Sikhim and Bhutan/Preface
PREFACE
My Indian career has extended to nearly thirty-two years
of active service, and of that more than twenty years were
spent on the North-East Frontier in the administration,
as well as the political charge, of the little-known State of
Sikhim, and latterly in political charge of the even
less-known State of Bhutan and certain portions, including
Chumbi and Gyantse, of South-East Tibet; and as I had
in addition spent over a year in Khatmandu, the capital of
Nepal, I may lay claim to an intimate knowledge of this
Frontier, which is my excuse for putting my experiences in
print.
When I first visited Darjeeling in 1881 I used to look across the valleys of the Rungeet and the Teesta rivers and long to penetrate into those stupendous mountains and valleys, with their magnificent forests and rivers, to explore the everlasting snows and glaciers, and to come in contact with their interesting people. An added fascination for me was the fact that beyond these mountains lay the mysterious, unknown land of Tibet, about which all manner of things were conjured up in my imagination, and which I fondly hoped I might some day reach.
The Fates were propitious, beyond my most sanguine expectations, for on the outbreak of the Sikhim-Tibet War in 1888 I was sent as Assistant Political Officer with the expeditionary force, and on the conclusion of peace the following year, I was offered the post of Political Officer in administrative charge of the State of Sikhim. Naturally I gladly accepted an appointment which would give me an opportunity of living in a country I was so anxious to see more of, and I have never regretted my decision; although, in consequence of the view taken by the Government of India of my special employment on the Frontier, and the fact that I left the Public Works Department to take up this appointment, I have been a loser from a pecuniary point of view to a very large extent.
In 1903, when it was decided to send a Mission to Lhasa, I was appointed one of the Commissioners, and on the conclusion of the Mission I was placed in charge of our political relations with Bhutan, as well as that portion of Tibet which came under the sphere of influence of the Government of India, in addition to my political and administrative work in Sikhim.
Owing to the friendly relations which had been established by Mr. A. W. Paul, and which I had kept up with Bhutan ever since I came to this part of the country, I found the Tongsa Penlop and the Bhutanese officials who accompanied us to Lhasa most anxious to make friends with me, and I was able to become on very intimate terms with them, a circumstance of great advantage to me later on.
My new appointment afforded many opportunities of visiting Bhutan and of becoming acquainted with the country and its officials and people, and through my friendship with the Tongsa I was given many facilities never before extended to any European.
During those twenty-one years my duties took me to almost every corner of the beautiful mountain countries of Sikhim and Bhutan, with their heterogeneous population of Lepchas, Bhuteas, Tibetans, Bhutanese, and Paharias, about the greater number of whom very little was known.
In climate every variation was to be found, from arctic to subtropical, with scenery unparalleled anywhere in the world for magnificence and grandeur and the brightness and softness of its colouring, the bold, snow-clad and desolate expanses contrasting sharply with the rich and luxuriant vegetation of the deep-cut valleys close at hand.
I was brought into close contact with the people and their rulers, whom the more you know the more you like, in spite of all their faults. During my long sojourn amongst them I had an unique experience not often met with in India in these days, when officials are moved from place to place so constantly that they learn nothing of the districts they govern and still less of the people, who think an attempt to know their officials is not worth while, as they are sure to be changed in a few months, and the task would have to be begun again. It is a grave mistake in the present system of government, and one which is responsible for much of the unrest and anarchy in India.
I have often been urged by my friends to write an account of my experiences, but as long as I remained in Government service I refused, and I now, with some reluctance, have tried in this book to give a short account of these countries both geographical and historical, as well as of my personal experiences during my various tours, and to bring before my readers some pictures of these two most delightful countries; but writing does not come easily to me, and I must crave my readers’ indulgence.
Of Bhutan I have given the more detailed historical account, as nothing of the kind exists, and information on the subject can only be gained by research into many books, Government records, and old Tibetan manuscripts. I have also given very full accounts of my missions and explorations in this beautiful and interesting country, in the hope of removing the stigma under which it has for so long lain—a country about which so little is known, and of which as recently as 1894 Risley wrote in his introduction to the “Sikhim Gazetteer”: “No one wishes to explore that tangle of jungle-clad and fever-stricken hills, infested with leeches and the pipsa fly, and offering no compensating advantage to the most enterprising pioneer. Adventure looks beyond Bhutan. Science passes it by as a region not sufiiciently characteristic to merit special exploration.”
J. C. W.
September, 1909