362 
PALUDINA SINENSIS. 
entrance of the Li-pai-se, is a hall containing a great number of censers, in 
which the Chim-gris or great men of the law are worshipped. “ The largest 
of these censers, which is intended for the patriarch Abraham, stands in the 
middle of the hall ; after which come those of Isaac and of Jacob, and his twelve 
branches or twelve tribes of Israel ; next are those of Moses, Aaron, Joshua, 
Esdras, and several other illustrious persons both male and female.” Grosier. 
Respecting their sacred books, the following quotation from the memoir 
referred to, is the only notice which the limits of a note allow me to insert ; 
and I must refer my readers for further information to the interesting memoir 
itself: “ De tous ces monumens les Takings sont les plus interessans pour 
les savans de PEurope. Mais pour s’en former une juste idee, il faut savoir 
que les Juifs Chinois ne donnent le nom de Taking ou de grande Ecriture, 
qu’au seul Pentateuque. Ils en ont treize copies dans leur Bethel, posees sur 
treize tables, en memoire des douze tribus et de Mo'fse le fondateur de la Loi. 
Ils sont ecrits non sur du parchemin, comme l’a dit le Pere Gozani, mais sur 
du papier dont on a colie plusieurs feuilles ensemble pour pouvoir les rouler 
sans craindre de les dechirer. 
“ Chaque Taking du Bethel est roule sur un pivot, et forme une espece de 
tente couverte d’un rideau de soie. Les Juifs ont pour tous ces livres la 
plus grande veneration. II y en a cependant un qu’ils respectent plus que 
tous les autres. Ils pretendent qu’il a trois mille ans d’antiquite, et que 
c’est le seul monument qui leur reste. — Leurs autres livres ayant peri dans 
les incendies ou dans les inondations, ils ont ete restitues sur les livres des 
Persans.” Lettres Edifiantes, tom. xxiv. p. 54. 
P. 155. — 'Paludina Sinensis. 
Since that part of this work went to the press, which mentions the oc- 
currence of large quantities of shells on the banks of the imperial canal, I 
have been obliged to Dr. Leach for the information that he has formed a new 
genus allied to Paludina , which he has called Bithynia, to which he refers the 
shell mentioned in the text, which will be named Bithynia Sinensis, and will 
be soon figured in Baron de Ferrussac’s work sur les Coquilles Terrestres et 
Fluviatiles. The type of the genus Bithynia, Dr. Leach remarks, is Helix ten- 
taculata of Linne, Cyclostona impurum of Drapernaud. It is distinguished 
from Paludina not only by the characters presented by the shell, but also 
by the form of the animal. The tentacula he describes as “ elongato-teretr 
subconica ,” and the operculum as testaceous. 
