SOCIETY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ABERDEEN. 27 



and so into Lhassa, 140 miles from Gyantse and 360 miles from 

 Siliguri 



Nothing is seen of Lhassa in the distance except the Potala on 

 the left and the Medical College, on a hill, on the right side. The 

 city lies in a hollow surrounded by woods and fields, and the whole 

 place is dominated by the Potala, which is a long high building of red 

 stone, tapering towards the top. Its base is surrounded by walled-in 

 paved paths and winding steps of white stone up to doors in the 

 building. The place looks very dilapidated on closer inspection, with 

 an extraordinary amount of rubbish and refuse all round it. 



The circular road is very good and well-made. It runs round 

 Lhassa, and on it pilgrims are constantly moving in procession 

 following the sun, manipulating their prayer-wheels and chanting their 

 prayers, and every now and then measuring their length in the dust. 

 Passing along the road one sees the Chinese temple and houses near 

 the entrance-gate of Lhassa. On passing through this archway or 

 gate, surmounted and flanked by chortens, with the Potala to the left 

 and the Medical College to the right, we get within the confines of the 

 city, and to our left at the base of the Potala are seen a large number 

 of prison buildings. The roads are very bad, muddy and unpaved. 

 A large sleepy but cheerful crowd, poorly dressed and very dirty, 

 throng the streets, which are also full of dogs and pigs. The houses 

 in the streets are high and narrow, built of stone and wood. They 

 appear very old and rather dilapidated. The windows are of glazed 

 rice-paper, and the rooms on the ground floor are used mainly as shops, 

 where skins, china, cloths and cloisonne work, etc., mostly of Chinese 

 manufacture, are sold ; but no great desire is shown by the seller to 

 sell anything. Other places on the ground floor house animals, and 

 serve as store-rooms for grain, etc. The upper rooms are used to live 

 in, and the windows of these are crowded with women and children 

 gazing on us as we pass. To gain the upper rooms one passes up 

 a steep ladder. The fuel burned by the better class of people is 

 wood, and yak dung by the poorer classes. There are no chimneys, 

 a hole in the roof or the windows serving as such. 



