A meeting of well-wishers to the project for establishing a Reading-room for Chine was held in the Asiatic Society's Rooms on Tuesday night. There was a limited attendance, doubtless owing to the wet W.H, Medhurst, "Esq, HM. Consul, weather, but among those present were
Rey. Canon Butcher, Dr. Macgowan, and Messr. R. 1, Fearon, G. B. Glover, F. N.
W. Kingsmill, E. Major, Michio, J. Fryer, G. Jamieson, A. Wylie, W. B. Pryer, P. Loureiro, Mr. Feanow, having been requested to take the chair, briefly announced the object of the meeting. He said—I feel that the Chairman will best perform his functions on this occasion by confining his own remarks within the smallest possible compass, and leaving to others better qualified to do so the task of explaining the scheme we are met to discuss to-night. Mr. Medhurst has already given usa lucid sketch of the project in the columns of the North-China Daily News, and to him we may look for some further information on the subject, His great experience of Chinese will enable him, better than most foreigners in Far Cathay, to estimate the probabilities of success for such an institution as he proposes, and he is eminently qualified to tell us what to do, and—what is perhaps even more to the purpose—what not to do, to give a Chinese Reading-room a local habitation and a name in Shanghai. Iam sure that if he will favour us with his suggestions now, he will find us, if a small, an appreciative audience.
Mr. Mepuunsr said—Mr. Chairman and Gentlemen, It affords me much gratification to see so numerous and so influential an assemblage met this evening, notwithstanding the very unfavourable weather, in answer to the appeal which I have ventured to make.—he general features of the scheme which is now about to be recommended to your notice have been already placed before the public in the shape of a letter which I lately addressed
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.