s the difference
between races so apparent as in the position and condition of these two
settlements in China.

It cannot but be sickly in Hong-Kong in the summer season, and without
entering into explanations of the cause, I merely state the fact, that
during the summer of 1850, more than one-third of Her Majesty's
fifty-ninth regiment were cut off by diseases incident to the climate.
And the remark of an officer attached to Her Majesty's service, that it
was a fine place for _death vacancies_, has more truth than poetry in
it, I trow.

We were feted and feasted here to our heart's content. Among those who
were most forward to do us honor, I must mention our own Consul, and
Mr. Burd, Consul of the Swedish government. These gentlemen, who did us
so much good, need hardly blush for this publicity of their deeds.

The officers of the Hastings gave a grand ball, to which our officers
were invited, whilst the "Heralds" proved by their kind attentions that
their cruise in the hyperborean regions of the North, had in nowise
chilled the warm current of their hearts.

A pic-nic had been gotten up for the eighteenth of December, but the
arrival of the mail on that day prevented many from attending, who
would otherwise have been glad to have explored the island in pleasant
company. As we only waited for our letters, as soon as they were
received we were forced to bid a reluctant adieu to hospitable
Hong-Kong.

CHAPTER VIII.

China--Limited opportunities--The Chinese nation compared
with others--Its antiquity--Magnitude of territory and
practicability of laws--Supposed origin of the Chinese--
Fables of their early writers--Explanation of their
exaggerations--Foundation of the Empire--Chinese traditions
compared with sacred history--Similarity of events--Wise men
of the East--Introduction of Buddhism--Arts and Sciences--
The Magnetic Needle--Discovery of Gunpowder--Origin of the
name--China--Che-Hwang-te, King of Tsin--Parallel between
him and Napoleon--Religion--Confucius--The Taouists--
Buddhism--A Buddhist's idea of Heaven.

A chapter descriptive of China may not inappropriately fill up a period,
during which I was ill and convalescent at Macao; although, for a person
situated as I was, the attempt to describe the character of a people,
covering such an extensive portion of the globe (having only had a peep
at them through a few of their outermost ports, and these considerably
Europeanize