The Sun.
London, England, 1823-05-09 00:00:00

MERCHANT SEAMEN'S BIBLE SOCIETY.

Yesterday the Anniversary Meeting of the
Merchant Seamen's Bible Society was held at the City of Lon-
don Tavern, where the Great Room was filled by a respectable
assemblage of females.—Lord I xstouz'rr took the Chair.
The report was read by. the Secretary. It stated at great
length the progress the Society had made during the last year ;
and the whole was highly gratifying,.
Lord ROCESAVAGE moved that the report should he reedy-
ed. It was agreed to with much applause.
Gentleman addressed the Meeting at great length, and
contended that it was a mistake to suppose that it would make
sailors mopes_,, and afraid, of gynpowderi if the? were made
religious. The contrary was proved by, the fact, that the
best fighters bad ofteniteen the best Christians ; and amongst
the host, he instanced Colonel Gardner, Admiral Gambier, and
their present excellent (.‘ihairman.—(Loud applause.)—No sol-
diers or sailors, could be, so .g,ood as those who were constantly
prepared to Meet death, and none could be well prepared to
face the King of Terrors who were not armed by religion.—
(A.iiplause.)—Sailors of a religious habit were also more docile,
and required less rigorous restraint than others. There was
no ideas of men who had such extensive claims upon the chari-
table or towards whom the country was under greater obliga-
tions to provide for their spiritual welfare. ()ratitude and
humanity, as well as interest, were united in claiming the as-
sistance of mercantile men in this good work. ,
`The Rev. Mr. CLavr oar moved a vote of thanks to the Noble
and gallant Chairman. It was agreed now, whatever notions
might have been held formerly, that true knowledge was a sub-
stantial good. If this were true, then there could be no foun-
dation in the objection to giving light and knowledge to sea-
men, by the dissemination of the Scriptures. It should also be
considered, that in making each sailor a Christian, they made
him as it were a Missionary, to convey the truth to the most
distant. parts of the globe, where they would do as much good
by their moral example as they formerly did harm by their bad
and immoral habits.
The motion of Thanks was carried unanimously.
Lord ExsiouTii, in returnirg thanks, said, that m the
merchants had their pockets filled by the labour of the sailors,
they ought, in gratitude, to empty theirs upon an occasion like
the present, when the benefit of the sailors demanded it.—
The Meeting was then dissolved. The hint given by the Noble
Chairman was not lost, and a large subscription was made.

.... ..._
F;RE.—Yesterday afternoon, a little before
two o'clock, a fire
road, during broke out in the back shop Of 111 r. Dixox,
copper-plate printer, 28, Tottenham-street, Tottenham Court-
the absence of the men at their dinner. The
flames raged with considerable fury, and destroyed the
whole of the plates, printing materials, presses, &c. to a
considerable amount., Mr. Dixox, in the endeavour to
save part of the property, from the confined situation of the
place, was nearly suffocated, and was unable to speak for se-
veral minutes after he was got out ; by a timely arrival of the
engines, and a good supply of water, the flames were prevented
spreading,