March 13th.—Tongsa: this, although the second place in the kingdom, is a poor wretched village, the houses, always excepting the palace, are poorer than ordinary, abounding in rats, fleas, and other detestable vermin. Our reception would seem to be uncordial: we are miserably housed in the heart of the village, which is a beggarly one. On descending the hill some people in the Pillo’s house behaved very insolently, roaring out, and making most insolent signs for me to dismount, of which of course I took no notice: sparrow-hawk was seen at 8,000 feet. There is but little cultivation, indeed the adjoining hills are barren in the extreme. The little cultivation there is of barley, which is now in the ear, and decent enough; the crops being much better than any we have yet seen, although in many fields it is difficult to see any crop at all. The village, including the houses on the surrounding adjoining heights does not contain thirty houses. There is one flock of sheep, which are in good condition, some small shawl-goats, and a few cattle, but of a lighter breed than the Mithans, from which they are very distinct, and which we have scarcely seen since crossing Dhonglaila, the first high ridge. There is some rice cultivation along the nullah or torrent, on which the village is situated. Pears, peaches likewise occur, and are now both in flower. The hills around are bare, nothing but shrubby vegetation being visible, the tree-jungle not descending below 7,500 feet, except on one spur to the south-west, on which it reaches nearly to our present level.
The shrubby vegetation consists of Hamamelidæ, Salix, Gaultheria fruticosa, Rosa, Rubus, Pomacea, Elæagnus, Berberis asiatica, among which Artemisia major occurs on sward. Primula Stuartii, Potentilla and P. supina, Oxalis acetoseltoides, Juncus, Bartramia, Polytrichum glaucum, Fragaria vesca. In the fields Lamium, Crucifera, Thlaspi, Gnaphalium aureum, Prenanthoid, Fragaria indica, Viola, Ranunculus, Oxalis acetosella, Poa annua.
Urtica urens, and urentior occur about the houses, Cupressus pendula and a Magnoliaceous tree, with exquisitely fragrant blossoms.
The palace is a huge, long, straggling piece of patch-work, of ordinary construction, and less imposing than that of Byagur, which the Pillo makes his summer residence on the Bhoomlungtung; it is however ornamented with three gilt umbrellas. It is situated on the bank of the nullah, and defended by some outworks, 6 to 700 feet above it; to the east, these might, from their situation, be easily demolished by stones. The palace itself is commanded in every direction, particularly by the hill, along which we came from Jaisa; indeed a person might jump from the summit of this on to the outpost, and thence on to the palace; so precipitous is the descent.
The people, above all those hitherto seen, are dirty in their persons, uniting curiosity with no small share of obstinacy and impertinence in their manners. The birds are the blackbird, a black mina, the house-sparrow, sparrow-hawk, larger crow, domestic pigeons, kites, and hoopoo. The red-legged crows I have heard once, but far above, nor do I think that they ever visit this. The productions being essentially different from those of the elevated valleys we have lately quitted. Can those valleys be the steps to the table-land of Thibet to which they must be near, and which is reached sooner in that direction than any other? The idea of the high valleys in question being steps to table-land is perhaps corroborated by the fact, that the table-land is said to be within two days’ journey from Byagur.
Our interview with the Pillo took place on the 15th, it was conducted with some state, and with some impertinence. The latter was indicated by delaying us at the door of the audience room, the former by the attendance of more numerous and better dressed attendants than usual. Two Pillos were present. The incense as usual was burning, and the Pillos, both old and new, were seated before some large Chinese-looking figures. The only novel ceremony was the praying over a mess of something which I imagine was meant for tea; in the prayer all joined, when finished the beverage was handed to the Pillos, who, however, were contented with merely tasting it. Before this some was strewn on the floor in front, and some to the right of the chieftains. The castle was in places crowded with people, no less than 5 to 600, but all were as dirty as usual. None but the immediate attendants appeared armed. The new Pillo is a dark low-looking man, with an incipient goitre, the old one a more decent aristocratic looking person, good-looking and very fair. The presents were of course beggarly, consisting of indifferent oranges, wretched plantains, sugarcane of still worse quality, and ghee of an abominable odour.
March 17th.—We still remain here, and do not expect to leave for two or three days. The weather is unsettled, and the sun increasing in power daily. The new Soobahs left to-day for their appointments, with the exception of the Dewangur one. Pigs are here fed on boiled nettle leaves: old ladies may be seen occasionally busily employed in picking the leaves for this purpose, and which they do by means of bamboo pincers or tweezers. A few plantains may be met with here, but in a wretched state. Rice may be seen 500 feet above this, on the north of the castle, the slope of a hill being appropriated to its cultivation; the terraces above, owing to the inclination, are very narrow, and from the paucity of straw, the crops must, I should infer, be very poor.
March 22nd.—To-day we took our leave of the Pillo, who received us in a room to the south of the castle. He was friendly enough, but begged for presents unconscionably. He was surrounded by a considerable number of more mean-looking persons than ordinary. On the previous meeting he talked openly of being at enmity with the present Deb Rajah, but on this occasion he said little on the subject.
The castle is an ill-built, and worse arranged building, the windows and loopholes being so placed as to afford every facility for shooting into the air. In a court-yard, several tiger skins brought from the plains, are suspended.
It now appears that this Pillo, who said previously that the new Deb was never installed, is himself an usurper, previously handing the old Deb from the throne. This latter personage appears to be by far the more popular of the two. The Pillo must now have great influence, as all the posts in his division, are either held by his own sons, or by his more influential servants. The sons by the bye are, so long as they remain in the presence, treated like ordinary servants. Joongar is held by one of his sons, a lad of about eighteen, of plain but pleasing appearance and of good manners. He visited us yesterday, and his newly acquired rank sat easily on him. The old Pillo no doubt owes his rank to his having been the father of the lad chosen to be Dhurma Rajah, he is himself very evidently low-born and low-bred, and compared with the former one, so poor a specimen, that the greater popularity of the former is not to be wondered at. From all we have heard, they are contemptible rulers, as they appear to do nothing but intrigue for power among themselves. Changes are hence excessively frequent, and were they attended with much bloodshed, the country would be depopulated.