To the Editor of the Fracan of China.
Hongkong, 15th March, 1847.
fe Thesa kunan of reason des Amplion's lyr*, Wherewith be did the Theban Cuy
BIR In the last number of the China Mail was published the Laun Inscription on the Buras Plate
ivicus
Into the Foundation Stone of the new Charch land on the 11th of this month. The follow
og Translation of it :-
By
Dod all things were made."
The Corner stone of this Church dedicated to St. John the Evangelist and destined for the worship of Almighty God was laid by Lord John F Davis a Baronet badnaked with Proconsular Dignity and
Ambasador to China" of the Queen of Britain, on the 5th day of the Ides of March in the 10th year of the reign of Queen Victoria in the year of our Lard 19474" and hure is a transcript of the Original:
D. 0.
TIY #02
M.
BOLKAT
IN CVLTYM DET OMNIPOTENTIS 18 HOMOSEM NE, KOHLING SVATÝ, PEJT IS AT E
SAPIVIN ANGYLAURÉ PORVIT
DOM, LY. DAVIS BARONETTVS,
MAGNA BRITANNIUM LEGATUR APVO SINAJ PROGOM SYLARI DIONITATS ORVATYS
B. MARZ
ANNO I. VICTORIE REGINE.
D.CCCILY ¦ Z.
No wonder that orders were given at the cere mony the other day "nol to let ung one see the Latin Juzcription." Not a word is there to say that Sie John Davis in Governor of this Colony, anil us suck ONLY entitled to lay the Foundation Stone of the Church thereof. The Inscription menly implies that somebody else was Governor, and that Davis was placed in authority over him?
Bat I will proceed to dissect this previous bit of Latinity
D. 0. M. stands for, say, Dei omnia missa "
By God's will all things are raised up or set forth or By God all things were made,', or it may be simple profession of faith
Dens Omnium Magister" God is the Ruler över all,"
I don't pretend to know what those three letters mean, perhaps some of your Correspondents will tell us !
in cultum Dei"-cultus is a word which sign- fies in its most common acceptation the cultivation or tillage of the ground. It would be appropriate enough perhaps on the foundation stone of a school for religious Education, but only a Pelant would wee it in an Anscription for & Church. It is almost ametonymy for Adoratio.
I hear that on the Plenipotentiary's Cup run for at the last races there is a Latin Inscription (why Roi Chinese) with all his Tiles &c. &c., and the words deur scior to signify let it be given to the swifte hose"!! No wonder that such a mcbolr should employ a metonymy to signly the Purship of God.
"And the rude notions of pedantic schools
Blaspheme the sacred Founder of our Rules"
"ROSCOMMON."
44 in honorem St. Johanuis" called after St. Jobe the Evangeliat for two reasons, 1st 1
I presume because he was Our Saviour's favorite disciple, and 2ndly"John" bappens to be dis Excellency's Patronymić,
Dominus J. F. Davis Baronetius" (for Barone far or Barunculus)
Here's a pretty go! Lord Davis" !!! Dominion means sovereign authority" "unlimit ed power" which he egitaisly sloth not possetr
Dominus is translated liurally by Jebuson into
• Dow which he says the Spanish Tile for a Geodeman Be Don Quixote, and he quos from Dryden.
To the great dons of wit, Phobus gives them full privilege alone, To damn all others and cry up their own." which Dominis Davis certainly doth possess, and in so far therefore he is privileged to use the tale of
Dominus,
bur Dominos" is the Latin for a Lord" "Domini honorari Tilalar Lords "Procere" are "the Lords of the Realm" #Dominus" bas been applied to he that makes a Broque" and a." Jailer" God forbid that His Ex cellency should act in either opacity. name is called out at some schools you must answer When your **adsum Dolnice" which means bere Sir" but the common way of translating Lord John" 18" Do- minus Johanines.”
If a Knight the word "Miles" is used after the Christian and Surnames, but nothing is placed before the and the "Sir", is thus provided for.
Then what have we here," J. F. Davis Barone tuz" so that there can be no mistake about his not being a "Miles" or Knight, nor any that he is li terally "Sir J. F. Davie a Baronet'. Why then precede this name and Title by the Title Lord ?"
now reads Lord I. F. Davis a Barone,"
He may shew his Tale Deeds for some place pear Bristol fabout which by the bye, I believe as me. lancholy a tragedy exists as that of Titlebat Tit-
mosse Esq displacing the Aubreys from Yauon]
burnca ad Baronis dignitatem erectus" he is not à Lord, and never will be, and cannot show his Title I be called on Legatus apud Sinas."
Stad is the land of China and Sinentia is Chinese, What is Sir John-Legatus apud Sinan 3 or apud Binepais? I never heard that there was more than ons load of China, Then what does "apud Sinas"
Proconavlari dignitate orantus" ahem). Every child knows how dear the worka of Homer ere to Alexander, Virgil Augustus, Ansonius shan who made him Pra Consul, Chaucer
and Gower to Heory IV. Dominie bera mano a Pro Consul for his leasing to Sir R.
to
|
THE FRIEND OF CHINA AND HONGKONG GAZETTE.
hakspeare bath it. The Term Idas is still retained in the Romish Kalendar. It is the 13th day of each mooth except in the month of March, May, July, and October, in which it is the 15th day, because in these 4 months it was 6 days before the nomes and in the others 4 days. Then how can the lith day of Merch be the ph day of the Ides of March. This Pontifex Dominio (who actually the other day pro: claimed the advent of the Greek Kalends!) must baye mudo MANY MISTAKES IN tits Annales Maximal But I would ask, why not for this purpose, have ordered a proper Inscription to be written is plain English by The Revd. Mr Stanton? The territories of Great Britain era larger far than those of Rone ever were. Her language is more Universal than Latin, ever was, and it may be said to have swelled into what it is, by swallowing up Latin and Greek in adoptions. It is the language of our Fatherland and our Religion-I am Sir, your oht: servant,
AN ENGLISHMAN,
15th March, 1847. Sta-1 have no copy of my letter to you of to- day, but think I omitted to remark upon Sir J. Davis calling himself an Ambassador" via. *1.0- gatur **
This must therefore serve na a PS. to remind you that an Ambassador is the representa- Uwe of one Crowned Head at the Court of another,
a Plenipotentiary is a man Legatas plent potestate instructus" may be, as here, on the confines of the dominions to which he is delegatod Sir John Davis is ne much a "Legatus” as he is a “ Dominus" but
Agenti pignore cortat."
Your obt servant, AN ENGLISHMAN.
44
NOTICE.
Nein advertisements, will be received, until 4 Clock, m the evenings previous to publi- cation, ris: Tuesdays and "Fridays.
England United States Cleara
Bombay Madras
C. of Q.Hope
Jany. 20 Fab. 30
LATEST DATES. Ded. 24 Syılmay Doc. 2 Belaria Jaar. 23 Singapore Jany. 15
Manila
Feb. $27 Shanghai
Feb, 12
Jagy 13 Jaky. 14 Nov 19
THE FRIEND OF CHINA
AND HONGKONG GAZETTE.
JOTURIA, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 17rs, 1817.
NOTICE. The hours of Divine Service in the CoLO- NUL CHAPEL GIN, on Sundaysat & pass 10 A-M. and 4 P. M. und on Thursdaya ni u P M.
Victoria, 16th Nur,, 16-40.
VINCENT STANTON,
Colonial Chaplain.
The standard
that they are such; but in pointing them sint, we expect that respectable Journalists will so without indulging in such strong language In society such expos si as" utterly untrue."
are captious in the extreme. book upon China, is that written by Sir Jolin Davis; but it is a laborious compilation from the works of the early Catholic Missionaries and others. A book of this description as of ions would not be tolerated; and we du ma necessity a compilation. It is true and a man
see that they are legs excusable as appearing of an acute mind may draw sumportant in a public paper, and coming from the pen of deductions from the material he has worked up, a person who in some measure is supposed by and may bring forward some enlarged and guide public opinion, and who is present
to know what is due to the character of a comprehensive view of the future prospects of
Gentleman. We have no desire to rip up old the empire, judging from the past. It is re-
sores by referring to certain affidavits which markable in Sir John Davis's excellent work, that there is no attempt at this, and it is ques- appeared in this paper two years ago; but there is a point beyond which forbearance ceases lik tionable whether either he, or Mr Martin. would succeed were they to take up the dif be a virtue, and we would seriously utvises. ficult problem, what is to be the future fate of Editor of the China Mail at times to think over is vast empire?; will the ancient dynasty the past, and he will be more moderate for the bo restored, as was once the case, after future. it was swayed for two centuries by the Mongol Tartars ?; or will the overgrown state break up into several independent govern- ments and for a long term of years, anarchy prevail, and rapine mako waste the laud?
Before extracting the greater portion of the Mail critique, in justice to Mr Martin, we re- print a paragraph from the same pen, which appeared in July 1845; and our Roaders may look upon this picture and upon that, and speculate (if in the humour) upon the influence which has raised a cloud between the author of Colonial History and his former admirer.
"A Government Notification in to-day's Mail announces the resignation of Mr Montgomery Martin, who is al- ready on his way to England, baying taken his passage by the Lanrick for Bombay. During the short period he held the office of Colonial Treasurer, this Gentleman, by his affability and obliging disposition, and his readiness to communicate from his varied stores of knowledge, was so generally known and appreciated by the community that any eulogiam upon him would be superfluous. His "realdence in "China" will no doubt have furnished mate- "rials for an additional work to the many he has produced on our Colonial History; and most people here will be anions to see the views he gives to the world upon the "relations of Great Britain with China, and the prospects "of the colony of Hongkong."--China Mail, 10th July
1840.
"To Mr Montgomery Martin be all dus honour given. His industry is untiring. As an homme. de lottres" his repulation rests on the broad basis of the multifarious works that bear his name; as a com piler, at the expense of others, he is unrivalled; us 8 publisher of Statistical Tables, not computed by himself, he has never been surpassed; library shel- ves groan beneath the weight of his productions; and volume after volume has been thrown before. the public, with all the boldness of a hardoned pla giarist, reckless of detection.
Mr Martin evidently suffers from the "cacosthes scribendi" and from a craving appetite for notoriety, purchased he cares not at whose expence, or at what ship at it O'clock A. M., and at half past 6 O'clock. P. M., price. Unable of himself to bring forth anything during the winter months, beginning with the 1st Noven-original, circumstances provide him with a theme.
NOTICE-UMON CHAPEL will be open for Publia Wor.
ber 116,
Victona, 19th October 1816,
可
CANTON.
Our advices are to the 14th.
On the 12th 1
a party of about six Gentlemen hired a fastboat to take an excursion up the river. They land- ed at the town of Fughan, and were received hospitably by the Madarius; the sovereign peuple, however, were dissatisfied, and a mob collected round the house of the chief Mandarin, which they attacked, and would have butchered the foreigners, but for the timoons arrival of a party of Soldiers, who guarded them to the boat, though they did not escape without some contusions.
Fashan is about ten miles above Canton; and from the present unprovoked outrage, it would appear that the feeling of hostility towards fo reigners is not confined to the mob of the suburbs of the provincial city, but that it is equally strong in the rural districts. It is to be hoped that the British Plenipotentiary will demand that the ringleaders be severely punish- ed; and in a small place, the Authorities can have no difficulty in identifying them, if they are desirous of bringing them to justice. We wait Dalently to hear what steps have been taken by His Excellency, and the result; but the affair will not be forgotten, as it is one that involves the most serious consequences, and if allowed to pass unnoticed, it compromises the dignity of the British govertumens.
China, Political. Commercial and Social &c. &c. BY RUBEAT MONTGOMERY MARTIN
the helpless foundling is joyfully adopted, suckled on plagiarisms, fed with literary arconies, and cram med with the ideas of others, until, having attained the necessary dimensions, he foists fi upon the world history of the new work bearing the following pro as his own undoubted offspring Such is the true
tentous title,--"China, Political Commercial, ond. Social Treaties and Intercourse with England, Russia, France, America, &c.: Description of the Consular Ports of Canton, Amoy, Foochow, Ning po, and Shanghai; also of Hongkong, Chusan, Macao, end Kiachta: Report in detail on the Tea Trade, Opium Traffic, Barking, do the Tea Regulations, Port Charges, Tarifs, Weights, and Measures, as furnished in Reports to Her Majesty's Government: By R. Montgomery Martin, late Her Majesty's Treasurer for the Colonial, Consular, and Diplomatic services in China; and a Member of Eler Majesty's Legislative Council at Hongkong!"
We are happy to hear that My Caldwell has succeeded in capturing two Chinese, behest to have been implicated in the Piracy at Chun- mo. The activity shown by Mr Caldwell see his appointment in the Police is most creditable to him and cannot fail to be productive of the most beneficial effects to the public.--Hang- kong Register, March 16.
The Paris papers of Thursday contain very he
The following article from the Presse ahe appears worthy of quotation:-
news.
In
The voyage of Rear-Admiral Cecille to Japna, and the reception which the French aquadron there met with, is, in part, explained by a very remarkabla fact, of which we had heard before the arrival of th last mail from the Red Sea, but which appeared to us to need confirmation. It is now averred that a short time before the conclusion of the peace between England and Chins, in 1848, the King of the Me. therlands addressed to the Emperor of Japan a friend- ship letter, having for its object the abolition, in that distant kingdom, of the exclusive system practised for the last three centuries with respect to foreigners, His Majesty enumerated with much detail the events which have forced the Chinese empire to multiply i spite of itself its points of contact with all the nation of the world; and inferred from this new at things that, as Japan, from the vicinity of He and Chusan, could not escape e simila ca be prudent to anticipato a crisis by aiona which would satisfy Europ unfriendly collision with the sequence of this prudent
g of the Netherlands engaged Japan, to extend
Emperor of age the faculty, hitherto enjoyed
clusively, of trading with Nangasaki drder to open on the sume great teland of Nion, or the island of Yesso. The general fooling t hree other ports, either the letter was gent in the orig
original to M. Bock, the chief
con.
of the Dutch factory at Mangasaki, who succeeded, after some difficulties of farm, in having it conveyed to Jeddo the seat of the Court. It is very rare for the communications of the Dutch to be placnt under the eyes of the Emperor; they are regarded as too nimportant for the leisure of so great a po- tentate; on this occasion, however, the question to take upon themselves the responsibility of a sohi- appeared to be of too grave a nature for the Ministers tion, and M Beck obtained the certitude that the letter of his Sovereign had reached the Japanese Monarch. Two years passed without any reply being given. It had been remarked, that on set po poils of the coast the most open to a landing more of fortification; but this was generally attributed to activity than formerly was displayed in the works the belief of the Japanese that several English vessels, which had been driven into these latitudes by storms, * were come to invade the country. At length, how- the Netherlands a teply, of which the following is ever, the Emperor of Japan has sent to the King of
the substance-I have watched with attention the
In the preface, we are informed that it consists of ment, in the hope they might prove of some utility: events which have brought about a fundamental "documents. transmitted to Her Majesty's Govern and the Lords Committee of the Privy Council for change in the policy of the Chinese empire, and Trads having offered no objection to their publica- these very events, upon which you base the advice tion, they are now submitted for public perusal, di- which you give to me, are for me the most evideat vested of several voluminous statistical tables and proof that a kingdom can never enjoy a durable officiel returns," From this it appears that we are indebted for these papers, not only to Mr Martin, If China had never permitted the English to esta peace without the rigorous exclusion of all foreigners. but also to their Lordships having offered no objec blish themselves on a large scale at Canton and take tion to their publication, at which we must honestly rout there, either the quarrels which caused the war confess we are not surprised, for we conceive the only objection that could be offered, would be- to
would not have taken place, or the English would the task of reading them. But perhaps this surmise sunk in the conflict. But from the moment when have found themselves so weak that they at once may be unjust ?The Lords Committes":
have may studied the docuraents in question; and, struck with she rendored herself vulnerable on ethers,
Chine allowed herself to be touched on one point This their value, were unwilling to deprive the British nation of such novel and interesting information us
was the reasoning of my great ancestor when he that the great article of consumption throughout but for the proofs of freindship which you had f
granted you the faculty of trading with Japan, and, We have not seen Mr Martin's new work, the Chinese language give it a claim to considera would have been excluded, as all the nations of the China is rice," that the antiquity and originality of quently given to our country, it is certam that you though like the other productions of his pen, it tion, and that "puddings, custards, pies, or such west have been. Now that you are in possession. will doubtless contain a vast amount of statistical like, so much esteemed in Europe, are nearly or original or comprehensive view of the subject instructive nor entertaining, for, putting aside trans- dyke in good preservation that to prevent the one- information; be may not bring forward any altogether unknown in China (2
of this privilege, I am willing that you should con To give lengthened extracts would be neither it to any other nation, for it is easier to maintain
tinue to enjoy it, but I will take care not to extend he discusses. but the book will be elegantly volent feelings toward the human race, which acknowledgment from various sources within every I have given orders to my officere in consequence, written, and display those kindly and bene
lations from the Chinese, copied mostly without
gement of the breaches which are permuted in it. The China Mait has been inore fort is so observable in all Mr Martin's writings, person's reach, each page is made up of abrupt and the future will prove to you that our policy is
fortunate than
sentences strung together to give the reader, unacce critique in last Thursday's issue, that he has original genius, overflowing with facts of his own ourselves in this respec', as we gather from a
quainted with the works that have been already been put in possession of the first part of the discovery; whilst at the same time, the heap of a- written upon Chine, the idea that Mr Martin is an work, which is devoted to the typography, po terials confusedly thrown together, is calculated to pulation, productions, government, revenue and deter those better acquainted with the subject from banking system of China. In his comments entering upon the Augean task of tracing each indi upon Mr Martin's labours, the Mail exhibits avidual theft, Were every plundered author to claim rancour of feeling, for which, many who re- his own, the chattering daw stripped of his borrowed member his complimentary and laudatory pa-phumes would stand confessed. Separate the pilfered ragraph when Afr Martin was about to leave corn from the store in Mr Martin's garner, and it Thea, and the general deference shown to that
shown to that would be found that he has furnished but the chaf Gentlemag so long as he was among us, will
Chand Mail March 11. scarcely be prep Gagement the
bat wh
As the pen in m our hand, we may say a word or two to
matter. In
contemp
hed
wiser than that of the Chinese empire,es, December 12.
PROSPECTS OF FOOD THE CORN DUTIES. (From the Mark Lane Express.) afflict us on the one hand, an allevite Providenco If, for reasons inscrutable to human eyea, evils seems to afford a degree of alleviation on the other. The near approach of Christmas with one of the mildest autuma ever experienced there having heen no frost until the 27th of November, then and sipcu, of a character to benefit in every way, and jojure, Bone—is a nounce. regarding Simply Ar pro: gelables 10
and pa
congratulations
the growth of re- ry of the potato; but, open weather works of labour, must be regard man, and no small he character of the cannot fail to have ing the country Las regards the onch of harvest the fost entirely by the state
er, so are we disposed
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.