ung)--viz. the To Kiang or Chung-Kiang flowing
south-east to join the great river at Lu-chau, whilst another flows south
to Sue-chau or Swi-fu, does render change in the distribution of the waters
about the city highly credible."] [See _Irrigation of the Ch'eng-tu
Plain_, by _Joshua Vale_, China Inland Mission in _Jour. China
Br.R.A.S.Soc._ XXXIII. 1899-1900, pp. 22-36.--H.C.]

[Above Kwan Hsien, near Ch'eng-tu, there is a fine suspension bridge,
mentioned by Marcel Monnier (_Itineraires_, p. 43), from whom I borrow the
cut reproduced on this page. This bridge is also spoken of by Captain Gill
(l.c. I. p. 335): "Six ropes, one above the other, are stretched very
tightly, and connected by vertical battens of wood laced in and out.
Another similar set of ropes is at the other side of the roadway, which is
laid across these, and follows the curve of the ropes. There are three or
four spans with stone piers."--H.C.]

[Illustration: Bridge near Kwan-hsien (Ch'eng-tu).]

NOTE 3.--(G.T.) "_Hi est le_ couiereque _dou Grant Sire, ce est cilz qe
recevent la rente dou Seignor_." Pauthier has _couvert_. Both are, I doubt
not, misreadings or misunderstandings of _comereque_ or _comerc_. This
word, founded on the Latin _commercium_, was widely spread over the East
with the meaning of _customs-duty_ or _custom-house_. In Low Greek it
appeared as [Greek: kommerkion] and [Greek: koumerkion], now [Greek:
komerki]; in Arabic and Turkish as [Arabic] and [Turkish] (_kumruk_ and
_gyumruk_), still in use; in Romance dialects as _comerchio, comerho,
comergio_, etc.

NOTE 4.--The word in Pauthier's text which I have rendered _pieces_ of
gold is _pois_, probably equivalent to _saggi_ or _miskals_.[2] The G.T.
has "is well worth 1000 _bezants_ of gold," no doubt meaning _daily_,
though not saying so. Ramusio has "100 bezants daily." The term Bezant may
be taken as synonymous with _Dinar_, and the statement in the text would
make the daily receipt of custom upwards of 500_l._, that in Ramusio
upwards of 50_l._ only.

NOTE 5.--I have recast this passage, which has got muddled, probably in
the original dictation, for it runs in the G. text: "Et de ceste cite se
part l'en et chevauche cinq jornee por plain et por valee, et treve-l'en
castiaus et casaus assez. Les homes vivent dou profit qu'il traient de la
terre. Il hi a bestes sauvajes assez, lions et orses et autres bestes.
_Il vivent d'ars: car il hi se laborent des biaus sendal et autres dras