72 NOTES UPON THE GULF OF PECHELI, [Nov. 22, 1858. 



on their hands and knees, and performing " kotow " as onr gnnboats 

 passed, it would be difficult to witness. Besides this form of respect 

 and reverence for the Fanqui, they each offered a token of peace and 

 amity in the shape of a fowl, and here and there some, more fright- 

 ened than the rest, shouted to the interpreter, Mr. H. N. Lay, " Hail, 

 great king ! Oh pray be pleased to disembark and reign over us ! " 

 One man at a village, who I fancy was a Christian convert, improved 

 upon the proceedings by placing himself on his knees in the position 

 of adoration, and continued so as long as H.M. gunboat Bustard re- 

 mained in sight. He, poor fellow, was no doubt anxious to propitiate 

 the demon that had so suddenly burst upon the quietude of his 

 Chinese village ; but the application of his Christian teaching was 

 as original as that of some Sandwich Islanders, who I heard not many 

 years ago singing the 64th Psalm to soothe a heathen goddess who 

 presides over their troublesome volcano. 



A reach, 3 miles long in a straight line, brought us in sight of the 

 city of Tientsin, and the salt-heaps or magazines for which the city 

 is famous commence at the end of this reach, near the remains of an 

 old ruined tower which once guarded this approach. Owing to my 

 consort, the Staunch, having grounded in this said reach in trying to 

 turn under steam, it became my good fortune to enter Tientsin alone 

 on board the Bustard, commanded by Lieut. Hallowes. The interest 

 of that forenoon's work, May 26, 1858, will not be easily effaced 

 from my memoiy. As every fresh point mentioned by Barrow and 

 Ellis came in sight, I could not but recall with some degree of elation 

 the altered circumstances under which the British flag now made its 

 appearance. Then over the craft bearing our Ambassador floated a 

 flag on which was written the lie that he was bearing tribute to a 

 Chinese Emperor ; mandarins and rabble indulged in all their im- 

 pertinences and arrogance ; and whereas then his audience with the 

 Emperor took place to the air of " subjugation perfected!" by a 

 Pekin band, it now appeared more than probable that an English 

 one would shortly be performing " God save the Queen!" in the 

 same spot. As our tiny craft with her crew of seamen and marines 

 from the Furious sped on, we came abreast of the huge pyramids of 

 salt, 100 feet high and 200 feet long, which formed a magnificent 

 defence, and we naturally hoped to see a gun appear in sight to 

 add some eclat to our capture of Tientsin. But we looked in vain ; 

 not an armed man was visible anywhere. We now passed into the 

 southern suburbs of the city — a long row of dingy hovels, the one 

 on the eastern shore being the most extensive — or rather I ought to 

 have said we screwed in between two long rows of human beings, 

 piled head above head as thick as standing room would admit. 



