The "London & China Express" quotes 2 Home contemporary to the effect that very few people know the China of to-day, but still base their views upon the China of a decade ago. One might pause here to inquire how many, either inside or outside the country, knew their China of 10 years ago, to say nothing of the China of to-day or any other day. It has been and still is a sealed book to the many. But to return to our muttons, the paragraph to which we have allude ed goes on in distinctly interesting style as follows:
Once upon a time it was common for the Home manufacturer to abuse the Consular servee, to suggest that it was et up-to-date, and to urge it to apply itself to present day commereal methods. It ie.distinetly quaint, so far as China is concerned, to find the position reversed, to discover the Consul preaching increased energy, increased knowledge, increased keenness on the part of the Home manufacturer. The manufacturer of a few years ago woke up the Consul. Will the Consul of to-day wake up the manufacturer? Anyway, it would appear that ho is going to try.
No one will deny the excellent work done by our Consular service in providing the manufacturers at Home with up-to-date and reliable information about trade and the needs of the country, but there is a further point on which emphasis may be laid. We believe that never has the cooperation between our merchants in China and the Consular services been so close as it is to-day, and in our future trade
of it. prosperity we shall see the results
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.