to quit Lha-Ssa, but not
before the good-natured Regent had fought hard in the cause of
tolerance. We cannot refrain from quoting some of the arguments of this
poor, benighted Buddhist, and commending them to the attention of some
of the Lamas of the Western world:

The Regent could not be made to share the apprehensions which
Ki-Chan sought to instil into his mind. He maintained that our
presence at Lha-Ssa could in no manner endanger the safety of
the state. "If," said he, "the doctrine that these men teach be
false, the people of Thibet will not embrace it; if, on the
contrary, it be true, what have we to fear? How can truth be
hurtful to mankind? These two Lamas from the kingdom of
France," he added, "have done no harm; their intentions towards
us are most friendly. Can we, without reason, deprive them of
that liberty and protection which we grant here to all men, and
especially to men of prayer? Are we justified in rendering
ourselves guilty of present and positive injustice, from the
imaginary dread of evils to come?"

The two missionaries had made up their minds to leave Thibet; but they
had fancied that the manner of doing so would be left to their option,
and that they would be allowed to take the route towards British India.
Great, therefore, was their surprise when they discovered that they were
to be conducted, under escort, to the frontiers of China--a journey of
nearly eight months' duration. Expostulation was useless; and with a
heavy heart they were obliged to leave Lha-Ssa, in company of fifteen
Chinese soldiers, under the command of the Mandarin Ly-Kouo-Ngan--alias,
Ly, the Pacifier of kingdoms! His Excellency Ly was an admirable
specimen of a Chinese skeptic, scoffing alike at Bonzes and Lamas; but
having, like many other _esprits forts_, a pet superstition for his
private use, and professing an ardent devotion to--the Great Bear! For
the details of this homeward journey, we must, however, refer our
readers to the book itself; we will merely say, that its dangers and
fatigues were so great that the travellers must, more than once, have
suspected the treacherous Ki-Chan of having plotted their destruction.

M. Huc, in the first moment of indignation, seems to have hoped that his
government would have remonstrated, but we have not heard that such has
been the case, and Thibet is likely to remain, for some time to come,
forbidden ground