Loxpow, 25th Sept., 1874.
Thave been attending the above-named International Congress of savants, being the second session c! that young but learned. body, which came into existence last year in Paris, under the auspices of M. Leon de Rosny, the celebrated Chinese scholar and professor of Oriental Ianguages. At its inauguration there, it was well supported by Continental and Eastern philologists, with a few British, and special attention was paid to the Japanese language. At this first anniversary in London, of course the English element prevailed, and there were more members from India, besides foreign delegates specially appointed by their Governments, Among the leading members representing China were Sir Rutherford Alcock, 0.B.; Sir John Davis, Bart., K.C.B.; Rev. Dr. Legge, and Rev. Joseph Edkins, There was a great muster of French and German members, with others from the chief European and American States, so that every flag that flutters over the Consulates on the Bund, had its representatives. Although the subjects of Ethnology and Archeology came within the scope of the Congress, yet the mai object of its meetings was Philology. Hence the faculties which naturally give fucility to the acquirement of languages were in the ascendant; enthusiastiomembors speaking with the greatest volubility, rendering the meetings a series of grand "palavers' on words; sometimes a perfect Babel of tongues prevailed before the business of each section commenced.
aconunt of these sections and their transac: 1 am not going to inflict any detailed tions upon your readers—that they can read in the reports of the London newspapers, the moat compre pearing in the Academy, a literary journal that has become a powerful rival of the Athenaeum, Suffice it to th out of th session, 1 was the Li augural Meeting; 3 were sittings of four philological sections, and 2 respectively archwological and ethnological.
Besides these business meetings, there were ions for each day at the British the India Office Library; the the South Kenaington Museum; a breakfast at Sir Battle Frere's, Wimbledon; a Garden Party at Mr. Bosanquet's, Enfield, and a banquet at the Mansion House, given by the Lord Mayor. Here was a programme for a week only, not including Sunday, that it was next to impossible for any single member to attend, unless he were ubiqui there were four, live, or six papers, besides each President's address, to be read, which in themselves would Lave occupied the whole of the time that the Council hud restricted the labours of the Congress to, 'The consequence was, that with the exception of the addresses, all other papers were tered as read, the author being allowed in favoured instances to give an oral sketch of the subject matter, while others were "left out in the cold' altogether. Of course this restriction of time to the real business of the Congress—the sittings ranging from two to three hours—gave umbrage, to the foreign members especially, who had prepared elaborate papers on which they expected exhaustive discussions, Nothing of the kind took place but some of the presidents had much difficulty to confine the remarks of members to a reasonable limit. Of these the French speakers were the most diffi cult to restrain; for, once the tap of mots was turned on, the flow of Language would run until the supply was exhausted. To those who were not well up in French it was not easy to follow the valuable speakers in their learned remarks, or straw-splitting arguments, For my part, I could only make out here and there the drift of some demonstration regarding the etymology of a particular word, which brought to my recollection the old satirical definition between Tweedle-dum and Tweedle-dee." I suspect the Council had some suspicion of the probable effect of most of these papers, in lending to a minute interminable controversy between the savants ranged on opposite sides, and, consequently, they very judiciously put their veto on the writer reading them, extense. They also restricted the use of a foreign language to French, when Professor Hunfalocy, from Hungary, wished to speak in the Magyar Inguage, which, in all probability, would have been understood by himself only. Fortunately all the Germans who spoke did so in English—Professor Max Muller most eloquently—otherwise there would have been a deluge of gutturals, for our 'Teutonic members took an active part in every section. 'The contrast between the talk of there gentlemen from across the Channel and North Sea, and the quiet, almost subdued voice' and language of the English speakers, was very striking. On the one hand, you could imagine that it was a word and a blow' to support the views of the debater, while on the other ery expression of opinion was delivered, pro or con., in deferential language and manner, By this menns, anything in the shape of linguistic altercation was avoided, and the Congress concluded their session ina most harmonious manner, after they lund appointed Russin for their place of meeting next year. harmony agent measure due to the friend, verse between members at the receptions, especially at those given by Sir Battle Frere and Mr. Bosanquet, where there were viands for the "inner mau." No doubt the study of Oriental dead and living languages is very absorbing to the student But from the man-which these philologwts attended to the practical business of the festive board, it was abundantly evident that the enjoyed the study of gastronony as nich Laid, who took no part in, the learned jscussions. However, I was a pretty youd tener, and must say that I was agreeably ppointed in the presidential address which were anything but dry disqu on the subjects in hand, This was. par cularly tive case with the address of Professor Max Muller, at the sitting of the Aryan Section, and that of Professor Owen, the subject of Kthnology, the careful perusal of which I commend to your readers. On the Chinese language, which was delegated to the " Turanian" Section, the Rev. Mr, Edkins, from Peking, had oont in an elaborate paper: "The state of the Chinese language at the time of the invention of writing," but he was allowed only to give a brief precis of it. This was done in a satisfactory manner, by the aid of a black board, on which he wrote the charaotors. Then followed a paver by the Rev. Samuel Beal, on Chinese Buddhist Booka," wherein he endeavoured to prove that there was a difference in the interpretation of "Nirvana" in the North of China, from what existed in the South. So far, therefore, Chinese entered into the discussions of this Oriental Congress, but there was no native of the country present.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.