Page:Narratives of the Mission of George Bogle to Tibet (1879).djvu/93

xc Mr. J. W. Grant and Major Herbert, the Surveyor-General of India, reported on the eligibility of Darjíling as a sanitarium, and the Sikkim Rajah was induced to sign a deed, in February, 1835, ceding the territory in exchange for a pension of 300l. a year. Dr. Campbell was appointed superintendent of the new station in 1840, and was entrusted with the charge of political relations with Sikkim.

Dr. Campbell described Sikkim—called Dinjing by the inhabitants—as covering an area of about 1550 square miles, with a population of 7000, of whom 3000 are Lepchas, 2000 Bhutanese, and 2000 Limbus. There is no money revenue, and the contributions in kind from agricultural produce and transit duties would not exceed Rs.₨ 7000 a year. The country is to a great extent covered with forest and thick underwood. The Rajah is tributary to China through Lhasa, and resides from November until May at Tumlung, and the rest of the year at Chumbi, within Tibetan territory. The Rajah of Sikkim had desired to secure an exchange of runaway slaves, which was refused, and in the preposterous hope of securing compliance, his officers suddenly seized and imprisoned Dr. Campbell and Dr. Hooker, while travelling, in 1849, and detained them for six weeks. As a punishment for this outrage the allowance was stopped, and a piece of territory, including the lower course of the Tísta and the Sikkim Terai, was annexed.

The settlement of Darjíling, meanwhile, advanced rapidly under Dr. Campbell's able management. In 1839 it did not contain more than 100 souls; in 1849 there were 10,000, chiefly by immigration from Nepal, Sikkim, and Bhutan, in all of which States slavery is prevalent. Allotments of land were bought by Europeans, barracks and houses were built, and Dr. Campbell established an annual fair at the foot of the hills, which was most successful. A considerable trade in musk, salt, gold dust, borax, ponies, and woollen cloths soon sprang up.

Dr. Hooker thus wrote in 1854: "He [Dr. Campbell] raised