We left Cum-sing-moon and its enlivening prospects in the middle of November, and went over to Hong Kong, and thence we triangulated, as it were, to Macao and Whampoa, and so back. At Macao we spent our time, when ashore, by promenades on the Praya, where, at eventide, the dark-eyed daughters of the decayed Portuguese aristocracy cast furtive glances at the stranger, and listened to the music of one of our squadron-bands, which the commodore, who was living at Macao, had ashore with him; or strolled through the barrier-gate and out on the _campo_; or witnessed the wonderful nerve displayed by the knife-throwing Chinese jugglers in the street. While laying in the roads at Macao, a young Russian officer who had, with a squadron from his country, visited the port of Nangasaki, brought the intelligence that the emperor of Japan had died after our visit, and that the Japanese said they would have to mourn him for _three_ years, during which time they could have no transactions or negotiations with foreigners. We thought the demise might be true—perhaps a _hari-kari_ hastened it, but that the latter thing was all “leather and prunella;” the emperor might have died, but another, like poor Pillicoddy, must turn up, when we next visited the country. About this time the Plymouth, which had been sent, on our departure from Loo-Choo in August, to the Bonin islands, arrived at Macao, bringing the sad intelligence that a boat from that ship containing one of her lieutenants—Lieutenant Mathews, of New York—and fourteen men, out on a fishing excursion, while the ship was lying at Peel island, had been lost in a sudden typhoon on the 5th of October, and that all hands had perished. Preparations being on foot for the return of the squadron to Japan, as soon as the storeship Lexington should arrive, and the services of the storeship Supply being needed for the transportation from China of coal for the steamers, a small English steamer recently built at Hong Kong, was chartered on behalf of the United States government, to take her place off the factories at Canton. She was armed with four guns, and a lieutenant, passed-midshipman, and one engineer ordered to her, besides being manned from the squadron—the American flag waved over the “Queen!” On the 19th of December we stood up the river with the Hon. Humphrey Marshall, United States commissioner to China, on board, who was going to take possession of his residence at Canton. We reached Whampoa at three o’clock, and found there the British war-steamer Rattler, that had not long before taken an active part in the capture of Rangoon. Her officers had many a kriss and spear trophy of the enemy, and around her engines were well-cut Buddhist idols in marble, which they had brought away with them.