Weighed with my division at 4 A.M. with a fair wind, the whole fleet making considerable progress. The land getting hilly, and assuming a much more interesting appearance. Started in gig for the flagship. Slashing tide: missed _Cornwallis_, and got on board _Belleisle_. Took every opportunity of seeing my old friends of 98th, with its new Colonel, Colin Campbell. Regiments on the Indian station were allowed a double set of officers, so I had many fresh friends to make. Surveying steamers sent ahead reported being fired upon from Golden Island. It would take a thick volume to describe all the incidents that occurred during the progress of the force up the river. It was slow, and communication was kept up by signals and boats. The fleet brought up off Chiang Kiang-Fu on the 19th, and disembarkation commenced. Gran. Loch managed to ford the ditch, some 50 feet wide, close to the West Gate, which was afterwards blown in by bags of powder attached. The ends of works form a hexagon shape. Inside, where John Chinaman had felt himself so secure with his walls and ditch, I saw them the next morning in small heaps, dead, with blackened faces, and cards in their hands. I could not make out whether the game was whist or baccarat. On going through the town, there were piles of dead Chinese soldiers at the corners of the streets. While contemplating one of these heaps, a body sprang up and performed a somersault: it was a Chinese soldier whose fuse had reached his magazine. It takes three of them to serve a musket. One carries a crutch, another loads, a third takes aim and fires. The place was full of food, which no one knew better where to find than the thieves. When boats landed from men-of-war to pick up wounded, the Chinamen were made to deposit their loads of loot in the boats. Nanking was next to be reached, and _Dido_ was sent in advance to prevent communication with the north side of the river. Our ships were now swarming with rats, and crews getting unhealthy. In spite of the fall of the great city of Chiang Kiang-Fu, the chiefs were determined not to stop until they had invested Nanking. [Sidenote: July 27.] Started with Hall in _Nemesis_ on a foraging expedition. The best plan was to catch a fat Chinaman, generally the chief of a village. The people always pleaded poverty as an excuse. Having dropped on to a chief such as I have described, I gave him until 4 P.M. to supply twenty-five bullocks or have his tail cut off, which had the desired effect. _Dido’s_ boats were now away at night searching junks lying up creeks, to see they did not contain soldiers. Coming across a lot which appeared likely to be used for the conveyance of troops and stores, tried to examine one. Seeing a rope over the side, I climbed up near to the entrance-port, when the rope was let go from inside, and I fell across the gunwale of my boat.