1833.] Translation of a Tibetan Passport. 201. 
IV.—Translation of a Tibetan Passport, dated A. D. 1688. By M. 
Alex. Csoma de Kords. 
[Read 24th April, 1833. ] 
In Hyde’s Historia Religionis Veterum Persarum (2nd edition, page 
552-3), there is an engraving of a passport granted by the governor 
(or grand Lama) of Lassa, toan Armenian, of which, at the time of its 
publication, no European was able to decypher the characters. The 
learned author’s account of it is in the following words : 
* Secundd damus Seripturam Tatarorum de Boutan* (al. Boutunt) citra Imaum 
supra Indiam. Hujuslectio est 4 dextraf: et hocce ejusdem elegantissimum spe- 
cimen est, id quod vulgd sonat, wn passport, seu salviconductis litere, A principe 
urbis et provinciz de Boutan date, nuperis annis, Chogja Ouanni (i. e. Domino 
Joanni) mercatori Armeno ibidem negotianti : et dictus princeps nomen suum (ut 
vides) sigilli loco et forma majusculis et implicatis characteribus infra apposuit. 
Talis sigilli impressio arabibus dicitur eae) taukia; Persis et Turcis |x togra, 
unde, apud eos, talis majusculorum characterum scriptor, aut talis sigilli factor, vel 
appositor seu principis subsignator, vocatur Togra@i. Hanc chartam nobiscum com- 
municavit singularis amicus D. Joh. Evans S. T. D. nuperis annis ex India redux.” 
The character of this curious manuscript proves to be the small 
running-hand of the Tibetans, written and engraved with hardly a sin- 
gle error. The following is a version of it in Roman characters, 
which may be interesting to those who possess Hyde’s very learned 
volume. 
Chhos-Akhor dPal-gyi Lha-sa nas.—rGya-gar hAphags-yul bar-gyi Sa-lam-du 
Akhod-pahi Ser, skya, drag, zhan, Lhahi mi-rje rdsong dsdod gnyer las-hdsin, Sog, 
Bod, Hor, ABrog, ir-Achhihi Agrul Agrims, lam Aphrangs bsrung dkag, rgan mi 
dmangs bya-va zhi drag-gis sné slébs dchas mthah-dag-la_ springs -pa.—Lha-sa 
p’hun-ts’hogs /chang-lo-chan-gyi Agron-po mGo-dkar}{ It’hang-na-chan mi dzhi 
zhon khal déchu-drug dchas nyé-khohi ts’hong gyur grubs-nas rang yul-du log 
hgro-var stahur-gyi (? Lhahur-gyi) mts’hon gang spyihi par rog nyan-du gang 
Agro-las sné gor hp’hrog dchom sogs gnod fgol-du log-par Agro-va nyan ma byed- 
par phar phyir-du dde-var Agrims-chhug.—Zhes sa-hbrug zla ts’hes-la lugs gnyis 
kyi mdun-sa Chhos-hkhor chhen-po dPal-gyi Lha-sa nas bris. 
* Boutan, though applied by Europeans and Mohammudans to Tibet generally, is 
properly the name of one of the southern provinces, called in Tibetan Liopato : 
Lhassa is the capital of Tibet Proper or U-tsang. [See Journ. As. Soc. i. 123.] 
+ This is of course a mistake : the Tibetan reads like the Sanskrit from the left 
hand. 
t The name mGo-dkar (properly white-headed, but rendered by me, above, by 
Mohammedans) formerly was applied in Tibet both to the Muhammedans of India 
and to the Europeans. But of Jate the Tibetans have commenced calling the Euro- 
peans by the name of Philing-pa, and an European of British India by that of 
rGye-Philing (-pa) or Indo-European. 
DOD 
