

isit of Jtt. |)uc to the <amas*rj) of ^ounboum. 



Feast of Flowers ! The very words breathe 

 of romance, and remind us of the lovely 

 vale of Cashmere, 



" With its roses, the brightest that Earth ever gave ;" 



whose floral festivity is so charmingly painted in 

 " The Light of the Haram." The reader will ac- 

 cordingly be prepared to expect a romantic chapter. 

 The Lamasery of Kounbourn was visited by the 

 renowned traveller M. Hue, who thus describes 

 it : " At eleven leagues from Tang-Krou-Gul there 

 is, in the land of the Si-Fan, or eastern Thibetians, 

 a Lamasery, the fame of which extends not merely 

 through Tartary, but even to the remotest part of 

 Thibet. Thither pilgrims flock from all quarters, 

 venerating; for there was born the famous reformer 

 of Buddhism. The Lamasery bears the name of 

 Koimboum, and contains nearly four thousand 

 lamas. Its site is one of enchanting beauty. Initi- 



