a, pride themselves on being the most select of all
the Usbegs, but their day of power has passed by, for the present at all
events. Thirty years ago they were at the height of their success, but
they incurred the jealousy of other Usbeg tribes and of the Kirghiz.
Owing to the abilities of their great chief, Mussulman Kuli, they
succeeded in erecting in Khokand a powerful state, which was able to
restrain the encroachments of Bokhara, at that time the great enemy of
the former Khanate. But the plots that broke out against them in 1853,
in conjunction with the advance of Russia on the Syr Darya, were crowned
with success, and with the execution of Mussulman Kuli the Kipchak power
was completely broken. Since that date, however, several of the more
distinguished leaders who have appeared on the scene, such as Alim Kuli
and Abdurrahman Aftobatcha, have been members of this clan. The eastern
portion of the dominion of Yakoob Beg is almost exclusively inhabited
by Calmucks, or tribes of Calmuck descent. The great majority of the
inhabitants of Manchuria and Jungaria are of Calmuck descent, and even
in Russia in Europe there are many settlements of this tribe along the
Volga and the Don. None of these, however, possess any political
importance except those who inhabit the country north of Gobi and
between Eastern Turkestan and China, and the chief of these are the
Khalkas. The Calmucks are attached by old associations to the Government
of Pekin; and, although they have sometimes revolted against, and often
caused trouble to, the Central Government, they have generally
acknowledged their culpability and submitted to the Chinese authorities.
In the revolt of the Tungani the Calmucks remained true to China, and
performed very opportune service on various occasions. The Chinese army
in Eastern Turkestan was mainly recruited from among these tribes, who
became distinguished from the Tungani by their religion and fidelity.

The origin of the Tungani, or Dungans, as the Russians call them, is
much in dispute; and as they played so important a part in the loss of
Kashgar and Ili by China, as well as in the history of the rule of
Yakoob Beg, it may be as well to put the facts as they stand at some
length before the reader. There is no question, we believe, that the
Chinese in applying the term Tungani attach the meaning thereto of
Mahomedan. There is equal reason for supposing that the term Khitay,
literally meaning simply Chinese, has