China Station
Seymour returned to Portsmouth and joined the steam frigate after which he attended the training ship and then the gunnery school . Promoted to sub-lieutenant on 4 May 1859, he returned to China and, during the voyage, was awarded the Royal Humane Society medal for an unsuccessful attempt to save a marine who had fallen overboard. Promoted to lieutenant on 11 February 1860, he joined the frigate , flagship of the Commander-in-Chief, China Station, and saw action again at the Battle of Taku Forts in August 1860. He became commanding officer of the paddle steamer at Canton and then transferred to the paddle sloop before joining the frigate , the new flagship of the Commander-in-Chief, China Station, and took part in the Battle of Cixi in September 1862 during the Taiping Rebellion.