memory, the only record I keep of passing emotions and events....  Depend upon it the true doctrine is one I have before propounded to you:  Do nothing with which your own conscience can reproach you; nothing in its largest sense; nothing, including omission as well as commission; not nothing only in the meaning of having done no ill, but nothing also in the meaning of having omitted no opportunity of doing good.  You are then well with yourself.  If it is worth while to be well with others—­SUCCEED.

[Sidenote:  Swatow.]

H.M.S.  ‘Furious,’ Swatow.—­March 5th.—­I am again on the wide ocean, though for the moment at anchor....  The settlement here is against treaty.  It consists mainly of agents of the two great opium- houses, Dent and Jardine, with their hangers-on.  This, with a considerable business in the coolie trade—­which consists in kidnapping wretched coolies, putting them on board ships where all the horrors of the slave-trade are reproduced, and sending them on specious promises to such places as Cuba—­is the chief business of the ‘foreign’ merchants at Swatow.  Swatow itself is a small town some miles up the river.  I can only distinguish it by the great fleet of junks lying off it.  The place where the foreigners live is a little island, barren, but nicely situated at the mouth of the river.  A number of Chinese are resorting to it, and putting up rather good houses for Chinese.  The population has a better appearance than the Cantonese.  The men powerful and frank-looking, and some of the women not quite hideous.  Our people get on very well with the natives here.  They have no consuls or special protection; so they act, I presume, with moderation, and matters go on quite smoothly.  I went into the house of one of the ‘Shroffs’ (bankers or money-dealers) connected with Jardine’s house, and I found the gentleman indulging in his opium-pipe.  He gave us some delicious tea....  The Shroffs here are three brothers.  They came from Canton, their father remained behind.  The mandarins wanting money to carry on the war with us, called upon him to pay 12,000 taels about 4,000_l_.  They used him as the screw to get this sum from his sons who were in foreign employ.  Though the old man had resolved to leave his home and his patch of ground rather than pay, his sons provided the money and sent him back.  Such cases are constantly occurring here, and they show bow strong the family affections are in China.

[Sidenote:  Rough justice.]

Another case was mentioned to me yesterday, which illustrates the very roundabout way in which justice is arrived at among us all here.  The coolies in a French coolie ship rose.  The master and mate jumped overboard, and the coolies ran the ship on shore, where the crew had their clothes, &c., taken from them, but were otherwise well treated.  On this a French man-of-war comes, proceeds to Swatow, which is fifty miles from