for a week's residence, so we found breakfast prepared and the house quite ready for our reception. Said "Boy" is by no means a juvenile, the term being applied in the East to either a butler or personal attendant quite irrespective of age, or of the confusion that must sometimes arise from every one's servant being called the same name. They are evidently a most intelligent race, but how I am ever to understand what they say, or make myself understood by them, seems at present a difficulty. I am sorry to say, I have already more than once been reproved for laughing visibly at the extraordinary gibberish called "pidgin English which H. makes use of in giving orders to our domestic. The individual's dress is really very neat and clean-looking-A loose white jacket, wide sleeves with blue turned back cuffs-blue kind of knickerbockers with white leggings drawn over them to the knee, and very thick though light soled shoes. This, or entirely white, is the usual dress of a Chinese servant in summer, who also must devote a good deal of time and attention to his head which is always nicely shaved, and his cue beautifully plaited. I believe in full dress and in winter, they wear a garment down to their feet much resembling that which Noah is represented to have worn in the ark! I must now go back in my narrative and tell you how perfectly charmed I was with the beauty of Hong-Kong. My impression had always been that fever and general unhealthiness was its principal characteristic, and such unfortunately was, to a certain extent, the case, at one time; but now the climate is greatly improved, owing, it is said, partly to the advice of Mr Fortune, the eminent botanist, who gave it as his opinion that if numerous trees were planted, they would draw off the noxious gases from the soil, which had for years proved so disastrous in their effects on the English regiments. The town, of course, is also thereby greatly beautified, as well as by the handsome public and private buildings, all of white stone, and many of which, I suppose, from their appearance, cannot have existed very long. Then the Harbour crowded with gaily painted junks, and ships of every flag and nationality, is like an immense inland lake, so completely is it to all appearance land-locked and surrounded by hills rising in many places from the water's edge. The highest is Victoria Peak. You can hardly imagine a more beautiful or cheerful scene than that on which I looked down from my verandah at Mr W.'s house, and will therefore not be surprised at my taking a very couleur-de-rose view of a few years' residence in China. Our abode here has a pretty look-out over the We are distant about four miles from HongKong, and there are several other Bungalows scattered about the neighbourhood, belonging to the different mercantile houses in the town, whose inhabitants find it a pleasant change in the hot season to come here and enjoy the sea breezes. Hong-Kong, 18th April.-Mrs W. sent her carriage for us on Saturday, driven as before, by a rather imposing-looking Indian with a huge turban. We found, to our regret, on returning to this hospitable mansion, that our host was still too unwell to appear, and though his kind little wife is a host in herself, I fear our presence must be rather inconvenient to her, when so anxious about her husband. Yesterday (Easter Sunday) we went to service in the Cathedral. In the afternoon we walked round the Happy Valley, which is evidently intended by nature for the purpose to which it is applied, viz., that of a race-course, the amphitheatre of hills forming for it a natural grand stand. Nestling under these hills, we saw the well laidout and beautifully kept cemeteries belonging to the numerous religious sects to be found in this cosmopolitan colony. All the dogs of the establishment accompanied us in our walk-a goodly array, for in the East most of the members of the great mercantile houses live together, so they, with their respective pets form a large household. April 18th.-To-day we have been driving about visiting the "curio" shops and others of a more practical nature, as I hear there are none, near my future home. In the afternoon Canon B. and others called. We must alas! give up the pleasure of visiting Canton at present, as Mr R. kindly invited us to do; but the inexorable steamer sails to-morrow, and H. is obliged to return to Foo Chow before the beginning of another week. LETTER VIII. IMPERIAL ARSENAL, FOO CHOW, The letters must be posted in half-an-hour,” is the message just received, so I have merely time for a few lines to tell you of our safe arrival yesterday, after a very pleasant three-days' voyage from Hong-Kong. We sailed at three o'clock on Tuesday, and reached Swatow about noon the following daya most utterly uninteresting-looking place, and the heat so great, there was no inducement to land. After spending some hours there, we sailed again, and found ourselves early next day at Amoy, which is extremely pretty. We lunched with some pleasant naval friends of H.'s, and in the afternoon took a walk, which we subsequently voted to have been much longer than was quite agreeable under such a blazing sun. The sail up the river to this place is quite lovely, one could hardly believe oneself in China, being reminded alternately of Switzerland, Scotland, and the Rhine- of the latter, because in many places the hills are, in like manner, terraced and cultivated to the very top. The Arsenal is not on the sea as I had thought it was, but above twenty miles up the river "Min," and the town is twelve miles higher up. Large vessels cannot go as far as Foo Chow; so lay at the Pagoda Anchorage, so-called from a Pagoda which is built on a small island, off which we anchored yesterday, and where we were met by a boat from the Arsenal. As we passed the dock we saw the welcoming flag was hoisted, which I am told Captain S. |