DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.15174#0212
196
NOTICE ON YARKUND. book i-
three tillas (twelve or eighteen rupees); and the
merchants, long after leaving the country, sing the
praises of the fair ones of Yarkund. I could not
discover what had given rise to their appearing
without veils and being invested with such in-
fluence ; but I congratulate them on two such in-
fringements of Mahommedan usage. Besides the
native Chinese, who frequent Yarkund, I am in-
formed that Christian merchants, probably Arme-
nians, also visit it from the eastward: they dress as
Chinese.
The intercourse from Tibet and Bokhara is car-
ried on by regulations that are truly energetic.
The natives of these countries are not permitted
to proceed beyond Yarkund and the neighbouring
towns, and, as they enter the Chinese dominions,
are placed under certain persons, who have a know-
ledge of the countries from which they come, and
made responsible for their behaviour. So tho-
roughly organised is this system of police, that it is
said to be impossible to elude its vigilance. A
native who was suspected in these countries, and
was afterwards in my service, remained in con-
finement for three months, and was at length dis-
missed by the route he had come, but not till a
likeness of him had been first taken. Several
copies of the picture were despatched to the frontier
towns with these instructions : — "If this man
enters the country, his head is the Emperor's, his
property is yours." I need not add, that he has
never since sought to extend his acquaintance in
the Chinese provinces of Yarkund.
NOTICE ON YARKUND. book i-
three tillas (twelve or eighteen rupees); and the
merchants, long after leaving the country, sing the
praises of the fair ones of Yarkund. I could not
discover what had given rise to their appearing
without veils and being invested with such in-
fluence ; but I congratulate them on two such in-
fringements of Mahommedan usage. Besides the
native Chinese, who frequent Yarkund, I am in-
formed that Christian merchants, probably Arme-
nians, also visit it from the eastward: they dress as
Chinese.
The intercourse from Tibet and Bokhara is car-
ried on by regulations that are truly energetic.
The natives of these countries are not permitted
to proceed beyond Yarkund and the neighbouring
towns, and, as they enter the Chinese dominions,
are placed under certain persons, who have a know-
ledge of the countries from which they come, and
made responsible for their behaviour. So tho-
roughly organised is this system of police, that it is
said to be impossible to elude its vigilance. A
native who was suspected in these countries, and
was afterwards in my service, remained in con-
finement for three months, and was at length dis-
missed by the route he had come, but not till a
likeness of him had been first taken. Several
copies of the picture were despatched to the frontier
towns with these instructions : — "If this man
enters the country, his head is the Emperor's, his
property is yours." I need not add, that he has
never since sought to extend his acquaintance in
the Chinese provinces of Yarkund.