We have two main sources on which to rely for data referring to the details of our traveller’s career, after he started for the East, apart from what he wrote himself on the subject.
The first source of information comprises the notices published by his English friends and by Monsieur Pavie in the “Revue des deux Mondes” for 1849. The most important among them is doubtless that, which we owe to Dr. Horace Hayman Wilson. It appeared in the “Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society” in 1834, and consists of an abridgment of the letter which Csoma addressed to Captain Kennedy in January 1825. This communication was frequently cited by his own countrymen as the earliest authentic source of information from India, concerning the Tibetan scholar, and has again recently been noticed (conjointly with Dr. Archibald Campbell’s report of 1842) in one of the leading weekly journals, “The Vasárnapi Ujság” of Budapest, when reviewing Mr. Ralston’s “Tibetan Tales.”[1] The preface of this book contains a letter from the celebrated orientalist, Professor Arminius Vámbéry, dated 20th February 1882, addressed to that author, to which we shall have occasion to refer at a later period. [[16]]
With regard to Dr. Wilson’s above-quoted article in the “Royal Asiatic Society’s Journal,” Dr. Archibald Campbell wrote in 1843 as follows:—
“The autobiographical sketch of the deceased which appeared in the ‘Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society’ many years ago, was corrected by the subject of it shortly before his death. The number of the journal containing the sketch, with the author’s manuscript corrections, was made over to me, according to the intentions of the deceased, as expressed previous to his illness.” The volume referred to, we regret to say, is no longer available, but we shall give the original letter of Csoma, from which that sketch was compiled, without abbreviations.
The second source of information is of a more recent date, and originates from the celebrated Austrian traveller, Baron Charles Hügel, who, starting from Calcutta for Mussurie, arrived at the latter place on the 21st of June 1835. On the 25th of September the Baron visited Simla, where, on the 6th of the following month, the Maharajah Ranjit Singh’s permission to travel in the Panjab reached him. We find that a reference is made on three different occasions to the Tibetan scholar, in connection with Baron Hügel’s name, from which it appears, that Csoma and the Baron were in Calcutta at the same time; but we have no record stating how often they met, if at all. Hügel mentions Csoma’s name twice in his book which he wrote on Kashmir, and we also find the Baron’s name appear in a speech on Csoma, delivered by Baron Eötvös before the Scientific Society of Hungary, in Pest, in 1843. Judging from these it seems, that Hügel possessed but a very imperfect knowledge of Csoma’s life, circumstances and labours; and owing to the erroneous and imperfect information furnished by Baron Hügel, mistaken conclusions have been arrived at regarding Csoma. For the sake of the latter’s memory, therefore, we propose to examine those records as they are presented to us, hoping for the reader’s indulgence, if we [[17]]appear to dwell longer on this particular subject than would otherwise seem to be necessary. We shall quote Baron Hügel’s data seriatim.[2]
First, in the original German edition of his book, published at Stuttgart, 1848, part ii. p. 165, that author writes as follows:—
“Czoma de Körös, a Transylvanian, who spent eleven years in a Buddhist monastery, in the province of Kanaur, in the Himalaya, with the view of learning Tibetan, in which he perfectly succeeded. But when, later, he arrived in Calcutta, and then became aware that he had studied a dialect only (untergeordnete Sprache), he afterwards devoted himself to its primary source (Ursprache), the Sanskrit.” (!!)
Secondly, the following quotation from Baron Eötvös’s speech contains the second allegation made by Baron Hügel:—
“After finishing these works (the Tibetan Grammar and Dictionary), in order to publish them, and also that he might consult other savants, Csoma left at last his sombre abode in the Monastery, and commenced his journey to Calcutta via Simla and Sabathú. This is the period,” remarks Eötvös, “from which I have some more details of information of our Fellow; although scanty still, the perfect authenticity thereof is guaranteed by the celebrated traveller, Baron Charles Hügel, who, having travelled in India, was well acquainted with Csoma, and has been kind enough to communicate these data to me.”
Eötvös goes on to explain how Csoma, on his first arrival in British India, was detained at Sabathú, but afterwards received permission to continue his travels; that the “Governor had put him up in his own house, and at his host’s request, Csoma discarded the Indian dress he wore, and appeared instead in the costume of his native country, namely, with Hungarian trousers, waistcoat, and a tailcoat, [[18]]which costume he wore at Sabathú, and ever afterwards, the hot Indian sun notwithstanding.”