air, the end of which was not the glorifying of God,
as the aim of this certainly is. I therefore should wish to hint the
expediency of a letter in which the thanks of the Committee be presented
to Mr. Bligh for the interest which he has been pleased to take in this
business, and for the trouble he has given himself. You are well aware
that a handsome acknowledgement of a kindness received is never taken
amiss; and as it is not impossible that Mr. Bligh, at another time and
even at another place, may have an opportunity of promoting the excellent
views of the Society, I cannot help thinking that such an acknowledgement
would be unwise neither in respect to what has occurred or may occur
hereafter.

In reply to your inquiries respecting my progress in the Mandchou
language, I have to observe that for some time past I have taken lessons
from a person who was twelve years in Pekin, and who speaks Mandchou and
Chinese with fluency. I pay him about six shillings English for each
lesson, which I grudge not, for the perfect acquirement of Mandchou is
one of my most ardent wishes; as I am convinced that it is destined by
providence to be the medium for the spiritual illumination of countless
millions of Chinese and Tartars. At present I can transcribe the Manchou
character with much greater facility and speed than I can the English. I
can translate from it with tolerable facility, and have translated into
it, for an exercise, the second homily of the Church of England "On the
Misery of Man." I have likewise occasionally composed a few hymns in
this language, the difficulty of which I am at present more fully aware
of than when I left England. It is one of those deceitful tongues, the
seeming simplicity of whose structure induces you to suppose, after
applying to them for a month or two, that little more remains to be
learned, but which, should you continue to study a year, as I have
studied this, show themselves to you in their veritable colours, amazing
you with their copiousness, puzzling with their idioms. In a word
Mandchou is equally as difficult as Sanscrit or Persian, neither of which
languages has ever been thoroughly acquired by any European, though at
first acquaintance they flatter the student with their deceitful
simplicity. I take the liberty of sending you a short original epigram
in rhymed Mandchou, which if it answers no other purpose will afford you
some idea of my running Mandchou hand, which, as I now