Dr. Abel, who landed upon it, says, “I took advantage of the first watering boat to visit the shore, and made one of these mountains and the waterfall the principal objects of my visit. This mountain, the highest on the island, is, according to Captain Ross, who has measured it, about fifteen hundred feet above the level of the sea, and is composed of trap approaching to basalt in the compactness of its structure. In ascending it, I followed the course of a delightful stream, which rises near its summit, and found by its side a number of interesting plants. The general surface of the mountain, and indeed of every part of the island of Hong Kong, that I was able to visit, is remarkably barren, although in the distance it appears fertile, from a fern which I believe to be the Polypodium trichotomum of Kœmpfer, which supplies the place of other plants. I ascended about one thousand feet, and returned by a path which passed over a small hill, or rather mound, differing in structure from all the rocks in its neighbourhood, being composed of a very friable stone of a reddish white colour, much resembling disintegrated feltspar. On reaching the shore, I examined the rocks by the waterfall, where they are exposed in large surfaces, and found them composed of basaltic trap, exhibiting in some places a distinct stratification, in others a confused columnar arrangement. It is also divided into distinct, well-defined, rhomboidal masses, separated from each other by very obvious seams, in which I frequently found cubic crystals of iron pyrites.”[9] The further progress of the ship was extremely tardy, from calms and adverse winds, so that we did not reach the Cap, sing, moon harbour, until the morning of the 12th, and then, from calms, could not enter it, but anchored outside. The Chinese pilot on board was but of little service, and he was quite surprised at the commander’s knowledge of the islands, depth of water, &c., until he found out that he derived it from the charts and Horsburgh’s Directory. It was quite amusing, when any difference of opinion existed between them, to hear the pilot, in a pet, declare, “You look at bookee, but you not alway savez a rightee; bookee wrong, you wrongee sometime.” A greater or lesser number of different species of _Libellula_ have been flying about the ship, ever since we have been in soundings; and it is said, that when a great number of these insects are seen flying about the ship, a northerly wind may be expected; but I seldom found the assertion borne out by the fact, except its happening four or five days after can be considered a corroboration.