108 
population in contradistinction to Chang, the northern 
region inhabited by nomads, while Bhotia is still used to 
denote people of Thibetan race living on the southern 
slopes of the Himalayas.* Hence Tavernier’s meaning 
will be correctly read if we substitute Thibet and Bhutan 
wherever he uses the word Bhutan, more particularly 
seeing that Thibetan tradewas long in the hands 
of Bhutanese intermediaries and Bhutan repeatedly 
claimed as a dependency by the rulers of Thibet. 
Thibetan manuscripts ¢ make it clear that the present 
State of Bhutan originated in a colony of Thibetans ; 
the relations between the two countries have always 
been most intimate. The chain which bound Bhutan to 
Thibet may have been a loose one, but history shows 
that it was held by Thibet and tichtened on occasions. 
Tavernier’s time was antecedent to the Chinese re- 
assumption of sovereignty over Thibet in 1720, and 
coincided with a period when Bhutan was tributary 
directly to Thibet and so may have been included as a 
portion of Thibet in the view of foreigners. 
Warren Hastings also appears to have used the 
word Bhutan as synonymous with Thibet in his earlier 
letters to the first mission he despatched to open up 
trade relations with Thibet, at a time when trade with 
the latter country was carried on through the Bhutan 
passes by the intermediary of Bhutanese merchants. 
When Bogle, Warren Hastings’ emissary, reached 
Bhutan in 1774, he found the trade of the country almost 
entirely in the hands of the Deb Raja, his ministers 
and governors, who held the monopoly of it both with 
Bengal and Thibet. Trade with Bengal was maintained 
by means of annual caravans to Rangpur and there was 
also trade with Dinajpur. Warren Hastings subse- 
quently established an annual fair at Rangpur for the 
benefit of Bhutanese merchants whose expenses were 
paid by the Bengal Government who also erected 
stables for their horses and houses for themselves.t 
From Rangpur and Dinajpur the Bhutanese took back 
stocks of Maldah cloth, coarse linen, hogs and salt fish 
as the major items of trade, while among the smaller 
* The common designation of Thibetans settled in Sikhim is Lhopa Bhotia, 
literally ‘‘ Thibetans of the South.” Risley /.c. vol. I, p. 217. 
+ J. Claude White, ‘ Sikhim and Bhutan,” p. 288, London ,1gog. 
ft J. Claude White, loc. cit. 
