108 Hong Kong, China April 1854 The trawl was dropped and the ropes then hauls in by men at each end of the boat. With the dredge on a bottom of soft ooze I set Murex tenuipinus and a large Othrea, large Noctiluria of a bright red color; a Lima with a spleen. Did development of Coni occur on a piece of water soaked board. Porcellane of various species were common among the shells etc, and a few small worms in the mud 2nd Sunday As it was rainy I did not attend morning service. In the afternoon I took a short ramble up West hill back of the town with Mr Schen- born. The "Susquehanna" arrived from Japan today 3d As news could not be opened today I set to work myself on my trawl now put out for the first time, and set it ready for use. In the even- ing, to get rid of my cold I took some violent exercise, rolling letonins, which had good effect. Mr Coolidge, our Meteorologist, design- ed today. During the time he has been in the expedition he has seemed to have one grand idea- "Napoleon." The weather now is warm and damp, with but little or no wind. Today I have been able to fathom some of the news brought by the Susquehanna. Com- mander Perry was on the point of making a treaty with the Japanese, opening their ports to our commerce. Much information, in part of a scientific character, had been gained already, and positive surveys were in progress. The Japanese seemed eager to receive the visits of our officers, who are permitted to visit any part of the kingdom. 4th Today I tried the trawl for the first time, on a muddy bottom in the Bay west of Rawbon Peninsula; its success was very satisfactory to me. The bars and heads are however much too heavy for the net, so that few fish were taken excepting very small ones. On the other hand the leads on the lower part of the aperture were heavy and sunk to some extent in the mud, thus taking a great number of the larger invertebrates which are usually taken with the dredge; the smaller animals of course passing through