APPENDIX H
MISCELLANEA.
1. The origin of the name Tibet is phonetically curious.
The inhabitants of the country spell its name “ Bod.” This,
in accordance with the recognised rules of Tibetan pronunciation,
they pronounce “ Peu ” (as in French, but with a phantom “ d ”).
“ Upper ” in Tibetan is “ Stod,” which, for similar reasons, is
pronounced “ Teu.” “ Upper Tibet ” as opposed to the lower
districts to the north, east and west of Lhasa, is about conterminous
with what we regard as Central Tibet. The pronunciation
of “ Teu-peu(d) ” was crisped on the Darjeeling frontier
into “ Tibet,” and thus became known to Europeans in this
form.
The Chinese name for Lhasa is “ Tsang.” The two provinces
of U (Lhasa) and Tsang (Tashi-lhunpo) are distinguished
by them as Chien-tsang and Hou-tsang respectively.
2. Lhasa lies in N. latitude 290 39' 16", and in E. longitude
(Greenwich) 90o 57' 13". Its height above the sea is approximately
12,900 feet.
3. I cannot refrain from inserting the following remark of a
Chinese historian named Masu. In the I-shih, a work upon the
Chinese empire in 160 books, he says, in reference to the fauna
and flora of this country, “ There is in Tibet a plant which flies.
It resembles a dog in shape, its colour is like tortoise-shell, and
it is very tame. If lions or elephants see it they are frightened :
hence it is the king of beasts.” If there is really anything
m the theory of the transmigration of souls, it is clear that
Miss Sybil Corbet must have inherited that of Masu.
4. One of the earliest kings of Lhasa, it is interesting to
nòte, was a practical socialist. Muni-tsanpo three times redistributed
the wealth of the country among its inhabitants
and three times he found it useless. The rich became richer’
the poor even poorer, so he abandoned the scheme.
5- The names of MM. Tsybikoff and Norzunoff deserve to
be mentioned in connection with Russia’s policy of expansion
m Tibet. The former is a Buriat of Trans-Baikalia who has
visited Lhasa as the personal friend of Dorjieff. He took a series
of good photographic views which have been published by the
Russian Geographical Society. The latter is chiefly known
for an unsuccessful attempt to join his colleague Dorjieff by
crossing the frontier from Darjeeling. Neither of these men
is of much political importance.
6. As illustrative of the influence which the Dalai Lama
has over his present asylum, Urga, it is worth while to draw
attention to the following story told by Sven Hedin, Some
monk there had offended the Grand Lama of Lhasa, and twice
the wretched man was compelled to make the journey from
Urga to Lhasa—-a three months posting journey at the quickest
upon his knees. Then he was again compelled to perform the
same penance only to find the Dalai Lama unrelenting, and the
doors of the Sacred City shut upon him.
7. I append a rough translation of the extract from the
Odyssey, which I have placed on the title-page. The coincidence
is worth quoting:
Over the tides of Ocean on they pressed,
On past the great White Rock beside the stream,
On, till through God’s high bastions east and west,
They reached the plains with pale-starred iris dressed,
And found at last the folk of whom men dream.”
The Arabian Sea, Ta-karpo, the Himalayas, Gyantse, and the
Lhasans seem prophesied here clearly enough.