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[[underline]] Chapter XII. [[/underline]] 259.

long talk with the recently appointed American minister, Mr. J. V. A. MacMurray, Dr. Schurman's successor.  We discussed the situation in general, and particularly the best way of strengthening and clarifying our relations with the Chinese government then in power.  These had from the first been uniformly cordial; but I felt that in point of definition there was need for improvement.  Mr. MacMurray was extremely sympathetic, as well as much interested in our effort to aid in bringing about a wider and better knowledge of China's great past.  He promised to do all in his power on our be^[[h]]alf.

[[underline]] Finds in Mongolia. [[/underline]]
  A little later in the same month Mr. N. C. Nelson, of the American Museum of Natural History, in New York City, kindly showed us the extremely interesting archaeological finds that he had recently made in Mongolia.  These were largely of the Mesolithic (or perhaps better, Epipalaeolithic) Period, and consisted to a great extent of microliths---small, almost minute, stone chips or flakes, designed to be set in other materials, such as bone or wood, to form the cutting edges or "working-parts" of various tools and weapons.  Mr. Nelson's discoveries have done much to extend our knowledge of the prehistoric sequence of cultures in that quarter of the globe. [[superscript]] (234) [[/superscript]]
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[[superscript]] (234) [[/superscript]] Mr. Nelson has published a brief but very interesting account of his discoveries, entitled "The Dune-Dwellers of the Gobi" in the magazine [[underline]] Natural History [[/underline]] (N.Y.), No. 3, 1926; pages 246-251.
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[[underline]] Negotiations regarding Further Work in Shansi. [[/underline]]
We likewise held numerous discussions with men of authority in the Government, or of influence with it, in regard to our opportunities for further work in China.  All with whom we talked assured us that the pre-