GOVERNMENT. 15 



dogs tear it to pieces, and in a couple of hours 

 nothing remains of the dead man. The Buddhists 

 consider it a good sign if the body be quickly de- 

 voured ; in the contrary event they believe that the 

 departed led an ungodly life. The dogs are so 

 accustomed to feed in this way that when a corpse 

 is being- carried through the streets of the town to 



о о 



the cemetery the relations of the deceased are in- 

 variably followed by dogs, sometimes belonging to 

 his own encampment (yurta). 



The government of Urga, together with the two 

 eastern aimaks (khanates) of the Khalkas, or of 

 Northern Mongolia, viz. those of Tushetu-khan, and 

 Tsitseng-khan, is in the hands of two ambans or 

 governors. One of them is always a Manchu sent 

 from Peking, the other, one of the local Mongol 

 princes. The two remaining aimaks of the Khal- 

 kas, those of the Djasaktu-khan and Sain-noin, 

 are under the Tsiang-tsiun (commander-in-chief) of 

 Uliassutai. 



Although the Mongol Khans who govern these 

 aimaks are absolute masters in all that concerns 

 the internal affairs of their khanates as sovereign 

 princes, they, nevertheless, own allegiance to their 

 Chinese rulers, who are the jealous guardians of 

 Chinese ascendancy over the nomads. 



During our stay at Bogdo-Kuren луе heard ter- 

 rible reports of the Dungans, i.e. the Mahomedan 

 insurgents, who had j'ust plundered Uliassutai, and 

 threatened Urga with a similar fate. Their appre- 

 hensions for this city, which is of such importance in 



