re pastured in the coldest part of Tibet,
upon short herbage, peculiar to the tops of mountains and bleak plains.
That chain of lofty mountains situated between lat. 27 deg. and 28 deg., which
divides Tibet from Bootan, and whose summits are most commonly covered
with snow, is their favourite haunt. In this vicinity the Southern glens
afford them food and shelter during the severity of the winter; in
milder seasons the Northern aspect is more congenial to their nature,
and admits a wider range. They are a very valuable property to the
tribes of illiterate Tartars, who live in tents, and tend them from
place to place, affording their herdsmen a mode of conveyance, a good
covering, and subsistence. They are never employed in agriculture, but
are extremely useful as beasts of burden; for they are strong,
sure-footed, and carry a great weight. Tents and ropes are manufactured
of their hair, and I have seen, though amongst the humblest ranks of
herdsmen, caps and jackets worn of their skins. Their tails are esteemed
throughout the East, as far as luxury or parade have any influence on
the manners of the people; and on the continent of India are found,
under the denomination of Chowries, in the hands of the meanest grooms,
as well as, occasionally, in those of the first ministers of state. Yet
the best requital with which the care of their keepers is at length
rewarded for selecting them good pastures, is in the abundant quantity
of rich milk they give, yielding most excellent butter, which they have
a custom of depositing in skins or bladders, and excluding the air; it
keeps in this cold climate all the year, so that after some time
tending their flocks, when a sufficient stock is accumulated, it remains
only to load their cattle, and drive them to a proper market with their
own produce, which constitutes, to the utmost verge of Tartary, a most
material article of commerce."

The soft fur upon the hump and shoulders is manufactured by the natives
of Tibet into a fine but strong cloth; and, if submitted to the test of
European skill, might no doubt be made to produce a very superior
fabric.

The herdsmen commonly convert the hides into a loose outer garment that
covers the whole of their bodies, hanging down to the knees; and it
proves a sufficient protection against the lowest temperature of the
cold and desolate region which they inhabit. It furnishes at once a
cloak by day and a bed by night.

The Yak is not generally f