国立情報学研究所 - ディジタル・シルクロード・プロジェクト
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India and Tibet : vol.1 | |
インドとチベット : vol.1 |
DELEGATES REFUSE DISCUSS TERMS 231
without spoiling the religion of Tibet, I could not
believe that the fact of our going to Lhasa for a few
weeks only could have any permanent ill-effect on the
religion of Tibet.
They then remarked that if we now went to .Lhasa all
the other nations would want to go there, and see the
sights, and establish agents there. I told them I had not
the smallest wish to see the sights of Lhasa. I had
already travelled in many different lands, and seen finer
sights than they could show me at Lhasa ; and as to
stationing an agent there, we had no such intention.
Could they tell me if any other nation wished to ? They
replied that the Russians would be wanting to send an
agent to Lhasa. I told them they need not be in any fear
on that score, for the Russian Government had assured
our Government that they had no intention of sending an
agent to Tibet. I added that, though we had no intention
of establishing a political agent at Lhasa, we desired to
open a trade-mart at Gyantse on the same conditions as
the trade-mart at Yatung had been opened— that is, with
the right to send a British officer there to superintend the
trade.
The delegates would not, however, be led into a dis-
cussion of the terms. They said they could only discuss
the terms at Gyantse, and the conversation drifted back
into the old lines of withdrawing to Gyantse. Each of the
four members of the delegation repeated in turn the same
arguments for withdrawing to Gyantse, and I gave to
each in turn my reasons for advancing to Lhasa. I said I
feared they must think me extremely obstinate, and I felt
sure that, if they had been deputed by their Government
earlier in the day, I should have been able to agree to
their wishes, and we could have soon come to an agree-
ment. As matters stood at present, I could do nothing
but obey the orders of the Viceroy. They asked if I
could not stop here, represent to His Excellency what
they had said, and await further instructions. I replied
that the Viceroy only issued his orders after very careful
deliberation, but once they were issued, he never revoked
them.
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