Sect, v.] Chinese Literature, $81 



translated sucli of the works of Confucius, tlie 

 celebrated Chinese philosopher; as have been 

 preserved. This was considered as an important 

 service to literature, and gave him an honourable 

 place in the list of oriental scholars. Not long 

 afterwards a very extensive and interesting pubh- 

 cation made its appearance in France, under the 

 title of Lett res Ed'ijiantes et Curieuses des Missions 

 Estranghxs. The greater part of this work, 

 %vhich was compiled from the papers of the mis- 

 sionarieSj and which extended to more than forty 

 volumes, was published at an early period of the 

 eighteenth century, and contains an ample fund of 

 instruction concerning the literature and science 

 of China, This was folloM^ed by the Anciennes 

 Relations des Lndes, et de la Chine, of M. Ilenau- 

 dot, which made an important addition to the 

 stock of information before possessed on the sub- 

 jects of which it treats. To these succeeded the 

 great work of father du Halde, entitled a General 

 Description of China ; and a work, under nearly 

 the same title, by the abbe Grosier, both of which 

 are considered as publications of the first class, 

 and as containing much instructive matter relat- 

 ing to the learning, arts, and general condition of 

 the wonderful country Avhich they describe. 



The singular intricacy of the Chinese language, 

 the difficulty of acquiring a tolerable knowledge 

 even of its elementary principles, and the restraints 

 which have long been imposed upon all intercourse 

 between the learned men of Europe and of China, 

 have prevented an acquaintance with that language 

 from becoming more frequent in the literary world. 

 Hence, while the philosophy, astronomy, history, 



