Preparations
tor the
Embassy.
of whatever productions nature might furnish tin the
course of the expedition'.
One officeTrnore was still vacant, which/was as ndfes-
sary, as it was difficult to fill u p ; that o f Chinese
interpreter and translator. .Mo man, capablfficf that em*
ployment, then existed throughout the British domi-.
niohs. From, what ilsg mentioned in the ffirst chapter,
less surprise will be felt that -the supercargoes of the
English East India/Company return, afterseveral years
residence iii China, without having madeiany profieh
ehey in the language, Ote man, Mr. FHnt4 wh© had;
been an exception to the rule, and continued his attachment
to the country, tho he had been- imprisoned, and
afterwards banished by the Chinese/ government, f«;
attempting to reach Pekin, was lately: dead in-England.
Another, of the name- of Galberfc,i‘3i native of Erance,-
who bad longMFesidect at Canton, where het applied with
great assiduity to the acquisition of the Chinese toAgu©:
was to hare been employed as interpreter om a,preceding)
occasion; but died before the present.
It was by no means advisable to depend on finding fife
persons at Canton for serving, in that capacity. Some
of the natives there bad-just enough of aaa European language,
either Portuguese or English, to interpret for
foreign merchants, in mere matters .of sale and purchase;
but would be embarrassed to make out a conversation
upon any other subject-;;’ nor is thea dialect of the Chi* :
rats#:;.usually Lspokeniby them, intell£gffil;erat P ek in a n d ,
experience had taughti to/doubt-as1 much o f their fidelity
asiof ftieir knowledgei’»Jlfecsonrsei therefore-, was'rather
to be had taiavseareh up@A the!ichhtment;of Eur4pe,'.#©r
such trust-worthytpfcnsonss. returning) fromChinay.as',1 had
happened, to a-G<pabevbfewlanguag^fhf the tafcdhrines'
during their residence < in -. thStodountry ;f$or for thefehr
Chinese who fedfeje® it,. ■ and' had sinde-/learned'»any
of the E u r o p e a n i f n e i t t e p suck,werdn*ny
j^fsfcudb i!' 'It was known tha^&bl^e:mi$sici&‘
naiifes w ho^e- publicly .federated? at Pekin, undrew AM
immediate.pEoMctidn of, )tl$e Emperor«, ’ dt^teldbih happens
that /any are, afterwards^&ll®wed' ithe
Countryr, c but/Sthapsy who penetrate'- inodisgui'sekinto
it,,.have, occasionally returned home. 'S®ffi.e.,Chinese
men of letters had .found th'eiBlhfey3 tbiReihey/l whepe
theypweDe»employed < inr tkei kale» ^ffisekamindtion'. of
Chinese nbookMeand, manuscripts >> in the Vatican;1 .asad
zed .forpChristiam-ity had ffoundedigi •eo&ge.afc# Maples*,
dedicated-it© -the ■ - educationHof ‘ycotog %GMaaielsef' svhom
the European« missionariesreontrived rib-get^ away- iom
China,
■ Among, all these; whether(aby were, fist find willing
to be employed, uppm' th^present'oheasfdtofiA^S-joihd’^S,
uncerbaim; but it>,was>Ae^estlfresdurce. And' accordingly,
theaniended febr|baryiOf the Embassyjseb oitt in
Preparations jmi the
•Embassy: