516 Mr. S. Davis on the Religious and Social 



little rice and flour each, and sometimes a goat divided among them ; — 

 this, however scanty when compared with more plentiful countries, was 

 by no means an illiberal allowance at Boutan, where meat is so scarce, and 

 sparingly consumed. We had fruit sent from the castles, but vegetables 

 were difficult to be met with. Turnips are a native root, although they do 

 not grow in the same perfection as in Europe. The potatoes which Bogle 

 left must have been neglected, for there were none on our arrival. We had 

 strawberries and raspberries, and in the beginning of July apricots, from, I 

 believe, the only tree in the country. At the latter end of August 

 the pears and peaches begin to ripen, and by the middle of September they 

 are in the greatest perfection at Boutan, but certainly inferior to those of 

 Europe. It must, however, be observed that the Bouteas are ignorant of 

 the art of engrafting, and never either prune the trees or thin them when 

 overloaded ; neither do I believe that they consider much the soil or 

 aspect. Were they skilled in these points, and desirous of the trial, there 

 is scarcely a vegetable production in any quarter of the globe which might 

 not be cultivated with success in some part or other of Boutan. But 

 perhaps it is more suitable that, in their present simplicity, they remain 

 occupied in the production of what nature more immediately craves, since 

 there is so little ground to spare for speculative purposes. — Except in tlie 

 Rajah's orchards, the fruit seems to be at the disposal of the public, and we 

 found it impossible to preserve that which hung upon the few trees near 

 our dwelling until it was fit to gather. — The melons from Ponaka were 

 good, and the pomegranates the finest I ever beheld. In October the oranges 

 there and at Wandepore ripen, and are laid up for a winter store. 



Tiie situation of Tacissudon, elevated into so pure a region of the air, 

 must certainly be healthy in every season of the year ; even in the rains, as 

 there is no place where water can lodge and become stagnate, neither is the 

 surface so closely covered with wood as to produce unwholesome vapour. 



The weather on our arrival was delightful. The mornings and evenings 

 clear, and the air sharp. I never slept under less than a quilt, blanket, and 

 a great coat. Early in June the rains set in, and were so constant that 

 during an interval of seven or eight days that we were at Ponaka, there 

 generally fell a shower in some part or other of the twenty-four hours, and 

 the tops of the hills were constantly involved in clouds. The rivers and 

 torrents swell in this season, but the roads are never impassable, unless for 

 a short time, by the demolition of a bridge or a slip of the earth, which is 



