Chap. XVII. 
MOUNTAIN BARRACKS. 
261 
CHAPTER XVII. 
A celebrated Buddhist Temple — Scenery around it — Its Trees and 
Shrubs — Buddhist Worship — Leave the Temple — Keflections 
on Buddhism — Important Station for Christian Missionaries — 
Privations they would have to endure — Eoman Catholics and 
their Labours — Christian Charity — Protestant Missionaries — 
Their Views as to the Interior of China — A Day-dream of China 
opened — Bamboo Paper — A Mandarin on a Journey — Town 
of Ching-hoo — Engage a Boat for Nechow — Eeturn to Shang- 
hae. 
The next days journey was; still mountainous. The 
roads, although narrow, were excellent, and showed the 
indefatigable industry of the Chinese. I have already 
stated that many of these mountain-passes have gates, 
which are constructed not unlike those at the entrance 
to a city. On the borders of Chekiang, where we now 
were, I observed three of these gates on the top of one 
of the mountains, each placed at a short distance from 
the other. A long row of houses, evidently built as bar- 
racks, were observed between the gates, but all ruinous 
and unoccupied. I suppose that troops are thrown 
into these places in troubled times only, and that in 
times of peace they prefer remaining in the towns or 
villages below, to being perched up at a high elevation 
amongst the barren mountains. 
When we reached the top of this mountain the Chi- 
