From time immemorial it has bee the custom in this country to bury valuables with the deceased when rear or rich, and the Yins were fexcepticn. Unfortunately their tombs were plundered by the Linos from tke Northwest during their invasion about 1,000 years ago,, so that even the bones of the central Agure of each tomb are missing. Articles of value have been uncovered during the excavations of the tombs, but tke ridings of unusual Interest relate to the bones of the men and women who were evidently sacrificed to accompany the Emperor on his long Journey. A number of these. sacriflat victims were found in each of the large tombs. In some instances, at least, as soon' by the writer, they were buried in a" kneeling position, with thighs flexed on the body. One would suspect that they may have been buried alive, In several cases, lying near the human victim was' the skeleton of a dog. T remember seeing a knife or dogier of bronze in close proximity {o the hand of the person. Did they Believe in another world where good wunting "abounded? Not all. those who died with their Emperor were buried so deeply, and yet their bones were remarkably well preserved in many instances. If some of these unfortunates were buried alive, a great band of them certainly were of. so tortured.
The excavators quite recently covered the bones of some seven hundred victims, who were apparently sacrificed for tke one great occasion, They were Interred In. batches of ten, tke bones of the bodies and limbs of ten. persons being found In one rave en masse, while in each case there wore ten sloull bones found really arranged In rows of nests in fan adjoining grave. Mr. Liang told me that they found at Toast seventy sels of ten. In some cases. these skeletons were found not more than a-moire or so from the surface of the ground, while again others were buried as deep as nine or ten fect, Nothing was found to Indicate that these vielims were enclosed in coffins of any kind, but there Is evidence that a wooden vault may have been used "for the main occupant, since fragments of wood were discovered some Instances at the bottom of the centre of the tomb.
Before ong, doubtless, there wil bbe published a complete story "of what was found in these tombs, with deductions of the supposed meaning of it all, We know that there were many articles of bronze, such Knives large and small, swords, dagors, spear heads, vases, axes, as well as a good deal of pottery, some jade that is believed to bet for sacrifelal - purpose sculpture. 'The latter Is' of great im= portance, as it sets back the date for Such art in this country by one Thousand years, Just a start time ago the excavators came upon the skeletons of a. team of horses, and with these bones wore the bronze parts of the harness, and but ten days ago they uncovered the skeleton of an elephant and his driver. Did the people of those early ays hope that the team of arses fand the elephant would come handy for the use of their Emperor hig future abode?
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.