450 



Miscellaneous. 



recourse to them, there being no other places where accommodation 

 can be obtained. In the convents, 10 roubles* is the lowest price for a 

 rest of a few hours, and, for a whole day, 25 roubles are not considered 

 to be sufficient. From this it may be easily judged how costly even 

 the shortest excursions in the environs of Pekin must be. 



The outline of the Northern Mountains is pretty uniform ; they are, 

 generally speaking, nearly bare, their flanks being rarely covered by 

 small bushes, and alluvia of little importance. 



These mountains are of considerable elevation, particularly that of 

 Syao-Chan, situated 30 li to the north-east of the temple Loun-Tzouan- 

 Sy, which is distant 60 li north from Pekin. It is principally composed 

 of granite, of which the lower part, being large grained, decomposes 

 into gravel ; the upper portions are small grained, and shew no signs 

 of disintegration. This granite consists of red felspar, clear grey 

 quartz, with a vitreous lustre, and black mica, altogether impercepti- 

 ble in some places. No other minerals of any consequence have been 

 found in it. To judge from the name it bears (In~Shan), which means 

 the mountain of silver, there is reason to believe that it formerly fur- 

 nished the ore of that metal ; and, indeed, one of the hermits dwelling 

 in the neighbourhood, a man of about seventy years of age, assured 

 me that in his youth a vein was worked in that mountain, the ore from 

 which was taken out at night and secretly smelted to obtain the 

 silver. 



The shaft of the mine to which he alluded, is now filled up and 

 covered with buildings ; there was therefore no means of ascertaining 

 the truth of this tradition. 



At the foot of Mount In-Shan, there existed anciently an immense 

 temple of the religion of Khe-Shan, inhabited by 400 monks, the traces 

 of which are still to be seen. A path made on the flank of the moun- 

 tain led quite to the summit, and the steps hewn in the granite exist at 

 the present day. The path is now obstructed by stones, and over- 

 grown with bushes, so as to render it difficult to climb the very steep 

 acclivity of the mountain. Having proceeded by this path about three 

 versts, I was obliged to surmount a precipice nearly vertical, in which 

 small holes were cut of a size barely sufficient to enable the points of 

 the feet to rest in them. But the trouble of overcoming all these ob- 

 stacles is well repaid, for the view from the summit of the mountain is 

 of itself an object for the sake of which it is worth undertaking this 

 excursion. The plateau on the summit is encompassed by a balus- 



* 10 roubles = 11 francs 50 centimes ; 25 roubles — 28 francs 75 centimes. 



