Cuar. L.] NO MEANS OF CORRECT INFORMATION. 3 
conceited notions of their own importance and 
power; and fancy that no people however civilised, 
and no country however powerful, are for one 
moment to be compared with them. As an in- 
stance of this 1 may mention the following :— 
When the first steamer visited the coast of China, 
the Chinese in Canton and Macao did not exhibit 
the least surprise, but merely said ‘‘ Have got plenty, 
all same, inside,” meaning that such things were 
quite common in the interior of their country. 
Moreover, they cannot appreciate statistical in- 
quiries; but always fancy that we have some secret 
motive for making them; or that the subject cannot 
be of the slighest importance, either to ourselves 
or others, and consequently do not trouble them- 
selves about obtaining correct information. 
I have been often much annoyed with this pro- 
pensity of theirs during my travels in the country; 
and have had frequently to travel many a weary 
mile, merely because they did not think it worth 
their while to give me correct information. In fact, 
latterly I made a practice of disbelieving every 
thing they told me, until I had an opportunity of 
seeing and judging for myself. 
Shut out from the country, and having no means 
of getting information on which we otal depend 
(for independent of Chinese statements, the accounts 
written by the Jesuits were in many instances 
grossly exaggerated), it is not to be wondered at if 
the works in our language were more remarkable 
for the exhibition of the imaginative power of their 
B 2 
