280 
The rolls exhibited to the Academy are evidently copied 
from two of these smaller MSS., containing the separate sec- 
tions of the Law; and it is remarkable that the Chinese emis- 
saries of Bishop Smith, at their recent visit to the synagogue, 
found the very same number of Pentateuch rolls which ex- 
isted in Father Gozani’s time, together with a large number 
(they do not say exactly how many) of the smaller MSS. As 
it was thought very desirable to possess some of these MSS., 
on the chance of their proving to be of great antiquity, and 
therefore valuable for critical purposes, Bishop Smith sent 
back his Chinese missionaries, furnished with the means of 
making purchases, to pay a second visit to the Jewish colony. 
This expedition was undertaken in July last, and was attended 
with complete success. They assembled the whole congrega- 
tion, to the number of 300, in the synagogue, and publicly 
announced the object of their visit. 'The bargain was struck, 
and six of the larger synagogue rolls were purchased for 40 
taels of silver, or about £130. These are described as written 
without points, on sheep-skins sewed together, as is usual in 
this class of MSS.; they contain each a copy of the whole 
Pentateuch, and are in excellent preservation, except one, 
which has suffered injury in a flood, and this one is unfortu- 
nately that which is supposed to be of the greatest’ critical 
value, having been, in all probability, the original from which 
the others were copied, as Father Gozani has recordcd. If so 
however, and if the story told him of the transcription of the 
others be true, it is probable that this is the only one which 
can be of any real value. Forty other smaller MSS. were also 
procured, but no description of them or of their contents, 
has been given by the Bishop of Victoria. Some of these 
MSS., however, he tells us, have been sent to London. 
Major Larcom stated that he had received a letter from 
Captain Broughton, who is now in Hong Kong, relative to 
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