‘James Umbasi.’
In July the Rev. J. Peck returned from his visit to England, bringing with him a wife. They remained for the time with the bishop. The Moose Church, or Cathedral, had been enlarged by means of a new chancel; the hundred seats thereby gained were a great comfort to the congregation. ‘It is a long time,’ says the bishop, ‘since I felt happier than on the dedication day.’
Ship time was again approaching, not quite so anxious a time, now that a year’s provision in advance was safely stored on the mission premises. The poor would not want, and the missionary would be fed. But how little did any think how greatly those stores would be needed this year!
The ship, the Princess Royal, came; she discharged her precious cargo, consisting of all the necessaries for all the inhabitants of South Moosonee; and then she reloaded with bales of furs, huge bags of feathers, and hogsheads of oil. She left her anchorage, and got out over the long and crooked bar at the mouth of the river. She was then assailed by a terrible storm of three days’ duration, which drove her back over the bar again, and ashore on an extensive sand-bank. Here she was fiercely buffeted by the sea, and threatened to part asunder. The life-boat was lowered, and into it got the pilot, the second mate, and ten of the crew, who succeeded in reaching the schooner Martin, which lay at anchor in the river.
The captain and remainder of the crew were to follow in the pinnace, but the risk for the pinnace was greater than that for the life-boat, therefore they decided on remaining by the ship. The vessel was half full of water, and after a night of anxious watching they were taken ashore by the Martin. The vessel lay a total wreck about fourteen miles from Moose.
All was done that could be done for the shipwrecked mariners. The men were taken into the employ of the Hudson’s Bay Company, one of the carpenter’s shops being fitted up for their accommodation. Their own cook prepared their meals. Mr. Peck was appointed chaplain to them, his sailor experiences especially fitting him for the service. The bishop and his divinity students held night-school for them twice a week, teaching navigation, reading, writing, and arithmetic, closing always with singing and study of the Scriptures and prayer.
All behaved well; the captain set his men an excellent example; never being absent from his place in church as long as he remained at the station.
In the midst of all this, the bishop was still occupied in his important translation work. He had in the summer examined and revised an edition of the Pilgrim’s Progress into Cree, by the Rev. J. Vincent.
He hoped to be able to send the work home by the next ship, to be printed. The names of some of the characters in this work are remarkable for their length in the Cree dress. Christian is the same as in English, but Hopeful is Opuhosalems; Faithful is Atapwawinewen; Little Faith, Tapwayaletumowineshish; Evangelist is Miloachemowililew; Save-all is Misewamunachetow; Money-love is Sakeskooleanas; Worldly Wisdom is Uskewekutatawaletumowilileu! ‘I think,’ says the bishop, commenting on the translation, ‘that the Indians of Moosonee will be as well able to appreciate and enjoy this wondrous book as the generality of their English brethren.’ The work was printed with the help and through the agency of the Religious Tract Society (the friend and helper of all evangelical workers); and we give a specimen of it, that our readers may see what the printed page is like.