284 SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES. 



TSAGAN BALGAS. 

 P. io6. 



The Tsagan Balgassii, noticed in Mr. Morgan's footnote, 

 is a different place, being the CJiagan-iior of Marco Polo, 

 some 45 miles NVV. of Kalgan. CJiagJiaii BalgJiassiin, or 

 ' White Town,' is a term applied by the Mongols to all 

 royal residences.' 



The place mentioned in the text was on the banks of 

 the Shandu- (or Shangtu-) gol, immediately north of the 

 town of Dolon-nor ; and one at first supposes that it must 

 have been Kublai's famous summer palace of * Xanadu ' or 

 Shangtu, which almost occupies such a position, but is 

 nearer NW. than N. of Dolon-nor. Moreover, the place 

 stands on the left bank of the river, whereas we find 

 Prejevalsky's Tsagan Baigas by his map to be on the 

 right bank. I have little doubt that the site seen by 

 Prejevalsky was that of another of Kublai's foundations, 

 called in his day Langting, of which Dr. Bushell Avrote to 

 me : ' The ruins of the city are marked on a Chinese map 

 in my possession, Pai-dzeng-tzu,\.&. "White City," implying 

 that it was formerly an Imperial Residence. The remains 

 of the wall are seven or eight li in diameter (qy. circumfe- 

 rence ?), of stone, and situated about forty // NNW. from 

 Dolon-nor.' All the points named do not correspond, but 

 the name and position do seem to answer. — [Y.] 



DUMB BARGAINING. 

 Г. 145. 



This kind of dumb higgling by finger pressure inside a 

 sleeve or under a shawl, is found over all the longitude of 

 Asia, from Peking certainly to Bombay, and possibly to 

 Constantinople. I have suggested elsewhere ^ that a 

 rumour of the use of such a system among the Chinese 



' See Marco Polo, 2ncl cd., vol. i. p. 287, and vol. ii. p. 9. 

 ^ Marco Polo, 2nd ed., ii. 486. 



