1849.] Notice of a Chinese Geographical work. 149 



Every three years they make a clearance and cast away the bones in a 

 deep mountain stream. Whatever property the deceased may have 

 possessed, is proclaimed in the public hall, and is divided into three 

 parts, — amongst the church, the widow, and the children.* 



They have a bad sickness [in the mode of inducing which] the 

 mothers instruct the daughters and not the sons. They have a way 

 of charming cows' hides and smoked hams, and reducing these to the 

 size of a grain of sand. Whoever eats of this his belly swells and he 

 dies. Frogs, too, and several kinds of fishes are in like manner be- 

 witched. They can moreover dissolve these charms and make [the 

 fishes and frogs] leap out of the mouth again. 



The crime against nature is prohibited. Even fathers, sons, and bro- 

 thers are not allowed to sleep on the same bed. The doors are kept 

 open at night, to hear and to see ; and the beds and the mats are care- 

 fully examined. If they be detected, they are punished by fine. 



Early in the morning a bell is rung, and it is day ; the markets and 

 the shops are opened for trade. At noon, the bell is again rung, and it 

 is night ! The market is closed, all go to sleep, and none venture 

 abroad. In the evening the bell is rung once more ; and it is day ! 

 Lamps and candles shed a clear light and trade proceeds. At midnight, 

 again the bell rings, and it is night again ! The shops and the markets 

 are closed. Every shi shinf it is alternate day and night. At noon 

 day they prohibit the whole country [to trade]. Verily it is a market 

 of devils ! 



After a journey of twelve heng you arrive at Li tsi pha, and twent}^- 

 one heng more bring you to Kan ma li,% to both which places the 

 ships of Han proceed for purposes of commerce. South-east of Li 

 tsi pha is an island, opposite to which are five other islands, namely 



* M. Klaproth has evidently misunderstood this passage ; which he translates, — 

 M Ceux qui sont d'une maison riche, cherche a briller dans I' eylise principale" &c. 



The words translated " maison riche ^^ c§L ^ e ts h means " family property ," 



and that translated " briller" *yj miny, means to proclaim, as well as to shine. 

 Besides, the matter of burying was disposed of by the clearing out the bones 

 in the former sentence, and the author has now passed to another subject. 



f Shi shin ; 6 hours. 



X Camarines ? the S. E. peninsula of Lucon ? 



