Life and works of Alexander Csoma de Körös : $b A biography compiled chiefly from hitherto unpublished dataDuka, Tivadar
History
Life and works of Alexander Csoma de Körös : $b A biography compiled chiefly from hitherto unpublished data
Duka, Tivadar
Kőrösi Csoma, Sándor, 1784-1842
9. “As that was not a place for my purpose, and being informed by
the Armenians that two European gentlemen were with Mahomed Azim
Khan, between Kabool and Peshawur, and in the same time finding an
opportunity to travel securely with a caravan, I left Kabool 19th
January, and came towards Peshawur. At Daka, the 26th January, I
met two French gentlemen, Messrs. Allard and Ventura, whom
afterwards I accompanied to Lahore, because it was not the proper
season to go to Kashmir and to cross the mountains into Tibet. We
arrived at Lahore the 11th of March 1822, and on the 23d of the
same I left it, and going by Amritsir, Jamoo, I reached Kashmir the
17th of April, where I stopped, waiting for proper season and
companions, till 9th May; when leaving that place, and travelling
with four other persons, on the 9th June I arrived at Leh, the
capital of Ladak; but I ascertained the road to go to Yarkand was
very difficult, expensive, and dangerous for a Christian. After a
sojourn of twenty-five days I resolved to return to Lahore.
10. “I was, on my return, near the frontier of Cashmere when, on
the 16th of July 1822, I was agreeably surprised to find Mr.
Moorcroft at Himbabs. He was alone. I acquainted him with all my
circumstances and designs, and by his permission remained with him.
I accompanied him on his return to Leh, where we arrived on the
26th August. In September, after Mr. Trebeck’s arrival from Piti,
Mr. Moorcroft gave me to peruse the large volume of the Alphabetum
Tibetanum, wherein I found much respecting Tibet and the Tibetan
literature, and being desirous to be acquainted with the structure
of that curious tongue, at the departure of Mr. Moorcroft from Leh
to proceed to Cashmere, in the last days of September, I begged
leave to remain with Mr. Trebeck, who obtained for me the
conversation and instruction of an intelligent person, who was well
acquainted with the Tibetan and Persian languages; and by this
medium I obtained considerable insight in the Tibetan.
11. “At Mr. Moorcroft’s request, before his departure from Leh, I
translated into Latin a letter written in Russian characters and
language, procured by Meer Izzut Oollah of Delhi, the companion of
Mr. Moorcroft, dated Petersburgh, 17th January 1820, and addressed
to the chief prince of the Panjab (Runjeet Singh), which, as Mr.
Moorcroft informed me after his arrival at Kashmir, he sent to
Calcutta.”
N.B.—This was the letter of Count Nesselrode; sent through the
Russian Emissary, Aga Mahdi Rafael.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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