All barons or others, who approach within half a mile of the residence of
the great khan, must be still and quiet, no noise or loud speech being
permitted in his presence or neighbourhood. Every one who enters the hall
of presence, must pull off his boots, lest he soil the carpets, and puts on
furred buskins of white leather, giving his other boots to the charge of
servants till he quits the hall; and every one carries a small covered
vessel to spit in; as no one dare spit in the halls of the palace.
[1] The deserts or Tartarian wastes are probably meant in this passage. - E.
[2] Instead of this number, 10,000 post-houses, at 400 horses each, would
require four millions of horses. The number and proportion of horses
in the text would only supply 500 inns; or would allow only 20 horses
each to 10,000 inns. The text, therefore, must be here corrupted. - E.
[3] This must allude to a species of corn-spirits or brandy, distilled from
rice, fermented with water, named Arrak. - E.
[4] This evidently points out the use of coal in northern China.
