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CHAP. XXXVI. p. 188.   BOLOR KASHGAR KHOTAN.   43

included in Balur, as he always speaks of that country, later in

his work, as a separate province with the name of Balti, and says

that it bordered on Balur ; and (2) that Balur was confined almost

entirely, as far as I am able to judge from his description in this

passage and elsewhere, to the southern slopes of the Eastern

Hindu Kush, or Indus water-parting range ; while Sir H. Yule's

map makes it embrace Sárigh-Kul and the greáter part of the

eastern Pamirs."

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XXXIII., p. 182. " The natives [of Cascar] are a wretched, nig-

gardly set of people ; they eat and drink in miserable fashion."

The people of Kashgar seem to have enjoyed from early times

a reputation for rough manners and deceit (Stein, Ancient

Khotan, p. 49 n). Stein, p. 70, recalls Hivan Tsang's opinion :

" The disposition of the men is fierce and impetuous, and they

are mostly false and deceitful. They make light of decorum and

politeness, and esteem learning but little." Stein adds, p. 70,

with regard to Polo's statement : " Without being able to

adduce from personal observation evidence as to the relative truth

of the latter statement, I believe that the judgements recorded

by both those great travellers may be taken as a fair reflex of

the opinion in which the ' Kāshgarliks' are held to this day

by the people of other Turkestan districts, especially by the

Khotanese. And in the case of Hivan Tsang at least, it seems

probable from his long stay in, and manifest attachment to,

Khotan that this neighbourly criticism might have left an impres-

sion upon him."

XXXVI., p. 188.

KHOTAN.

5t!

Sir Aurel Stein writes (Ancient Khotan, I., pp. 139-140) :

" Marco Polo's account of Khotan and the Khotanese forms an

apt link between these early Chinese notices and the picture

drawn from modern observation. It is brief but accurate in all

details. The Venetian found the people subject to the Great Kaan'

and ` all worshippers of Mahommet.' ` There are numerous towns

and villages in the country, but Cotan, the capital, is the most

noble of all and gives its name to the kingdom. Everything is to

be had there in plenty, including abundance of cotton [with flax,

hemp, wheat, wine, and the like]. The people have vineyards

and gardens and estates. They live by commerce and manu-

factures, and are no soldiers.' Nor did the peculiar laxity of