another. His a Christian man, and very patient and grateful.

"Nurse had supplies of clothing for all these cases this morning.-M. T."

WORK IN THE BLACK COUNTRY.

"DEAR MADAM,

"I promised to write and let you know a little of our work in Derbyshire. Our Mothers' Meeting is increasing in numbers, though they vary very much. I think this is owing to the uncertainty of the work, as it has been very bad lately, so that the men return at all hours of the day; and then, you know, we have no Clothing Club in connexion with it. We have two or three very bad characters who attend. One woman often cries when I visit her, and says she will lead a different life, but she cherishes in her heart a sin that she will not part with. I can only tell her how useless and vain all her good resolutions are until she, in God's strength, determines to forsake it.

"At the garden party at Woodford this year a gentleman, in his address, made this remark,

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Always go the most where you seem the least welcome.' "There was an old woman on my district, over 80 years of age, hardened, disagreeable, and uncouth to everybody. She refused to let the clergyman visit her; and since she died the woman in the house says she used to say, 'She did not want me tormenting her.' However, I used to go: it seemed so sad to see her thus. I noticed she could not bear to see me bring out my Bible, and one day she said

"Now, I can't talk.'

"I answered, 'Very well; you sit still and I will just read a verse or two to you.' (Matt. ii. 28-30.) At other times she would say, 'I'm too weary to listen to you to-day,' though she would never weary of village news if any one came in to talk.

"I was reading to an old man in the same house one day, when she came into the room, with her eye and face all bruised and black. I said, 'Oh dear, you have hurt your

poor face.' 'Well,' she said, 'I could ha' told you that,' and went out. I felt inclined not to go in her room that day, but I did; and she seemed somewhat softened. I asked her why she treated me so unkindly always, when she said—

"There, child, get yourself a chair, and don't mind me,' and seemed to listen with more patience than usual as I once more told her of the wondrous love of Jesus. And then she said"Pray for me.'

.

"You can think how pleased I was, though I said afterwards, 'Now pray for yourself, my prayer will not save you; but however simply you pray, if you really mean what you say, God will accept you for Jesus' sake.' She promised she would. The next time I saw her she was dying. She said, in answer to me, 'She was trusting only in Jesus,' and put out her hand to grasp mine. We knelt and prayed by her bedside, and a few minutes after her spirit had passed away, we hope to the rest which she sought so late.

"We have Cottage Prayer-meetings in the winter, and there is a young man here who was converted when we had the tentpreaching here in 1876. We had a Prayer-meeting at his house, and after it was concluded his wife remained on her knees in great distress of mind. I spoke to her, and prayed with her; she herself prayed for pardon, and rose from her knees rejoicing in Jesus. We have also had special Prayermeetings for three weeks, in the morning, for women: they were well attended, and one woman who had attended the Mothers' Meetings some time, gave her heart to God. Since then she and her husband have both joined one of the chapels, and are, I believe, consistent members.

"Miss C-, my superintendent, has a library, which I keep at my lodgings. We have about 20 members; they pay 6d. a quarter, and like the books very much. They have also made two Mothers' bags, which are in constant demand.

"I cannot tell you exactly how many Bibles I have sold this year, but will do so when I write again, though the sales have not been so large as last year, work among the coalminers has been so bad. We are always having some one hurt in the pits, their work is so dangerous.

с

"One poor man, a short time ago, had his back hurt; when he had got better and returned to his work, in one week's time from that, he was brought home killed.

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.

They are very rough and careless, though I always get treated with respect among them. Many of them are earnest Christian men; some, desperately wicked.

"We hope that God may send the means for us to go on working together still, if we are spared another year, and that He will still more abundantly pour out a blessing upon us. "Yours respectfully, "A. R."

GOOD NEWS FROM SWEDEN.

f

(To the Editor of the "MISSING Link.")

"November, 1877.

"I would be pleased if you would send one of your volumes for last year, and how much you think proper for this year and then for next year.. I hope God will help me to send money some time next year, and may He help me and us altogether in our word and work; and first and last in our faith in Him! only begotten, living, and dying, and risen, and gone to His Father, for our sakes, to make us perfect in standing before His Father on judgment-day. We hope you have read how much the Father has done in Sweden and Scandinavia, as all over the world this year; and how sinners, led by His Spirit, have been looking on Christ crucified, and rejoiced in His salvation. Blessed be His name for ever and ever that He 'hath visited us. Look out for Scandinavia through Christ. We pray for all the world.-O. J. O.”

SORROW TURNED INTO JOY.

WE have received the following from a dear and intimate friend of Mrs. Ingalls :—

"MY DEAR MRS. R――,

"I have peculiar joy in forwarding you a joint letter— arrived last week-telling us of the actual removal of our dear

burnt-up sister into her new Mission-house,' which they began to build some six months ago. She wrote me a letter the day before, when 'resting' after the extreme fatigue of the move, having to pack all her newly-acquired goods, and dispose of all in their places safely-there being, you see, no doors as yet.

"It is affecting to read her simple outburst of joy and gratitude on realizing the fact that she is once more in a roomy and airy habitation, after being for nearly two weary years immured in the blank walls of a chapel, with no ventilation, as in a home, and with every thing piled upon the floor around her.

6

"As I read her joyous announcement of the flitting I recalled to mind the remarkable text which happened' to fall on the doleful day when the news reached us (May 3, 1876), Your sorrow shall be turned into joy,' and I then wrote and sent her this Divine message; and on the 17th Nov., 1877, I entered into her 'joy,' as I read the letters showing the fulfilment of this promise!

&

"You will be greatly interested to read the further record of her 'carpenters,' who I trust will actually prove to be the first-fruits of her fiery trial.' I know you will be soon joining us in fervent prayers that those dear souls may be given to her as her blessed compensation for what she has lost; and thus her sorrow will indeed be turned into joy.'

6

"I am hoping to obtain a few suitable coloured pictures, for which dear Mrs. Ingalls asked some time ago, to form her 'Scripture Panoramas.' She says nothing attracts the Burmans more than pictorial teaching: they never forget the stories, and many strangers come and ask to see them.

"I am now inquiring after some second-hand Encyclopædia to send also. You saw the list of questions she quoted as having to find answers to each, and therefore wishing to find dependable books of reference. Evidently the native mind is awakening, for the thirst for knowledge is much stimulated by intercourse with our people."

N.B.-Any such books or pictures could be forwarded to Mrs. Ingalls at 6, Beech-street, Liverpool, addressed to Mrs. Lundie.

A LETTER FROM MRS. INGALLS.

"Burmah, Sept. 16.

"My Beloved Sisters in Christ,

"The day has dawned, God be praised! Oh, this fresh air and the comforts about me! May blessings rest upon those dear English friends who were the first to remember me in my time of trial. Yesterday we moved into our new house, and this has been our first night here. We had service in our Burman room last night, and had 12 heathen strangers present. Oo Shaw Mot, the late Buddhist priest, preached his first text sermon (John xiv. 6). He spoke very well. Indeed, Christ seems to be the mainspring of all his life now. He is supported by a dear friend at Calcutta, and when her fund fails I shall put him on as one of yours, so that he will not be obliged to practise medicine for a support, and he can give his whole time to the work. I shall try to make him one of the links between us.

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Sunday night.-It has been a good day. Our school-house was crowded with people, and the pastor preached one of his best sermons. We have not cleaned out our chapel yet, but we shall be glad to have it again for our Sabbath service. The carpenters who built our house are still with us, and they were all out dressed in new clothes. They sleep in our little sitting-room, and seem very glad that we moved in yesterday, for they have been afraid of evil spirits, and have sung songs to keep them away. They came to us in January, and I have been accustomed to read to them Sunday afternoons, or show them Bible pictures. I have urged them to attend our service, and would not let them do our work on these days; but they have listened to my orders only out of fear and respect. To-day their faces looked bright, and they came into the service of their own accord. I long to ask them the state of their minds to-day, but dare not. If God has begun the good work, the seed of the Word will burst forth.

"Monday night.-You will be glad of my news. Four of the nine carpenters say they believe all we say, and three of them said they went to church yesterday because their hearts were in this religion. To-morrow they leave for their homes, 25 miles from this. We have paid them for their work, and though we wish them to remain and hang our doors, and do other work, they wish to go. Now that they are in the house with us we have good opportunities for talking with them.

"Tuesday night.—I have many things to tell you about our new house, but new joys have sprung up, and I must now ask you to accept my thanks for all the gifts which contribute to make us so comfortable, and I would that I could, face to face, thank all who so responded to your appeals. God bless them all!

"Six of the carpenters returned to their homes, and we may never see them again, but one of the head men and two of the assistants have re