Returning health was very visible among the crew in this short space of time: no new case of cholera occurred after we inhaled the invigorating and healthy ocean air. On the fifth day our _barbarian eyes_ were _blessed_ with a sight of the _celestial empire_, consisting of several islands. Seventy or eighty miles from land, we fell in with a great number of fishing junks, of clumsy construction, having the appearance of the antediluvian vessels exhibited in the old bibles, with mat or bamboo sails; they were always observed in pairs, having whole families of the “celestials” in them, dressed in the ordinary garb of common, dirty fishermen; generally without any covering to the head--but little to the back, and that in a most filthy condition. When within two leagues of the Lemma or Ladrone islands, a junk lowered her sails close to us, and in about five minutes, two of the “heavenly creatures” came on board, in a small skiff, offering themselves as pilots, being as guiltless of any knowledge of our language as we were of theirs; they were dressed in tan-coloured jackets and immense wide breeches, or rather petticoat trousers, reaching just below the knee, and wearing a greasy woollen cap--shirts have never been in fashion with them. They were very uncleanly in their persons, stout built, and healthy. Having stepped on board, the first words they uttered, were, “Capetany me peloto--you wanty peloto?” “Yes,” said the captain. “How muchy, how muchy, capetany, you gib?” taking at the same time, from the waistband of his trousers, twenty Chinese cash, and counting them in his hand, he said, “Dollar, dollar, so muchy, so muchy.” The captain counted out one half the number, which was the usual pilotage to Macao roads. The “celestial” then added three to the number, making thirteen, and the bargain was made, he not forgetting to ask, as is usual, for a bottle of samshew, (rum,) which he snugly stowed away in his bosom. Scarcely had he taken half a dozen strides up and down the deck, and pointed to steer more to port, before he asked for chow, chow, meaning something to eat, which, to his astonished eyes, was furnished forthwith, in a lordly dish, on a chest on the quarter-deck. He pointed occasionally to starboard or larboard, through the labyrinths of islands. In the course of four or five hours we anchored under the mountainous island of Lautavee, during the night. The pilot, having received his money next morning, with a countenance indicative of extreme happiness, and ascertained carefully, that every dollar was good, took his leave, having been almost useless. I went over to Macao the next morning, passing through a fleet of sampans, (small boats,) navigated by damsels, that one might almost deem amphibious, in which dwell whole families, in a most miserable condition. I landed close to the quay, leading to the Beach Hotel, kept by Markwick, an Englishman, fronting on Pria Grande, a public walk, without trees, facing the outer harbour