ki5sum£ 365 



in the cathedral get up and walk, or rather hurry out 

 of that uncathedral-looking edifice, during any part of 

 the service that happened to be going on, almost before 

 the echo of the report from the signal-gun had died 

 away. 



Some of the chief merchant-houses had fine brigs, 

 armed to the teeth, and manned by Lascars, to carry 

 their opium from port to port. Then came their 

 steamers, magnificent boats in their day, which used to 

 run between Calcutta and Hong-Kong, and being much 

 faster than the Peninsular and Oriental Company's 

 boats, they generally left forty-eight hours after these 

 slower craft had departed, bringing so much later dates 

 as to the price of opium, and arriving at least a day or 

 two before them. They anchored in some bay outside, 

 and sent a boat into Hong-Kong with all the latest 

 news to their owners ; who thus had ample time to 

 work on, before the public and smaller men had a 

 chance in the markets. These wealthy merchants lived 

 in the greatest luxury, nothing was too good for them, 

 but their days for monopolising the chief trade in 

 opium were numbered. First, in 1856, came the China 

 War, and with it the necessity of a fortnightly mail 

 instead of only a monthly one. Then followed the 

 telegraph, which at once put every one on an equal 

 footing. The splendid steamers soon fell into disuse. 



