430: ' AN ESSAY ON 



TiEFFSNTHALiEii. That the ij;;2(j^5.^elieeationaf^^ was to« 



tally undeserving of the confidence which has been placed in it, will be 

 apparent frora a brief review of its history, 



A MAP of Tibet,* which had bqen constructed by persons in the retinue 

 of a Chinese envoy, was put into the hands of Father Regis, one of the 

 missionaries at Pekin, m 1711. Upon his report of its defects, the places 

 being laid down from common estimation, without any actual measure- 

 Hiehtof distance^,, the EmpeJ^r 'Kano-hi resolved to. procure one mej^e 

 accurate and satisfactory. With this view, he sent into Tibet two Lamas, 

 who had studied geometry and arithraetick in a Chinese college, patronised 

 by his third son. They were ordered to prepare a map of the country, 

 from Si-ning.to Lasa'^ and thence to the source of the Ganges; and were 

 enjoined to bring some of the water of that river. 



The map, which they executed, was delivered to the missionaries for 

 examination, in 171-7; and from this, compared with itineraries and other 

 information, the missionaries prepared the map, o£ Tibet which is publishv 



ed in Du-Halde's description of CA//m; •. :'•'■,. ,■ ■ 



WniLE/the Lamas were engaged on- their- survey, a; revokition took 

 •place m-Tihit, which was invaded with temporary success by the king o'f 

 the Eliiths. The country of Lasa was ravaged; the temples were plun- 

 dered; and all the Xa»ia^, who were found, were put into sacks and 

 thrown upon camels, to be transported into Tdrtary. The two Lamas, em- 

 ployed in making the map of Tibet, narrowly -escaped the fate of their 

 brethren. On the first rumour of the incursions of the ravagers, they 

 hastened the conclusion of their work : and they contented themselves 



* Qbserv. geogr. and hist, sur la carte du Tibet : dans i' hist, de la Chin'e^ 4. 570, &c. 



