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[Page 3]
hurried that day; having late council business, & being on the wing for his country seat. I waited again for a short time; then came the rains - then I made up my mind to try Tibet (alone & unassisted) as soon as the weather should permit. This because his Lp had not the humanity just to say he wished me every success and to talk with me 3 minutes about the roads, giving me to understand that I had nothing further to expect, (& I should have taken such a hint directly) I kept lingering on for nothing! If I had known who I had to deal with, I should have made no stay at all at Calcutta. When I came to [Rangpoor?], I found it impossible to proceed otherwise than slowly with the people of Bootan [Butan]. Englishmen are not permitted to go thru' the country. I was told that there would be a great fair in February when there would be plenty of Bootees at Rungpoor. This fair did not take place till the end of May! I felt my way, & engratiated myself, & gained the confidence of a Bootan man who understood to try to procure me a passport he did so, & returned with it to Rungpoor; accordingly I am about to set off for Lassa [Lhasa]. If I can get to Lassa, I will, if possible, go from there into China. I'll go to Pekin to Nankin to Canton & return to England. I'll find out the way by which another Englishman may [indecipherable] & I'll gladly instruct any ingenuous sensible young man in the Chinese language. Thus my dear Sir Joseph, I have given you a chart of my past procedings and future plans. I have suffered a good deal of [indecipherable] misery, but have been tolerably well in bodily health. Oh that an Embassy would come out next