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| 0039 |
Report of a Mission to Yarkund in 1873 : vol.1 |
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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.
Up 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 supplies 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 here-
after, 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 Tungas† 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 hospi-
tality in return. The intensity of the winter, and 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.
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