She was armed with four 18-pounders a side and two pivot guns, like Zephyr, the two vessels belonging to Dent & Co. During the Taiping Rebellion Eamont ran up to the threatened city of Ningpo, passing right through the Battle of Chinhae, which was being waged not only on the banks but in the river itself.

But in the smooth sheltered water of the river, and with a fresh whole sail breeze, Zephyr was more than a match for the more strongly built Cowes schooner.

The two vessels met this time in half a gale of wind with a heavy sea running, and Eamont sailed right dead to windward of Zephyr, and left her out of sight in twelve hours.

She was one of the first vessels to open up a trade with Formosa, and made the first survey of the port of Taku, which she entered by bumping over the reef in spite of a tremendous surf beating upon it at the time, a most daring performance.

In his constant encounters with piratical lorchas Captain Gulliver made use of a drag sail, with which he would suddenly deaden the way of his schooner, and so out-manoeuvre these "Invincibles," as they called themselves.

On this occasion she ran into Nagasaki and quietly dropped anchor, in spite of the fact that opposition to the proposed commercial treaty was very strong at the time.