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My dear William, —... I cannot tell yet for certain when the General will let me go away.... At present the General with Lady Grant and his personal staff are at Japan, where they have gone at their own expense; he pressed me very hard to come with him, and I had much difficulty in remaining behind, but the idea of having to spend £300 upon a trip which can only last a very few days I did not consider myself justified in realising, so I am remaining at Shanghai until his return, living the life of a sybarite with a Mr. Webb, a partner in Dent's house at this place, who like Dent himself is one of the most hospitable men in the world, and who lives upon a princely scale such as you can have no idea of. The wealth of these merchant princes is untold, and they spend it like men — and good men too....
HoNGKoNG,FeirMary 15, 1861. —... The Admiral started on his expedition up the Yang-tze-kiang on the
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12th to establish the Consuls in the two new ports that are now opened by treaty in that river. A very interesting little expedition, of minor importance perhaps, but greater interest, accompanies him as far as Hankow, consisting of two of our officers, a medical man, a missionary as interpreter, and four Sikh soldiers. This party of eight then work their way up the Yang-tze as far as they can go, and strike across into Thibet, and so over the Himalayas to India. The journey will be a perilous one and take them some months to accomplish, but if they succeed and arrive in safety in Bengal, they will have done good public service in making known a route which has only been traversed by one European, Abbe Hue, and he draws the long bow so terribl}'- that people were not generally over-confident in his statements. The opening of all the new ports guaranteed by the Treat}'' just signed will make such an immense increase to our trade that I think it will be more than the present mercantile houses can manage. Japan and Pekin will soon become as well known as Calcutta and Hong Kong, and the result must be a considerable increase to our revenue. The news from Japan just now, however, is not very satisfactory. The French and English Ministers have struck their flags at Jeddo and removed to Knagawa, to be near the shipping in case they should have to embark. There is sure to be a misunderstanding with the Taikoon, or rather the Daimios, before very long.... — Ever your affectionate brother,
Fredk. Stephenson.
To Lady Stephenson
Hong Kong, February 27, 1861.
My dear Mother, — I shall leave Hong Kong by the next mail, which starts on the 15th of March, and will bring me to England about the beginning of May. I shall go round by Southampton, and shall therefore drop in upon you at Hampton Court. I hope my plain clothes will be ready for me, for I shall not have
much in the way of dress with me. I shall send you a line when I reach Malta by the Marseilles route, and tell you when I am actually on my way. Thanks a thousand times for yours and my sisters' letters of the 26th December — the last I shall get. God bless you, my dear mother; one short fortnight after you receive this (or perhaps three weeks) and I shall be with you.
At Sea off Suez, April 16, 1861. — I send you a line as I promised, to let you know the probable day of my arrival. I am now in the Red Sea, and shall land at Suez to-morrow (April 17), start from Alexandria about the 19th, and hope to arrive at Southampton on the 2nd of May. The ship I am now in is the Candia, and I think the Pera will bring us from Alexandria, but am not quite sure. — Ever your affectionate son,
Fredk. Stephenson.
^ The captain of the Transit.
' His soldier servant.
' His sister, Isabella Stephenson.
* Kreli and Marcomo were rebel Kafl&r chiefs.
* These must have been sun birds {Nectarinia), as there are no humming birds in Africa.
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' General Simpson was Commander-in-Chief in the Crimea after Lord Raglan's death.
« Admiral of the Fleet Hon. Sir Henry Keppel, G.C.B., D.C.L., I 809-1904.
» The Kaffir War, 1860-1865.
" His youngest niece, now Mrs. Frank Pownall.
"The Indian Mutiny broke out in 1857 and was not finally quelled till 1859.
^* James, 8th Earl of Elgin, K.T., G.C.B., 181 1-1862. Governor- General of Canada. High Commissioner and Plenipotentiary on two special missions to the Emperor of China 1859-1862. Viceroy of India 1862.
^' General Ashburnhara commanded the British troops in China at that date.