Furnace it will
come forth a horse." And Indian Steel again seems to have been regarded as
a distinct natural species from ordinary steel. It is in fact made by a
peculiar but simple process, by which the iron is converted directly
into cast-steel, without passing through any intermediate stage analogous
to that of blister-steel. When specimens were first examined in England,
chemists concluded that the steel was made direct from the ore. The
Ondanique of Marco no doubt was a fine steel resembling the Indian
article. (Mueller's Ctesias, p. 80; Curtius, IX. 24; Mueller's Geog.
Gr. Min. I. 262; Digest. Novum, Lugd. 1551, Lib. XXXIX. Tit. 4;
Salmas. Ex. Plinian. II. 763; Edrisi, I. 65-66; J. R. S. A. A. 387
seqq.; Hamasae Carmina, I. 526; Elliot, II. 209, 394; Reynolds's
Utbi, p. 216.)
[Illustration: Texture, with Animals, etc., from a Cashmere Scarf in the
Indian Museum.
"De deverses maineres labores a bestes et ausiaus mout richement."]
NOTE 4. - Paulus Jovius in the 16th century says, I know not on what
authority, that Kerman was then celebrated for the fine temper of its
steel in scimitars and lance-points. These were eagerly bought at high
prices by the Turks, and their quality was such that one blow of a Kerman
sabre would cleave an European helmet without turning the edge. And I see
that the phrase, "Kermani blade" is used in poetry by Marco's contemporary
Amir Khusru of Delhi. (P. Jov. Hist. of his own Time, Bk. XIV.;
Elliot, III. 537.)
There is, or was in Pottinger's time, still a great manufacture of
matchlocks at Kerman; but rose-water, shawls, and carpets are the
staples of the place now. Polo says nothing that points to shawl-making,
but it would seem from Edrisi that some such manufacture already existed
in the adjoining district of Bamm. It is possible that the "hangings"
spoken of by Polo may refer to the carpets. I have seen a genuine Kerman
carpet in the house of my friend, Sir Bartle Frere. It is of very short
pile, very even and dense; the design, a combination of vases, birds, and
floral tracery, closely resembling the illuminated frontispiece of some
Persian MSS.
The shawls are inferior to those of Kashmir in exquisite softness, but
scarcely in delicacy of texture and beauty of design. In 1850, their
highest quality did not exceed 30 tomans (14l.) in price. About 2200
looms were employed on the fabric. A good deal of Kerman wool called
Kurk, goes via Bandar Abbasi and Karachi to Amritsar, where it is mixed
with the genuine Tibetan wool in the shawl manufacture. Several of the
articles named in the text, including pardahs ("cortines") are woven in
shawl-fabric. I scarcely think, however, that Marco would have confounded
woven shawl with needle embroidery. And Mr. Khanikoff states that the silk
embroidery, of which Marco speaks, is still performed with great skill and
beauty at Kerman. Our cut illustrates the textures figured with animals,
already noticed at p. 66.
The Guebers were numerous here at the end of last century, but they are
rapidly disappearing now. The Musulman of Kerman is, according to
Khanikoff, an epicurean gentleman, and even in regard to wine, which is
strong and plentiful, his divines are liberal. "In other parts of Persia
you find the scribblings on the walls of Serais to consist of
philosophical axioms, texts from the Koran, or abuse of local authorities.
From Kerman to Yezd you find only rhymes in praise of fair ladies or good
wine."
(Pottinger's Travels; Khanik. Mem. 186 seqq., and Notice, p. 21;
Major Smith's Report; Abbott's MS. Report in F. O.; Notes by Major O.
St. John, R.E.)
NOTE 5. - Parez is famous for its falcons still, and so are the districts
of Aktur and Sirjan. Both Mr. Abbott and Major Smith were entertained with
hawking by Persian hosts in this neighbourhood. The late Sir O. St. John
identifies the bird described as the Shahin (Falco Peregrinator), one
variety of which, the Farsi, is abundant in the higher mountains of S.
Persia. It is now little used in that region, the Terlan or goshawk
being most valued, but a few are caught and sent for sale to the Arabs of
Oman. (J. R. G. S. XXV. 50, 63, and Major St. John's Notes.)
["The fine falcons, 'with red breasts and swift of flight,' come from
Pariz. They are, however, very scarce, two or three only being caught
every year. A well-trained Pariz falcon costs from 30 to 50 tomans (12l.
to 20l.), as much as a good horse." (Houtum-Schindler, l.c. p. 491.)
Major Sykes, Persia, ch. xxiii., writes: "Marco Polo was evidently a
keen sportsman, and his description of the Shahin, as it is termed,
cannot be improved upon." Major Sykes has a list given him by a Khan of
seven hawks of the province, all black and white, except the Shahin,
which has yellow eyes, and is the third in the order of size. - H. C.]
NOTE 6. - We defer geographical remarks till the traveller reaches Hormuz.
[1] A learned friend objects to Johnson's Hundwaniy = "Indian Steel," as
too absolute; some word for steel being wanted. Even if it be so, I
observe that in three places where Polo uses Ondanique (here, ch.
xxi., and ch. xlii.), the phrase is always "steel and ondanique."
This looks as if his mental expression were Pulad-i-Hundwani,
rendered by an idiom like Virgil's pocula et aurum.
[2] Kenrick suggests that the "bright iron" mentioned by Ezekiel among the
wares of Tyre (ch. xxvii. 19) can hardly have been anything else than
Indian Steel, because named with cassia and calamus.
[3] Literally rendered by Mr. Redhouse: "The Indians do well the combining
of mixtures of the chemicals with which they (smelt and) cast the soft
iron, and it becomes Indian (steel), being referred to India (in
this expression)."
[4] In Richardson's Pers.
