When the late Marquis Tso Tsung-tang founded the Foochow arsenal, naval shipyard, and schools in the early part of the Sixties, shortly after the subjugation of the Taiping rebels, and Messrs. Giquel and D'Aiguebelle (ex-officers of the Ever-
and Assistant Director, respectively, of Victorious Army) were installed as Director the new institution, with a corps of from thirty to forty French engineers, shipwrights, and artisans, many were the expectations, at the time, that this would be but the forerunner of China's greatness as a Naval Power in the future, and that the ships of war built at the yard would equal the best of those turned out in Europe. Chinese mandarins were not. then so intimately known to foreigners as they are now, and, usual while Europe has been makin; gigantic strides in naval architecture an gun-making, the Foochow Arsenalat Pagoda Anchorage is still turning out vessels of the type of thirty years ago with old-fashioned engines of 750 horse-power; in fact, the same sort of work as the Chinese artisans were taught by their French instructors in the latter part of the sixties. OF evurse there have been attempts at building steel cruisers after the fashion of modern times, but it was found that they cost just double those built in Europe, while infinitely inferior. So the sphere of the establishment was gradually curtailed until from the rank of an institution of the first class with an Imperial High Commissioner at the head of it it had dropped down to the position of having a man of Taotai rank as rector. The result of the war with Japan has, however, opened the eyes of the Emperor's advisers and an edict was recently issued commanding that the Foochow arsenal be restored to its pristine importance, and appointing H.E. Yi Lu, formerly Tartar General of Lower Manchuria during the late war, but now Tartar General of Foochow, to be Imperial Commissioner and reorganised of the institution,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.