 
 
 THE LIGHT OF THE WEEK: 
 Or, tne Advantages of the Sabbath to the Working Classes. 
 
 A PRIZE ESSAY. 
 Plain, 25c. ; cloth, full gilt, 60c, 
 
 PROVIDENCE UNFOLDED. 
 
 BY ALEXANDER CARSON, LL.D. 
 Plain, 75c. ; cloth, full gilt, $2 00. 
 
 LIFE OF ALEXANDER CARSON, LL.D. 
 
 BY REV. GEO. C. MOORE. 
 Plain, 60c. ; cloth, full gilt, $1 50. 
 
 WORDS IN EARNEST. 
 
 AN EXCELLENT WORK FOR THE YOUNG. 
 
 Plain, 75c. ; full gilt, $2 00. 
 
 MEMOIR OF JACOB THOMAS, MISSIONARY TO ASSAM, 
 
 Tur. morocco, $2 00. 
 
THE CONVERSATIONAL COMMENTARY 
 
 COMBINING 
 
 THE QUESTION-BOOK AND EXPOSITION. 
 
 DESIGNED FOR THE USE OF SABBATH-SCHOOLS AND FAMIUBS. 
 
 Vol. I., on Matthew. 
 Vol. !!, on John. 
 Vol. III., on the Acts. 
 
 BY WILLIAM HAGUE. 
 
 " The plan of Dr. Hague in these several books to me* u 
 the wants of the higher classes in Sabbath-schools, we have 
 never seen surpassed nor even equalled by any other author, 
 according to our taste and judgment." Christian Chronicle. 
 
 " It is a species of Commentary quite original, combining 
 all the most valuable results of archeological and critical 
 learning, without the lumber and parade which often render 
 the perusal of the ordinary Commentaries and notes an 
 onerous and unwelcome task. Mr. Hague s plan renders 
 everything clear, impressive, and practical, so that the mind 
 is held, by an increasing interest, to those truths which are 
 most important to be remembered." Western Watchman. 
 
 " The method of imparting instruction in this book is a 
 novel but happy one. The author remarks in his preface, 
 The teacher who would give instruction in any department 
 of knowledge so as to awaken in his scholar a spirit of in 
 quiry, cannot easily satisfy himself with abrupt and insu 
 lated questions ; in order to arouse the mind to action and 
 bring himself into sympathy with it, he must communicate 
 something. The remark which imparts knowledge, quickens 
 thought, and then conversation proceeds with a rational and 
 easy flow. " Michigan Christian Herald. 
 
 Published by EDWARD H. FLETCHER, 
 
 141 NASSAU STREET, NEW YORK. 
 
RECOMMENDATIONS 
 
 OP 
 
 THE KNOWLEDGE OF JESUS. 
 
 BY DR. CARSON. 
 
 [From the Primitive Church Magazine, London.] 
 
 "!N illustrating this glorious theme the author s 
 mind expands in the lull strength and vi%<yt of ita con 
 ceptions, and pictures realities of Divine *rith almost 
 too brightly to be beheld with the eye of r eitii undim- 
 med. 
 
 " The present volume ( The Knowledge of Jesus ) 
 is full of invaluable principles, cast in an attractive 
 mould. Every page lives with interest ; there is no 
 thing dry, nothing tedious. Its style flows transparent 
 and free as the mountain stream." 
 
 [From the Orthodox Presbyterian, Belfast.] 
 
 EDITED BY DR. EDGAR. 
 
 " On matters of church order, it is well known we 
 differ from him ; but as a scholar we honor him as a 
 Christian brother we embrace him. In the knowledge 
 of the philosophy of the language, he is far in advance 
 of the present age ; and with respect to metaphysical 
 acuteness and powers of reasoning, he has been called 
 { the Jonathan Edwards of the nineteenth century. 
 His character as a philosophic theologian, and a pro 
 found, original, independent thinker, stands in the very 
 highest rank ; and he is only justly designated, when 
 called one of the most philosophic reasoners of the pres- 
 t age." 
 
 EDWARD H, FLETCHER, Publisher, 
 
 141 NASSAU ST., N. Y, 
 
FOSTER ON MISSIONS. 
 
 WITH 
 
 N ESSAY ON THE SKEPTICISM OF THE CHURCH. 
 BY EEV. JOSEPH P. THOMPSON, 
 
 PASTOIl OF THE BROADWAY TABERNACLE CHURCH. 
 
 (From the New York Evangelist.) 
 
 This essay of Foster s is one of the grandest and most eloquent of all 
 his writings, the reproduction of which, in this inviting form, will do 
 much good. The missionary work assumes a dignity and importance, 
 under the glowiiig tints of his masterly pencil, which ought to shame 
 the languid interest of the church, and which very naturally and appro 
 priately suggests Mr. Thompson s preliminary essay on the skepticism 
 of the church. This essay is very well written, and an impressive pres 
 entation of the causes and effects of a deficient faith in the promises of 
 God, in respect to the world s conversion. The work is neatly printed, 
 aiid we hope will find many readers. 
 
 (From the New York Recorder. ) 
 
 This is the substance of a discourse preached by its celebrated author, 
 and subsequently prepared by him for the press. It is one of the most 
 able and comprehensive discussions of the subject of missions that has 
 ever been written. It contains that remarkable fragment of Foster s, en 
 titled " God Invisible," conceived in the very spirit of the old Hebrew 
 prophets. The preliminary Essay, by Rev. J. P. Thompson, adds to the 
 value of the original work. 
 
 (From the Baptist Messenger.) 
 
 John Foster on Missions, is all that need be said. To say more, would 
 Belike an attempt to gild the sun. 
 
 (From the Christian Chronicle.) 
 
 It is one of the grandest productions of its author,.exhibiting, in a high 
 degree, the comprehensive grasp of thought, the lofty sweep of imagin 
 ation, and the rugged and massive style which made him for so many 
 yeara the acknowledged Jupiter Tonans among English Dissenters. 
 
 PUBLISHED BY 
 
 EDWARD IP. FI,ETCMEIt, 
 
 141 NASSAU STREET NEW YORK. 
 
EDWAKD H. FLETCHEE, 
 141 NASSAU-SIR T, 
 
 Keeps constantly on hand a complete assortment of RELIGIOUS 
 AND MISCELLANEOUS 
 
 which are sold at very low prices. 
 Attention is particularly requested to the following list of 
 
 iraii Smpurtnnt 
 
 ALEXANDER, J. W. The Young Men of Cities urged to the 
 work of Mental Improvement. 
 
 CARSON, L. L. D., Alexander, The Life of, by Rev. Geo. C. 
 Moore. " The Jonathan Edwards of the 19th century." 
 
 - " The Knowledge of Jesus the most excellent of the Sci 
 ences. 
 "A charming book, and we could wish it were in every 
 
 Christian family." Lutheran Observer. 
 
 "A book of vigorous thought, worthy of careful study." 
 
 Rel. Herald. 
 " Would do honor to any pen that ever wrote." 
 
 Troy Budget. 
 The God of Providence. (In press.) 
 
 CONVERSATIONAL COMMENTARY on Matthew, John 
 and tie Acts. By Wm. Hague, D. D. 
 
 COBBIN, Ingram. The Illustrated Domestic Bible. 
 
 CHE EVER; D. D., Geo. B. A Flea for Children and the Chris- 
 Hun Sabbath. 
 
 DOWL1NG-, D. D., John. A Collection of Hymns for use iu con 
 ference and prayer meetings. 
 
 11 " The Old-Fashioned Bible, or ten reasons against the 
 proposed Baptist version of the New Testament. 
 
flttfttlbfr: 
 
 COMPRISING, 
 
 THE HISTORY OF PROVIDENCE AS UNFOLDED IN THE 
 
 BOOK OF ESTHER, also, THE GOD OF PROVIDENCE, 
 
 THE GOD OF THE BIBLE, and also, THE TRUTH 
 
 OF THE GOSPEL DEMONSTRATED FROM THE 
 
 CHARACTER OF GOD MANIFESTED 
 
 IN THE ATONEMENT. 
 
 BY ALEXANDER CARSON. 
 
 12mo. cloth, PRICE, 75 cents. 
 
 " This volume contains an able and highly interesting 
 elucidation of the wonderful disclosures of divine Provi 
 dence, narrated in the book of Esther. The facts re 
 corded in that book reveal the unseen hand of the Most 
 High, directing the most minute events, as well as those 
 esteemed great, to accomplish the hallowed purposes of 
 his own will. The work before us draws out and illus 
 trates this consolatory truth." Chn, Observer." 
 
 " We have already in former numbers of the Memo 
 rial, noticed " the Life of Carson " by Mr. Moore, and 
 " the Knowledge of Jesus," written by Dr. C. We have 
 now the third volume in the series, and we hope there 
 will be many more, if they are all as good as the one 
 before us. It contains a clear, cogent, and incontrovert 
 ible argument in favor of the cardinal doctrine of a spe 
 cial Providence of God. The skeptic maintains that all 
 events occur in accordance with the general laws of 
 nature: but Dr. Carson shows conclusively, that even in 
 the general laws of his government, God specially super 
 intends them so that particular events transpire by the 
 efficiency of particular agents, and usually in accordance 
 with general laws." Bap. Memorial. 
 
in furtust: 
 
 OB, 
 
 THE PATH OF WISDOM MADE PLAIN. 
 
 WILLIAM W. EVERTS, J. W. ALEXANDER, 
 
 WILLIAM HAQ-TJE, G-. W. ANDERSON. 
 
 GEORGE B. CHEEVER. 
 
 " This is a most capital work for young men. It con 
 sists of essays on the social position and influence of cities ; 
 the temptations of city life ; young men of cities urged to 
 the work of mental employment ; the theatre ; duties of 
 employers and employed ; punishment not preventive ; a 
 plea for children ; and the Sabbath." Lutheran Observer. 
 
 " These discourses have been prepared in view of the 
 actual necessities and dangers of the times, and have a di 
 rect application to the condition of thousands. We should 
 be glad to see hundreds of copies of this volume in the 
 hands of our Church members in this city; for we are per 
 suaded its careful and prayerful perusal would be attended 
 with good results on a large scale." Central Christian 
 Herald, Cin 
 
 " On the whole this is one of the most useful as well as 
 attractive series of essays which have fallen under our no 
 tice." Christian News. 
 
MEMOIR OF ALFRED BENNETT, 
 
 FIRST PASTOR OF THE 
 
 BAPTIST CHURCH, HOMER, NEW TORE, 
 
 AND SENIOR AGENT OF THE 
 
 AMERICAN BAPTIST MISSIONAY UNION. 
 
 BY H. HARVEY. 
 
 [From the Christian Chronicle."] 
 
 IT is a book of most thrilling interest. The engraving 
 is true to life, and is worth far more than the cost of the 
 volume to the numerous friends of Mr. Bennett. Memoirs 
 are generally dry and formal things, but this is a striking 
 exception. There is not a page, but it is of most surpass 
 ing interest. Mr. Bennett was indeed a remarkable man 
 great by nature, great by grace, and great in the impres 
 sion made on the worm. His experience as he became 
 a Christian in early life, is of a most marked nature, 
 thoroughly evincing the genuine work of God on the heart. 
 
 Every Christian and friend of missions will be deeply 
 interested and greatly profited by reading this book. 
 
 [From the True Union.] 
 
 THOSE who knew Father Bennett personally, will natu 
 rally desire to learn something more of him. His lively 
 and ardent feelings of devotion, his strong common sense, 
 his great energy of character, his unbending integrity, his 
 fervent zeal, especially in the cause of missions, all com 
 bine to bespeak for the Memoir a diligent and careful pe 
 rusal. To young ministers, and to those who would in any 
 way make themselves useful in the church we would com 
 mend this work. Among the motives to purchase a copy 
 may be mentioned the fact that a share of the proceeds of 
 the sale go to the widow of the venerable subject. 
 
YB 29404 
 
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