The Sun.
London, England, 1840-03-04 00:00:00

DRAGOMEN.

Extract from a letter addressed to the Morning Post
dated Constantinople, January 25 :
The politicians of Pera are turning their attention to
a subject, which, in their opinion, imperatively calls for
immediate reform. I refer to the " dragomen," or inter-
pretersto the British Embassy. The present English-em-
ployed officials, say the Perotes, are doubtless" good men
and true," but still they manage these things better in
France. The British system is bad. The Foreign
Office of Louis Philippe sends out Frenchmen as in-
terpreters in the East ; the Foreign Office of Queen
Victoria is compelled (?) to employ foreigners,
since the Oriental languages are almost un-
known in England ; and, indeed, a mere glance
at those who hold English appointments in the East
is ill confirm the statement of the Perotes. They
complain that " Oriental Professorships" are not at
once established in England, Malta, and Pera, and point
to the following statement of facilities in France for ac-
quiring the necessary knowledge, as worthy of being
immediately imitated in England.
COLLEGE DE FRANCE, PARIS.—Here there is-
1. A Professorship of the Hebrew, Chaldaic, and
Syriac languages. 2. Ditto of Persian Lite-
rature. 3. Ditto of Arabian Literature. 4. Ditto of
Sanscrit. 5. Ditto of Chinese and the Tartar lan-
guages. 6. A Professorship of the Turkish language.
The College de France was founded by Francis I. in
1530, twelve professorships were instituted, and " les
cours doivent etre des cours scientifiques."
BIBLIOTHEQUE ROYALE.—At this institution there is
a school for the living languages of the East, and
courses of lectures are given in the following tongues :
—Turkish, Arabic Phial et rulgaire), modern
Persian, Armenian, modern Greek, Hindostanee.
This " school for the living languages of the East"
was founded by a decree under the Republic,
dated April 2, 1795. Each Professor in the " Col-
lege de France" and at the " School for the living Lan-
guages of the East" receives an annual salary of five
thousand francs, and is required to give three lectures
in every week, each lecture not to be of less duration
than an hour. The courses relative to Arabic, Chinese,
and Sanscrit are generally the best attended.
SOCIETE ASIATIQUE.—P:ais also possesses an
" Asiatic Society," the proceedings of which are pub-
lished once a month. This society is assisted by Go-
vernment with an annual donation of three thousand
francs.

IMPRIMERIE ROYALE.—Here, under the direction of
a Board of Commissioners, works translated into French
from the Oriental languages arc printed gratuitously ;
and, moreover, 500 printed copies are given to the
translator. At the Imprimerie Royale volumes in the
Turkish, Persian, modern Greek, and Chinese lan-
guages, &c. &c., are published apparently with as much
facility as French works. Witness the new and splen-
did " Dictionnaire Turc-Fransais l'usage des Agents
Diplomatiques et Consulaires, des Commcrcants, des
Navigateurs, et autres Voyageurs clans le Levant ; par
J. D. Kieffer et T. X. Bianchi." England has no work
of the sort, nor has the British Government, as we be-
lieve here, yet ordered this to be translated. I merely
mention the fact of public attention at Constantinople
being again attracted to the subject of " Dragomen ;"
but I refrain from dilating upon it at present, in the fear
of occupying too much space in your columns.

Since the arrival of the 79th Highlanders in
Manchester, twenty of the soldiers have been bought off by re-
sncctable young women. So much for the kilt !—Limerick
Chronicle.