1899.] Introduction. xiii 
also visited by Mr. Macartney in the spring of the same year. In his 
demi-official letter, No. 121, dated 21st July, 1897, he states that “It 
is a largely populated village about 5 miles west of the Khotan Chinese 
city. Some gold ornaments, beads, precious stones (diamonds and 
hahiJc) and terracotta images have been discovered there.” In a private 
letter, dated the 20th October, 1897, Mr. Macartney informs me that 
when he visited Borazan, he “found a number of villagers engaged 
in digging into the side of a loess cliff, the lower portion of which 
visibly contained a large quantity of broken pottery, bones and decom¬ 
posed vegetable matter. The stratum in which the excavations were 
being made was about 12 feet below the level of the present village. 
The layer which lies immediately above this formation, and on which 
stands the village, is also of loess; but it is noteworthy that this 
upper layer shows no streaks or stratification, a fact which points to 
the conclusion that the deposit was formed during one single flood. 
Geologically speaking, therefore, there appears nothing furnishing an 
indication of the time during which the lower stratum had been covered. 
I enquired of the villagers whether there was any tradition about 
Borazan having once been destroyed by flood; but no information could 
be elicited on this point. They knew nothing about it.” Mr. Backluud, 
however, informs me, in a letter, dated the 10th October, 1898, that 
“ Borazan is said to have been a large town with forty gates, which 
was conquered by a Rustam who burnt it and led a rivulet into the 
place. These things are said to have taken place before the Moslirn 
time.” He adds that “ the town in the place seen by me is now buried 
under the mud up to 25-30 feet, as it seemed to me. It is a find- 
place for clay images. We also found there a bone, measuring 16’75" 
in circumference. Whether it be a bone from a yak or an elephant, we 
could not judge.” Most of the pottery, coins and other miscellaneous 
objects, comprised in M. 2 and M. 3, are believed by Mr. Macartney to 
come from Borazan, while the similar objects, comprised in M. 6, are 
stated by Mr. Hogberg, from whom they were acquired, to have been 
dug out in that place. It appears to me most probable that Borazan 
marks the ancient site of the town of Khotan. At the present day 
Khotan lies close to the left bank of the Yurung Qash (or ‘white 
jade ’) river, and apparently about 8 or 10 miles to the east of the Qara 
Qash (or ‘ black jade ’) river. In olden times, however, it seems to 
have occupied a site nearly midway between those two rivers. Accord¬ 
ing to the Geography of the Ming dynasty (from 1368 A.D.) the Yurung 
Qasli flowed 30 li, or 6 miles East of Khotan, and the Qara Qasli, 27 li 
or 5| miles West of that town. 6 According to other Chinese estimates 
a See Abel liemusat’s Histoire de la Ville de Khotan , p. 112 ; also p. 19. 
