ip undertake; the preparations employed faim till the beginning of
the following month of March, when,. Î beg leave to recall' to your
remembrance, I had the honour to present him to you for'his dismission.
-He then commencecrtiis jpuènèÿ1 front Calcutta, and early
in-, die, month of April had passed, as he relates, the limits of the
Company’s provinces, and entered thé mountains that constitute the
kingdom of Bootan; where, in the prosecution of his journey, he
received, from the subjects of the Daeb Raja, the most - ample -and
voluntary assistance to the frontier of his territory, nor did he meet
withafhy impediment to oppose his progress, until his arrival'upon the
borders of Tibet.. Here he was compelled to halt,for néar a fortnight,
by a heavy fell of snbw, that commenced upon his arrival at Phafi, and
continued for the space of six days, covering the face of the country to
so great a depth., as totally to put a stop to all travelling, and rendered
it impracticable for him to proceed, until a thaw succeeded to Open
the communication.' -
During the time of his confinement at Phari, he says| such \Vas the
severity of the cold, and the injurious effect, Which so rapid a transition
from a temperate climate, produced on the health' of himself-and
his companions, that it left him little room to doubt, if an early change
had not fortunately" taken place, and permitted his advance, that they
must aH have fallen victims to the inclemency of the weather. How
ever, ns early as it was possible for biffl to leave Phàri, he proceeded,
by long stages, on his journey ; and, without encountering any further
difficulties, on the 8lh of May following, reached Teshoo Loomboo,
the capital of Tibet,
•:>:immediately upon .enter-iugj bhe,jnon?st'Ciy^S4Went to the Durbar
of the .Regent .ChanjoeGunshotI Ppnjun. Irtinnee^ Nimhheim> to announce
his;arwaj,, and the purpose af.his commission. |
<! Quarters were iftser^aHoMed for .hi ssrhs nLence, andlapjhoW appointed
for,-him to wait uponhhe Lama; wbo.-ih&mas informed, the following
morning intended id ,feaKe thei}palace',rtoVffl’6eupy,);i’eip'^ qfrhi&fcgardens
situated -onuthe plain,; within, ssight, Q^ithe.' monas.{Cfy,' tWh6rej ifi was
visible, , a,cbns}derabl5e' e^Anpmebt- hal -bh^fd^medf., ,
- iThe Lama quitted his apartments, at the hrstfda^inf dayj, and. was
lodged, in the tents, patched, for hjs(fdd£^ta}ffiodati»n>,«b^rre/tihe sun
had iiisen,.-., Ifp.the jeourse of the. morning> at appointed for
his ad/nigsion, Poorungheep went down, to the Lama’stenfsi :He heard,
Q0tep^¥Pg;the gates. <of rthe«,'©sclo^ure,' that, the ,t young ^amai was
< aking,his recreation in, the garden,, oangi&g about-v^hinh, became with
him a. very favourite amusement. As it' was at-frjus^tsime', in Tibet,
the warmest season of the year, in,order that he might,injoy, thebenefit
of thC>i«dt, his; attendants had chosen a^spot#.;where the trees afforded
th^ cdmpteleshshltdosand had there placed,an eieyated seat,of onskidnst
for the youpg Lama to rest upon after- his,ekeEcisew,. In, .this situation
Poorunghehr found him, when.,sitmmonedsto ,his,presence, ^attended
by? fhe Regent, his parents,^Soopohn Chotanboo» the cupbearer, and
the,principal.afficers .«ttheicoii^ptcAfterma king three profoandipM-
strations, at as remote a distance as it-was.- possible, he approachedj
and presented'to the Lama, according to .fhb-hustomrofiTibet,' a .piece
of white -pelongi, and then delivered tbeietters'and presents with which
h® had been charged. • > : !-