Arrived at Quai-chow (foo), our first business was to determine how we were to proceed onwards: the choice lay between the land and the water, the latter having the advantage of ease of travelling and the opportunity of surveying the river; but as we had progressed so slowly thus far, we were desirous, for the sake of saving time, to take to the land. Sending cards—pieces of red paper with our names inscribed on them in large Chinese characters with Indian, or rather China, ink—two of the party proceeded without delay to the “Yamun” of the Prefect, or Governor, to whom admittance was gained without difficulty. Official duty at Canton had worn off any novelty for me in Yamun visits and Chinese ceremonies, and, not having recovered from the effects of the dose of poison taken on the day previous, I kept the Doctor company on board the junk. Meanwhile, in plain English, translated of course into Chinese, the Prefect was informed who we were and our object, and his assistance was requested in forwarding our views, in the course of which the “Treaty of Tien-tsin” was referred to, but he seemed to be ignorant of anything concerning it, except the bare fact of its existence, and therefore, as we had a number of copies of that peculiar document, he was presented with one.