is hung from one of the side
posts.

As China and Japan had become civilised long before the mode of
constructing an arch was discovered, and the inhabitants of neither are
addicted to change, they still retain their original style of building
bridges; and I give a sketch of one we crossed on our way. It is
similar to those generally found in the country. Some of their gateways
are very curious; and though they make their bridges with vast slabs of
stone or long wooden rafters, they take the trouble of hewing out of the
rock huge circles, or segments of circles, which are afterwards put
together to form ornamental gateways to their pleasure-grounds.

At length our party arrived before a handsome flight of steps, with two
magnificent camphor-trees on either side. The gate at the top being
thrown open, we all entered the unpretending yet clean abode of the
governor. A few inferior officers were sitting or standing about in the
vestibule. They saluted us with a careless air, and one of them then
announced our arrival, when the vice-governor, or one of the principal
officers, came forward, and shaking hands, led us into another room.
Here the governor himself was seated. After the proper number of bows
had been made and returned, he requested to know the object of our
visit. While the merchant was explaining this we had time to look about
the room. All round it, with the exception of one side, which opened on
the garden, were suspended screens of white grass-cloth, with a design
which looked like a trefoil worked on them. Over it we caught sight of
several sparkling pairs of eyes--the sex of the owners could not be
doubted. In the garden was a pond in which water-lilies and other
aquatic plants grew, with the usual ornaments of temples and bridges,
artificial rocks being scattered about, and a considerable amount of
invention displayed in the arrangement. While speaking of flowers, I
must not forget the magnificent lily of Japan, which, in point of size,
must be similar I should think to those of Palestine pointed out by our
Lord when he said, "Consider the lilies of the field." But to return to
our visit.

After the official interview was over, tea, pipes, and cake were served,
with a variety of other dishes. The great man's wife having expressed a
desire to see the strangers, we were introduced to her. She was a very
handsome person; her hair, jet-black, ornamented with amber and
tortoise-shell combs, wit