letter seems to imply that they are not quite insensible to the difficulties of my position....  As it is, I now find myself in a very puzzling position.  If I go to the North I shall lose prestige, and perhaps also time; it is even possible that I may force the Emperor to declare himself against us, and to direct hostilities against us at the northern ports, where hitherto we have been trading in peace.  On the other hand, if I do not go to the North, and make pacific overtures to the Emperor, I shall go dead against my instructions, and against the policy which Palmerston has over and over again told Parliament I am to pursue.

[Sidenote:  Hong-kong.]

Hong-Kong.—­September 25th.—­I used to dislike to begin writing a letter, when I thought I should receive one from my correspondent before it was finished; but I have got over all these scruples now.  Our correspondence is kept up in a kind of constant flow, and our letters so cross each other, that we hardly know where one is begun or ended.  Therefore, although I sent off one this forenoon, and although I may calculate on hearing from you again before this is despatched, I feel that it is quite natural to take up my pen, and to have some talk with you this evening before I retire to my cot.  I have been dining with the Admiral quietly, at 3 P.M., and I went on shore with him afterwards to take a walk.  We strolled through the Chinese part of the town, crowded with Chinese all returning from their work, and looking good-humoured as usual.  The town is more extensive than I had supposed it to be; but it was close and hot, and I was rather glad when we got into our boat again to pull off to our ship, which is lying about 2- 1/2 miles from the shore.  It was calm and cool on the water; and after reaching my ship, I have sat down to my writing desk, having placed one of the ship’s attendants (a disbanded sepoy, I believe) at the punkah which has lately been fitted up in my cabin.  It is wonderful what a comfort these punkahs are!  I was suffocated with heat before my sepoy began to pull, and every now and then I have to halloo to him when he seems disposed to take a nap....

[Sidenote:  Caprices of climate.]

October 1st.—­What a climate! after raining cats and dogs for forty- eight hours incessantly, it took to blowing at about twelve last night, rain still as heavy as ever.  Our captain, who is a man of energy, apprehending that he might run ashore or foul of some ship, got up steam immediately, and set to work to perform the goose step at anchor in the harbour.  You may imagine the row,—­wind blowing, rain splashing, ropes hauled, spars cracking, everybody hallooing:—­’A stroke a-head! ease her! faster! stop her!’ and other variations of the same tune.  All this immediately over my head!  After expending the conventional number of hours in my cot, in the operation of what is facetiously called sleeping, I mounted on deck