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
NEPA LESE AND BHUTANESE 267
apologizing for introducing business matters into the con-
versation during my first visit to him, I took leave of the
Amban and returned to camp by a détour through the
heart of the city.
Two of the Councillors, with two Secretaries, called
upon me on the following day with 280 coolie-loads of tea,
sugar, dried fruits, flour, peas, and butter, and bringing
also 20 yaks, 50 sheep, and Rs. 1,500 in cash. With the
object of getting into the next best house in Lhasa, I
made a pretence of wishing to go into the Dalai Lama's
Summer Palace, which was in the plain close by, and
eventually arranged that the house of the first Duke in
Tibet should be at my disposal. This would contain the
whole of my staff, as well as an escort of two companies,
and was therefore, both for purposes of possible defence
and also for receptions, much more suitable than a camp
in the open plain.
I had now got into touch with both the Chinese Resi-
dent and the highest Tibetan officials, and I was also on
the same day—August 5—to see the two men who were
eventually to be of the greatest help to me as inter-
mediaries —the Nepal representative who was permanently
stationed at Lhasa, and the old Tongsa Penlop of Bhutan,
who had just arrived from Gyantse.
Captain .Tit Bahadur had been many years in Lhasa,
and was much respected. He had very courteous manners,
and was much more quick and alert than the Tibetans.
He had orders from his Government to give me every
assistance, and no one could have been more helpful.
The Tongsa Penlop had neither the local knowledge
nor the quickness of Captain Jit Bahadur ; but he was a
man of more importance—he is indeed now Maharaja of
Bhutan—and his representations carried weight. He and
Mr. White soon made a firm friendship, and together they
did much to bring the negotiations through.
There was still no sign, though, of any definite dele-
gates being appointed to negotiate with me, and on
August 8 I had to report to Government that the
Tibetan Government was in utter confusion. My old
friend the Ta Lama had been disgraced, as, poor man, he
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