of authentic
chronicles. This is believed by Buddhists to be a branch of the sacred
bo-tree in Buddh Gaya, India, under which Prince Siddhartha sat on the
day he attained Buddha-hood, this branch having been sent from India; it
has been sacredly treated, enriched with stone carvings and braces, and
honored with magnificent ceremonies by repeated dynasties; it has also
been spared during the successive invasions of the land. The Chinese
traveller and author, Fahiam, visited it in the fifth century, and has
left an authentic record of it as well as of some buildings in this
ruined city. There are fine columns and many remains of the King's
palace still standing; in addition to which, the monasteries and tanks
all show artistic skill.

[Illustration: _The Moonstone Steps_]

Perhaps a clearer idea of the former splendor may be had by a brief
recital of what chroniclers and archaeologists prove to have been the
plan of the Buddhist Brazen Temple, now a collection of sixteen hundred
monolithic granite pillars, standing twelve feet from the ground and
arranged in lines of forty each way; they cover a space measuring two
hundred and thirty-one feet north to south and two hundred and
thirty-two feet east to west. This formed the foundation of the great
Brazen Temple, erected by King Dutugemuna in the second century B.C.
These columns supported the building, nine stories in height, and
containing one thousand dormitories for priests. The roof was of sheet
copper, and the walls were embellished with beads which shone
resplendent like gems. The great hall was supported on golden pillars
resting on lions, and in the centre was an ivory throne with a golden
sun and silver moon on either side, while above it glittered Imperial
Chinta, the white canopy of dominion. It was destroyed, then rebuilt,
and the second restoration occurred in the twelfth century, thus showing
the vicissitudes which this and other ruins have passed through.

The excursion to Mihintale, eight miles distant, was made alone with a
guide, at six in the morning, the other members of the party preferring
another excursion. The drive was mostly through what was termed a
jungle, meaning a roadway cut through the forest and left in its natural
state; hence there was a tangle of vines and underbrush, and the effect
was very fine with the great variety which the tropical vegetation
affords. Reaching our destination, we left the carriage for a walk of
three quarters of