bulwark to bulwark. As the first mat overlapped the roof of the cabin, was itself overlapped by the second, &c., while each overlapped the bulwarks, and was tied down to them; a long low cabin was thus formed, tolerably protected from the wind and altogether impervious to the rain. These large mats when not thus employed were conveniently spread over the roof of the cabin. The mainmast was stepped immediately in front of the cabin, but when the boat was not under sail both it and the foremast were slung along the outside of the boat a little below the level of the deck, one on each side, and both projecting a foot or so beyond the bows. In this position they protected the boat in a crush as fenders or buffers; and also served as a road for the boatmen to get from the stern to the fore deck, though the roof of the cabin was the usual route. Immediately behind the cabin compartment, was another smaller one of three feet, separated from the stern deck by a partition with a sliding door, just as it was itself separated from the main cabin. The wooden roof extended over both. On one side of this small cabin a compact cast-iron boat cooking stove (an English thing) was placed, while the rest of the space was devoted to my cook. The crew had their cooking apparatus under the stern deck further aft. The stern deck which measured some nine feet fore and aft with an average breadth of six feet, was protected from sun and rain by a rectangular mat raised on wooden posts to the height of about seven feet above it, and three feet higher than the roof of the cabin, over which the scullers could thus look when propelling the boat on her course. At night, when at anchor, the sides of this space were completely enclosed by additional mats; and there the crew slept-the head boatman only taking his bedding to the front and sleeping under the mat-roofed house, which was at night always put up over the fore-deck. The fore part of the forehold was fitted up as a snug doghouse, while the larger after portion was divided into compartments for stowage of my bundle of blankets, changes of shooting chaussure, liquors, my moveable table, &c. &c. The chief

cabin which, as said, was eight feet long by six and a half high and six and a quarter broad, was fitted up in exact accordance with a minute plan of my own, by which every half inch of space was utilized. The two water-tight bulkheads, extending from the boat's bottom to the level of the deck, I did not alter; and as egress in front was achieved by stepping up over the fore one, so the communication with the cook's place behind was maintained by a two feet broad sliding door fitted between the aft one and the roof, through which I myself could manage to pass out, and which was therefore ample in size for the smaller and more supple Chinamen. From front to back of the cabin there was down the middle an open passage of three feet in breadth. In the fore part of this open space, a firm but easily unshipped table was set up at meal times, or when I wished to write. It was three feet broad by four in length, so that, as club-diners know, two people could dine at it with perfect comfort. Measuring from the front, the first six and a quarter feet of the cabin on each side of the middle passage, was a well-cushioned long seat that at night formed a sleeping berth, one much more convenient than the passenger of a steamer usually gets. Under each of these seats were shelves for three gun-cases besides a back locker and drawers, which gave room for an ample stock of clothing. The next six inches of the length of the cabin was devoted to two racks, one on each side, and in each of which two double barrels and a long duck gun could stand ready for instant use if an alarm either of wild fowl or wild men were given. I may be an inch or half-an-inch out in the above dimensions but hardly more, for, as said, I myself planned all the cabin arrangements and recollect them still very well. Now if the reader will calculate, he will see that there still remained fifteen inches of the length of the boat (just where she was broadest) on each side of the three feet middlepassage. These spaces were devoted to safe, sideboard, cellar, &c. &c. &c., arranged in the best possible mannerthe heavier articles being at the bottom-as two dozen of

wine and beer in the lowest space on one side, and the piles of double-bottomed hot-water plates and dishes on the other. In the open space between these arrangements my body servant stood when I was dining, separated only from my chef by the sliding door at his back, with everything so much at hand that I was in fact more rapidly served by one man there than by two in my house.

In the two parts of this volume I have touched on no small variety of subjects. Let me here say a word for the gourmand: I never in my life ate such delicious pancakes as I got in that boat. Every man of the commonest sense, and possessing that rudimentary knowledge without which he is placed beyond the pale of humanity by ceasing to be truthfully definable as a cooking animal — every such man is aware that scientifically infused caloric is an essential element of a true pancake. Now my last cook, who was two years with me but whose name I never knew, and my last body servant, who was four years with me and who was called "Yang chun, Eternally obedient "-these two young men seemed to take a special pleasure in serving me the pancakes under circumstances so calorific that it was as much as the skin of my fingers was worth to touch the hotwater plate on which each thin, delicious, smoking-I had almost said fizzing-morceau was separately served up. And as I ate, they kept on preparing and serving, till I was fairly achieved by a repast of which these pancakes were but one solitary though most admirable trait. Let the sportsman now suppose me to have had a satisfactory day's shooting; let the gourmand imagine me sitting down hungry to a dinner such as that just hinted at, with the boat anchored head to wind, and the sliding doors just opened sufficiently to waft all odours out aft; let the philosopher then conceive me, my bed having been arranged, lying down in it with a pair of candles behind my head, my mind tolerably satisfied with things in general, and an interesting volume of Chinese or German metaphysics in my hand; let the dormeur then picture me sinking in due

time gently into forgetfulness, roused but for a moment by the light reading just mentioned falling on my nose, laying the volume aside, extinguishing the candles, and then settling myself comfortably in the bedding and going off into one of those luscious sleeps, the beginning of which is like biting slowly into a mellow peach, and which continue in deepest unconsciousness for eight hours of unbroken repose; let all picture this to themselves, and then all-sportsman and gourmand, philosopher and dormeur-will give me ready credence when I say that many of the pleasanter hours of my life were passed during my shooting excursions on the "inner waters" of China.

To resume the narrative. When the panic and the terror of the advancing rebels, mentioned at page 19, as having seized the populations in and around Shanghae were at their height, I, on the 7th April, went into the city to communicate to the Intendant the decision of Sir G. Bonham as to the question of aid. I was received at the gates of his yamun with the Chinese salute of three guns, but observed as my sedan was carried through the outer courts, that they had a deserted look; and that the Intendant himself while going through the customary civilities of reception, seemed very downcast. When we were seated, and I had delivered my message, to the effect that the British would defend their lives and property against all attacks, but that no aid would be given him in the defence of the city, he looked to the ground for a while, shaking his head in silence; then casting a glance around the apartment said quietly, "My domestics are leaving me." He afterwards asked me what I thought he should do. I advised him, as a Kwang tung man who could speak English and, as he himself often mentioned, had begun life as a merchant, to retire with his family and property to Hong Kong, where he could, among his own compatriots and English merchants, occupy himself with trade. The then panic having passed over, he remained at Shanghae; and after

running great risks and suffering many indignities, was ultimately deprived of the Intendancy and is, if not a prisoner at Peking, now assisting in some subordinate capacity, in the operations against the Tae pings. Yet he did more to stop the advance of these latter eastward, than any other Imperial mandarin. About the time I saw him as above stated, he was purchasing three or four American and English merchantmen, which he subsequently despatched to Chin keang after they had been armed, and had been officered and manned by English and Americans. In the meantime the Portuguese lorchas sent up had, on the approach of the Tae pings to Chin keang, played the part described as follows by several eye-witnesses-in particular by three mandarin followers who viewed the proceedings from the top of the hill that abuts on the Great River on the north-east of the city, about midway between Golden and Silver Islands :

The firing commenced at early dawn. When the spectators got up to the top of the hill mentioned, they found that the Portuguese lorchas aided by Intendant Woo's Kwang tung vessels were, with the help of a south-east wind, repelling the Tae ping fleet. It was misty at this time. The Tae ping fleet retired some three or four miles above Golden Island. At about 10 A. M. the wind changed to the north-east, and the weather cleared. The Tae pings then hoisted sail and bore down in full force with a fair wind and tide. The whole face of the river was covered with their fleet of up-country craft. A large red flag was hoisted as the signal to advance, and when a black flag was hoisted the firing began. Nothing was then heard but the roar of the guns. As the Tae pings approached the Imperialist vessels, they discharged numbers of rockets which set fire to their sails. About this time the temples on Golden Island were seen to be in flames; and Intendant Woo's Kwang tung vessels fled. The Portuguese lorchas also retired, but kept firing back into the pursuing fleet. They thus all passed under the hill on which the

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