D. Chap. 8, p. 22-1/2:  1275, fourth moon.  The Ta-sz-nung and yue-shi chung-ch’eng Puh-lo promoted to be yue-shi ta-fu.

E. Chap. 9, p. 11-2/2:  1276, seventh moon.  The Imperial Prince Puh-lo given a seal.

F. Chap. 9, p. 16-2/2:  1277, second moon.  The Ta-sz-nung and yue-shi ta-fu, Puh-lo, being also suean-wei-shi and Court Chamberlain, promoted to be shu-mih fu-shi, and also suean-hwei-shi and Court Chamberlain.

“The words shu-mih fu-shi the Chinese characters for which are given on p. 569 of M. Cordier’s second volume, precisely mean ’Second-class Commissioner attached to the Privy Council,’ and hence it is clear that Pauthier was totally mistaken in supposing the censor of 1270 to have been Marco.  Of course the Imperial Prince Puh-lo is not the same person as the censor, nor is it clear who the (1) pageant and (2) Tangut Puh-los were, except that neither could possibly have been Marco, who only arrived in May—­the third moon—­at the very earliest.

“In the first moon of 1281 some gold, silver, and bank-notes were handed to Puh-lo for the relief of the poor.  In the second moon of 1282, just before the assassination of Achmed, the words ‘Puh-lo the Minister’ (ch’eng-siang) are used in connection with a case of fraud.  In the seventh moon of 1282 (after the fall of Achmed) the ‘Mongol man Puh-lo’ was placed in charge of some gold-washings in certain towers of the then Hu Peh (now in Hu Nan).  In the ninth moon of the same year a commission was sent to take official possession of all the gold-yielding places in Yuen Nan, and Puh-lo was appointed darugachi (= governor) of the mines.  In this case it is not explicitly stated (though it would appear most likely) that the two gold superintendents were the same man; if they were, then neither could have been Marco, who certainly was no ‘Mongol man.’  Otherwise there would be a great temptation to identify this event with the mission to ‘una citta, detta Carazan’ of the Ramusio Text.

“There is, however, one man who may possibly be Marco, and that is the Poh-lo who was probably with Kublai at Chagan Nor when the news of Achmed’s murder by Wang Chu arrived there in the third moon of 1282.  The Emperor at once left for Shang-tu (i.e. K’ai-p’ing Fu, north of Dolonor), and ’ordered the shu-mih fu-shi Poh-lo [with two other statesmen] to proceed with all speed to Ta-tu (i.e. to Cambalu).  On receiving Poh-lo’s report, the Emperor became convinced of the deceptions practised upon him by Achmed, and said:  “It was a good thing that Wang Chu did kill him."’ In 1284 Achmed’s successor is stated (chap, 209, p. 9-1/2) to have recommended Poh-lo, amongst others, for minor Treasury posts.  The same man (chap. 209, p. 12-1/2) subsequently got Poh-lo appointed to a salt superintendency in the provinces; and as Yang-chou is the centre of the salt trade, it is just possible that Marco’s ‘governorship’ of that place may resolve itself into this.