1936 - 1937 Mission Diary

The official diary of the Gould mission to Lhasa sent by the British government. Read more about the mission diary.

January 9th, Saturday.

see photographs below

A very violent dust-storm this afternoon. Those of us who live in tents found it quite impossible to work there as the canvas flapped continuously and all papers were whirled to the floor.

Outside the poplar saplings arched towards the ground the hills were hidden in a lurid, dun cloud, while overhead, where alone patches of sky were visible, they were of an unnatural grey colour.

Changra, the lay Commander-in,Chief, and Chapay, his Assistant, Mingi Lingpa, and Lhalu came to dinner. The last mentioned is son of Lungshar who is languishing in a dungeon of the Potala with his eyes put out. In 1912 Lungsha visited England in charge of the Tibetan boys who were sent to Rugby. After his father's disgrace the son was adopted as heir by the old and very wealthy family of Lhalu who own the estate and house where the 1904 Mission lived when in Lhasa.

Author: Frederick Spencer Chapman [see handwritten annotations in Diary by Hugh Richardson in MS. Or. Richardson 2, Bodleian Libary, Department of Oriental Collections, University of Oxford]

Page Reference: Pt XII p.3