The next morning we got the ship under weigh, and brought her nearer to the town, so that her guns could be brought to bear in case of need; but when within 100 yards of the shore, and in the act of going about, the ship struck with great violence against a rock. Hawsers were laid out, and with our usual good fortune, we again got into deep water, and in half an hour anchored off the town in a favourable position for cannonading it. We then landed our force, consisting of all the marines, with the drummer and fiddler, besides a party of small-arm men from the blue jackets, all armed with muskets, bayonets, and cutlasses. The officers, in addition to their swords, carried pistols in their belts. A feu-de-joie was now fired, for the double purpose of creating an awe among the crowd, and ascertaining that all the muskets were in good order; for the mandarin resided some miles from the beach, and in case of attack we must have fought hard to regain our boats and the protection of the ship's guns. All being ready, the drummer and fiddler struck up a lively air, and we commenced our march towards the mandarin's house, the officers being accommodated with horses. After passing over a morass, the waters of which ran sluggishly through the arches of a bridge, connecting the suburbs with the city, we ascended a rocky eminence, from the summit of which we had a bird's eye view of the city, and some portion of the interior. We observed that the ramparts of the city were lined with people. Our train was nearly a mile in length, although the natives were walking ten or twelve abreast. Immediately after our party came the band of the natives, dressed in russet-coloured cloth, with shawls of the same material; after them the mandarin, followed by above 200 soldiers, a dense mob bringing up the rear, with flags and banners displayed.