ness also of enlarging still further the present accommodations, and the necessity of providing for the more entire separation of the male from the female members of the establishment, have already urged themselves upon the attention of the board. There now remains room for the reception of very few more children. Applications are, and will be, far more frequent than situations can be obtained for those who are ready to go out. It must be left, therefore, with those who have the good will and the ability, to determine, whether any really needy and suppliant orphan shall be turned away from the doors of the Asylum, and left to the tender mercies of the heathen; or whether the almoners of their bounty shall be able to say, that not one such shall seek in vain for a refuge within its walls. The board would now respectfully submit this brief account of their proceedings during the past year; and beg leave to return their sincere thanks to the many kind individuals who have extended their aid for the benefit of the Asylum."

3. The Singapore Tract and Book Society, for the Eastern Archipelago, was organized March 30th, 1838. Its design is to supply, in the numerous languages spoken within the extensive sphere which it embraces, tracts and books for the benefit of all classes. The Society is desirous of coöperating with similar institutions in India to advance the cause of Christianity and Education. Further, it is the object of the Society to establish branches and depositories, to appoint corresponding members in the various parts of southeastern Asia, and to supply the shipping of the numerous nations visiting the port of Singapore, and missionary stations and individuals, with its publications. N. B. Tracts and books in the following languages are already in their depository, ready for distribution: the Armenian, English, Dutch, Portuguese, Indo-Portuguese, French, Spanish, German, Hindustani, Tamul or Malabar, Gentoo, Bengali, Chinese, Malay, Javanese, Ooreah: these may be obtained on application to the Society's secretaries, J. Stronach and E. B. Squire, at Singapore. 4. The first half-yearly Report of the Calcutta Sailor's Home, read at a general meeting held February 6th, 1838, has just come to hand, with a letter from one of the officers of the institution. The number of vessels in the port of Calcutta last year was 981, of which 413 were country vessels, the others were European and American; the crews of the latter amount to 14,417; while the number of Lascars and others was 15,052-giving a total of 29,469. The whole number of officers and men who resided at the Home, from June to December 1837, the period embraced in the Report, was 303: of these 25 were officers, 15 petty officers, and 263 fore-mast-men. We have no room to recapitulate the details of the Report, or to notice the addresses, made at the public meeting, by sir J. P. Grant, and others. The Calcutta Sailor's Home is most admirably adapted to do good-its plan, its accommodations, its superintendence, and its success, thus far, are all good. Every port in the east ought to be provided with such a Home. Needful as these institutions are in Europe and America, we know they are far more necessary in the east. Seamen are worthy of them, merchants and governments are abundantly able (and willing too, we believe - for it is their interest) to support them. Can they not, shall they not, then, be everywere established?

ART. VII. Journal of Occurrences. New edict for the expulsion of the European boats; seizure of opium; decapitation; apprehension of Chinese Christians; literary examinations; immigra tion of Chinese into Java prohibited.

COULD a full and impartial account of the traffic in opium, carried on in the Chinese waters during the last eighteen months, be written, it would form a most extraordinary chapter in the history of commerce. At one moment it was to be legalized, at the next it was to be stopped, the traffikers expelled, their vessels destroyed or driven from the country. A temporary check was experienced, many native boats destroyed, and smugglers imprisoned. The traffic soon found new channels. At present it is chiefly confined to foreign vessels and native governmental boats: the number of the former is said to be about fifty, varying in size from 300 to 30 tons. Of the small European boats, about thirty are employed on the river, between the Bogue and Canton. Against these a new edict has just been issued by the governor, requiring their immediate clearance from the river. There are rumors of collisions between certain European boats and his majesty's cruisers. It is said there has been bloodshed and loss of life.

Eight chests of opium were seized near the factories, about the middle of the month; four of the same disappeared in the very act of seizure, and the remaining chests were delivered over to the prefect of Kwangchow; and, wonderful to relate, while in the hands of the police, they were metamorphosed into four chests of common earth!

Decapitations during the month have been very numerous: more than thirty criminals were brought to the sword on a single day.

Several Chinese Christians, teën choo keaou, Roman Catholics, have been apprehended in Peking and its vicinity. One has been banished to Ele.

Literary examinations. The following passages from the Four Books were lately given by the emperor, as the themes of essays which were to be written at a literary examination held at Peking. As they are believed to be of the emperor's own selection, they will be of interest, as affording some insight into the tone of his majesty's reflections.

From the Conversation of Confucius: 'Always sincere in speech, and determined in action.' These characteristics are mentioned by Confucius as rendering even those who are of mean capacity fit persons for public employment.

From the Invariable Medium: All things are nourished together, without injuring one another: the laws of nature move on in unison, without mutual contrariety. This sentence is introduced as illustrative of the nature of a wise government, resembling, as it should do the supreme government of the universe. From Mencius: Reciting their poetry, and reading their books, can one remain ignorant of the ancients? Therefore, one may observe their times, and form friendships even among them.'

Immigration of Chinese into Java, it will be seen by the accompanying notice, has been prohibited by the Dutch government. We have been informed, that several hundred, however, have been allowed to take up their residence in Batavia, in consequence of their arriving while ignorant of the prohibition.

"Notice is hereby given to the cominanders of all vessels proceeding to any part of Java: A. That it has pleased his excellency the governor-general of the Netherlands India, to prohibit the carrying to Java, new Chinese settlers, from whatever place they may come; this prohibition to remain in force until further notice. B. Commanders of ships who, contrary to the above order, shall take to Java such new Chinese settlers, will be fined in the sum of fifty rupees silver, for every such Chinese landed in Java. C. That it shall be incumbent on the commanders of such vessels, to reëmbark on board of them, such new Chinese settlers as they have brought, under a penalty of fifty rupees silver for every such Chinese left behind at the time of the ship's departure, unless it he proved that he had died in the mean time. M. J. SENN VAN BASEL,

Canton, 26th May, 1838.

H. N. M. Consul in China.”

THE

CHINESE REPOSITORY.

VOL. VII.-JULY, 1838.- No. 3.

ART. I. Review of the facilities existing for the study of the Chinese language, especially as regards England and America. THE language of China, lung neglected by those whom interest should most induce to acquire a knowledge of it, begins now to draw more serious attention in England and America than it has heretofore received. A professorship of the language has been instituted in England, and a gentleman well-fitted for its duties, by experience acquired in the Anglo-Chinese College at Malacca, has been appointed to fill the post. Under the instruction of the Reverend Samuel Kidd, we may hope to see many, erelong, rising up to emulate and second the labors of Rémusat, Klaproth, Julien, and other continen tal scholars, in this department of knowledge. The day now dawns. The history of the human mind, in situations and under circumstances, so widely different from those by which the minds of Greece and Rome were influenced, will soon be brought to light. And the land of Sinim, though it should continue shut to the merchant and the traveler, to the searcher after ancient lore and the conveyancer of modern information, will nevertheless cease to be a terra incognita.

But this future prospect must not blind us to the present discouragements of the unenthusiastic student. The viva voce lessons of the lecture room must be aided by written instructions adapted to the closet. And to many, these latter will still have to supply altogether the place of the former. For the hundredth time we hear the questions asked, 'What is the best mode of commencing to learn Chinese? What are the most useful elementary books on the language?' Often

as these questions have been addressed to us, we still find a difficulty in replying. We would refer the questioner to the Elémens de la Grammaire Chinoise of Rémusat, full of judicious rules; the Arte China of Gonçalves, abounding in good examples and exercises for reading and speaking; and the Chinese Dialogues of Morrison, useful for their verbatim translations- -as affording conjointly the best elementary course of study, at present within the student's reach. all who would learn Chinese are familiar with the French tongue; few can avail themselves of Portuguese works; and almost the whole edition of the Chinese Dialogues lies engulphed in the wreck of the Alceste, so that a copy is rarely procurable We are required, therefore, to name some other works as substitutes for these.

But not

As to grammars, that of Morrison may be suggested. It has the advantage, indeed, of having been written at an early period of the author's Chinese studies, when the difficulties of commencing were yet fresh in his memory; but this circumstance in itself implies an unacquaintance with many peculiarities of idiom, and a want of deep insight into the arcana of the language. The work holds out such a light as may enable the student to scramble after his predecessor; but does not shed forth the brightness of day, and so put it in his power to select the best pathways. In lieu of it, we would rather recommend, to those who have profited by the classical lessons of their school days, the Notitia Linguæ Sinicæ of Prémare, a work which they will find eminently useful, and abounding in evidences of an intimate acquaintance with the language to which it relates. Its great deficiency, is the absence of general rules of construction deduced from ext hsive experience. The author dwells much upon particular words and phrases, the various senses in which they are used, and the relative positions to the principal verb or noun; but does not state general principles under which to arrange these numerous items of particular information. To the advanced student, however, his work is highly valuable. Rémusat's grammar derived its value and importance, not less from having given those general rules which Prémare wants, than from its having been published at a time when the liberality of an English nobleman had not yet placed the Notitia Linguæ Sinicæ within the reach of every student. Having spoken of these grammars, we will not indulge an idly critical humor, by bringing forward the works of Marshman, Fourmont, Bayer, Montigny, Varo, and others, seeing that we can mention these, only to point out their unfitness for the use of such as would acquire a thorough knowledge of the Chinese idiom, whether with a view to

reading the works of native authors, or with the purpose of engaging in the far more difficult task of writing for the instruction of the Chinese in religion or science.*

For the numerous examples of style, both of speaking and of writing, given by Gonçalves in his Arte China, we can find no sufficient substitute. Many similar examples are scattered over the works of Prémare and Rémusat; and a few Chinese works there are that give good specimens of colloquial style, in the shape of dialogues and detached sentences. But the former want the advantage of assemblage and arrangement, the latter the necessary aid of translation. For the verbatim renderings of Morrison's Dialogues, we may find a good substitute in Davis's Chinese Moral Maxims, which, with the view of affording examples of the grammatical construction of the language, are similarly translated. The examples under each rule in Rémusat's Grammaire Chinoise are also translated in this way.

The above remarks, while they evince that the student is not wholly without the means of profitably applying himself to the study of Chinese, show not less clearly the importance of providing him with these means in a more convenient shape. At present he must be well acquainted with two European languages besides his own, before he can advantageously pursue his Chinese studies. Though many may be found ready to undergo the drudgery and toil of thus acquiring one foreign language through the medium of another, yet of necessity the progress of the student must be greatly retarded by these difficulties. Nor are the works that we have recommended, as the best that are in existence, secure by any means from censure. We have little to say in disparagement of Rémusat's Grammar. our charge against Gonçalves' Arte China is not so much of faultiness as of deficiency. None of his examples are illustrated by verbatim translations, and his renderings are often so free, as to give the student no clear insight into the construction of the Chinese sentence before him. Morrison's Dialogues and Davis's Maxims were compiled chiefly to supply the want of such verbal translations; and

It has been suggested, that these authors, or at least Marshman, merit more notice than they have here received. It must be remembered, that we are speaking of elementary works. Now Marshman's dissertation, entitled Clavis Sicicawhatever value or interest it may possess to the advanced Chinese scholar, who is able to sift the chaff from the wheat, and to avail himself of the views of an original thinker, while he passes over his errors,-is precisely the last book we would give as an elementary one. It is prolix, which is a disadvantage; but it is a grammar drawn from one class of writing-the classics, and it abounds in errors, arising from the authors small facilities for knowing, and really imperfect know ledge of, the Chinese tongue.