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Vol. VII, No. 11.) The Vikramaditya Samnvatsara. 729 
Bt i ] 
owing to the habit of taking for granted the statements of the 
later Chinese compilers, as for instance Ma Twanlin’s ‘‘ Mirror 
of History,’’ a work of the thirteenth century, to the neglect of 
the originals ; the records of the Han historians have been so 
much distorted that very false ideas of their contents have been 
accepted as genuine history. The Shi Ki (Record of History), 
Ssema T’sien’s great work (Chap. CX), gives a letter sent by the 
Shenyu (T’ientse) of the Hiung Nu Turks in the year 178 B.C. 
to the Han Emperor Wen Ti, which is worth quoting at length :— 
‘* The supreme Shenyii by the Grace of Heaven, to the Hwangti, 
sortie ae ee rates merly _there existed between us a treaty 
officers in shins ge noe the Abst have been encroaching, and have 
used insulting language towards the Right Yen-Wang, which 
he bore without rejoinder. More recently it has become a matter 
of anxious deliberation between him and Nansse, Marquis of 
any communication; while some of the lower officials have 
committed breaches of the agreement, and attacking the Right 
Yen-Wang have forced him into the western regions, where he 
was attacked by the Yuehti. 
18. eaven, however, was propitious to our arms; o 
forces were well found, our cavalry brave and powerful, dad 
in the end we totally defeated the Yuehti, carrying fire and sword 
through their lands, and pacifying the country up to Leolan 
(Cherchen). 
19. (In consequence of our success) the Wusun (Asiani) 
and the (H)Ugrit Nerages em afterwards Wigurs), and the neigh- 
bouring peoples to then r of six and twenty, have joined our 
confederacy ; Ga all the « Row tices *’ nations are now united 
as one y aving now pacified all the northern 
regions, 
it is our earnest wish that an end should be put to hostilities, 
and that there should be no more quarrellings ; so that we may 
times of old:—That our young men may grow up to manhood, 
our old wa live in peace, and quiet and harmony prevail 
from age to age.’ : 
20. The CXXIlIrd describes how the Yuehti 
had been attacked by the great Turkish Shenyii who had utterly 
defeated them ; killing their king, whose skull he converted into 
a drinking 42 and forcing the people to flee their country and 
tks refuge beyond the ranges at the head of the Oxus. The 
explorer Chang K’ien in 123-124 B.C. found them in the country 
