260 Capt. Pembertoris Mission to Bootan, 1837-38. [April, 



preceding Deb, from convictions of interest, and from having tasted 

 more than once of British liberality, might have treated the Mission 

 with some consideration, but the issue as to business would doubtless 

 have been the same. I regret much not being able to state more about 

 the government of the country, and more especially its internal eco- 

 nomy. The usual punishment for crimes is in fines, a method always 

 resorted to wherever money is considered as the grand object. In 

 Bootan I have little doubt but that the commission of grievous crimes 

 would be encouraged, were the lower orders in condition to pay the 

 fines. 



I have before adverted to an instance of black treachery : that instance 

 was furnished by a Mahomedan, Nuzeeb-ood Deen, a native of Cal- 

 cutta; who having accompanied a trader into Bootan had been 

 detained and placed in a state of captivity for twelve years. By some 

 fortunate neglect on the part of the Booteas in the palace, he contrived 

 to gain admission to Capt. Pemberton ; and his tale was so consistent, 

 and bore such evidences of truth, that Capt. Pemberton claimed him 

 as a British subject ; and the justice of the claim was very strongly 

 urged by the prevarication of the Booteas, who indeed finally admit- 

 ted it. Nuzeeb-ood Deen returned to the palace, but very luckily for 

 him, Capt. Pemberton, who suspected that the Booteas might dispose 

 of him privily, insisted much that he should be forthcoming when he 

 called for him, and wrote to the Deb to the same purpose ; yet even 

 under these circumstances, it was unanimously agreed that he should 

 be cut to pieces and thrown into the river, but they refrained from 

 doing so from fear of the consequences. As soon as he was given up, 

 which happened a day or two before our departure, he placed himself 

 under Captain Pemberton, who advised him not to associate with 

 Booteas, and above all to eat or drink nothing from their hands. 

 Nuzeeb-ood Deen however was not proof against a cup presented to him 

 by a boy with whom he had been very intimate during his captivity. 

 The consequences were every symptom of having partaken of some 

 narcotic poison ; he was saved by the action of powerful emetics, but 

 did not recover for some time afterwards; he was carried through 

 the palace and throughout the first march on a Bootea's back. 



The population of the country is certainly scanty, and indeed could 

 not be otherwise under existing circumstances. Villages are very ge- 

 nerally " few and far between," in addition to their being small. The 

 only decently populated bits of country we saw about Santagong and 

 Tamashoo. The valley of the Teemboo as far as Panga was also 

 tolerably populous, but it must be remembered that this is the princi- 

 pal part of the great thoroughfare of the country. The palaces and 



