'Volume II. MEMORANDA REGARDING OTHER EXTERNAL AFFAIRS. 1905.' [‎106r] (216/228)

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accorded the honour of an informal interview.
After leaving Rawalpindi, the Lama visited
Agra, Benares, Ga\a, and Patna, and finally
arrived in Calcutta on the 26th December.
He was accorded an enthusiastic reception
at Gaya. It has been decided that, during the
Lama’s stay in Calcutta, he shall be accorded
honours analogous to those granted to a Rulin
Chief of a Native State in India receivin
salute of 17 guns.
The Tongsa Penlop of Bhutan, who is
visiting Calcutta as the special representative
of the Deb and Dharma Raja King and of the
Council and State of Bhutan, will receive the
honours usually granted to a 15-gun Chief.
3 (See the last portion of paragraph 1 of
the Memorandum for October 1905.) Captain
O’Connor, having been called upon to explain
why he had not before reported the refortifica
tion of the Gyantse Jong, replied that the jong
had now been rebuilt upon much the same lines
as before it was demolished by us, though with
out loopholed walls. He stated that the
Tibetan delegates in August 1901 had urged
that jongs were not properly fortifications,
in no way obstructed the roads, and were
necessary to the Tibetan Government as head
quarters of district administration, and that
Colonel Younghusband, in consequence, decided
that jongs were not included in the term
“ forts and fortifications ” in clause 8 of the
Convention, the Tibetan expressions for arma
ments also being expressly chosen with his
approval to exclude the word jong. Captain
O’Connor urged strongly that all reference to
the rebuilding of Gyantse Jong might there
fore be omitted from the letter which it was
proposed to address to the Lhasa Government,
as, if the action taken by the Tibetans were
objected to, an accusation of breach of faith
would certainly be provoked.
The Government of India suggested to
His Majesty’s Secretary of State by telegram
on the 8th November that, before proceeding
further in the matter, Colonel Younghusband
should be asked whether Captain O’Connor’s
recollection was correct regarding the alleged
understanding that the Tibetans were at
liberty to rebuild the portion of the jongs
destroyed by us so long as they did not foitity
them with ‘loopholed parapets or gun-epaule-
ments. It was added that the Government of
India found it hard to believe that Colonel
Younghusband could have contemplated the
thorough rebuilding of the Gyantse Jong in
any fashion which might restore its offensive
or defensive potentialities.
His Majesty’s Secretary of State replied
on the 28th November that Sir E. Ypunghus-
band bad explained that, on the occasion when
the Convention was being translated by
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