A lake, called so even now, and
of a defile, which received its name from the lake. The latter is on the
way from Kia-yue kwan to Ansi chow." (Palladius, l.c. p. 7.) "Chikin,
or more correctly Chigin, is a Mongol word meaning 'ear.'" (Ibid.)
Palladius (p. 8) adds: "The Chinese accounts of Chi-kin are not in
contradiction to the statements given by M. Polo regarding the same
subject; but when the distances are taken into consideration, a serious
difficulty arises; Chi-kin is two hundred and fifty or sixty li distant
from Su-chow, whilst, according to M. Polo's statement, ten days are
necessary to cross this distance. One of the three following explanations
of this discrepancy must be admitted: either Chingintalas is not Chi-kin,
or the traveller's memory failed, or, lastly, an error crept into the
number of days' journey. The two last suppositions I consider the most
probable; the more so that similar difficulties occur several times in
Marco Polo's narrative." (L.c. p. 8.) - H. C.]
NOTE 2. - [Ondanique. - We have already referred to this word, Kerman,
p. 90. Cobinan, p. 124. La Curne de Sainte-Palaye (Dict.), F. Godefroy
(Dict.), Du Cange (Gloss.), all give to andain the meaning of
enjambee, from the Latin andare. Godefroy, s.v. andaine, calls it
sorte d'acier ou de fer, and quotes besides Marco Polo:
"I. espiel, ou ot fer d'andaine,
Dont la lamele n'iert pas trouble."
(Huon de Mery, Le Tornoiement de l'Antechrist, p. 3, Tarbe.)
There is a forest in the department of Orne, arrondissement of Domfront,
which belonged to the Crown before 1669, and is now State property, called
Foret d'Andaine; it is situated near some bed of iron. Is this the origin
of the name? - H. C.]
NOTE 3. - The Altai, or one of its ramifications, is probably the mountain
of the text, but so little is known of this part of the Chinese territory
that we can learn scarcely anything of its mineral products. Still Martini
does mention that asbestos is found "in the Tartar country of Tangu,"
which probably is the Tangnu Oola branch of the Altai to the south of
the Upper Yenisei, and in the very region we have indicated as
Chingintalas. Mr. Elias tells me he inquired for asbestos by its Chinese
name at Uliasut'ai, but without success.
NOTE 4. -
"Degli elementi quattro principali,
Che son la Terra, e l'Acqua, e l'Aria, e'l Foco,
Composti sono gli universi Animali,
Pigliando di ciascuno assai o poco."
(Dati, La Sfera, p. 9.)
Zurficar in the next sentence is a Mahomedan name, Zu'lfikar, the
title of [the edge of] Ali's sword.
NOTE 5. - Here the G. Text adds: "Et je meisme le vi," intimating, I
conceive, his having himself seen specimens of the asbestos - not to his
having been at the place.
