Precious stones also are offered to tempt the novice, most of which are said to be imported from Birmingham, though on rare occasions, a really good stone may be picked up cheap. Had I been on my way home, I should have taken G. the model of a Katamarang. They are such curious looking boats, built very narrow, and with a singular contrivance at one side to prevent their upsetting in the surf.

March 30th. Yesterday we spent about six hours at Penang, and enjoyed a charming drive through a perfect jungle of exotics.

It is a very pretty island, the hills wooded to the top with cocoa-nut trees, pines, &c. One of the handsomest trees we saw was the senna, a name which used to be disagreeably familiar to one's youthful ears.

The ponies of Penang are the most wonderful little animals I ever saw; they are not, I should think, above twelve hands high, and yet you see them drawing carriages containing four, or even five people, and going along at a great pace without much apparent effort. The carriages are no doubt built very lightly, and are like very small char-a-bancs with a light pole at the four corners supporting an awning to protect their occupants from the sun.

March 31st.-We reached Singapore this morning. The views coming through the straits were most lovely. Of course we went on shore at once, have had our usual drive, enjoyed the shower which daily refreshes Singapore and its inhabitants, and expect to sail again to-morrow morning.

LETTER VI.

P. AND O. STEAMER, 6th April.

The wind was against us for some days after leaving Singapore, and the sea rather rough, which made our progress very slow. It seemed very dull too for some days after parting with my kind friends Mr and Mrs E., especially as, the other ladies being ill, I was the only one able to appear at meals.

Being sole representative of my sex became really too appalling, so I fairly mutinied, and persuaded the authorities that I was much too ill to dine down stairs, and must have dinner on deck with the other ladies. Unluckily, the wind blowing our food in every direction but the right one, caused so much laughter, the hilarious sounds penetrated below stairs and cast grave

doubts on the minds of said authorities as to the invalidism of some of the party.

We therefore had reason to be grateful to the winds and the waves when they kindly abated next day and allowed us all to appear down stairs. It is said that we shall be in Hong-Kong tomorrow, which I hope we may, and in time for the English mails.

LETTER VII.

POK-FOO-LUM, 12th April.

Since the conclusion of my last letter the first phase of my life has also been concluded, and phase the second commenced.

I must return, however to our arrival at HongKong which took place on Friday morning about eleven o'clock.

Imagine a large waggon of coals being tilted up, and the simile, though a homely one, will bring to your "mind's ear," as nearly as I can describe it, the noise caused by the going down of the anchor. Imagine still farther what a joyful sound this was to me on the bright, sunny morning that saw me at my destination, safe and well, after so long a voyage.

B

From the moment we stopped all was bustle and confusion: every one too busy looking after their own affairs to mind any longer those of their neighbour.

Almost immediately Mr W. (to whose care I was consigned) and H. made their appearance.

A few hurried partings, an equally hurried meeting, and I found myself in Mr W.'s boat on our way to his beautiful abode, which is some little distance from the town.

From the landing-place to the house I was carried, on account of the heat, in a chair-a conveyance which, I suppose, is much the same as an Indian Palanquin.

Mr W. received me most cordially, and on going to my room, my eyes were greeted by seeing on the table a long letter from Mrs B., and a parcel containing a lovely present sent to me from Japan.

In the afternoon H. went again on board the steamer to look after my goods and chattels, and very soon I had the pleasure of seeing the two large boxes called respectively "Hong-Kong" and

Foo-chow," with their attendant and smaller satellites ranged safely round the walls of my charmingly spacious apartment.

Rather to my surprise, I found that Canon B.

and H. had decided that Palm Sunday was the only suitable time for us to be married in this, the season of Lent, and had begged Mr W. to deprecate all opposition on my part to the arrangement. Though certainly a novel idea to my Presbyterian mind, I came to the conclusion that it was one highly deserving of a gracious approval, and thus, I fear many kind friends have been completely frustrated in their attempts to drink our health on the right day, and still more at the right hour, for, at 8 A.M. on Sunday, the first day of this present week Miss F. became Mrs, and "H. and I" were merged in we.

I must now introduce to you a very important personage of whom you will doubtless see frequent mention in my letters, and who accompanied us on our drive to this pretty Bungalow-viz., “Scuttle," H.'s black terrier and for many years his constant companion. She occupied the front seat of the carriage, and from the sagacious expression of her face, and the many sidelong glances cast at me, I cannot doubt she was meditating deeply on the vicissitudes to which dogs are heir, and wondering what terms she and her future mistress were to be on.

H.'s servant, called by the generic name of "Boy," had preceded us here with a procession of coolies carrying our boxes and all things necessary