Asia -- Description and travel -- Early works to 1800; Mongols -- History; Polo, Marco, 1254-1323?; Voyages and travels
Ta-li fu was recently the capital of Sultan Suleiman [Tu Wen-siu].
It was reached by Lieutenant Garnier in a daring détour by the
north of Yun-nan, but his party were obliged to leave in haste on
the second day after their arrival. The city was captured by the
Imperial officers in 1873, when a horrid massacre of the Mussulmans
took place [19th January]. The Sultan took poison, but his head was
cut off and sent to Peking. Momein fell soon after [10th June], and
the _Panthé_ kingdom is ended.
We see that Polo says the King ruling for Kúblái at this city
was a son of the Kaan, called COGACHIN, whilst he told us in
the last chapter that the King reigning at Yachi was also a son
of the Kaan, called ESSENTIMUR. It is probably a mere lapsus or
error of dictation calling the latter a son of the Kaan, for in
ch. li. _infra_, this prince is correctly described as the Kaan’s
grandson. Rashiduddin tells us that Kúblái had given his son
HUKÁJI (or perhaps _Hogáchi_, _i.e._ Cogachin) the government of
Karajang,[1] and that after the death of this Prince the government
was continued to his son ISENTIMUR. Klaproth gives the date of the
latter’s nomination from the Chinese Annals as 1280. It is not easy
to reconcile Marco’s statements perfectly with a knowledge of these
facts; but we may suppose that, in speaking of Cogachin as ruling
at Karajang (or Tali-fu) and Esentimur at Yachi, he describes
things as they stood when his visit occurred, whilst in the second
reference to “Sentemur’s” being King in the province and his father
dead, he speaks from later knowledge. This interpretation would
confirm what has been already deduced from other circumstances,
that his visit to Yun-nan was prior to 1280. (_Pemberton’s Report
on the Eastern Frontier_, 108 _seqq._; _Quat. Rashid._ pp.
lxxxix-xc.; _Journ. Asiat._ sér. II. vol. i.)
NOTE 2.—[Captain Gill writes (II. p. 302): “There are said to be
very rich gold and silver mines within a few days’ journey of the
city” (of Ta-li). Dr. Anderson says (_Mandalay to Momien_, p. 203):
“Gold is brought to Momein from Yonephin and Sherg-wan villages,
fifteen days’ march to the north-east; but no information could
be obtained as to the quantity found. It is also brought in leaf,
which is sent to Burma, where it is in extensive demand.”—H. C.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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