July 20th.[5]—­Would that I were at home to-day!  You say that I do not appreciate anniversaries, but it is chiefly because it is so sad when the days come when they cannot be celebrated as of yore.  ’Nessun maggior dolore.’  Do not anniversaries stir this great fountain of sadness?  I feel sad when I look at this inhospitable sea, and think of the smiling countenances with which I should have been surrounded at home, and the joyous laugh when papa, with affected surprise, detected the present wrapped up carefully in a paper parcel on the breakfast table.  Is it not lawful to be sad?

July 25th.—­The consequences of being at so great a distance from head-quarters are very singular, e.g. in this case I shall not hear whether the Government approve or not of this move of mine until it has become matter of history; until, in all probability, I have carried out my plan of visiting the Peiho with the French Ambassador.  It certainly contrasts very strongly with the position of a diplomatic functionary in Europe now, when reference is made by telegraph to headquarters in every case of difficulty....  This seems a very solitary sea.  We have passed in all, I think, two ships.  This morning once or twice we have met a log floating with one or two birds standing upon it.  Yesterday great excitement was created by the discovery of a cask floating on the surface of the sea.  Telescopes were braques from every part of the ship upon this unhappy cask, which went bobbing up and down, very unconscious of the sensation it was creating.  This incident will convey to you an idea of how monotonous our life is.

July 27th.—­At about four yesterday another excitement, greater than that created by the floating cask.  Peel informed me that there was a steamer in sight, coming towards us.  Many were the speculations as to what she could be.  It was generally agreed that she was the ‘Transit,’ as she was due about this time.  As we neared her, however, she dwindled in size, and proved a rather dirty-looking merchant-craft with an auxiliary screw.  On asking whence she came, she informed us that she was from Calcutta, and that she had a letter for me.  It proved to be from Canning, in no respect more encouraging than his former letters, and therefore, in so far, confirmatory of the propriety of my present move.

July 31st.—­En route for Calcutta.  We reached Singapore on the 28th, at about two P.M.  I landed and went to my old quarters at the Governor’s.  I found it deliciously cool, much more so than it was during my former visit....  My friends at Singapore were very cordial in their welcome of me, and the merchants immediately drew up an address expressive of their satisfaction at my move on Calcutta.  We have taken on board 100 men of the detachment of the 90th which was on board the ‘Transit,’ and put the remainder into the ‘Pearl,’ so that we are crammed to the hilt.  Please