Chap. XII. ANCIENT PORCELAIN SEALS. 253 



on which many thousands of people must have 

 paid their vows at these heathen altars. 



I may here mention, in passing, that I picked up 

 two articles at this place, of considerable interest 

 to antiquaries in Europe. One was a small porce- 

 lain bottle, exactly similar in size, form and colour- 

 ing to those found in ancient Egyptian tombs. 

 The characters on one side are also identical, and 

 are a quotation from one of the Chinese poets — 

 " Only in the midst of this mountain.'' 



I have already alluded to these bottles in one of 

 the earlier chapters, and need say nothing further 

 about them here. They are to be met with not 

 unfrequently in doctors' shops and old stalls ; 

 several persons, both in China and England, pos- 

 sess specimens. 



The other article I have mentioned is far more 

 curious and interesting. It is a small porcelain 

 seal identical with those found of late years in the 

 bogs of Ireland. On the 6th of May, 1850, Mr. 

 Getty read a very curious and interesting paper 

 on this subject before the Belfast Literary Society, 

 and he has since published it with drawings and 

 descriptions of the different seals. One was found 

 when ploughing a field in Tipperary, another in 

 the county of Down, a third in the bed of the 

 river Boyne, and a fourth near Dublin. That 

 these seals have lain in the bogs and rivers of 

 Ireland for many ages there cannot be the slight- 

 est doubt. The peculiar white or rather cream- 

 coloured porcelain of which they are composed, 



