in length.  Twenty such ropes were joined, applied to the tops of buildings, and covered with clay.  In this manner the fire-arrows, fire-pao, and even the pao casting stones of 100 Lbs. weight, could cause no damage to the towers or houses.” (Ib. 196; also for previous parts of this note, Visdelou, 188; Gaubil, 34, 155 seqq. and 70; De Mailla, 329; Pauthier in loco and Introduction; D’Ohsson, II. 35, and 391; Notes by Mr. Edward Thomas, F.R.S.; Q.  Rashid., pp. 132, 136.) [See I. p. 342.]

[Captain Gill writes (River of Golden Sand, I. p. 148):  “The word ‘P’ao’ which now means ‘cannon,’ was, it was asserted, found in old Chinese books of a date anterior to that in which gunpowder was first known to Europeans; hence the deduction was drawn that the Chinese were acquainted with gunpowder before it was used in the West.  But close examination shows that in all old books the radical of the character ‘P’ao’ means ‘stone,’ but that in modern books the radical of the character ‘P’ao’ means ‘fire’; that the character with the radical ‘fire’ only appears in books well known to have been written since the introduction of gunpowder into the West; and that the old character ‘P’ao’ in reality means ‘Balista.’” —­H.C.]

["Wheeled boats are mentioned in 1272 at the siege of Siang-yang.  Kublai did not decide to ‘go for’ Manzi, i.e. the southern of the two Chinese Empires, until 1273.  Bayan did not start until 1274, appearing before Hankow in January 1275.  Wuhu and Taiping surrendered in April; then Chinkiang, Kien K’ang (Nanking), and Ning kwoh; the final crushing blow being dealt at Hwai-chan.  In March 1276, the Manzi Emperor accepted vassaldom.  Kiang-nan was regularly administered in 1278.” (E.  H. Parker, China Review, xxiv. p. 105.)—­H.C.]

Siang-yang has been twice visited by Mr. A. Wylie.  Just before his first visit (I believe in 1866) a discovery had been made in the city of a quantity of treasure buried at the time of the siege.  One of the local officers gave Mr. Wylie one of the copper coins, not indeed in itself of any great rarity, but worth engraving here on account of its connection with the siege commemorated in the text; and a little on the principle of Smith the Weaver’s evidence:—­“The bricks are alive at this day to testify of it; therefore deny it not.”

[Illustration:  Coin from a treasure hidden at Siang-yang during the siege in 1268-73, lately discovered.]

[1] And to the Bern MS. which seems to be a copy of it, as is also I think
    (in substance) the Bodleian.

[2] In this note I am particularly indebted to the researches of the
    Emperor Napoleon III. on this subject. (Etudes sur le passe et
    l’avenir de l’Artillerie; 1851.)

[3] Thus Joinville mentions the journey of Jehan li Ermin, the king’s
    artillerist, from Acre to Damascus, pour acheter cornes et glus pour
    faire arbalestres—­to buy horns and glue to make crossbows withal
    (p. 134).