THIBET. 



Its authority is doubtful, its accuracy very fufpicious, and 

 the information it affords concerning kingdoms, dates, and 

 provinces, as well as particular places, very limited and unfa- 

 tisfaClory. Accordnig to our moft recent maps, Tibet ex- 

 tends from about the 75th to the loift degree of longitude, 

 which, in the latitude of 30°, maybe about 1350 geogra- 

 phical miles. The breadth may be regarded as extending 

 from the 27tli to the 35th degree of latitude, or about 480 

 geographical miles. It appears, however, from the teili- 

 monies of two intelhgent travellers, Mr. Foriler and Tief- 

 fenthaler, that the northern boundary of Tibet may be 

 fafely extended two degrees farther than it appears in our 

 bed maps, in which there is no portion of Great Tibet to 

 the N.E. of Cafhmir. Major Rennell moved it one degree 

 farther to the north than D'Anville's boundary in lat. 34°, 

 and Pinkerton thinks that he might fafely have extended it 

 at leaft 3°. The northern boundary of Tibet, according to 

 the Ruffians, is Mus Tag, and they place that range in 38°. 

 By adding 2° to 35°, we obtain an addition of 120 geograr 

 phical miles to the number of 480 above ilated. 



Thibet, according to Mr. Bogle's account (Phil. Tranf. ) 

 begins properly from the top of the great ridge of the Cau- 

 calus, and extends from thence in breadth to the confines of 

 Great Tartary, and perhaps to the dominions of the Ruf- 

 fian empire. He fays, that having once attained the fummit 

 of the Bootan mountains, you do not defcend in an equal 

 proportion on the fide of Thibet ; but continuing ftill on a 

 vSry elevated bafe, you traverfe vallies which are wider and 

 not fo deep as the former, and mountains that are neither fo 

 fteep, nor apparently fo high. On the other hand, he repre- 

 fents it as the moil bare and defolate country he ever faw ; and 

 the climate as extremely fevere. According to Mr. Turner, 

 the boundaries of Tibet and Bootan are feparated by the lofty 

 range of mountains called Soomoonang, and are marked by 

 a long row of little infcribed flags, fixed in rude heaps of 

 ilones, and fluttering in the wind. Thefe, at the fame time, 

 are fuppofed to operate as a charm over the Dewtas, or 

 " genii loci," who are pai-amount here. No mountain is 

 thought to be wliolly exempt from their influence ; and they 

 range chiefly in the moft elevated regions, where, drenched 

 with dews, and worried with tempeiluous weather, they are 

 fuppofed to deal around them, in ill humour, their moft 

 baneful fpells, to harafs and annoy the traveller. 



Tibet is fometimes divided into three parts, -viz. Upper, 

 Middle, and Lower. Upper Tibet comprifes chiefly the 

 province of Nagari, abounding with tremendous rocks and 

 mountains, always covered with fnow. The countries of 

 Lata or Ladak (Latac)and Breguiong or Bramafcion (per- 

 haps Sirinagur) probably conftitute a portion of Upper 

 Tibet, as well as Nagari. Middle Tibet contains the pro- 

 vinces of Shang, Ou, and Kiang ; and thofe of Lower 

 Tibet are Takbo, Congbo, and Kahang. Many of thefe 

 provinces are again fubdivided : e. g. Nagari, which is con- 

 fidered as a kingdom confifting of three departments, Sang- 

 har, Pourang, and Tamo (Dam or Daum). Shang is on the 

 W. bounded by Nipal. The province of Ou contains La- 

 hafla or Lafla, the capital of Tibet. Kiang lies to the N. 

 (or N.E.) of Ou, and is inhabited by a mixture of Tibetians 

 and Monguls in tents. Kahang is on the S.E. bordering on 

 the Birmans, and is divided into twelve departments. To 

 thefe we muft add the wide region of Amdoa, if it be not 

 the fame with Kahang, the natives of which fpeak the Chi- 

 nefe language. The country of Hor lies between Tartary 

 and the provinces of Nagari and Kiang, and feems to be the 

 Hohonor of our maps. Onr Bootan (which fee) is called 

 by the natives Decpo or Takbo ; and the countries W. of 

 it, viz. Moringa or Morung, Mocaropour, Nipal, Gorca, 



and Kamaoon, are not confidered as parts of Tibet. On the 

 weilern fide, liigh mountains, covered with perpetual fnow, 

 and terrible avalanches, have prevented the accefs and inva- 

 fions of the Perfians and the conquerors of Bucharia ; while 

 the dcferts on the N.E. have proved incfl'eftual barriers 

 againft the Monguls and Eluts. Travellers have alfo been 

 prevented from exploring this quarter by the weftem moun- 

 tains, fo that it is even now little known. 



According to the topography, compiled from the papers 

 of Pinnabilla, a Capuchin friar, who died in 1747, and was 

 buried at Patan, by father Giorgi, in a work publilhed at 

 Rome in 1762, Tibet is bounded on the E. by China and 

 Tai'centon, a province abounding with tea, and, fince the year 

 1720, incorporated with the Chinefe empire ; on the S. by 

 Bengal, Lotenke, Altibary, Mon, Brukpa, Lhoba, Lho- 

 khaptra, Sciapado, and Bha ; on the W. by Cafhirar, 

 Nekpal, and Moronga ; and on the N. by Great Tartary, 

 the Ufljeks, Cafliur, and Jonkar, as far as Jerkend and 

 Cokonor or Kokonor. The kingdoms and provinces in this 

 topography are enumerated by Pinkerton, u/>i infra. 



The government of Tibet has been confidered as eccle- 

 fiaftical or fpiritual ; though the lamas were accuftomed to 

 appoint a " tipa," or fecular regent, a right which has been 

 probably transferred to the Chinefe emperor. This officer . 

 refides at Lafla tlie capital, and he is invefted with the go- 

 vernment and fupreme controul over the whole country. 

 Mr. Turner, however, is of opinion, that the temporal au- 

 thority of the lamas may again recover its former dignity 

 and fplendour. Bootan, which is generally confidered as a 

 feudatory province of Tibet, has a raja or prince called 

 Daab, of no very permanent or extenfivc authority. The 

 laws muft, like the religion, bear fome affinity to thofe of 

 the Hindoos. 



The lama of Tibet was the Preftcr John of the middle 

 ages, if he were not fome Neftorian khan ; and the appella- 

 tion was unaccountably transferred byJPortuguefe ignorance 

 to the emperor of Abyflinia. (See Prester John.) In 

 the time of Marco Paolo, Tibet, having been ravaged by 

 the Monguls, was almoft defolate. For fome time this coun- 

 try had been fubjeft to fecular kings, called Tfan Pa ; and 

 the lama refided at Laffa, with a power refembling that of the 

 fpiritual prince of Japan. According to Giorgi, the fuc- 

 ceffion of kings and lamas commences about i 340 years B.C. 

 but about 1 1 00 years after Chrift the Chinefe emperor gave 

 to a celebrated lama the regal power. Thofe Monguls, called 

 Eluts, conquered the fecular prince, and transferred the 

 whole power to the lama. (See Du Kalde, iv. ^o.) In 

 1792, the Nipalefe, having committed great ravages in Tibet, 

 the Chinefe emperor fent an army to proteft the lama ; in 

 confequence of which the Chinefe eftabliflied military pofts 

 on the frontiers, fo that tlie intercourfe between their country 

 and Bengal is now precluded. The revenues of the lama and 

 of the fecular princes are trifling ; nor is it likely that Tibet 

 can ever afpire to any political importance. 



Some have faid, that the religion of Tibet is a corrupted 

 Chriftianity ; and even father Difiderii, a Jefuit, who vifited 

 the country about the beginning of the laft century, thinks 

 he can refolve all their myfteries into our^ ; and he afferts that 

 they have a good notion of the Trinity, fince, in their ad- 

 drefs to the Deity, they fay as often koneiok-oik in the plu- 

 ral, as koneiok in the fingular, and with their rofaries pro- 

 nounce thefe words, Om, Ha, Hum. Of thefe whimfical 

 conjeftures we fliall fay no more, but pafs on to obferve, that 

 the religion of the Tibetians feems to have derived its origin, 

 fays Turner, ( ubi infra, ) from a difciple of Budh, who firft 

 broached the doftrine which now pre^'ails over the wide ex- 

 tent of Tartary. It is reported to have received its earliefl: 



adniifTion 



