New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-11-02
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
TRAVEL IN TIBET.


This interesting record of travel has the espcclai
merit of being the work of man VINO prepaicu
himself for the tourney by learning Chinese ana
Tibetan who adopted the Chinese costume anu
habits, and who was thus in a position 10 oo''ih
far fuller knowledge of the countries anu peo'
piles he visited than could be acquired ny any
traveller proceeding as a European or Ameii'n'
and lacking familiarity with the Easterniaheuase'
Mr. Rockhill. moreover had the advantage OF
lifelong desire TO visit Tibet and his notes mari
1t evident that he peculiarly ht'eu ior Viie
hard life of a traveller in those regions py reeo'
of his endurance, patience under trlsls anu SUM
ings cool judgment, and perseverance, ~ ui"''
indeed no said AT once that he did not attain the
full measure of success in his expedition ior winch
he had hoped, and it is apparent that his o'sap'
rointment and narticularly its causes. have some
what preudiccd him, and occasionally LED MN 10
adont conclusions for which warrant can DC
found in the facts with which he was perml,'eu
10 become conversant. He failed 10 reach 'ii0
Kingdom of Lh'asa, the Lamas ehectuaily oiock-
ing the path against him and checkmaahs nis
efforts in that direction. Now while his ooserVa-
,,on IN other parts of Tibet are full of interest 1t
is certain that without visiting In asa no traVef
Ter can ever hope to obtain full knowledge
of Tibet, and that without the help ana concur
renee Of the Lamas it Is equally lmpossloie 10
penetrate the innermost circles oil 1loctan eccesl
asticism Lh'asa is the religious centre of the
country. II is far more than a commercial capt.
tai It is the focus of the religious and spiritual
life of the people
Lh'asa is guarded with the greatest jealousy
AGAINST foreign intrusion and few foreigners have
succeeded in seeing it, while scarcely any OF the
lucky voyagers arriving There have been per-
mitted to see much more than the outside OF
things true and trustworthy account OF
Tibet, moreover, could only be written by
traveller who; if not in full sympathy with what
may be termed Oriental esotericism, at least had
made study of and understood 1t. his, MI
Rockhill evidently does not do, and one con-
sequence of his insufficient preparation on this
side is that when he undertakes TO speak OF mat
ters Of the kind which he was prohibited from in
curing into he sometimes utters merely wild
and whirlng words" which tend TO thicken the
prevailing obscurity instead of illuminating the
subject Let it therefore be understood that this
acute and enterprisng traveller did not secure the
mid and friendship of the Lamas, but was IN
constant relation of enmity to them, with the re-
sult that his observations were mostly taken from
without and that the views he formed on thls I'M
portant side of Tibetan life were necessarily de-
fecfive from want of knowledge on vital points
OF course this was in no way the fault of the
traveller who certainly struggled CALAMITY 10 over
come the obstacles put in his way. But one man
cannot oppose a system with any hope OF success
and Mr.. Rockhills experience furnishes no eXcep-
ton to this rule.
Travelling in Chinese sprlngless carts, SUD-
ssting upon the food of the country, putting up
at Chinese inns passing as a Chinaman in fact,
the explorer needed enthusiasm to support him un.
der the trials and discomforts Of the way. A
diet of "tsamba" la preparation of barley and
.buttered tea" with infrequent regales upon
tough boiled mutton. is not calculated to elevate
the spirits it may be thought. 1t is true that the
dangers Of the route from brgands and wild beasts
proved to have been greatly exaggerated, for MI
Rockhill had no stirring adventures than
arose from occasionally losing his way in the
mountains, and even that was bad enough at ele-
yations of from $4,000 TO 10000 feet, and some.
times in snowstorms bitter freezing gales. lie
Get ont with camels but soon found that those
animals were not up to the work, and was glad
enough to exchange them for the tough, sure
footed native ponies. On the borders Of Tibet he
found the Tibetans regarded fierce and tar
bulent people, but though they certainly pay little
respect to the suzerainty of China, it does not ap
pear from his experiences that they are nearly so
DANGEROUS people for a foreigner to travel among
as are the inhabitants of several of the Chinese
provinces. More than once attempts were made
TO mob him, but of them came TO anything
though if the Tibetans had really been ferocious,
there was no available force to protect him.
The pastoral Tibetans appear to live good
deal like TartarS. They are a tent-dweling PEG
pie, used to bearing arms, independent, and not
seldom inclined 10 lawlcssness. Yet they are
often oppressed by the Chinese authorities, who
take every opportunity TO plunder them. In the
cities, on the other hand, the Chinese live only
on suferance, and in some provinces they are
ad no
differ much in the various Tibetan provinces
but there is one common 10 all, which naturally
displeased the traveller. This the practice,
by the Tibetan women, Of plastering their faces
when out of doors with a black ungucnt, to their
efYectual disigurement Two explanations of this
custom are given. The women themselves say
that they use the plaster to protect their faces
from the cutting winds, which would other
wise roughen and chap them. The LamaS aver
that the women, in past age, were commanded
to cover their faces with plaster because the
sight OF their charms proved too much for the
priesthood, who found il impossible to pursue
their medtations amid so many rosy cheeks and
flashing eyes. Between these explanations the
reader can choose for himscf-for Mr.. RocGhill
does not attempt TO determine the problem. The
existence Of poyandry in certain regions OF Tibet
has long been known and Mr.. Rockhils observa-
tons do not add much to our knowledge OF the
practice or its genesis. He himself Is inclined
10 the opinion that it has been developed by local
conditions in which idea there is no doubt con-
siderable truth, though heredity and convention
are also influences to be considered. Some OF the
Roman Catholic missionaries think the practice
works WELL if they do not openly approve of it..
II is doubtless of great antiquity.
Tibet is, generally speaking, poor country,
having possibly greater resources. especially in
minerals than have yet been developed. There
are gold mines in many parts of the mountains.
but little metal is taken out of them, the Lamss
disseminating mining and wisely, from their point