40 
EARLY EUROPEAN RESEARCHES 
in general abounds with all sort of provision, such as cows, 
buffaloes, goats, deer, hogs wild and tame, geese, ducks, hens ; 
rice, wheat, cala vances,* * * § cole worts, turnips, potatoes, carrots, 
beets, and spinach; but for merchandize there is none but 
what comes from Ningpo, Hangcheu, Nankin and the island 
towns, some of which I hope to see, when I have acquired 
a little of the Chinese language. 
Here also the Tea grows in great plenty on the tops of the 
hills, but it is not in that esteem which what grows on more 
mountainous islands. Although this island is pretty well stored 
with people, yet it is far from what it was in Father Martini’s 
time, when he describes Cheuxam, and this puts me in mind, 
that the superstitious pilgrimages thereto, mentioned by him, 
must be meant of the island Pou tof, which lies 9 leagues 
from hence and 3 miles to the eastward of this island, whither 
(they say) the Emperor designs in the month of May next 
(being his birthday and the 40th of his age) to come to 
worship in an ancient pagod there, famous for sanctity, having 
sent one of his bonzes already thither, to get all things in order. 
Chusan. November 22. 1701. 
Sir ! I formerly told you that the Emperor designed to 
have come to the island of Pou ho to worship in the month of 
May last, being the 40th year of his age, I should have said of 
his reign. But all things being prepared there for his reception, 
he was dissuaded from his purpose by some of his mandarins, 
who made him believe that the terrible thunder there was very 
dangerous. This Pou to is a small island about 5 leagues 
round at the east end of this island, famous for the supersti¬ 
tious pilgrimages made thither for the space of 1100 years. 
It is inhabited only by bonzes, to the number of 3000, all of 
the sect called Ho shang$, or unmarried bonzes, who live a 
Pythagorean life; and there they have built 400 pagodas, two 
whereof are considerable for their greatness and finery, being 
lately covered with green and yellow tiles brought from the 
emperors pallace at Nankin, and inwardly adorned with stately 
idols finely graved and gilded, the chief whereof is the idol 
Quori em§. To these two great pagodas belong two chief 
* Doiichos sinensis L. 
11 pe m. P'u to share. This island is indeed exclusively occupied 
by Buddhist priests. It has 72 Buddhist temples. In the description 
of his Chinese plants Cunningham mentions some other islands of the 
Chusan Archipelago viz : Thoiv whey scon Wtt m —Pum si scon, 
t fa ft Ho shang, a Buddhist priest. 
§ Kuan yin , |H T? —the Goddess of Mercy. , 
