The next day we went on shore to the beche de mer house and found the trading officer busy purchasing beche de mer, with which he was already over-stocked. We loaded our boat with the cured and returned to the ship. The natives were continually bringing fruit and vegetables, which we bought very reasonably. The king and his officers having had their visit, next came the queen and her retinue, to whom all requisite attention was paid. They were invited into the cabin. They were at first rather timid, fearing some evil was intended, but upon my assuring them that they would not be harmed they ventured down. They appeared delighted with the cabin furniture and indeed with everything they saw. The captain made them some trifling presents, but they thought as they were persons of the first rank he had ought to have given them more. One of them asked me why the captain was so stingy--said he was a great captain and ought to be liberal, but he wasn't like massa Raver (Mr. Driver) who gave them a great many presents and was the best white man that ever traded among them. Mr. Driver on shore was continually crowded from morning till night with women and children bringing beche de mer, mats for bags, fruit, vegetables and everything which they thought he would buy. The price of a musket was sixteen hogsheads full of beche de mer, which it took them five or six days to get from the reefs. Some of it they got in two or three fathoms of water, diving for it, and bringing up one or two at a time. That obtained in deep water is the most valuable kind to the Chinese. When first taken it is about a foot in length and from three to four inches wide. The under side or belly is flat, and the back rounding. When taken it is quite soft, and if not boiled soon spoils. The entrails and water which comes from the fish is of a bright purple and those employed in opening them get their hands so stained that it is impossible to wash it off. It is quite lifeless. We never found anything inside but this purple water and coarse sand and gravel. The back is covered with prickles from an inch to an inch and a half in length. When taken it is of a reddish cast intermingled with white, but when properly cured is entirely black.