(See The Dungens, By Mr. H. K. Heins, In
The Russian Military Journal For August, 1866, And Western China, In
The Ed.
Review for April, 1868;[6] Cathay, p. 261.)
[Palladius (pp. 23-24) says that "it is impossible to admit that Polo had
meant to designate by this name the Christians, who were called by the
Mongols Erkeun [Ye li ke un]. He was well acquainted with the
Christians in China, and of course could not ignore the name under which
they were generally known to such a degree as to see in it a designation
of a cross-race of Mahommetans and heathens." From the Yuen ch'ao pi shi
and the Yuen shi, Palladius gives some examples which refer to
Mahommedans.
Professor Deveria (Notes d'Epig. 49) says that the word [Greek: Archon]
was used by the Mongol Government as a designation for the members of the
Christian clergy at large; the word is used between 1252 and 1315 to speak
of Christian priests by the historians of the Yuen Dynasty; it is not
used before nor is it to be found in the Si-ngan-fu inscription (l.c. 82).
Mr. E. H. Parker (China Review, xxiv. p. 157) supplies a few omissions
in Deveria's paper; we note among others: "Ninth moon of 1329. Buddhist
services ordered to be held by the Uighur priests, and by the Christians
[Ye li ke un]."
Captain Wellby writes (Unknown Tibet, p. 32): "We impressed into our
service six other muleteers, four of them being Argoons, who are really
half-castes, arising from the merchants of Turkestan making short
marriages with the Ladakhi women." - H. C.]
Our author gives the odd word Guasmul as the French equivalent of Argon.
M. Pauthier has first, of Polo's editors, given the true explanation from
Ducange. The word appears to have been in use in the Levant among the
Franks as a name for the half-breeds sprung from their own unions with
Greek women. It occurs three times in the history of George Pachymeres.
Thus he says (Mich. Pal. III. 9), that the Emperor Michael "depended
upon the Gasmuls, or mixt breeds ([Greek: symmiktoi]), which is the
sense of this word of the Italian tongue, for these were born of Greeks
and Italians, and sent them to man his ships; for the race in question
inherited at once the military wariness and quick wit of the Greeks, and
the dash and pertinacity of the Latins." Again (IV. 26) he speaks of these
"Gasmuls, whom a Greek would call [Greek: digeneis], men sprung from Greek
mothers and Italian fathers." Nicephorus Gregoras also relates how Michael
Palaeologus, to oppose the projects of Baldwin for the recovery of his
fortunes, manned 60 galleys, chiefly with the tribe of Gasmuls ([Greek:
genos tou Gasmoulikou]), to whom he assigns the same characteristics as
Pachymeres. (IV. v. 5, also VI. iii. 3, and XIV. x. 2.) One MS. of Nicetas
Choniates also, in his annals of Manuel Comnenus (see Paris ed.
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