I WAS anticipating a greater showing of labor for this quarter than is herein appended, but circumstances have turned much of the trade from this port. Much of my work has been confined to the regular lines of steamers touching here. The North German Lloyd furnishes an excellent opportunity to send the truth to all parts of America. Each week their steamers are crowded with passengers. At times there are as many as fourteen hundred on board, but generally one thousand. They are made up principally of Germans, Swedes, Danes, and Norwegians, the Germans preponderating. Although many of this class regard not God, I find some who are susceptible to truth. Such are willing to purchase our publications, and what they pay for, they do not destroy. Thus our reading matter is carried to others of their own nationality, and if I am faithful, I expect to see fruit in the kingdom of God.
While I receive many jeers and scoffs from the emigrants, I always find some who make my heart glad. I often see groups of from ten to twenty huddled together, eagerly reading the precious truth; and some of them will grasp my hand, and point their finger up to Heaven. Others, who can speak a little English, will say, "The Lord sent you here to-day." And some, after reading our papers, buy others, and request me to post them to their friends.
We have ascertained the nationality of the people inhabiting the different islands visited by steamers leaving this port. During this quarter, we have sent out sixty-three packages of publications; and through the kindness of the officers of these boats, we have been enabled to send them free. Our mode has been to put up a few copies of the Signs and Review, a copy of Good Health, the Instructor, etc., with a few pages of tracts, and direct them to the agent of the company at the different stations, with a letter enclosed asking him to accept them, and, after selecting such as would be of interest to himself, pass the others to his friends.
This plan has worked well. As the result, a gentleman who is conducting a mission at Cape Haytien writes that a parcel was handed to him, and he himself was much interested in the Signs, and desired it sent to him regularly. He also wished other reading matter to circulate in his mission, and was willing to pay for it. A gentleman from Demerara writes, thanking us for the parcel. We expect to hear from many in due time. An officer who is on one of the West India boats has taken quite a supply of English, Danish, French, and Spanish publications to place in the hands of those who are journeying from one port to another.
Perhaps it would be an item of interest to learn where our publications have gone during the quarter. By taking a map, you can see that they have been sent to all quarters of the globe. The following are the ports that the sixty-three packages have gone to: Barbadoes, Jacmel, Kingston, Port Au Prince, Colon, Simon, Grey Town, Tobago, Trinidad, Demerara, St. Lucia, Martinique, Dominica, Guadeloupe, St. Kitts, St. Thomas, Porto Rico, St. Vincent, San Domingo, Grenada, Samana, Porto Plata, Havana, Port Cabello, Caril, Vigo, Lisbon, Maccio, Pernambuco, Bahia, Rio de Janeiro, Monte Video, Beunos Ayres, Cape Verde, and Cape Haytien. The above are chiefly in the West Indies and South America. The following, are in the East Indies, etc.: Gibraltar, Malta, Port Said, Suez, Aden, Bombay, Galle, Madras, Calcutta, Penang, Singapore, Shanghai, Queensland, King George's Sound, Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney. The following are ports of the Cape of Good Hope, etc.: Maderia, St. Helena, Cape Town, Mossel Bay, Port Elizabeth, Port Alfred, East London, Durban, Mozambique, and Zanzibar.
We are contemplating sending the second lot to the places above referred to, and have them placed in the hands of those having charge of the missions. As the steamers leaving this port have more or less passengers, a packet is put up for their use. I am satisfied that our publications are accomplishing their work, as we learn from the following incident: I visited a ship named the "Salient," and placed a copy of the Signs in the hands of one of the men. To my astonishment I was informed that they had been reading that paper. On saying perhaps it was a paper with that name, printed in London, the men said, "No, it was a paper that had Mrs. White's articles in;" and they produced a copy that had been nearly worn out by reading. On further investigation, I learned that the papers were placed on the vessel at Alexandria, Egypt, by two men, one representing himself to be Dr. Ribton. The boatswain had been troubled about the Sabbath question, and although he had made many inquiries concerning it, he received no light until he read the Signs. The man bought Bro. Andrews' "Eleven Sermons," and was glad to take a supply of reading matter to distribute on the island of Sicily, and in other distant ports where they were going. On another ship I was informed that ten Armenians, one a preacher, had been passengers on their boat; and that they observed the seventh day as the Sabbath of the Lord. They were on their way to America.
I must not close this report without mentioning the kindness of those men who have charge of the ships while at this port. They have never lost their interest in assisting us in every way possible in the work of sending out our publications, and are just as much rejoiced on learning of any item of interest as we are ourselves. Surely the Lord has raised us up good, substantial friends; and I hope that they may receive a reward with the faithful, and be dwellers in the kingdom of God.