An Embassy to the Court of the Teshoo Lama in Tibet - Prajna Quest

I'JGBOOTAN.large mango tree stood in the middle of the garden, with its branchesbowing down with fruit, which was not expected to ripen till the endof August: in Bengal they are in season in May. Punukka is esteemedthe warmest part of Bootan, and, from its soil and situation, is chosenfor the culture of exotics. Our English plants suffered by this injudiciouscare. The gardener brought me a handful of lettuces, weakand bitter, and also a few cabbage leaves, equally degenerate, with asmall specimen of potatoes, not bigger than boys' marbles.Mr. Boglehad formed great hopes from the introduction of this vegetable, andthey had been taught to call it by his name ; but either from ignoranceor idleness, they have failed in the cultivation of this valuable root,and the stock isnow almost exhausted.It is much to be regretted that the natives of Bootan possess noknowledge of gardening.What fruits, or what vegetables, might notbe here cultivated to the highest perfection ! Theclimate of Bootanaffords every degree of variation at this season of the year, fromsummer heat to the freezing point ; for at the same time that theinhabitants of Punukka, are cautious of exposing themselves to a verticalsun, those of Ghassa feel all the rigour of winter, chilled byperpetualsnows : yet both these places are within view of eachother.Total strangers to the luxury of the table,the Booteeas cannot thinkany thing worth their care, which nature has not, in the common orderof things, bestowed upon their soil.They have a few fruits indeed ingreat perfection ;their oranges are exquisite, their peaches and apricotsvery good ; so also is the pomegranate ; waljiuts cannot possibly be