The hills and mountain-sides on the south bank of the river are covered with graves and tombs, interspersed among which are beautiful little groves of lofty pines, and occasional patches of land where a plant is cultivated, whose flowers are used for the purpose of scenting tea; or, perhaps, the spot is used for vegetables. The graves of the Mandarins are always expensive. On our excursions, however, to enjoy the cool evening air, we frequently passed a new tomb of the Greek-letter form, which was built with a tasteful, altar-like arrangement, where the offerings were placed at the time of ancestral worship. This was one of the most costly and showy tombs I ever saw, and was simply the sepulchre of a private gentleman of great wealth. Many of the foreign residences look out upon this vast cemetery, and the delightful house at which we were guests was built in the midst of these tombs and tumuli. The spot on which it stands, and the compound surrounding it, were originally used for the same purpose. When it was purchased, however, the friends of the dead removed their remains. There are some very ancient tombs, situated near the wall enclosing the grounds of this residence, which have been occupied several hundred years. Low buildings, constructed of wood, and of sufficient height to admit of three or four rows of shelves for the support of coffins, are also scattered here and there in this vast resting-place of the dead. Within them, closely sealed, coffined relics are placed, and remain until what the surviving friends consider a “lucky day” arrives, and then, the “lucky spot” in which to inter them being procured, they are buried. I was assured that not unfrequently years elapsed before everything was regarded as propitious for the interment of these remains. And also learned that some were placed there because of the poverty of their friends, and were left until the latter could afford the expense of a fitting burial. We observed that many of these temporary little wooden sepulchres were so old and dilapidated that the coffins were plainly visible to the gaze of the passer-by. The foreigners have so far widened and improved some of the many winding paths--which lead in every direction among the graves, and stretch far out into the country--that there is ample room for equestrians. A few European horses are kept, but we observed that the little Tartar pony of the North was also used. This animal reminded us of the Canadian pony, although he looked a trifle smaller, while his mane was much heavier.