painted and baked in furnaces; and so cheap is this manufacture, that eight of these dishes may be bought for one Venetian groat[21].  From this province of Concha, the great Khan derives nearly as great a revenue as he does from Quinsai.  In these two provinces I travelled, but in none of die other provinces of Mangi; in all of which one language Is used, with considerable variety in dialect, and but one kind of writing.

[1] There are two Chinese measures called Li; of the greater there are 200
    to a degree of latitude, and of the smaller 250.  It is possible that
    Marco may have mistaken one or other of these measures for miles;
    either of which suppositions would reduce the bounds of Quinsai to
    some decent moderation, being thirty-four miles for the greater, and
    twenty-seven miles for the smaller li, yet a large city on even the
    latter substitution.  Koan-sing, which may likewise be written Quan-
    sing, all Chinese names in alphabetical characters, being quite of
    arbitrary orthography, is the only place which can be supposed the
    same with Quinsai.  But similarity of sounds is a very uncertain guide. 
    From other circumstances in the text, the modern Kua-hing may have
    once been Quinsay.—­E.

[2] Calculating by Li, this extent will be reduced to eleven or thirteen
    miles.—­E.

[3] By the same reduction, these squares will be reduced to half a quarter
    of a mile in the sides.—­E.

[4] Probably a mistaken translation or transcription for melons, pumpkins,
    or gourds.—­E.

[5] This amounts to more than one sixth of an ounce daily for a population
    of a million, including infants.  A thing utterly incredible, and which
    must arise from some corruption of the text.  It exceeds 9000 tons
    yearly.  Perhaps, instead of pepper the original had salt.—­E.

[6] This alone would give a working population exceeding a million,
    including the women, children, and aged, belonging to these.  But
    populous as the country certainly is, the Chinese, in all ages, from
    Polo down to Staunton, have imposed those ridiculously exaggerated
    accounts upon all inquisitive travellers.  This subject will be
    discussed in that division of this work, which particularly relates to
    China.—­E.

[7] The contrast between the cleanness and splendour of Quinsay and the
    gloomy dirt of European cities in the thirteenth century is very
    striking.  China then enjoyed hackney coaches, tea gardens, and
    hilarity; while the delights of European capitals were processions of
    monks among perpetual dunghills in narrow crooked lanes.—­E.

[8] Probably meaning a gong.—­E.

[9] There must be some corruption in the text here; for even Chinese
    exaggeration could hardly venture upon this computation, which would
    extend the garrisons in Mangi alone to many millions.—­E.