XXIV 



alternating tyrannies of Affghans and G-hiirkas, and who recognised 

 but two classes of beings themselves and their ghosts ; then to 

 introduce the rudiments of justice, and, finally, raise the condition 

 of the people to that of a prosperous British province. It was 

 during his two years' pupilage with Traill that Hodgson commenced 

 his zoological observations and those studies of the aboriginal tribes 

 of India and their languages, which he pursued throughout his 

 career ; and, so efficiently did he perform his official duties, that, 

 after two years (in 1820), he found himself unexpectedly promoted 

 to be Assistant to the British Resident at the Court of Nepal. 

 Here, however, a disappointment awaited him. He found the 

 Resident, the Honourable E. Gardner, giving effect to Lord Hast- 

 ings' wise policy of converting Nepal from a turbulent neighbour 

 into a quiescent, if not friendly, ally of the British power, and this 

 lie was doing so effectively that Hodgson found a truce established, 

 and no scope for his ambition as a politician and diplomatist. He 

 accordingly applied to Government for more active employment, and 

 was at once gazetted to the Secretariat of the Persian Department of 

 the Foreign Office, Calcutta, a step towards the highest positions in 

 the service. At Calcutta his health, as before, at once broke down, and 

 be was fortunate in being sent again (in 1824) to Nepal in a subordi- 

 nate position, awaiting the successorship to the Assistant Residentship ? 

 which post had been filled up. This he obtained in the following 

 year, followed by that of Acting Resident on Mr. Gardner's retire- 

 ment (1829), and Resident in 1833. 



It was during the enforced quiescence of Hodgson's first years in 

 Nepal that he undertook the systematic study of Nepalese and Tibetan 

 Buddhist literature, and the collection and description of the verte- 

 brata of the Himalaya. By his courteous treatment of the Lamas of 

 the temples of Katmandu and of the emissaries of the Grand Lama 

 of Lhassa to the Nepal Court, he enlisted their active co-operation in 

 the purchase of MSS., and in procuring copies of others, some dating 

 bick to upwards of 1100 years before the Christian era, for which 

 latter purpose he kept a staff of cepyists in constant employ. So 

 impressed was the Buddhist hierarchy by his learning and labours, and 

 so great was his reputation, that the Grand Lama of Lhassa himself 

 S2nt him a copy of their classical scriptures, the Kaghyur and 

 Stangyur, in 347 folio volumes. Subsequently Hodgson procured 

 another copy which he sent to the college at Fort William, and which 

 is now in the library of the Bengal Asiatic Society. Altogether, 

 dating from 1824, he had given upwards of '270 volumes of Sanskrit 

 and Tibetan literature to British institutions, especially to the Indian 

 Government, and 147 to the Societe Asiatique de Paris. The receipt 

 of the latter in France, together with copies of his own researches in 

 Buddhism, were, as early as 1837, recognised by the bestowal on him 



