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
TIBETANS REFUSE TO REPORT SPEECH 121
trade in Tibet he is stopped on the frontier, and no one is
allowed to go near him. He can trade in Russia, in
Germany, in France, and in all other great countries, and
in all other dependencies of the Chinese Empire, in
Manchuria, in. Mongolia, and in 'Turkestan ; but in 'Tibet
alone of all countries he cannot trade. This is a one-sided
arrangement, unworthy of so fair-minded and cultured a
people as you are ; and though His Excellency has no
intention of annexing your country, and may, indeed, if
you prove reasonable in regard to the admission of trade,
make concessions to you in respect to the frontier lands
near Giagong, yet he will insist that the obstacles which
you have for so many years put in the way of trade
between India and Tibet shall be once and for ever
removed."
This speech was, of course, made for the benefit of the
Lhasa Government. The Tibetan officials would receive
no written communications, but I thought it barely
possible that they might pass on a verbal communication,
especially when it was made before a responsible Chinese
official, and after I had given due notice of my intention.
The Tibetan delegates listened attentively while it was
being delivered, but at its conclusion said that they could
not enter into any discussion upon it. I replied that
neither could I discuss it with them, for I had not yet
heard from the Viceroy that he was satisfied that they
were of sufficiently high rank to carry on negotiations. I
had, however, as a matter of courtesy, taken the trouble
to acquaint them informally with the Viceroy's views,
which I trusted they would report to their Government.
They replied that they could not even do that much, that
they could make no report at all unless we went back to
Giagong.
Mr. Ho here interposed, and said that the Tibetans
were very ignorant and difficult to deal with, and he asked
me if I could not meet them by agreeing to go to the
frontier. I said I would with pleasure, and when repre-
sentatives whom the Viceroy would permit me to
negotiate with were present I would gladly ride with them
to the frontier and discuss the question on the spot ; but
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