JOHN DE PLANO CARPINI a.d. 



1 246. ' 



thought good by way of conclusion, to insert somewhat \ 

 for the supply of those things which are wanting in the 



said Frier Simon. 1 



Of the situation and qualitie of the Tartars land, 



By Johannes de Piano Carpini. Chap. 3. \ 



THere is towards the East a land which is called Mon- J description j 



gal or Tartaria, lying in that part of the worlde which ofTartaria, , 



is thought to be most North Easterly. On the East part ' 



it hath the countrey of Kythay and of the people called J 



Solangi : on the South part the countrey of the Saracens : j 



on the South east the land of the Huini : and on the West j 



the province of Naimani : but on the North side it is T'he North \ 



invironed with the Ocean Sea. In some part thereof it is ^^^^^- j 



full of mountaines, and in other places plaine and smoothe ! 



grounde, but everie where sandie and barren, neither is \ 



the hundreth part thereof fruitefull. For it cannot beare ; 



fruite unlesse it be moistened with river waters, which bee ' 



verie rare in that countrey. Whereupon they have neither ■ 



villages, nor cities among them, except one which is called \ 



Cracurim, and is said to be a proper towne. We our \ 



selves sawe not this towne, but were almost within halfe a \ 



dayes journey thereof, when we remained at Syra Orda, Syra Orda. \ 



which is the great court of their Emperour. And albeit \ 



the foresaid lande is otherwise unfruitfull, yet is it very = 

 commodious for the bringing up of cattell. In certaine 

 places thereof are some small store of trees growing, but 



otherwise it is altogether destitute of woods. Therefore ' 



the Emperour, and his noble men and all other warme , 



themselves, and dresse their meate with fires made of the i 

 doung of oxen, and horses. The ayre also in that The 

 countrey is verie intemperate. For in the midst of ^^temperature 

 Sommer there be great thunders and lightnings, by the ^•' 

 which many men are slaine, and at the same time there 

 falleth great abundance of snowe. There bee also such 



mightie tempestes of colde windes, that sometimes men j 



are not able to sitte on horsebacke. Whereupon, being ^^/-^^^ q^^^ \ 



neere unto the Orda (for by this name they call the signifieth. \ 



135 \ 



