being far advanced. But their departure for China was not immediately anticipated.
The steamer Corea, in which Mr. Barchet and his companion had sailed, proceeded as far as the south of the Bay of Biscay, when she fell in with a ship containing a valuable cargo, which had been abandoned by its crew in a severe storm. The captain took possession of this prize, worth some thousands of pounds, which thus became the property of the owner and crew of the Corea, and turning back, towed it into Plymouth harbour. The steamer was detained there for a few days, when the Lord permitted our faith to be severely exercised by a heavy trial. Mr. Marshall and the writer, having proceeded to Plymouth, received the painful intelligence that Mr. Barchet's companion had determined not to go forward to China. He had caught a serious cold before leaving Glasgow, had suffered much from sea-sickness, and was very ill when they reached Plymouth. Unnerved in mind and body, he felt unprepared to set out again for China.
Many circumstances combined to make the drawing back of our brother peculiarly painful to us. After many months' study, he had attained to considerable proficiency in the language. China's need we felt to be very great—"the harvest was plenteous, but the labourers were few." The free passage, so generously accorded, appeared lost; as did all immediate use of the articles procured at considerable cost for his outfit. And above all, we feared disgrace to the cause of our God, and discouragement to the friends of the mission work. At this critical juncture, our beloved brother, Mr. Crombie, nobly stepped forward to fill up the gap; and this, not only with the assent of his intended bride, but with her hearty concurrence. "Go!" she said, "and shew that you love the cause of God more than me." After two hours of prayerful consideration, he calmly resolved to make the sacrifice; and proceeded to Plymouth by the first express train of the next morning. In sixteen hours after the receipt of the telegram announcing the drawing back of Mr. Barchet's companion, Mr. Crombie was on his way to take his place, provided the consent of the captain and the owner of the vessel could be obtained. He arrived in Plymouth about 4.45 p.m. The captain's consent had in the meantime been conditionally given, and the owner's kind permission reached us about an hour after Mr. Crombie's arrival. A few necessary articles were hastily purchased; we saw our dear brother on board, united in prayer with him and Mr. Barchet, and about half an hour after midnight left them already on their way to China.
They were favoured with a prosperous passage as far as the Cape of Good Hope. They put into Table Bay for the purpose of taking in coal; but not
