'Volume II. MEMORANDA REGARDING OTHER EXTERNAL AFFAIRS. 1905.' [‎107r] (218/228)

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Wales and His Excellency the Viceroy have
replied to the letters addressed to them in
suitable terms. Mr. White has been requested
to instruct the British Trade Agent at Gyantse
formally to acknowledge the letter addressed
to Lord Curzon, and in reply to the Ti
Rimpoche’s representations to refer him to the
letter which has already been sent to the Lhasa
Government {vide paragraph 3 above).
5. (See paragraph 3 of the Memoran
dum for November 1905.) A traveller from
Lhasa has reported to the Political Officer in
Chumbi that the Dalai Lama was supposed to be
at a place called lab-kong-bu in Amdo, where
he was the guest of the local Chiefs. He was
not expected to reach Lhasa before the Tibetan
first month (Pebruary-March). He vas
said to be accompanied by Dorjieff.
According to reports received by the Prime
Minister of Nepal from his Representative at
Lhasa, it appears that, although the Tibetan
Government were making every preparation
for the return of the Dalai Lama, they were
not at all certain of his early return, as they
had heard nothing to this effect from the
Lama himself, and doubted the veracity of the
information received from Chinese sources,
as they suspected that the Chinese had some
ulterior motive in giving currency to such
reports. The Lhasa Government believed the
Dalai Lama to be under the strict surveillance
of the Chinese authorities, either on account of
the Chinese Government’s suspicions that he
was intriguing with the Russians, or because
the British Government had brought pressure
to bear on the Chinese Government.
6. (See paragraph 12 of the Memoran
dum for November 1905.) His Majesty’s
Consul-General at Chengtu has furnished the
Government of India with a copy of a report
regarding the disturbances in Batang, which he
has sent to His Britannic Majesty’s Minister at
Peking. Prom this it appears that General Ma
arrived at Chengtu from Batang on the 29th
October 1905. Chao Taotai had been left in
charge of the arrangements for the pacification
of the disturbed districts, and, according to all
accounts, he was treating the Tibetans with
great severity. This policy, however, was
said to meet with general approval at Chengtu,
as it was felt that stern measures were required
to break the influence of the Lamas. Inform
ation had been received that the head Lama of
the Batang Monastery had been beheaded by
order of the Viceroy.
It was reported that Batang was to be
constituted a Chinese Magistracy under Ta-
chien-lu. Pour hundred Chinese troops were
to be permanently stationed at Li Tang and
two hundred at Batang. The construction of