hor, and
fired a parting salute, which was returned by the Commodore, gun for
gun. Exchanged cheers with the squadron, made an evolution in the
harbor, by way of "salaam," and then stood out, with studding-sails set,
homeward bound!

There is a sort of unexpressed concern, a kind of shock, that sets one's
heart ajar at leaving even the most unpleasant people and places, says
one who ought to know, for he had travelled much, and I could not help
agreeing with him, as we took our departure: There was but little to
regret in leaving China. I had formed few ties there. The places and
people (with but few exceptions), if not unpleasant, were at least
indifferent. Yet I must admit this unexpressed and inexpressible
concern, as our vessel glided out of the harbor of Hong-Kong, towards
home.

But we had a long passage before us, and much water to sail through,
ere we reached our homes. The China and the Java seas had to be
traversed ere the Straits of Sunda gave us a passage to the Indian
Ocean, whose bosom we had to plough until the southern point of Africa
passed, the Atlantic could be pressed by our keel;--and then not the
Ocean of our hemisphere: for many degrees of longitude must be tracked,
before we could set them down as West; and the imaginary "Line" divided
us from the Northern Ocean, in which lay our port.

Took our departure from the "Ladrone Islands" at 8 o'clock on the night
of the twenty-fifth, and the next day at meridian, we had made 128 miles
on a S. S. West course. Weather fine; beautiful, easy sailing, with the
wind abeam.

On the twenty-seventh, wind hauled ahead, and we only got eighty-eight
miles out of the ship in the last twenty-four hours; and for the last
two days of February had a dead beat--a thing altogether unlooked for in
the China Sea at this season.

On Thursday, eleventh of March,--sea time,--at meridian, we were
thirteen miles south of the Line, in long. 107 deg. 22' 55'' east; being the
third time of our "crossing" it. A few days previous to this a case of
small-pox had broken out, one of the prisoners having contracted the
disease in Hong-Kong, where it had been raging to some extent. This was
rather a serious matter in a small and crowded ship at sea; but he,
being placed in the lee quarter boat, and a strong N. E. monsoon then
prevailing, after a while recovered, no contagion having been
communicated to the ship's company.

The Island of Saint Barbe was passed on the morning of th