y, and spent an
agreeable half hour with them, giving them a brief outline of our
quarrel and war. Dined on board the Chinese gunboat Kwang-Tung,
Commander Young. This is one of Laird's side-wheel steamers, built for
Captain Sherrard Osborne's fleet. Capt. Bickford, of the Narcissus, and
Lieut. Wood, flag Lieutenant, dined with us.

_Tuesday, August 11th._--Weather fine. Visited the flag-ship of
Rear-Admiral Sir Baldwin W. Walker and the Kwang-Tung. Employed caulking
and refitting ship. Many visitors on board.

_Wednesday, August 12th._--Wind fresh from the southward and eastward.
Photographers and visitors on board. The Kwang-Tung made a trial trip of
her engines, after having repaired them, with the Admiral's family on
board. Wind freshened to a gale towards night.

_Thursday, August 13th.-_--Weather cloudy; blowing a moderate gale from
the S.E. The Tuscaloosa is ready for sea, but is detained by the
weather. Dined with Rear-Admiral Walker; Governor Sir Philip Wodehouse
and lady were of the party. My sailors are playing the devil as usual.
They manage to get liquor on board the ship, and then become
insubordinate and unruly. We have to force some of them into irons. The
man Weir, whom I made a Quartermaster, has run off; also two of the
Stewards, and two dingy boys; the latter were apprehended and brought on
board.

_Friday, August 14th._--We have a dense fog to-day and calm. The
Tuscaloosa, which went out at daylight, anchored some four or five miles
outside the harbour. The mail steamer from England arrived at Cape Town
to-day, bringing us news of Lee's invasion of Maryland and Pennsylvania.
Finished our repairs this evening.

_Saturday, August 15th._--We were ready to get under way at daylight
this morning, but were delayed by the dense fog until eleven o'clock,
when we moved out of the harbour. As we neared the Cape another fog bank
rolled over and enveloped us for a couple of hours. At 2.30, boarded an
English barque. At 3, let the steam go down, and raised the propeller.
Weather threatening. Barometer 29.80. Took single reefs in the topsails.
At 11 P.M. a steamer passed close, to leeward of us.

Light winds and thick weather now for rather more than a week, varied by
a stiff northwester on the 22nd August, lasting over the greater part of
two days.

_Tuesday, August 25th._--Dense, cloudy morning. Got a glimpse of the sun
and latitude at twelve o'clock. Our freshwater condenser is about giving
out, the l