Williamson
Describes The Present Bridge As About 700 Feet Long, And 12 Feet Wide In
The Middle Part.
[Dr. Bretschneider saw the bridge, and gives the following description of
it:
"The bridge is 350 ordinary paces long and 18 broad. It is built of
sandstone, and has on either side a stone balustrade of square columns,
about 4 feet high, 140 on each side, each crowned by a sculptured lion over
a foot high. Beside these there are a number of smaller lions placed
irregularly on the necks, behind the legs, under the feet, or on the back
of the larger ones. The space between the columns is closed by stone slabs.
Four sculptured stone elephants lean with their foreheads against the edge
of the balustrades. The bridge is supported by eleven arches. At each end
of the bridge two pavilions with yellow roofs have been built, all with
large marble tablets in them; two with inscriptions made by order of the
Emperor K'ang-hi (1662-1723); and two with inscriptions of the time of
K'ien-lung (1736-1796). On these tablets the history of the bridge is
recorded." Dr. Bretschneider adds that Dr. Lockhart is also right in
counting nine arches, for he counts only the waterways, not the arches
resting upon the banks of the river. Dr. Forke (p. 5) counts 11 arches and
280 stone lions. - H.C.]
(P. de la Croix, II. 11, etc.; Erskine's Baber, p. xxxiii.; Timour's
Institutes, 70; J. As. IX. 205; Cathay, 260; Magaillans, 14-18, 35;
Lecomte in Astley, III.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 36 of 1350
Words from 9140 to 9398
of 370046
