CiiAP. XV. FORTUNE-TELLER OF THE DEAD. 
253 
tions of the future happiness of those who obey his 
directions : he informs them that they or their children, 
or some one in whom they are much interested, shall 
enjoy riches and honours in after life, as a reward for 
the attention and respect they have paid to the remains 
of their fathers ; that, as the stream which they then 
behold when standing around their father's grave flows 
and returns again in its windings, so shall their path 
through life be smooth and pleasant until they sink into 
the tomb, hoary with years, respected, beloved, and 
mourned by their children. 
These men are generally great rogues, and play upon 
the prejudices of the people. It frequently happens 
that after a corpse has been interred for some time they 
call upon the relatives, and inform them that, for some 
cause which they affect to explain, it is absolutely neces- 
sary to remove and re-inter it. Should the relations 
object to this, the answer is, " Yery well, I don t care ; 
but your children and relations will also be regardless of 
your remains when you die, and you will be miser- 
able in your graves." The feelings of the poor deluded 
people are thus wrought upon, and a further sum of 
money is extracted for finding a more suitable grave. 
The late Mr. Lay, during one of his rambles amongst 
the hills on the banks of the river Min, was present at 
one of these ceremonies, and the relatives of the deceased 
crowded round him and consulted him as to the site of 
the grave, under the impression that he was well versed 
in such matters. He remarks in his journal that " much 
good or much evil is thought to betide the survivors from 
a right or wrong position. Keangse practitioners in 
