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“ 1277, about April” (Nicol.), a synod at Constantinople, and a profession of faith “ made, conformable
to that of the church of Rome.” Another synod “ July i6th,” and the opponents of the union
of the two churches excommunicated. • ■ . , •
“ Nov. 25th ” (Alst, and Nicol.), Joannes XXI. succeeded by cardinal John Gaétan Orsim, thirtysecond
pope.
“ Towards the end ofthe Thirteenth century” (Spreng.), Pier Crescenzio writing.
“ The same year” (art de verif.), Beybars succeeded by Barakah-Khan, fifth Memluk sultan of
]£crypt,
“ The same year” (Steinschneid. iii. 27), date of the Toledo manuscript of the Hebrew bible; —
now registered as “ cod. Rossi 782.”
“ 1278 A. D. = ‘ tsiang-hing,’ ist year of Tiping, of the Soung” or Twenty-first dynasty —
(Chinese chron. table).
“ April 9th ” (Nicol.), a synod at Complegne. “ Against the chapters of cOThedrals, who assumed
the right of imposing an interdict on towns for the preservation of their liberties.”
“ The same year” (Blair), Ottogar king of.Bohem'ia defeated‘and slain in battle by the army of
Rodolph of Hapsburg. ' r 1 ■
“ The same year” (Marc. Pol. 149), in China, two churches built at “ Cinghiaiifu ’ by Marsarchis,
a Nestorian Christian appointed governor of that city. — A Nestorian church was seen by Marco Polo
in Ouinsai ; and another on his way there at “ Cascar” (Cashgar) in Central Asia.
~In a tract published in this year ( . . . . ) , gunpowder described by Roger Bacon. But according
to Pouchet, the composition is “ first mentioned” by Albertus Magnus mirab. mund.; and is also
described by Marcus Græcus. Having been long known in China, the manufacture may have been
brought from that country:—but the application to casting projectiles in warfare, appears to have
been made in Europe. Cannon were used in 1346 in the battle at Crecy (Pouchet) ; and “ harque-
buse.s ” or portable fire-arms, are mentioned by the traveller Brocquière.
The continuance of the Greek language in certain parts of Italy, shown by the following words of
Roger Bacon comp. stud. phil. vi., “ Nor would it be much, for the sake of the great advantage of
learning Greek, to go to Italy, where the clergy and the people in many places are purely Greek.” —
I was informed at Naples, of a district at the Southeastern extreme of Italy, where Greek ts to this
day spoken. . , . , , „
Magnifying lenses also described by Roger Bacon.—Jordanus de Rivalto in ‘ 1305, speaks ot
speclacles having been invented “ twenty years” before: and a manuscript of “ 1298” mentions
“ occhiali ” (Pouchet). .
Roger Bacon further speaks of the possibility of making an instrument for walking in safety at
the bottbra of the water, the diving-bell: and mentions bismuth and manganese; and an inextinguishable
fire, regarded bv Jourdan as///ra/Zirawr (Pouchet).
“ 1279 A. D.” (Chinese chron. table, and Pauth. 350), end of the Soiing dynasty, Ti-ping being
the last native Chinese emperor. Khoubilai-Khan now ruler of all China.*
“ May 4th ” (Nicol), a synod at Beziers. The archbishop of Narbonne deputed to proceed “ to
the next parliament in France, To complain of the encroachment of the secular over the ecclesiastical
power.” Also, a synod at Avignon “ May 17th,” “ Against the usurpation of ecclesiastical property,
violence committed against the clergy, and contempt of excommunications.”
“ November” (Blair), in England, the passage of Mortmain act; making estates inalienable.
“ The same year” (art de verif.), Barakah-Khan succeeded by Salamesch ; and before the close
of the year, by Kalaoon, seventh Memluk sultan of Egypt. Kalaoon proved almost the only Muslim
ruler of Egypt who founded charitable institutions (Wilk. theb. and eg.): and during his reign, a
great impulse was given to the erection of buildings of every description in Cairo (Ciot-Bey xv. 30).
A coin issued at Aleppo by Kalaoon, is figured in Marcel p. 168. ^
The Big mound, near New Madrid on the Mississippi, found to contain a chamber which seems
* Lagerstroemia Indica of the mountains of Southeastern China. 'Hie “ pe-ge-hong ” that followed
the court to Pekin, — according to the description by Cibot (mem. Chin, iii.), is this flowering
shrub: —the “ pe-ge-hong” is also mentioned by the author of the Fong-ouen-lsi-kouan, and came
“ from the mountains of Fou-kien.” In Japan, L. Indica was seen by Cleyer iii. 5. 6 (Spreng.).
Kaempfer v. p. 855 ; and by Thunberg, growing in the open air, and called' “ sibi ” and “ fakucEitkva
and “ fakusinda.” The shrub occurs also in Cochinchina (Pers.) ; according to Mason, is
in Burmah ; and is admitted to be also exotic in . . . . (Rumph. vii. pl. 28), ancl Hindustan (Koxb-
Wight, and Graham). From Europe, was introduced into the greenhouses of North America, where
it has become frequent.
to have been built by putting up poles, like rafters * in the roof of a house,” with human bones on the
floor, also a pipe, and earthen jars, some surmounted by the figure of a human head, while others in
neighbouring mounds had a long narrow neck (G. C. Swallow in rep. Peabody mus. 1875).
“ 1280 A. D.” (Wilk. theb. and eg.), the “ morostan ” or hospital at Cairo, founded by Kalaoon.
The building is attached to his mosque and tomb.
“ April” (Nicol), a synod at Bourges. The clergy were forbidden “ to exercise many trades
therein enumerated.”
“ The same year” (Pauth. 359, in 1281 according to Kaempfer, compare Marc. Pol 159), unsuccessful
expedition of Khoubilai-Khan against “ Zipungu ” or Japan. — The abundance oi gold in Japan,
is mentioned by Marco Polo; who further describes both the Japanese and Chinese idols as manyhanded
(and therefore Braminical, contrary to the general impression).
“ 1281, Feb. 22cl” (Alst, and Nicol.), Nicolaus III. succeeded by cardinal Simon de Brie, now
Martinus II., thirty-third pope.
“ December ” (Nicol), a synod at Paris. Complaint made “ of religious mendicants, who preached
and heard confessions.”
“ In this year” (Mason in beng. asiat. soc. xx.xvii), the “ red city of Toungoo founded by a Karen
jointly with two Burmans.”
“ 1282, A. D.” (Pauth. 360), arrival in China of an ambassador from the “ kingdom of Kulang ; ”
bringing to Khoubilai-Khan “ precious stones,” and “ black apes” ( . . . . ).
“ March 30th, Easter day” (Alst, and Blair), “ Sicilian Vespers : ” the massacre of all the French
residing in Sicily, “ eight thousand” in number; Peter III. ruling Arragon and Naples.—The discontinuance
in most parts of Europe of a beautiful religious rite may have some connexion; the
“ Oraciones ” witnessed by myself only in Peru.
“ Dec. nth ” (Blair), prince Lewellyn of Wales defeated and slain in battle by the army of king
Edward : — in the following year, Wales united to England.
“ The same year ” (Nicol), a synod at Saintes. Complaint made by the bishop, “ That the bodies
of excommunicated persons were interred in the churchyards.”
“ 1283, January” (Nicol), a synod at Constantinople. The patriarch Joannes Veccus “ condemned
by the schismatics.” And in another synod “ on the morrow of Easter,” all the bishops
“ concerned in the union of the two churches were condemned.”
“ The same year” (Alst), Michael V III. succeeded by his son Andronicus II. Palteologus,
sixty-second Byzantine emperor.
Journeying Eastward, Marco Polo 21. describes TorVey carpets as “ le souran tapis dou monde
e Ii pius biaus.” — The pieces exported from Hindustan under the name of “ Persian rugs,” I was
assured by Arabs at Muscat, are “ brought from Constantinople.”
The “ rat de faraón ” mentioned by Marco Polo 69. and 216. as eaten in Tartary, is clearly the
brown rat, Mus decumanus : — well known to be eaten by the Chinese of the present day. Eastward
* Ulmus fu lv a of Northeast America. The slippery elm : some of the above rafters “ probably
of elm ” — (G. C. Swall.): the Narragansets informed R. Williams of a tribe “ between three and four
hundred miles west” who lived on the bark of trees (hist. coll. iii. 209) : U. fulva has been observed
by myself from Lat. 47° on the Lower St. Lawrence to 42° in Western New England ; by Pursh, from
Canada to Pennsylvania; according to A. Gray, is “ common from Western New England to Wisconsin
and Kentucky,” and has “ tough reddish wood, and a very mucilaginous inner bark ; ” was observed
by Michaux on the Alleghanies (Pers ), by F. A. Michaux in Canada and the United States, but not
in the maritime portion of Carolina and Georgia; by Chapman, in “ rich woods, West Florida, and
northward;” by Darby 77, to 31° in Louisiana; by Beck, near the mouth of the Missouri; and by-
Say on Long’s Exp., as far as 49° on Red river of Lake Winnipeg.
Arundinaria macrosperma of Carolina and the Lower Mississippi. The North American reed
or cane, growing in widely-extended beds or tracts called canehrakes, and from early times furnishing
arrows: a lathing of split cane was placed on the above rafters — (G. C. Swall.): West ofthe mouths
of the Mississippi, Cabeza de Vaca found the arrows of the natives of hard cane (transl. B. Smith) ;
and those ou the Roanoke according to Hariot were of “ arundine ” (De Bry !.) : A. macrosperma
IS known to grow along the Atlantic as far as Lat. 37° (A. Gray) ; was observed by Schweinitz
in 36°; by Chapman, from “ Florida to North Carolina; ” by N. A. Ware, in Florida, and is known
to grow as far as 29“ ; by Michaux, on the Mississippi (Pers.) ; by myself, on the Kentucky shore
of the Lower Ohio ; by Nuttall, from about Lat. 39°, from Sandy river in Ohio and Kaskaskias on
the Mississippi to the Arkansas above Verdigris, L’eau Bleu on Red river, and the Gulf; by E.
James, on the Canadian branch of the Upper Arkansas ; its absence from the Missouri was remarked
by Baldwin.