92 MANDARINS’ GARDENS. [Cuar. VI. 
again they prostrated themselves before the altar, 
and seemed engaged in earnest prayer. Many of 
their religious ceremonies have a great resemblance 
to those of the Roman Catholic church, and I 
remember being much struck on a Sunday after- 
noon, when passing out at one of the city gates, by 
_ hearing the sounds of prayer and praise, not unlike 
those of the Christian churches of other lands. I 
immediately walked into the place from whence the 
sounds came, and found, to my disappointment, that 
it was one of the numerous temples with which the 
city abounds, and that the sounds of praise which 
fell upon my ears, were only addressed to the gods 
of the heathen. But many of these temples are in 
a most ruinous state, and are evidently not so well 
supported now as they have been at some former 
time. In fact, the town of Ning-po itself, with 
all its riches, and all its advantages, has been in 
a decaying state for years, and is one example, 
amongst many others, of the truth of what I for- 
merly stated concerning the general state of this 
country. 
My first business, when I reached Ning-po, was 
to make inquiries regarding the gardens of the 
Mandarins, which I had heard something of from 
the officers who were there when the city was taken 
by the English troops, during the war. I had the 
same difficulties to encounter as I had at Amoy, 
owing to the jealousy of the Chinese. Ultimately, 
however, these too were overcome, and I obtained 
access to several Mandarins’ gardens and nurseries, 
