As soon as it became known that easterly direction. Tradition says that ages ago the sea dragon inhabiting those waters, having become incensed at the bad treatment he had received from the inhabitants, ina moment of rage opened his capacious mouth and swallowed the larger part of the island. Whether or not the dragon performed such a noted feat is justly open to doubt, but that a good part of the island at some former period sank beneath the waves has no inherent improbability in itself, and when viewed in connection with surviving facts it seems to be the most natural and plausible conclusion to arrive at. The aspect of the entire group of islands in the Chusan Archipelago suggests earthquakes and internal fires, and when we add to this the presence of various sunken rocks seen at low water, together with a number of small green islets dotting the surface of the blue sea in the region supposed to have been once occupied by the parent island, the most reasonable conclusion to arrive at seems to be that which the tradition of the place maintains, viz.; that the present Pootoo is but a part of a large island once known as Lab-gyiac-saen, most of which now lies buried under the waves of the Pacific."
The following account of the settlement of the island is interesting:—'' According to the most reliable accounts that I have seen, the first temple at Pootoo was built at the Deiao-ing-dong during the Liang dynasty, some time in the year 900, so that Buddhism at Pootoo is in all probability 1,000 years old. The settlement of one or two priests upon the island did not create much alarm, but as the monks began to multiply, the fears of the fishermen and farmers began to be aroused, and they commenced to check the ingress of more priests. In the meantime the fame of the island had got abroad, both as to its suitableness for solitude and meditation, and as being the permanent Home of the Goddess of Mercy and the Shanghai was likely to be honoured by 3 visit from General and Mrs. Grant, accompanied by their son Colonel F. Grant and suite, it was unanimously determined at a public meeting held in the Lyceum Theatre that a public reception should be given them—a reception which, in the language of Mr. R. W. Little, the Chairman of the Meeting, should be general, not merely official; cosmopolitan, not meroly sectional, This determination has been carried out in a most appropriate and sensible manner, and Shanghai has reason to be proud of the welcome accorded to the General on his arrival on Saturday. It was a welcome eclipsing the earnestness which characterised the demonstrations on the Duke of Edinburgh and the Grand Duke Aloxis's visits, while at the same time the excellence of the proceedings indicated that it was not overdone, The arrangements reflected much credit on the Committes, and favoured with glorious weather, bright sunshine tempered with a refreshing breeze, the community was busy preparing for the reception from the time the General was known to have passed Gutzlaff, in the Ashuelot, from Amoy, where he left between seven and eight o'clock on Wednesday night. This news was telegraphed to Shanghai, and by nine o'clock expresses had been circulated that the Ashuelot passed Gutzlaff at 6.20 am. and was expected to ar rive at Woosung about eleven, which was rather earlier than was expected would be the case on Friday night. It had been arranged that the Monocacy, with D. H. Bailey Esq., the United States Consul-General, and some of the members of the Committee should meet the General at Woosung, but it was thought she would not leave until the middle of the forenoon.
The early news, however, of the Ashuelot having pasted Gutzlaff necessitated her departure at an earlier hour, and she left about a quarter past nine with D. H. Bailey,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.