Remarkable Discovery of Ming Dynasty Relics in Bed of Grand Canal From Our Own Corresponitent, Suchien, Ku, March hero has been much excites ment in our little city owing to the discovery, the other day, of six coffins in' the bed "of the anal For the last two or three fo'see' thas said' colin. Suriok, lays people have been
there, 450 years ago, the men. deepening the Canal bed them out ina wonderful condition of preservation, Your cor respondent has just been to them, so can testify to. this statement, There was a "po or tombstone beside them with a: good part of the family history, written upon it. The stone polished stone, bout a foot and: half in length, and with a second stone about the same: size covering it, which has kept the characters in perfect condi-
It seems thint about 300 yours. ago the Canal changed its cours, and this place was originally, ial ground of a family, called Tsiang. The largest. coffin seems to have belonged. to a Hsien magistrate of thi "dso touch of his history n that if any of his" de condants are still living it should be an easy task for them claim good: His xrandiather's name is given in full, and also his mother's, He was one of three sons, nnd was a man of Fargo stature the coffin, testifies to this. Ho left one son three' daughters, the and married names of the latter are also given, His uncle was named asa degree man, being a "Chu ren." His merits were also ox-tolled: how many would come to him with their troubles and were. always helped, and no one could quarrel in his presence, atoastie Wonk.
'The coffins themselves are remarkable sight. They are made of massive wood. 'The lid and fides in one. ut' least wore one: solid. pice of wood about a foot thickness. They have also massive nails about an. inch, Square in thickness and bout a foot and nches_in length. There was not one little bit of rust on these nails. The Invgost Hin would he nearly five foot in height and seven and a halt fect in length. Only one coffin was in a grate of decay and the ken hal gathered it th kened bones and were break Some idea of the size may be 1 up. the ecifin to remove it,
conveyed to your readers' mind in that it took 50 men to pull 4 with ropes up the Canal "bank, The men could not carry it. The dinckened bones were. also unusual size, The Commer Guild are trying to find some relatives, and have" sent word to the Tsing Ancestral Hall, asking all of that name to look their ancestral, tablets, The date on the stone is in the Ming Dynasty. Report has it that the Ancestral Hall is calling a "Huei" and if the relatives cannot be found, subscriptions will taken to buy a burial ground. pre
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.