se, a camel, or a bale of goods, the price is settled for in bricks of
tea. Five of these represent, in value, an ounce of silver; the monetary
system, therefore, which Franklin so much disliked, is not in use by
these Northern Tartars.

The Court of Peking entertains several Mandarins at the Great Kouren,
ostensibly for the purpose of preserving order among the Chinese traders,
but in reality to keep a watch upon the Guison-Tamba, always an object of
suspicion to the Chinese Emperors, who bear in mind that the famous
Tching-Kis-Khan was a Khalkha, and that the memory of his conquests has
not passed away from the hearts of this warlike people. The slightest
movement at the Great Kouren excites alarm at Peking.

In 1839 the Guison-Tamba announced his intention of paying a visit to the
Emperor Tao-Kouan. The Court of Peking became horribly alarmed, and
negotiators were dispatched to divert, if possible, the Guison-Tamba from
his journey; but all they could effect was, that he should be attended by
only 3,000 Lamas, and that three other Khalkha sovereigns who were to
have accompanied him should be left behind.

Immediately upon the Guison-Tamba's departure on his progress, all the
tribes of Tartary put themselves in motion, and took up positions on the
road he was to travel, in vast multitudes, each tribe bringing for his
acceptance offerings of horses, oxen, sheep, gold and silver bullion, and
precious stones. Wells were dug for him at intervals throughout the
length of the great desert of Gobi, and at each of these were placed for
his use, by the chieftain of the particular locality, a store of
provisions of all sorts. The Lama King was in a yellow palanquin,
carried by four horses, each led by a dignitary of the Lamasery. The
escort of 3,000 Lamas were before, behind, and on each side of the
palanquin, jovially dashing about on horses and camels. The road almost
throughout was lined with spectators, or rather with worshippers, eagerly
awaiting the arrival of the Holy, and upon his approach, falling, first
on their knees, and then on their faces, before him, their hands crossed
over the head. It seemed the progress of a divinity come upon earth to
bless its people. On reaching the Great Wall, the Guison-Tamba, ceasing
to be a divinity, became only the chief of some nomad tribes, scorned by
the people of China, but feared by the Court of China, more alive to
political contingencies. Only one half of the 3,000 L