or—who shall deny it?—the desire to forget fulness a feeling of hate for the government under which they live—renders it necessary.
The road from Kan-se-chee is ten feet wide, and is well laid with pebbles and rough stones for three or four lē north to a Ding with a shrine to the three goddesses Kwan-yin 三官大帝 (17) This Ding is only a short distance from another sharp ascent; and chairs are kept for the use of lady devotees, of whom there are many young and old arriving from all parts of this and adjacent provinces. Here, again, in the valley the strata is of the red brown granite like sand stone spoken of;—whilst a little way up the hill it is black shale and lime stone. At the top of the ascent called Le-do-ling, there is a one priested Temple, at which pedlar brokers meet to purchase from villagers leaves resembling the mulberry leaf in shape, called 青霜葉 Tching-sha-yet (18). These leaves, suffused in boiling water, yield a pleasant cooling drink. In quantities, the dealers obtain them at three cash a tael, or about half a mace a catty.
To preserve them from the effects of the sun, wood cutters in this region wrap the head with blue cotton cloth of native fabric. European manufactured cloths, blue, white or gray, are not much to be seen in this locality; and yet there must be much room for them, if there could but be an introduction. Not that for actual durability anything can excel the substantial cottons made by the thrifty house wives.—Sold, however, at a price commensurate with the labour given to them, they are, excepting in scant quantity, above the means of the little earning labourer.
Who shall describe the beautiful wood land dell through which the traveller passes from the Le-do-Ling
