Thus the taxes, which, i f we may judge o f them from
thofe paid by their own countrymen, are extremely moderate,
by the abufes o f the adminiftration become ferious grievances
to the foreign merchant who, however, has never hitherto employed
the only probable mean o f obtaining redréfs— that o f
m a k i n g himfelf acquainted with the language o f the country,
fo as to be able to remonftrate to the high officers o f ftate,
againft the oppreffions and impolitions o f thofe who act in inferior
capacities ; for, however rapacious and corrupt the firft
in authority may be, his timid nature would ffinnk immediately
from a bold, clamorous, and able complainant, who pof-
feffed the means o f making his delinquency notorious. This
obfervation has been verified by a recent occurrence. A fraudulent
fuppreffion o f a bankruptcy, for which the government
iiood refponfible, and by which the interefts o f the Eait India
Company, as well as o f feveral individuals in India and Canton,
would materially have 'fuffered, was completely fruftrated
by the fimple circumftance o f Mr. Drummond, the chief o f
the faCtory, rufhing into the city o f Canton, and repeating
aloud a few words which he had got by heart whilft, at the
fame time, he held up a written memorial ; the confequence
o f which was, that the memorial was immediately carried to
the viceroy, and the grievance complained o f therein redrefied.
It would Tiave been1 in vain to convey it through any o f the inferior
officers or the Hong merchants, as they were all interefted
in keeping it from the knowledge o f government.
The fuppofed difficulty o f acquiring the Chinefe language
has hitherto intimidated the refidents in Canton from making
the
the attempt. Satisfied in tranfaCting the Company’s concerns
through the medium o f a jargon o f broken Engliffi, which all
the Hong merchants and even the inferior tradefmen and mechanics
find it worth their while to acquire, they have totally
neglected the language, as well as every other branch o f information
refpeCting the moft interefting and extraordinary empire
on the face o f the globe. The attainment in faCt o f four or
five thoufand characters, which are fufficient to write clearly
and copioufly on any fubjeCt, is much lefs difficult than ufually
has been imagined, but it would require great attention and
unremitting perfeverance, fuch perhaps as few are willing to
bellow, who are placed in fituations which enable them to
calculate, almoft to a certainty, on realising a fixed fum in a<
given number o f years. T he climate may alfo be adverfe to
intenfe application, bpt i f the foundation was laid in England,
much o f the difficulty would thus be obviated. The French,
aware o f the folid advantages that refult from the knowledge o f
languages, are at this moment holding out every encouragement
to the ftudy o f Chinefe literature; obvioufly not
without defign. The y know: that the. Chinefe character is un-
derftood from the Gulph o f Siam ' to the Tartarian Sea, and
over a very confiderable part o f the great Eaftern Archipelago;
that the Cochin Chinefe, with whom they have already firmly-
rooted themfejves, ufe no other writing than the pure Chinefe
character, which is alfo the cafe with the Japanefe. It is to be
hoped therefore that the Britiffi nation will not’ negleCt the
means o f being able to meet the French, i f necefiary, even'on
this ground. The method" o f accompliffiing this defirable ob-
jeCt appears to be extremely fimple. I f the Directors o f the
f m Eaft'