Nov. 1849. THE LAMAS ASSEMBLE AT TUMLOONG. 223 



we stood in great need. I transmitted a private account 

 of the whole affair to the Governor-General, who was 

 unfortunately at Bombay, but to whose prompt and vigorous 

 measures we were finally indebted for our release. His 

 lordship expedited a despatch to the Rajah, such as the 

 latter was accustomed to receive from Nepal, Bhotan, or 

 Lhassa, and such as alone commands attention from these 

 half-civilized Indo-Chinese, who measure power by the 

 firmness of the tone adopted towards them ; and who, 

 whether in Sikkim, Birmah, Siam, Bhotan, or China, have 

 too long been accustomed to see every article of our 

 treaties contravened, with no worse consequences than a 

 protest or a threat, which is never carried into execution 

 till some fatal step calls forth the dormant power of the 

 British Government.* 



The end of the month arrived without bringing any 

 prospect of our release, whilst we were harassed by false 

 reports of all kinds. The Dewan went on the 25th to 

 a hot bath, a few hundred feet down the hill ; he was led 

 past our hut, his burly frame tottering as if in great 

 weakness, but a more transparent fraud could not have 

 been practised : he was, in fact, lying on his oars, pending 

 further negociations. The Ainlah proposed that Campbell 

 should sign a bond, granting immunity for all past offences 

 on their part, whilst they were to withdraw the letter of 

 grievances against him. The Lamas cast horoscopes for the 



* We forget that all our concessions to these people are interpreted into weak- 

 ness; that they who cannot live on an amicable equality with one another, cannot 

 be expected to do so with us ; that all our talk of power and resources are mere 

 boasts to habitual bullies, so long as we do not exert ourselves in the correction of 

 premeditated insults. No Government can be more tolerant, more sincerely desirous 

 of peace, and more anxious to confine its sway within its own limits than that of 

 India, but it can only continue at peace by demanding respect, and the punctilious 

 enforcement of even the most trifling terms in the treaties it makes with Indo- 

 Chinese. 



