'Volume II. MEMORANDA REGARDING OTHER EXTERNAL AFFAIRS. 1905.' [‎90r] (184/228)

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, \ll e 7 of the Memorandum
June 1905.) Ihe Tashi Lama’s Prime
ipnH^ er haS glven ex P 1,essioi i to the same
_ ntimcnts as were uttered by the Tashi
Lama s Secretary in regard to the attitude
1 the Lhasa Government towards the Tashi
i W ^ 138 a PP arentl y thoroughly decided
that the best course for the Lama to pursue,
m present circumstances, is to cultivate friend
ship with the British.
qo -| 9 'o ^ a Pt a i n O’Connor reported on the
-2nd September that, while at Shigatse, the
Nepalese Representative there (a Gurkha
Lieutenant) called on him with all the Nepali
merchants of the place to discuss the question
of their using the Phari route instead of, as
heretofore, the routes leading directly into
Nepal. He could not, however, advise them,
as it was not known how the Nepal Govern
ment would favour the idea. It subsequently
transpired, however, that the Nepalese Re
presentative at Lhasa had, in correspondence
v ith the 1 rime Minister,set forth the advantages
which would he secured by the use of this
route, and the Minister informed the Resident
that he had accordingly given permission to
Nepali subjects to use the route. The levy of
duties on merchandise by the Nepalese Govern
ment^ will probably be made at Gyantse by
the Nepalese official, who will soon be posted
there (see paragraph below).
10. During Captain O’Connor’s visit to
Shigatse the Khamba Jongpen furnished him
with the following details regarding the
Khamba district. This district, which is
properly under the jurisdiction of Tashi
Lhumpo. was virtually confiscated by the
Lhasa Government shortly after the British
Mission entered the Chumbi valley two years
ago, on the charge that the Tashi Lhumpo
officials and Jongpen, in order to save their
own skins, had prevailed upon the Mission
officers to make use of the Chumbi route in
preference to that leading to Shigatse through
the Khamba district. The Lhasa Govern
ment appointed their own representative (one
Chang-lo-kung) to supervise the district, and
summoned the Jongpen to Lhasa to answer for
his misdeeds. Luckily for the Jongpen,
however, the Mission reached Lhasa before the
Lhasa authorities had time to proceed to
the usual inquisitorial methods in vogue
against political offenders, and the Jongpen
returned to his district. But owing, to the
presence there of the Lhasa official, he is
now merely a cypher, and the administra
tion of the Jong is conducted by Chang-lo-
kung.
11. (See paragraph 11 of the Memoran
dum for September 1905.) In continuation of
his previous despatch on the subject, Sir E.
Satow has supplied further particulars