1841-1886
605
us to make a series of observations, magnetic, meteorological and relating to storms of which are of advantage to the Colony, and to other ports in China. Upon that object I propose to spend £000 next year.
That finishes the special subjects to which I thought it my duty to draw your attention as regards works and buildings. There are one or two other questions which may lead to some expenditure, and which I may possibly have to put before you next year. I have received reports on the state of the interpretation in Hongkong from leading merchants, from leading members of the Bar, and from the Judges, recording the fact that the interpretation of this Colony is disgracefully bad. What are we to do to remedy it? Hongkong is a wealthy and prosperous Colony; something should be done to provide a proper staff of interpreters. A distinguished predecessor of mine, Sir HERCULES ROBINSON took steps to do that. He had the great advantage of consulting with Dr. LEGGE, an eminent Chinese scholar; and, acting on the advice of Dr. LEGGE, he prepared a scheme which was sent home to the then Secretary of State for the Colonies. That scheme was approved, was carried out, and under it a few highly able and intelligent young gentlemen came to this Colony as interpreters. Soon after they arrived the scheme was abandoned, and not one of those gentlemen is an interpreter in the Colony. There is not in the Colony a single interpreter trained according to that scheme, and to use the words of the reports "our present system of interpretation is deplorably bad." You will at once say, let us return to Sir HERCULES ROBINSON's scheme and honestly carry it into effect. I have not yet had time to go into the question as fully as it will be my duty to do, but I have ventured to suggest to Lord CARNARVON, in forwarding to him the reports of the Chief Justice, Mr. SNOWDEN, and Mr. HAYLLAR and other members of the Bar, that he might take the opinion of Dr. LEGGE, who is now at Oxford, as to what really ought to be done to establish a practical system of interpretation in this Colony. You are aware that a number of gentlemen kindly volunteered to form a board of Chinese examiners, but not through any fault of its own, this Board has not prepared a solitary interpreter. What is really of value in this life generally requires to be paid for, and the young gentlemen who studied under that Board were not able to give that time to their study, and to their official duties which would enable them to become Chinese scholars. I found that Mr. GARDINER AUSTIN, the Colonial Secretary, as Administrator, had made a little minute on the report prepared by the Director of Studies, in which he pointed out that it was quite impossible for the subordinate officers of the Government to master Chinese so long as they had to devote the proper time to their official duties. He was quite right. The report showed that; and more than one of these young gentlemen have retired from the attempt to study Chinese, and at the same time do their official work. It was found it interfered with their health. If, after leaving their office, they sat down to study Chinese instead of taking proper exercise, their health broke down, so that practically that scheme, as a scheme for giving us student interpreters, has failed. We must adopt some other plan.