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(*Sək-ka-šjəm; cf. CHAVANNES, *Doc. sur les Tou-kiue*, 164) and by Al-Bīrūnī, is Skāšim > Iškāšim;
I think « Scascem » would be more correct than « Scassem »; Polo never uses *-ss-* for *-s-*, and *-ss-*
may here be corrupt for *-sc-*. As may be seen on the map of *Y*, I, 178, Ishkashm, on the left bank
of the Pānj, is much to the east of Kishm. On the place, cf. CHAVANNES, *Doc. sur les Tou-kiue*,
165, 219; STEIN, *Serindia*, I, 61-62; *RR*, 433; LENTZ, in *ZDMG*, 1932, 10-12, 31. In 982-983,
the *Ḥudūd al-ʿĀlam* (25 b) reads شکاشم i. e. Skāšim; cf. *Mi*, 121, 366 (where I should prefer to
read Al-Bīrūnī's form as Skāšim rather than Sikāšim).

332. SCIENG

*fieng* P *sieng* VB *singh* R
*scieng* F, FA, L, LT, VA *sinech* VL *stranis* FB
*sian* V
Palace
*scien* F *stieng* VB *stin* V
*scieng* VA

In all cases this represents 省 *shêng*; PAUTHIER's assertion that it is 相 *hsiang* is wrong, and
there is no more foundation in the opinion expressed by YULE and maintained by CORDIER that
both *hsiang* and *shêng* have merged into «*scieng*» (*Y*, I, 432); *hsiang* (*siang*) is rendered otherwise
in Polo's « Cingsan » (*q. v.*) = *ch'êng-hsiang*, and moreover there is no reason to bring it in here.
By « Scieng », we must understand the 中書省 Chung-shu-shêng or Grand Secretariat,
and the name refers to the members of the board as well as to their place of meeting. Polo is
absolutely correct on that point. Rašīdu-'d-Dīn uses سینگ *šing* in the same way, and we find شن
*šin* (or *šen* ?) in the *Masālak al-Abṣār* (cf. *Y*, I, 432; *Y*¹, III, 122-123; *Bl*, II, 478-480, 616).
It is more difficult to account for the number of the « twelve barons » of the « Scieng », who in
their turn seem to have influenced the « twelve barons » of the « Thai » (*q. v.*). PAUTHIER, with
too much confidence, has given a list of twelve members of the Chung-shu-shêng (*Pa*, 329-330).
According to Rašīd, the Dīwān, or Great Council, was composed of four *ch'êng-hsiang* and four
*p'ing-chang* (*Y*¹, III, 120; *Bl*, II, 470). As to the officials of the Chung-shu-shêng, their number
was often changed in Qubilai's time, and it would be a long task to follow these changes from year
to year; but there is nothing to warrant PAUTHIER's list (cf. *YS*, 85, 1 *b*-2 *b*). Moreover I am afraid
it would be a vain task, since Polo's text, as we have it, seems to have mixed up two different notions.
I am therefore obliged to enter here into some detail.
The Grand Secretariat, or Chung-shu-shêng, worked at the capital, but had provincial delega-
tions, called «moving» (行 *hsing*) Chung-shu-shêng, or simply *hsing-shêng*, and even *shêng* alone;
the areas under the control of each *hsing-shêng* soon came to be themselves named *shêng* collo-
quially, and this is the origin of the modern use of *shêng* in the sense of «province». In spite of
minor changes, there were twelve *shêng* in the Mongol period, one being the metropolitan Chung-