ty of Persia towards the north, even
as the political boundaries were then situated.

"From Balkh his wonderful journey proceeded further eastwards, and
therefore we take leave of him. Precisely in Eastern Persia his
descriptions are so brief that they leave free room for all kinds of
speculations. In the foregoing pages it has been simply my desire to
present a few new points of view. The great value of Marco Polo's
description of the Persian desert consists in confirming and proving its
physical invariableness during more than six hundred years. It had as
great a scarcity of oases then as now, and the water in the wells was not
less salt than in our own days." (_Overland to India_, II., pp. 75-77.)

XXVII., p. 152 n.

DOGANA.

"The country of Dogana is quite certain to be the Chinese T'u-ho-lo or
Tokhara; for the position suits, and, moreover, nearly all the other
places named by Marco Polo along with Dogana occur in Chinese History
along with Tokhara many centuries before Polo's arrival. Tokhara being the
most important, it is inconceivable that Marco Polo would omit it. Thus,
Poh-lo (Balkh), capital of the Eptals; Ta-la-kien (Talecan), mentioned by
Hiuan Tsang; Ho-sim or Ho-ts'z-mi (Casem), mentioned in the _T'ang
History_; Shik-nih or Shi-k'i-ni (Syghinan) of the _T'ang History_;
Woh-k'an (Vochan), of the same work; several forms of Bolor, etc. (see also
my remarks on the Pamir region in the _Contemporary Review_ for Dec.,
1897)." (E.H. PARKER, _Asiatic Quart. Rev._, Jan., 1904, p. 142.)

XIX., p. 160.

BADAKHSHAN.

"The Chinese name for 'Badakhshan' never appears before the Pa-ta-shan of
Kublai's time." (E.H. PARKER, _Asiatic Quart. Rev._, Jan., 1904, p. 143.)

XXX., pp. 164-166. "You must know that ten days' journey to the south of
Badashan there is a province called PASHAI, the people of which have a
peculiar language, and are Idolaters, of a brown complexion. They are
great adepts in sorceries and the diabolic arts. The men wear earrings and
brooches of gold and silver set with stones and pearls. They are a
pestilent people and a crafty; and they live upon flesh and rice. Their
country is very hot."

Sir A. STEIN writes (_Ancient Khotan_, I., pp. 14-15 n.): "Sir Henry Yule
was undoubtedly right in assuming that Marco Polo had never personally
visited these countries and that his account of them, brief as it is, was
derived from hearsay information about the tracts which the Mongol
partisan leader Nig