Travelers from history and their famous sea voyages

NOTE 5.–So Pauthier”s text, ‘_en legation_.’ The G. Text includes Nicolo
Polo, and says, ‘on business of theirs that is not worth mentioning,’ and
with this Ramusio agrees.

more hopeful of getting a favourable hearing
By the time the Court moved to Cordova early in 1487, Columbus was once
more hopeful of getting a favourable hearing. He followed the Court to
Cordova, where he received a gracious message from the Queen to the
effect that she had not forgotten him, and that as soon as her military
preoccupations permitted it, she would go once more, and more fully, into
his proposals. In the meantime he was attached to the Court, and
received a quarterly payment of 3000 maravedis. It seemed as though the
unfavourable decision of Talavera”s committee had been forgotten.

of Eastern Tibet, and by popular report in modern times to the Hazaras of
the Hindu-Kush, a people of Mongolian blood, as well as to certain nomad
tribes of Persia, to say nothing of the like accusation against our own
ancestors which has been drawn from Laonicus Chalcondylas
The shameful custom here spoken of is ascribed by Polo also to a province
of Eastern Tibet, and by popular report in modern times to the Hazaras of
the Hindu-Kush, a people of Mongolian blood, as well as to certain nomad
tribes of Persia, to say nothing of the like accusation against our own
ancestors which has been drawn from Laonicus Chalcondylas. The old Arab
traveller Ibn Muhalhal (10th century) also relates the same of the Hazlakh
(probably _Kharlikh_) Turks: ‘Ducis alicujus uxor vel filia vel soror,
quum mercatorum agmen in terram venit, eos adit, eorumque lustrat faciem.
Quorum siquis earum afficit admiratione hunc domum suam ducit, eumque apud
se hospitio excipit, eique benigne facit. Atque marito suo et filio
fratrique rerum necessariarum curam demandat; neque dum hospes apud eam
habitat, nisi necessarium est, maritus eam adit.’ A like custom prevails
among the Chukchis and Koryaks in the vicinity of Kamtchatka.
(_Elphinstone”s Caubul; Wood_, p. 201; _Burnes_, who discredits, II. 153,
III. 195; _Laon. Chalcond._ 1650, pp. 48-49; _Kurd de Schloezer_, p. 13;
_Erman_, II. 530.)

OF THE BATTLE THAT THE GREAT KAAN FOUGHT WITH NAYAN.

A modern Kashmr example of such work is shown under ch. xvii.

distinguishes three very different species of iron: ‘1st
Avicenna, in his fifth book _De Anim_, according to Roger Bacon,
distinguishes three very different species of iron: ‘1st. Iron which is
good for striking or bearing heavy strokes, and for being forged by hammer
and fire, but not for cutting-tools. Of this hammers and anvils are made,
and this is what we commonly call _Iron_ simply. 2nd. That which is purer,
has more heat in it, and is better adapted to take an edge and to form
cutting-tools, but is not so malleable, viz. _Steel_. And the 3rd is that
which is called ANDENA. This is less known among the Latin nations. Its
special character is that like silver it is malleable and ductile under a
very low degree of heat. In other properties it is intermediate between
iron and steel.’ (_Fr. R. Baconis Opera Inedita_, 1859, pp. 382-383.) The
same passage, apparently, of Avicenna is quoted by Vincent of Beauvais,
but with considerable differences. (See _Speculum Naturale_, VII. ch. lii.
lx., and _Specul. Doctrinale_, XV. ch. lxiii.) The latter author writes
_Alidena_, and I have not been able to refer to Avicenna, so that I am
doubtful whether his _Andena_ is the same term with the _Andaine_ of
Pauthier and our _Ondanique_.

Prince by those 12,000 Barons, amounting in all to 156,000 suits of so
great cost and value, to say nothing of the girdles and the boots which
are also worth a great sum of money
Now I have told you of the thirteen changes of raiment received from the
Prince by those 12,000 Barons, amounting in all to 156,000 suits of so
great cost and value, to say nothing of the girdles and the boots which
are also worth a great sum of money. All this the Great Lord hath ordered,
that he may attach the more of grandeur and dignity to his festivals.

NOTE 1.–KARKORUM, near the upper course of the River Orkhon, is said by
Chinese authors to have been founded by Bk?Khan of the Hoei-Hu or
Uigrs, in the 8th century, In the days of Chinghiz, we are told that it
was the headquarters of his ally, and afterwards enemy, Togrul Wang Khan,
the Prester John of Polo. [’The name of this famous city is Mongol,
_Kara_, “black,” and _Kuren_, “a camp,” or properly “pailing.”‘ It was
founded in 1235 by Okkodai, who called it Ordu Balik, or ‘the City of the
Ordu,’ otherwise ‘The Royal City.’ Mohammedan authors say it took its name
of Karkorum from the mountains to the south of it, in which the Orkhon
had its source. (_D”Ohsson_, ii. 64.) The Chinese mention a range of
mountains from which the Orkhon flows, called _Wu-t?kien shan_. (_T”ang
shu_, bk. 43b.) Probably these are the same. Rashiduddin speaks of a tribe
of Utikien Uigrs living in this country. (_Bretschneider, Med. Geog._
191; _D”Ohsson_, i. 437. _Rockhill, Rubruck_, 220, note.)–Karkorum was
called by the Chinese _Ho-lin_ and was chosen by Chinghiz, in 1206, as his
capital; the full name of it, _Ha-la Ho-lin_, was derived from a river to
the west. (_Yuen shi_, ch. lviii.) Gaubil (_Holin_, p. 10) says that the
river, called in his days in Tartar _Karoha_, was, at the time of the
Mongol Emperors, named by the Chinese _Ha-la Ho-lin_, in Tartar language
_Ka la Ko lin_, or _Cara korin_, or _Kara Koran_. In the spring of 1235,
Okkodai had a wall raised round Ho-lin and a palace called _Wang an_,
built inside the city. (_Gaubil, Gentchiscan_, 89.) After the death of
Kbli, _Ho-lin_ was altered into _Ho-Ning_, and, in 1320, the name of the
province was changed into _Ling-p_ (mountainous north, i.e. the
_Yin-shan_ chain, separating China Proper from Mongolia). In 1256, Mangu
Kaan decided to transfer the seat of government to Kaiping-fu, or Shangtu,
near the present Dolonnor, north of Peking. (_Supr_ in Prologue, ch. xiii.
note 1.) In 1260, Kbli transferred his capital to _Ta-Tu_ (Peking).

memorable in the history of the world
The next day, Thursday, October 11th, was destined to be for ever
memorable in the history of the world. It began ordinarily enough, with
a west-south-west wind blowing fresh, and on a sea rather rougher than
they had had lately. The people on the Santa Maria saw some petrels and
a green branch in the water; the Pinta saw a reed and two small sticks
carved with iron, and one or two other pieces of reeds and grasses that
had been grown on shore, as well as a small board. Most wonderful of
all, the people of the Nina saw ‘a little branch full of dog roses’; and
it would be hard to estimate the sweet significance of this fragment of a
wild plant from land to the senses of men who had been so long upon a sea
from which they had thought never to land alive. The day drew to its
close; and after nightfall, according to their custom, the crew of the
ships repeated the Salve Regina. Afterwards the Admiral addressed the
people and sailors of his ship, ‘very merry and pleasant,’ reminding them
of the favours God had shown them with regard to the weather, and begging
them, as they hoped to see land very soon, within an hour or so, to keep
an extra good look-out that night from the forward forecastle; and adding
to the reward of an annuity of 10,000 maravedis, offered by the Queen to
whoever should sight land first, a gift on his own account of a silk
doublet.