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from a Chief Engineer if he had to perform all the duties both of a Consulting and Resident Engineer in Chief in China, could scarcely be obtained at however high a salary, as it would be almost impossible to find a man possessing all the necessary qualifications who would be willing to take up an isolated appointment in that country.
Besides this consideration it is evident that he would require a highly trained and experienced staff in China to act under him in the preparation of all those designs, specifications and contracts, which are usually prepared by Consulting Engineers in this country.
We trust that the foregoing explanations will commend themselves to Sir E. Grey and that he will realize that the functions of Consulting Engineers involve duties and responsibilities of the greatest importance and that they are by no means confined to the inspection of material.
In that case we venture to express the hope that Sir E. Grey may be pleased to advise His Majesty's Minister at Peking that he regards the appointment of qualified Consulting Engineers as essential to the proper