ection,
forgetting that the brightest day as well as the most gloomy night must
necessarily have a termination. How far more wise are the members of
that object of my undying detestation, the Church of Rome; from mixing
with whom I have acquired one principal point of wisdom, which may be
termed, _Ever to expect evil_, _and ever to hope for good_; by attending
to which maxim we find that Church ever regaining the ground which it has
lost. Yesterday seeming a lifeless stick, as in the case of England,
to-day it is a magnificent tree, glorious with leaves and fruit. Excuse
these observations which, I assure you, are well meant. No one
acquainted with me will lay undue partiality to the Roman Church to my
charge, yet there are some points about it which I highly admire; and you
know well enough that it is lawful to receive instruction from an enemy.

I have been lately going through Morrison's Chinese Matthew. I confess
that I am the merest tyro in the language, nevertheless I am compelled to
state that upon the whole I do not like the translation. It appears to
me that in various instances the characters are not grammatically placed;
I mean, not as they are placed in the writings if the best Chinese
authors to express the same ideas. Moreover he has translated the sacred
Name by the character which the Chinese are in the habit of bestowing on
the spirits whose idols they worship, and which is by no means applicable
to the one great God, whom the missionaries of the Greek and Roman
Churches for want of an equivalent in Chinese have always styled, and
with justice [three Chinese characters] (_tien tsz hwang_), or King of
Heaven. The Holy Ghost, he renders by _tching fung_, or Holy Wind, which
is a Hebraism, and which can scarcely be understood by the Chinese. In
Lipoftsoff's Mandchou version it is happily translated by the Holy
Spirit. You will recollect that on my second return to Spain you
requested me to look into Morrison's Testament, on which account I shall
offer no excuse for these trifling remarks.

Do me the favour, my dear Sir, to inform Mr. Hitchin that within a day or
two I shall send him another account of money received and disbursed. I
hope you forwarded the packet containing the life of Ripoll to Mr.
Forster.--Having now said my say for the present, I have the honour to
remain, Revd. and dear Sir,

Your most obedient humble servant,

G