Other Goseins assured me, though I could not help doubting the
facj, that it is practicable to restore withered limbs, thus circumstanced,
to perfect use. This is effected, they say, though not without great
labour, and some pain, by means of long continued friction, before a
large fire, with a certain ointment which they compound. To complete
the full measure of his religious penance, 1 understood that there still
remained two other experiments forPranpooree to perform. In the first
of these, the devotee is suspended by the feet to the branch of a tree,
over a fire, which is kept in a continual blaze, and swung backwards and
forwards, his hair passing through the Same, for onepahr and a quarter,
that is, three hours and three quarters. Haying passed through this
fiery trial, he may then prepare himself for the last act of probation,
which is to be buried alive, standing upright, in a pit dug for the
purpose; the fresh earth being thrown in upon him, so that hois completely
covered. In this situation, he must remain, for one pahr and a
quarter, or three .hours and three quarters, and if at the expiration of
that time, on the removal of the earth, he should be found alive, he
will ascend into the highest rank, among the mostpure of the Yogee,
(Jugi).
The mention of Russia, produced some observations from the Regent
and Soopoon Ghoomboo, upon the government of that Empire. They
were no strangers to the reputation of the reigning Czarina, her extent
of dominion, and the commerce earned on with China, to the extreme
boundaries of their continent. Many overtures, they told me, had been
made on the part of Russia, to extend her commerce to the internal
parts of Tibet, but their disinclination to enter into any new foreign
’connections, god the watchful jealousy /of fthe Chinese, had -'hitherto
defeated' every -attempt of diis* matlhrfe. i; j
.Some years ago -the Empress of; fRussja, T learnt, had dmvited
Taranaut Eanva to a (correspondence, and jaMaaSsadprs'ibaj^been sent
to him with csnsidcrable'preteertts, -•atachg-th^se, Lsaw^a^jMey^th
plates, imthe^ussiandanguage, whiehitfa&y-Still preserved. Taranaut,
whp^t that time esteemed Teshoo Lama,; as «ti^'^iaarfiran-of thecstate,
'oracle J'of'the Lama hierarchy,’ 5forwarded ’the • presents,•ianafthy
letter -to .him, for ’the purpose o’fatecetvmgrhis lEudvieempophso..itis-
portant as^i^^|T^e!Lam a' gavelittie^nG»us'ageineiifrto the Russians,
y e t coiMented-'toaUimited Intercourse;'inrpoj^e^enee,ofuvhiqh,. the
Russian1 traders have since resortedoccasionally-'to rKharka,’the. place
of Ta«maut^ Lamas residence, wherq they s|p. carry otfby’their-agents
^id00siderable: traffic. This, prindpally .consists 'hd the .safe ofefculgar
hMes, wMch are,preparEdintthe adjacent districts, and brought also
froniiGalmucTartaryrto the.same.’m£trt4>whq5e|^he^X }a!9d vdswhfe
farspthatpassiin. merchandize hfetween thei Russians ^nd\ Ghineste',1 anay
be procured uponueaxyterms. s
.Immediately afterthisitcanferenee, .a large party, of'Tartars from
'Khurobak, c(a tribe <afc Galurucs.) arrived.) an a' (pilgrimage; toTeshoP
Lama, and’ engageddherRegent’s /attention for several days.jr-They
-broughtTwith ihem a stringiof.horaes,; consisting h f between, two and
three hundred, furspbulgar hides,^<axd ;skins ofhiifctpr, a&t&fferinigs ,to
the Lama, befcne.Tkhom».zl.is unusual; for hist votaries’!©'appeal, esp'|-
daily when, theyrttotne from any considerable distance,^withoufe-pre-
■ renting something by .way of;rdigiausitejbsrte. |