The following day the Treasurer Jui Liang made his return call at 9 a.m. and for nearly two hours discussed the currency question. He asked particularly how the gold reserve was to be protected. Itwas explained that it would be replenished by gold drafts on China. Ho spoke of the imports largely oxcooding the exports and asked if this adverse balance of trade would not sooner or later exhaust the gold reserve, In reply it was pointed out that in the long run a country cannot buy more than it produces and that year in and year out the imports and exports must balance. His Excellency assented to this, but immodintely referred to the payment of China's onormous indemnity for which thoro are no corresponding imports. Hero, too, ho was satisfied, apparently, with the ox-planation that the actual value of this indemnity would have to be made good in China's products, and while there was no return, except the senso of satisfaction at fulfilment of a moral obligation, yot it has nothing specially to do with the currency system and maintenance of the gold reserve. Ho considered a national bank an absolute necessity for the success of a now system on a gold basis. Prof. Jenks submitted a number of quostions in writing to which His Excellency gave written replies in full the next day.
As an eclipse of the sun occurred in the afternoon all the officials were engaged in ceremonials that provanted another interview on that day.
The rest of the day was therefore given up to viewing the many interesting sights of this old city. The Dragon Pavilion" contains the old Dragon Throne of the emperors of the Northern Sung Dynasty, 960-1127, A. D., durin, which time, the city was the capital of the Empire, It was than called as it is to this day very frequently, " Pion Chang." This throne is a block of black limestone 3 ft. 10in. by 4 ft. 8in. by 5 ft. Sin, high, splendidly carved with dragons in high relief. It can only be soon by candle-light as it is now covered in by the boards of the shrine of Chang Yiihuang, The ido cout placed upon this block of stone. Chang Yii-huang was a great statesman of the Sung Dynasty, apotheosised by and of the emperors. temple now stands on the forty-feot high foundations of the old palace surrounded by a lake where were once the palace grounds and buildings in a most brilliant period of China's history. The approach to this throne is between two hugo stone lions under a pailou, along a road raised in the lake for nearly half-a-mile, through two gateways and courtyards, up a long double flight of stone stairs, with great flat stones carved with dragons forming an inclined plane between them, as in the present palace grounds. Those stairs and balustrade with the lions, the throne itself, and the high mound, are all that romain of the original Sung palaces. Across this lake to the south-east is a beautiful structure, a} memorial hall to Marquis Tstng Kuo-fan, built by the Government at the instance of Li Hung-chang, according some. It is called the Eh Hsing S20, Nosr the drum tower, which is worth visiting, is a remarkable temple of the Sung Dynasty, called the Hsiang Kuo Sco (fi[a]3). [t consists of three large buildings in one great court-yard where daily fairs are held. The two buildings at either end are not remarkable, being of the common style of architecture for large two-storey temples. The middle stracturo is eight-sided in the form of the pakua by which divinations are made, with a high pavilion in the contro covering a four-faced, thousand-handed Buddha, or Goddess of Mercy.
Near this is a largo Mohamedan mosque. Inside the West gate is the Governor's yamen. On the same stroot further oast, is the temporary palace built for the stay of the Court in 1901 on their return from Hsian. The Court was hero a month during which time the Emperor and Empress-Dowager visited all the public temples, and on each of them bestowed a tablet written by the Imperial pen as a memorial of the visit.
Not far oast on the stioet is the temple of the God of War, oroctod and kept in fine repair by the merchants' guild of the throe provinces of Shansi, Shensi, and Kansu. Its courts, gateways, drum, and bell-towers, halls,' and side-courts have some of the most elegant and boautiful architecture and carving we have soon in China, No visitor to the city should fail to seo them. Entrance is most easily obtained through the guildhall at the roar. The Commission was intorostod, too, in going through the labyrinth of warehouses in connection with the Iangost pawn-shop in the city.
The Kung Yuan, or examination halls, are incor the beautiful pagoda in the north-east corner of the city. 'Those are more imposing than those in Poking in some respects. 'The entrance is a fine gate-way and pien-poi. The drum-tower is high and gives a view of the across of coll roofs, the examiners' residences, and hall for presentation of diplomas, with the pagoda, Langt'ing, city wall, gate and towers in the distance. The grounds cover 1563 across; and there are colls for ton thousand students to be examined at one time. Each coll is fitted with a shelf for a writing table, and another for a sent. It is too small for the occupant to lie down in. Ho is walled in for throo days with only an opening loft for food and water to be passod in. None have over died in the colls hero as has happened in Poking. North of the Dragon Pavilion, or " Lung: ting," filling the space to the North wall of the city and west of the North gate is the Manchu encampment. This will interest those who have not soon the Manchus of Poking or olsowhore, Two or throo li south-oast of the city is the temple of the rain god—doubtloss a cool retreat in summer. It is especially interesting by reason of the apparatus stored hero for pumping the water out of the city after inundations. Wo saw several groat Archimedes' scrows and the cogged wheels for turning them. Those were more powerfal than the simple screw of Archimedes, which is a tube twined around a central axis, one and placed in the water and the other elovatod, turned by a crank. Those wore made by a central wooden axis some fifteen foot long and nine inches in diameter, surrounded by a plank cylinder nearly thirteen feet long and thirty-four inches in diameter. The space betwoon this axis and the cylinder was divided by four spiral partitions which formed four screw-shaped tubes. A cross section of each is nine inches by five inches, A wooden wheel seven fect three inches in diameter was fastened on one end of the central axis by which to turn it. Iron
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.