To the Editor of the Dean Sin,—I was glad to observe at tion once more directed in a late issue of your paper to the desirablenesss of establishing a reading room for the Chinese in this Settlement. There can be no doubt that such an institution, if supplied with suitable publications, meiels, maps, described in your article of 21st Decem ber, 1872, would exercise a most beneficial influence in familiarising the minds of the Chinese with various foreign ideas and appliances, which are at this moment more oF less subjects of suspicion, simply because they are imperfectly understood.
About the time that you first voted the subject, 1 sketched out a weheime which I thought calculated to fulfil the end proposed, and submitted it toa few foreign and native friends who take an interest the intellectual and commercial development of the Chinese; and I was much encouraged by the offers of support and assistance which I received, even the Chinese to whom I addressed myself pledging themselves to promote the success of the project to the best of their ability. Although circumstances prevented any further action being taken at the moment, yet I have persistently kept the subject in mind; and the result of my observation during the short twelvemonth Uist has ince elapsed, has only been to strengthen in the conviction that appreciation for all kinds of Western knowledge is steadily on the increase, and that the time arrived when some effort should be m: to foster this inclination and give it a right direction, This proposed reading-room I look upon as the best possible instrument that can be devised for the purpose.
beg to append, below, a prospectus of the scheme to which I allude, and I seek publication for it with the view of hav the merits of the question discussed, pending the convening ut a meeting which the well-wishers of the project jrupose shortly to call in order to put it into practical operation.
Te will be observed that the main pur: pose of the institution whose claims I Advocate is, to encourage an interest in polytechnic and general information, rather than in mere literary research, 'The latter will not be lost sight of, but will take a subsidiary place, In' this connection I may draw attention to the proposal to found a Chinese library, which was embodied in Mr, Forbes's recent address to the North-China Branch ut the Royal Asiatic Society. Mr. Forbes concurs with me in recommending the present project, not only on its own merits, but be-
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.