Meeting of the Branch Royal Asiatic Societij. 465 



necessary, owing to the fickle nature of the Cliinose, else it 

 would be a by no means rare occurrence for the parents to 

 insist on the child returning home, possibly just at the criti- 

 cal moment when the beneficent influence of Christian cul- 

 ture is beginning to spring up in the soul. On the whole, 

 this mission has splendid results to show. We saw one 

 scholar, who at present forms one of the staff of teachers, and 

 speaks and writes English absolutely better than his native 

 language. Another young Chinese, sent out at the expense 

 of the mission, spent eight years at Yale College in Massa- 

 chusetts, and at present earns his maintenance by translating 

 English documents into Chinese and vice versa, for the mer- 

 cantile houses of the place. 



Dr. Bridgman is at once founder and president of the first 

 scientific association in Shanghai, the " North China Branch 

 of the Royal Asiatic Society," including among its members 

 almost all the foreigners resident in Shanghai, who assemble 

 regularly every winter for intellectual and literary recreation, 

 and publish from time to time in a periodical of their own, 

 details of the efforts, adventures, and experiences of their 

 colleagues in promoting the objects of the association. 



An extraordinary meeting was held in honour of the No- 

 vara voyagers, at which about forty persons were present. 

 The President, Dr. Bridgman, welcomed our commander and 

 his subordinates with a few cordial remarks, which was re- 

 sponded to by Commodore Wiillerstorff, after which the 

 writer of these lines had the honour to deliver in English a 



VOL II. 2 H 



