THE PKOGKESS OF SCIENCE IN CHINA. 
383 
kinds of munitions of war. That at Shanghai resembles more 
nearly in its constitution the establishment on the banks of 
the Min, but differs from all three in that a staff of translators 
are there constantly employed in rendering into Chinese Euro- 
pean scientific works and important newspaper articles on 
similar subjects.' This, then, is the measure of support which 
the rulers of China are at present disposed to give to science. 
They are willing and anxious to spend thousands of pounds 
annually in building men-of-war, but not one penny will they 
expend in furtherance of scientific truth. They lay out vast 
sums in the purchase of Armstrong guns and Minie rifies, but 
they lend no helping hand to the spread of such useful 
branches of knowledge as, for instance, chemistry, mineralogy 
and electricity, among the people. It is plain that we must 
not expect them to take any initiative in advancing science ; 
and if we had only them to look to, the scientific future of 
China would be dark indeed. But, as we have already said, 
there is growing up among scholars of the present day a keen 
taste for scientific enquiry. Wealthy gentlemen are devoting 
their time and their money to the reproduction of the works 
of ancient native authors and of modern foreign writers on 
scientific subjects ; and while the Government is patronising 
only those arts which conduce to war, the merchants are rapidly 
adopting steam and the telegraph for the more peaceful pur- 
poses of trade. 
