and ironmongery, and a small assortment of cotton
goods. The silks and linens in their warehouses, and of which they have
a large sale at Lha-Ssa, come from Peking by the medium of the caravans;
the linen goods, being Russian, come to them much cheaper than they buy
them at Calcutta.

The Katchi have a mosque at Lha-Ssa, and are rigid observers of the law
of Mahomet--openly and even ostentatiously expressing their contempt for
all the superstitious practices of the Buddhists. The first Katchi who
arrived at Lha-Ssa married Thibetian wives, whom they compelled to
renounce their own religion, and to embrace Mahometanism. But now, the
rule with them is only to contract marriage alliances amongst themselves;
so that there has imperceptibly become formed, in the heart of Thibet, a
small nation apart, having neither the costume, nor the manners, nor the
language, nor the religion of the natives. As they do not prostrate
themselves before the Tale-Lama, and do not pray in the Lamaseries,
everybody says they are infidels; but as, for the most part, they are
rich and powerful, people stand aside in the streets to let them pass,
and put out their tongues to them in token of respect. In Thibet, when
you desire to salute any one, you take off your hat, put out your tongue,
and scratch the right ear, all three operations being performed
simultaneously.

The Chinese you find at Lha-Ssa are for the most part soldiers or
officers of the tribunals; those who fix their residence in this town are
very few in number. At all times the Chinese and the Thibetians have had
relations more or less important: they frequently have waged war against
each other, and have tried to encroach upon one another's rights. The
Tartar-Mantchou dynasty, as we have already remarked elsewhere, saw from
the commencement of their elevation the great importance of conciliating
the friendship of the Tale-Lama, whose influence is all-powerful over the
Mongol tribes; consequently, they have never failed to retain at the
court of Lha-Ssa two Grand Mandarins invested with the title of
Kin-Tchai, which signifies ambassador, or envoy-extraordinary. The
ostensible mission of these individuals is to present, under certain
fixed circumstances, the homage of the Chinese Emperor to the Tale-Lama,
and to lend him the aid of China in any difficulties he may have with his
neighbours. Such, to all appearance, is the purport of this permanent
embassy; but in reality they