Tue well-known Jnpauiese newspaper, the Mainichi Shimbun, is about to inwugurate an entirely uew departure in journalism, The proprietors have ued @ prospectus announcing their intention of pa 1g 8 weekly supple tout in English, in order to establish a better understanding between foreigners and Japanese, and to lay their views in clearer form before foreign resideule in Japan. Ibe idea is excellent, und we trast it may pro successful, tensible? Are the Jupanese scholars in the employ of the Mainichi Shimbun sufficiently familiar with idiomatic Buglish to enable them to dress their thoughts in suitable language, and will the articles to be published be produced without any suggestions, or assistance, or touohiugup from foreigners We wish to speak with all respect of the Japanese press, but it is unquestionable that the English in which vernacular articles are presented to Buglish readers in the calamus of the foreign journals is too bad even to be fanny, Wedonotkuow who are responsible for these translations; we can only imagine that they are made by Japaese penman, and the idiomsof these well. meaning but much misguided persons are sometimes little better than those of the ambitious baboo. Clearly, if the proprietors of the Mainichi intend to follow out their project they must. engage able and experienced writers otherwise the effect la likely to be on a par with that of the strange sentences which the Japan Mail has lately amused itself with collating from the calamus of its daily contemporaries, and the political influctice of the Anglo Jupnuess and growing section of the Chinese pally Cantonese, we believe, who talk, if they do not write, idiomatic English. The entertaining mingled frequently with great ists, are of course lost upon all foreign residents with the exception, perhaps, of a dozen or so; and now that the international relations of Eh are boce! yearly more interesting and wore important, an English paper, written by English-speaking Chinese but representing the views of the non-English speaking classes, would be instructive in the highest possible degree. There are also local conflicts, the Chinese side of which is never heard; and and there are points in the jariepradence, the ethics, the domestic customs, and the generally no cepted beliefs of foreigners which are fally asstrangoaud wrong in the eyes of a pure-bred Chinaman as any of his practices are tour, A Chivese paper that should hold the mirror up to nature for our benefit, coold us, lecture us, and take as to task would, if written in the English Lune gunge by n native who really felt in earnest about the matter, prove the most delightful novelty that the world has seen for n very long time.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.