5 2o POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



steadily pounding by the side of a small stream which came tumbling 

 down by leaps and bounds over rocky places, and at several of these 

 sudden descents small wooden over-shot water-wheels operated two long, 

 heavy horizontal beams, making them see-saw up and down about a 

 pivot where they pierced the wall of a squatty mat-shed, the half of 

 which was a small closed chamber, within which the further ends of the 

 beams carried great heavy stones, shaped like huge dull chisels, and 

 these, working up and down on the stone floor of the closed room, 

 pounded into a fine powder small chips of previously dried pine wood. 

 The dry powder that results is the incense and is carried by coolies over 

 the mountains to the towns and temples round about. This region 

 was formerly the site of some four hundred monasteries and temples. 

 and our route passed one sawed-off pinnacle which bore on its top the 

 ruins of an old monastery while on a neighboring peak stood a delapi- 

 dated pagoda, evidences of the wreck caused by the famous Tai Ping 

 rebellion (1850-lSb'J:). On our way down to these mills we had sev- 

 eral magnificent views from cliffs which dropped sheer off to the plains 

 far, far below. With jagged rocky peaks to the right as we looked 

 down, there ran precipitously between them and us a lovely silvery 

 stream, all afoam from its conflict with the rocks and boulders. Away 

 below stretched a row of small foothills clustered in groups of three 

 and four, and around and beyond these a low level plain dotted with 

 a thousand small lakes or ponds was intersected by dozens of streams 

 and canals which at last combined to form a tributary of the Yangtsze, 

 a long graceful curve of which appeared in the distance as it rounded 

 a promontory, bearing on its shores the town of Kiukiang. Above all 

 this plain and surrounding the nearer mountain crests hung great 

 masses of cumulus cloud tinted by the rays of the setting sun, the whole 

 effect presenting a picture of such beauty and sublimity that the lie- 

 holder could easily appreciate why native scholars have so often cele- 

 brated it in gladsome song. 



We made an earlv morning start from Kuling, so as to reach the 

 grotto by noon. On attaining the summit of Xank'ang Pass we saw 

 spread before us the region between the southeastern slope of the Lii 

 Mountains and the sacred Poyang Lake, and on a small promontory, 

 straight before us, on the west shore of the lake, the city of Xank'ang, 

 with its striking pagoda, was just discernible. Several steam launches, 

 looking like mere toy boats, could be seen plying between the many 

 lovely and populous islets enclosed by this most important of China's 

 few lakes (90 miles by '^0 miles). Descending the stone-paved trail that 

 led us down these mountain precipices, we headed toward a point about 

 sever miles north of the city. For some distance, after reaching the 

 region of the lower hills, our path led us along the shady banks of a 

 beautiful stream, in the limpid water of which we stopped awhile to 



