20th May, BLE. Li Huno-cana, the indispensable man as far as China's relations with foreigners are concerned, has expressed at various interviews lately his opinion that Russia is China's true friend, and that if China knew what was best for her, she would disregard all other advisers, and sign with alacrity any document that M. de Giers brings to her. A glance at the London papers received by the last mail discloses some very interesting correspondence from Russia, the perusal of which is not likely to have any effect on the great Peace Plenipotentiary, but which should be read by open-minded Chinese who might be disposed to yield to the authority of such an experienced old politician. Lhe first refers to the removal to St. Petersburg of the Manchu Library at Mukden, and the dispatch is dated Odessa the first of April, and is sent to the "Standard" by its correspondent The arrival in St. Petersburg a fort~ night ago of the Manchu Library, closely packed, and filling to their utmost capacity two railway waggons, naturally aroused an unusually lively interest in academy circles get, and among philologists more espe It is said to include a number of Greek and Latin manuscripts of great antiquity and classical value. A careful examination of the Library will, of course, demonstrate the truth or fallacy of this hypothetical statement. It is difficult to understand how even mediceval classical literature could have come into the possession of the Manchu Tartars three centuries ago. Mukden is not at all an ancient city, either in the Chinese or European sense. It may possibly have had a previous existence asa Tartar village or settlement, but it was only about 1600 it suddenly became prominent as the newly founded capital of the Manchu which then, so to say, inaugurate paramount sway over the whole pire by the subjugation of the mixed tribal" population of Liaotung. One would not, consequently, expect to find any Greek or Latin manuscript literature, no matter by what extraordinary means or accident imported thither, in the Mukden collection bearing dates of origin antecedent to the commencement of the Seventeenth Century.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.