Lord Morley is of course right to be very cautious
in his statements, but it is quite clear that the Dalai Lama was driven from the Holy City by his fears of the Chinese army, which, whatever may be the political intentions of its leaders, is by no means well disciplined. The incident is one which will no doubt require careful handling in view of our relations with Russia, with China, and, speaking generally, with the three hundred million Buddhists of Asia. Sensational views and prognostications are, however, very much to be deprecated. For example, we have noted language in the Press which seemed to show that the writers imagined that a vast Chinese army was at the gates of India It is no doubt remarkable that the Chinese should be able to send any force into Lhasa, but for the present, at any rate, their troops must be ex- ceedingly attenuated and badly equipped.
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