carriers, each banner recording the merits of the deceased. These are often sent by the friends of the dead, and correspond to the flowers that are sent as tokens of love in the West. Immediately behind the catafalque comes the chief mourner, the eldest son of the deceased, in a "chair" covered with coarse linen, and on either side walk the husbands of his slaves. The other members of the bereaved family follow in single file, their chairs being flanked by the husbands of the slaves of the dead man's relatives. Then come the distant relatives and the friends of the deceased, and the whole company is completed by a howling crowd of street boys, who add noise if not dignity to the obsequies.
It is forbidden to bury a body inside the walls of Seoul, nor can the dead be carried out of any of the gates at will; but two of the gates are reserved for this purpose, the so-called "Watermouth Gate" and the "Little West Gate." In times of pestilence, when a thousand people are dying a day in Seoul, as happened in the summer of 1886, it is easy to imagine that these gates are thronged with one stream of funeral processions. Especially was this so at that time, for the gates were closed and locked between nine o'clock at night and four o'clock the next morning.
Arriving at the burial site, the catafalque is placed under a temporary awning, and the whole party spend the night in a neighbouring village or in extemporised booths. Early in the morning the banner inscribed with the name of the dead is spread over the coffin and a little food is offered. After all have bowed and wept, the casket is placed on two transverse poles and carried to the grave. A compass is used to make sure that the casket lies in precisely the proper direction. A piece of black silk is placed over it, and upon this a thin board is laid. Lime is packed in on the sides and over the top to a depth of two inches, and then the grave is filled in with earth and lime mixed.
It is a question whether the shape and appointments of a Korean grave are not the most beautiful in the world. The
