Tachienlu, July 4.
July 4, the temperature along the frontier registered 58 Fahr.
There was a suggestion that there might be a Fourth of July celebration and to some it seemed a pity to let that great day pass without some sort of recognition. However, circumstances over which few people have any control intervened and the day, passed as far as the border was concerned, cold, wet, windy, and in every way very disagreeable.
Madame Noel, the well known French traveller, who arrived in Tachienlu on July 3, was under the impression that the Fourth of July was generally a day of feasting when many Americans indulged in big dinners and other things, and she quoted American Embassy dinners in Paris to prove her point.
However the Tibetan frontier being a long way from anywhere we found it difficult to discover just how the day should be remembered or celebrated or observed.
The weather took the law into its own hands and decided for the small American community in Tachienlu just what should be done.
There is one advantage in living, some distance from civilization: many Of the great events in history are Inclined to pass unobserved. Last year the five Americans in Tachienlu played a harmless game of croquet fand one of the remarkable things bout this game is that the rules for playing it vary as well as the number 'Of persons taking part. 'There was' faint suggestion this year that the day might be remembered by another game of croquet. The weather however decided against this. Tachienlu has had a very remarkable Spring. The weather broke about the middle of May and rain has fallen, more or Tess every day. The days, of the Tibetan race meet, June 10, 11, and 12, were days of warm sunshine and heavy rain, Many Mbetan and Chinese ladies In their beautiful dresses Were drenched to the skin; and there! was a stampede down the mountain when the storm broke. There being ho shelter apart from a few official tents, the only thing to do was to get thoroughly wet and dry out again.
City Walls, The persistent rains along the border "are causing considerable damage to the stone walls within the ity, The wall builders in Tachientu bulla their walls with an eye to future business. A. wall build stands on one side and another on the other and both build at the same wall, Unfortunately very little is done by the builders to lock the wall together, consequently two walls fare built, one leaning against "the other, When. the rains begin these walls are soaked wet making them decided danger to pedestrians they travel along the streets.
Tai Chi-tao, the high Chinese mints ter of State here in Tachientu had fan accident in falling or crashing with another horse some days ago. The precious Dingje lama who left here last Tuesday, June 28, for Han-Kow was being escorted outside the east gate by a number of high Chinese officials, and among them was Tal Chi-tao who was riding rather wild stallion, Apparently two stallions charged each other causing fa. crash between the riders and injuring the foot of the minister of late, The Chinese expedition to perform the rites at the burial of the Panchen at Kanze was arranged to) eave here on June 25; this was later' put off to June 29, then July 1, then duly 5, and) later July 9. The! extent of the injury to Tals foot fg not yet fully known but it seems that the expedition is now cancelled indefinitely; the injury to the minis-tor's foot apparently not being the moving and sometimes in a different direction.
Another wheel which moves sometimes in one direction and sometimes in another suggests that the precious body be temporarily buried or enshrined at Kanze till a more convenient season is found. In the meantime the Panchen's large follow-thg, numbering close on two thousand, armed and unarmed retainers, fare beginning to wonder where this moving wheel will push them. These retainers are well armed and it is the purpose of the expedition to Kanze to disarm them and remove this very serious menace from the centre of Asia,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.