THIBET. 



b«en often conquered by tlic Cliinele with armies not ex- 

 ceeding 40,000 men. The fingular cuUom of polyandry, 

 already mentioned, feems .-.dapted to check the progrefs of 

 populatioii, the fupcrabundance of which, in an infertile 

 country like Tibet, would be one of the greatcft calamities, 

 a» it mull produce eternal warfare or internal want. 



Bootan and Tibet exhibit a very remarkable contrail in 

 llieirexternal appearance. Bootan prefentstotheview nothinjj 

 but the moll mis-fhapen irregularities ; mountains covered 

 with eternal verdure, and rich with abundant forefts of large 

 .-uid lofty trees. Almod every favourable afpeift of them, 

 coated with the fmallcll quantity of foil, is cleared and 

 adapted to cultivation, by being flielved into liorizontal 

 beds : not a flopc or narrow flip "of land between the ridges 

 lies unimproved. There is fcarcely a mountain, whofe 

 bafe is not wafhed by fome rapid torrent, and many of the 

 loftieft bear populous villages, amidft orchards and other 

 plantations, on tiieir fummits and on tlieir fides. It com- 

 bines in its extent the moft extravagant traits of rude natare 

 and laborious art. 



Tibet, on the other hand, ftriJces a traveller, at firft fight, 

 as one of the leall favoured countries under heaven, and 

 appears to be in a great meafure incapable of culture. It 

 exhibits only low rocky hills, without any vifible vege- 

 tation, or extcnfive arid plains, both of the moft ftern and 

 ftubborn afpcft, promifing full as little as they produce. 

 Its climate is cold and bleak in the extreme, from the fevere 

 effefts of which the inhabitants are obliged to feek refuge 

 in Sheltered valleys and hollows, or amidft the warmeft 

 afpefts of the rocks. Yet perhaps Providence, in its im- 

 partial dillribution of blefllngs, has beftowed on each coun- 

 try a tolerably equal fhare. The advantages that one pof- 

 fefles in fertihty, and in the richnefs of its forefts and its 

 fruits, are amply counterbalanced in the other by its multi- 

 tudinous flocks and invaluable mines. As one feems to 

 polTefs the pabulum of vegetable, in the other we find a 

 fupcrabundance of animal, life. The variety and quantity 

 of wild fowl, game, and beafts of prey, flocks, droves, and 

 herds in Tibet, arc aftoniftiing. In Bootan, except domeftic 

 creatures, nothing of the fort is feen. It has been afterted 

 that Tibet was, in remote times, almoft totally inundated ; 

 and the removal of the waters that tovered its furface is 

 afcribed to the miraculous interpofition of fome objeft of 

 the'r worfhip, whofe chief temple is reported to be at 

 Dungeedin, Gya. In this traditionary belief we may 

 podibly difcover fome traces of the unrverfal deluge ; 

 though the tradition be obfcured by fable and disfigured 

 by a mixture of abfurdity. In the temperature of the 

 feafons in Tibet, a remarkable uniformity prevails, as well 

 as in their periodical duration and return. The fame divi- 

 fion of them takes place here, as in the more fouthern 

 region of Bengal. The fpring is marked from March to 

 May, by a variable atmofphere ; heat, thunder-ftorms, and 

 occafionally with refrefhing fhowers. From June to Sep- 

 tember is the feafon of humidity, when heavy and continued 

 rains fill the rivers to their brim, which run off from 

 hence with rapidity, to aflift in inundating Bengal. From 

 OAober to March, a clear and uniform fl<y fucceeds, feldom 

 obfcured either by fogs or clouds. For three months of 

 this feafon, a degree of cold is felt, far greater perhap^s than 

 is known to prevail in Europe. Its extreme feverity is 

 more particularly confined to the fouthern boundary of 

 Tibet, near that elevated range of mountains which divides 

 It from AfTam, Bootan, and Nipal. The fummits of thefe 

 are covered all the year with fnow, and their vicinity is 

 remarkable, at all feafons, for the drynefs of the winds. 

 The range is confined between the twenty-fixth and 



4 



twenty-feventh degrees of northern latitude. During th? 

 winter, a praftice is adopted in the neighbourhood of thefe 

 mountains, fimilar to tliat in ufe in the coldeft parts of 

 North America, but in fome refpefts more complete. It 

 is that of preparing meat and fifh for carriage, by the 

 adlion of extreme cold. This praftice, however, feems to 

 be confined to the prefcrvation of mutton alone, which is. a 

 very fimple procefs, and requiring no ufe of fait. The 

 Tibetians generally ufe that which is recently killed in a 

 TZ\K' ftate, without any previous cookery. 



Among the valuable and ufeful animals of Tibet, which 

 are mufic-deer, horfes of a fmall fize, goats yielding the 

 hair that is manufaftured into fliawls, and cattle that are 

 diminutive, to which we may refer the yak of the Tartars, 

 their breed of Iheep claims a diftinguiftied rank. Of thefe 

 the flocks are numerous, and upon them they chiefly de- 

 pend for their winter food. A peculiar fpecies, thought 

 to be indigenous to this climate, is marked almoft inva- 

 riably by black heads and legs. Their fize is fraall, their 

 wool is foft, and their flefti, fays Mr. Turner, is the fineft 

 mutton in the world. The wool affords material for one 

 of their principal manufaftures. (See Ijhansa-jeung.) 

 Their fldns and thofe of the lambs are cured with the wool 

 on, and conftitute a valuable article for winter garments, and 

 for foreign traffic. 



The foil and climate of Tibet are very unfavourable to any 

 kind of exertion and activity that have for their objetl the 

 cultivation of the land, but from time immemorial it has been 

 the refort of merchants. Commerce, however, has been very 

 languidly encouraged. The form of government, which is 

 arbitrary, is inimical to induftry and enterprife. In Tibet, 

 and alfo in Bootan, the firft member of the ftate is the chief 

 merchant ; and his ftation and power of controul give him 

 great advantages over the common adventurer ; and of courfe 

 by this monopoly of the fovereign, emulation is reftrained 

 and fupprefled. 



Although, as we have faid, the nature of the foil pro- 

 hibits agriculture ; yet the vales on the approach of winter 

 being laid under water, they are ploughed and fown in 

 fpring, and the crops are matured by frequent fhowers and 

 a powerful fun. The autumn being clear and tranquil,the 

 harveil is long left to dry on the ground ; and when fuffi- 

 ciently hardened is trod out by cattle. The courfe of cul- 

 tivation is wheat, peas, and barley ; rice being confined to 

 a more fouthern foil. Neverthelefs, the country abounds 

 with commodities, which in diff^erent circumftances would 

 give fpirit and extent to commercial tranfaftions, whilft 

 they are languifhing in floth, or exhibiting every indication 

 of poverty. The trade with Bengal was formerly not in- 

 confiderable ; but this has been interrupted and diminiflied 

 by the commotions which have long djftratled the kingdom 

 of Nipal, which was the only known channel of commu- 

 nication. Bengal tranfmitted to Tibet, broad cloth, chiefly 

 of inferior quality, and of yellow and fcarlet colours ; fome 

 few trinkets, fuch as fnuff-boxes, fmelling-bottles, knives, 

 fciflars, and optic-glaffes ; and fpices, paj-ticularly cloves 

 and nutmegs ; fandal wood, pearls, emeralds, fapphires, 

 lapis lazuli, coral, jet, amber, fliells, cloths, leather, tobacco, 

 indigo, and otter-lkins ; and it received from Tibet, gold- 

 duft, muflc, and tincal. The articles of trade next in im- 

 portance, amongft the natural produftions of Tibet, are 

 goats' hair and rock-falt. Bootan, Nipal, Bengal, and 

 Hindooftan, are fupplied with tincal from Tibet. The hair 

 of the goats is carried to Cafhmire, where it is manufadlured 

 into (hawls. The demand for fait is in the confumption of 

 Nipal and Bootan. 

 The trade from Tibet to Bootan confifts of gold-duft, 



tea. 



