ar letter from
the hereditary chieftain of the Horde, a personage who rejoiced in the
imposing name of Genghis Khan,* and claimed to be a descendant of the
great Mongol conqueror. This document assured us a good reception in the
aouls through which we passed. Every Kirghis who saw it treated it with
profound respect, and professed to put all his goods and chattels at our
service. But in spite of this powerful recommendation we met with none
of the friendly cordiality and communicativeness which I had found among
the Bashkirs. A tent with an unlimited quantity of cushions was always
set apart for our accommodation; the sheep were killed and boiled for
our dinner, and the pails of kumyss were regularly brought for our
refreshment; but all this was evidently done as a matter of duty and not
as a spontaneous expression of hospitality. When we determined once or
twice to prolong our visit beyond the term originally announced, I could
perceive that our host was not at all delighted by the change of our
plans. The only consolation we had was that those who entertained
us made no scruples about accepting payment for the food and shelter
supplied.

* I have adopted the ordinary English spelling of this name.
The Kirghiz and the Russians pronounce it "Tchinghiz."

From all this I have no intention of drawing the conclusion that the
Kirghiz are, as a people, inhospitable or unfriendly to strangers. My
experience of them is too limited to warrant any such inference. The
letter of Genghis Khan insured us all the accommodation we required,
but it at the same time gave us a certain official character not at all
favourable to the establishment of friendly relations. Those with whom
we came in contact regarded us as Russian officials, and suspected us of
having some secret designs. As I endeavoured to discover the number
of their cattle, and to form an approximate estimate of their annual
revenue, they naturally feared--having no conception of disinterested
scientific curiosity--that these data were being collected for the
purpose of increasing the taxes, or with some similar intention of a
sinister kind. Very soon I perceived clearly that any information we
might here collect regarding the economic conditions of pastoral life
would not be of much value, and I postponed my proposed studies to a
more convenient season.

The Kirghiz are, ethnographically speaking, closely allied to the
Bashkirs, but differ from them both in p