'Volume II. MEMORANDA REGARDING OTHER EXTERNAL AFFAIRS. 1905.' [‎99r] (202/228)

Memorandum of information received during
the month of November 1905, regarding
external affairs relating to the North-
East Frontier, Burma, Siam, and China,
[Nom. T1 *^ memorandtttn i 8 based upon reports, the accuracy of
Which it as Got always possible to guarantee,] 3
TIBET.
1. (See paragraph 1 of the Memorandum
for October 1905.) On the 1st November
Mr. Chang was informed by Mr. Wilton, under
authorisation from Mr. Eraser, who was on
tour with His Excellency the Viceroy, that,
in deference to his desire to communicate
his instructions relative to the agreement to
Mr. Eraser in a personal interview, the Viceroy
was willing to send the latter to Calcutta, but
only on condition that he was prepared to sign
the agreement with the omission of clause I.
It was added that, if he was not prepared to
give this explicit undertaking, it would he
useless for Mr. Eraser to make the long
journey to and fro, and His Excellency
was prepared to report at once to His
Majesty’s Government that negotiations had
broken down, and that it was advisable to
dispense with the adhesion of China to the
Lhasa Convention, this being the course to
which His Majesty’s Government had already
given their approval. To this Mr. Chang
merely sent an evasive reply to the effect
that, as there were many matters in connection
with the proposed Convention which
he desired to discuss with Mr. Eraser, he
looked forward to meeting the latter shortly
in Calcutta for that purpose. The Viceroy
accordingly informed His Majesty’s
Secretary of State on 7th November of the
position taken up by the Chinese Commis
sioner, and advised that action should he
taken as indicated in the Secretary of State’s
telegram of the 17th October, namely, that the
British Commissioner should close the dis
cussion at once, Sir E. Satow informing the
Chinese Government at the same time that His
Majesty’s Government saw no advantage m
continuing the negotiations and preferred to
dispense with the adhesion of China. It was
added that, if such a final communication were
made, the Chinese Government would possibly
yield when they realised the determiuatmu
of His Maiesty’s Government, and it was
suggested that Sir E. Satow should be informed
confidentially that immediate comphance on the
part of the Chinese Government would be