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NEW STATION AT KIMORIE.

UR missionaries at Banana wishing to get into closer intercourse with the natives, and not quite certain whether Banana station would not be abandoned on account of its supposed unhealthiness, thought it well to cross the estuary of the Congo (a distance of about seven miles), and to build a new station on the hills of the southern bank, where there are many native villages and one or two traders' stores. There are half a dozen creeks running into the land on this southern side, backed by a range of hills. The centre one of these is Sherbro' Creek, and it is on the hills to the south of it that Kimorie station has been planted. These hills are three or four hundred feet high.

Several of the neighbouring "kings" had visited Banana, and requested our brethren to go amongst them, saying that all the people would be very glad if they would go and teach them. This they decided to do, and loading up the Livingstone with wood for the framework of a schoolhouse, Mr. Banks, with Mr. Harvey and one or two native boys, crossed to "King Plenty's" town. After the day's work was finished Mr. Banks was writing, when he says:

On looking up I saw that I was surrounded by 120 or 130 natives. It was half-past nine and the night dark, but a wood fire burned brightly close by my seat, upon which I had a candle to light me in writing. The scene was an impressive one. I felt an intense yearning over these poor dark souls; and as they stood gazing at me and wondering at my presence amongst them, I felt that even at that hour, and before I put up a tent or did anything else, I must speak to them of Jesus. There was one man who is a sort of "lingster" among them, and understood a little English. I tried to speak through him, but finding I could not get on with him I called Mr. Harvey's boy, Vemba, and got him to interpret for me. After speaking through him for some time, I told him to tell them himself what he knew about Adam and Eve, other Bible stories, and about Jesus. Forthwith he did so, and my heart thrilled within me as I noticed his earnest endeavour to explain to the people all that he himself had learned. As I watched the lad and listened, I thought surely the Spirit of God is with him! After a while he stopped. I felt impelled to ask him if he would now pray for the people, and seek God's blessing upon them. He said "Yes"; and turning to them he told them that he was going to speak to God for them. The people laughed at the beginning, but he, bowing his little head, poured forth an earnest prayer that God would open their eyes that they might see how it was with them, and might learn to know and love Jesus. His voice trembled a little at first, but as he went on he seemed to gain confidence, and positively wrestled with God for his countrymen. Glancing round I saw that the people had their heads bowed to the ground, and felt sure that the Lord had heard our prayers and was even then moving on their hearts. Oh, as I looked at that young lad with his thin little arms stretched out as he spoke to the people, I could not but pray that the Lord would prepare him to grow up into a strong man in Christ Jesus, even to be an evangelist among his countrymen. His speaking to them and praying for them seemed to impress the people far more than anything I had said to them. They sat round that camp fire for more than an hour afterwards, talking of what they had heard, and of the strange fact that a Fyote boy had prayed to the white

man's God for them! It seemed to open their minds to the truth that the white man's God was, or might be, their God also.

I should be extremely sorry if you do give up Banana station; I have seen so many of the people about here thirsting for the water of life. They ask us with earnest entreaties to come over and teach them, so that if we go and leave them it will be like depriving them of the hope of salvation. If you were here yourself, you would I am sure be the last to turn from these people, leaving them in the pit of sin and ignorance from which they evidently wish to escape. When I think of the multitudes between here and Wanga Wanga living in as gross darkness as those up country, I do not believe it can be God's will that they should be passed by. Oh no; let us seek to win them first, and then we shall have native agents to preach in the interior. These people have not heard the gospel. Shall we pass them by to give it at greater expense to others who are farther off? You say the station is so unhealthy, and that it costs too many lives to keep up the work here. I am willing (as are also the other brethren) to give my life that I may carry the tidings of a Saviour's love to these people. God has a work for each of us, and He will not take us home till we have finished it; and then why should we wish, either for ourselves or for our brethren, that life should be prolonged? Does not He know best? I think that we might very soon have a large school here in addition to other efforts. Pray for us that our efforts may be prospered.

Mr. Richards writes from Lukungu a pleasant description of the new station, and adds:

I am glad we are on this side of the river, for it cannot be compared but only contrasted with the other side. It would be comparatively easy work to make a wagon road from this to Mukimbungu. There are only a few hills, and a few streams which would require to be made fordable. I think this station is on the best site which the Mission has. Indeed we can desire nothing more than we have here; plenty of good ground easily watered, a good place to fix a waterwheel, plenty of building materials, and a beautiful spring gushing out from under a large rock not fifty yards from our house, which will supply us with clear sparkling water all the year round. There are any number of natives near us who are willing to give us children for education; we' have also a splendid view, and apparently a very healthy climate.

Mr. Richards mentions an incident which occurred on their journey up, to which no allusion is made in Mr. Clarke's description. They were on the banks of the Quilo one afternoon, and wanting to cross. The canoe was on the other side. Clarke asked the Kroo boys to swim over for it, and said he would fire into the water and frighten away the alligators; but they refused to make the attempt.

I saw there was not much hope of crossing that day, and began to put up the tent, when Movamba said he would try for four handkerchiefs. He was soon safely across, but alas the current was too strong for him to paddle the canoe back. After many attempts night was closing in. The poor fellow was alone in the dark, tired, and without food, covering, or fire to frighten away the wild beasts. We tried to throw some fire across to him on a string, but in vain. We went down to the edge with a light and shouted to him to swim back, but there were too many alligators about for him to dare to make the attempt. I was very much afraid some animal would take him in the night, but he knew how to protect himself. In the morning we found he had gone up a tree and fixed himself in some branches. When we got him over next day it

would have moved a heart of stone to see him looking so thin and worn, shaking and bent double. We gave him coffee and food, and beside a good fire he was soon as cheerful as ever. He is a great rogue, but he has got me out of many difficulties by his daring spirit.

On the journey they were constantly seeing hippopotami, alligators, and the footprints of elephants, buffalo and antelope. Monkeys abound all along the bank. On one occasion they saw two elephants walking along the side of a hill a few hundred yards from them. They got several shots at them, but they escaped from view.

We followed the tracks and came in sight of three more. Getting very near them, I crawled about on the grass, and could see the trunk of one in the air, not more than fifteen yards off. The others were farther back, waiting for me to fire, but owing to the long grass I could not sight the heads of the elephants. Hearing me coming towards them they ran off, and the grass was too thick and high for me to follow. One of them had two beautiful tusks that glistened in the sun a long way off.

RETURN OF MR. HARVEY.

At the end of October Mr. Harvey, who left England for the Congo in March 1880, returned home on sick furlough, bringing with him two native boys, Vemba and N'koyo.

Our first glance at this dear brother's face assured us he had come none too soon. He is suffering from great enlargement of the liver, and much general debility; but we trust his illness has been taken in time, and that he is likely to rally under proper treatment. We are taking every care of him at Cliff, where we are fortunate in having close at hand the help of a medical man of much skill and experience in the maladies incident to tropical climates, Dr. Wrench, of Baslow.

Mr. Harvey has done much good steady service on the Congo, and has acquired the language to a considerable extent. The lads who accompany him are younger than the two we have just sent back to Africa, and cannot as yet speak much English. But they are old enough quickly to learn, and can be useful also in translation work. It is needful to treat them as little exotics, for they feel the cold of this climate severely. One of them is the lad alluded to by Mr. Banks (p. 152) as acting interpreter and evangelist at Kimorie; he has a good utterance, and we trust he is destined to a good work among his people.

DEPARTURE OF MR. AND MRS. CRAVEN.

After being twice postponed for weighty reasons, the departure of Mr. and Mrs. Craven, with Francis, Robert, and Edith Walker, their Fyote family, took place by the African mail from Liverpool, on Saturday the 11th inst. Their tarriance in England had restored them both to usual health and strength, indeed we never saw either looking better. They

both started, too, full of hope and courage, and knowing so well as they do the sphere to which they go, with all its trials, dangers, and difficulties, they did not seem in the least to shrink from returning to it; indeed they both expressed decidedly the feeling that they could not be happy anywhere else.

The dear lads and the little girl were of course delighted to go back to their native land. Poor and degraded as it is, it is still home to them, and very true their hearts seemed to it! Moreover, it is a land of sunshine, and they were glad to escape our winter. The two little new comers looked with extreme astonishment on the hoar frost, which a day or two after their arrival covered fields and woods with a mantle of sparkling white, one sunny Sunday morning. They thought it was salt, and could not be convinced that it was merely water till they received ocular proof by its melting in their hands. They had never of course seen ice before, and great was their astonishment to find they could walk on water!

The severe gales which had been blowing for some weeks subsided the very day Mr. and Mrs. Craven embarked, and they must we think have had a favourable voyage. They expect to reach Banana before Christmas, and are anxiously expected by the diminished band out there.

They were earnestly commended to God in a precious season of united communion and special intercession in the new chapel at Cliff the night before they sailed. Robert Walker drew tears from many eyes by his little address in English on this occasion. He thanked, with evident and heartfelt sincerity, the friends of his people who had sent them the light of life, expressed his love and gratitude, and his hope of being made a blessing in Africa; and he was followed by a dear lad from Uganda, who in broken English poured out a full heart in earnest entreaties that God would send the gospel to his nation also. He is a Dinka from the Upper White Nile (north of Uganda), the only one of his people who has ever visited this land. He is studying now at Cliff, and promises to be an able interpreter and evangelist in a few years time. Should the Henry Reed steamer ever be permitted to ascend the Aruwimi we may find in this lad a chosen instrument to convey the gospel to a numerous people, unvisited as yet by any witness for Christ. "Selim" was stolen from his home by Arab slavedrivers, branded by them on his face as a slave, and taken to Uganda, whence he was brought to England by the Rev. C. T. Wilson, of the Uganda Mission.

MUKIMBUNGU STATION.

MR. PETTERSON writes that he has escaped the fever so far, and is in very good health. He speaks highly of taking a little quinine daily as a preventive. He adds: