New-York tribune., 1903-06-21
A FOREIGNER In THIBET.
THE COUNTRYS CUSTOMS.
Russian Explorer Gains Informa-
ton of Mysterious People.

from NeU-Yo-k of Oscar T. CROSBY, an AfneitCah'
on a similar mission. it has just become known
-, - p,seian subject G; L. Zoubkov. was re-
Gently residing quietly at Ihassd- M DoupIA"N 10
q souriat and a graduate OF the Oriental facuit!
of the University of St Petersburg AS q ooi
Buddhist anc familiar from childhood with IhiOe-
tan he found difficulty in passing tor d lama
1ze brou,at hack a great number OF pholograI'hS
and other illustrations Of the HE oI tne ooN5 =,
and his book which will soon be puphshec' WIN
,,o,,ain rnuch information hitherto unootali~ole.
NJ Zoubikov made EXTENDED report % ms
,rr,e,, At = meeting of the Geographical Society
a few days ago He immediately aNaroeo 'i
przbevalsky prize. which is conferred III nO"'i u
1be FIRST Russian Thibet explorer
The frontiers Of Thibet. which were cioseu 70
r,-o,e,r travellers after the French explorers
Hue ard cabet expelled from Lhassa N o IolO'
hs,a 1,or been absolutely shut against CERTAIN p
,,on of russian subjects. namely the buouhi7'iN
,,o. 20 tho r3sikal region The Bouriats are
talented reope and the same value attaches TO W
zoubikov's observations as would De 'Ae o.
he q FJuropean His stay lasted over a year
IN tho summer OF 1900 NJ. Zoubikov entered lhoe'
-. .s, -or+,, as ! member of q caravan of sew
,,,+,- ,,;lerir7s including many lamas. ne aP-
r,raached Central Thibet by the Boumza NloUl,i'' %
xrbere Przhevalsky turned back In !o!o iH
-,o6 led through a treeless country Win sllo"
os oTntains extending east and west in
-,arsl,el chains The people in this region were
Jew and noraadic. An agricultural community "a'
sound within only sixty seventy miles OF Lhassa-
CLIMATE AND POPULATION
The climate was found be harsh and dry
Snow fails occasionally from December 10 NlaIen'
rain May to August April septenloel. -
and November are dry. The medium annual tenn
-,eratr,re was found to be y. 81 and % degrees
Fahrenheit for morning, noon and night respec-
-ivelv The data for December was H. 81 ana q
degrees and for July 60. 77 and % degrees
The population which has at times been esu-
s+ed ar q 600 600 is probably about one-tenth OF
1his number. 1t IS decreasing through disease pa
j-icularly smallpox. and on account or the large
number OF celibate priests
The sons OF Chinese soldiers ana % nercndil'H
.-,norar;lv resident in Thibet counted Chinese
the daughters Thibetans. Other foreign residents
sre Indians from Cashmere and Mongohans aho
Thibetans from Nepul. the latter oelng sh.-eu
artisans architects. sculptors and jewellers. Inc
Cashmere Mahometans are traders lfey usually
convert their Thibetan wives
Almost all the land in Central Thibet belongs 10
The Dalai Lama Only high officials IN LnaSS4
haxze hereditary homes. The Thibetan houses aIe
. - "a e+on. nut have chinreys only in the
kitchen The other rooms have holes 10 Jet tiie
smoke escape and cheerlessly colo' DiieO
dung is the principal fuel
14e cor1rnon folks wear white. the wealthy red
@cfa1s xeIlovv and soldiers blue clothing OF nome
60, Jewels are worn in great abundance py the
women Barley meal. soup, the raw nesn OF 'he
yak and Of sheep butter. sour MIX ana Fese
tables are main items of the diet Wheat spirits
sell for a cent a bottle Men siiiuA7
the priests take snuff
PEOPLE RELIGIOUS AND IMMORAL.
The -eonle Of Central Thibet passionately at
tacbed 10 their religious observances' whlcn are
-,r1reIv formal Prayers are regarded as oi mas
,o.ncv and figure all ordinary and eHtraorolnaIy
a-sirs Of life Medicine is in small popular td'oi'
Morals are primitive and marriage ues are 4OOS7
Fo.b ,o1vgsrnv ana polyandry are common
hor3cuIt,1re and cattle raising are the principal
ennIovnents Wheat, harley. peas ana peans' cat
lie sheen yaks horses asses and nuies are 'iie
,.ir nroducts Yaks and asses are used as pack
sri-,als Labor is cheap, men being Palo TWO OK
three cents q day. while women usually serve lUl
.hair food and clothing. Even lama receives oilis
81 cents for a whole days prayers Sheepsklns' cat
ale yak tails statues. books and yellow llama caps
.-e exno-+ad The yak tails serve as morse odlIS
in the outfit Of Turkish pachas Engllsh ana 1iiu
san cottons and woollens and copper ana enamel
utensils are introduced from India ana 'ea SINS
oottons. horses and asses from emma
F-xHAUsrTNG METHOD OF WORSHIP
1hssa was built in the seventh century. 1t has
. ,ic+uresuue location on the southern slope OF a
mountain with luxurious gardens on the west anu
south The Uitchu River passes 10 the south OF
the city. Dikes and canals have been constructed
e 7,ro4ecfi.,rs against overfiows. A me, oroad
street around the city serves for religious process
sjons and penitentiai exercises PenltentS go the
length of this street falling TO the ground every
five or six feet, so that IN & day 'heF pros'Iate
themselves about three thousand times. The city
IS small having at most only ten thousand regular
inhabitants. is however. an important trade
centre The native traders are all women
The Temple of Buddha in the centre of the city is
out 140 feet square. 1t is three stories high and
has three gilded Chinese roofs. 1t shelters a gi-
pantic bronze statue of Buddha, which has ham,
.rnered gold and jewelled headdress. A sacr1hcial
fire fed with melted butter. burns before the statue
Other statues and relics are kept In other cham
hers Of the same temple among which is the statue
Of the Goddess Of Women. TO which offered
spirits and wheat. The wheat is at once eaten by
mice. In the temple are also rooms for the
Dalai Lama and his council.
aF fl1a lar is ali mile
away from I-hassa, ON Mount Bodala- II built
3n the seventh century. Near by is the old castle
1Iodson-Bodala which is 1,400 feet long and nine
stories high. Here the treasury, the mint, the
schools of theology and medicine. quarters for
twelve hundred officials and five hundred monks
and a prison. AS many thousand priests
take part ga religious professions this mountain.
NJ Zoubi1ov also rninutely describes various mon
asteries and temples. including three near Lhassa
where fifteen thousand monks are mainly engaged
ly six thousand boys. young men ana even gray
total number of resident monks being eight thou
SELECTION OF THE LLAMA
ThIbetan Buddhism. brought from India in the
seventh century struggled against the native Sha-
,1nansm until the ninth century, when a COM
promise was agreed upon. According TO the cur
rent teaching there many spirits which are con-
1inually reincarnate6 in men. The Dalai Llama is
the living Buddba- Another defender of the faith
is the spirit Choidshen. whose power manifested
through pious ascetics who spend their lives in
contemplation.
Since the fifteenth century all power civil and
spiritual has been nominaIy in the hands of the
DALAI Lama, but China maintains a Manchu resi-
dent and an army. order TO avoid strife select
ing Dalai Lama the Electoral Council places
in an urn and The Manchu Residept removes one
with a small staff. The Dalai Llama's educa-
his tpenty-second year the government is in the
hands Of a regent appointed by the Emperor of