Their money is such as I will tell you.  They use for the purpose certain white porcelain shells that are found in the sea, such as are sometimes put on dogs’ collars; and 80 of these porcelain shells pass for a single weight of silver, equivalent to two Venice groats, i.e. 24 piccoli.  Also eight such weights of silver count equal to one such weight of gold. [NOTE 4]

They have brine-wells in this country from which they make salt, and all the people of those parts make a living by this salt.  The King, too, I can assure you, gets a great revenue from this salt.[NOTE 5]

There is a lake in this country of a good hundred miles in compass, in which are found great quantities of the best fish in the world; fish of great size, and of all sorts.

They reckon it no matter for a man to have intimacy with another’s wife, provided the woman be willing.

Let me tell you also that the people of that country eat their meat raw, whether it be of mutton, beef, buffalo, poultry, or any other kind.  Thus the poor people will go to the shambles, and take the raw liver as it comes from the carcase and cut it small, and put it in a sauce of garlic and spices, and so eat it; and other meat in like manner, raw, just as we eat meat that is dressed.[NOTE 6]

Now I will tell you about a further part of the Province of Carajan, of which I have been speaking.

NOTE 1.—­We have now arrived at the great province of CARAJAN, the KARAJANG of the Mongols, which we know to be YUN-NAN, and at its capital YACHI, which—­I was about to add—­we know to be YUN-NAN-FU.  But I find all the commentators make it something else.  Rashiduddin, however, in his detail of the twelve Sings or provincial governments of China under the Mongols, thus speaks:  “10th, KARAJANG.  This used to be an independent kingdom, and the Sing is established at the great city of YACHI.  All the inhabitants are Mahomedans.  The chiefs are Noyan Takin, and Yakub Beg, son of ’Ali Beg, the Beluch.”  And turning to Pauthier’s corrected account of the same distribution of the empire from authentic Chinese sources (p. 334), we find:  “8.  The administrative province of Yun-nan....  Its capital, chief town also of the canton of the same name, was called Chung-khing, now YUN-NAN-FU,” Hence Yachi was Yun-nan-fu.  This is still a large city, having a rectangular rampart with 6 gates, and a circuit of about 6 1/2 miles.  The suburbs were destroyed by the Mahomedan rebels.  The most important trade there now is in the metallic produce of the Province. [According to Oxenham, Historical Atlas, there were ten provinces or sheng (Liao-yang, Chung-shu, Shen-si, Ho-nan, Sze-ch’wan, Yun-nan, Hu-kwang, Kiang-che, Kiang-si and Kan-suh) and twelve military governorships.—­H.C.]

Yachi was perhaps an ancient corruption of the name Yichau, which the territory bore (according to Martini and Biot) under the Han; but more probably Yichau was a Chinese transformation of the real name Yachi.  The Shans still call the city Muang Chi, which is perhaps another modification of the same name.