Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1900-10-04

far into Thibet, but not so far as
Lh'asa Then there is the romantic
case of Moorcroft, of whose life in
Lh'asa Hue gives a most circumstan-
tial account on the joint authority of
the regent and the Chinese governor
of Lh'asa. Mr.. Rockhill is silent
about Moorcroft, which suggests that
he does not believe the story, which is
to be regretted, the story being very
good one. 1t should be true whether
it is or not. 1t goes to show that
Moorcroft, an Englishman, speaking,
dressing and living like a Mohamme-
dan of Cashmere, arrived in Lhasa in
1926, with his servant Nissan of Cash
mere; that he bought herds and visit
ed them in the neighborhood as a
cover for his explorations; that he
continued this for twelve years-even
Nissan taking him for a Cashmerian all
the time; that, not knowing the Thi-
betan tongue, he avoided direct inter-
course with the natives to keep up his
incognieto; that he made numerous
maps and drawings of the town and
district; that he left Lh'asa for Ladak
about 1888, getting murdered on the
way, and that the Thibetan govern
ment pursued and arrested" the muir
ders, thus getting possession of the
maps and drawings, which finally
identified him as an Englishman. Such
is the summary of HUGS narrative. 1t
is not much like story of local man.
ufacture; it is much more like what
might have really happened. Though
Mr.. Rockhill does not include it in his
category of adventures in connection
with LII asa, Hue gives numerous and
sound reasons for his full faith in it.
1t is instructive to note that the
causes for refusal to admit foreigners
to Lh'asa are political rather than re-
ligious. Though Buddhism was es-
tablished as the official creed in China
nearly 1000 years ago, it was. after
ward discarded, and there was no
such connection to prejudice the posi-
ton of Hue in 1916. On the other
hand, Hue was Frenchman and the
representatives of a politically power
full church; France was a great ma
ly where Hue had led theologicalIy.
These facts would be plainly enough
to 'the son of heaven" and his adj
visers, however Indifferent these
might be as regards the rival attrac-
lions of Buddhism and Catholicism
in Thibet. When Hue left his escort
was of Chinese soldiers, under the
immediate orders of Ki-Chau, the
Chinese governor at Lh'asa. No seri-
GUS constitutional changes are known
to have taken place since then in the
relations between Thibet and China.
therefore it is clear that the real
motive for isolating Lh'asa starts
from Pekin. Even assuming cooking
and eating his goldfish and washing
them down with his solitary jar of
wine. Whereat the debtor went forth
and hanged himself and the brother.
being held responsible, was sentenced
to strangulation. The wife escaped
with fine, but the friends paid 200
blows apiece for the impromptu meal.
A thief who hid under a lady's
couch to avoid pursuit so frightened
the occupant that she promptly killed
herself, for which the thief was trans
ported for three years. The lady. as
reward for her nobility of mind.
received a posthumous tablet. If a
wife assists her husband to cut his
throat the law will send her after
him without delay, and the unwary
scion who is even hoodwinked into
helping the dread mother-in-law to
end her days will incur the extreme
penalty of slicing to pieces. "a life
for life is the stern principle in
Chinese law. and if father murders
whole family his innocent children
may have to suffer In grave cases
of treason male relations are either
decapitated or mutilated to prevent
continuance of the family.