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The ship Earl of Clare from Bombay towards China, on the 31st March last, at noon, being in lat. 17.50 N., and lon. 124.40 E., discovered shoal water alongside, and saw the bottom distinctly about 20 yards from the simp; large white shells and dark coloured rock.

Immediately under the ship apparently no bottom, and the water not discoloured, as it was over the shoal.

From the nature of the bottom having been seen so very distinctly. I cannot but pronounce it most dangerous, being immediately in the fair track for ships bound through the Pacific Ocean, from the Pellew Islands towards the North Bashees.

The position of the danger may be considered correctly ascertained, as we had sights for latitude at roon, by three good instruments, as also for longitude, the chronometers being found correct on making the Bashees and Leina Is lands, in a run of five and eight days respectively, after seeing the shoal.

On R. Blanchford & Co.'s general outline chart for 1843, is marked "Lord Anson's Shoal," being nearly in the latitude and longitude of the one above named. There must have been some reason for marking it down, although I can find no mention of it anywhere else

I must remark that so satisfied am 1 of its position and existence, that there is no other danger, for which I would keep a better look-out, or give a wider berth in passing.

(Signed)

M. AGER.

Victoria Hongkong, 8th May, 1841.

From the China Mail, May 11th 1848.

Sen, High Imperial Commissioner &c., &c., sends the following commu

nication;

The late High Imperial Commissioner, Keying presented a nemorial to the Throne requesting that the same rate of Transit Duties on Calicoes might be levied at the Pih-sin Custom flouse in Chekeang, as at Heu-shoo, which is in the neighbourhood. To this application the Imperial reply was, "Let the Board of Revenue deliberate and report on this subject. Respect this!"'

I now received a communication from the Board, stating that every description of Foreign Cotton Manufactures, paid at the Heu-shoo Custom House mace 2 candareens per hundred catties, or per pecul weight, whilst 1-2 mace were paid per piece at Pih-sin. Since the difference in the amount is very considerable, the tariff of duties on Calicoes at Pih-sin ought, as proposed, to be the same as that at the Heu-shoo Custom House in the neighbourhood, in order to equalize the rate of duties levied.

To this representation an Imperial reply was received, saying, "Let it be done as proposed. Respect this!"'

Whilst transmitting this information to the Superintendent of the Pih-sin Custom House, I thought it my duty to submit it also for the consideration of the Ilonourable Envoy, and wish you much happiness, addressing the same, To His Excellency, Her Britannic Majesty's Plenipotentiary, Samuel George Bonham, Esq.. &c., &c.,

Taoukwang 28th year, 3d month, 26th day, (20th April 1848.)
(True Translation)

CHARLES GUTZLAFF, Chinese Secretary.

The following notice was lately issued from the British consulate at Canton. The Provincial Governinent having violated and set at nought the 5th article of the Treaty of Nanking and having sent a positive denial of reparation to the remonstrances and requisitions of the undersigned H. B. M. Officiating Consul at this port, he is constrained to request that all British merchants having duties and tonnage dues to pay into the Imperial Customs will withhold the same pending the pleasure of H. M Plenipotentiary, to whom the points at issue have been referred.

ADAM W. ELMSLLE, H. M. Officiating Consul. British Consulate Canton, May 10th, 1818

THE

CHINESE REPOSITORY.

VOL. XVII-JUNE, IS4S.- No. 6.

ART. 1. An iaquiry into the proper mode of rendering the word God in translating the Sacred Scriptures into the Chinese language. By W. H. MEDHURST. (Continued from page 242.) HAVING gone through the arguments for and against Te, we come now to the consideration of the other term which has been proposed as the proper rendering of Theos, viz. Shin. Our first business, however, in discussing the propriety of this term is to ascertain the meaning of it; which we shall do, by reference to the principal Chinese dictionaries, and then to standard writers who have made use of the term.

In the Shwo-wán, we have the following sentence," The Shin or Shins of Heaven are those which lead out all things." Taking this sentence as it stands, neither the number nor the nature of the Shin, can be definitely made out, but only the business in which the Shin or Shins of Heaven are engaged. Kang-he quotes the above expression, and adds the explanatory observation of one Tseu, (whose authority is often referred to in the Imperial Dictionary), saying that "Shin, (the primitive of shin) means to Heaven manages or directs the sending down of the k'he, to influence all things, hence it is said to lead out all things." Here it is evident, that the sentence from Tseu is adduced, with a view of elucidating the previous one quoted from the Shwo-wan, and by this latter sentence we find, that the principal person or being acting in this affair is Cheen, Heaven; that the thing which is

lead out.

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employed by Heaven in effectings all things is the k'he, and that the manner of the said K'hes influencing things is by leading them out; this latter idea is included in the word Shin, which comes from shin, to lead out. The t'heen, Heaven of the one sentence is therefore the t'heen, Heaven, of the other; or the Divinity from whom the power to influence originally proceeds. The k'he of the second sentence is also the same with the shin of the first; and as Heaven manages or directs the sending down of the K'he to influence all things, so Heaven employs the Shin to lead out all things. By ascertaining the meaning of the word K'he, therefore, we shall be able to discover something of the import of Shin. On referring to the Imperial Dictionary, under the word k'he, we are told, that k'he means breath, or to breathe; after which the lexicographer goes on to say, that hing, form, or wody is the mansion of life, and 'he breath or spirits, is the origin of life. K'he therefore means spirit, opposed to form. Then, after quoting some passages from the Yih-king which will afterwards come more fully under our consideration, he says, with reference to the word question that " k'he, is the fulness or essence of the Shin ;" and in order, in this connection, to assure us of the true meaning of K’he, he adds, "K'he is that which is inhaled, and exhaled, which goes out and comes in :" or in other words the breath, or spirit. From all the above we learn, that K'he is spirit as opposed to body, that it is the expiration of the breath, and that it is the fulness of the Shin

Under the word k'he, Morrison gives, " Fume; vapour ; halo; ether the primary matter; the breath; spirit, in low sense, as the anima or animal soul, of brutes and human beings; animal spirits, &c." IFFC K'he thus corresponds in a great degree to the Psyche of the Greeks, which meant breath; life; the soul as opposed to the body; also the anima munti, which was supposed to pass through all lands and seas, depths and heights.

K'he doubtless means

In the passage under consideration, the breath of nature, or the spirit of Heaven; the anima which Heaven sends down to influence all things. In this respect,Shin carresponds with it; the one being the finer, and the other the grosser spirit of nature. Theen shin, therefore, is not the God of Heaven, but the spirit of Heaven, which like the k'he, breath of nature, is employed by Heaven, or the Divinity, to influence and lead out all things theën shin, in the above sentence, signifies the God of Heaven, because it is thought to

Some have thought, that

be synonymous with Theen choo, occurring in the second sentence, which those advocate this opinion say, means "the Lord of Heaven," or God. To this it may be replied, that all the bestinformed Chinese teachers, who form their opinions independetly of any foreign bias; tell us, that t'heen, Heaven must be taken alone, in the sense of the Divinity, and that choo, is undoubtnedly a verb here, signifying to rule or manage, or take the superintendance of. In addition to which opinion we may say, that we do not remember to have met with the phrase t'heen choo, in the sense of the Lord of Heaven, in any of the Confucian classics, or the Commentators of that school. Buddha is spoken of, in one of the Buddhistic works as the Theen choo, Lord of Heaven ; and a Taouist writer of fiction has put into the mouth of Shun the expression Theen choo ta te, the Great God who is Lord of Heaven; but with these exceptions, the phrase, as far as we have seen, does not occur in any writer of note: and Morrison says, that it was introduced by the Roman Catholic Missionaries. The phrase T'heen choo, quoted by some from the

She ke fung shen choo, is found to be a mistranslation, owing to a want of attention to the stops. The passage runs

66

thus, “A, - 曰天, 主祠 天齊, pà shin, yih yuë

t'heen, choo sze t'hëen tse, of the eight Shins, the first is called (the Shin of) Heaven, who presides in a temple at T'hëen tse." Thus the characters Theen choo are not to be read together, but must be considered, the one as a substantive, and the other a verb, as we have above rendered them; while the Shin in the one sentence, corresponds to K'he in the other, according to the verbal explanation of the Chinese teachers, who say, that the Shin of Heaven, is the K'he of Heaven. In the second definition of Shin given by Kang-he, he quotes the Hwang keíh king she, which, says, "that the Shin of Heaven resides in the sun, while the Shin of a man resides in the eye." Here it is evident, that the Shin of Heaven cannot mean the God of Heaven, because it is a corresponding phrase with the Shin of a man and as the Shin of a man cannot be the god of a man, because it is something that belongs to him, and not that which presides over him; so the Shin of Heaven is something which belongs to Heaven, and not that which presides over it; and even if the Shin of Heaven (in the sense of God) might be said to reside in the sun, the Shin or god of a man cannot be said to dwell in his eye. The most probable interpretation is that which the Chinese teachers put

upon it ; viz. that ‡ Shin here means the

tsing shin, am

mal spirits, rather animation and vivacity. The phrase Jin che shin occurs in the Commentary on a portion of Măng-tszé, which passage may serve to throw some light on its meaning here.

Măng-tsze said, of that which is found in man, there is nothing better than the apple of his eye: which cannot conceal a man's wickedness. When the breast is honest, apple of eye is clear, but when dishonest, dim." Upon this the Commentator remarks, "When a man comes into contact with another, his Shin, or spirit rests in his eye; hence when he is honest at heart, his Shin or spirit is pure and clear; but when dishonest, his Shin, or spirit, is scattered and confused." The phrase tsing shin is applied by Morrison to the animation said to be existing or wanting in a picture of the human countenance. The phrase therefore means, the light or vivacity of heaven dwells in the sun, as the light or vivacity of man dwells in The eye.

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In the third class of definitions given by Kang-he, the word Shin is coupled with ming, and must be understood in the sense of intelligent and clear. Under this head, the lexicographer quotes the Shoo-king, where Yaou is said to be sage-like and shin, intelligent; De Guignes thus renders this phrase "Elle fut releveé par une grande sagesse, et par beaucoup de penetration." The Commentator on this passage says, that "speaking of his shing, sage-like qualities, and of his being above common apprehension, he is called shin, inscrutably intelligent" The lexicographer then quotes another work, which says, that shing, sage-like, means understanding every thing; shin meaou, inscrutably mysteri ous and not to be calculated on.' The Yih king is then quoted, which says, that "whatsoever is inscrutable in the superior and inferior principles of nature, is called Shin." When a thing is fixed, says the commentator on this place, it may be ascertained, and that which may be ascertained, is not fit to be called 神 Shin. Kang-he then quotes another work, saying, "Shin is the utmost point of change; it may be said to be more mysterious than all surrounding objects, and cannot be judged of by visible appearances." Morrison has rendered this passage as follows: Spirit is so called from its being the most inscrutable of all things." He then goes on to observe, They explain spirit, so as to denote, not an independent intelligent being, but an invisible intelligent essence, that prevades every thing, and is always present with

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