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Department, was a burden on its resources in the way of rooms.
Moreover South Kensington was too long a journey for city students engaged in business all day. The China Association came to the rescue by kindly lending one of their rooms in
Cannon Street for evening work, but this of course could only
be a temporary expedient. Eventually in June, 1902, with the cordial approval of the Frincipal of the University, and in
concord with the Honorary Treasurer of the Fund, the Director procured rooms in the Birkbeck Bank Chambers, centrally situated in Bolborn and Chancery Lane, and here the bulk of the work is at present carried on, although, by the kindness of the Principal a room in the University Buildings is still available when required. Altogether Seventeen Students have in the past year availed themselves of the facilities offered by the Department, of whom twelve are at present time still receiving instruction.
A few others, who, living at a distance, could not attend for the ordinary course, have been supplied with books and have occasionally received gratuitous advice and help; personally or
by correspondence. The students, from the commencement of teaching in 1900 until now, have comprised Bank and Mercantile Assistants expecting to go to China (16), gentlemen wishing to refresh their knowledge of the language (2), Indian Civil Servants (2) a Mining Engineer, an Army Candidate for an In- terpretership, who successfully passed his examination before the Civil Service Commission, and others, the object of whose
study has not been disclosed. The text-books have been Mateer's
Primary Lessons, Mateer's Mandarin Lessons, Wade's Tsu-Erh-Chi,
the Kuan Hua Chih Nan, Liao Chai and San Tzu Ching.
The task of instruction is not the only
one discharged by the Department. Applications have been made
in matters connected with China or the Chinese language by
syndicates, merchants, legal practitioners, authors, journalists
and others, including the Professor of Chinese at an older
University
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