le Boukaria,
Kalmoukia, Great and Little Thibet--all these denominations seem to us
purely imaginary. We shall enter, by-and-by, into some details on this
subject, in the second part of our travels, when we come to speak of
Thibet and of the neighbouring people.

The people who are comprised in the grand division of Mongolia, that we
have just given, are not all to be indiscriminately considered as
Mongols. There are some of them to whom this denomination can only be
applied in a restricted sense. Towards the north-west, for instance, the
Mongols are frequently confounded with the Moslems; and towards the
south, with the Si-Fans, or Eastern Thibetians. The best way clearly to
distinguish these people, is to pay attention to their language, their
manners, their religion, their costume, and particularly to the name by
which they designate themselves. The Mongol Khalkhas are the most
numerous, the most wealthy, and the most celebrated in history. They
occupy the entire north of Mongolia. Their country is of vast extent,
including nearly 200 leagues from north to south, and about 500 from east
to west. We will not repeat here what we have already said about the
Khalkha district; we will merely add that it is divided into four great
provinces, subject to four separate sovereigns. These provinces are
sub-divided into eighty-four banners, in Chinese called Ky, in Mongol
Bochkhon. Princes of different ranks are at the head of each banner.
Notwithstanding the authority of these secular princes, it may safely be
said that the Khalkhas are all dependent on the Guison-Tamba, the Grand
Lama, the Living Buddha of all the Mongol Khalkhas, who consider it an
honour to call themselves Disciples of the Holy One of Kouren (_Koure
bokte ain Chabi_).

The Southern Mongols have no special designation; they merely bear the
name of the principality to which they belong. Thus they say, "Mongol of
Souniout, Mongol of Gechekten," etc. Southern Mongolia comprises
twenty-five principalities, which, like those of the Khalkhas, are
sub-divided into several Bochkhon. The principal are the Ortous, the two
Toumet, the two Souniout, the Tchakar, Karatsin Oungniot, Gechekten,
Barin, Nayman, and the country of the Eleuts.

The Southern Mongols, near the Great Wall, have little modified their
manners by their constant intercourse with the Chinese. You may remark
sometimes in their dress a sort of studied elegance, and in their
character pre