ACCOUNT OF BHUTAN. 143 



chastity. They have each their own superior and are under the control of 

 Lamkhem. 



Bhutan produces abundance of tangan horses, blankets, walnuts, musk, 

 cbowris or cow tails, oranges and manjith (madder) which the inhabitants sell 

 at Rung-pore ; and thence take back woollen cloth, pattus, indigo, sandal, 

 red sandal, assafcetida, nutmegs, cloves, nakhi, and coarse cotton cloths, 

 of which they use a part in Bhutan and send the rest to Lhassa, and from 

 the latter country they import tea, silver, gold and embroidered silk goods. 

 In Lhassa there is no rice produced, and little grain of any kind, on which 

 account rice, parched rice, wheat, and flour of dhemsi are also exported 

 from Bhutan to that country. The tea, the Bhftteas consume themselves '; 

 the greater part of the silk goods, for clothing and hangings in their 

 temples; and with the silver they mix lead, and coin it into Narainy rupees. 

 The Bhuteas also send the same sort of goods as they export to Rungpore, 

 to Nepal and Assam, and to the former country they likewise export rock- 

 salt. From the low-lands under the hills and on the borders of Rungpore 

 and Cooch Behar, they import swine, cattle, pan and betle, tobacco, dried 

 fish, and coarse cotton cloth. Besides the Officers of Government and their 

 servants, no person can trade with a foreign country, nor can any of the 

 inhabitants sell tangan mares without the Deb Raja's permission. All horses 

 and blankets are monopolized at a low price by the officer in whose juris- 

 diction they are produced. 



In Bhutan the grains produced are rice, wheat, dhemsi, barley, mus- 

 tard, chenna, murwa, and Indian corn. The rice is planted out in Assar, 

 and ripens in Ashin orthe beginning of Kartik. The other grains are sown 

 in Kartik and reaped in Jeyt. The sloping sides of the hills are cut into 

 stages, and the rice watered from rivulets which are made to overflow the 

 different beds successively. All sorts of fruit ripenbetween June and Octo- 

 ber. The fruits are walnuts, apples, peaches, oranges, pomegranates, chouli, 

 limes, melons, &c. There is one mango tree at Punakha and one at An- 

 ts 



