Williams, Samuel Wells, Lld

Williams, Samuel Wells, LL.D.

a distinguished Chinese scholar, was born at Utica, N.Y., September 22, 1812. He graduated from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, learned printing, and in 1833 went to Canton, China, as printer for the American mission, where he assisted in editing The Chinese Repository. In 1837 he visited Japan, learned the language, and translated Matthew and Luke into Japanese. Returning to China, he edited many works; became interpreter to commodore Perry's Japan expedition in 1853, and in 1855 to the United States legation. In 1860 he revisited the United States, and in 1875, after various public services in China, permanently settled in New Haven, Connecticut, where, he acted as lecturer on Chinese, until his death, February 16, 1884, at which time he was president of the American Bible Society. He is the author of many works on China, especially The Middle Kingdom (N.Y. 1848, 1857).