and temples in
Peking, all built under the Mongol dynasty (thirteenth century), or the
Ming dynasty (fifteenth and sixteenth centuries). Of these, the most
striking is the Temple or Altar of Heaven in the southern part of the
Chinese City, erected by the Ming Emperor, Yung-loh, in 1421; the
enclosure, a fine park, measures about six thousand feet around. There
are three large, imposing gates,--south, east, and west. To the north,
the wall is crescent shaped and is without an entrance. The Altar or
Temple of Heaven, open to the sky, is circular and of white marble. It
is three stories high; the base measures two hundred and ten feet
across, the second story one hundred and fifty feet, the third ninety
feet. One large marble slab is in the centre. The white marble
balustrades are richly carved to represent clouds. In the upper story,
there are seventy-two pillars; in the middle, one hundred and eight; and
in the lower, one hundred and eighty; thus making, in all, three hundred
and sixty, the number of degrees in a circle. It is on the central
marble slab that the Emperor stands and prostrates himself, worshipping
under the blue arch of heaven. He goes three times a year to this
temple, praying before daybreak, and having spent the previous night in
the Grand Hall of Abstinence close by.

Between this and the closed Altar of Heaven, there is the small Temple
of Prayer, where the ancestral tablets are kept, capped by one of the
most remarkable roofs in Peking. This temple is a gem; its bricks and
tiles are of the finest porcelain, and everything dates from the best
period of Chinese art. The northern Temple of Heaven has a three-fold
roof of blue tiles, recently rebuilt, the early one having been burned
down. There are magnificent columns in this, and the ceiling is very
elaborate. Before leaving the enclosure at the left of the gateway, we
went through a large palace not in use at the present time, except on
rare occasions; this was not in the itinerary, but our guide secured
admission by paying a generous fee. Only a few rooms were furnished, but
these were in excellent taste.

[Illustration: _The Inner Temple of Heaven_]

We next drove to the Altar or Temple of Agriculture. This is where
General Chaffee and the American troops were quartered after the relief
of Peking in 1900. The hall is the largest in the city, but there is
nothing special to see in it. The rites observed here are nearly as
important as those at the