Tue causes which led to the establish ment of the'T'ung-wen-kwan, or Schools for Native Interpreters, are somewhat obecnre. The results that they have accomplished, as well as their present condition, are also subjects about which little is generally known. Several months ago, a long and able letter from Mr. O'Brien, who teaches one branch of these schools at Peking, appeared in our columns; but with this exception, no facts or statistics of any importance, respecting these institutions, appear to have been made public. Whether ro-garded in an international or in a philological point of view, they claim the interest of Foreign residents in China. Especially, when it is remembered that the fands by which they are supported are drawn from the Foreign Castoms, it becomes a matter of sume importance that they should receive a more careful investigation than has hitherto been attempted.
It would appear that the T'ung-wen-kwan at Peking, and its branche: al Shanghai and Canton, owe their o chiefly to the Treaties of Tien In the English and French treaties, there are clauses in which the Chinese Government undertook to appoint native students to learn the Iauguages of both s, in order that they might assist in diplomatic intercourse. For some reason which we cannot explain, the text of the British treaty is not so clear on this point as that of the French, although in the Chinese versions of both treaties the characters used are the 50th article of the British Treaty, it will be seen that "All official commu. nications, addressed by the diplomatic and consular agents of Her Mujesty the Qaeen to the Chinese authorities, shall henceforth be written in English. They will, for the present, be accompanied by a Chinese version." On turning to the Chinese text, however, there will be found no less than twenty-two charac. ters which represent the words "for. the present." Translated fairly into Eng. lish, these characters signify " until such time as students, selected and appointed by the Chinese Government to learn the English spoken and written language, shall have become proficient; after which time no Chinese version need be sent with them." In the French treaty we find the meaning is exactly as it is given in the Chinese version. In the third arti. cle of that treaty are found the words "jusqwaw moment ai lo gouvernement inpérial de Peking ayant des inlerprites pour parler et écrive correctement lo Fran. gals, So." Why this important item should be condensed into the three words " for the present," in the British treaty, is a question which the learned Sinologues who managed the treaty alone can answer.
The Chinese Government having thus consented to establish a school for interpreters, it now remains lo be seen whether they hare carried out this pr mise any better than the other portions of the treaty. With the staff of consular student interpreters under the able supervision of Mr. Wade, before their eyes, they could easily see at what expense the British Government was prepared to endeavour to carry out their part in the treaty. Hence, there could be no excuse for ignorance of what was required of her, on the part of China, All that was' necessary to be done was to have selected a number of young native graduates from the higher classes of society, and already fully conversant with their own litera. tore. By making a knowledge of For. eign languages, manners and customs a certain passport to permanent and honourable positions under the Gover ment, such students might easily have been induced to devote their' whole energies to their Foreign studies. A regular course of instruction under talented Foreign teachers would, by the present time, have produced a well qnalifed staff of native, interpreters, Had the work been carried on upon a scale atoll commensurate with its importance, China would have derived great benefits, and the barrier of anti-foreign prejudice would probably have been to a considerable extent broken dow:
This, however, is only what might have been done. We now come to notice what really has been done. It appears that nothing was attempted in the matter, till some of the Foreign diplomatists in Peking at first suggested and afterwards pressed upon the Go vernment to open the school in connec: tion with the Tsung-li Yamen. A very feeble beginning was then made. Avd asifit were to show their contempt for Foreigners, about thirty poor educated Manchu boys, sons of ley pensionersnpon the Imperial bounty (7) Were assembled is buildings adjoining the Yamen, These were divided into
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.