proposed no
law to prevent the Lamas of the western world from assuming what titles
they pleased. But even in that case, the interests of the church would
not have been much forwarded. The very extent and limits of the
vicariate were, as yet, unknown; and MM. Huc and Gabet were, to their
great satisfaction, appointed, in the year 1844, to ascertain these
first essential points.

The undertaking was one of no common difficulty: the country they had to
traverse was untrodden even by the feet of former missionaries,
inhabited by wild, roving tribes, beggared by Chinese extortions,
rendered barren by long misgovernment, and lastly, infested in many
parts by bands of armed robbers. These latter are, it is true, far
different, in manner at least, from what their name would lead most of
our readers to expect, and exercise their uncourteous trade with the
utmost urbanity:

They do not rudely clap a pistol to your head, and uncivilly
demand your money, or your life; they present themselves
humbly, and say: "Good elder brother, I am weary of walking;
please to lend me thy horse?... I am without money; be so good
as to lend me thy purse?... It is very cold to-day; wilt thou
give me thy coat?" If the old elder brother is charitable
enough to lend all this, he receives in return a "thank you,
brother;" if not, the humble request is immediately supported
by a few blows; if that does not suffice, the sabre is brought
into play.

The preparations for the journey were admirably simple--a single
attendant and a dog formed the escort; a tent, an iron kettle, a few
cups, and sheep-skins, completed the baggage. There were, however, other
precautions taken prior to departure, highly characteristic of the
church to which our travellers belonged, and which may serve to explain
the comparative success that, in the East, has generally attended the
efforts of its missionaries.

Sir James Emerson Tennent, in his work on Ceylon, has given a curious
account of the compliance of the Jesuit missionaries with the customs
and external rites of the people they sought to convert, as opposed to
the rigid discipline and unbending orthodoxy of their Dutch successors,
who would not stoop, and who, perhaps, on that account, did not conquer.
Our Lazarists, though not practising, in all its latitude, the Jesuit
doctrine, were nevertheless determined that nothing in the outward man
should repel the sympathy