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0039 Report of a Mission to Yarkund in 1873 : vol.1
Report of a Mission to Yarkund in 1873 : vol.1 / Page 39 (Color Image)

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doi: 10.20676/00000196
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seemed as well pleased with the day's proceedings as we were, all the result of a well-timed compliment on the excellence of his mortar practice. The afternoon was well advanced when we took our leave and sought the shelter of our own quarters, for the keen frosty air we had been exposed to since the morning had become painfully numbing.

On the 20th December the Treaty of commerce was presented for the Amir's acceptance, on which occasion His Highness expressed very warmly his desire to avail himself of European science for the improvement of his country, and his determination to render every facility to traders.

lip to the time of our arrival at Kashghar, the daily wants of our camp had been supplied by our hosts with the most profuse liberality. But now that we had taken up our quarters for

the winter, I considered it proper, in accordance with the instructions received from the Viceroy, to endeavour to relieve the Amir from the heavy burdens of such unbounded hospitality. This

caused a lively negotiation, it being a point of honor with our kindly hosts to allow us to incur no expense of any kind ; they were even anxious to supply gratis all the articles of curiosity &c., which we purchased in the bazaar. Let me not be understood however to imply that in such a case the tradespeople would have been the sufferers, for it is a fact well worthy of prominent notice, that on all occasions, wherever we went and drew suppliés from the Ameer's officials, the people were always properly paid, the Yuzbashi or other officer in charge of our

party having been provided with cash for the purpose. I shall have occasion to mention hereafter, an instance, which came under our immediate observation, of the people being paid fully

for work done for the State, thus justifying the opinion we had formed that there is less oppres-

sion practised on the peasants in the kingdom of Kashghar than probably in any other country in Asia.

After much discussion the daily Zyafat or allowance for our mission was fixed as follows :—

60 charaks* Indian corn,

50 donkey loads straw,   for our horses and baggage mules.
200 bundles Lucerne grass

10 charaks rice   ...

6 ditto flour   • • • for our followers.

20 loads firewood   ...

3 sheep

300 Tungast for the officer's mess.

Besides this liberal allowance of food, suits of furs and other warm clothing were supplied to every member of the embassy, and once or twice a week a profusion of every kind of fruit, game (deer, pheasants, partridges, ducks,) and fish, &c., was sent to the mission.

As the Amir had given permission for us to go where we liked, and suggested the idea of our going to some of his outlying forts on shooting excursions, accompanying this offer with permission to make free use of our scientific instruments, Lieutenant-Colonel Gordon left Kashghar on the 31st December accompanied by Captain Trotter and Dr. Stoliczka, on a visit to Chadyr Kul in the Tian Shan range ; whilst Captain Biddulph went off in another direction to visit the forest of Maralbashi. A full account of these excursions is given in another part of this report, so I need not enter upon the details here.

If space permitted me, it would be interesting to the general public to give a lengthened description of our ordinary life during a most pleasant sojourn of nearly four months at the capital of the Amir. But I can only here give a passing notice of our friendly intercourse with the chief officers of his Court, who entertained us at their houses, and accepted our hospitality in return. The intensity of the winter, with a thermometer which for many weeks descended some degrees below zero, and frequently did not mount above freezing point in the sun, prevented us from moving about very freely, but it afforded us a good opportunity of

shewing to the astonished inhabitants the skill of some and the clumsiness of others of our party in the science of skating.

* Charak =161s. t 44 Tunga=1 Rupee.