thus have the opportunity of practising the Thibetian language; in
return, you will give him some lessons in Chinese and Mantchou." We
gratefully adopted this proposition, and were enabled, by this means, to
make rapid progress in the language of the country. The Regent was very
fond of talking about France, during our long visits; he asked us a
number of questions about the manners, customs, and productions of our
country. All we told him of the steam-boats, the railways, the balloons,
gas, telegraphs, the daguerrotype, our industrial productions, completely
amazed him, and gave him an immense idea of the grandeur and power of
France. One day when we were talking to him of observatories and
astronomical instruments, he asked if we would allow him to examine
closely the strange and curious machine which we kept in a box: he meant
the microscope. As we were in a better humour and infinitely more
amiable than when the officers inspected our property, we readily
satisfied the curiosity of the Regent. One of us ran to our residence,
and returned immediately with the wonderful instrument. While adjusting,
we tried to give our auditor, as well as we could, some notions of
optics, but seeing that the theory did not excite much enthusiasm, we
proceeded at once to the practice. We asked if one of the company would
be so good as to procure us a louse. The article was easier to find than
a butterfly. A noble Lama, secretary to his excellency the First Kalon,
had merely to put his hand under his silk dress to his armpit, and an
extremely vigorous louse was at our disposition. We seized it by the
sides with our nippers, but the Lama forthwith opposed this proceeding,
and insisted upon putting a stop to the experiment, on the ground that we
were going to cause the death of a living being. "Do not be afraid," we
said, "your louse is only taken by the skin; besides, he seems strong
enough to get over the pressure, even were it greater." The Regent who,
as we have before mentioned, had religious theories superior to those of
the common herd, told the Lama to be silent, and to allow us to proceed.
We continued the experiment, and fixed in the glass the poor little
beast, that struggled, with all its might, at the extremity of the
nippers. We then requested the Regent to apply his right eye, shutting
his left, to the glass at the top of the machine. "Tsong-Kaba!"
exclaimed the Regent, "the louse is as big as a rat." After lo