Yul-Sung or Lhassa, the residenc,e of the Grand Lama, is the capital of Bhutan or Northern or Upper Tibet, also called Eastern Tibet and Tibet Proper.
Leh or Ladakh is the chief town of that part called Middle Tibet, called also Western Tibet ; and Iskardo is the principal place in Little Tibet or Balti. The natives of Little Tibet describe Ladakh, Iskardo, Khaybalu, Purik, Nagyr, Gil ghit, and Astor as distinct Tibets. Balti includes Hasora, Rongdo, Rong yul, Shagar, Iskardo, Balti, Parkuta, Tolti, Khartaksho, Kiris, Khay balu, and Chorbat. Ladakh includes Spill, Zangskar, Purik, Suru, Hembako (Dras), Ladakh. proper or I,eh, Nubra, Bong, Rupilm, and Hanle.
Balti and Rongdo are on the Indus; Khartaksho, Tolti, and Parkuta are on the Sing - ge - chu ; Shagar is on the Shagar ; and Khaybalu, Chorbat, and Kiris on the Shayok.
Tibet includes the mountain valleys of the Indus and Brahmaputra, together with the whole axis of the Himalayas, and the heads of many of the valleys which descend on the Indian side, and which are situated beyond the mass of snow throughout a great part of the chain. Beyond the Indus and Brahmaputra are the southern slopes of the Konen Lun.
The Tibetans do not recognise a continuous chain of mountains running parallel to the Hima laya ; nor are they- acquainted with Konen km as the name of any mountain range. They are familiar with the Himalaya on the one hand, and call it Kangri, which simply means snowy region, and they know that the country of the Mongols or Mongolia lies parallel to it on the other hand.
Western Tibet is a country of such general elevation, that only in the province of Balti are villages to be found below a height of 6000 feet.
In 1845, a great earthquake was experienced in the province of Kham north-east of I,hassa. It was most severe in the district of the Dirgi Raja. About 3000 men were killed and a Gumba de stroyed by the opening of the earth. About the year 1820, the district of Komp in the province of Kham ivas visit,ed by a severe shock ; one village was destroyed by the opening of the ground.
The routes from British India to Tibet are the Nilanghat pass at the eastern corner of Native Garhwal (Tehri), the Maria pass and Niti pass in British Garhwal, the Johar pass in Kamaon, and the Darma and Byans passes in Kamaon and at the extreme east of the Kamaon Tibet frontier. The great Tibet road from India to Central Asia runs in the gorge through which the Sutlej passes.
Tibet is mentioned by Abu Zaid-ul-Hasan in A.D. 915, by Ibn Haukal in A.D. 950, by Abu Rahan in A.D. 1030, and by Edrisi in A.D. 1154, Also the Jesuit fathers Graeber and Don ille returned from China by that route in A.D. 1661, just 400 years after Marco I'olo's journey west ward. They were the first Christians of Europe who are known to have penetrated into the populous parts of Tibet.
Fathers Andrada, Desideri, Homo de la Poona (1742), the monk Cassiano, Father Giorgi (1762). In 1774 Mr. George Bogle, and in 1783 Captain Turner, were sent on embassies, and in 1828 Father Hyacinth published in St. Petersburg a Chinese account of it.
In the 18th century China took the Ba-thang and Ly-thang provinces and added them to Sze chuen, and added those of A-ten-tze and Teong tien to Yunnan. Since then Ladakh has been annexed to British India. On the other hand, in 1863-64, Tibet annexed the De-gml country.
During the progress of the first war with Bhutan in1772, the British having defeated their army with loss at the battle of Chichakotta, and driven the main body of the Bhutanese into the mountains, was threatening the capital Tassisudon. In these straits the Deb raja of Bhutan appealed to the Teslm Lama of Tibet for assistance. The Teshit admitted that the raja of Bhutan had deserved all punishment, as he is of a rude and ig,norant race ; and past times are not destitute of instance:3 of his faults, which his avarice has tempted him to commit." The Lama had repri manded and admonished him to be submissive in the future ; but as he has been thoroughly-beaten, and is a dependent of the Lama's, the Teshu in tercedes, declaring that further punishment would irritate both the Lama and all his subjects." As to my part, I am but a poor fakir ; and it is the custom of my sect, with the rosary in our hands, to pray for the welfare of all mankind. . . And I do now, with my head uncovered, entreat that you will desist from all hostilities.' Hastings did desist, and it gave him a pretext for sending Mr. Bogle on a mission by way of reply. Mr. Bogle so won the friendship of the Teshu Lama, that when, a. year or two afterwards, the latter, at the urgent request of the emperor of China, went to pay him a visit, and was received with all the honours of a divine person, he twice recommended the British to the gracious notice of the Brother of the Sun.