The new Chinese constitution which was almost unanimously adopted by the National Assembly and presented to Chiang K'ai-shek on Christmas Day 1946 gives conclusive proof that the Chinese plan to maintain their ancient Censoral system, now the Control Yüan of the Chinese government. A clue to the importance which the Chinese attach to this body is found in the fact that although the new constitution has abandoned the complete separation and independence of the five powers (legislative, executive, judicial, examination, and control) as visualized by Sun Yat-sen, the Control Yüan remains as one of the completely independent and elected bodies in the future Chinese government.

Until 1945, the Japanese nation had never suffered a really major defeat. Humiliations, actual as well as imaginary, had been imposed, but never outright and final loss of a war, never invasion and occupation since the descent of the Yamato people themselves from the high plain of heaven. Her remoteness in fact, and in the calculation of her leaders, her unique polity under the rule of a dynasty established for ages eternal in the minds of her people had saved Japan on each previous threatening occasion. But this time there was no escape. Japan lost the war, and all Japanese know that she lost. Just as, at an earlier date, the country provided a unique laboratory for the student of social stability and of cultural integration–a much neglected laboratory, unfortunately–so, now Japan offers the opportunity for a study of society under the most extreme forms of stress. What have been the effects of war, of catas-trophically losing war, upon Japanese society?

Until June 26, 1946, the ihabitants of the State of North Borneo could claim the distinction of being the only population in the world still, subject to chartered company rule. On that date an area of nearly 30,000 square miles inhabited by over 300,000 people ceased to be governed by the British North Borneo Chartered Company and became a British Crown Colony. Not only was the British North Borneo Chartered Company the last of the chartered companies to survive, but it was distinct in character from its predecessors. It is the purpose of this article to describe within the limits of available information the unique political and economic pattern developed by the Company in North Borneo.

This monograph is very well written and gives a fairly comprehensive picture of conditions during the period covered. Materials used are original, informative, and exhaustive; although the materials are entirely Chinese in origin, as is made clear in the preface, the author also has used writings in English, French, and Japanese when necessary for comparison and evaluation; description is clear and critical; chapters are well divided and in good proportion. The Western Regions are described as covering the areas from Yumen and Yangkuan to the highland of Iran. Relations between China and India of this period are not mentioned. Apart from tiie preface, a brief description of each of the book's eight chapters is as follows: