once with the spoken language, the provincial dialect of the place; and to commit these dialects to writing in the Roman character. There is much plausibility in this system, and perhaps more can be urged in defence of it, than on the other side, so far as it is confined to a particular class of Missionaries. The merits of this system are set forth by an able advocate, an American Baptist Missionary, the Rev. M. J. Knowlton, D.D. The letter is taken from the "Missionary Magazine of the American Baptist Union," for April, 1870 :

"As the China Inland Mission' is beginning to make some stir in the Western as well as in the Eastern world, and as in my recent tour I had frequent opportunity of intercourse with its Missionaries, and observing their spirit, mode of labour, &c., I will mention a few things that were impressed upon my own mind respecting them. 1. They have an excellent spirit,self-denying, with singleness of aim; devotional, with a spirit of faith, of love, of humility. 2. Their operations are carried on with great efficiency and economy. 3. They are able and willing to bring themselves into close contact with the people, by living in their houses, using their dress, and living for the most part on their food; in short, 'becoming all things unto all men, that they may save some.' 4. They are widely scattered, but one or two families in a city. 5. They are having good success; many are doing a great amount of preaching and praying, and souls are added to the Church,' and are, I trust, truly converted. 6. They are not generally educated men, but men from the humble labouring classes, converted and brought out by the revivals in England, Ireland, and Scotland, and showing zeal and aptness to preach and labour for the salvation of souls. Hence they will not be very likely to fritter away foolishly their time in reading dusty old Chinese tomes, and in making books and tracts that nobody will read. 7. They are willing to 'rough it.'

"On the whole, I think the Mission will be a success.

"My principal fear, from what I saw is, that their health will suffer; but whether it will suffer more than in the case of the Missionaries of other Societies, remains to be seen.

"I notice that the English Baptist Society is beginning to be influenced considerably by the example of the China Inland Mission.' Could not all the old Societies learn some lessons from it? Could they not send some men of piety, good common

sense, energy, and perhaps of some experience, who had not been through the usual college course ?...... Could not some bê sent out at first unmarried, to labour three, four, or five years, till they have proved whether they are good Missionaries, before they are married? Many Societies are now to a greater or less extent adopting this plan."

The decided tone of this worthy Missionary in favour of the plan pursued by the "CHINA INLAND MISSION," is met by an equally decided opinion to the contrary by W. H. Medhurst, Esq., H.B.M. Consul at Shanghai, in his "Foreigner in Far Cathay," pp. 41–3 :—

"Another mistake which the Protestant Missionaries have made is in confining their efforts too exclusively to the acquirement of local patois of the language, and to the production therein of tracts and translations of the Scriptures; the result, as regards the natives, being very much what might be imagined in England, were foreign propagandists to attempt to preach and distribute books in a Somersetshire, Yorkshire, Cockney, or any other dialect. Some Missionaries, in their over-estimate of the difficulty of acquiring the written Chinese language for themselves, or of getting illiterate Chinese to master it with sufficient facility to become readers of their books within a reasonable space of time, have even hit upon the novel expedient of inventing a new written medium, by Romanizing,' as they call it, the Chinese language, that is, expressing it phonetically by means of our alphabetical system, and schools are now taught and books published in this hybrid character. It is argued that, owing to the comparative ease with which this mode of writing Chinese is acquired, it becomes the means of enabling the simplest child or oldest crone to read the Bible in the native tongue after a few lessons, a feat neither could otherwise accomplish. And to a certain extent this is true. But it stands to reason that for every child or old woman who may thus be won over, there must be hundreds of thousands left totally unreached, and the system must therefore fail of general or practical utility. As regards preaching or teaching in a local patois, it may secure attention and apprehension amongst the lower classes in a particular neighbourhood; but the speaker, unless he acquire more than one patois,-there being nearly one to every large city,-must be at a manifest disadvantage elsewhere, whilst no respectable or educated person will demean

himself to listen, save perhaps for curiosity's sake, to a foreigner speaking in a vulgar dialect.

"The same argument applies with even more force to the publication of books in the colloquial. There is perhaps no people who are more partial to reading than the Chinese, or who better appreciate beauty of composition and purity of style in their books. Until the Missionaries study more than they have done to gratify this taste, their publications must fail to attract attention with the reading classes, and may even, by exciting contempt, occasion more harm than good. A Chinese statesman was not much mistaken when he observed in a late memorial that native institutions and creeds had but little to fear from the disturbing influences of Missionary publications. It is only fair I should add that there are exceptions to this rule; some few Missionaries having effected real good by placing before the Chinese translations of some of our scientific works, as well as original compositions on popular subjects, all in good scholastic style; and they have been rewarded by the popularity that these works have earned in even the best circles."

Who shall decide when such authorities differ? Is there no happy medium between the two extremes? May it not be desirable for some Missionaries to give themselves to the vernacular, while others are striving to become "Sinologues?" To make the every-day language of the various peoples of China a vehicle fitted to set forth the great truths of the Christian revelation is surely a task in point of dignity and practical value superior to the honour of having a brain stored with the lore of an antiquated Chinese literature, which cannot be directly helpful to the usefulness of the Missionary. Real, thorough, and deep Chinese scholarship has its value and use, but not one European Missionary in a hundred can hope to attain to such an envied proficiency, nor is it desirable, for the bulk of our Missionaries must be workers among the people.

8. The Native Chinese Missionaries are the hope of the Christian Churches of the future. Much will depend upon their training: as in all Missions, the Native Minister is what the Missionaries have made him. Our failures are few in comparison with our successes. The self-denial of some of the Chinese Native Missionaries, and their aspirations after selfsupport, are proofs of their fitness for the great work which is before them, to win China for Christ.

HOME RELIGIOUS STATISTICS OF CHINA.

1. Population, extent.-Next to Russia, the Chinese Empire, including Mantchuria, Mongolia, and Thibet, is the largest in extent in the world. China proper itself is one-third the size of Europe, seven times the size of France, and eleven times the size of the British Islands. Population is estimated at above 400,000,000. Hong Kong (Island) is an English possession; population, 119,477, of which only 1,644 are Europeans. Besides the Mission schools, there are Government and other schools, all of which educate 2,656 children. Government spends on education £2,795, and on a Chaplain and church about £1,000.

2. The State Religion is founded on the ethical and political maxims of the sage Confucius, who lived in the sixth century before the Christian era. His writings ignore the existence of a God and a future state, consisting mainly in the advocacy of what is expedient and useful and proper. Taouism is Polytheism, but teaches the immortality of the soul, and the existence of genii and spirits. Budhism is Pantheism, theoretically not idolatrous, but practically grossly so. The "ancestral worship" of the Chinese is another species of idolatry. About half a million of Mohammedans are found in the north-western provinces, and a few Jews also.

3. Christianity. The Roman Catholics number about 400,000 converts; the Church is governed by 12 Bishops and Evangelists, 80 foreign Missionaries, and 90 Priests (in 1846). They are found in every province of China. Within China there are 4 seminaries for the training of Native Priests. The Romanists have been severely dealt with by the Government since 1814. Three Bishops were executed, and hundreds of Native Priests and converts. At present, through the patronage of the French Government, and by the provisions of the Treaty of 1858-60, the Romanists enjoy extraordinary privileges, and all the property which was theirs since the seventeenth century, and which had been forfeited to the State, has been restored to them. The Protestant Missionaries are established in 9 out of the 18 provinces of China. Their statistics are found in the tables annexed, from which it appears there are about 9,000 members of the various Protestant Churches,

4. Education. For more than 2,400 years education has been patronized by the Chinese authorities; and since 600 A.D. public competitive examinations of candidates for civil appointments have been established in China. The proportion of readers is difficult to ascertain. Educational progress seems to vary in every district. In some, four per cent. of the population can read; in others, twenty per cent. Most of the people in towns are able to read the sounds of the characters, and many to understand them.

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5. Grammars, &c.-Dr. Morrison's Dictionary and Grammar; Dr. Marshman's Dictionary and Grammar, and Elements of Chinese Language; Dr. Medhurst's Dictionary and Grammar, and Dictionary of Hok-Kiu Dialect A Dictionary by the American Board of Foreign Missions; Williams's Chinese Vocabulary and Tonic Dictionary; Dr. C. Douglas's Dictionary of Amoy Vernacular; Edkins's Grammar of the Colloquial Language.

BIBLE AND TRACT SOCIETIES.

1. The British and Foreign Bible Society has circulated 70,684 Scriptures and portions, at a cost of £1,942.

2. The National Bible Society of Scotland has circulated 10,560 Scriptures and portions, at a cost of £540.

3. The American Bible Society has circulated 37,243 Scriptures and portions, at a cost of £2,160.

4. The Religious Tract Society has granted in magazines and books, £541.

EDITIONS OF THE SCRIPTURES.

1. The British and Foreign Bible Society has published in Chinese, 3 versions of the entire Scriptures, 1 Morrison, 1 Marshman, and that of the Board of Revisers; also the New Testament in Pekin Mandarin Colloquial, and in Nankin and Ningpo Colloquial; part of the New Testament in Canton Colloquial; St. Matthew and St. Luke in Hakko Colloquial, in Roman characters.

2. The same Society has published for Tartary, the New Testament in Manchuo, the entire Bible in Buriat, or Eastern Mongolian, and St. Matthew in Southern Mongolian Colloquial.

3. The American Bible Society has published the New Testament in the Foochoo dialect.