BOOTAN. 
107 
to settle Affairs in the disturbed Districts—announces his Design 
—invites me to meet him. 
A complete month had not elapsed after our arrival at Tassisudon, 
when two turbulent chiefs, the Zoompoon of Wandipore, a keeper of 
one of the principal castles in Bootan, together with a degraded oh 
ficer, who had served in an important post under the former govern¬ 
ment, contrived to raise a commotion, which as it gave the Raja and his 
subjects much trouble to appease; and which, as it may tend to por¬ 
tray a feature in their character as a warlike people, I intend minutely 
to detail, from its commencement to its close. 
« 
The commandant of the castle of Punukka, the winter residence 
of the Daeb Raja, arrived at Tassisudon, on the 25 th of June, as 
it is customary at this season of the year for each of the high officers 
under the government of Bootan., to render an account of his district, 
and pay his duty of allegiance to the sovereign chief. Immediately 
on the departure of the Zoompoon from Punukka, it was rumoured 
that a powerful party of armed people assaulted the castle, and 
Ending it unguarded, (the chief part of the establishment having 
gone to escort the Zoompoon') obtained possession of it, as it were, 
by surprise. Though the report was not yet actually confirmed, suf¬ 
ficient was known totally to derange the tranquil order of the state, 
and suggest the most active military preparations. Armed people 
were seen to assemble, and resort to be enrolled at the palace all 
day ; whence they were again detached in parties of twelve or 
twenty, by secret routes across the mountains, for the purpose of 
P 
