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Rh merchants), now became the pivot of the social life of the Colony, and the more the Governor became estranged to them, the closer were drawn the bonds of social intercourse between the merchants and the officers of Her Majesty's Army and Navy. Major-General Lord Saltoun (since November 3, 1842) made himself popular as President of the local Madrigal Society, Major-General D'Aguilar and his staff rapidly became and continued to be (for a short time) the favourites of the whole community. Even Commodore Parker (since June 22, 1843), of the U.S. Frigate Brandywine, and his officers (in 1843 and 1844) vied with Rear-Admiral Sir Th. Cochrane (since June 11), 1842) and the officers of H.M.S. Agincourt in reciprocating the social entente cordiale which reigned every where in the Colony, outside of Government House and Government Offices. A theatrical company from Australia enlivened the winter evenings of 1842. A slightly better company (Signor Delle Casse) visited the Colony in winter 1843 and continued to occupy the Royal Theatre till 1844. But the annual races and regatta were, during this administration, still held in Macao, for which purposes a general pilgrimage to Macao occupied the latter half of the month of February in 1842 and 1843. The sympathies of the community were powerfully aroused at the news of the Cabul disasters, and a public subscription was immediately raised (October 13, 1842) for the relief of sufferers in Afghanistan. The whole community was in mourning when one of the heroes of Cabul, Lieutenant Eldred Pottinger, the brother and expected successor of the Governor, died at Hongkong, particularly as his death happened so soon after the decease of the Hon. J. R. Morrison (August 29, 1843) whose death was viewed as 'a national calamity' and was followed three weeks later by the death of Lieutenant-Colonel Knowles (November 7, 1843). The birth of the first British subject ushered into the world in Hongkong (January 20, 1843) was the occasion of much social humour; whilst, a year later, the rumour that the Governor, in view of the insufficiency of house accommodation procurable in the Colony, meditated billetting all military officers upon the European inhabitants