168 
NAN-KANG-FOO. 
Han-lish and Kean-tsing, of the last dynasty. There are two temples 
in the city dedicated to Confucius, and a Woo-meaou, or temple, 
dedicated to the military demi-god of China. 
The neighbourhood of Nan-kang-foo contains some of the most 
romantic scenery seen by the Embassy in China. Of this the founder 
of the Pih-luh-tung-shoo-yuen, or “ College of the white stag valley,” 
had taken the fullest advantage, and built it at the farther end of a 
deep ravine shaded by trees, and watered by a beautiful spring. This 
temple is famous in China, as having been anciently a national seminary 
in which Choo-foo-tze, the favourite commentator of Confucius, taught 
about six hundred years ago. Those who were conversant in Chinese 
literature took the first opportunity of visiting it, in the hope of meet- 
ing with some books containing the doctrines of the sage. On reaching 
the temple, they found no difficulty in persuading the priests, after 
previously wiping their face and hands with a wet towel, to lead them 
to a well-stored library ; but on this occasion could not bribe the 
priests to dispose of any of the sacred volumes. The valley in which 
the temple stands, derives its name from a white stag; the image of 
which is placed in an arched recess of the temple behind a statue of 
Choo-foo-tze. This animal, according to the chronicles of the place, 
was employed by the sage as his caterer at the market of Nan-gang- 
foo, at the distance of seven miles ; money and a note having been 
attached to his horns, he was despatched to the city, and always 
returned with the wished-for supplies. 
The neighbourhood of Nan-kang-foo being rocky, afforded fewer 
species of trees and flowering plants than many other parts of the 
country through which we had passed ; but abounded in rare and 
undescribed ferns and mosses. Amongst many other ferns, I have it 
now in my power to name the following only: Adiantum flabellulatum, 
Asplenium lanceum, Aspidium varium, Blechnum Orientale, a species 
of Davallia very closely allied to Davallia Canariensis , a species of 
Hydroglossum very common in the south of China, Poly podium lineare , 
Pteris semipinnata, Pteris biaurita , and another species of Pteris , be- 
tween Pteris caudata and Pteris aquilina, and a new species of Wood- 
