heir generosity, by giving for it, perhaps, four times its
value.

We have orders to cruise to Chefoo _under sail_. Fancy an iron-clad
making a passage under canvas! With the "Iron Duke's" usual luck we
encountered either boisterous head winds or flat calms all the way,
compelling us to reef our canvas or to endure the tantalizing and
provoking agony of witnessing our sails hang in picturesque, but
useless, festoons up and down the masts.

For ten days we scarce saw the sun; for ten days the sextants lay idle.
When at length the sun did condescend to slash the sky with his hopeful
beams, we found we had made the satisfactory average of _ten miles_ a
day. Our potatoes, too,--that self-provided esculent upon which sailors
depend so much, and without which the admiralty allowance assumes such
skeleton proportions--now began to fail us. As it was useless to attempt
to reach Chefoo under sail alone, steam was got up, and we managed to
make the harbour on June 6th.

Here again we picked up the squadron and the admiral, the former of whom
had been lying idle for fourteen days, eating of the fat of the land,
whilst we, like certain ruminants, have been consuming our own fat, for
want of more natural food.

On the 11th, the squadron departed for evolutions in the gulf of
Pe-chili, outside, the admiral accompanying to put them through a little
practice.

Whilst at Chefoo, this time, we became acquainted with the ladies and
gentlemen of the China Inland Mission, of whom Mr. Judd is the pastor.
These toilers in God's vineyard, for the better carrying out of their
work, adopt the Chinese national dress. The ladies are young, seemingly,
for such work, but possess unbounded enthusiasm. Their visits to the
ships were frequent, but not the less welcome in consequence; and long
before we left we had got to look upon them as very dear friends. On one
occasion they provided a temperance entertainment for as many as could
come in the Seamen's Hall, on shore--a real floral fete, where the fair
English faces of the ladies seemed to vie with the lovely blossoms
around. There were many in that audience who went there under the
impression of being bored, but who, long before the proceedings had
finished, declared they had not enjoyed so pleasant an evening since
leaving home. That was it, these kind Christian friends made that
gathering so home-like, that one could scarce fail to be happy. For a
few short hours only we rough sailors were p