The Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1860-11-20 00:00:00

SEAMEN AND EMIGRANTS'

The thirty.4iinth annual -meeting' of the Liverpoel
Seamen and Emigrants' Friend Society and Bethel
Union was held last' night, in Great George-street
Chapel. In the absence, through indisposition, of.the
Rev., Dr. Raffles, the chair was taken .by Mr, John
Cropper. On the platform we observed the 11,;.)v. W.
Gfaham, the Rev.'W. Ffolliot, 8.A., the Rev. W. Shaw,
Capt, D. Brotchie, ilfr. H. T. Miller, and several cap-
tains, seamen, and other friendseof the society. The.
body of the chapel was filled to overflowing by ail atten-
tive audienee, amongtt whom were Many sailors and
others connected with a seafaring .life. The proceed-
ings were aliened with prayer by the Rev. Mr. Smith,;
after which the Chairman addressed the meeting, and
said he felt no little difficulty in taking the chair on that
occasion, and sympathised most sincerely in every word
that had been uttered, regarding the absence of their
valued
,president, .Dr. Raffles, who had been in the
habit of Occupying the chair on , these occasions, wit's
very few exceptions, (hiring the last thirty-nine years
that the institution had been in existence. (Hear, hear;)
He regretted now to find that the declining health if
the rev. gentleman had deprived them of that pleasure,
. and himself of that satisfaction. After a few other
remarks approbatory of the work which the.societi had
in view, he concluded by calling on the secretary to read
the report for the past year, which gave a satisfactory
account of the operations of the institution. The amount
of subscriptions received realised .ne less a sum than
£787 Ss. Bd. The exertions made by the agents of the
society to Spread gospel truth amengst sailors and emi-
grants had been productive of, much benefit', and so
great was the desire of those persons to be evangelised,
that it was found necessary to increase' the number of
.iiiisdonary preachers.
TIM Rev. WILLTAM GRAHAM moved the following
resolution :—" That the report 'now read be adopted,
printed, 'and circulated, 'under-the directions of ,the
committee," in an excellent and feeling speech. He
thought that the society .which held its meeting', that
night deserved to be called . the Liverpool Society,
because Liverpool would not be the Liverpool it
Was that day but 'for its sailors ; and 'there-
fore the society that took into consideration
the Christian state of the sailors coming to this great
port, vas emphatically the Liverpool Christian .Society.
He believed that the moving of the resolution could,
scarcely require a lengthened speech, as there was not.
another class of men in whose conversion a Christian
person should feel a more lively interest than in sailors.,
He pointed out how, in the early ages of the Christian
church, their Divine Master selected men "who went
down to the sea in ships" as thoie who should extend
his kingdom all over the world. He said that Liver-
pool owed a great deal to its seafaring population, and
he hoped that adequate support would be extended to
the spreading of the Gospel amongst mariners.
The Rev. W. From,rov, 8.A., who ministers in the
Floating Chapel, set apart for the use of sailors,
seconded the resolution, and said that, though a minister
of the Church of England, still he felt great pleasure in
taking an active part in the promotion of every move-
ment that had for its object the extension of spiritual
enlightenment amongst sailors and emigrants. No class
of persons should claim a greater interest at the hands
of Christians than sailors, to whom the world at large
was greatly indebted England espedially, and Liver-
pool was entirely indebted to its seafaring population for
its large and increasing prosperity, her large mansions,
and many splendid buildings. Im fact, everything great
and noble amongst them in this magnificent town of.
Liverpool had been reared by the dilutions of the
sailors,
_ . .
_

Mr. Joint PATTEIiSON proposed the resolution--
" That this meeting receives with great pleasure the
communication that the Liverpool Seamen and
Emigrants' Friend Society and Bethel Union' has had
an increase of agency, and enlarged its operations in
preaching the gospel and tract distributing ; and that it
shall meet with that support from the merchants and
shipowners which it deserves ;" which was seconded by
.the Rev. Mr. Welsh in a neat speech.
_ .

.•
Mr. MILLAR who had been formerly a sailor, but is
now ,engaged in preaching the gospel, proposed.a reso-
lution to the effect—" that the great awakening which,
throllgh the power of ,the Holy Spirit, was being
realised in so many portions of the Church, we recognise
with grateful joy the tokens of the,Divine favour which
had ben received by this and kindred institutions, as
the attendance on means of grace, and in the conversion
unto the Lord of many of our sailors, their relations,
and* friends ; and we sincerely pray that, in m,easures
still , more abundant, the same gracious power may be
found, turning the hearts of all men, but especially of
our sailors, 'unto God."
Captain BROTCHIE, in seconding the resoliition, said
it delighted him very much to see Christian men of every
Christian denomination collected together, upon one
great platform, like the,present. It showed this truly,
that though men might be many and differ as the waves
of the sea, still they could be one as the ocean. It
delighted him to see so many united in the cause of sea-
men and of God. lie had been a sailor from his earliest
days, and-went to sea -when he was-so littler-that- he
could get no wages. (Laughter.) He enforced on the
meeting the necessity of supporting the cause of the
society.
The meeting was subsequently addressed by the Rev.
James Buck and others.
The, collections were then made, by which a hand-
some sum was realised. The meeting closed With the
ittonatien of the doxology.