ThesDuke of Windsor, who was then Prince ət Wales, speaking at a meeting held at St James's Palace in July, 1935, in connection with the work of the newly-formed British Council or Relations with Other Countries, of which he was Patron, gave an outline of the objects which the Council had set out to achieve. "Of all the Great Powers," he observed, "Great Britain was the last in the field in setting up 1 proper organization to spread a knowledge: and appreciation of its language, literature, art, science, and education—that was to say, to let the world know what it owed to British achievements in these spheres." Modern travelling facilities had done much to bring the peoples of the world in closer contact with each other, but there was still profound ignorance in many places of the British nation, its culture, customs and institutions. Yet all over the world more and more persons were keen to learn the English language and become acquainted with the wealth of literature and learning that a know-edge of English would make available to them. One of the many ways in which the British Council could exert a beneficial influence abroad was, therefore, to encourage and assist foreign students of English. During the past four years the British Council has steadily developed its cultural relationships with other countries. Its lecturers have spoken to audiences in many parts of the world on a large number of topics. It has encouraged and helped foreign students to come to study at British Universities. It has made gifts of books to
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.