es.

Mr. Editor, no doubt you remember the ship "Northfleet." I was second
officer of her, as you know, in the year 1857. In the spring of that
year, we loaded government stores, guns, mortars, and general war
materials, with two companies of Royal Artillery, for the war at Canton,
in which the French and the British were allies. We sailed from Woolwich
on the river Thames, and stopped at Gravesend twelve hours, then made
our final start for Hongkong, in which port we anchored in the
wonderfully short time of eighty-eight days from Woolwich, which is at
least three days' sail farther than Cardiff.

On the following voyage we did the same in eighty-eight days and a half.
These two were record voyages made in the glorious days of
"teaclippers."

A. E. Knights.

Hong Kong, June, 1898.

A Record Long Passage.

First Cotton From China to America.

During the palmy days after the opening of the River Yangtse--when
freights were taels 22 per ton from Hankow to Shanghai, a distance of
six hundred miles--I was in command of the "Neimen," an auxiliary
ship-rigged vessel, engaged in this trade until near the end of 1863,
and saw some of the exciting times of the Taiping Rebellion in that part
of China. By the end of 1862 the steamers "Huquang" and "Firecracker"
had come from New York round the Cape of Good Hope, and later the
"Chekiang," "Kiu-kiang," and other paddle steamers were put on the
river, and the freights were reduced to taels 4 1/2 per ton. Then we had
to clear out.

My employers ordered me to Hongkong to meet new boilers for the
"Neimen." Later I received instructions to sell the "Jedda," belonging
to the same owners, which was done. Then I had an offer from Mr. Paul
Forbes to buy the "Neimen." This arrangement was completed, and I agreed
with the new owners (Russell & Co.) to take the engines out of the
vessel, and to change the rig from ship to barque, with the object of
loading cotton for New York--the first from China to America. After
completing our alterations, and after painting the ship in Whampoa, we
came to Hongkong to load at the beginning of May, 1864. The weather and
water being warm and the paint new gave a favorable opportunity for the
barnacles to attach themselves to the vessel, and by the time we started
the barnacles were like coarse gravel on her sides.

On the 24th of May, 1864, we sailed from Hongkong, and when we got out
into the China Sea we had no monsoon, but met with a con