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initely assumed an attitude hostile to Christianity. It thus became evident to the Dutch that to continue the work of propagandism in Formosa would tend to discredit their protestations of religious indifference in Japan, and might consequently forfeit the tradal privileges which they alone had succeeded in retaining in the island Empire. Hence they took active measures to discourage the continuance of proselytising efforts in Formosa. Critics have censured them roundly for so doing. Yet it is tolerably certain that if a plebiscite could be taken among the foreign commercial communities of China to-day, a majority would vote for restricting the field of religious propagandism. The Dutch in the seventeenth century were men of business before everything. Their abandonment of Christian labours for the sake of trade consorted well with the demeanour of the various envoys sent by them to the Chinese Court. These ambassadors and their suites observed strictly all the forms prescribed by Chinese etiquette, prostrating themselves and knocking their heads upon the ground, not only in the presence of the Emperor, but also before his empty throne and on all officially indicated occasions. They were never allowed to enter into any negotiations that would have been inconsistent with the role of tribute-bearer which the Chinese assigned to them. For these things, too, the Dutch have been much blamed. Yet it is difficult to see how they could have acted other-