39^ Voyage of the Novara. 



slope of a hill between picturesque groujDS of granite rocks, 

 studded with gigantic Chinese inscriptions and splendid 

 clumps of trees. At the entrance of this retreat for the gods, 

 is a large fantastically-adorned Buddhist temple, surrounded 

 by a large number of apartments, in which reside the priests, 

 and where they carry on their household duties, and prepare 

 tapers and sycee-paper for the worship of their deities, and 

 where are also a few private altars to divinities, whose in 

 fluence and protection the Chinese ladies of doubtful reputa- 

 tion do not, it seems, venture publicly to invoke. 



Steps cut in the granite rock conduct to the highest point, 

 about 200 feet above sea-level, on which there is likewise a 

 temple. At the time of our visit, a number of Buddhist 

 priests in long yellow plaited garments were ascending to 

 the summit, preceded by flute-j^laj^ers, there to perform their 

 devotions. On their return they distributed among the poor 

 Chinese congregated in the chief apartment of the temple, a 

 large quantity of fruit and other eatables. 



While at Macao we visited one of the most respected of 

 the foreigners settled there, Dr. Kane, an English pliysician, 

 who has for years resided in the colony. This gentleman 

 was so kind as to present us with the head of a statue from 

 the renowned nine-storied or Flower Pagoda (Hwa-tah) near 

 Canton, which during a visit he paid to that half-ruined 

 edifice in March, 1857, he had found lying on the ground, a 

 fragment from a sandstone figm-e on the seventh story, 

 representing a pupil of Buddha. This Pagoda, 160 feet high, 



