On the 12th of December 1843, the members of the Chinese Mission, who had been assembling for more than a fortnight at Brest, received orders to repair on board the Syren immediately, as the wind, which had for some time detained in port the two frigates destined to sail together, had suddenly changed to the east, and the commander was anxious to take advantage of this favourable moment, departure having been already too long delayed. Our preparations being made, and all our arrangements finished, each was eager to obey the order, and take posşession of the narrow space assigned to him by the austere maritime regulations; and scarcely had we set foot on deck than the anchor was raised, the sails hoisted, and a soft but favourable breeze carried us safely out of the harbour. I saw the shores of France disappear through the fog which surrounded the horizon, without the least regret, for the damp and dirty town of Brest scarcely seemed, in my eyes, as though it could form a part of "la belle France;" and from the moment I entered it I could not help feeling and acting exactly as if I were in some foreign land; besides, the barren and uninteresting sea-shore looked very unlike that of my own country, and I felt that I had quitted my native land on the day

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TRANSLATOR'S PREFACE.

Reviews, of this interesting work, lead us to believe, that the following pages will be read with pleasure, and that the Translator's efforts will not entirely be "Love's Labour Lost."

LONDON, 1854.