The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1873-01-18
THE kHANS OF TARTARY,

! he mans OF Iartary figure in romance
and middle-age history as princes of mar
vellous power and resources and of unpar-
alleled magnificence. They figure in the
wonderous arabian Nights. Tamerlane
and Genghis, who overrun Eastern Europe
/ seem to have caused more terror than all
other monarchs who have made war, eth
er before or since, and their names are
held till to-day as synonyms of all that is
most destructive and terrible of barbarism.
Marco Polo surrounds Kublai the great
Khan, with variety of luxuries, the de-
scription of which would be incredible
were it not that his other accounts had
been verified and found substantially ac
curate. "With eagles for falcons saws
Mr.. Spencer in Harper's Magazine, and
lynxes, leopards, and lions for hunting
dogs, he could at any time improvise an
army of 100000 men from his falconers.
beaters, and whippers-in. Polo tells us
that when the emperor went 'a-fowling
he was carried upon four elephants in
fine chamber made of timber, lined inside
with plates Of beaten gold, and outside
with lions skins, attended by 20, 900 hunts
men and 10000 dogs moving along abreast
OF one another, so that the whole line ex
tended over full days journey, and no
animals could escape them.
Each of the four expresses of the
Son of Heaven had special court of her
own, which, with damsels, eunuchs pages,
and other attendants, numbered ten thousand
persons. Thirteen times year the twelve
thousand barons attached to his court
were furnished out of his prvy purse with
a golden girdle, and costly robe cores
ponding in color to the emperor's own, and
garnlshed with gems and pearls and 9TH
er precious things, in a very rich and cost
ly manner His stud of milk white hors-
es, to which were added, by way of New
Years presents, hundred thousand an
nually, would have eclipsed those of all the
princes and potentates Of Europe taken to
gether. On the occasion of the festival of
the White Feast, his five thousand ele-
plants, 'all covered with rich and gay
housings of inlaid CLOTH together with
great number of camels, each carving two
splendid Golfers containing the emperor's
gold and silver plate and other costly fur
niture, were exhibited to the wondering
populace. Then Kublai's charities were
conducted upon scale commensurate with
his boundess wealth. Besides the five
thousand astrologers whom he provided
with annual maintenance and clothing
thirty thousand loaves of bread, shot from
the baking were by his orders distributed
daily to the poor. Six thousand guests had
their seats in the dining hall of his palace,
the greatest that ever was
In modern times, until within few
years, the domains of the great Khan have
been inaccessible to Europeans. Arminius
Nambery, several years ago, succeeded, by
Disgusting himself as dervish, and aided
by skillful acting, in traverising all the
States under the pleasant assurance that if
his true character were detected he would
be exposed to instant death. He has pub
lished the first ineligible accounts of the
country we have had for centuries. Rus
sian military operations have let more
light into Tartary. The great Khans are
no more. Apparently, no mementoes of
them are left. In their place reign dozen
petty despots, who enjoy the reputation of
giving their subjects the worst government
on the face of the EARTH
The Emir of Bokhara, who appears to be
the greatest of them, has for four years
acknowledged Russian supremacy, and sub
mits to such regulations of trade and in
tercourse as that empire is pleased to i'm
pose. His neighbor, the Khan of Khok-
and, finds himself in like situation, and
has so far renowned his Mohommedan big
otry as to find congenial amusement in
playing with European toys, and entertains
himself and his court with having all sit
to Russian artist for their photographs,
an act which year ago would be consid-
cred a capital offence. Russia has con-
cluded treaties with the other chiefs of
consequence, except with him of khiva;
and is now in the act of reducing him to
subsection. AS he has held out the long
est, he may, be regarded as the present rep
resentative of the great Khans. He reigns
in land which sis so fertile that the
plough need not be used; the gardens pro,
duce grapes, apples, pears, plums, MELONS,
o,,I - g
exquisite flavor" His capital, the town
Khva, contains upward of 5000 houses,
all of whieh-net excepting that of the
Khan-are built of mud. The houses have
no chimneys and no windows, and the
smoke Of the fires escapes through an open
ing in the roof There is not a single pane
of glass in the residence of the Khan, which
contains forty rooms, and is surrounded by
not very formidable rampant, ON which
cannon have lately been placed No per-
manent army is maintained'
The Khan is about twenty -four years of
age, walks every day in his gardens, is pas
sionately fond Of hunting with the falcon,
and is much liked by the people. With
the subsection of this chief, which will
soon be, if it is not already accomplished,
the entire hive of the barbarians, by whom
Europe has been tormented in ancient and
modern times, will be brought under civil
izing influences.
A FUNNY MIsTAKE.-Old negro SUM
bering with his feet pointing to glim-
mering fire. Opens one eye and gets a
glimpse of them, as they stand up in the
obscurity. Mistakes them for two little
,onroos ,pI or;oe. 6 C;f f,,,,, ,co,o o,a ,,