P.
229.)
Dr. Sven Hedin followed the route Kashgar, Yangi-Hissar, Yarkand to
Khotan, in 1895. He made a stay of nine days at Ilchi, the population of
which he estimated at 5500 inhabitants (5000 Musulmans, 500 Chinese).
(See also Sven Hedin, Die Geog. wissenschaft. Ergebnisse meiner Reisen in
Zentralasien, 1894-1897. Petermann's Mitt., Ergaenz. XXVIII. (Hft. 131),
Gotha, 1900. - H. C.]
CHAPTER XXXVII.
OF THE PROVINCE OF PEIN.
Pein is a province five days in length, lying between east and north-east.
The people are worshippers of Mahommet, and subjects of the Great Kaan.
There are a good number of towns and villages, but the most noble is PEIN,
the capital of the kingdom.[NOTE 1] There are rivers in this country, in
which quantities of Jasper and Chalcedony are found.[NOTE 2] The people
have plenty of all products, including cotton. They live by manufactures
and trade. But they have a custom that I must relate. If the husband of
any woman go away upon a journey and remain away for more than 20 days, as
soon as that term is past the woman may marry another man, and the husband
also may then marry whom he pleases.[NOTE 3]
I should tell you that all the provinces that I have been speaking of,
from Cascar forward, and those I am going to mention [as far as the city
of Lop] belong to GREAT TURKEY.
