Having landed, and been heartily welcomed by dear Dr. and Mrs. Moon and other friends, I went with a kind of trembling joy to have my first look at the _Dayspring_, like a sailor getting a first peep at the child born to him whilst far away on the sea. Some of the irritated ship’s company stopped us by the way, and threatened prosecution and all sorts of annoyance. I could only urge again for a few days’ patience. I found her to be a beautiful two-masted Brig, with a deck-house (added when she first arrived at Melbourne), and every way suitable for our necessities,—a thing of beauty, a white-winged Angel set a-floating by the pennies of the children to bear the Gospel to these sin-darkened but sun-lit Southern Isles. To me she became a sort of living thing, the impersonation of a living and throbbing love in the heart of thousands of “shareholders”; and I said, with a deep, indestructible faith,—“The Lord _has_ provided—the Lord _will_ provide.”
For present liabilities at least £700 were instantly required; and, at any rate, as large a sum to pay her way and meet expenses of next trip to the Islands. Having laid our perplexing circumstances before our dear Lord Jesus, having “spread out” all the details in His sympathetic presence, pleading that the Ship itself and the new Missionaries were all His own, not mine, I told Him that this money was needed to do His own blessed work.
On Friday morning, I consulted friends of the Mission, but no help was visible. I tried to borrow, but found that the lender demanded twenty per cent. for interest, besides the title deeds of the ship for security. I applied for a loan from the agent of the London Missionary Society (then agent for us too) on the credit of the Reformed Presbyterian Church’s Foreign Committee, but he could not give it without a written order from Scotland. There were some who seemed rather to enjoy our perplexity!
Driven thus to the wall, I advertised for a meeting of Ministers and other friends, next morning at 11 o’clock, to receive my report and to consult _re_ the _Dayspring_. I related my journeyings since leaving them, and the results, and then asked for advice about the ship.
“Sell her,” said some, “and have done with it.”
“What,” said others, “have the Sabbath Schools given you the _Dayspring_, and can you not support her yourselves?”
I pointed out to them that the salary of each Missionary was only £120 per annum, that they gave their lives for the Heathen, and that surely the Colonial Christians would undertake the up-keep of the Ship, which was necessary to the very existence of the Mission. I appealed to them that, as my own Church in Scotland had now one Missionary abroad for every six Ministers at home, and the small Presbyterian Church of Nova Scotia had actually three Missionaries now on our Islands, it would be a blessed privilege for the Australian Churches and Sabbath Schools to keep the _Dayspring_ afloat, without whose services the Missionaries could not live nor the Islanders be evangelized.
Being Saturday, the morning Services for Sabbath were all arranged for, or advertised; but Dr. McGibbon offered me a meeting for the evening, and Dr. Steel an afternoon Service at three o’clock, combined with his Sabbath School. Rev. Mr. Patterson, of Piermont, offered me a morning Service; but, as his was only a Mission Church, he could not give me a collection. These openings I accepted, as from the Lord, however much they fell short of what I desired.
At the morning Service I informed the Congregation how we were situated, and expressed the hope that under God and their devoted pastor they would greatly prosper, and would yet be able to help in supporting our Mission to their South Sea neighbours. Returning to the vestry, a lady and gentleman waited to be introduced to me. They were from Launceston, Tasmania.