"June 13th.

"My last fortnight has been spent in preparations of all sorts. Preparations for going to sea so as to be ready on the Admiral's return; preparations for landing our men again in case we had to march on Pekin, equipping them with defences against the sun, with haversacks for their food, bottles for water, &c.—one need to be half a soldier. Plenipotentiaries have been sent down to negotiate with our ambassador, and the treaty was to have been finished all but the formal signature to-day. Lord Elgin has been living at the expense of the city. When we arrived there we selected the best looking temple near, and ordered the townspeople to fit it up in the best style. They did it immediately, for they were only too glad that their city was neither attacked nor plundered; and in a short time the joss-house was cleaned, papered, carpeted with red cloth and embroidered dragons, and furnished with square uncomfortable seats, with covers of the same sort of stuff. Thirty servants were appointed and put in uniform, and I suppose the attention we exacted made them think much more of our ambassadors.

"Tientsin has been visited, and proves a dirty, wretched place. The suburb is the best part, and Lord Elgin's house happens to be the best looking building in the place. Roderick Dew was pelted as he walked along, and had to make the best of his way off with the loss of his hat, and when a party of marines went up, the gate of the city was shut in their face. However, Osborn got over the wall with half a dozen blue jackets, and came down on the flank of the astonished crowd, who were well belaboured with cutlass and scabbard, and the gate was opened to the marines, who marched through and round the place, and chastised some of the most impudent looking. I have been trying to write to Mrs. E. about her little boy, who died in this ship, and find it easier to tell her about him than I thought it would be; he was so good and pure a little fellow that I could not but give her comfort in speaking of him. When such a thing occurs, one feels how great is the responsibility on one's shoulders when there are so many young boys to look after, tenderly brought up, and not

judges of their own fitness to stand fatigue or climate. Two others were lying dangerously ill at Tientsin; they are better now, getting stronger; both are charming boys, full of spirit and honour."

Early in August, the Calcutta having touched at Shanghai, went for a short time to Japan-being one of the first English men-of-war which had been admitted there; and the first impressions of Japan are thus described :

:

"NAGASAKI, August 6th.

"A rainy day, pouring in torrents, but even that cannot hinder me from feeling pleased with the place and people. We came in three days ago, on a lovely morning. The harbour is a long arm of the sea; rocky points jut out on either side, hiding strangely shaped boats with bright sides and flags. The hills are cultivated in terraces to the top, and at this season clothed with fresh tender green of vegetables and corn. Clumps of dark trees stand in the ravines and on the tops of the highest hills. We are the first line of battle ship that has been here, and so are crowded with intelligent visitors. It is really a pleasure to see them, they are so polite and clean, and well-mannered. Many speak Dutch and a few words of English, and ask questions incessantly. Yesterday I went with the Admiral to call on the Governor, and lunched at his house or dined there, at half-past two. We were placed on chairs on one side of a room, floored with several thicknesses of matting, and with mat sides; the Governor and his suite were seated on sofas opposite to us. The conversation was sufficiently tedious, having to be carried on through two interpreters, from English to Dutch, by one of our seamen, and from Dutch to Japanese, by an interpreter, who spoke to the Governor on hands and knees, and with his head bent. One would expect to find this servile and disgusting, but it appeared to me to be merely a form of respect, and the manner of speaking to the man on his knees was always polite. Servants brought cups of tea, then

trays of sweetmeats, at which we nibbled; after cups of water to remove the taste, came very handsome black Japanese trays, with a broth of fowl and vermicelli, broiled pieces of fresh pork, and bits of fish on separate japanned platters, and a shallow red cup of salt-very nasty. After pecking at these came another tray with hard boiled eggs, a cup full of capital lobster salad, and lobster floating about with tough mushrooms. Everything is delightfully clean after Chinese dirt. Just now all the party who were yesterday at the Governor's, were presented with their plates of sweetmeats from yesterday's dinner, nicely tied up with tinsel thread."

The Calcutta returned to Hong Kong at the end of August, 1858. During all this time Goodenough suffered, as did most people, a good deal from fever at intervals, and once from a sunstroke, from which, however, he soon recovered. About this time he thus speaks of the ship's company of the Raleigh:

"HONG KONG, December 13th.

"The old 'Raleighs' hold together to the name and to the ship wonderfully. We were only six months together, and were separated a year and a half ago, yet the men still talk of being Raleigh's, or Riley's, as they say; and on every ship I go on board on the station, there is some fellow who comes up with a pleased grin, to be recognised and nodded to. I never saw such esprit de corps before among seamen. That sentence in the advertisement for men, 'none but the right sort need apply,' first got the men a good deal of abuse from other ships' crews, but finally separated them from other men, and made them endeavour to earn the title of the right sort."

In February, 1859, the Calcutta was ordered home, and was paid off at Plymouth on August 12th of the same

year. Immediately on arriving in England, Captain (now Admiral) King Hall proceeded to another command; and on Commander Goodenough devolved the task of paying off the ship. She was dismantled with such rapidity as to elicit a compliment from the authorities.

SECOND VOYAGE TO

CHAPTER III.

CHINA IN H.M.S. RENARD-PENANG- РЕІНОSHANGHAI-NINGPO-NANKIN-SUEZ CANAL-COMMANDER OF H.M.S.

REVENGE-PROMOTION.

ON paying off the "Calcutta," Commander Goodenough spent a few weeks with his relations in different parts of England; but his holiday was to be of short duration. When he had been in England about a month, came the news of the second and unsuccessful attack on the Taku forts. Goodenough, feeling that the knowledge of China which he possessed could be made of use, immediately volunteered to return to that station. On the 18th of September, just five weeks after he had left the Calcutta, he writes to his sister :

"I hope you will have half expected what I am going to tell you. When I heard of the terrible news from China, I could not do otherwise than offer my services to go out there again. I went to the Admiralty therefore, yesterday, and saw Sir Michael Seymour, who happened to be there, and he told me that I should in all probability be employed."

A day or two after he was appointed to the command of the "Renard" sloop, which was then lying at Sheerness, and which he joined on September 22nd. The preparations were hastened forward as much as possible. He left