in says that when Kublai was
born Chinghiz expressed surprise at the child's being so _brown_, as its
father and all his other sons were fair. Indeed, we are told that the
descendants of Yesugai (the father of Chinghiz) were in general
distinguished by blue eyes and reddish hair. (_Michel's Joinville_, p.
324; _D'Ohsson_, II. 475; _Erdmann_, 252.)

NOTE 2.--According to Hammer's authority (Rashid?) Kublai had _seven_
wives; Gaubil's Chinese sources assign him _five_, with the title of
empress (_Hwang-heu_). Of these the best beloved was the beautiful Jamui
Khatun (Lady or Empress Jamui, illustrating what the text says of the
manner of styling these ladies), who bore him four sons and five
daughters. Rashiduddin adds that she was called _Kun Ku_, or the great
consort, evidently the term _Hwang-heu_. (Gen. Tables in _Hammer's
Ilkhans_; _Gatibil_, 223; _Erdmann_, 200.)

["Kublai's four wives, i.e. the empresses of the first, second, third, and
fourth _ordos_. _Ordo_ is, properly speaking, a separate palace of the
Khan, under the management of one of his wives. Chinese authors translate
therefore the word _ordo_ by 'harem.' The four _Ordo_ established by
Chingis Khan were destined for the empresses, who were chosen out of four
different nomad tribes. During the reign of the first four Khans, who
lived in Mongolia, the four _ordo_ were considerably distant one from
another, and the Khans visited them in different seasons of the year; they
existed nominally as long as China remained under Mongol domination. The
custom of choosing the empress out of certain tribes, was in the course of
time set aside by the Khans. The empress, wife of the last Mongol Khan in
China, was a Corean princess by birth; and she contributed in a great
measure to the downfall of the Mongol Dynasty." (_Palladius_, 40.)

I do not believe that Rashiduddin's _Kun Ku_ is the term _Hwang-keu_; it
is the term _Kiun Chu_, King or Queen, a sovereign.--H. C.]

NOTE 3.--_Ungrat_, the reading of the Crusca, seems to be that to which
the others point, and I doubt not that it represents the great Mongol
tribe of KUNGURAT, which gave more wives than any other to the princes of
the house of Chinghiz; a conclusion in which I find I have been
anticipated by De Mailla or his editor (IX. 426). To this tribe (which,
according to Vambery, took its name from (Turki) _Kongur-At_, "Chestnut
Horse") belonged Burteh Fujin, the favourite wife of Chinghiz himself, and
mother of