May, 1849. IMPEDIMENTS CAUSED BY THE DP: WAN. 23 



This extraordinary Tibetan salute at first puzzled me exces- 

 sively, nor was it until reading MM. Hue and Gabet's 

 travels on my return to England, that I knew of its being 

 the ton at Lhassa, and in all civilised parts of Tibet. 



As the valley was under the Singtam Soubah's autho- 

 rity, I experienced a good deal of opposition ; and the Lama 

 urged the wrath of the gods against my proceeding. This 

 argument, I said, had been disposed of the previous year, 

 and I was fortunate in recognising one of my Changachel- 

 ling friends, who set forth my kindly offices to the Lamas 

 of that convent, and the friendship borne me by its monks, 

 and by those of Pemiongchi. Many other modes of dis- 

 suading me were attempted, but with Meepo's assistance 

 I succeeded in gaining my point. The difficulty and 

 delays in remittance of food, caused by the landslips having 

 destroyed the road, had reduced our provisions to a very low 

 ebb ; and it became not only impossible to proceed, but 

 necessary to replenish my stores on the spot. At first pro- 

 visions enough were brought to myself, for the Rajah had 

 issued orders for my being cared for, and having some prac- 

 tice among the villagers in treating rheumatism and goitres, 

 I had the power of supplying my own larder ; but I found 

 it impossible to buy food for my people. At last, the real 

 state of the case came out ; that the Rajah having gone to 

 Choombi, his usual summer-quarters in Tibet, the Dewan 

 had issued orders that no food should be sold or given to 

 my people, and that no roads were to be repaired during 

 my stay in the country ; thus cutting off my supplies 

 from Dorjiling, and, in short, attempting to starve me 

 out. At this juncture, Meepo received a letter from 

 the Durbar, purporting to be from the Rajah, com- 

 manding my immediate return, on the grounds that I had 

 been long enough in the country for my objects : it was not 



