(le Kenjanfu de Marco Polo), cette forme persane est a son tour transcrite phonetiquement en chinois Kin-tchang fou, sans que les caracteres choisis jouent la aucun role semantique; Kin-tchang fou n’existe pas dans la geographie chinoise.  Quant a l’origine de la forme persane, il est possible, mais non par sur, que ce soit King-tchao fou.  La forme ‘Quen-zan-fou,’ qu’un ecolier chinois du Chen Si fournit a M. von Richthofen comme le nom de Si-ngan fou au temps des Yuan, doit avoir ete fautivement recueillie.  Il me parait impossible qu’un Chinois d’une province quelconque prononce zan le caractere [Chinese] tchao.”

XLI., p. 29 n.  A clause in the edict also orders the foreign bonzes of Ta T’sin and Mubupa (Christian and Mobed or Magian) to return to secular life.

Mubupa has no doubt been derived by the etymology mobed, but it is faulty; it should be Muhupa. (PELLIOT, Bul.  Ecole franc.  Ext.  Orient, IV., July-Sept., 1904, p. 771.) Pelliot writes to me that there is now no doubt that it is derived from mu-lu hien and that it must be understood as the “[religion of] the Celestial God of the Magi.”

XLIII., p. 32.

“The chien-tao, or ‘pillar road,’ mentioned, should be chan-tao, or ‘scaffolding road.’  The picture facing p. 50 shows how the shoring up or scaffolding is effected.  The word chan is still in common use all over the Empire, and in 1267 Kublai ordered this identical road (’Sz Ch’wan chan-tao’) to be repaired.  There are many such roads in Sz Ch’wan besides the original one from Han-chung-Fu.” (E.H.  PARKER, As.  Quart.  Rev., Jan., 1904, p. 144.)

XLIV., p. 36.  SINDAFU (Ch’eng tu fu).—­Through the midst of this great city runs a large river....  It is a good half-mile wide....

“It is probable that in the thirteenth century, when Marco Polo was on his travels, the ‘great river a good half-mile wide,’ flowing past Chengtu, was the principal stream; but in the present day that channel is insignificant in comparison to the one which passes by Ta Hsien, Yung-Chia Chong, and Hsin-Chin Hsien.  Of course, these channels are stopped up or opened as occasion requires.  As a general rule, they follow such contour lines as will allow gravitation to conduct the water to levels as high as is possible, and when it is desired to raise it higher than it will naturally flow, chain-pumps and enormous undershot water-wheels of bamboo are freely employed.  Water-power is used for driving mills through the medium of wheels, undershot or overshot, or turbines, as the local circumstances may demand.” (R.  Logan JACK, Back Blocks, p. 55.)

XLIV., p. 36.

SINDAFU.