for air; these were kept before the windlas and not allowed to converse with the seamen. This was rigidly observed, in consequence of two of these men having, at a former period, been parties in the seizure of a vessel named the Cypress, making the same voyage; which was carried off to the coast of China or Japan. They put the persons, now our captain and mate, on shore, along with several others, in Recherche Bay, at the mouth of D'Entrecasteaux Channel; from whence they reached Hobart Town with great difficulty. The jail occupied by these men was not high enough for them to stand erect in, but they could stretch themselves on the floor, on which they slept, being each furnished with a blanket.
On the 8th, I paid my first visit to the prisoners, just after they had been searched, lest they should have concealed any implements for effecting their escape. After enquiring respecting their health, I told them that if they had no objection, I would read them a chapter in the Bible, and desired to know if there was any one in particular they would prefer. One of them replied, there was some very good reading in Isaiah. I opened the book, and read the 42nd chapter, and at the conclusion commented upon it, pointing out the effect of sin, the object of the coming of the Saviour, and his power, not only to deliver out of darkness and the prison-house, in a spiritual sense, but also in an outward one; expressing my conviction, that if they would attend to that grace which reproved them for evil, they would be led to repentance, and into that faith in Christ, through which they would obtain forgiveness of sin, and a capacity to love and serve God; that this would produce such an effect upon their conduct, as to restrain them from evil, and enable them to work righteousness, procure them a remission of their sentence, and introduce them to peace and joy, beyond any thing of which they could form an idea while in the service of Satan, whom, I did not doubt, they had found in their own experience to be a liar, as they had been tempted by him to expect pleasure from sin, but had found in its stead trouble and loss. Several of them were attentive and appeared thoughtful, and on taking leave, one of them placed
