August 5, 1855.—­A large audience listened attentively to my address this morning, but it is impossible to indulge any hopes of such feeble efforts.  God is merciful, and will deal with them in justice and kindness.  This constitutes a ground of hope.  Poor degraded Africa!  A permanent station among them might effect something in time, but a Considerable time is necessary.  Surely some will pray to their merciful Father in their extremity, who never would have thought of Him but for our visit.”

“August 12.—­A very good and attentive audience.  Surely all will not be forgotten.  How small their opportunity compared to ours who have been carefully instructed in the knowledge of divine truth from our earliest infancy!  The Judge is just and merciful.  He will deal fairly and kindly with all.”

“October 15.—­We had a good and very attentive audience yesterday, and I expatiated with great freedom on the love of Christ in dying, from his parting address in John xvi.  It cannot be these precious truths will fall to the ground; but it is perplexing to observe no effects.  They assent to the truth, but ‘we don’t know,’ or ‘you speak truly,’ is all the response.  In reading accounts of South Sea missions it is hard to believe the quickness of the vegetation of the good seed, but I know several of the men” [the South Sea missionaries], “and am sure they are of unimpeachable veracity.  In trying to convey knowledge, and use the magic lantern, which is everywhere extremely popular, though they listen with apparent delight to what is said, questioning them on the following night reveals almost entire ignorance of the previous lesson.  O that the Holy Ghost might enlighten them!  To his soul-renewing influence my longing soul is directed.  It is his word, and cannot die.”

The long absence of Livingstone and the want of letters had caused great anxiety to his friends.  The Moffats had been particularly concerned about him, and, in 1854, partly in the hope of hearing of him, Mr. Moffat undertook a visit to Mosilikatse, while a box of goods and comforts was sent to Linyanti to await his return, should that ever take place.  A letter from Mrs. Moffat accompanied the box.  It is amusing to read her motherly explanations about the white shirts, and the blue waistcoat, the woolen socks, lemon juice, quince jam, and tea and coffee, some of which had come all the way from Hamilton; but there are passages in that little note that make one’s heart go with rapid beat: 

“MY DEAR SON LIVINGSTON,—­Your present position is almost too much for my weak nerves to suffer me to contemplate.  Hitherto I have kept up my spirits, and been enabled to believe that our great Master may yet bring you out in safety, for though his ways are often inscrutable, I should have clung to the many precious promises made in his word as to temporal preservation, such as the 91st and 121st Psalms—­but