BOOTAN. 
27 
In the afternoon our tent came up, a party of Booteeas having been 
sent to bring it over the steep and difficult part of the way. The 
elephant followed soon after, much to our astonishment, for the road 
seemed in some places too narrow even for the safe passage of a horse. 
Our tents were at length pitched, but with great difficulty; for there 
was scarcely soil enough upon the rock to admit the pins. They 
afforded a subject of admiration to the crowds of Booteeas that were 
continually assembling to gaze at us. 
A strong similarity of feature runs through the whole race. They 
are much fairer and more robust than their neighbours, the Bengalees, 
with broader faces and higher cheek-bones. So wide a difference 
indeed is evident between these individuals of the human species, that 
were a stranger to both, desired to give an opinion of them, when 
placed together, he would not hesitate to pronounce them natives of 
regions the remotest from each other, and could never suppose that 
they belonged to a contiguous soil. 
In the evening we made a visit to the Soobah b of Buxadewar, who 
advanced to the entrance of his apartment to receive us, when, in 
conformity to the custom of Bootan, I presented a white pelong hand¬ 
kerchief: he gave me one in return, and shook hands as the exchange 
was made. We advanced, and took our seats: his was placed in the 
corner of the room, close under a window : here he sat opposite to us, 
on a scarlet cloth, having a square piece of tiger’s skin in the centre, 
spread upon a stage of wood, which was elevated about a foot from 
the floor. On his right hand was a silver vessel, containing a fire of 
/ 
Provincial Governor. 
E 
