Among other points, they professed not to understand the expression, “Great and good friend;” and they interpreted it according to their preconceived ideas, as a “request for a friendly intercourse.” The expression was explained to them, and shown to be perfectly intelligible, (for it was only their astonishment at such familiar language, that prevented their understanding it.) But still they considered it quite inadmissible; the common word _yew_, a friend, was unsuitable and improper between two great powers. The only thing that would satisfy such hairbreadth distinguishers, was to say, “Your country and mine have amicable intercourse.” Wherever the simple and _common_ word _I_ (wo) occurred, it became necessary to substitute some other word, having a similar meaning, (as pun.) And for _he_ or _him_, (ta,) referring to the envoy, they required in substitution of kae-yuen, “the said officer.” Where the President says, “I pray your majesty to protect him, and to treat him with kindness and confidence,” they wished to introduce a request for “deep condescension” on the part of the emperor, which was rejected; and, to satisfy them, a slight change was made in the phraseology of the translation, but without permitting any thing servile. The President’s letter concludes with this expression:--“I pray God to have you always, great and good friend, under his safe and holy keeping.” This they wished to change into a prayer to “imperial heaven, for the continual peace of your majesty’s sacred person.” In opposition to this proposed change, which would present the President in the light of an idolater, the Christian notion of the Deity, as “one God, the Supreme Ruler of heaven and earth, of the nations and their sovereigns,” was explained to them; and the divinity of heaven and earth, believed by the Chinese and Cochin-Chinese, was denied. They then proposed, by another change of the term used to express the Deity, to make the President pray to the “Gods of heaven.” But this point they were obliged also to give up.