1848.] Narrative of a Journey to Cho Lagan, fye. 343 



sa or the adjacent country, and, for Gnari at least, are never natives of 

 the province under command. Their regular term of office is 3 years, 

 at the expiry of which, being relieved by successors similarly appoint- 

 ed, they return to Lhassa to give an account of themselves, which if 

 satisfactory may result in further appointment. E. G. Deba Phundu, 

 Pruang Zungpun from 1843 to 1845, is now, (according to the man of 

 Lamjung) one of the joint Zungpun of Kirong. Dhinkar-Sah (i. e. 

 Son of Dhinkar) late Garpun of Gnari, came from the Zung of Kirong, 

 and before that was Zungpun of Chaprang. Sometimes merit or inte- 

 rest may extend the tenure of the same office by one individual to 

 double the ordinary period. Deba Chakwa, a wealthy trader, well spok- 

 en of by our Bhotias, was Garpun of Gnari for 5 or 6 years from 

 1840 to 1845. 



Some say that the revenues of the provinces are farmed to the 

 Garpun and Zungpun, who may make what they can for themselves 

 above the state contract, being paid no regular salary : it is certain that 

 the people suffer the most arbitrary exactions, approaching sometimes 

 to indiscriminate robbery. 



The term Deba either above or prefixed to the names of persons or 

 their official titles, answers to the Hindustani affix, "Sahib" and is 

 applied particularly to the Officers of the Lhassan Government who 

 are distinguished by the Top-Knot, a peculiar mode of tying up the hair 

 (kept long) on the crown of the head with a skewer through the knot, 

 in the fashion of the Chinese ; the losing of this top-knot is a form 

 that accompanies deprivation of office. Moorcroft's Deba at Daba was 

 the Gunpun ; his Viziers at Gartokh and J)aba probably the Zungnirh 

 of the Garpun, and the Nirba or Dunik of the Zungpun, Trail, follow- 

 ing Moorcroft in these inaccuracies. Rajas, Viziers and the like in 

 Tibet are, once for all, mere Hindustani fictions, which should not be 

 retailed any further by English writers. The present Garpun of Gnari 

 are — 



1. Tannakarh Gajjun (according to Angil's note) Urkugung, re- 

 cently appointed in place of Dhinkar-Sah, who, as before mentioned, 

 had his top-knot united by the Ship-Chet the other day : the latter, in 

 succession to Jurkwah, had been in office only one year : and his pre- 

 sent disgrace, they say is for his having made certain unauthorized 

 remissions of revenue from ryots of Kirong, where he was previously 



