Nearly three-quarters of the "Journal of the American Asiatic Associa tion" for February is taken up with statements regarding the improvement of American consular buildings in Chins, Japan and Korea, The contention that the present accommodation is alike unfitted for the purposes it has to serve and ill-designed to increase the respect felt by Chinese for American dignity is 0 reasonable that it is unnecessary to lay further emphasis upon it here; although, when we recall what has been done by the pioneers of other nations in this and other lands with the most rudimentary means, we may be inclined to feel that the prestige which depends on appearance may be overrated. What chiefly notice, however, is that the scheme appears to have grown considerably, if we are not mistaken, since the complaint against the Consulate General in Shanghai was fret officially recognized sit Inst October. The sam is to be demanded of Congress 681,373,643, of which $500,000 tted to Shanghai while the reder is divided between Amoy, ton, Chefoo, Chungking, Foochow, Hankow, Hongkong, Nanking, Newchwang, Tientsin, Kobe, Nagasski, Seoul, Tamsui and Yokohama. requirements and possibilities of each port are set forth in detail by Mr. E. Root, the American Secretary of State, and the proposals for Shanghai are minutely explained in a covering letter from Mr. C. Denby, the Consul-General. The new buildings in Shanghai would comprise accommodation for the Consul General and his family, the United Btates Court and gaol, (of the present one we read that prisoners by the simplest methods of gaol breaking have gotten at large hen it pleased them to do so"—so that others besides Americans are interested in reformation on this point), for consular offices, post office, Public Health and Marine Hospital Service. Itis particularly interesting to notice that offices for handling Chinese emigrants to the United States are also contemplated. Into the details of other ports we have not space to enter. But, in general, two or three main points may be noticed. It is manifestly unfair that the American Consuls should have to pay for their own lodging; which, in the case of Chungking, means lodging with some European family. It is bad policy, as at C'snton, to leave American business to be transacted by another nationality for want of proper offices. It is unhealthy, as at Amoy, to expose your Consul to be swept away by any passing typhoon. Finally it is clear that Mr. W. H. Taft's tour through the Far East has began to bear trait cot much promise. Behind the elaborate proposal: is solid intention to foster the operations of American trade in China by all ud while we may motive, we must jing which it contains for other rivals already in the field.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.