which Khotan specialises, such as silks, carpets and felts, can be had in equally large or even larger quantities in Yarkand and Kashgar and at about the same prices. There are very fine sheepskin furs here, perhaps finer than in other towns, besides which a kind of very attractive yellow leather travelling bags are made here, »yagtan», with large brass handles for attaching a padlock. In shape they are very like the typical English four-cornered leather bags. I did not find any of the beautiful bronze articles for which Khotan is famed. Except a couple of antique basins and jugs, all I saw was rough and clumsy and was sold by weight. The colours of the modern Khotan carpets are less durable than in the old ones, but the designs are also often ugly. Accompanied by Badsuddin Khan or the Russian aksakal I went to see silk weavers, carpet makers, tanners, potters, felt rollers, jade carvers, metal workers, hide and leather makers and other craftsmen. These trades are carried on everywhere on a small scale. A workshop employing 5 or 6 men is a rarity. As a rule not more than 3 or 4 people work together. There is practically no working capital; as soon as a thing is made, it is sold in the bazaar or to a dealer. Carpet patterns are woven from memory without any drawings, but you can order a carpet of any design you like without extra charge. I saw some carpets of very beautiful Chinese design being made to the mandarin's order. Wages are infinitesimal. The employer also contents himself with a very small profit. On the river Yurung-Qash a Russian subject has started an establishment for washing wool on a slightly larger scale than is usual. Another has leased or bought a piece of land on the same river with the object of starting a tannery. The recent Russo-Japanese war seems, however, to have postponed the accomplishment of this plan.
According to Badsuddin Khan's statement about 40o horses are imported annually from India with goods to a total value of about 125,00o roubles. Exports amount to about
)98(
IIIF Color HighRes
