On the fifteenth day of the Chinese seventh moon, Chung - yuan - chieh, a ceremony called the Yu-lan p'en-hui "Festival for the Delivery of Hungry Souls," is conducted by Buddhist priests, during which ceremony the chief priest wears a five panelled headdress with an image of Kashiapmadanga in each panel called the P'ilufo mao or "Kashiapmadanga Hat," which is also known as the "Cap of Five Buddhas," Wu-Fo-kuan Is not Buddhism the religion of images? After the death of Ming Ti , the Sutra were deposited in the monastery and incense continually burnt before the sacred volumes The frequent streaks of sunlight, shining through the library windows and reflected on the inner walls, were believed to be the "halo " of the enshrined Buddha, causing the religious fanatics and the lay public, generally, to regard the monastery and especially the idol as divinely sacred.

The monastery grounds are famous for their large pomegranates and grapes, the first mentioned fruit weighing as much as 9-1bs. and the latter being as large as a goodsized cherry. These were highly prized by the royal family. These fruits, when ripe, were plucked by the Emperor personally, who frequently distributed them amongst Court ladies and courtiers, who, in turn, presented them to their friends and relations; it being customary for the fruit to be passed from family to family several times before being finally consumed. The pomegranate tree is still living and some of its fruit was presented to Marshall Wu P'ei-fu by the monks when he visited the monastery in the summer of 1924. Two very fine old thuja trees adorn the frontage of the principal hall. Thousands of pilgrims visit the monastery during the fourth lunar month of each year for worship and sight-seeing. In former years the monastery accommodated a large number of. monks, but owing to he appropriation of much of the temple grounds for public schools (at present there are only about twenty acres) the monks disper9ed, and now there are only two left to look after the buildings which as-like most of the ancient structures in this land-last falling into decay. K'ang Yu-wei, the Reformer, and Wu P'ei-fu promised to assist the monks to recover their lost property-I now understand that K'ang Yu-wei managed to recover some 40 mou for them-and to subscribe funds to renovate the monastery; but all plans were dropped on the outbreak of the fighting between Chang Tso-lin and Wu P'ei-fu. Nevertheless, it is to be hoped that some Chinese philanthropist will come forward and restore the temple to its former prestige and glory.

The ancient stele recording the history of the monastery has disappeared, but one stele records that the monastery was rebuilt during the reign-period Chih Shun of the Yuan dynasty, (A.I). 1332); and again during the reign of the Ming Emperor Hung Wu (A.D. 1368-99), but the actual date is not given.

The idol of the Golden Man-probably not the original one - is still in the monastery; but the likeness of the famous White Horse engraved on a stone pillar after which the monastery was named, is so weatherbeaten as to be scarcely recognisable. Sic transit gloria mundi !

Travel And Exploration Notes

PEREIRA'S LAST JOURNEY: In the January number of The Geographical Journal appears a lecture delivered before the Royal Geographical Society by Dr. H. Gordon Thompson on November23, 1925. It will be recalled that Dr. Thompson accompanied the late Brigadier-General George Pereira on his journey from Yunnan along the Tibetan border in 1924. This proved to be the gallant soldier's last journey, as he died of some internal trouble just before reaching Kantze, where he was buried, Dr. Thompson continuing alone and completing the journey as originally planned along the rest of the Tibetan border to the Sino -Mongolian frontier and thence north of the Yellow River to the railhead at K'uei-hua Ting and so to Peking.

Dr. Thompson's lecture gives a graphic account of the expedition and the hardships that had to be borne by the explorers. A traverse of the country passed through was made, details of the road and country kept, and altitudes taken, while a good series of photographs was secured, forming, altogether, a very valuable record of a wide stretch of new or little Known territory. Dr. Thompson's harrowing experience in the hands of the bandits of North - western Shansi and his subsequent escape make interesting reading, but the most valuable part of the lecture is, of course, that which deals with the territory passed through.

TIBET, PAST AND PRESENT, by Sir Charles Bell, K.C.I.E., C.M.G.: Oxfond University Press. Price 24s. net.

Tibet, the land of the lama, has always called forth the interest of peoples of the West, and many books have been issued dealing with this mysterious country. Few authors, however, have had so good an opportunity to collect first hand information regarding it as has Sir Charles Bell, who was for years the British political representative in Tibet, Bhutan and Sikkim. His experiences as head of a diplomatic mission to Lhassa at the invitation of the Dalai Lama and his Government are unique in the history of European intercourse with Tibet. As he points out in his introductory chapter, where others had to push their way into a city and country always aloof and usually hostile, he went as the invited guest and established friend of the ruler of the country. His hook, then, may be considered the last word upon this interesting land, where the spiritual head of the Buddhist Church locks horns with Chinese Government agents in a struggle to retain the temporal power. The first few chapters are devoted to the geography and natural features of the country, followed by one on the early history. This in turn is followed by detailed accounts of the author's own experiences and activities in the country, and of its more recent history. Travelling extensively, the author visited the Tashi Lama, who is now on a visit to China, and with whom he established friendly relations. An interesting account is given of the negotiation of a treaty with Bhutan, which is independent of Tibet. The closing chapters deal with Tibetan foreign relations, including those with Russia, Japan, Nepal, Mongolia and China; while the main lines of British policy regarding Tibet me discussed and suggestions for guidance in Great Britain's future relations offered in the last two chapters. Several valuable appendices are given, mostly dealing with treaties and conventions. Not the least valuable feature of this book are the numerous very fine illustrations, some of which are in colour. These show 'an intimacy with Tibetan life that could only have been secured by a friend. Two maps assist the reader in keeping track of the places mentioned in the text. The book leaves us with a satisfactory feeling that Tibet, once aloof and hostile, is awakening to the possibIlities of friendly intercourse with the outside world, and is at last making ready to take her place amongst the nations. Her desire for progress and independence are manifest, and we gather that the time is not far distant when her gates will be thrown open to visitors from the West, as they seen always to have been to Asiatics.

THE FUKIEN SCIENTIFIC EXPEDITION: The first batch of moving picture films taken by this expedition, which is in Fukien Province exploring under the auspices of the China Society of Science and Arts, have been received in Shanghai, and have turned out entirely satisfactory. They deal with scenes in and round the historic city of Foochow, and include amongst other items, some extremely interesting pictures of Chinese fishing with cormorants in the Min River. From Foochow the party proceeded southward into the Fuchin country, where further pictures have been taken of the people, country and wild animals. Amongst other things the remarkable scaled ant - eater in its natural haunts has been photographed, as also has the bamboo rat and the otter. Considerable difficulty has been experienced owing to adverse weather conditions, but the leader, Mr. F. T. Smith, writes optimistically of the prospects of returning with a valuable film and good biological collections.

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