NOTE 3.—(G. T.) “_Hi est le_ couiereque _dou Grant Sire, ce est cilz qe recevent la rente dou Seignor_.” Pauthier has _couvert_. Both are, I doubt not, misreadings or misunderstandings of _comercque_ or _comerc_. This word, founded on the Latin _commercium_, was widely spread over the East with the meaning of _customs-duty_ or _custom-house_. In Low Greek it appeared as κομμέρκιον and κουμέρκιον, now κομέρκι; in Arabic and Turkish as قمرق and كمرك (_ḳumruḳ_ and _gyumruk_), still in use; in Romance dialects as _comerchio, comerho, comergio_, etc. NOTE 4.—The word in Pauthier’s text which I have rendered _pieces_ of gold is _pois_, probably equivalent to _saggi_ or _misḳáls_.[2] The G. T. has “is well worth 1000 _bezants_ of gold,” no doubt meaning _daily_, though not saying so. Ramusio has “100 bezants daily.” The term Bezant may be taken as synonymous with _Dínár_, and the statement in the text would make the daily receipt of custom upwards of 500_l._, that in Ramusio upwards of 50_l._ only. NOTE 5.—I have recast this passage, which has got muddled, probably in the original dictation, for it runs in the G. text: “Et de ceste cité se part l’en et chevauche cinq jornée por plain et por valée, et treve-l’en castiaus et casaus assez. Les homes vivent dou profit qu’il traient de la terre. Il hi a bestes sauvajes assez, lions et orses et autres bestes. _Il vivent d’ars: car il hi se laborent des biaus sendal et autres dras. Il sunt de Sindu meisme._” I take it that in speaking of Ch’êng-tu fu, Marco has forgotten to fill up his usual formula as to the occupation of the inhabitants; he is reminded of this when he speaks of the occupation of the peasantry on the way to Tibet, and reverts to the citizens in the words which I have quoted in Italics. We see here _Sindu_ applied to the city, suggesting _Sindu-fu_ for the reading at the beginning of the chapter. Silk is a large item in the produce and trade of Sze-ch’wan; and through extensive quarters of Ch’êng-tu fu, in every house, the spinning, dying, weaving, and embroidering of silk give occupation to the people. And though a good deal is exported, much is consumed in the province, for the people are very much given to costly apparel. Thus silk goods are very conspicuous in the shops of the capital. (_Richthofen_.) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- [1] My lamented friend Lieutenant F. Garnier had kindly undertaken to send me a plan of Ch’êng-tu fu from the place itself, but, as is well known, he fell on a daring enterprise elsewhere. [We hope that the plan from a Chinese map we give from _M. Marcel Monnier’s Itinéraires_ will replace the promised one. It will be seen that Ch’êng-tu is divided into three cities: the Great City containing both the Imperial and Tartar cities.—H. C.]