Is There
An Affinity To Be Found Between The Modern Barhus And The Barhuns Of
Chingis Khan's Biography?
- And is it to be supposed, that in the course of
time, they spread from Lake Baikal to the Hing'an range?
Or is it more
correct to consider them a branch of the Mongol race indigenous to the
Hing'an Mountains, and which received the general archaic name of Bargu,
which might have pointed out the physical character of the country they
inhabited [Kin Shi], just as we find in history the Urianhai of Altai
and the Urianhai of Western Manchuria? It is difficult to solve this
question for want of historical data." - H. C.]
Mescript, or Mecri, as in G. T. The Merkit, a great tribe to the
south-east of the Baikal, were also called Mekrit and sometimes
Megrin. The Mekrit are spoken of also by Carpini and Rubruquis. D'Avezac
thinks that the Kerait, and not the Merkit, are intended by all three
travellers. As regards Polo, I see no reason for this view. The name he
uses is Mekrit, and the position which he assigns to them agrees fairly
with that assigned on good authority to the Merkit or Mekrit. Only, as in
other cases, where he is rehearsing hearsay information, it does not
follow that the identification of the name involves the correctness of all
the circumstances that he connects with that name. We saw in ch. xxx. that
under Pashai he seemed to lump circumstances belonging to various parts
of the region from Badakhshan to the Indus; so here under Mekrit he
embraces characteristics belonging to tribes extending far beyond the
Mekrit, and which in fact are appropriate to the Tunguses. Rashiduddin
seems to describe the latter under the name of Uriangkut of the Woods, a
people dwelling beyond the frontier of Barguchin, and in connection with
whom he speaks of their Reindeer obscurely, as well as of their tents of
birch bark, and their hunting on snow-shoes.
The mention of the Reindeer by Polo in this passage is one of the
interesting points which Pauthier's text omits. Marsden objects to the
statement that the stags are ridden upon, and from this motive mis-renders
"li qual' anche cavalcano," as, "which they make use of for the purpose
of travelling." Yet he might have found in Witsen that the Reindeer are
ridden by various Siberian Tribes, but especially by the Tunguses. Erman
is very full on the reindeer-riding of the latter people, having himself
travelled far in that way in going to Okhotsk, and gives a very detailed
description of the saddle, etc., employed. The reindeer of the Tunguses
are stated by the same traveller to be much larger and finer animals than
those of Lapland. They are also used for pack-carriage and draught. Old
Richard Eden says that the "olde wryters" relate that "certayne Scythians
doe ryde on Hartes." I have not traced to what he refers, but if the
statement be in any ancient author it is very remarkable.
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