with lowish shores, rocky, and covered with wood, running out on
either side. Such is the prospect ever before me, a very fine one
during the day, still more interesting at night when it all sparkles
with lights, and the great tropical moon looks calmly down on the
whole.

[Sidenote: On board the 'Shannon.']

_H.M.S. 'Shannon.'--June 24th_.--I daresay you will consider me an
object of envy when I describe to you where I am,--on board of a
magnificent ship-of-war, carrying sixty 68-pounders, our foremast and
mainmast sails set, and gliding through the water with just motion
enough to tell us that the pulse of the great sea is beating. The
temperature of the air is high, but the day is somewhat cloudy, and
the sails throw a shadow on the deck. The only thing I regret is, that
having no poop, the high bulwarks close us in and shut out both the
air and prospect. One can only get these by climbing up on a sort of
standing-place on the side.... Our departure from Singapore was very
striking.... Not only were all the troops and volunteers under arms,
with Chinamen and merchants in crowds, but (may I mention it) the fair
ladies of Singapore were drawn up in a row to give us a parting
salute. We moved off in our boats, under a salute from the battery,
which was repeated by the 'Spartan' as I passed her, and by the
'Shannon' when I got on board, both these vessels manning yards. The
French admiral honoured me also with a salute as I passed him after
getting under weigh, although the sun had already set.

_July 1st_.--Another month begun. Last night, at dinner, we were
startled by hearing that we seemed to be running on a rock or shoal,
where no rock or shoal was known to exist. We backed our screw, and
finally went over the alarming spot, and on sounding found no bottom.
The sea was discoloured, but whether it was by the spawn of fish or
sea-weed we could not discover. Peel took up water in a bucket, but
could discover nothing. If we had not been a screw, and had had
nothing but sails to rely on, we should have kept clear of this
apparent danger, and the result would have been that a shoal would
have been marked on the charts, where, in point of fact, no shoal
exists. Captain Keppel's adventure makes captains cautious.

[Sidenote: Arrival at Hongkong.]

_Hong-Kong.--July 3rd_.--I am hea