THE FLIGHT OF THE DALAI LAMA..
[To THE EDITOR OP THE " SPECTATOR."1
Sin,—Having recently read the book by the Japanese Lama to which your correspondent Mr. Black refers in your last issue, as well as Sir Sven Hedin's " Trans-Himalaya " and Mr. J. Claude White's " Sikhim and Bhutan," besides having some personal knowledge of the North-East Frontier of India, I am not surprised at recent developments in Tibet, which, so far as they affect prejudicially our Indian Empire, are the result of our fast-and-loose policy ; but I wonder that any one should see in the strengthening of Chinese authority in Tibet a fresh military menace to India, or should speak of it as the "Chinaman sitting at the very door of India," forgetting that our frontier in Burma has marched for many years with that of the Chinese province of Yunnan. In that district I do not know that we have found the Chinese bad neighbours in a political sense, although they do not look with favour on European traders or tourists, their objections being based on purely administrative grounds ; but China is not, and probably will not be in our time, an aggressive Power. The best guarantee for peace in the East is that China should be strong enough to defend herself ; she has been for many years recognised as the suzerain Power over Tibet, and if of late years, owing to various circumstances, her power there was weakened, there is no reason to believe that the government of Tibet was thereby improved, nor does there seem to be any good ground for supposing that the re- assertion of her paramount influence will make Tibet a more troublesome neighbour than she has been during the last . twenty years. I regret that the results of the Younghuaband Mission were thrown away by the present Government, which has withdrawn our troops from the Chumbi Valley. Our frontier policy of shilly-shally is disheartening to our friends and an encouragement to our enemies. An increased subsidy to the Deb Raja of Bhutan, who is at present well disposed to the Indian Government, and desirous of following its advice if assured of its support, is the best means of holding in check any attempt to encroach beyond the boundaries of Tibet which have been settled by recent Treaties with China.—I am, Sir,
NAMSANGIYA.
Previous page
