one of the provinces, the deficiency
is supplied from the tenths which he receives in the other provinces. If
any beast or sheep happens to be killed by lightning in a flock or herd, he
draws no tribute from that flock, however great, for three years, under an
idea that God is angry with the owner of the herd.

That travellers may discern, and be able to discover the road in
uninhabited places, trees are planted at convenient distances, along all
the principal roads; and in the sandy and desert places, where trees will
not grow, stones and pillars are erected to direct the passengers, and
officers are appointed to see that all these things are performed.
According to the opinion of the astrologers, the planting of trees conduces
to lengthen the age of man, and therefore, the khan is the more induced to
encourage their propagation by his order and example.

In the province of Cathay, the people make excellent drink of rice and
certain spices, which even excels wine in flavour; and those who drink too
much of it become sooner drunk than with wine[3]. Through this whole
province, certain black stones are dug from the mountains, which burn like
wood, and preserve fire a long time, and if kindled in the evening, will
keep on fire all night[4]; and many people use these stones in preference
to wood, because, though the country abounds in trees, there is a great
demand for wood for other purposes.

The great khan is particularly attentive to the care of the poor in the
city of Cambalu. When he hears of any honourable family that, has fallen to
decay through misfortune, or of any who cannot work, and have no
subsistence, he gives orders for issuing a whole years subsistence,
together with garments, both for winter and summer, to the heads of those
distressed families. There is an appropriate office or tribunal for this
imperial bounty, to which those who have received the warrants or orders of
the khan apply for relief. The khan receives the tenths of all wool, silk,
and hemp, which he causes to be manufactured into stuffs of all kinds, in
houses set apart for this purpose; and as all artificers of every
description are bound to work for him one day in every week, he has immense
quantities of every kind of useful commodity in his storehouses. By these
means, likewise, there are similar imperial manufactures in every city of
the empire, in which clothing is made from his tithe wool for his
innumerable soldiers. According to the