countries, as well as the Shamans, practise the religion of India, with certain modifications of refinement and coarseness.

From this point travelling westwards, the nations that one passes through are all similar in this respect, except that the Tartar dialects spoken by them differ one from another. At the same time, all those who have "left the family" (priests and novices) study Indian books and the Indian spoken language.

After staying here for a month, the party again travelled north-west for fifteen days and reached the country of Kara-shahr. The priests of this country also number over four thousand, all belonging to the Lesser Vehicle. Religious observances are strictly attended to; and when Shamans from China come here, they find themselves unprepared for the rites of these priests. Fa-hsien having got Fu Hsing-t'ang, whose style was Kung-sun, to act on his behalf, remained for two months and some days, after which he was rejoined by Pao-yün and the others. They all agreed that the people of Kara-shahr did not cultivate politeness nor duty to one's neighbour, and were mean in their treatment of strangers; consequently Chih-yen, Hui-chien, and Hui-wei now went back towards Turfan in order to obtain funds for the journey, while Fa-hsien and the rest, being provided with the necessary means by Fu Kung-sun, were able to proceed forthwith on their journey towards the south-west.

Along the route they found the country uninhabited; the difficulty of crossing rivers was very great; and the hardships they went through were beyond all comparison. After being on the road a month and five days they succeeded in reaching Khotan.

This country is prosperous and happy; its people are well-to-do; they have all received the Faith, and find their amusement in religious music. The priests number several tens of thousands, most of them belonging to the Greater Vehicle. They all obtain their food from a common stock. The people live scattered about; and before the door of every house they build small pagodas, the smallest of which would be about twenty feet in height. They prepare rooms for travelling priests, and place them at the disposal of priests who are their guests, together with anything else they may want. The ruler of the country lodged Fa-hsien and his companions comfortably in a monastery, called Gomati, which belonged to the Greater Vehicle. At the sound of a gong, three thousand priests assemble to eat. When they enter the refectory, their demeanour is grave and ceremonious; they sit down in regular order; they all keep silence; they make no clatter with their bowls, etc.; and for the attendants to serve more food, they do not call out to them, but only make signs with their hands. Hui-ching, Tao-chêng, and Hui-ta, started in advance towards the country of Kâsh

gar; but Fa-hsien and the others, wishing to see the processions of images, stayed on for three months.

In this country there are fourteen large monasteries, without counting the smaller ones. Beginning on the first day of the fourth moon, the main thoroughfares inside the city are swept and watered, and the side-streets are decorated. Over the city gate they stretch a large awning with all kinds of ornamentation, under which the king and queen and Court ladies take their places. The priests of the Gomati monastery belong to the Greater Vehicle, which is deeply venerated by the king; and they take the first place in the procession. At a distance of three or four li from the city, a four-wheeled image-car is made, over thirty feet in height, looking like a movable "Hall of Buddha," and adorned with the seven preciosities, with streaming pennants and embroidered canopies. The image of Buddha is placed in the middle of the car, with two attendant Bôdhisatvas and dêvas (Brahman demigods) following behind. These are all beautifully carved in gold and silver and are suspended in the air. When the images are one hundred paces from the city gate, the king takes off his cap of State and puts on new clothes; walking barefoot and holding flowers and incense in his hands, with attendants on each side, he proceeds out of the gate. On meeting the images, he bows his head down to the ground, scatters the flowers

and burns the incense. When the images enter the city, the queen and Court ladies who are on the top of the gate scatter far and wide all kinds of flowers which flutter down and thus the splendour of decoration is offered up complete. The cars are all different; each monastery has a day for its own procession, beginning on the first of the fourth moon and lasting until the fourteenth when the processions end and the king and queen go back to the palace.

Seven or eight li to the west of this city, there is a monastery called the King's New Monastery. It took eighty years to build and the reigns of three kings before it was completed. It is about two hundred and fifty feet in height, ornamentally carved and overlaid with gold and silver, suitably finished with all the seven preciosities. Behind the pagoda there is a Hall of Buddha which is most splendidly decorated. Its beams, pillars, folding doors, and windows, are all gilt. Besides this, there are apartments for priests, also beautifully and fitly decorated, beyond expression in words. The kings of the six countries to the east of the Bolor-Tagh range make large offerings of whatsoever most valuable things they may have, keeping few for their own personal use.

The processions of the fourth moon being over, one of the party, Sêng-shao, set out with a Tartar Buddhist towards Kashmir. Fa-hsien and the others went on to Karghalik, which they

reached after a journey of twenty-five days. The king of this country is devoted to the Faith; and there are more than one thousand priests, mostly belonging to the Greater Vehicle.

After stopping here for fifteen days, the party went south for four days, and entering upon the Bolor-Tagh range, arrived at the country of Tâsh-Kurghân, where they went into retreat.

When this retreat was finished, they journeyed on for twenty-five days and reached the country of Kâshgar, where they rejoined Hui-ching and his party. The king of this country was holding the pancha parishad, which is called in Chinese "the great quinquennial assembly." To this he invites Shamans from all quarters, and these collect together like clouds. The place where the priests are to sit is splendidly adorned beforehand with streaming pennants and canopies of silk; silk, embroidered with lotus-flowers in gold and silver, is also laid over the backs of the seats. When all is in order, the king and his ministers make their offerings according to rite. The assembly may last for one, two, or three months, and is generally held in the spring. The king, when the assembly is over, further bids his ministers to arrange their offerings for presentation, which ceremony may last for one, two, three, or even five days. When all the offerings have been made, the king takes his own horse, saddles and bridles it himself and causes a distinguished official to ride it. Then, with some