﻿314 AN ACCOUNT OF 



Tibet, others Persian, others Greek, besides several 

 others of different nations ; and in the middle there 

 is a line of Roman characters, which appears in this 

 form AVTOMNEW INTER LHIVERT ; but 

 pone of the inhabitants have any knowledge how they 

 came there, nor do they know whether or not any 

 European had ever been in JSepal before the mission- 

 aries, who arrived there only the beginning of the 

 present century. They are manifestly two French 

 names of seasons, with an English word between 

 them. 



There is also to the northward of the city of Cafh- 

 viandu a hill called Simbi, upon which are some tombs 

 of the Lamas of Tibet, and other people of high rank 

 of the same nation. The monuments are constructed 

 after various forms; two or three of them are pyra- 

 midal, very high and well ornamented ; so that they 

 have a verv good appearance, and may be seen at a 

 considerable distance. Round these monuments are 

 remarkable stones covered with characters, which 

 probably are the inscriptions of some of the inhabit- 

 ants of Tibet, whose bones were interred there. The 

 natives of Nepal not only look upon the hill as sacred, 

 but imagine ir is protected by their idols ; and, from 

 this erroneous supposition, never thought of station- 

 ing troops there for the defence of it, although it be 

 a post of great importance, and only at a short mile's 

 distance from the city : but during the time of hosti- 

 lities a party ofPrit'hwinarayan's troops being pur- 

 sued by those of Gainprejas, the former, to save them- 

 selves, fled to this hill, and, apprehending no dan- 

 ger from its guardian idols, they possessed them- 

 selves of it, and erected a fortification (in their own 

 style) to defend themselves. In digging the ditches 

 round the fort, which were adjoining to the tombs, 

 t'hey found considerable pieces of gold, with a quan- 

 tity of which metal the corpses of the grandees of Tibet 



