National Institute of Informatics - Digital Silk Road Project
Digital Archive of Toyo Bunko Rare Books

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This is a fair coal, black with a somewhat dull earthy fracture. The ash is greyish white with bluish specks, a caking coal. Both these coals are particularly free from pyrites.

4.  Copper from west of Kashghar.

A piece of soft sandstone of a pale reddish color poorly disseminated with carbonate of copper, not more than 24 per cent. of copper being procurable.

5.  Galena from west of Kashghar.

A remarkably pure galena evidently occurring in a white quartoze comparatively soft rock which adheres to the ore only in small quantities. The pure galena is composed of 85.55 per cent. of lead and 1345 of sulphur. In the most perfect process as much as 841 per cent. of lead was obtained from galena, but the usual yield is from 75 to 80 per cent. This includes silver, if any be present, which is very often the case ; in fact galena is generally argentiferous, but the process to ascertain the percentage of that precious metal is complicated and lengthy, and larger specimens than those submitted are required for examination.

On the 2nd February His Highness the Ameer put his seal to the Treaty of Commerce which had been prepared for his acceptance, and thus the object of our mission was happily accomplished. But as the winter season was still in all its severity, it was necessary to delay our departure for India for some time. Meanwhile, I determined to take advantage of the Amir's offer to shew us somewhat of his country, and on the 14th February Dr. Bellew, Captains Chapman and Trotter, and Dr. Stoliczka started with me on an excursion to the Artysh District north of Kashghar. Snow had fallen a day or two before, and the cold was intense, but the bright clear atmosphere enabled us to have a magnificent panoramic view, and was useful to Captain Trotter in disclosing sundry peaks and ranges of hills.

As far as Awat, about six miles, we rode through thick cultivation. Awat itself is a large village. Here we came upon saline soil and passed over barren ground till we reached the shrine of Mahram Khoja, daughter of Sultan Satuk Boghra Khan, who was buried here about 800 years ago and regarding whom mention will be found in the history of Kashghar. The present ' Amir has erected a very neat tomb over her grave and built a set of houses or rooms for pilgrims. This he has done in the case of all saints and martyrs of note all over his country, thins acquiring a character for sanctity. Fine tall poplars grow in the shrine enclosure. A fter a short halt here, we resumed our ride over undulating ground, leaving the village of Beshkirim to our left, and crossing two streams till we came to the foot 'of a low gravel and sandstone ridge, which we crossed and then descended into the Artysh valley. This valley is studded with small hamlets, and in the centre is the bazar of Altun or Golden Artysh, where is the tomb of Satuk Boghra Khan, the first Chief of the country who embraced Islamism in the tenth, century and imposed the new religion on the inhabitants. His mausoleum, a rather imposing structure of sun-dried bricks faced , with green tiles, was built in its present form about 44 years ago. Several masonry buildings have been erected by the present Amir for the priests and pilgrims who frequent the shrine, and there is a large school attached to it.

The Governor of the Artysh district, Mohamad Khan, Khoja, a descendant of Satuk Boghra Khan, received us very politely and conducted us to comfortable quarters in the royal oorda. On the following day, the usual weekly bazar was held at. Artysh and we witnessed a lively scene. As we passed through the streets on the day' of our arrival, the place looked deserted with its closed shops, empty verandahs, and not a soul stirring. To-day everything was changed.

About 2,000 people thronged every street and lane, and all intent on business : blacksmiths shoeing horses, mending spades and vessels; women selling cotton, raw and in thread; sheep acid oxen being sold, and meat in large quantities hung up for sale. The restaurants opened for the day drove a thriving trade. The most lively scene was in the cloth markets, where merchants from Kashghar were to be seen purchasing cotton cloths for export to Almaty (Fort Vernoye in Russia). These cloths are of rather coarse texture, but very strong and useful. Hundreds of men were offering these for sale, and the trade though most brisk was conducted in a much less noisy manner and with less haggling than one is accustomed to find

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