On 3 September 1831 Anson joined HMS "Spartiate", in 1834 "Blonde", and in 1837 "Seringapatam". On 12 March 1833 he was promoted to Lieutenant and on 30 June 1838 to Commander. On 12 December 1839 he took command of HMS "Pylades", an elderly eighteen gun sloop. He saw active service with her in China during the Opium War and took part in the Battle of Amoy. On 29 July 1840, under Anson's command, "Pylades" destroyed a "piratical junk" off the coast of China, an action which led to the distribution of bounty money. On 8 June 1841 he was promoted Captain. Returning to England in 1842, he took a long break from the sea, during which he got married. His next command was "Euridice", an almost new 24-gun post ship, in 1846, after the death of his wife. Anson's final command, from 23 May 1856 to 23 April 1857, was "James Watt", a 91-gun ship of the line.