India and Tibet : vol.1 / Page 361 (Color Image)

0361	India and Tibet : vol.1

THE TIBETAN PROPOSAL 295

more definite than this telegram. But the despatch had

not yet arrived. Some degree of discretion was left me.

Was I justified by the very difficult circumstances in

which I found myself in stretching it to seventy-five

years ? This was the question I had to settle in my mind

while the Regent was waiting for my reply.

But this question of the indemnity did not stand alone.It had to be taken in connection with another clause

Ab which would give us the right to occupy the Chumbi

kL Valley until the indemnity was paid. I had, then, to ask

k myself further : Would an occupation of the Chumbi

Valley for seventy - five years as a guarantee for the

payment of an indemnity run counter to any pledge we

had given to Russia ? Now, Lord Lansdowne, when he

gave his pledge, distinctly said that the action of Govern-

ment must to some extent depend upon the conduct of

the Tibetans themselves, and that His Majesty's Govern-

ment could not undertake that they would not depart in

any eventuality from the policy which then commended

if itself to them.

This was said to the Russian Ambassador on June 2,

before Government had heard the result of our announce-

ment to the Tibetans that we would be prepared to

iii negotiate at Gyantse up to June 25. Since Lord Lans-

1 downe had spoken to the Russian Ambassador, the

Tibetans had continued fighting, had attacked me at

Kangma, and by June 25 had sent no negotiators. The

conduct of the Tibetans had, therefore, been such as might

very well cause Government to alter their action.

Further, the 'Tibetans, during our advance to Lhasa,

had opposed us at the Karo-la, and fired on us from

Nagartse Jong. This opposition was indeed slight,

because we had been obliged, after June 25, to break

down at Gyantse the Tibetan forces which intervened

between us and our advance to Lhasa. Had General Mac-

donald not captured the jong and dispersed the Tibetan

forces round Gyantse, the opposition to our advance to

Lhasa would have been very much greater than it was.

Since Lord Lansdowne had given his pledge to the

Russian Ambassador, events had occurred—the failure

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