Indian Antiquary Vol 18

SR No.: 032510
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: John Faithfull Fleet, Richard Carnac Temple
Publisher: Swati Publications
Publication Year: 1984
Total Pages: 454
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 19 MB

Page 61

FEBRUARY, 1889.]
MISCELLANEA.
MISCELLANEA.
PROGRESS OF EUROPEAN SCHOLARSHIP. No. XIII.
Transactions of the Eastern Section of the Imperial Russian Archæological Society.
(a.) Meeting of the 24th September (6th October) 1887.
J. S. Yashtrebov, Consul-General at Salonika, presented the Society with a collection of Old Coins, Greek, Roman, Byzantine, Slavonic and
Italian.
V. V. Veliaminov-Zernov, in a letter to Baron Rosen, expressed his consent to the publication of the fourth part of the Essays on the Tsars of Kasimovo.
Vice-Consul Villier-de-Lille Adam presented to the Society a collection of Egyptian Antiquities, bronze and alabaster statuettes, heads in terracotta, &c.
V. A. Zhukovski read a paper on M. Bielozerski's book Letters on Persia, included in the Collection of Geographical and Topographical Notices of Asia, and in his careful review of the above-mentioned book 'shewed the superficial. nature of the views of M. Bielozerski and the levity with which he had addressed himself to the task.
(b.) Meeting of the 26th October (7th November)
1887.
S. J. Chakhotin sent some Eastern Coins for inspection, one of which, according to Baron Tiesenhausen, exhibited special interest.
The Fifteenth Volume of the Transactions of the Eastern Section, containing the text, translation, notes and preface to the History of the Mongols, by Rashidu'ddin, published by I. N. Berezin, will appear as soon as the index which is now in the press is ready.
A letter was received from A. T. Soloviev, with some coins and an impression of a Chughatai Coin of Kazan-Timûr, which, in the opinion of Baron Tiesenhausen, is very curious.
V. Villier-de-Lille Adam sent three Egyptian Statuettes as a present to the Society.
A. M. Pozdneiev read a paper on Calmuck Literature, which is important, although boasting no great antiquity.
(c.) Meeting of the 13th December 1887. V. M. Uspenski sent four coins, one of which is unique according to Baron Tiesenhausen.
N. N. Pantusov sent to the Society six Chinese Proclamations to the inhabitants of the Ili District in three languages, Chinese, Manchu and Turki, of the years 1880-1881, the time of the transfer of Kulja to China; they contain an
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amnesty offered by the Chinese to the inhabitants of that district.
V. V. Radlov read a paper on the yarliks of Tuqtamish and Timur-Qutluq (which will be published shortly in the Transactions).
S. M. Georgierski communicated extracts from his large work on Chinese Social Institutions. (d.) Song about Khudvar Khẩn,N. Ostroümov communicates from Tashkand a song on the Banishment of Khudvår Kháǹ from Fergana. It is said to produce a great effect upon the Mussulmâns, who weep upon hearing it sung. The author is unknown. A translation is added. The piece is in the usual Oriental style, full of trite reflexions, e. g.," My life has passed, O God! My actions have been vain." In one verse he is made to say-"I have fallen into Russian nets, and have been shut up in a cage." In a note to the poem Baron Rosen says that he does not think either the text or translation quite accurate, but as the Sart dialect is so little understood, he has only ventured on a few emendations.
(e) The Embassy of Spaphari.-This is a translation from the Chinese, giving an account of an embassy sent in the year 1676 by the Tsar Alexis Mikhailovich to the Emperor of China. Communicated by A. Ivanovski.
(f) Remarks on the kurgans of Turkistán, by N. Veselovski.-These are called in Western Turkistan, kepe, which means hillock. The word kurgan, which was undoubtedly used for such mounds in ancient times, is now preserved only in the names of towns and villages. There are no traditions among the natives that these mounds were heaped up over the graves of their ancestors. The writer did not excavate any of the mounds used as graves, but collected information about them wherever he could. When kurgans of this kind are found alone they are very high, but smaller when they are in groups, and the place is then called by the natives mintepe, the thousand' hills. The most numerous are situated in the Margelan district of Fergana. In the mintepes various articles are found, such as buckles, rings, metal lookingglasses, &c. The fact that mintepes are only discovered near the Sirdarya, leads us to conclude that they were raised by nomads. On the other hand, kurgáns are sometimes used by stationary populations as fortifications, but by the nomads they are never employed as such. A fort of this kind is Toi-tepe (situated 35 versts from Tashkand, on the way to Khojand). Some kurgáns stand quite alone and have no towns near them, as Chorloktepe, forty versts to the north of Tashkand. It