228 
RELIGIOUS CEREMONY. 
On these occasions a taper was lighted at the foot of the idol, and 
a priest attended to direct the ceremony. Rice for consecration, 
and a painting of some image on paper as an offering, seemed to 
be necessary to its due performance. The bonze having received 
these, and placed the rice on the altar, lighted the painting by the 
taper, and put it in an earthen vessel standing on the ground, to 
consume: this vessel was the common receptacle for the ashes of 
all such offerings. The supplicant now received from him two 
pieces of wood in shape like a kidney, which she suffered to fall 
repeatedly from her hand, ejaculating at the same time with much 
fervour, and lifting up her eyes to the idol. When she had 
finished the bonze took some ashes from the incense vessel, and 
having mixed them with the rice, gave her the consecrated mass, and 
thus finished the ceremony. 
In the principal building of the establishment, we had an opportu- 
nity of witnessing those rites which, from their general resemblance to 
the ceremonies of the Roman Catholic church, gave so much offence 
to the early missionaries. They fully justified the exclamation of 
Father Premare, that “ in no other part of the world has the prince of 
darkness so well counterfeited the holy manners of the true church.” 
The temple was large, of an oblong square in form, and contained 
upwards of a hundred idols reputed of various degrees and kinds of 
influence. In the centre of its area were a group of superior deities 
exalted on a platform some feet from the ground, leaving on all sides 
a wide aisle between it and the walls of the building. Along these 
were arranged the minor deities, or more properly speaking deified 
men. Vessels of incense stood on altars before all the principal idols. 
In their vicinity were gongs, drums, a hollow instrument of wood, 
in from resembling a human skull, and many other musical instru- 
ments. Mats were strewn around for the convenience of the wor- 
shippers. 
Summoned at different hours of the day and night by the tolling of 
a bell, the bonzes repaired to this temple to perform their devotions. 
One of the chief ceremonies commenced about four o’clock in the 
