152 Proceedings of the Asiatic Society. [May, 



His Excellency, the Nepalese ambassador brought with him to 

 Chentu several hundred boxes of Indian opium, which he was unable 

 to dispose of, save a few boxes bought by Chung Ching merchants for 

 shipment to Hankow, and I believe that I was rightly informed that 

 the people dislike the Indian drug on account of its great strength. 

 Chinese Mandarins, coming from Lassa, invariably bring opium with 

 them into China, purchasing it of the Nepalese merchants coming 

 from Khatmandoo, and disposing of it to Chung Ching merchants 

 who, I presume, find a market for it east of Szchuan. 



Joining at Chentu, the great highway to Tibet, and travelling 

 west three days through the plain of Szchuan, Yarchu city is reached ; 

 the soil of the plain is most prolific, yielding annually two crops of sugar 

 and rice. Beyond Yarchu for two or three days, the road leads through 

 a beautiful hilly country, very rich in iron and copper, while from 

 this point crossing the Yangnin range of mountains to the Tar-tow- 

 ho, the country gradually becomes a wild and sterile chaos of large 

 peaked mountains, yielding to the inhabitants of this wretched coun- 

 try scanty crops of potatoes and Indian corn, upon which they 

 principally subsist. Crossing the Tar-tow-ho at Ludinchow by means 

 of a chain suspension bridge, 340 yards span, built about 80 years 

 since, three days travelling in a north west direction along frightful pre- 

 cipices, brings the traveller to Tontseanloo, the border town of Tibet. — 

 Here, as for the past three days, he finds himself amongst a different j 

 people, while the climate has changed to excessive cold, the surroun- 

 ding hills being covered with snow for eight months during the year. 



Up to this point, chairs are used as a means of conveyance, but 1 

 before the traveller can prosecute his journey into Tibet, he must 

 purchase mules, tents, watch-dogs, and a ten days' supply of food for 

 himself and cattle. Thus equipped, he leaves Tontseanloo and in I 

 two days crosses the Jeddo range of mountains; but how different 

 to the peaked masses of limestone in the neighbourhood of Tar-tow-ho 

 are these mountains ! For the first day the country is nothing but huge 

 granite boulders as far as the eye can reach, but next day, on arriving 

 at the summit of the range, every thing is changed before him, there 

 is a sea of high grassy ranges without a vestige of a tree,— large herds 

 of yaks and sheep dot the sides of the mountains in black and white 



