-6-
45
c'est tout pardonner."
I hope that I have said enough to show that the
University of Hong Kong is in earnest in the matter of
this proposed Chinese School, and that a great deal of
thought has been given to the matter. The University's
only chances of getting any considerable sum of money
is from the Boxer Indemnity, and this seems to be a matter in
which His Majesty's Government find it impossible to take
action. The most we apparently can possible hope from
the Boxer Indemnity is a capital sum of £250,000. This will
not enable us to put the University as it now is, on a
proper financial basis and at the same time to add to the
University's responsibilities by making a provision for
Chinese Studies. Therefore the receipt from some other
source of a capital sum sufficient to endow one if not two
Chinese Chairs would put the University in a much more
favourable position for undertaking the work with which this
note deals. I venture to think that the creation of a Chair
or Chairs of Chinese at Hong Kong would be a valuable
addition to the general facilities for linguistic study in
the British Empire, which it is I understand, the desire of
the Committee to improve.
Borneo is not far from China, and there must be many
thousands of Chinese in that country. The Chinese are the
commercialists of the Far East. Anyone who wants to do
business there should know something not only of the Chinese