to attack it with my knife; and I would advise every one to make
the most of the tools which happen to be in his possession, until he can
procure better ones, and it is not improbable that by the time the good
tools arrive he will find he has not much need of them, having almost
accomplished his work. This is not exactly my case, for I shall be very
glad to receive this same tripartite Grammar which Mr. Brandram is
hunting for, my ideas respecting Mandchou construction being still very
vague and wandering, and I should also be happy if you could and would
procure for me the original grammatical work of Amyot, printed in the
_Memoires_, etc. Present my kind regards to Mr. Hattersley, and thank
him in my name for his kind letter, but at the same time tell him that I
was sorry to learn that he was putting himself to the trouble of
transferring into Mandchou characters the specimens which Amyot has given
in Roman, as there was no necessity for it in respect to myself, a mere
transcript being quite sufficient to convey the information I was in need
of. Assure him likewise that I am much disposed to agree with him in his
opinion of Amyot's Dictionary, which he terms in his letter 'something
not very first-rate,' for the Frenchman's translations of the Mandchou
words are anything but clear and satisfactory, and being far from
literal, frequently leave the student in great doubt and perplexity.

I have sent to my brother one copy of St. Luke's Gospel with a letter;
the postage was 15s. 5d. My reason for sending only one was, that the
rate of postage increases with the weight, and that the two Gospels can
go out much cheaper singly than together. The other I shall dispatch
next month.

I subjoin a translation from the Mandchou, as I am one of those who do
not wish people to believe words but works; and as I have had no Grammar,
and been only seven weeks at a language which Amyot says _one may acquire
in five or six years_, I thought you might believe my account of my
progress to be a piece of exaggeration and vain boasting. The
translation is from the Mongol History, which, not being translated by
Klaproth, I have selected as most adapted to the present occasion; I must
premise that I translate as I write, and if there be any inaccuracies, as
I daresay there will, some allowance must be made for haste, which
prevents my devoting the attention necessary to a perfectly correct
rendering of the text.

I will conclude by ob