Klaproth has given extracts, as situated to the south-west of Yarkand and east of Badakhshan, and as containing, when it submitted to the Chinese in 1749, 30,000 families. This of course could not be Balti. Another Chinese extract speaks of the Foolurh (Bolor?) people as a race of Mahomedans west of Yarkand, who live in a very uncivilized state without books or writing, not understanding the language of other Mahomedans, and dwelling pell-mell, men and women, like herds of cattle. This probably refers to the Kirghiz.

The J. A. S. Bengal, for 1853 (Vol. XXII.), contains extracts from the diary of a Mr. Gardner in those central regions of Asia. These read more like the memoranda of a dyspeptic dream than anything else, and the only passage I can find illustrative of our traveller is the following; the region alluded to must be in or near the Bolor country, for it is described as lying twenty days south-west of Kashgar: "The Akaas are short, stout, and hardy; but few Mahomedans, except the tribe Oojuem near Andejan; women not handsome; dress, skins. The Keiaz tribe live in caves on the highest peaks, subsist by hunting, keep no flocks, said to be anthropophagous, but have handsome women; eat their flesh raw" (p. 295 ; Pèlerins Boud. III. 316, 421, &c.; Ladak, 34, 45, 47; Mag. Asiatique, I. 92, 96-7; Not. et Ext. II. 475, XIV. 492; J. A. S. B. XXXI. 279; Chin. Repos. IX. 129).

CHAPTER XXXIII

OF THE KINGDOM OF CASCAR.

CASCAR is a region lying between north-east and east, and constituted a kingdom in former days, but now it is subject to the Great Kaan. The people worship Mahommet. There are a good number of towns and villages, but the greatest and finest is Cascar itself. The inhabitants live by trade and handicrafts; they have beautiful gardens and vineyards, and fine estates, and grow a great deal of cotton. From this country many merchants go forth about the world on trading journeys. The natives are a wretched niggardly set of people; they eat and drink in miserable fashion. There are in the country many Nestorian Christians who have churches of their own. The people of the country have a peculiar language, and the territory extends for five days' journey.'

NOTE 1.-It would seem that Polo's party, instead of crossing the Pamer from west to east, and then descending by the rugged country above Yarkand upon that city (as Benedict Goës did), travelled north in the length of the steppe for twelve days, probably following so far the route of Abdul Mejid in our day, and then descended upon KASHGAR. The name of this city is generally pronounced by the people, as 'Izzat Ullah tells us, Káshkár. Goës also spells it Cascar.

It is not easy to understand how Kashgar should have been subject to the Great Kaan, except in the sense in which all territories under Mongol rule owed him homage. Yarkand Polo acknowledges to have belonged to Kaidu, and the boundary between Kaidu's territory and the Kaan's lay between Karashahar and Kamul, much further east.

Kashgar was at this time a metropolitan See of the Nestorian Church. (Cathay, &c., 275, ccxlv.)

CHAPTER XXXIV.

OF THE GREAT CITY OF SAMARCAN.

SAMARCAN is a great and noble city towards the north-west, inhabited by both Christians and Saracens, who are subject to the Great Kaan's nephew, CAIDOU by name; he is how ever, at bitter enmity with the Kaan.' I will tell you of a great marvel that happened at this city.

It is not a great while ago that SIGATAY, Own brother to the Great Kaan, who was Lord of this country and of many an one besides, became a Christian. The Christians rejoiced greatly at this, and they built a great church in the city, in honour of John the Baptist; and by his name the church was called. And they took a very fine stone which belonged to the Saracens, and placed it as the pedestal of a column in the middle of the Church, supporting the roof. It came to pass, however, that Sigatay died. Now the Saracens were full of rancour about that stone that had been theirs, and which had been set up in the church of the Christians; and when they saw that the Prince was dead, they said one to another that now was the time to get back

their stone, by fair means or by foul. And that they might well do, for they were ten times as many as the Christians. So they gat together and went to the church and said that the stone they must and would have. The Christians acknowledged that it was theirs indeed, but offered to pay a large sum of money and so be quit. Howbeit, the others replied that they never would give up the stone for anything in the world. And words ran so high that the Prince heard thereof, and ordered the Christians either to arrange to satisfy the Saracens, if it might be, with money, or to give up the stone. And he allowed them three days to do either the one thing or the other.

What shall I tell you? Well, the Saracens would on no account agree to leave the stone where it was, and this out of pure despite to the Christians, for they knew well enough that if the stone were stirred the church would come down by the run. So the Christians were in great trouble and wist not what to do. But they did do the best thing possible; they besought Jesus Christ that he would consider their case, so that the holy church should not come to destruction, nor the name of its Patron Saint, John the Baptist, be tarnished by its ruin. And so when the day fixed by the Prince came round, they went to the church betimes in the morning, and lo, they found the stone removed from under the column; the foot of the column was without support, and yet it bore the load as stoutly as before! Between the foot of the column and the ground there was a space of three palms. So the Saracens had away their stone, and mighty little joy withal. It was a glorious miracle, nay, it is so, for the column still so standeth, and will stand as long as God pleaseth.'

Now let us quit this and continue our journey.

NOTE 1.- Of Kaidu, Kublai Kaan's kinsman and rival, and their long wars, we shall have to speak later. He had at this time a kind of joint Occupancy of SAMARKAND and Bokhara with the Khans of Chagatai, his

cousins.

Marco evidently never was at Samarkand, though doubtless it was visited by his Father and Uncle on their first journey, when we know they were long at Bokhara. Having therefore little to say descriptive of a city he had not seen, he tells us a story :—

"So geographers, in Afric maps,

With savage pictures fill their gaps,
And o'er unhabitable downs

Place elephants for want of towns."

As regards the Christians of Samarkand, who figure in the following story, we may note that the city had been one of the Metropolitan Sees of the Nestorian Church since the beginning of the 8th century, and had been a bishopric perhaps two centuries earlier. Prince Sempad, High Constable of Armenia, in a letter written from Samarkand in 1246 or 1247, mentions several circumstances illustrative of the state of things indicated in this story: "I tell you that we have found many Christians scattered all over the East, and many fine churches, lofty, ancient, and of good architecture, which have been spoiled by the Turks. Hence, the Christians of this country came to the presence of the reigning Kaan's grandfather (ie. Chinghiz); he received them most honourably, and granted them liberty of worship, and issued orders to prevent their having any just cause of complaint by word or deed. And so the Saracens, who used to treat them with contempt, kave now the like treatment in double measure."

Shortly after Marco's time, viz. in 1328, Thomas of Mancasola, a Dominican, who had come from Samarkand with a Mission to the Pope (John XXII.) from Ilchigadai Khan of Chagatai, was appointed Latin Bishop of that city. (Mosheim, p. 110, &c.; Cathay, p. 192.)

NOTE 2.-CHAGATAI, here called Sigatay, was Uncle, not Brother, to the Great Kaan (Kublai). Nor was Kaidu either Chagatai's son or Kublai's nephew, as Marco here and elsewhere represents him to be (see Book IV. ch. i.). The term used to describe Chagatai's relationship is frère charnel, which excludes ambiguity, cousinship or the like (such as is expressed by the Italian fratello cugino), and corresponds I believe to the brother german of Scotch law documents.

NOTE 3.- -One might say, these things be an allegory! We take the fine stone that belongs to the Saracens (or Papists) to build our church on, but the day of reckoning comes at last, and our (Protestant) Christians are afraid that the Church will come about their ears. May it stand, and better than that of Samarkand has done!

There is a story somewhat like this in D'Herbelot, about the Karmathian Heretics carrying off the Black Stone from Mecca, and being obliged years after to bring it back across the breadth of Arabia ; on which occasion the stone conducted itself in a miraculous manner.

There is a remarkable Stone at Samarkand, the Kok-Tash or Green