278 NATURAL HISTORY OF 



gious resistance ; and therefore the progress from the 

 high declivities of the Mongolian steppes, which they 

 appear to have held at an early time, to their occupa- 

 tion of the Thian-Shan mountains, may be admitted to 

 come within two or three centuries "before the Chris- 

 tian era, because Kanishka, a Caucasian (Sakia) prince, 

 came down and conquered Bactria only in 120 B. C. 

 It is therefore probable, that their most ancient name 

 of Hoei-yu was changed to Hiong-nou, a century or 

 two later, when the Caucasian intermixture gave rise 

 to dissension, and their power was broken by civil 

 wars, and Chinese dexterity. Though circumstances 

 and dates in Chinese records should not be held more 

 credible than our own western documents of remote 

 antiquity, they still deserve general belief in the cha- 

 racter of the events they narrate. Here their course 

 is perfectly natural; and from other sources will be 

 shown, in the sequel, that this general character is 

 fully sustained in the later ages here mentioned. 



The percussions then given to the nations of central 

 High Asia, appear further to be depicted, in the figu- 

 rative, or perhaps physically true legend, that in the 

 fifth century of our era, the Oxus and Jaxartes dried 

 up for seven years, and the populations resident on 

 their banks were forced to emigrate for want of water. 

 The period is coincident with that vast convulsion, 

 when the Hunnic empire suddenly expanded from the 

 frontiers of China to the mouth of the Rhine; and 

 though not entirely, perhaps not even chiefly, com- 

 posed of Mongolian hordes, as we shall presently show, 



