304 Report of the death of Mr. Csoma de Korbs. [No. 124. 



ment of his objects ; that he was not at all connected with the service 

 of our government, or any other power in India ; but, that the Governor 

 General had granted him his permission to travel through India, and 

 that any facilities afforded him by the Raja, would be noted approvingly 

 by His Lordship and myself. 



The Vakeel at my desire addressed the Raja, explaining fully my 

 wishes, and Mr. De Koros resolved to remain here pending a reply 

 from Sikim. He was full of hope as to the favorable result of the refer- 

 ence, and in the most enthusiastic manner would dilate on the delight 

 he expected to derive from coming in contact with some of the learned 

 men of the East, (Lassa,) as the Lamas of Ladakh and Kansun, with 

 whom alone he had previous communion were confessedly inferior in 

 learning to those of eastern Thibet. He was modest and almost silent 

 on the benefits which might accrue to general knowledge from the 

 results of his contemplated journey, but, " what would Hodgson, Tur- 

 nour, and some of the philosophers of Europe, not give to be in my 

 place when I get to Lassa/' was a frequent exclamation of his during 

 the conversations I had with him previous to his illness. 



He had arranged, in the event of his getting permission to proceed, to 

 leave with me all his books, papers, and bank notes to the amount of 

 Rs. 300, to be cared for on his behalf; and a complete copy of the 

 Journal of the Asiatic Society, which he had received from the Society. 

 He said he should ask me to keep in the event of his never returning. 

 How soon were all his enthusiastic anticipations clouded, and his 

 journeyings stopped for ever ! 



On the 6th instant I called on him, and found him feverish, with 

 foul tongue, dry skin, and headache; I urged him to take some medicine, 

 but in vain. He said he had suffered often from fever and other ail- 

 ments, from which he had recovered without physic, that rhubarb was 

 the only thing of the sort he had ever used, except tartar emetic. The 

 former had been recommended to him by Moorcroft, and the latter by a 

 Persian doctor. He took out of his box a small bit of decayed rhubarb 

 and a phial of tartar emetic, and said, with apparent distrust in their 

 virtues, " As you wish it, I will take some to-morrow if I am not better, 

 it is too late to-day, the sun is going down." I sent him some weak 

 soup, and returned to see him on the 7th. He was then much better, 



