after the arrival of the Mail Steamer from that place :
In my letter above alluded to I stated that this Detachment would be sent either in the P. & O. Mail Steamer or in the Double Company's steamer Auckland, but in neither of these vessels could any accommodation be given to the men, and as the weather at this season in the China Sea is not only boisterous but exceedingly cold, I have thought it my duty towards the Native Soldiery to provide for their health and comfort during the voyage, and I have more particularly considered it due that the small body of Troops you have applied for should reach you in the most efficient state and ready for the service required of them - If exposed for ten days to the inclemency of the weather on the deck of a Steamer, I doubt whether the Detachment on its arrival at Hongkong would prove efficient as it ought to be and
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