376 
LAEGE CEMETERY. 
Chap. XXIII. 
observation. Four small temples are placed round 
its base, in two of which are some figures repre- 
senting Buddhist deities, and in the other two 
there are tablets with inscriptions. A large 
temple in a ruinous condition is placed between 
the tower and the main road. 
A little further on I came to a large cemetery 
surrounded with high walls. As I was making 
some inquiries about this place, an old Chinese 
gentleman kindly volunteered to accompany me 
over it, and to explain anything I wished to know. 
When we entered this cemetery I was very much 
struck with its appearance. It covered many 
acres of land, and was evidently a very ancient 
place. Broad walks intersected it at right angles, 
and lofty trees of Juniper, Cypress, and Pine were 
growing in avenues or shading the tombs. Here 
was an example of taste and civilization which 
existed at a very early period,— probably two or 
three hundred years ago. When the nations of 
Europe were crowding their dead in the dismal 
churchyards of populous towns, and polluting the 
air, the Chinese, whom we have been accustomed 
to look upon as only half-civilized, were forming 
pleasant cemeteries in country places, and plant- 
ing them with trees and flowers. They were 
doing ages ago in China what we have been doing 
only of late years. 
At the upper end of the cemetery, and forming 
a termination to the broad avenues, I observed 
some large marble tablets, supported by the tor- 
