The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1897-03-13

AAoAlNu Lpl lllNlLu dlllIN lNJpANlAASa9s
Henceforth the resuscitated Gyguen
lives in his convent palace and does
nothing, so far as appears, but play
the god. In truth, it would be absurd
ly illogical to offer such being educa-
ton; but logic has no part in the mat
ter. In some way, at least he COM
monty learns to read.
But among these human deities one
is supreme; they call him Tsagan, 1.-The
White Guguen." M. Potanin could not
obtain an audience of this mystic per-
sonage, who, as the Tartars aWfully de-
clare, holds the keys of the earth"
But in 1873 Lieutenant MatoussoVski,
an officer of the Typographical Survey,
was more successful; they did not
stand on ceremony in dealing with ma
tive potentates at that era. NJ Pota-
min did good service in transcribing
this gentleman's report. In the course
of duty he found himself in the neigh
borhood of a convent called Schar-
Soumeh, or Sary- Soumbeh, upon the
banks of the Kourton river, an affluent
of the kran. Knowing that the Tsa-
gan-Gyguen lived there, he sent two
Cossacks of his escort and a Kirghis to
ask audience. They did not return, so
he advanced and pitched camp opposite
the convent, across the river. At mid
night the Kirghis galloped in upon a
stolen horse. The Tsagan Indignantly
refused to take orders from any NOR
tai, He had imprisoned the Cossacks,
and the Kirghis saved his head by
flight.
NJ. Matoussovslli was not less aston
ished than irritated by this proceeding;
for it appears that the Chinese suze-
rain had been compelled to pay no less
than two hundred thousand taels five
years before as indemnity for some OPP
preston committed by this Gyguen, or
his predecessor, upon Russian subjects
| (China treats all those spiritual rulers
with extreme respect, even assuming
responsibility for their misdeeds). The
| lesson had been thrown away, appa
rently. At dawn NJ. MatOussoVsM
crossed the river-but there is no need
to tell the devices, amusing enough, by
which the Tsagan excused himself for
arresting the Cossacks, while resolute-
! ly declining an interview. At length
NJ. Matoussovski wrote that he was
obliged to regard this refusal as ''un-
| friendly" TO the Russian government
potent charm which English officers
are not allowed to use for the gratifica-
tion of curiosity. 1t answered, of
| course; and within an hour he entered
| the convent with a guard of five Cos
sacks. It is an immense fortress, and
the palace, a square fort, stands in the
midst, with a tower at each angle
| There is no suggestion of luxury in the
slight sketch Of furniture. The Tsagan
Wore a long robe of white silk and
white slippers. He was sitting on two
cushions, turning over the leaves of a
book-a man of forty, well grown and
robust, with a lofty forehead and an air
of great intelligence. If we recall the
account given of these demi- gods, their
selection, training and authority, the
description is inconsistent. One might
expect to hear of boodless ascetic, or
a cretin, or a brutal debauchee, but
never of tall, healthy man, self-pos-
| sessed with all his wits about him.
| The TSagan may be elected on account
of his superiority to the rest but eXpe-
rience of humanity leads one to doubt,
upon the mere evidence of his portrait,
whether the GyGuens can possibly be
treated when young with the blind def
erence asserted They must receive an
education, and a manly one, for that
/ look of intelligence was not deceptive.
! The talk ran mostly upon frontier bus
mess, but the man-god offered some
shreWd remarks-merrily, too. NJ. Ma
! toussovski spoke of dispute between
two Chinese governors concerning the
/ boundary of their respective provinces.
The Tsagan laughed outright You
ask me how their frontiers rum Why,
there is not a spot in all our territory
which you Russians do not know bet
ter than we! Tell me, now, what is the
distance from here to the river Kalia or
to the post of Saissang?" NJ. Matous-
sovski was able to answer, and his
host triumphed ruefully. An hour and
a half they talked, the interpreters
meanwhile crouching ION all fours, -
their mouths to the ground and muffled
in their sleeves-an attitude singularly
incOnvenient for the duties they had to
perform. In parting, the Tsagan
strongly urged his visitor to go no fur
Their east. The country was disturbed,
he said--impious indicators paid no
regard to his authority; yet, if any
thing dSag reeable happened, the Rus
sian government would hold him ac-
countable. When M. Matoussovski
persisted, he made him promise to
write both to Picking and Ttashken
that the Tsagan-Gyguen. who had
warned him. must not be blamed,
Then" said he, go where you will,
but don't forget to tell them at st. Pc
/ tersburg that our countenances pre-
served friendly expression during this
interview"
OF the Dalai Lama it is not worth
while to speak. man-god so famil-
iarly known, yet so imperfectly under
stood, cannot be discussed with profit
unless one have special information.
But the BoGdor Of Kurene is somewhat
| less mysterious. Russian travellers and
officials, even wandering Englishmen,
have seen him: for he takes the air
freely in his sacred city of Ourga
This also is a Monaghan anomaly, but
the BogdOr differs widely from the
| Tsagan- Gyguen. The latter, so far as
appears, owes no personal allegiance to
| the Dalai Lama. He regards him. per-
, haps, much as Armenian bishops re-
garded the Pope a century ago; as the
| head of the church. to be reverenced
profoundly, but not to be consulted.
! The BOgdOT on the other hand, is a
representative of the Dalai Lama,
chosen, appointed and dispatched to