OF THE TRANSLATOR. 21 



If the translation of this work had been executed at Peking, by 

 some missionary, surrounded by help of all kind, and aided by the 

 lights of Chinese literati, whom no difficulty could stop, it would 

 have been as irreproachable, as perfect, as that of an English work 

 written in London, with the assistance of the most enlightened men 

 of Great Britain. 



The position of a sinologue in Europe, is far from being as advan- 

 tageous as that of these ancient missionaries of Peking, to whom we 



Chronology : 29vols. 



Geography and relations of voyages, descriptions of foreign coun- 

 tries 4,788 



Administration and Government 392 



Political Institutions, Laws, and Edicts 3,785 



Bibliography and Inscriptions 700 



Criticisms on particular histories 382 



RELIGION, PHILOSOPHY, AND OTHER SCIENCES. 



School of Confucius, Philosophers of 1,694 



Military Science 153 



Jurisprudence 94 



Agriculture 195 



Medicine .,...1,813 



Astronomy and Arithmetic 643 



Physic, Physiognomy, Astrology 432 



Painting, Music, Printing, Dancing. 1,658 



Natural History, Dieteticks, etc 363 



Miscellaneous 9,200 



Writings of an inferior order, such as marvellous histories 1,358 



Bouddhique works 32 



Works of the sect of Tao-sst 442 



Poems of various kinds and Literary Collections 28,998 



TOTAL GENERAL 78,627 vols. 



These details have come in part from the Asiatic Journal of Paris, (July, 1834, 

 page 64 seq.) It would have been easy for me to translate from the great imperial 

 Catalogue the titles of other bibliographic divisions, adding thereto the numbers 

 which complete the collection of 160,000 volumes; but I have thought this notice, 

 incomplete as it is, will give a sufficient idea of the extent of Chinese literature, 

 and of the resources and materials of every species which it offers to the persons 

 who cultivate it in Europe. 



