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0109 India and Tibet : vol.1
India and Tibet : vol.1 / Page 109 (Grayscale High Resolution Image)

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doi: 10.20676/00000295
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OCR Text

Now that we were reasonably assured that Russia had no
intention of interfering in Tibet, why should we still have
thought it necessary to send a mission into the country?
The answer is that we had not yet settled those questions
of trade and intercourse which had existed years before
the Russian factor intruded itself into the situation;
besides which we had always the consideration that,
although it might be true enough that the Russians had
no mind to have any dealings with the Tibetans, yet the
Tibetans might still think they could rely on the Russians
in flouting us. The Germans had officially no intention
of interfering with the Boers, yet it was because Kruger
thought he could rely upon German support that he
went to war with England. He was much too astute an
old gentleman to have fought us if he had thought he
would have had to fight us by himself. So it was with
the Tibetans. The Russian Government might not have
the remotest intention of helping them in any possible
way, yet the Tibetans might, and did, think they could
count upon Russian support. The Dalai Lama's Envoy
Extraordinary had been very well received by the Czar
and by the Russian Chancellor and others. Doubtless,
he had collected some very handsome subscriptions and
received valuable presents. A little Oriental imagination
would soon expand these ordinary amenities into a promise
of thick-and-thin support against the English. We had
still this erroneous impression to reckon with.