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however, both in the highlands of Belochistan and Khurasan, have no permanent dwellings, and in no respect differ from the pâmir, like which, too, they are in summer the .scenes of busy life and activity, crowded by the camps and cattle of nomad tribes, who there is reason to believe are not so separate in race as they are in territorial distribution. The tuman of the Brihoe in Belochistin, the aul of the Ilyit in Persia, and the ayil of the Kirghiz in Kishghar, and even the Kizdi of the nomad Afghan, all bear a common family resemblance ; and through the very words designating their camps, whilst suggesting a common origin, offer a most inviting field for historical and philological investigation. The plateaux shared in summer by the Kishghar Kirghiz of Karatigh and the Khokand Kirghiz of Osh and Andijan are called Aliy in the northern half and Kizil Art in the southern, and are bordered on the west by an interrupted chain of mountains similar to those on the east. It has no general name, but each more prominent ridge is called separately, just as each separate pâmir has its distinguishing appellation known only to the Kirghiz, and not very definitely or generally even to them, for half a dozen different men will give each a different name to one and the same peak. " What's the use of writing down so many names?" said an impatient Kirghiz whom I had worried with interrogatories a whole forenoon, till he was sore from shifting his seat from heel to heel, and escaped from further torture on the plea that his horse was left starving in the cold. " We call one country Aliy and another Kizil Art, and we call every spread of pasture pâmir, just' as we call a stony plain a y, and a slope at the foot of the hills sirt.." " No. The chol is different; there is none in our country ; it is only on this plain of Kishghar; any place is ekol where the ground is arid, and bare, and slightly raised above the general level." " There are numberless camp grounds on Alay and Kizil Art too. We call each ayil = camp by the name of the Bi = Chief." " Every place too has its name, but I don't know them. Its four years since I was on Alay, and people give their camp grounds different names. We call a place such and such a tâgh = hill, or tâsh = rock, or kol = pool, or al = glen, or su = stream, or art = valley pass, or tar = strai4it or gorge, or dawân = hill pass, or corghc£n = fort, or carâwul = picket, and so on, and ev rybody knows the place ; it does for three or four tâsh all round or up and down." " No, the Osh Kirghiz are not subjects of Atalik Ghazi. They come over Tirik Dawin every year with the Kapchik of Midi and roam down to Chidir-tash, and Neza-tish, and Aktish, but they don't pay Zakdt except to the Khan of Khokand. My father is a subject of Atilik ; his camps are in Kirmin Kû1 and Egizak on the Koksû at foot of Tirik Dawan ; he keeps a picket on the pass ; I am a jigit = trooper, and have served Atilik four years. I get no pay, only food and clothing for self and horse. These arms all belong to Badaulat, and I received them from my Pasead. I belong to the Niymin tribe. There are 1,000 houses in the hills from Sarigh Kû1 to Chidir Kol, all Niymin. There are others besides as Birga, Monic, &c. We only pay Zakât to Atalik, and our Chiefs are charged with the protection of the frontier against marauders from the Khokand side. There are only eight of us here in service with Badaulat. He can't keep more because we run away, or get ill and die here. We are constantly employed going backwards and forwards with orders to the frontier outposts."
The population of all this Kirghiz divisiôn is very variously estimated. By some the number is stated at 30,000 houses, but this figure, it would seem, includes all the camps on both sides the Alitigh. Of those who are recognized subjects of the Kishghar State, I don't think the number can exceed 3,000 houses, viz., 800 in Kakshil and Artosh, 1,600 in the Aktagh and Karatigh valleys, and 600 on the upper waters of the Yirkand and Karâkash rivers. Counting seven for each ac-oe or " white house"—the name of their portable frame work and felt covered tents—this will give 21,000 souls as the Kirghiz population of the Kishghar State.
The Kirghiz occupy the whole erf Moo holistan proper or Ztinghir, which extends from Yûlduz on the east to Tishkand on the west. Zike 6e-Kälmik they have no cities or towns but migrate from the lower to the higher valleys and plateaux according to the seasons. On the north their neighbours are the Kazzhk or Cossack of Isigh Kol and Koba and Ila, on the west the Kapchak or Kipchik, on the south the Uzbak of Khokand and Turk of Kishghar,
and on the east the Kalmik of Yuldûz. .
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