National Institute of Informatics - Digital Silk Road Project
Digital Archive of Toyo Bunko Rare Books

> > > >
Color New!IIIF Color HighRes Gray HighRes PDF   Japanese English
0121 India and Tibet : vol.1
India and Tibet : vol.1 / Page 121 (Color Image)

New!Citation Information

doi: 10.20676/00000295
Citation Format: Chicago | APA | Harvard | IEEE

OCR Text

 

CHAPTER IX

SIMLA TO KHAMBA JONG

THE previous chapters have been necessarily, though

perhaps somewhat tediously, filled up with a narrative of

the many intricate considerations which went towards

the final determination to send a mission to 'Tibet.

But of all that had been going on—of the voluminous

correspondence in the great offices, of the meetings

and attempts at meetings on the frontier—I was wholly

ignorant. Anglo-Indian papers seldom, contain informa-

tion on such happenings. And for some years past,

in accordance with the well-intentioned, but, as it has

since turned out, thoroughly unsound, advice of a previous

Viceroy, that it would be to my advantage in the Political

Department not to remain for ever on the frontier, but

to acquire experience of internal affairs as well, I had

been serving in the interior in political agencies in

Rajputana and Central India, and had heard nothing of

any intention to send a mission to Tibet. Nor had I ever

had any connection with Tibet, though as long ago as

1888 the then Lieutenant-Governor of Bengal had, I dis-

covered many years after, asked the Government of India

for my services, as I had then just returned from a journey

around Manchuria and across Central Asia, from Peking to

Kashmir, and it was thought that, knowing Chinese

customs, I might be of use, in addition to the Chinese

interpreter. This request was twice made, it appears ;

but I was then a young subaltern, still in military employ,

and in the throes of examination, and the Government of

India replied that I was not available, as I was about to

go up for examination, and, if sent away then, would fail

to qualify for promotion. So I went up for one of those

95