472 PROCEEDINGS. 
manufacture of circular vases implies the previous use of the potter's 
wheel. At that time the rich used cups of gold and the poor had 
turned wooden bowls, but rude unglazed stoneware was made. 
Mr. Carles has lately sent to Shanghai a rubbing of a Chow dynasty 
bronze kept in a temple on Silver Island. Its age is determined 
by Chinese archeologists to be about p.c. 800, as is decided by the — 
inscription of forty characters inside of the vase. The so-called tad- 
pole writing was referred to, It seems to have been like the cuneiform 
in the stroke, and this cireamstance may be taken as adding a certain 
amount of proof to the opinion that the Chinese derived the art of 
writing from Babylonia. The slow music and solemn religious — 
dance of the ancient Chinese in their ceremonials accompanying the 
worship of heaven and of ancestors were alluded to. They remind 
us of the dances of the ancient Jews as referred to in the Old 
Testament. Towards the end of the Shang dynasty a relative of 
the Chow imperial family proceeded to Soochow and was the founder 
of the Chinese civilisation of the Soochow plain. Ki-tsz, who was a 
sage belonging to the imperial family of the Shang dynasty, went to — 
Corea and there first introduced the Chinese early civilisation. 
At the conclusion of Dr. Edkins’ lecture, the CHAaInMAN said that 
the very learned and interesting lecture which they had just heard 
touched upon several debatable points, such as the existence of the 
dragon and the presence of Persian missionaries in ancient China. 
These would doubtless receive due attention from sinologues, and he 
hoped among those present there were some who would fayour them 
with their views. The small number of ancient monuments must — 
be one great difficulty in the study of Chinese archeology: Vows. 
changing as the Chinese were, and attached as they were, and had 
always been, if not to the homes of their ancestors, at least to their 
ancestral graves, they built their dwellings and even their temples 
for present use with small regard to posterity. Hence few traces — 
remain in brick and mortar or in stone of the Chinese of five 
empires, not to speak of thirty-five centuries ago. No Herculaneum — 
or Pompeii had been, or ever would be, found in China to bring : 
vividly before them the everyday life of the past, For information z 
about the period discussed they had to trust chiefly to traditions — 
