IIIF Color HighRes
National Institute of Informatics - Digital Silk Road Project
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| IIIF Color HighRes |
| India and Tibet : vol.1 |
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Citation Information
90 A MISSION SANCTIONED
reason. Thus he hoped a rupture might be avoided, and
things brought back to a satisfactory conclusion. But if,
as before, the Councillors allowed themselves to be guided
by the three great monasteries, and hostilities once began,
then the horrors of war would be more than he could bear
to think of, and even the mediation of him, the Imperial
Resident, would be of no avail.
Such, said the Resident, were the admonitions which he
addressed to the Tibetan Councillors, and as he did so he
watched their demeanour. It was submissive certainly, but
obstinacy was engrained in the character of the Tibetan
barbarians, and whether, when matters should become
pressing, they would consent to obey and discuss questions
in a friendly spirit, it was difficult for him to tell in advance.
The laconic observation by the Emperor on this curious
document, which correctly described the Tibetans, and
which incidentally depicted both the contempt of the
Chinese for these " barbarians " and the ineffectiveness of
their control over them, was—" Seen."
But the Resident had also written to the Viceroy, on
April 6, saying that he had deputed Mr. Ho and Captain
Parr for the discussion of affairs, and they were waiting at
Yatung. The deputy appointed by the Viceroy might,
he said, either come to Yatung, or the Chinese deputies
would proceed to Sikkim, or such other place as might be
decided on by the Viceroy.
To this the Viceroy replied, on June 3, 1903, that, as
the Resident had already clearly recognized, it would be
useless to negotiate upon matters affecting Tibet without
insuring the full and adequate representation of the
Dalai Lama's Government throughout the proceedings.
He was nominating as his Commissioner Colonel Young-
husband, who, accompanied by Mr. White, Political
Officer in Sikkim, as Joint Commissioner, would proceed
to meet the Commissioners appointed by the Resident,
who should, of course, be of equivalent rank, and must be
attended by a Tibetan officer of the highest rank, whose
authority to bind the Tibetan Government was absolute
and unquestioned. On this understanding, that the Lhasa
authorities would be duly and fully represented, the
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