Eaft India Company were to make it a rule that no writer
fhould be appointed to China until he had made himfelf acquainted
with five hundred or ¡a thoufand characters o f the
language*, I will be bold to fay that, where the number fent1
out is fo few (the eftabliihment not exceeding twenty) and
the emoluments fo very liberal, there would be as little danger
as at prefent, by fuch a regulation, o f the appointments being
made out o f their own families. The noble Marquis at the
head o f their affairs in India has eftabliihed an inftitution,
which feems to bid fair, for producing a mutual benefit to
the parent ftate and the native Indians. T h e exertions o f Sir
William Jones and a few others had, indeed, long before
this, been produftive o f the happieft effect's; and-grcat numbers,
both on the civil and military eftablifhments o f the Company,'
made themfelves acquainted, in a certain degree, with
the different languages fpoken in the country. In fa il, it became
a matter o f neceffity, in order to remove prejudices imbibed
againft us and to meet thofe o f the natives. The Por-
tuguefe and the Dutch adopted a different p o lic y ; and, like
our refidents at Canton, communicated only with the natives
in a jargon o f their own languages. Mr. Thunberg tells a
ftory o f a Dutch gentleman, who had refided as chief o f their
failory in Japan for fourteen years, during which period he
had been four times in the capacity o f Embaffador to the court,
* There are feveral good manulcript Chinefe dictionaries in England; one
o f which is under publication by Doftor Montucci j - who; I underhand from
■good authority, by many years o f indefatigable application, has.fuoceeded in writing
the characters with great neatneis and accuracy; arid is well qualified in other
refpeCts for the undertaking, in which, it is to be hoped, he may meet with fuitable
encouragement»
3 7e-t»
yet, on being aiked the name o f the Emperor o f Japan, freely
avowed that it had never occurred to him to aik it. In fa il,
his grand objedl was the accumulation o f fo many millions o f
florins in a given time; in the purfuit o f which he had completely
loft fight o f the Emperor o f Japan and his millions o f
fubjedts.
I f then, by negledling to ftudy the language o f the Chinefe,
we are filly enough to place ourfelves and concerns fo completely
in their power, we are highly deferving o f the extortions
and impofitions fo loudly complained of. I f the trade of
London was exclufively veiled in the hands o f eight merchants,
and i f the foreigners who vifited its port could neither fpeak
nor write one fingle word o f the language o f England, but
communicated folely on every fubjedt with thofe eight merchants,
through a broken jargon fomewhat refembling the
languages o f the feveral foreigners, it might fairly be quef-
tioned, without any difparagement to the merchants o f London,
i f thofe foreigners would have lefs reafon o f complaint
than the Europeans have , who now trade to China ? Even as
things are, would a Chinefe arriving in England find no fubjedt
o f complaint, no grievances nor vexations at the cuftom-houfe,
which, for want o f knowing our language, he might be apt
to confider as extortions and impofitions ? Two years ago two
Chinefe miffionaries landed in England, in their way to the
college de propaganda Fide at Naples. Each had a fmall bundle
of clothes under his arm and, according to the cuftom o f
their country, a fan in his hand. Being obferved by one o f
thofe voracious iharks who, under the pretext o f preventing
4 k frauds