Ove readers, who have heard a good riga of the Peking Oriental Suciety will be scandalized to learn that an attack has been made on that erudite body in the pages of our northern contemporary, Some one, writing under the comparatively modern name of "Proteus," has attacked the Soviety, in whose solemn retreats the sages of the Capital revel in guesses into the secrets of what the profane vulgar call " misty and musty quiry. Imbued with the modern spirit which demande that every insti-hall be able to prove its use-or get out of the way, " Proteus" starts by accepting some dicta of the Chinese Times that the Peking Oviental Society stands in need of urgent reform, "Soarcely, he says," had we recovered from the fit of mortal depression brought on by t tation, (we use the word in ita Biblionl sense) of February 7th, which was the prime motor of the express sion of opinion above referred to, than we hoard that for our sins we must yet atone by a further ecourging, and that the paper on "The Evolution of the Chinese Language" was about to be followed by another on the " Evolation of Moral Law." The writer then goos on to rejoice, in the flippant modern way, at bouring that the learned leotarer had abandoned his idea of expounding theories of moral law to a more or less indifferent audience, He did not the philosophical member of the Peking Oriental Soviety is represented to have suid, to have somebody get up and comment on a paper, which was tu take two nig ing, by "telling a story of Every one will enter into the feelings of the lecturer and appreciate the dignity of hie reply, and the wiser members of the Peking Oriental Society will keep before their eyes the experiences of the branch of the Royal Asiatic Suciety which is established here, Whenever that Society has attempted to instruct in actual living knowledge, and its members have sought amusing and modern: themes, the public has gratefally and numerously attended ils meetings. And this uninstructed public, rant of those mysteries in the Chinese tongue which Lave reduced so many western minds to that condition which Mr, Wingrove Cooke, we believe, was the firat to diagnose and describe, filled the palla of our Society with pleasant faces, laughter was beard in them, instead of the familiar gloom broken only by "deep calling unto deep." This, the choicer spirits in Peking, those who "recite long selections from the classics," in each dot and stroke of which there are food for battles of intellectual gods, this they no doubt will prevent. We would not bare the Peking Society understand from what we have said that our own Royal Asiatic is often amusing; months sometimes go by without anything of that kind happening, and at these seasons a few pilgrim feet wend their mayo the Society's roome, and a selec!, if limited audience, makes itself comfortable on them old as the flood. Time was, some twenty years ago, when, as we have said before, the meetings of the Royal Asiatic Society were eagerly looked forward to by crowded audienees. Bat that only oconsionally pons now. Nevertheless there is a distinct danger to those who, having rank deep of the Castalinn spring of the Chinese classics and tongue, wish to preserve the enjoyment of both to the few. The spirit which animates Proteus " would probably be found in other bosoms here, and, indeed, we think we have alrendy beard something not anlike from Peking:—'The P. O. Society "is doing harm, not only in prevailing on learned meu to waste valuable time in writing unsuitable papers, but in inducing others to waste perhaps equally valuable time in listening to them." The only satisfactory thing in this utterance of " Proteus"
that he has said nothing of the waste of time and the suffering which those endure who have to read the reports of the meetings of the Peki Oriental Society, There is some hope therefore that lo does not wish to make the Oriental Society a popular institution, but will be satisfied if it is reformed so as to fulfil the object with which it, in his opinion, exists, What that is may be learned from h own words. " 'I'he office of the Society is, we presume, the teaching by those who are considered able of those who are considered, or who consider themselves, lees able—the general advance. ment of knowledge, in fact." This statement of the office of the Soviety will no doubt be repelled by some one of its higher epirits, for not could be more opposed to the reports of proceedings at ile meetings this year, 80 far as those lave been made known to the world,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.