Holies, whither their bodies are sent, not only from all parts of China, but from all parts of the world.  Frequently a shipload of 1,500 or 1,600 bodies arrives in one day.  The Steamboat Company charges 40 dollars for the passage of a really live Chinaman, as against 160 dollars for the carriage of a dead celestial.  The friends of the deceased often keep the bodies in coffins above ground for several years, until the priests announce that they have discovered a lucky day and a lucky spot for the interment.  This does not generally happen until he—­the priest—­finds he can extract no more money by divination, and that no more funeral feasts will be given by the friends.  We passed through what they call the city of the dead, where thousands of coffins waiting for interment were lying above ground.  The coffins are large and massive, but very plain, resembling the hollowed-out trunk of a tree.  The greatest compliment a Chinese can pay his older relatives is to make them a present of four handsome longevity boards for their coffins.  Outside the city of the dead were the usual adjuncts of a large burying-place—­coffin-makers and stone-carvers, all living in dirty little cottages, surrounded by pigs, ducks, and young children.

Leaving the cemetery and cottages behind, a too short drive brought us to a lovely valley, where we were to lunch at the temple of San Chew, in one of its fairest gorges.  The meal was spread in a large hall in a most luxurious manner, and as the wind changed almost immediately, and it came on to rain, we felt ourselves fortunate indeed in having reached shelter.  We had plenty of wraps, and the bearers ran us down the hill again very quickly, so that we suffered no discomfort.

By the time the city walls were reached, the rain had ceased, and a glorious red sunset glowed over the roofs, glinting through the holes in the mats, and lighting up all the vermilion boards and gold characters with which the houses and shops are decorated.  The shadowy streets were now full of incense or rather joss-stick smoke, for every house and every shop has a large altar inside, and a small one without, before which joss-sticks are burnt more or less all day long.

The streets seemed more crowded even than usual.  Each of our bearers struck out a line of his own, and it was not until we reached Shameen that we all met again.  Some of the ladies had been rather frightened at finding themselves alone in the dark, crowded city.  We were only just in time to dress and go to dinner, after which we examined an interesting collection, chiefly of coins, in process of formation for the French Exhibition.  They are carefully arranged, and will be most valuable and interesting when complete.  The knife-and-fork coins are particularly curious and rare, some of them being worth as much as 5,000 dollars each, as curiosities.  All the coins have holes in the centre for convenience of carriage.