At last the time came when I was pronounced by the doctors to be quite cured, and at liberty to leave the ship. I hardly need say that I did so with alacrity. I had always before this considered Hong Kong as a most disgusting place; but now that I had been so long cooped up with disease and death, it appeared to me as a paradise. I had made one or two acquaintances during my former visits, and now found their kind offers too welcome to refuse them. Having nothing to do, and not being even obliged to present myself on board of the Mind en, I enjoyed myself excessively in journeys and excursions to the other side of the island. My acquaintances were the officers of the 42d regiment, who were remarkably kind and intelligent men, and during my stay I was a great deal in their society. We one day made up a party to visit Pirate's Bay, a spot on the Chinese main, about twelve miles from Hong Kong. Starting early, we took our guns and the requisites for a pic-nic. When we arrived at the spot, we hired the only respectable house in the place, left a native to make the necessary arrangements for our dinner, and then started on a cruise to view the country. We shot at any thing that came in our way, and by noon our game-bag contained a curious medley of ducks, paroquets, swallows, and water rats. By this time the sun became so overpowering that we returned to the house which had been hired for our accommodation. Here we dined, and returned to Hong Kong well pleased with our trip. The roads at Hong Kong, though not particularly good, have been made at great expence. Large rocks have been cut through to afford communication, and the quantity of rivulets running down from the mountains, have rendered it necessary to build innumerable bridges. There were but few good horses on the island; but I managed to procure a tolerable one, and in the evening would ride out by "Happy Valley," and return by dark, the only exercise which the heat of the climate would permit, and which was necessary to restore me to health. Society is in a queer state here, as may be imagined when I state, that the shipowner won't associate with the small merchant, and the latter will not deign to acknowledge a man who keeps a store. Under these circumstances, the army and navy keep aloof, and associate with no class. There were very few ladies at Hong Kong at this time, and of what class they were composed of may be imagined, when I state that a shopkeeper's sister was the belle of the place, and received all the homage of the marriageable men of Hong Kong. Hospitality to strangers is as yet unknown, and a letter of introduction is only good for one tiffin, or more rarely one dinner. I made several excursions in the country, but did not find any thing worth narrating, or describing with the pencil. [Illustration: TANKA BOAT WOMEN.]