Note 24 — Chapter VIII · RETURN TO TASHILHUNPO AND UGYEN-GYATSO’S VISIT TO THE BONBO SANCTUARY OF RIGYAL SENDAR.

Proceeding thence they came to Non chu, where he saw the Non chu lama rinpoche, who made many inquiries about Calcutta, the railways, telegraphs, and telephones of which he had heard travellers speak. He himself, he said, had invented a telephone, and was just then engaged in making a new instrument with which he would be able to communicate with people at a distance by means of strokes of a hammer.24 He was also most curious to know about illuminating gas.