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JOURNAL TO THE PLYMOUTH INSTITUTION. 
MAECO POLO. 
ABSTRACT OF ME. W. BEER's PAPER. 
(Read November 28th, 1872.) 
Marco Polo was born in Venice in 1253. The first Polo known to 
history is Andrea Marco's grandfather. Andrea had three sons — 
Marco, the elder, Mcolo, and Maffeo. They were all engaged in 
commerce with the East. In 1260 we hear of Mcolo and Maffeo 
at Constantinople. Thence chance carried them to Cambaluc — 
now Pekin — the seat of Kublai Khan. They returned to Venice. 
Nicolo found his wife dead, and his son Marco fifteen years old. 
After three years the three — JNicolo, Maffeo, and Marco — set out 
to return to Cambaluc. It is the history of this overland journey 
which gives so great an interest to Marco's travels. The Khan 
was pleased with Marco and gave him employment, which carried 
him into many strange districts — amongst others, to Yunnan, the 
country of the Panthays, who have lately sent an embassy to 
England. The object of the new route by the Irrawaddy to 
Bhamo is to reach this populous district. After seventeen years a 
fortunate chance enabled the Polos to return by sea. In 1299 
Marco was taken prisoner in a sea fight with the Genoese. During 
his imprisonment at Genoa, Bustician, of Pisa, compiled the 
" Travels of Ser Marco Polo," from the dictation of the illustrious 
traveller. Marco seems to have been released the same year. Of 
his married life we know nothing. He died in January, 1324. His 
work was a link in the providential chain which led Columbus to 
the discovery of the new world. To quote Colonel Yale, his true 
claims to honour are — he was the first traveller to trace a route 
across the whole longitude of Asia, describing the deserts of Persia, 
the wild gorges of Badakshan. the jade-bearing rivers of Khokan, 
and the Mongolian Steppes ; to reveal China in all its wealth and 
vastness ; to tell us of Tibet, Burma, Laos, Siarn, Cochin China, 
and Japan ; to speak of Java, of Sumatra, of Ceylon, and of India 
the Great, not as a dreamland of Alexandrian fables, but as a 
country seen and partially explored. 
