now her greatest comfort still is to be visited, feeling the need of the prayers of others with her own in this hour of weakness. She assures me, as many others do, that she wants no gifts— nothing but a visit and a word to strengthen her.

"It really is difficult sometimes to go into a street or a house unless you have time to visit all within reach. Messages and invitations come from all sides, and some of the most precious opportunities are those times of bereavement and sorrow, when the heart is open to impressions. I spent an hour only yesterday with a poor woman whose son has lately died. In telling of his faith and rejoicing words of hope, her own faith seemed strengthened, especially as she told how touchingly he had said, 'Mother, I am going to Jesus, where I wish to be; you must come too.' As she said, she had now but one thing to do, to follow.

"It is such a joy that people thus welcome us. I went to a nice little woman laid up with a bad knee, who longed to be read to, but was very nervous lest her husband, a Roman Catholic, should insult me. I assured her that he would not. When he came in he was rather grumpy, but he no sooner hcard my name than he gave me the heartiest welcome I ever had from any one; he said he should be proud whenever I came under his roof. I hope to send further details from time to time.

"E. S."

PETTICOAT-LANE MISSION.

"DEAR MADAM,

(A BIBLE-WOMAN'S LETTER.)

February 20th, 1872.

"It is just three years since I became a Bible-woman, and I feel I should like to tell you a little of the Lord's working during that time. When I look at the vast importance of the work, and my own imperfections, I wonder why I am one to-day; but I always had a desire to work for the Lord, and have been privileged to do so for many years. I believe I was called to it from a bed of sickness of seventeen weeks; and

hour after she left me, Thou shalt not die, but And bless His holy name

one day, when all hope was gone, had resigned myself and my babe (then ten weeks old) into His hands, who does all things well. I was often visited by dear Nurse B——, she being then Bible-woman for the district. At that time I shall not forget the earnestness with which she prayed for my recovery, if it were the Lord's will. About an there came this sound into my ears: live, to declare the name of the Lord.' for ever, I am here to-day a living monument of His mercy and grace! With reference to the Bible work during the past year, the Lord has blessed His own Word: it is a dark, benighted, sin-stricken district. There are about seven hundred Jews in it; nearly the same number of Roman Catholics. Then we have courts and alleys, filled with thieves and bad women. There are a number of lodging-houses; and I am sure you will be pleased to hear that two of the deputies have bought two large Bibles for the use of the kitchen; and they are read by many who come for a night only. I remember a dear young girl of sixteen I found in one of the dens of infamy: her name was Phoebe. I took her to one of our mothers. For a little time she came to our Meeting. She got some work since, bought some clothing, then a Bible, then she went to service, and is now a respectable servant.

"I could not tell you, dear Mrs. R, the deep poverty amid which our Bibles are often purchased; they are always bought at some sacrifice, often with the 'leaving off sugar money.' I must tell you of one woman who had married a widower with four reckless children. She determined that each should have a Bible on their birthday. This was accomplished for all but one. Poor Tom, the youngest son, was out at sea, but prayed for day by day by his father and mother, and sometimes given up as lost. A few months ago, however, poor Tom came home; he finds his father's house, and many tears were shed; for alas! he was in consumption. On the table he sees one of the birthday Bibles, nothing was said about it, and he went away to his wife's friends in Cornwall, but then he writes home for a Bible like his sisters, not for an ornament, but to read, for he feels he has not long to live. The mother paid

twopence last week for it, but Miss M- has kindly let them have the Bible at once, and on Saturday it was sealed and sent with earnest prayers, and many tears for God's blessing to attend it.

“We have an afternoon prayer-meeting, attended chiefly by the aged who cannot get out at night, also by three or four Jewesses. Our Mothers' Meeting is increasing, owing to the addition, when the Aldgate Mission was given up. We have one woman coming to the Meeting who was a most desperate character. She has often wished the most fearful things to herself, and one can scarcely account for her coming; we gave her no encouragement, and knew her only as a most quarrelsome woman, but she is now regular and attentive, and I believe the Lord has brought her there. May the Lord bless her and keep her. We cannot be too thankful for our kind Lady Superintendent.

"These are a few of the incidents connected with the Petticoat-lane Mission-some of our mothers have passed from earth to heaven, and some are on the way. May the Lord's

hand still be with us.

66

"I remain, yours obediently,

"M. A."

OUR MADRID BIBLE-WOMAN.

OUR FRIEND MR. W. MOORE says:

"I have had a long interview with our Spanish Bible-woman to-day. She has a most respectable appearance, and a wonderful amount of intelligence for one in her position of life. She gave me an interesting account of her conversion, and, so far as man can judge, seems to have embraced the Gospel of Jesus, not only with the understanding, but also the heart. I was very much pleased to learn of the work she has been carrying on for upwards of a year among those neglected factory girls, distributing tracts, bringing them to hear the Gospel, and speaking to them personally about their souls. She has sold . a quantity of Bibles among them, taking the price in instalments, though she had little capital of her own to lend in this way.

Even to-day she took away some Bibles to give to families among whom she has been pushing the work for some time. The beauty of her proceeding is, that she always tries to break up new ground, to direct her efforts in the way of those who are without. And what recommends her above all is, that she was doing all this without fee or prospect of reward. As she says herself, 'No padia menos de leererlo por amor de Christo.' As she will be able to give all her time now, she is very anxious (and I heartily concur) to open a school to teach some of these cigarreras to read. There are a large number of little girls in the factory from ten years upwards, and as they are now half the day idle, and the manager gladly gives permission, it would be a good work to assemble them for a couple of hours to teach them to read, and then put the Gospel into each of their hands. But of course she will always keep before her the grand object of her mission to read and explain the Word of God to her ignorant sisters. I know she is highly respected by all, from the manager to the lowest menial. There could not be a larger and more interesting field. She appears a suitable instrument, and what need we more but the blessing of God. I shall willingly undertake her supervision."

The following are some leaves from her journal :

"April, 1872.

"Since I last gave an account of my work, I have, through God's grace, been permitted to read the Holy Scriptures to 73 different persons. Sometimes I have read to families of three or four, and at other times to separate individuals. On one occasion nine members of one family were assembled. I have visited some of these families on appointed days of the week, when those gather together who wish to hear the Word of God, and I also pray with them. I still visit the prison, and I distribute portions of Scripture which are given me by those who are engaged in promoting their circulation in Spain. They are gratefully received by the poor inmates.

"I distribute them wherever I find an opportunity, and I therefore always carry a large number with me. In spite of the prohibition of the Director of the Cigar Factory, I daily read

the Bible to some of the women there, and I teach several of them to read. On many occasions I have rejoiced at the welcome of those whose misery was only equalled by their ignorance of the things of God. At other times I have been greeted with harshness, and even cruelty, by those who still believe that Protestants are enemies of God, and of our good Jesus.

"On the 8th of this month I entered a house for the first time of a family sunk in utter poverty and misery, and I there saw an old man of 70 shed tears of joy, for having for the first time in his life heard read the Word of God. That very day his wife had died in the hospital, and he sorely needed the con. solation of the Gospel. A poor woman in despair under the weight of her trials, told me that she was thinking of throwing herself under one of the railway engines, which pass near her house, in order to put an end to her trials. 'I have no hope,' she said, and a few minutes afterwards, when I had read to her of the sufferings of our Redeemer, and explained to her his great sorrow and pain on our behalf, she wept with compassion, and begged me to go often to comfort her. Meanwhile, the old man above-mentioned, said that 'while hearing such beautiful things he could feel no hunger, neither could he remember his grief. This unfortunate family consists of 7 persons. I sat on one of two broken chairs that were there, and the rest sat on the ground, listening to the reading and explanation that I gave them. I hope to go there often, and to take also some help for one of the children who is ill.

"In the cigar factory there are more than 5,000 women; of them more than 300 know the Gospel, and regularly attend the services of the different Protestant chapels. It, therefore, often happens that discussions arise between Protestants and Catholics, and I am constantly asked to give explanations, and lend my help to the weakest side. A few days ago, one of these controversies had irritated the Catholics, for one of the new converts had asserted that the Virgin Mary had had other children after the birth of Jesus. This, which amongst Catholics is the most fearful blasphemy, was likely to produce a very serious conflict. My presence, and the way in which I was en