CHINA***


This ebook was transcribed by Les Bowler.

                  [Picture: Tartar and Chinese customes]

                          [Picture: Title page]





                                 TRAVELS
                                    IN
                       TARTARY, THIBET, AND CHINA,
                        DURING THE YEARS 1844-5-6.


                                BY M. HUC.

                TRANSLATED FROM THE FRENCH BY W. HAZLITT.

                                 VOL. I.

                                * * * * *

                ILLUSTRATED WITH FIFTY ENGRAVINGS ON WOOD.

                                * * * * *

                                * * * * *

                                 LONDON:
               OFFICE OF THE NATIONAL ILLUSTRATED LIBRARY,
                               227 STRAND.

                      [Picture: Decorative graphic]

                                 LONDON:
              VIZETELLY AND COMPANY, PRINTERS AND ENGRAVERS,
                    PETERBOROUGH COURT, FLEET STREET.




PREFACE.


The Pope having, about the year 1844, been pleased to establish an
Apostolic Vicariat of Mongolia, it was considered expedient, with a view
to further operations, to ascertain the nature and extent of the diocese
thus created, and MM. Gabet and Huc, two Lazarists attached to the petty
mission of Si-Wang, were accordingly deputed to collect the necessary
information. They made their way through difficulties which nothing but
religious enthusiasm in combination with French elasticity could have
overcome, to Lha-Ssa, the capital of Thibet, and in this seat of Lamanism
were becoming comfortably settled, with lively hopes and expectations of
converting the Tale-Lama into a branch-Pope, when the Chinese Minister,
the noted Ke-Shen, interposed on political grounds, and had them deported
to China