1832.] Geographical Notice of Tibet. 125 



days' journey from Cashmir to the east, and nearly under the same 

 latitude, (i. e. 34° north lat.) 



Little Tibet or Beltistan (Belti-yul, in Tibetan), is the most north- 

 western part of Tibet. There are several chiefs. The chief residing 

 at Kdrdo is the most powerful among them ; those of Kyere and 

 Kuril, with some others, depend on the former. The chief of Shigdr 

 holds sometimes with the prince of Ladak and sometimes with the 

 chief of Kdrdo. The chiefs of Minaro, Hasora, &c. are the heads 

 of some predatory tribes. In the several defiles to the south, 

 in the neighbourhood of Beltistan, there live some predatory tribes, 

 among whom the most notorious are the Ddrdu people. These 

 barbarous tribes are either of Afghan or Hindu origin. The 

 inhabitants of Beltistan are Mahomedans of the Shia persuasion. 

 They speak a dialect of the Tibetan language, but have no- 

 thing of the Tibetan literature. They keep some books or frag- 

 ments in Persian. The correspondence from Ladak with the chiefs 

 of those parts, is carried on in Persian, as also with Cashmir. The 

 people of Beltistan are very unhappy on account of their chiefs having 

 continual quarrels with each other, or with the prince of Ladak. 

 The climate is warm. In the lower part of Beltistan, snow never falls. 

 The soil is good. There are several kinds of grain ; they have two 

 crops. There are likewise several sorts of excellent fruits ; as, of 

 apples, pears, peaches, plums, figs, grapes, mulberries, &c. &c. There 

 is a great want of salt and wool in those parts ; formerly there existed 

 a commercial route from Cashmir to Yarkand through Beltistan, (of 30 

 days journey ;) but that country being in an unsettled state, the Cash- 

 mirian merchants afterwards preferred that through Le, in Ladak, 

 although it is very circuitous. 



The people of Lhopato or Bhutan, on account of their language, 

 religion, and political connexion, belong to Tibet. But in their customs 

 and manners they have adopted much from the Indians. They are 

 more clean in their dresses and houses than the other Tibetan races. 

 The men are of a martial spirit, like those of K'ham-yul^ with whom 

 they are said to have much resemblance in their character. The peo- 

 ple of Bhutan speak a corrupt dialect of the Tibetan language ; but 

 there are several religious establishments, a great many books, and some 

 religious persons are well acquainted with the Tibetan language and 

 literature. They are Buddhists of the sect called in Tibet Brukpa 

 (vulg. Dukpa.) They adopted this kind of Buddhism in the 17th 

 century of our aera, when Ndk-Vdng Nam-gyel^ a Lama of great 

 respectability, leaving Tsdng in middle Tibet, established himself in 



