Beschreibung:

A rare pair awarded to Mr David Macdonald, Political Department, who acted as Interpreter to Younghusband on the Tibet Mission, later British Trade Agent at Gyantse, he assisted the Dalai Lama’s escape from Tibet in 1910, and was author of the books Twenty Years in Tibet and The Land of the Lama Tibet 1903-04, 1 clasp, Gyantse (Clerk Mr. D. Mac Donald. Pol: Dept.); Bhutan, Maharaja Ugyen Wangchuk Medal, 2nd class, silver, unnamed as issued, nearly extremely fine (2) £1400-1800 Footnote Sold with a scarce first edition of Twenty Years in Tibet by David Macdonald, Seely, Service & Co. Ltd., London, 1932, with a foreword by The Earl of Lytton, G.C.S.I., G.C.I.E., formerly Acting Viceroy of India. The Maharaja Ugyen Wangchuk Medalm was instituted in 1909 by Maharaja Ugyen Wangchuck to commemorate his coronation on 17th December 1907, and was thereafter conferred as a reward for distinguished and meritorious services to the state. Awarded in three classes (Gold, Silver and Bronze), Macdonald refers in his book to ‘two medals, one gold and one silver, were presented to me by the late Maharaja of Bhutan in recognition of services that I was able to render him, and these I value very highly.’ David Macdonald’s Twenty Years in Tibet chronicles his time in Tibet from the early 1900s until the late 1920s. As the British government's Yatung Trade Agent, Macdonald had frequent interactions with the local people, being able to observe traditional Tibetan culture, religion, and lifestyles. This was also a period of immense change in China, and in effect, Tibetan autonomy. As such, Macdonald came into contact with both the Panchen and Dalai Lamas, a privilege that gave him a unique insight into the more esoteric elements of Tibetan society. Macdonald viewed the Tibetan country and people favorably, at times criticizing extreme religious and judicial practices, but overall reporting positively on his time there. The entire book is mostly a narrative, with little ancillary motivation to do anything except describe an interesting culture. Macdonald’s relations can be seen as representative of the general political situation existing between Britain and Tibet at the time. For nearly 20 years, David Macdonald acted as the British Trade Agent at Yatung. Macdonald thrived in this capacity, describing his years in Tibet as some of the best of his life, “To anyone, like myself, fond of a lonely existence, and happy in the study of a country and its people, days spent among the Tibetans in their own homes cannot fail to be full of interest” (Macdonald 129). Macdonald’s appointment also coincided with a rapidly changing political climate. Before he was commissioned, Macdonald was a part of the Younghusband expedition that effectively opened Tibet to the West. Later, Macdonald came into personal contact with both the Dalai and Tashi [Panchen] Lamas as the Qing Empire collapsed and Tibet looked to assert its independence. Macdonald’s Twenty Years in Tibet is valuable not only because of its temporal importance, but also because of its reliability. Macdonald is atypical in that, although British, he could easily relate to the Tibetans. This was in part due to his heritage, “My father was a Scot, my mother of a Sikkimese family of good standing. The Sikkimese are closely allied to the Tibetans, and thus the circumstances of my birth have given me a peculiar sympathy, affection, and understanding for the Tibetan people and their country” (11). Furthermore, Macdonald was linguistically proficient in Tibetan, able to communicate in both the Tibetan vernacular and “the high honorific language of Tibet” (30). This allowed him to interact with people independent of an intermediary; his experiences are not distortions based on outside translation. Of course as an autobiography, selective and inaccurate representation by Macdonald is a possibility, however it is better that events pass through only one medium instead of many. Numerous interesting accounts stand out