In 1783, at the opportunity presented by a new Panchen Lama, Samuel Turner (1759-1802) led a deputation from Bengal to Tibet and Bhutan in the hope of promoting British-Indian trade. Originally published in 1800, his insightful first-hand description of these countries remained the only such English-language work for decades.

The first such work in the English language, this eyewitness description of Tibet and Bhutan was originally published in 1800.