Martin, William Alexander Parsons

D.D. (Lafayette College, Easton, Penn., 1860), LL.D. (University of the City of New York, 1870), Presbyterian; b. at Livonia, Ind., April 10, 1827 graduated at the State University at Blooming ton, Ind., and at the Presbyterian Theological Seminary of New Albany (now removed to Chicago) from 1850-60 was a mi ionary at Ningpo, China; from 1863-68 was mi ionary at Peking; in 1869 became president of the Imperial Tungwen College of Peking, and profe or of international law. He visited the United States in 1860, 1868, and 1879. He is a member of the European Institute of International Law, and of other learned societies. His position in China is of the highest importance. During his long life there he has had several unusual experiences. In 1855 he was captured by Chinese pirates; in 1858 he served as interpreter to the United-States minister in negotiating the treaty of Tientsin; in 1859 he accompanied the United- States minister to Peking, and to Yedo, Japan; in 1866 he visited a colony of Jews in Hon an, visiting also the tomb of Con- | fuci us, and was the first foreigner in recent times f to make the journey from Peking to Shanghai by the grand canal (for account of this journey, see Journal North China Branch Royal Asiatic Society, 1866); in the conflict with France, 1884- 85, as well as in former disputes, acted as adviser to the Chinese Government on questions of international law, and in 1885 was made a mandarin of the third rank, by imperial decree. In February, 1885, he was elected first president of the newly organized Oriental Society of Peking. Dr. Martin edited The Peking Scientific Magazine from 1875 to 1878 (printed in Chinese); and has written in Chinese, Evidences of Christianity, 1855, 10th ed. 1885 (translated into Japanese, and widely circulated in Japan); The Three Principles (1856), and Religious Allegories (18 154 57), and numerous small tracts which have been widely distributed. In English, besides his correspondence with the learned societies to which he belongs, and his contributions to reviews and other periodicals, he has published The Education and Philosophy of the Chinese, Shanghai and London, 1880, new ed. under title, The Chinese: their Education, Philosophy, and Letters, New York, 1881. In French he has written much. But his largest works have been his translations into Chinese, of Wheat on (1863) and of Woolsey (1875) and Bluntschli (1879) on International Law, De Marten's Guide diplomat i que (1874), and the compilation in Chinese of courses of natural philosophy (1866) and mathematical physics (1885).