BHUTAN.
4H
Tibetan, more or less blended with words and idioms of the countries
on which their own territory touches. The extensive Natural Products.
—
many
of Bhutan abound in
forests
Among them
of stately trees.
varieties
and yew.
are
the
beech,
ash,
and pines cover the mountain heights and below these, but still at an elevation of 8000 or 9000 feet, is a zone of vegetation consisting principally of oaks and rhododendrons. The cinnamon tree is also found. Some of the roots and branches were examined by Turner during his journey to Tibet but the plant birch, maple, cypress,
Firs
being neither in blossom nor bearing
was impossible to decide whether it was the true cinnamon or an inferior kind of cassia. The leaf, however, corresponded with the description given of the true The lower ranges of the hills teem with cinnamon by Linnaeus. animal life. Elephants are so numerous as to be dangerous to travellers; fruit, it
but tigers are not common, except near the river
abound
The musk
large species.
deer on every tions.
hill-side.
abound.
Pheasants,
jungle
The Bhutias
are
fowls,
Bears and rhinoceros are also
and other small game
pigeons,
no sportsmen.
and brings down
valleys,
a very
is
objection to firing a gun, thinking that
woods and
Leopards
found in the snows, and the barking Wild hogs are met with even at great elevadeer
Large squirrels are common.
found.
Ti'std.
some of them of
deer everywhere,
the valleys,
in
it
They have
A
rain.
a superstitious
offends the deities of the species of horse or rather
pony, which seems indigenous to Bhutan, and is used as a domestic animal, is called tdngan, from Tangastan, the general appellation of that assemblage of mountains which constitutes the territory of Bhutan.
not being found in any of the neighbouring Assam, Nepal, Tibet, or Bengal, and unites in an eminent degree the two qualities of strength and beauty. The tdngan pony usually stands about 13 hands high, and is short-bodied, cleanhis colour inclines to limbed, deep in the chest, and extremely active It is peculiar to this tract,
countries
of
piebald.
Afanu/actures, etc
.
of the people
is,
produced being
as
— In so rude a country, the manufacturing industry might be expected, at a low stage, the few articles home consumption. These consist of
destined for
all
coarse blankets and cotton cloth made by the villagers inhabiting the Leather, from the hide of the buffalo, imperfectly southern tract. Circular bowls are neatly tanned, furnishes the soles of snow boots. turned from various woods. A small quantity of paper is made from a
plant described as the
arrow-heads, and
Daphne
papyrifera.
Swords, iron spears, and
a few copper caldrons fabricated from the
metal
The obtained in the country, complete the list of manufactures. In 1809, the trade foreign trade of Bhutan has greatly declined. between Assam and Bhutin amounted
to
- ^2o,ooo per annum, the
lac,
