1840.] 



Russian Mission from Orenhourg to Bokhara. 



53 



bis companion be^an to smile. On enquiring what there was in the 

 question to excite their mirth, I learned that the Torgout Kalmouk, 

 having been reduced to a state of slavery among the Kirghiz, it was 

 considered as a disgrace to have de-^cended from them. I then un- 

 derstood what it was that had caused a smile at the expense of the 

 Kirghiz, whom I had so unintentionally offended. 



The boundary which is generally assigned to Tartary, does not ap- 

 pear to me correct : for, under this name, the country inhabited by the 

 Tartars of Siberia, Kazan, Astracan, Crimea, and that which extends 

 from the Belour mountains lo the C-ispian Sea ; for the Turks of Con- 

 stantinople ought to be included in the same rnce : in Dzoungarie in 

 the little Kouldja, five hundred dwellings belong to the Doungani 

 Tartars, who are the same race with those who occupy one thousand 

 dwellings in the great Kouldja, and who all speak ;the Tartar and Mon- 

 gol languages. 



The Tartars, u ho dwell and reign in the country, erroneously called 

 by us little Bokhara (a name unknown to any Asiatic, and for which 

 I will henceforth substitute that of Chinese Turkistan), although sub- 

 jugated by the Kalmouks, have nevertheless not become entirely ex- 

 tinct ; they are, however, more of the Dz')ungar Kalmouk, who passed 

 into Cliinese Turkistan, along with ihe Mandchous in 1759. Tartar 

 is still the prevailing tongue iu Cachghar, Jarkend, Khoten and Ak 

 sou. These then are the countries which belong to Tartary in a- 

 literal sense.* 



I do not coincide in the opinion of those who maintain that geogra- 

 phically, Tartary should be regarded as extending eastward, as far as 

 the Belour mountain*:, and to the south-east as far as Hindoo Koosh, 

 which there separates it from Afghanistan. 



In this case, the race of Tartars, who never extended so far south- 

 ward, would at the same time comprehend, under the denomination of 

 j Tartary, some countries which are not of Tartar origin, while it would 

 I exclude Chinese Turkistan, which is literally so. If in geography 

 we give to a country the name of a people, it should be conditional on 

 such people inhabiting that country. 



It appears to me then, that Central Asia would be a more appropriate 

 name to introduce in lieu of Tartary, since I have found it more cor- 

 rect, and more geographical. f 



I • I have seen many of these people who speak Tartar and not 'Mongol.— Translator. 

 w t It is almost impossible to translate this chapter, which is obscure even in French, 

 fl and is generally the case with the Count's style of writing, it not feeing his native 

 I tongue.— 2Vans/a^or. 



