Mr. Wylie writes that in a work on the latter city, published
during the Yuen time, of which he has met with a reprint, there are
figures to illustrate the division of the city into Fang, a
word "which appears to indicate a certain space of ground, not an open
square ... but a block of buildings crossed by streets, and at the end
of each street an open gateway." In one of the figures a first
reference indicates "the market place," a second "the official
establishment," a third "the office for regulating weights." These
indications seem to explain Polo's squares. (See Note 3, above.)
[3] Foreigner in Far Cathay, pp. 158, 176.
[4] A famous poet and scholar of the 11th century.
[5] Mr. Wylie, after ascending this hill with Mr. Moule, writes: "It is
about two miles from the south gate to the top, by a rather steep
road. On the top is a remarkably level plot of ground, with a cluster
of rocks in one place. On the face of these rocks are a great many
inscriptions, but so obliterated by age and weather that only a few
characters can be decyphered. A stone road leads up from the city
gate, and another one, very steep, down to the lake. This is the only
vestige remaining of the old palace grounds. There is no doubt about
this being really a relic of the palace.... You will see on the map,
just inside the walls of the Imperial city, the Temple of Brahma.
There are still two stone columns standing with curious Buddhist
inscriptions.... Although the temple is entirely gone, these columns
retain the name and mark the place. They date from the 6th century,
and there are few structures earlier in China." One is engraved above,
after a sketch by Mr. Moule.
[6] See the plan of the city with last chapter.
CHAPTER LXXVIII.
TREATING OF THE GREAT YEARLY REVENUE THAT THE GREAT KAAN HATH FROM KINSAY.
Now I will tell you about the great revenue which the Great Kaan draweth
every year from the said city of Kinsay and its territory, forming a ninth
part of the whole country of Manzi.
First there is the salt, which brings in a great revenue. For it produces
every year, in round numbers, fourscore tomans of gold; and the
toman is worth 70,000 saggi of gold, so that the total value
of the fourscore tomans will be five millions and six hundred thousand
saggi of gold, each saggio being worth more than a gold florin or
ducat; in sooth, a vast sum of money! [This province, you see, adjoins the
ocean, on the shores of which are many lagoons or salt marshes, in which
the sea-water dries up during the summer time; and thence they extract
such a quantity of salt as suffices for the supply of five of the kingdoms
of Manzi besides this one.]
Having told you of the revenue from salt, I will now tell you of that
which accrues to the Great Kaan from the duties on merchandize and other
matters.