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 recorded. 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 



