the distances are taken into consideration, a serious
difficulty arises; Chi-kin is two hundred and fifty or sixty _li_ distant
from Su-chow, whilst, according to M. Polo's statement, ten days are
necessary to cross this distance. One of the three following explanations
of this discrepancy must be admitted: either Chingintalas is not Chi-kin,
or the traveller's memory failed, or, lastly, an error crept into the
number of days' journey. The two last suppositions I consider the most
probable; the more so that similar difficulties occur several times in
Marco Polo's narrative." (L.c. p. 8.)--H. C.]

NOTE 2.--[_Ondanique_.--We have already referred to this word, _Kerman_,
p. 90. _Cobinan_, p. 124. La Curne de Sainte-Palaye (_Dict._), F. Godefroy
(_Dict._), Du Cange (_Gloss._), all give to _andain_ the meaning of
_enjambee_, from the Latin _andare_. Godefroy, _s.v. andaine_, calls it
_sorte d'acier ou de fer_, and quotes besides Marco Polo:

"I. espiel, ou ot fer d'andaine,
Dont la lamele n'iert pas trouble."

(Huon de Mery, _Le Tornoiement de l'Antechrist_, p. 3, Tarbe.)

There is a forest in the department of Orne, arrondissement of Domfront,
which belonged to the Crown before 1669, and is now State property, called
Foret d'Andaine; it is situated near some bed of iron. Is this the origin
of the name?--H. C.]

NOTE 3.--The Altai, or one of its ramifications, is probably the mountain
of the text, but so little is known of this part of the Chinese territory
that we can learn scarcely anything of its mineral products. Still Martini
does mention that asbestos is found "in the Tartar country of _Tangu_,"
which probably is the _Tangnu Oola_ branch of the Altai to the south of
the Upper Yenisei, and in the very region we have indicated as
Chingintalas. Mr. Elias tells me he inquired for asbestos by its Chinese
name at Uliasut'ai, but without success.

NOTE 4.--

"Degli elementi quattro principali,
Che son la Terra, e l'Acqua, e l'Aria, e'l Foco,
Composti sono gli universi Animali,
Pigliando di ciascuno assai o poco."
(_Dati_, _La Sfera_, p. 9.)

_Zurficar_ in the next sentence is a Mahomedan name, _Zu'lfikar_, the
title of [the edge of] Ali's sword.

NOTE 5.--Here the G. Text adds: "_Et je meisme le vi_," intimating, I
conceive, his having himself seen specimens of the asbestos--not to his
having been at the place.

NOTE 6.--The story of the Salamander passing unhurt through fire is at
least as old