THE late Mrs. Bailey was a daughter of the late Samuel Hague, Esq., of Manchester. The writer of this first saw her a babe of a few months old in her-now widowed-mother's arms. More than thirty years passed, and I saw her again on her arrival at Cuttack. This was towards the close of October, 1873. Not able to give a clear and connected account of the events of these years, so far as they affected our departed friend, I may say that, trained in a Christian home, she was early brought to the knowledge of Christ, was baptized, and became a member of the church meeting in Union Chapel, Manchester, under the pastoral care of the Rev. Dr. Maclaren. I have reason to believe that she was among the firstfruits of his memorable ministry at Manchester.

On her arrival in Orissa she applied herself, with commendable diligence, to the study of the language, rightly judging that a competent knowledge of the vernacular was necessary to fit her for usefulness in her sphere as a missionary's wife. Her success was in proportion to her diligence. She was possessed of a cultivated mind, was fond of reading, and her knowledge of men and things had been enlarged by travel and a residence of three or four years in Switzerland and Germany. Placed, in the providence of God, at Piplee, more than twenty miles distant from any other Europeans-she did not feel the loneliness of her lot so much as many would have done: she found her happiness in domestic duties, in seeking to benefit the native Christian community and the orphans committed to her charge. In this way days and months and years happily and usefully glided away. Much to her satisfaction, and to ours, she passed the last month of her life under our roof; and we fondly hoped that a life so precious to her family, and to many others, might be long preserved-but such was not the will of the Lord and a circumstance that occurred the last time but one that she was able to unite with us at the family altar appeared to shew that she herself was contemplating the possibility of a speedy and sudden departure from earthly scenes. I suggested that it was her turn to choose the hymn, and she mentioned hymn fiftysix in the Appendix

"One sweetly solemn thought

Comes to me, o'er and o'er,
I'm nearer home to-day

Than I have been before."

Unhappily our knowledge of tunes was too limited to admit of its being sung; but she remarked on some of the verses being altered in our collection from the form with which she was familiar; and especially referred to the fifth verse

"Jesus, in whom I trust,
Perfect my feeble faith,
That I may calmly cross

The unknown stream of death." And with still more emphasis did she speak of the last impressive verse,

"I may not now be far

From the dark river's brink;
I may be near my home,-
Nearer than now I think."

On Sabbath afternoon, April 6th, she gave birth to a fine little boy, and for a little while the hope was fondly cherished that all was going on as favourably as could be expected; but suddenly an alarming change occurred, and the worst was feared. Pollok's lines occur to us

"Tidings came

A child was born; and tidings came again That she who gave it birth was sick to death. So swift trode sorrow on the heels of joy."

Early the next morning our brother came in from Piplee; but before he could reach our door tidings that awakened much anxiety were communicated to him. For three days hope of a favourable issue was entertained, though shaded by grave anxiety; but on Wednesday evening the symptoms were more unfavourable, and little hope remained. At her request I prayed with her; but at such seasons it is rather crying to the Lord than ordering our speech before Him. The scenes of the next day, especially between eleven o'clock and one p.m., will not soon be forgotten by any of us. "This," she said, "is a dying scene"-and I felt that it was so. As I have long thought that in speaking to the dying it is best to use the words of Scripture, I repeated, slowly and solemnly, some of the most precious portions of the divine word. The following were mentioned. "I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand." "I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." "As thy days, so shall thy strength be." "The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms." "I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed "Whether unto Him against that day." we live we live unto the Lord, and

whether we die we die unto the Lord; whether we live therefore or die, we are the Lord's." "In my Father's house are many mansions. I go to prepare a place for you." She responded, "Mansionsmany mansions." "This God is our God for ever and ever: He will be our guide even unto death”—and she added, "unto death." We afterwards found that this was the text for that day in her daily Text Book. "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit"-and she repeated the latter part, "receive my spirit." She began to repeat, "Jesus Christ the same;" and we finished the verse, "yesterday, to-day, and for ever." She felt that the prayer, "God be merciful to me a sinner," was suitable at the last. "O my God, have mercy on me," she said, adding, "He will have mercy on you all." "The Lord grant unto you, and to us, that we may all find mercy of the Lord in that day." After being silent for a time she said, "O! I thought I had gone. I thought I had gone. Why did I not go? Why are His chariot wheels so long in coming?" I repeated the parting promise, "Surely I come quickly," and the prayer, "Amen; even so, come Lord Jesus." Tender thoughts of her children stole over her, and she said with deep feeling, "O my little ones." We assured her that many prayers would be offered for them, and that the Lord would

take them up. She afterwards asked to see them, and they were brought, but I was not present.

While feeling that the best words of uninspired men, even as expressed in devotional poetry, should be sparingly used in speaking to the dying. I felt constrained to repeat two lines from "Rock of Ages"

"Nothing in my hand I bring,
Simply to Thy cross I cling."

And surely none of us can ever forget the emphasis with which she repeated, seven or eight times over, "Simply, simply, simply ;" and three or four times over, with much feeling, "To Thy cross; to Thy cross I cling." In sending her love to her mother and sisters the day she died, she said, "tell them it is far easier to die when the time comes that God calls us, than we are apt to think when in health."

At seven in the evening she fell asleep. "Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints." May the reader and the writer die as she did, clinging to the cross. The next evening we committed the precious remains to the cold grave "until the day break, and the shadows flee away."

With many loving salutations we, your unworthy children, write this letter to our dear papa. We are very distressed with the sad news contained in your last letter. The day our dear máma left us we were happy in the hope that, ere long, she would return to us in health, and that we should see her again face to face. The Lord has done what was good in His sight; but that our dear máma would so quickly leave this fleeting world we could not believe; and remembering her love, and much valued instructions to us, we are now exceedingly sorrowful. So long as it was the Lord's will He spared her to be your companion; and now, according to His will, she has been taken away, we hope you will remember that so long as David's son was sick, David mourned for him with a great sorrow; but when

his son was dead he arose and washed himself, and ate and drank. Job also says, "The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away blessed be the name of the Lord." As it was His pleasure to give her to you, so also, according to His pleasure, she is taken away; and as Job was patient under the loss of wealth and cattle, sons and daughters, so we trust that you will be patient in this time of trouble; and if we have strong faith in God we shall assuredly again see our dear máma in heaven. And "Now our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation, and good hope through grace, comfort your heart, and stablish you in every good word and work."