India and Tibet : vol.1 / Page 416 (Color Image)

0416	India and Tibet : vol.1

CHAPTER XXII

NEGOTIATIONS WITH CHINA

HATE had settled with Tibet direct, as was Lord Curzon's

chief object, and it had been proposed that China should

sign what was styled an Adhesion Agreement, formally

acknowledging the 'Tibetan 'Treaty. But Yu-tai, the

Resident at Lhasa, was instructed not to sign any such

agreement, and a Special Envoy was sent by the Chinese

Government to Calcutta to treat with the Indian Govern-

ment in the matter. Yu-tai himself had been specially

deputed for these negotiations regarding Tibet, but

apparently he was considered too complacent, and first of

all, Mr. Tang, and then Mr. Chang, were sent to Calcutta,

and from now onwards the Chinese showed first great

diplomatic insistence, and then great military activity, in

regard to 'Tibet, till, profiting by the jealousy between

us and the Russians, which had prevented our reaping

all the fruits of the Mission to Lhasa, they one by one

gathered those fruits themselves.

Nothing resulted from Mr. Tang's visit to India, and

ill-health caused him to return to China. But on April

27, 1906, in place of an Adhesion Agreement, a Conven-

tion was signed at Peking between Great Britain and

China MThich " confirmed " the Lhasa Convention of 1904.

In addition, Great Britain engaged " not to annex Tibetan

territory, or to interfere in the administration of Tibet " ;

while the Chinese Government undertook " not to permit

any other foreign State to interfere with the territory or

internal administration of Tibet." We were entitled to

lay down telegraph-lines to connect the trade-marts with

India. And it was laid down that the provisions of the

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