The concourse of merchants to this famous emporium is
incredible, as it is one of the most commodious ports in the whole world,
and is exceedingly productive in revenue to the great Khan, who receives
ten in the hundred of all merchandize. The merchants pay likewise so high
for freights, that not above a half of their cargoes remains to themselves
for sale, and yet of that moiety they make immense profits. The inhabitants
of Zaitum are idolaters, and much given to pleasure, and in it there are
many artizans employed in embroidery and arras-work[18].
This river is large, wide, and swift, one arm of it reaching to Quinsai,
and the other to Zaitum[19], and at the parting of these branches, the city
of Tringui is situated, where porcelain dishes are made[20]. I was told of
a certain earth which is cast up into conical heaps, and left exposed to
the weather for thirty or forty years without stirring; after which,
refined by time, it is made into dishes, which are painted and baked in
furnaces; and so cheap is this manufacture, that eight of these dishes may
be bought for one Venetian groat[21]. From this province of Concha, the
great Khan derives nearly as great a revenue as he does from Quinsai. In
these two provinces I travelled, but in none of die other provinces of
Mangi; in all of which one language Is used, with considerable variety in
dialect, and but one kind of writing.
[1] There are two Chinese measures called Li; of the greater there are 200
to a degree of latitude, and of the smaller 250. It is possible that
Marco may have mistaken one or other of these measures for miles;
either of which suppositions would reduce the bounds of Quinsai to
some decent moderation, being thirty-four miles for the greater, and
twenty-seven miles for the smaller li, yet a large city on even the
latter substitution. Koan-sing, which may likewise be written Quan-
sing, all Chinese names in alphabetical characters, being quite of
arbitrary orthography, is the only place which can be supposed the
same with Quinsai. But similarity of sounds is a very uncertain guide.
From other circumstances in the text, the modern Kua-hing may have
once been Quinsay. - E.
[2] Calculating by Li, this extent will be reduced to eleven or thirteen
miles. - E.
[3] By the same reduction, these squares will be reduced to half a quarter
of a mile in the sides. - E.
[4] Probably a mistaken translation or transcription for melons, pumpkins,
or gourds. - E.
[5] This amounts to more than one sixth of an ounce daily for a population
of a million, including infants. A thing utterly incredible, and which
must arise from some corruption of the text. It exceeds 9000 tons
yearly. Perhaps, instead of pepper the original had salt. - E.
[6] This alone would give a working population exceeding a million,
including the women, children, and aged, belonging to these. But
populous as the country certainly is, the Chinese, in all ages, from
Polo down to Staunton, have imposed those ridiculously exaggerated
accounts upon all inquisitive travellers. This subject will be
discussed in that division of this work, which particularly relates to
China. - E.
[7] The contrast between the cleanness and splendour of Quinsay and the
gloomy dirt of European cities in the thirteenth century is very
striking. China then enjoyed hackney coaches, tea gardens, and
hilarity; while the delights of European capitals were processions of
monks among perpetual dunghills in narrow crooked lanes. - E.
[8] Probably meaning a gong. - E.
[9] There must be some corruption in the text here; for even Chinese
exaggeration could hardly venture upon this computation, which would
extend the garrisons in Mangi alone to many millions. - E.
[10] If Li, from 2-1/2 to 3-1/2 miles. - E.
[11] Supposing Kua-hing to have been Quan-sai, no city appears in the
direction indicated in the text for the situation of Gampu. But if we
might venture to suppose north-east an error for south, the city of
Hanfcheou is nearly at the distance mentioned by Marco, and stands at
the bottom of a deep bay of the ocean, in a very convenient situation
for trade, communicating with Kua-hing by the great canal - E.
[12] Multiplying this number of families by five, would give a population
of eight millions of individuals of every age and sex. Fortunately
Marco permits us to suppose that this population belonged to the
viceroyalty, or province over which Quinsai presided. - E.
[13] Either this computation, or that of the duty on salt, is erroneous. If
8 tomans are 6,400,000 ducats, 210 tomans would amount to 168,000,000,
instead of the sum in the text. If the latter computation be right,
16,800,000 ducats from 210 tomans; the duty on salt, or 8 tomans,
ought only to have been 640,000 ducats, which appears to be the truth.
The whole revenue, therefore, of the province, will be 17,440,000
ducats, equal to L. 2,911,250 Sterling, at 3s. 7d. the ducat. - E.
[14] Besides the utter discrepancy of these names to those of any cities
now in China, it appears obvious, that the direction of the itinerary
in the text is erroneous or corrupted. We have been already on the
ocean or bay of Nankin, the eastern boundary of China and of the land;
yet the text persists continually to travel south-east, which is
impossible. The direction of the itinerary must have been westwards,
probably south-west.
