________________
MAY, 1889.)
MISCELLANEA.
157
middle age; 4, young men, 3 boys, 29 girls, and School, Kazan, 1887. The appearance of this 3 old women. The portraits of the women are work is due to the approaching 200th anniversary best executed.
of the Mission to Pekin, which, as is well known, (4) Bedouin Wit, by Baron V. Rosen. This is a existed in China de facto from the year 1689 and comic story from "The Book of Animals," by Jahiz, de jure from 1715. The author, a former member (A.H. 255 = 869). It tells how a Bedouin carved of the Mission, appears to have begun his work in a fowl, keeping the best part for himself. There Pekin, and perhaps finished it there. But the are many stories of this kind in Arabian antholo necessary documents would be wanting, as all of gies, both in verse and proge, in which a rude them, to the year 1863, are in the archives of the countryman plays pranks upon the educated Minister for Foreign Affairs, and still await their townsman. When we can assign the date of such editor. The book could only be compiled in stories, they are valuable as illustrating the mutual Moscow or St. Petersburg. There is very little relations of the different elements of Arabian that is new in the book; the author, however, society at a given time. The Arabian anthologies gives fairly copious accounts of the Russian of the third and fourth centuries of the Hijra are exploits on the Amar and the Russo-Chinese valuable for this. Some important extracts may trade at that period. be made from one of the oldest anthologies, vis. (3) A short sketch of the History of Zabaikalia, Ibn-Abi-Tahir-Taifur (British Museum Add., 18, by V. K. Andrievich. 532).
This is an account of the territory beyond Lake (5) New materials for the Yagnob Language, by Baikal. The author says that he wished to furnish K. Saleman. In July and August 1887, E. Kahl, & collection of materials for the History of the who has an administrative post in Tashkand, took Cossack Army of this region. But the fire at * journey to the Yagnob. He gucceeded in get-| Irkutsk in 1879 destroyed the building containing ting explanations of several obscure points of the archives of Eastern Siberia, those of SelenYagnob pt.onetics, compiled a tolerably copious ghinsk and Kiakhta have now been seen sent to glossary, and collected some topographical and Moscow, and those of Nerchinak have disappeared, statistical information.
because they were not taken care of. Under such (6) Something more about the discovery at circumstances, M. Andrievich having composed Kulja, by V. Tiesenhausen. The four silver coins his work in Eastern Siberia could not use any sent from Kulja by V. M. Uspenski in 1887 belong official documents, except the Complete Collection to the class of Jaghatai coins struck in the of Lars published in 1838, from which he has second half of the thirteenth and first half of the gathered almost all the ukases relating to the fourteenth century of our era. One of them, territory. In this lies his chief service. He has struck in Almalik in 650 A.H. (=1252-3 A.D.), used besides a Collection of Diplomatic documente is in all respects similar to those which M. between the Russian and Chinese Empires from Uspenski exhibited to the Archeological Society 1619 to 1792, compiled by Bantish-Kamenski, and in 1886. Another was coined by Têrmaslivrin edited in 1882 by V. M. Florinski. He should Khan (year and place cannot be deciphered). The bave made himself acquainted with some of most interesting is the third, coined in 737 A.H. the Eastern historians. Thus he tells us that (= 1337-8 A.D.) in Badakhshain by Khin Jenkishi. the lamas and Dalai-lama appear first in the To this Khan is ascribed the fourth of the coins time of Guyak Khân, the grandson of Changêz, sent by M. Uspenski.
whereas Guyuk Khån died in 1248, and the first (*) Criticism and Bibliography.
Dalai-lama could not have existed earlier than (1) The Akhal-Tekke Oasis : its past and 1420. Similar blunders occur also in his present. Historico-geographical and Oro-geolo- account of the Buriate becoming Russian subgical sketches of the Transcaspian district, with jects, and the flights of the Mongols into Russian engravings and a map, by P. 8. Vasilico, St. territory, etc. Petersburg, 1888. The book gives the reader (4) The Principles of Chinese Life, by Sergive almost nothing. It is difficult to find anything new Georgievski. This is the solitary work in Euroafter the elaborate sketches of M. Lessar, who pean literature on the subject, and it gives the knows the country so thoroughly. The writer principles upon which Chinese life has depended evidently is acquainted with no Eastern language, during the many centuries of its existence. Its and his style is naive.
foundation is filial piety, based firstly upon primi. (2) A History of the Religious Mission to Pekin tive religion, and secondly upon the ethics of at the first period of its activity (1685-1745). Part Confucius. I., by the Hieromonack Nicholas (Adoratski), Having discussed in the first chapter, the Superintendent of the Kherson Ecclesiastical primitive faith of the ancient Chinese in the
