[Dr. Bretschneider saw the bridge, and gives the following description of it:  “The bridge is 350 ordinary paces long and 18 broad.  It is built of sandstone, and has on either side a stone balustrade of square columns, about 4 feet high, 140 on each side, each crowned by a sculptured lion over a foot high.  Beside these there are a number of smaller lions placed irregularly on the necks, behind the legs, under the feet, or on the back of the larger ones.  The space between the columns is closed by stone slabs.  Four sculptured stone elephants lean with their foreheads against the edge of the balustrades.  The bridge is supported by eleven arches.  At each end of the bridge two pavilions with yellow roofs have been built, all with large marble tablets in them; two with inscriptions made by order of the Emperor K’ang-hi (1662-1723); and two with inscriptions of the time of K’ien-lung (1736-1796).  On these tablets the history of the bridge is recorded.”  Dr. Bretschneider adds that Dr. Lockhart is also right in counting nine arches, for he counts only the waterways, not the arches resting upon the banks of the river.  Dr. Forke (p. 5) counts 11 arches and 280 stone lions.—­H.C.]

(P. de la Croix, II. 11, etc.; Erskine’s Baber, p. xxxiii.; Timour’s Institutes, 70; J.  As. IX. 205; Cathay, 260; Magaillans, 14-18, 35; Lecomte in Astley, III. 529; J.  As. ser.  II. tom. i. 97-98; D’Ohsson, I. 144.)

[Illustration:  Bridge of Lu ku Kiao]

CHAPTER XXXVI.

ACCOUNT OF THE CITY OF JUJU.

When you leave the Bridge, and ride towards the west, finding all the way excellent hostelries for travellers, with fine vineyards, fields, and gardens, and springs of water, you come after 30 miles to a fine large city called JUJU, where there are many abbeys of idolaters, and the people live by trade and manufactures.  They weave cloths of silk and gold, and very fine taffetas.[NOTE 1] Here too there are many hostelries for travellers.[NOTE 2]

After riding a mile beyond this city you find two roads, one of which goes west and the other south-east.  The westerly road is that through Cathay, and the south-easterly one goes towards the province of Manzi.[NOTE 3]

Taking the westerly one through Cathay, and travelling by it for ten days, you find a constant succession of cities and boroughs, with numerous thriving villages, all abounding with trade and manufactures, besides the fine fields and vineyards and dwellings of civilized people; but nothing occurs worthy of special mention; and so I will only speak of a kingdom called TAIANFU.

NOTE 1.—­The word sendaus (Pauthier), pl. of sendal, and in G.T. sandal.  It does not seem perfectly known what this silk texture was, but as banners were made of it, and linings for richer stuffs, it appears to have been a light material, and is generally rendered taffetas.  In Richard Coeur de Lion we find