Tusee are not many men in Shanghai old enough to recollect the establish-mont of the original Society for the iffasion of Usefal Knowledge. It was \institated, if we: recollect rightly, four "yours before Her present Majesty began er reign; and it was one of the most energetic-efforts over made to spread intelligence amonget the masses. Lord Brougham and Vaux was ite first _president, Charles Knight, its publisher, trid the Penny Magasine ite frst publi lication, This periodical was in its way unique: It. was. not specially well printed, and its woodcuts were horribly coarse, The literary matter however was of a high class. Men of the foremost ability in the various departments: of science contributed to its pages, and no flashy writing was ever Admitted. The Society superintended thie, production of various other staudard works—the Penny Cyclopedia, the (British -Almanack and Companion, eto.; but.the-Penny Magazine was the most prominent of its literary venteres, and "We believe that we: shall not be wrong ifiwe say that it was the most useful attempt, ever made, to impart sound knowledge to the lower and middle classes by means of cheap but well written. Tt was mercilessly ridiculed by the Tories, as was also the London University established about the same time. Blackwood was never weary of deriding. the Reforming Lord Chancellor and his two pet projects; and much bitter prose and, much lively. verse were. devoted to hold up. to contempt "The London Uni-the work went on and proversity and Penny Magazine." Still,
apered. The pioneer of cheap literature was followed by a host. of like publications, and no one out of Hanwell "Will deny that, to magazines and popaler journals, the advanced culture of the mass of the English people isto be largely attributed. There is very much yet to be done, but the want of knowledge is confessed and, inthe hackneyed phrase of the Reform Bill year, "The schoolmaster is abroad."
Now what was done in -1832 in England, alittle knot of intelligent men hope to. doin China in 1872. A meeting "has been held at Peking, of some prominent sinologues, and it is Rision of usefal Knowledge in Chioa.
reposed to start a Society for the dif-
The prospectus issued seems judicious, and the object of the Society needs no commendation, as it speaks for itself.. The influence of an illustrated Magazine is very great. It fixes facts on the memory, and renders the acquit sition of knowledge comparatively easy; bearing this in mind, the Committee in the North have resolved to commence this work. by issuing a monthly, periodical "illustrated with photo-lithographs and woodcuts, to contain a resume of news, and articles on social, scientific, and general topics." This journal' it is proposed to circulate throughout the Empire; atid if it should prove successful, to follow i up by issuing a series of treatises embracing the varied range of Western literature and science.
Tt is needless to say that much depends upon the mode in which this design is realized. There is no doubt ample and unoccupied field. The idea is excellent, and it would be a matter of regret if the scheme failed owing to any imperfection in the manner of carrying it out. There are dif ficulties to be overcome, but the task is not so bard as it would have been seven years go. The translations made by the various missionaries and by the officials of the Imperial Service have been very numerous, many of them very accurate. Some of the problems of scientific nomenclature have been solved. There are probably a far larger number of qualified native teachers now than there were in former days, and in spite of occasional disappointments we may conclude that there really is a growing desire on the part of the natives to " better their estate" by the adoption of certain obvious Western appliances. The Committee -seem moderate in their claim for pecuniary support, and we sincerely trust that the small subscription they ask for will be readily forthooning. The communities resident at the Ports certainly see the subscription -list very often; but when we put the moderate demands made by the'ndvocates of scientific literary projects by the side of the sums lavished on, amusements, we shall not be disposed to cavil at a Tls. 5 subscription for so excellent object as the diffusion of useful knowledge in Chiva. Secular Mission: are wanted at this moment inthe [Middle Kingdom, and we have Hope that the Chinese equivalent of the old Penny Magazine may be the pioneer of intellectual and material progress.
@utports.
'IENTSIN, The thermometer this morning stood at 16° fahrenheit, and I fancy we shall not see colder weather again this winter- Ice is being collected from the lakes in large quantities. The river is frozen"over in one, ax we have had litre stormy weather, happily for the starving population. Numbers of them are, however, daily' dying, One of the seamen belonging to HEME! gun-and every day food is becoming scarcer." through slipping underneath. - The has not been found, and I don't. sup-al is now seventeen dollars a ton, a high will be so, until the ice breaks up. figure and a very serious item in the daily outlay in this cold climate, where we must have fires everywhere in our houses, to exist comfortably. The Customs' mail couriers arrive as exactly as clockwork, and General of Guster for owe tin we are greatly obliged to the Ins small community their services, The heavy mail couriers of the community, bringing our newspapers, do not come up to time so well, leaving us plenty of time for reflection on what the news may be on its arrival. Yesterday, the official seals of the territorial authorities were closed up for the new year's holidays, and the clerks all left for their homes. The military mandarins appear to be expending a great deal of powder daily, as I hear every forenoon Gught to become great warriors, going off every fow minutes, - The fudge them by the an powder hey daily burn. One ofthe thieves who Guantity of broke into the Russian hong has been caught, and his arrest may lead to others being taken, "People here live been lately keeping their powder dry and their ears open at nights, fearing the visite of bury-lars; but as yet these gentlemen have not made any grand operations, and have chiefly done business with the Chinese people who had property worth operating on.
30th January,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.