194 MEDICAL MISSIONARY SOCIETY. ([Cuar. X. 
dissemination of the truths of the gospel. Several 
other gentlemen and their families had arrived at 
the same port previous to my departure, and were 
closely engaged in the study of the language. 
Ning-po and Amoy were also occupied by mis- 
sionaries, both from England and America, and I 
suppose, ere this time, some have also reached 
Foo-chow-foo on the River Min. 
From my own experience of Chinese character, 
and from what I have seen of the working of the 
Medical Missionary Society, I am convinced that it 
must be a powerful auxiliary to the missionaries 
in the conversion of the Chinese. I regret, how- 
ever, to say, that up to the present time little pro- 
gress appears to have been made. One portion of 
the people, and a large one, is entirely indifferent 
to religion of any kind, and the rest are so bigoted 
and conceited, that it will be a most difficult task 
to convince them that any religion is better or 
purer than their own. 
The Roman Catholic missionaries conduct their 
operations in a manner somewhat different from 
the Protestants. They do not restrict themselves 
to the out-ports of the empire, where foreigners are 
permitted to trade, but penetrate into the interior, 
and distribute themselves over all the country. 
One of their bishops, an Italian nobleman, resides 
in the province of Keang-soo, a few miles from 
Shanghae, where I have frequently met him. He 
dresses in the costume of the country, and speaks 
the language with the most perfect fluency. In 
