Tsin-tsun to the hills; and when we arrived several travellers and coolies were sitting in the porch drinking tea. The temple belonged to the Taouists, and was inhabited by an old priest and his wife. The priests of this sect do not shave their heads like the Buddhists, and I believe are allowed to marry.

The old priest received us with great politeness, and, according to custom, gave me a piece of tobacco and set a cup of tea before me. Sing-Hoo now asked him whether he had a spare room in his house, and whether he would allow us to remain with him for a day or two. He seemed to be very glad of the chance of making a little money, and immediately led us up stairs to a room which, as we were not very particular, we agreed to hire during our stay.

This house and temple, like some which I have already described, were built against a perpendicular rock, which formed an excellent and substantial back wall to the building. The top of the rock overhung the little building, and the water from it continually dripping on the roof of the house gave the impression that it was raining.

The stream of "nine windings" flowed past the front of the temple. Numerous boats were plying up and down, many of which, I was told, contained parties of pleasure, who had come to see the strange scenery amongst these hills. The river was very rapid, and these boats seemed to fly when going with the current, and were soon lost to view. On all sides the strangest rocks and hills were observed, having generally a temple and tea-manufactory near their

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summits. Sometimes they seemed so steep that the buildings could only be approached by a ladder; but generally the road was cut out of the rock in steps, and by this means the top was reached.

Du Halde, in describing these hills, says, "The priests, the better to compass their design of making this mountain pass for the abode of the immortal beings, have conveyed barks, chariots, and other things of the same kind, into the clefts of the steep rocks, all along the sides of a rivulet that runs between, insomuch that these fantastical ornaments are looked upon by the stupid vulgar as real prodigies, believing it impossible that they could be raised to such inaccessible places but by a power more than human."

I did not observe any of these chariots; and if they exist at all, they must either have been made for the express purpose, or brought from some distant country, as none are in use in these parts. Boats are common enough on the river; and if they are drawn up into such places, the circumstance would not be so wonderful.

Some curious marks were observed on the sides of some of these perpendicular rocks. At a distance they seemed as if they were the impress of some gigantic hands. I did not get very near these marks, but I believe that many of them have been formed by the water oozing out and trickling down the surface. They did not seem artificial; but a strange appearance is given to these rocks by artificial means. Emperors and other great and rich men, when visit

ing these hills, have had stones, with large letters carved upon them, let in or built into the face of these rocks. These, at a distance, have a most curious appearance.

The old priest with whom I had taken up my quarters seemed miserably poor; the piece of ground attached to the temple for his support was very small. Now and then one of his own sect, who came to worship at the temples amongst these hills, left him a small present, but such visits were "few and far between." And there was nothing grand or imposing about his temple to attract the rich and great, except indeed the scenery which surrounded it.

Having given the old man some money to purchase a dinner for myself and my men, I made a hasty meal and went out to explore the hills. I visited many of the tea-farms, and was successful in procuring about four hundred young plants. These were taken to Shanghae in good order, and many of them are now growing vigorously in the Government tea plantation in the Himalayas.

The old priest and his wife could not afford to burn either candle or oil, and were therefore in the habit of retiring very early to rest. As the night was wet and my quarters far from comfortable, I soon followed their example. Sing-Hoo, who was in the room with me, said he had no confidence in these Fokien men, as he called them, and that he would let down the trap-door of our garret and make all fast for the night before we went to sleep. However soundly I sleep, the least noise of an unusual kin is

sure to awake me. Somewhere about midnight I awoke, and for a second or two I heard nothing except the heavy rain pattering on the roof of our room. Shortly afterwards, however, a slight noise below attracted my attention, and my eye naturally turned to the trap-door. What was my surprise to see it slowly open and the head of a man make its appearance in the room where we were! I scarcely knew how to act, but at last determined to lie still and watch his motions, and to be ready if necessary to defend myself as well as I could. Gradually a man's figure appeared, and entering the room he began to grope about, muttering some indistinct words. This awoke Sing-Hoo, who jumped out of bed in a great fright and called out to me to get up. "The rain is coming through the roof of the house into our bed," said the man, whom we immediately recognised to be the poor old priest. old priest. We now breathed freely and had a good laugh at our being so alarmed. The old man, after putting some mats above the place through which the rain was coming in, descended the stairs to his own room. "Shut down the door," said Sing-Hoo to him as he went out. "It is much better up," said the old priest, "it is much cooler: don't be afraid, there is nothing to harm you amongst these mountains." Sing-Hoo did not contradict him, but, when he was gone, got up and quietly shut down the door. Nothing else disturbed our slumbers during the night.

These old people had not the slightest idea that I was a foreigner; but I was subjected to some incon