means in their power. Horses were provided every day, houses
for us at night, and good substantial repasts. Wherever they enter, the
natives invariably eat and drink, more, I believe, from custom than from
hunger. On these occasions tea is the general beverage, the kettle being
a large shell, which admirably answers the purpose. It may be worthy of
remark, that on entering a house, the shoes or sandals are invariably
left at the door. Two of the chiefs were deservedly great favourites
with our party; they were given the famous names of Chesterfield and
Beaufort, the former from his gentlemanly manners, the latter from the
profound knowledge he displayed of all rocks, shoals, &c. On the 17th of
December, having completed our survey of Pa-tchu-san, we returned to the
ship: on the 22d we left our anchorage, which was christened Port
Providence, and ran round to Kuchee Bay on the opposite side of the
island. This noble bay was called Port Haddington, in honour of the late
first lord of the Admiralty. On the 27th the first barge, cutter, and
gig left the ship to survey the island Ku-king-san, the nearest port of
which was about twenty miles from Kuchee Bay, alias Port Haddington,
where we lay at anchor. The boats carried with them provisions for three
weeks, by which time it was supposed that the survey would be completed.
As the formation of this island is similar to Pa-tchu-san, it would be
but repetition to describe it minutely, but it is worthy of remark that
it is indented with numerous deep bays, in each of which there is
sufficient water for a ship of the line. Many of these bays have natural
breakwaters, created by shoals, with a deep water passage on either side
of them, and which may be easily distinguished from the shoals by the
deep blue colour of the water.

On the 15th of January, 1844, the surveying party returned, having been
absent twenty days. We were again visited by the mandarins, who came to
bid us farewell: they quitted us with many expressions of good will, and
expressed a wish that we would return again, and as _individuals_, I had
no doubt of their sincerity.

On the 18th of January we sailed for Ty-ping-san, which is situated
about seventy miles north of Pa-tchu-san. On the following day we
sighted the land, and late in the evening anchored off the coast. This
island is low, compared with the other islands of the group. The
following morning the captain landed and presented a letter of
introduction