de,
and it is generally understood that he will do so, his own children in
favour of his adopted child; by no means an uncommon custom amongst the
nobility of Japan.

Recent arrivals from the southward having reported stormy passage, more
than the usual precautions were taken to prepare the ship for whatever
might chance to fall athwart our hawse. A deck cargo of coals was taken
in, storm sails bent, extra gripes put on the boats, and anchors lashed;
but, as generally turns out in such cases, neither of these preparations
were more than ordinary necessary, for save a roll or two in Formosa's
tumbling channel, the splitting of a stunsail boom, and the snapping of
a rope now and then, the passage was a fairly smooth one. We put in at
Matson, en route, when we found the "Lapwing" awaiting our arrival with
mails and the men we left behind in Malta hospital on the outward
voyage. Theirs has been a chequered existence since that time; now one
ship, now another, until up to this time they can reckon up eight such
shifts.

December 4th.--Whilst coaling at Amoy an accident happened, which has
resulted in the death of another of our poor fellows, George Allen, an
ordinary seaman. Whilst he and a companion were on a visit to a Chinese
gunboat in the harbour, and both, it is to be feared, under the
influence of liquor, Allen slipped as he was mounting the side, fell
overboard, and was not seen afterward. Strangely enough, the man who was
with him had not the slightest idea of the occurrence, and it was not
until the captain of the Chinaman came on board the following morning
and reported the circumstance, that we became aware that we had lost a
shipmate. Before sailing we were joined by the "Egeria," and as it was
the admiral's intention to visit Swatow we called in at Hope bay to
allow him to turn over to the "Egeria" for that purpose. We arrived in
Hong Kong on December 15th.

And now, dear reader, I have accomplished the round of our station, and
have got through, I trust, to your satisfaction, the most difficult part
of this narrative, viz.: the descriptive. Henceforward, to avoid tiring
and useless repetition I shall refer you to the appendix for ports
visited, only taking up for narrative purposes, such events in our
subsequent history as I shall deem of major importance. If I do not
adopt some such plan as this my book will far exceed its intended
limits.

December 25th.--If we may believe the old saw, there are some th