The mandarin (whom I understood to be commissioner E.) having by this time finished his supper, came to have a look at us. He desired the interpreter to tell us "that he was very good to us, and was sending us away before the time; that he himself was going to leave the island, and another mandarin, the emperor's cousin, was coming in his place; that if he arrived before our departure, he would most probably keep us, and not let us go at all: at the same time he desired Lieut. Douglas to tell the commanding officer at Chusan, to withdraw his men and ships as soon as we were given up to them; also that a great many soldiers would march into Chusan as soon as our fleet left." We then walked out, about midnight, to go to the junk; on our way down, we passed through two long files of soldiers, drawn up on each side of the road, most unmilitary looking warriors; their only uniform was a loose jacket, with some Chinese characters inscribed on the back and front; the rest of their dress seemed left to their own taste, and a motley group they were. They appeared to be divided into three bands, one bearing long unwieldy spears, another bows and arrows, and the third having a sword in each hand; these, the interpreter told us, were to embark the next day for Chusan. At the end of each file of soldiers a huge gun was placed, of immense thickness, but small calibre, not carrying, I should think, more than a twenty-four pound shot, if so much. When we arrived at the water's edge, we found a sampan, or small boat, waiting; the Lascars and most of the Europeans having preceded us, Lieut. Douglas, Captain Anstruther, myself, and the others, got into the sampan, and were soon sculled alongside a junk, which the interpreter, who was with us, told us was only waiting for high water (which would be about three o'clock A. M.) to get under weigh. Mrs. Noble, and Mr. Witts, our chief mate, who had preceded us, were in one junk; the Lascars, who had also reached the water before us, were in another; and our party, Lieut. Douglas, Captain Anstruther, and the Europeans, got aboard of the third. Here we found our rugs, and after partaking of some slight refreshment, in the shape of hot water and sweet cakes, we lay down to sleep. About three o'clock the junk was got under weigh, and when I got up in the morning I found that we were out of the river, and sailing between some islands, and the interpreter told us we should soon be at Chusan.