tion to the huge pile of packages, it is not unusual for a little family, consisting of the mother and children, to be housed amongst them. On one occasion, as two foreigners of my acquaintance were out riding in the country, one of their horses shied, and, coming in contact with a loaded pack-horse, its burden came tumbling off, and was scattered over the road. On stopping to render the driver some assistance in reloading his horse, my friends were horrified to find a whole family scrambling about amongst the packages, amongst which they had been snugly stowed away.

Besides the processions, pack-horses, and palanquins, the pedestrians on the Tokaido demand our

attention. Some are crowned with queer-looking broad-brimmed straw hats; others have napkins tied round their heads, and their hats slung behind their backs, only to be used when it rains or when the sun's rays are disagreeably powerful; while others again have the head bare and shaven in front, with the little pigtail brought forward and tied down upon the crown. Mendicant priests are met with, chanting prayers at every door, jingling some rings on the top of a tall staff, and begging for alms for the support of themselves and their temples. These are most independent-looking fellows, and seem to think themselves conferring a favour rather than receiving one. I observed that they were rarely refused alms by the people, although the same priests came round almost daily. To me the prayer seemed to be always the samenamely, nam-nam-nam; sometimes sung in a low key, and sometimes in a high one. When the little copper cash-the coin of the country-was thrown into the tray of the priest, he gave one more prayer, apparently for the charity he had received, jingled his rings, and then went on to the next door. Blind men are also common, who give notice of their approach by making a peculiar sound upon a reed. These men generally get their living by shampooing their more fortunate brethren who can see. Every now and then a group of sturdy beggars, each having an old straw mat thrown across his shoulders, come into the stream which flows along this great highway.

INQUIRY FOR TEMPLES.

CHAP. III.

Then there is the flower-dealer, with his basket of pretty flowers, endeavouring to entice the ladies to purchase them for the decoration of their hair; or with his branches of "skimmi" (Illicium anisatum), and other evergreens, which are largely used to ornament the tombs of the dead.

All day long, and during a great part of the night too, this continual living stream flows to and from the great capital of Japan along the imperial highway. It forms a panorama of no common kind, and is certainly one of the great sights of the empire. The blind travellers, of whom there are a great number, are said to prefer travelling by night when the road is less crowded, as the light of day makes no difference to them.

Having settled down for a time in Kanagawa, I now made daily excursions to different parts of the surrounding country. I was fortunate in making the acquaintance of the Rev. S. W. Brown, a missionary connected with the Dutch Reformed Church, United States, and of Dr. Hepburn, a medical missionary, formerly of Amoy, in China. They were living in some temples a short distance from where I was lodging; and as they had been some time. in Japan, they were able to give me much valuable

information.

My first question was, whether there were any large Buddhist temples in this part of Japan, similar to those I had been in the habit of visiting in China. My reason for wishing to get information on this head was the fact that, wherever Buddhist temples