out twenty sitters, which on inquiry I found to be the church.
These people have excellent situations, good salaries, so much for
every child, allowances for sickness, &c. They make hardly any
converts, but then they console themselves by saying, that the Roman
Catholics who make all these sacrifices do it from a bad motive, teach
idolatry, &c. I cannot say, but I must admit that the priests whom I
met to-day talked like very sensible men, and that the appearance of
the young Chinamen (_seminaristes_) whom I saw was most satisfactory.
They had an intelligent, cheerful look, greatly superior to that of
the Roman Catholic seminarists generally in Europe. The priests bear
testimony to their aptitude in learning, their docility and good
conduct. They have an organ in the cathedral, the pipes of which are
all made of bamboo. It seems to have an excellent tone.

[Sidenote: and college.]

_April 7th._--I went on Monday to visit a college which the priests
have about six miles off, with about seventy scholars. It appeared to
be in good order. I walked back with a priest who had been in Canada
in our time. He was talkative, and gave me a good deal of information
about the Jesuits. It came on to rain very hard as we returned, but we
found our letters from home to reward us on our arrival.... No doubt,
as you say, one cannot help sometimes regretting that one is mixed up
with so bad a business as this in China, but then in some respects it
is a great opportunity for doing good, or at least for mitigating
evil.

[Sidenote: American missionary.]

I had a visit to-day from Dr. B., who is, I believe, the most eminent
of the American missionaries in China. He began by expressing his
gratitude to me for the merciful way in which matters had been
conducted at Canton, adding that they were _bad_ people, that they
insulted foreigners. He had lived among them fifteen years, and had
never been insulted when alone. He always went about without even a
stick, and they knew that he did not wish to injure them, &c. I then
asked him whether there was not some inconsistency in what he had said
about their treatment of himself and the epithet 'bad' which he had
applied to them. He said that perhaps the word was too strong, that he
was much attached to the Chinese, but that certain classes at Canton
were no doubt