“Conquered by the Huns in the latter part of the fourth century, some of the Alans moved westward, others settled on the northern slopes of the Caucasus; though long prior to that, in A.D. 51, they had, as allies of the Georgians, ravaged Armenia. (See Yule, Cathay, 316; Deguignes, I., pt. ii. 277 et seq.; and De Morgan, I. 217, et seq.)

“Mirkhond, in the Tarikhi Wassaf, and other Mohammedan writers speak of the Alans and As.  However this may be, it is thought that the Oss or Ossetes of the Caucasus are their modern representatives (Klaproth, Tabl. hist., 180; De Morgan, i. 202, 231.)” Aas is the transcription of A-soo (Yuen-shi, quoted by Deveria, Notes d’epig., p. 75). (See Bretschneider, Med.  Res., II., p. 84.)—­H.C.]

NOTE 3.—­The Chinese histories do not mention the story of the Alans and their fate; but they tell how Chang-chau was first taken by the Mongols about April 1275, and two months later recovered by the Chinese; how Bayan, some months afterwards, attacked it in person, meeting with a desperate resistance; finally, how the place was stormed, and how Bayan ordered the whole of the inhabitants to be put to the sword.  Gaubil remarks that some grievous provocation must have been given, as Bayan was far from cruel.  Pauthier gives original extracts on the subject, which are interesting.  They picture the humane and chivalrous Bayan on this occasion as demoniacal in cruelty, sweeping together all the inhabitants of the suburbs, forcing them to construct his works of attack, and then butchering the whole of them, boiling down their carcasses, and using the fat to grease his mangonels!  Perhaps there is some misunderstanding as to the use of this barbarous lubricant.  For Carpini relates that the Tartars, when they cast Greek fire into a town, shot with it human fat, for this caused the fire to rage inextinguishably.

Cruelties, like Bayan’s on this occasion, if exceptional with him, were common enough among the Mongols generally.  Chinghiz, at an early period in his career, after a victory, ordered seventy great caldrons to be heated, and his prisoners to be boiled therein.  And the “evil deed” of the citizens of Chang-chau fell far short of Mongol atrocities.  Thus Hulaku, suspecting the Turkoman chief Nasiruddin, who had just quitted his camp with 300 men, sent a body of horse after him to cut him off.  The Mongol officers told the Turkoman they had been ordered to give him and his men a parting feast; they made them all drunk and then cut their throats. (Gaubil, 166, 167, 170; Carpini, 696; Erdmann, 262; Quat.  Rashid. 357.)

[1] I must observe here that the learned Professor Bruun has raised doubts
    whether these Alans of Marignolli’s could be Alans of the Caucasus, and
    if they were not rather Ohlans, i.e.  Mongol Princes and nobles.  There
    are difficulties certainly about Marignolli’s Alans; but obvious
    difficulties also in this explanation.