BOOTAN. 
tails of their Tangun horses almost close to the rump, which greatly 
disfigured their appearance, and depreciated their value. When the 
English established a fixed station at Rungpore (the mart of Rootan. 
commerce), disgusted at this cruel treatment, they interested them¬ 
selves with -the dealers to obtain a discontinuance of the practice, of¬ 
fering backshish , that is a liberal reward, if they would permit the 
t 
poor animals, to keep their tails. They listened with extreme unwil¬ 
lingness to a proposal that militated against immemorial usage, foi 
which, however, they had no better argument to advance, than the 
truly Asiatic plea, against all sorts of innovation; “ it was the das - 
ioor ,” or custom; but the love of money being superior to the force 
of prejudice, at the ensuing season, some of the horses made their ap¬ 
pearance at the fair, unmutilated. These found so quick a sale, and 
gained so high a price, that the same dealers were induced the fol¬ 
lowing year, to repeat the experiment, and with similar success. They 
who were anxious for a good market, soon found it their interest 
to follow the example; and thus at length that cruel custom was 
totally abolished, which deprived a noble animal of a member no less 
useful than ornamental ; and ever since that time Tangun horses 
have been permitted to descend by this pass, without the loss of 
their tails. Hence it was stiled Buxa-dewar, the bounteous pass , and 
the commandant of the post, Buxa Soobah; but otherwise, in the 
Bootan language, it is named Passaka, and Passa Geatong. Thus 
I take my leave of etymologies. 
Our first care in the morning was to dispatch our camp equipage 
and palanquins to Rungpore, being obliged to become dependent 
