REMINISCENCES OF A VOYAGE TO AND FROM CHINA. 295 
neons plants, as its exciting and exhausting influence when united 
with humidity. 
This information came too late for our then purpose ; the error was 
already committed; for though there was still a two-months’ voyage to 
encounter, there was no hope that a different proceeding towards our 
invalids would have been productive of much good. Our grand object 
was to prevent the plants getting worse than they then were, and this 
engrossed our subsequent care. 
We left St. Helena on the 1st of July, with some feelings of regret, 
and with the most sincere sense of gratitude for the favours received 
from every one we chanced to meet. We envied our friend Mr. Por- 
teus’s situation—the high respect in which he was held by every officer 
on the island. Professionally, he appeared settled for life ; as a natu¬ 
ralist, he was fixed on a healthy spot 5 whence he could look towards 
both poles of the earth, and with every nation and distant corner of it 
had occasional intercourse. He had married a young and beautiful 
lady, a native of the place, whose innocent and amiable ignorance of 
the ways of the great world was truly interesting ; not so much so, 
indeed, as one of her own sex, (also a native of the island,) who had 
some years before told the captain of an Indiaman that his arrival in 
the Thames must make London very gay ! We have never had the 
happiness of hearing of our friend Mr. Porteus since we parted at the 
landing-place of the island. 
The fleet was increased at our departure from St. Helena by the 
Sampson sixty-four, and the Assista7ice fifty, gun ships, besides several 
South Sea whalers. The voyage homeward, recrossing the Line, &c., 
was performed without any untoward accident. The plants continued 
nearly in the same state in which they had left St. Helena; they were 
too much exhausted to be in any sensible degree affected by the torrid 
heat, nor did they present any signs of amendment when we reached 
the north temperate latitudes. 
During this part of the voyage our mind was chiefly occupied with 
our own personal prospects, and what might be our fate on reaching 
England. Our fine ideal prospect of again returning to China was 
totally abandoned. The patron who alone could have imposed and 
made such a re-adventure agreeable to us, was no more; and we 
had only to look forward to the chapter of accidents ” for future 
employment and bread. 
When the fleet arrived off the Western Isles, the Spanish and Portu¬ 
guese frigates fired their salutes and left us, we standing on for the 
chops of the English Channel, which we made on the 5th of September, 
1794 . 
