I 11 I 



370 



T H I 



tiguoiu to the town. The manufacture* are numerous and 

 ,\o : -lit- largest are those of *ilk, in which several 

 knitU of Mutt's, a* satin, damask, &c., are made, and some 

 of them are interwoven with gold and silver tin 

 manufacture.* of cottons are lew important, but thru colours 

 are much praised. The jewellers are very expert in cutting 



. w and in working gold. Many articles are exported 

 to China. The latest accounts however Mate that K.. 

 and its commercial and manufacturing industry had sul 

 much liy the invasion and rebellion of the Kodjas 1 1SJ7 . 

 and that Yarkiang had become a much more comn. 

 place than Kashrar. It is very probable that the town 

 has reco\ ei ed its former importance. South-west of Kashgar 

 is the town of Tashbaliif, wind- lie an important 



. built on the banks of the Yaman-var river, where 

 it issues from the mi Tartashting. On 



o;ul leading from Ka.sh.gar to Yarkiang is Yengi 



md, may be considered the capital 

 of Tliian Shan N.inlu, as the Chinese military go-. 



- here. It consists of the cit\ 



which is surrounded by a high wall of stone, and is more. 

 than three miles in circumference, and numerous suburbs 

 which lie round it. In the fortress a garrison of 7<K 



. t. The houses are mostly built of sun-dried bricks ; 

 but as rain is very rare in this country, they may b. 

 sidered substantial. The river Yarkiaiu ivided 



into two arms, and numerous canals have been mad. 

 them, by which all the - abundantly supplied 



with water. There are numerous public building-. 

 cmlly mosques and n ! colleges: the nun. 



the medrasses is stated to exceed ten. There are t\v 

 bazars, one in the city and the other in the suburbs, which 

 are more than three miles long, and contain a great num- 

 ber of shops, well supplied with various article.-, of mer- 

 chandise. Most of the shopkeepers are Chin. 

 are also several large ca s. The conni 



rounding the town supplies it with three important articles 

 minerce. silk, line wool, and ! which last 



great numbers go to other places, and as far as China. 



-e horses are mostly of the Kirghis breed, rather 

 but very strong, and much prized. The commcrc- 

 the countries north of Hindustan and with Tibet > 

 considerable. It is stated that there are several kinds of 

 manufactures, but only cotton-stutl itied. The 



number of inhabitants who pay capitation -tax is Mat ed to be 

 between iiO.IKXIand 4O.UX). which would gi\ea population 

 of between 180,000 and 240,000. Many foreigners are 

 settled in this place. The number of ( 'hiuesc merchants 

 is only 'JX), but there are many others engaged in trade 

 and manufactures. A great number of merchants from 

 Sheiisi and Slian-i \isit Yarkiang. There are also a con- 

 siderable number of natives of ( 'a-hmir settled here : but 

 inly a small number of Hindus, and no .lews or Armenians. 

 I'he foreign merchants, who are met with in considerable 

 nun.: , and Cashmir. 



Khiitan a :i:uc been formerly the name of the 



town wlir i llitsi or Kelcbi, whilst tin 



name..! khotati is applied to the country which cxtenih, 

 along the northern ba>c ot the Th-ungling. This country 

 i-ontaiiis, according to the latest information, TtXUXX) per- 

 jiitalion-tax. which would give a populatioi 

 of between 3,50UOOO sad l.ixxuxxi individuals. Thus it 

 app. i- by far the most populous am 



important part of Tliian Shan N'aiiln. A large number o 

 theinhabi 



them are mini' i.--e. who settle. 



there at a \ery carl\ llitsi is d. - 



as large ami populous : but we ha\e no peculiar aceoun 



of it. It derives its enmniercial importance parti 

 the productions of the country, and partly from the cir 

 cum*tance that the great n.ads meet at tliis place. Tin 

 eastern road passes from llitsi to Kcriya. and through tht 

 DM* . into Tibet, nnd seem* to be the pi. 



line of communication between the last-mentioned country 

 and the northern provinces of China. The western roai 

 ."'' ' ."ea 1 caiman n..id which I. -ads fioin Yai iviang !i 

 iir: Tlie pimeipal articles which the conn 

 : are the \ nd silk, tht 



.11 in large ijiianlities. It 

 .' UM lire 111:11, ., ,,f e..p|ier ill tin- ncighhi nn hood, a 



vtMtcb of copper are named among the articles manufac 



in, I in this place. Silk and c ott on stuffs are sJ*o made 

 o a great extent, and there are glass-house^ 



is held, which is sometimes attended b\ 'Ji.iMci 

 sons. Horses arc e\). . at niinibi 



ess pri/ed than fho- i the town of 



. through which the road passes to Tibet, me some 

 ;old-nii 



The articles which are sent from Yarkiang to Cashmir 

 are silver, goats' and sheep's wool, leather tanned in the 

 manner of what is called Russian leather, . 

 gold and silver, rice, and some 



nanufactuiv : there are taken in return shawls of .: 

 nt qualities, cotton stuffs, sheep-skins and and 



.ne minor article*. 



Onl;. ues annually from \ 



lakshan, which carries a large quan' 



ially rubles. It appears from \V. that 



his intercourse has of late been interrupted by the un- 

 settled state of Hadakshan and of \Vakhan. [Ti KKISTAN.] 

 The intercom's*; with Khokand, which li.. u m- 



erruptcd ! 



The articles exported to that com 



ea in boxes, and i, of which laige quantitii 



consumed by the inhabitants of Turkistan. The imports 



rom Khokand are raw silk and different kinds of cotton 



The Hncharian merchants settled in K< 

 ! in advancing 



;hey bung broad-cloth, i 



gold coin, cop]>er. iron, steel, and fur: and they take back 

 J kinds of cotton s' : am- 



moniac. 



We are very imperfectly acquainted with th. 

 eial intercourse between China 1'roper snd Thian Shan 

 Nanlu. It does not li iliat the govern: 



puts any difficulties in the way of it. and it i .1 the 



commerce of Yarkiang with the northern piovi:. 

 active. The principal articles which are sent to Chi: 

 raw silk, great numb, 

 other precious stones, and some dyeing stuffs: m ri 



are sent, to Yarkmng tea, elm ,d several 



manufactured art. 



History. The country of Thian Shan Nanlu 

 in any way been connected with the political ever 

 Europe and Western Asia, but frequently with thi 

 i China, and it is oiih irom the ( 'liincse and M. 

 ansthat we learn the political ehi 



i. Thus we are informed thai 



our u-ra this part of led a 



portion of the powerful empire of the Hiongnu. a Turkish 



..liich for more than two centuries made war on China, 



.t in 

 the first century after Christ was overthrown by th 



.if the Man emperors. It seems that the ( 'hinese thus 

 for the first time . and they 



soon : in extending their 



.ud the d. round the Aial. so 



' that, period their empire extended to t; 



Hut in the fiilh cent. hrist the Chinese were 



dispossessed of this country by the Tang-hiang. a Til 



and tins and . of the B&1 



tinned to go\ ern Thian Shan .Nanlu up to the til. 

 (ieligis Khan. From the tenth to the thirteenth c, 



\ten-ive empire of the Ilia or 



of Tangut which, in 



l'-!'J7. was the last of I 



the Mongol conqueror. [(ii-\c.is Kiivv. \ol. xi.. p. 117.) 

 As the Mongols soon afterwards go' . .if China. 



Thian Shan wits again united to that countrv. and ri - 

 mained so as long a.s the descendants 



.s of China, lint when the Yuan d\ 



thrown, in I he fourteenth ceni . by the Ming 



dynasty, and the Mongol eni| 



-. Thian Shan became indc| . ral small 



sovereign* i. -uler chiefs of Turkish origin. The 



Ming emperor would probably ha\c succeeded in subject- 

 ing them, but for the conquests of Tinmr l!eg. or Tamerlane, 



ntered the' com i. nirteeiith 



centurv, and brought it under his dominion death 



the Turkish chiefs gradually resumed their independent 



., and preserved it to the middle of the sixteenth 



