280 
WANDERINGS IN CHINA. 
Chap. XVIII. 
is commonly called by foreigners the " Worshipping 
Island/' and is inhabited by the priests of Buddha and 
their followers. I had two objects in visiting it at this 
time : the first was on account of my health, which was 
getting affected by the excessive heat of the weather ; 
and the second was to obtain a copy of some inscriptions 
whicli I had observed on a former occasion. 
When I landed I walked over the hill in the direction 
of one of the principal temples, which had been built in 
a little valley or glen between the hills. On the road- 
side, by the way, I came to the stones on which the 
inscriptions had been carved. There were two of them ; 
they looked like little grave-stones, and, as usual in 
such cases, each had a small place near its base for 
burning incense. 
The characters upon them were not Chinese, and no 
Chinaman could read them. I applied to some of the 
most learned priests in Poo-too, but without success. 
They could neither read them, nor could they give me 
the slightest information as to how they came to be 
placed there. 
The characters looked like those of some northern 
