500 À KASEM-BEG, 
to the aïd of Habib with an army of 10,000 Xfians. After having put the Greek army to flight, 
this same Selmân received new orders from the Khalif to continue his journey, with the Kü- 
fian soldiers, into Armenia. He continued to advance till he arrived at Derbend, and he had 
several battles with the Emperor of the Khazars (see appendix, ibid. and the note 19 to it.). 
Remark 4. page 49%. 
Nothing is saïd of these circumstances in the MSS. of Berlin and St. Petersburg, but in 
Ibnu-1-a’asam it is stated that the Emperor of the Khazars, being informed of the approach 
of the Arabs, left Derbend (Bâb) and fled. (see ibid.) 
Remark 5. page 494. 
In the Berlin MS. nothing is said of the Emperor of the Khazars, and in that of St. Pe- 
tersburg nothing of the Chinese Emperor. The number of 300,000 men however, is dwelt 
upon by both of them. The same number of soldiers we find in Ibnu-l-a'a-sam, relative to 
the army of the Emperor of the Khazars, whereas our MS. decreases the number of the 
Chinese army to 100,000 men only without mentionmg the number of the Khazars, to whose 
aid the Chinese were come. The preference in this respect however must be given to the 
statement in our MS. 
The report of our version, with regard to the share taken, in this war between the Arabs 
and Khazars, by the Chinese Emperor, is certainly a subject attracting curiosity, and, in my 
opinion, not without foundation. Considering that our author bas gathered his information only 
from different Muhammedan historical works, some of which are accessible to our researches, he 
cannot in many respects be looked upon as a critic, whose investigations into the gloomy re- 
gions of history and antiquity might lead him to distinguish that which ïs true from what 
is doubtful, mistaken, or mere hypothesis, without any foundation, Therefore, the report given 
by him of the Chinese Emperor’s being with his army on the confines of Khazaria, must not 
be imputed to his own mvention. We are Lo blame the original sources of his investigation for 
inaccuracy and imdifference. The following circumstances may throw some light on the subject, 
though seemingly so absurd to our readers, and point out a trace to the true fact. 
1) The power of the Chinese Empire was in a very flourishing state, before and at the 
period referred to by our author. The Chinese had about that time, repeated intercourse with 
the Arabs, Persians, Turks and even the Romans. Æirouz, the son of the inforlunate Fezdejerd, 
had fled for refuge to the court of Kaotsong from the Saracens (in 662 AD.), and claimed his 
own rights at the feet of that Emperors throne: this, together with some other circumstances, 
occasioned a discord between the Chinese and the Arabs, which continued a long time. (see 
Mailla's Æist. générale de la Chine T. IV. p. 153. Deguignes, Hist. gén. des Huns. T. 1. p- 57.) 
2) The Occidental Turks, or Zulgäs of that time, who were of the same race with the Kha- 
zars, having lost their former power, put themselves for a time under submission to the Chi- 
nese Emperor, who, after having subdued all then tribe, appointed «in the north» two Pro- 
tectors, ten commanders of corps, and 22 governors. Their dominion extended to the Caspian 
sea and even further, to the west; for the dominion of the Occidental Zulgd’s some years 
afterwards, is said to have extended in the west even to the frontiers of the Parbarians, ï. e. 
