The author, a missionary in China, particularly in Mongolia, from 1835 to his return to France before 1849, shared some of his experiences in print with his better-known companion, Evariste-Régis Huc. He wrote this work to register his own anxieties about missions in China, and directed it to Pope Pius IX. A foreword by Simon Leys gives an important introduction to the work. Gabet believed that the huge work of evangelization in China had not been successful. He presents the reasons for this, including disputes among the missionaries themselves. His great interest was in the preparation of the local clergy, also neglected, in his opinion. Lack of a good grasp of the Chinese language was the second main reason for the difficulties. He offered reflections and proposed solutions. He concludes with an 1845 Instruction from the Congregation of the Propagation of the Faith (Propaganda Fide) in Rome. Both, though largely ignored, formed the basis for more efficient efforts into the twentieth century.