To the Editor of the "Norra-Cama Dairy lEws."
Sir—As another of Captain Plant's friends, and one who realizes something of the great work he did on the Upper Yangtze, I was more than glad to see Captain Hall's letter in your issue of to-day.
To those of us whose business life is spent above~ Ichang, no memorial is necessary to perpetuate Captain Plant's memory, but it is fitting that this and future generations of travellers to Szechuan should be reminded of the great pioneer whose years of work have done more than any other thing to make steamer navigation on the Upper Yangtze what it is to-day.
Captain Hall's suggestions as to the form the me~orial should take are admirable and it is to be hoped that they will be carried out. To these proposals I shonld'Tike to add another for what it is worth. I am not aware whether the Mercantile Marine has such things as endowed scholarships; if it has. I can think of no finer memorial than a "Plant Scholarshin." endowed and sunported by British ~ercantile and shipping firms in China. i One can imagine no difficulties in the matter of finance. Captain and Mrs. Plant's friends, both foreign and Chinese, are very numerous. whilst the steamship companies and merchants whose trade _connexions extend to the Upper River will doubtless be very willing to show their appreciation of the valuable advice and help which was so ungrudgingly given.
With Mr. Smith's help in Ichang and a small committee in Shanghai, there should be no difficulty in getting the scheme under way. My subscription is available whenever it is wanted.
T am, etc., . Four Rivers, Shanghai, April. 8.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.