The last paper that I will mention is the translation Mr. Pickering has given us of the Chinese legendary account of the origin of their Secret Societies. This is to be followed I hope by some further information concerning the condition of these Societies, their manner of working, and their influence for good or evil in Singapore from the same high authority. It is probable that an exposure of their practices will relieve Europeans from some ill-grounded fears as to the objects and action of these associations, and that, by having them deprived of their character of secrecy, the Chinese themselves may be induced to use them, as they well may, for mutual benefit only, giving up what ideas of aggression on the rights of others may still be involved in them.
The General meetings, at which these and the other papers have been read, have not perhaps been so well attended as we might have wished; but I think those who have been generally or frequently present at them have found them a a most agreeable break in the monotony of Colonial life. The truth of the old saying, magna civitas magna solitudo, is very keenly felt in Singapore; for our city, though it is not great in numbers, is great in area, and men who may have much to communicate to, or to learn from one another, are likely to meet very rarely, unless there are fixed times and places of meeting.
But I doubt whether our meetings will be as frequent in the future as they have been in the past year. I mention this now because I think, if it turns out to be the case, we must look upon it, not as a sign of retrogression, but as a thing that must in the nature of things happen. No doubt one thing that encouraged some of the original promoters of the Society to endeavour to get it established was the consciousness that they had a certain accumulation of information and even of M.S. which was sufficient to give the Society a start. But we have drawn very largely upon that stock during the year, and may expect to find that papers. for meetings are not quite so abundant as they were. New matter will of course be coming in; but all the members without exception who are at all likely to be contributors. are busy men, who have but few hours of leisure to devote to science and literature outside their own particular calling. And though I hope we may be able to keep up our two numbers of the Journal in the year, I do very much doubt whether we shall be able to get a meeting more than once in two months instead of once a month as hitherto.
