[1] The Reason Of The Change Was, Probably, That They Might Fall In With The Travelling Tartar Camps, Who Went Northwards In The Summer, That They Might Procure Food And Change Of Horses.

In going to Mangu, he appears to have travelled through Soongaria, and, in returning, through the country of the Kalmaks.

The river here mentioned may have been the Borotala. - E

[2] Sarni, Saray, or Sarey, seems to have been built on the Achtuba, or eastern branch of the Volga, near Zarewpod, where many traces of a large town, still exist. Sumerkent is unknown, but may have been near Astrachan, formerly named Hadschi-Aidar-Khan. But there are ruins of a town still existing on both sides of the Volga, which are now used for the purpose of making saltpetre. - Forst.

[3] Schabran, or Schabiran. - E.

[4] Shamaki, in Shirvan. - E.

[5] The Karai, on which Tefflis or Tiblis stands, runs from the north-west; the Demur, Araz or Araxes from the west; and both united form the Kur, which runs directly south into the Caspian. - E.

[6] Georgia or Gurgistan is to the north-west of the plain of Mogan. - E.

[7] These were the ancestors of the present Turks, who laid the foundation of the Osmanian or Othoman empire. Kanja, called Ganges or Ganghe in the text, was their capital. - Frost.

[8] This passage is erroneous or corrupted. In travelling westwards up the Araxes or Araz, he had Persia on his left, to the south, Georgia on his right, to the north, and the Caspian sea and mountains of the Iron-gate were left behind him, to the east and north-east. - E.

[9] Westwards. - E.

[10] Arz-roum on the Frat or Euphrates, perhaps a corruption of Arx- romanorum; as the Turks give the name of Roum to a part of Lesser Asia; and all the eastern nations call the Constantinopolitan empire Roum to this day. - E.

[11] Turkey, in these travels of Rubruquis, is always, to be understood as referring to the Turkish dominion in Asia Minor, of which Konieh or Iconium was the capital. - E.

[12] Nak-sivan, or Nag-jowan. - E.

[13] This must be an error for eighty. - E.

[14] Rubruquis here tells a long story of an Armenian prophecy, from which they expected to be freed from the iron yoke of the Tartars, by St Louis, not worth inserting. - E.

[15] Kurke or Kurch. - E.

[16] Aias-cala, in the gulf of Aiasso, or Scanderoon. - E.

[17] Antioch or Antakia. - E.

[18] Ptolomais, or St John d'Acre. - E.

CHAP. X.

Travels of Haitho, Prince of Armenia, in Tartary, in 1254 [1].

SECTION I.

Introduction.

Haitho, or Hatto, was the son of Livon, or Leon II., nephew of Haitho I., king of Armenia Minor, in Lesser Asia. At the demise of his father, he refused to accept of the crown, which he resigned in favour of his brother Thores or Theodore; but assisted him and his son and successor, Leon III., in all the wars and troubles in which they were engaged during many years. During the reign of his father in 1254, accompanied by his wife and child, he travelled to the court of Mangu-khan, the great sovereign of the Tartars or Mongals, for the purpose of obtaining an abatement of the tribute which had been imposed by these conquerors upon his country, and appears to have been successful in his negotiations.

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