LHASA AND CPJNTKAL TIBET. 729 



across the high ridge of Go-la. About ten miles from the top of the 

 ridge lies the capital of Tibet, Lhasa, which we entered August 3, 

 1900, after three month's journey from Kuml)um. 



Central Tibet — that is, the two provinces of U (Wei) and Tsang — has 

 not been visited b}^ Eluropeans since 1845, at least the principal part 

 of it, although the literature on Tibet in general has increased every 

 year. No Russian traveler entered the country either before or 

 certainly after the prohibition. But for the last thirty years Tibet 

 has been annually visited by Buriats and Kalmuks, who are Russian 

 subjects. • Many of these pilgrims made notes on Tibet, but thus far 

 only the report of Zayaetf (eighteenth century), and the diary of the 

 Kalmuk Baza-bakshi have been published. 



It must be borne in mind that having penetrated a forbidden country 

 in the guise of an ordinary pilgrim, obliged to pose before the natives 

 as one in search of salvation in the holy land, and constantl}^ in danger 

 of suspicion as other than a pilgrim, the amount of information gath- 

 ered under .'-uch circumstances could not ha\ e been great. I was well 

 aware that several years ago an Indian penetrated Central Tibet and 

 established connections with a certain ecclesiastic in Tashilhunpo, 

 that through this lama's servant he received books at Calcutta, and 

 that both lama and servant were executed at Lhasa for daring to allow 

 the admission of a foreigner. 



Tibet is truly a land of mountains, and the natives apth' call it 

 "Snowland." In the region we traversed while in Tibet there are two 

 snow mountains, Samtan-Kansar on the eastern end of the Nvan-chu- 

 tangla and the crest of Kar-la on the southwestern side of the circular 

 lake, Yamdok. The mountains that did not reach the snow line were 

 nearly all treeless and their tops bare. 



The upper lands of the river valleys are narrow and untit for culti- 

 vation, but the middle and lower portions are wider and ena})le the 

 industrious Tibetans to grow cereal crops. The steep and rocky 

 mountains are the source of many swift streams during the rainy 

 season, but most of them dry out when the rains cease. Many 

 streams and springs, however, collect water at each rainfall in muner- 

 ous irrigating ditches that keep the water mills busy. 



The year may be divid(>d into two seasons, rainy and dry. In li»Oo 

 the dry season connnenced in Lhasa on Septend)er 13, when the last 

 rain of the y(>ar fell. October and No\(Mnber were entireh^ dry. 

 The first snow fell December 7, but melted the next day. It snowed 

 once in Jaiuiary, in P^^bruary three times, in JMarcli four times. The 

 first thunder was heard on March 14, and twice in April. The snow 

 melted in the valleys immediately after falling, but remained for a 

 time on the mountains. The first considerat)le rain fell on May 5, 

 then on May 7. June 8, July 17, August 13, and twice early in Sep- 

 tember. These rains were generally late in the evening or at night, 



