The steamer on which I made the short passage to Macao was the _Heungshan_ (1,998 tons). She was a large shallow‐draught vessel, painted white for the sake of coolness. She was mastless, with one high funnel, painted black; the upper deck was roomy and almost unobstructed. The sides between it and the middle deck were open; and a wide promenade lay all round the outer bulkheads of the cabins on the latter. Extending from amid‐ships to near the bows were the first‐class state‐rooms and a spacious, white‐and‐gold‐panelled saloon. For’ard of this the deck was open. Shaded by the upper deck overhead, this formed a delightful spot to laze in long chairs and gaze over the placid water of the land‐locked sea at the ever‐changing scenery. Aft on the same deck was the second‐class accommodation. Between the outer row of cabins round the sides a large open space was left. This was crowded with fat and prosperous‐looking Chinamen, lolling on chairs or mats, smoking long‐stemmed pipes with tiny bowls and surrounded by piles of luggage. Below, on the lower deck, were herded the third‐class passengers, all Chinese coolies. The companion‐ways leading up to the main deck were closed by padlocked iron gratings. At the head of each stood an armed sentry, a half‐caste or Chinese quartermaster in bluejacket‐like uniform and naval straw hat. He was equipped with carbine and revolver; and close by him was a rack of rifles and cutlasses. All the steamers plying between Hong Kong, Macao, and Canton are similarly guarded; for the pirates who infest the Pearl River and the network of creeks near its mouth have been known to embark on them as innocent coolies and then suddenly rise, overpower the crew and seize the ship. For these vessels, besides conveying specie and cargo, have generally a number of wealthy Chinese passengers aboard, who frequently carry large sums of money with them. The _Heungshan_ cast off from the crowded, bustling wharf and threaded her way out of Hong Kong harbour between the numerous merchant ships lying at anchor. In between Lantau and the mainland we steamed over the placid water of what seemed an inland lake. The shallow sea is here so covered with islands that it is generally as smooth as a mill‐pond. Past stately moving junks and fussy little steam launches we held our way. Islands and mainland rising in green hills from the water’s edge hemmed in the narrow channel. In about two and a half hours we sighted Macao. We saw ahead of us a low eminence covered with the buildings of a European‐looking town. Behind it rose a range of bleak mountains. We passed along by a gently curving bay lined with houses and fringed with trees, rounded a cape, and entered the natural harbour which lies between low hills. It was crowded with junks and sampans. In the middle lay a trim Portuguese gunboat, the _Zaire_, three‐masted, with white superstructure and funnel and black hull. The small Canton‐Macao steamer was moored to the wharf.