e Mang-Ling mountain, a
stone monument, showing what was arranged at that time between the
government of Lha-Ssa and that of Peking, on the subject of boundaries.
At present, the countries situate east of Bathang are independent of
Lha-Ssa in temporal matters. They are governed by the Tou-Sse, a sort of
feudal princes, originally appointed by the Chinese Emperor, and still
acknowledging his paramount authority.

These petty sovereigns are bound to go every third year to Peking, to
offer their tribute to the Emperor.

We halted at Bathang three days, the illness of our guide Ly-Kouo-Ngan,
being the cause of this delay. The daily fatigues of this long journey
had so overpowered the poor Mandarin, that he was in an almost hopeless
state. His best plan was to take advantage of the fine climate of
Bathang, and to let the caravan proceed on its way. His friends advised
him to do so, but without success. He insisted upon continuing his
journey, and sought, in every way, to deceive himself as to the serious
nature of his malady. As for us, we considered his case so dangerous,
that we felt it our duty to profit by the repose we enjoyed at Bathang,
to talk seriously to him on the subject of his soul and of eternity. Our
previous conversations on the way had already sufficiently enlightened
him as to the principal truths of Christianity. Nothing now remained but
to make him clearly perceive his position, and to convince him of the
urgency of entering frankly and fully into the path of salvation.
Ly-Kouo-Ngan altogether concurred with us, admitting our observations to
be replete with reason. He himself spoke with great eloquence on the
frailty and brevity of human life, of worldly vanities, of the
impenetrability of God's decrees, of the importance of salvation, of the
truth of the Christian religion, and of the obligation on all mankind to
embrace it. He said to us, on all these subjects, some very sensible and
very touching things; but when it came to the point, to the practical
result, to the declaring himself Christian, there was a dead stand; he
must absolutely wait till he had returned to his family, and had
abdicated his mandarinate. It was in vain that we represented to him the
danger he incurred by postponing this important matter; all was useless.
"So long as I am a Mandarin of the Emperor," said he, "I cannot serve the
Lord of Heaven," and he had got this absurd idea so deep in his brain,
that it was impracti