last visit to them, and he carried away much comfort
from this meeting. His sister was engaged to be suitably married, so
that he was relieved from care on her account, and some hope was
entertained that Lydia would be able to come out to him in India. A
correspondence likewise began, which has been in great part preserved.
Two days after weighing anchor, the _Union_ still lingered on the coast,
and the well-known outline, with Mount's Bay, the spire of St. Hilary's
church, and all the landmarks so dear and familiar to the young
Cornishman's eye and heart, were watched from morning to night with keen
pain and grief, but with steadfast resolve and constant inward prayer.

Then he addressed himself to the duties of the voyage. Private study of
Hebrew and of Hindostanee was of course a part; but he hoped to be useful
to his companions as a friend and as a minister. He could only obtain
permission to hold one service every Sunday, but he hoped to do much by
private conversations and prayers, and he tried to gain over the cadets
by offering to assist them in their studies, especially mathematics. Some
of them had the sense to see that the teaching of a senior wrangler was
no small advantage, and these read with him throughout the voyage; but in
general they were but raw lads, and followed the example of their
superiors, who for the most part were strongly set against Mr. Martyn.
Those were the times when sailors were utterly uncared for, and when
_mauvais sujets_ at home were sent out to India to the corruptions of a
luxurious climate and a heathen atmosphere. Men of this stamp would
think it bad enough to have a parson on board at all, and when they found
that he was a faithful priest, who held himself bound not to leave them
unchecked in their evil courses, they thought themselves aggrieved. Nor
was his manner likely to gain them. Grave and earnest, he had never in
his life known sportiveness, and his distress and horror at the profanity
and blasphemy that rang in his ears made him doubly sad and stern. From
the first his Sunday service was by most treated as an infliction, and
the officers, both of the ship and of the military, had so little sense
of decency as to sit drinking, smoking, and talking within earshot. The
persons who professed to attend showed no reverence of attitude; and when
he endeavoured to make an impression on the soldiers and their wives
between-decks, he was met with the same rude and carele