THIBET. 



tea, woollen cloths, and fait ; from Bootan to Tibet, the 

 articles are Enghfli broad cloth, Rungpore leather, tobacco, 

 coarfe cotton cloths, &c. paper, rice, fandal wood, indigo. 

 Tibet fends to Luddauk, the mart between Cafiiniire and 

 Teflioo-Loomboo, the fine hair of goats, and receives in re- 

 turn gamboge, (hawls, dried fruits, as apricots, raifins, 

 currants, dates, almonds, and fafFron. Khumbauk fends to 

 Tibet, horfcs, dromedaries, and Balgar hides. In Tibet 

 there arc feveral mines of lead ; and as lead-ore contains 

 fdver, it might be feparated from it to great advantage, if the 

 method of doing it were known. Here are alfo mines of 

 cinnabar, which contains a great proportion of mercury, if 

 the Tibetians knew how to ejctradl it. The copper-mines 

 furnifli materials for the manufafture of idols, and all the 

 ornaments difpofed about monafteries, on wiiich gilding 

 is bellowed, for which there is a great demand in Tibet. 



A very fmall quantity of fpecie is current in Tibet, and 

 that is of a bafe ftandard. It is the filver coin of Nipal, 

 here denominated indcrmilkc, and worth about one-third of 

 a ficca rupee ; and it is cut into halves, third parts, and 

 quarters. In all mercantile tranfaftions, however, the equi- 

 valent is made in bullion, ;'. e. talents of gold and filver, valued 

 an proportion to the purity and fpecific gravity of the 

 metal. 



The commerce between Tibet and China is carried on 

 principally at a garrifon town, on the weftern frontier of 

 China, named Sinning, or Silling : thither merchants refort 

 from Tibet with their manufa£ture; w'z. a thin cloth re- 

 fembling frieze, but rather of a more open texture, gold- 

 d»ft, and fome other commodities procured from Bengal ; 

 Avhich they exchange for tea, filver bullion, brocades, and 

 fruit. In thefe ai'ticles an extenfive trade is carried on ; and 

 Mr. Turner has been affured that, on the territory of Telhoo- 

 Loomboo alone, tea, to the amount of five or fix lacs of 

 rupees, is annually confumed. From hence, too, Bootan is 

 fupplied with tea, which is in the fame general ufe there. 



Tibet exports to China, gold-dull, diamonds, pearls, 

 coral, muflc, woollen cloths of its own manufafture, lamb- 

 ikins and otter-lkins, called ood, brought from Bengal ; and 

 China returns to Tibet, gold and filver brocades, plain filks, 

 fatins, black teas of four or five different forts, tobacco, 

 filver bullion, quickfilver, cinnabar, china ware, trumpets, 

 cymbals, and other mufical inflruments; furs, viz. fable, 

 ermine, black fox ; and dried fruits of various forts. 



The regulations for carrying the commerce of the Englifh 

 llafl India Company through the dominions of Bootan, by 

 means of the agency of native merchants, were fettled by 

 the treaty entered into by Mr. Bogle, in the year 1775. 



The cities and towns of Tibet are little known : the 

 capital is Laja ; which fee. Among the edifices, the mo- 

 nafteries occupy the firft clafs. (Sec Teshoo-Loomboo.) 

 The chief river of Tibet is Berhampooter ; which fee. The 

 Hoan-ho and Kian-ku of the Chinefe alfo derive their origin 

 from the eaftern boundaries of Tibet. The great Japanefe 

 river of Cambodia, or Maykaung of Laos, that of Nou Kia, 

 fuppofed to pafs near Martaban, into the gulf of Pegu, and 

 the Irawaddy of the eaft country, are fuppofed to have 

 their fources from the mountains of Tibet, which may be 

 ftyled the Alps of Afia. Another large river, called the 

 Sardjoo or Gagra, which, after a courfe of about 600 miles, 

 nearly parallel on tlie E. with that of the Ganges, joins it 

 iiear Chupra, and derives its fpring from the lofty weftern 

 mountains of Tibet. In thefe Alpine regions are many 

 lakes, fuch as Teriiri, and Jamdro or Pelte ; which fee. 

 The ranges of Tibetian mountains in the W. and S. feem 

 to bend in the form of a crefcent, from the fources of the 

 Ganges to the frontiers of Afam, in a N. W. and S.E. direc- 



VoL. XXXV. 



tion. To the N. of Sampoo a pai"dlel and higher ridge 

 feems to extend, the northern extremities abounding with 

 large frozen lakes. The chief elevation of mountains ap- 

 pears to be central, S. of the lake Terkiri, and is called 

 Koiran, the weftern part being denominated Kantel. The 

 fouthern range prcfciits many names of diilindl mountains, 

 comprehended under the Hindoo name of Himmela. From 

 thefe ranges many branches extend N. and S. This country 

 poffefTes many mineral waters, the falutary ufe of which is 

 not unknown to the natives. Among its natural curiofities 

 we may reckon a fingular rock, N. of TafTifudon, defcribcd 

 by Mr. Saunders in tlic Appendix to Turner's Travels, ami 

 forming in front fix or feven angular femi-pillars of large 

 circumference, and fome one hundred feet in height. This 

 natural curiofity is partly detached from the mountains, 

 and projefts over a confiderable fall of water, which 

 heightens the pidlurefque appearance of the whole. The 

 rocK is laminated, and might be formed into flate ; and as 

 iron-ftones ai'e found in the vicinity, thefe pilaftcrs probably, 

 like thofe of bafalt, arife from the influence of that metal. 

 Phil. Tranf. vol. Ixvii. Sir W. Jones's Works, vol. iii. 

 Turner's Travels. Pinkerton's Geography. 



Thibet or Tibet, Link, a diftriiSt N.W. of Cafiimire, 

 which is fuppofed to contain the chief fource of the 

 Indus. The fituation of this country is doubtful ; it pro- 

 bably lies on the N. and N.W. of Cafhmire, and is divided 

 from Great Tibet by a high mountainous ridge, and by a 

 higher chain, that of Belur, from Great Bucharia. It is 

 defcribed as a very mountainous and poor country, pervaded 

 by the Indus, and towards the N. full of forefts. The 

 capital is Afcardu, and further to the N. is Schekar. 

 Temir-kand, or the fortrefs of iron, feems to command the 

 pafs between Great and Little Tibet ; and the two Ganges 

 of the Chinefe maps (fuppofed fources of the Ganges) 

 are probably rivers which join the Indus from the E^ft. 

 Pinkerton. 



The delineation of the country of the Sacas, by Ptolemy 

 and Strabo, (fee SaCjE,) will be found to correfpond, fays 

 Hugh Murray, efq. in his " Ancient Geography of Central 

 and Eaftern Afia," in every refpeft, with that given by 

 Mr. Elphinftone of the Plain of Pamera and Little Tliibet. 

 It was bounded on the S. by Hindooftan, from which it 

 was feparated by the ridge of Imaus. On the N. it was 

 bounded by the next parallel chain, " Mons Afcataneas," 

 which cannot poffibly be any other than the Mooz-Taugh, 

 to whofe name, indeed, it bears a rude refemblance. It 

 extended E. from the Montes Comedorun, (the Beloor or 

 Belur, ) to fomewhat beyond the head of the Ganges j pre- 

 cifely the dimenfions of Little Thibet. Great and Little 

 Thibet form a table land of extraordinary elevation, border- 

 ing on Hindooflan to the S. : and two parallel chains, 

 running from E. to W., prop this mighty bulwark of Afia. 

 The northern barrier is formed by an immenfe chain, 

 known under the name of Hindoo Coofh, and Himmela 

 or Himalaya, which forms the northern limit of India. 

 The whole extent of it is covered, to a great depth, with 

 perpetual fnow ; and every meafurement yet made, from 

 Pefliaur to Nepaul, has made it exceed 20,000 feet above 

 the level of the plain, being higher than the higheft peaks of 

 the Andes. The whole is recognized by Ptolemy under the 

 name of Imaus. The northern range, known by the un- 

 couth appellation of Mooz-Taugh, taugh being merely the 

 generic name of mountain, or Karrakorum, Mr. H. Mur- 

 ray apprehends to be defcribed by him under the nanne 

 of Mons Afcataneas. Its abfolute elevation feems to ex- 

 ceed that of Himalaya, and yet from tJie high level of its 

 bafe, it does not prefent fo formidable an afpaft. At right 

 3 Y angles 



