Anglo-Tibetan Convention, 1904

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BRITISH AND FOREIGNSTATE PAPERS

1904-1905.

VOL XCVIII

COMPILED AND EDITED BYRICHARD W. BRANT, ESQ

Librarian and Keeper of th Papers Foreign fc e;AND

WILLOUGHBY MAYCOCK, ESQ. C.M.G.Superintendent of the Treaty Department Foreign Office

LON ONPRINTED FOR IS MAJESTY S STATIONERY OFFICE,

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1909.


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GREAT BRITAIN AND THIBET

Done in duplicate, and signed in London on the 9th day of June,1905; and at Christiania on the 28th day of June, 1905.STANLEY.THB EYERDAHLKNUD DAHL.

CONVENTION etween GreatBritain and Thibet.-Signed atLhasa September 7 1904.*

WHEREAs doubts and difficulties have arisen as to the meaningand validity of the Anglo-Chinese Convention of 1890,t and theTrade Regulations of 1893, and as to the liabilities of the ThibetanGovernment under these Agreements; and whereas recent occur-rences have tended towards a disturbance of the relations of friend-ship and good understanding which have existed between the BritishGovernment and the Government of Thibet; and whereas it is desir--able to restore peace and amicable relations, and to resolve anddetermine the doubts and difficulties as aforesaid, the said Govern-ments have resolved to conclude a Convention with these objects,and the* ollowing Articles have been agreed upon by Colonel F. E.Younghusband, C.I.E., in virtue of full powers vested in him by HisBritannic Majesty s Government, and on belhalf of that said Govern-ment, and Lo-Sang Gyal-Tsen, the Ga-den Ti-Rimpoche, and therepresentatives of the Council, of the three monasteries Se-ra, Dre-pung, and Ga-den, and of the ecclesiastical and lay officials of theNational Assembly on behalf of the Government of Thibet:-

ART. I. The Government of Thibet engages to respect the Anglo-Chinese Convention of 1890, and to recognize the frontier betweenSikkim and Thibet, as defined in Article I of the said Convention,and to erect boundary pillars accordingly.

II The Thibetan Government undertakes to open forthwithtrade marts to which all British and Thibetan subjects shall havefree right of access at Gyangtse and Gartok, as well as at Yatung.The Regulations applicable to the trade mart at Yatung, underthe Anglo-Chinese Agreement of 1893 shall, subject to such amend-ments as may hereafter be agreed upon by common consent betweenthe British and Thibetan Governments, apply to the marts abovementioned.

Signed also in the Chinese language. Confirmed subject to the modifica-tion contained in the Declaration of November 11 1904 annexed by the-Convention with China of April 27 1906 to be given n Vol. XCIX).t Vol. LXXXII page 9. Vol. LXXXV page 1235.

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GREAT BRITAIN AND THIBET

In addition to establishing trade marts at the places mentionedthe Thibetan Government undertakes to place no restrictions on thetrade by existing routes and to consider the question of establishingfresh trade marts under similar conditions if development of traderequires it. I1. The question of the amendment of the Regulations of 1893is reserved for separate consideration and the Thibetan Governmenubundertakes to appoint fully authorized delegates to negotiate withrepresentatives of the British Government as to the details of theamendments required.

IV. The Thibetan Government undertakes to levy no dues ofany kind other than those provided for in the tariff to be mutuallyagreed upon.

V. The Thibetan Government undertakes to keep the roads toGyangtse and Gartok from the frontier clear of all obstruction andin a state of repair suited to the needs of the trade and to establishat Yatung Gyangtse and Gartok and at each of the other trademarts that may hereafter be establislied a Thibetan Agent who shallreceive from the British Agent appointed to watch over Britishtrade at the marts in question any letter which the latter may desireto send to the Thibetan or to the Chinese authorities. The ThibetanAgent shall also be responsible for the due delivery of such commu-nications and for the transmission of replies.

VI. As an indemnity to the British Government for the expenseincurred in the dispatch.of armed troops to Lhasa to exact repara-tion for breaches of Treaty obligations and for the insults offered toand attacks upon the British Commissioner and his following andescort the Thibetan Government engages to pay a sum of 500 OOOL-equivalent to 75 lakhs of rupees-to the British Government.

The indemnity shall be payable at such place as the BritishGovernment may from time to time after due notice indicatewhether in Thibet or in the British districts of Darjeeling or Jalpai-guri in seventy-five annual instalments of one lakh of rupees eachon the 1st January in each year beginning from the 1st January1906

VII. As security for the payment of the above-mentioned in-demnity and for the fulfilment of the provisions relative to trademarts speeified in Articles II III IV and V the British Govern-ment shall continue to occupy the Chumbi Valley until the in-demnity has been paid and until the trade marts have been effectivelyopened for three years whichever date may be the later.

VIII. The Thibetan Government agrees to raze all forts andfortifications and remove all armaments which might impede thecourse of free communication between the British frontier and thetowns of Gyaugtse aud Lhasa.


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1 50 GREAT BRITAIN AND THIBET.IX. The Government of Thibet engages that, without the pre-

vious consent of the British Government-a.) No portion of Thibetan territory shall be ceded, sold, leased,

mortgaged or otherwise given for occupation, to any foreignPower;b.) No such Power shall be permitted to intervene in Thibetanaffairs;

c.) No Representatives or Agents of any foreign Power shall beadmitted to Thibet; d.) No concessions for railways, roads, telegraphs, mining, orother rights, shall be granted to any foreign Power, or the subject ofany foreign Power. In the event of consent to such Concessionsbeing granted, similar or equivalent Concessions shall be granted tothe British Government;

e.) No Thibetan revenues, whether in kind or in cash, shall bepledged or assigned to any foreign Power, or to the subject of anyforeign Power.

X. In witness whereof the Negotiators have signed the same, andaffixed thereunto the seals of their arms.Done in quintuplicate at Lhasa, this 7th day of September, inthe year of our Lord, 1904, corresponding with the Thibetan date,the 27th of the seventh month of the Wood Dragon year.Thibet Seal of theFrontier F. E. YOUNGHUSBAND Dalai Lama-Commission.) Colonel affixed by theSeal of British .BritiahComnmisioner. Ga-denCommissioner.) Ti-Rimpoche.)Seal of Seal of Seal of Sera Seal Seal ofCouncil.) Dre-pung Monastery.) of Ga-den National

Monastery.) Monastery.) Assembly.)In proceeding to the signature of the Convention, dated thisday, the Representatives of Great Britain and Thibet declare thatthe English text shall be binding.Thibet Seal of theFrontier F. E. YOUNGHUSBAND Dalai LamaCommission.) Colonel affixed by theSeal of British British Commissioner Ga-denCommissioner.) Ti-Rimpoche.)

Seal of Seal of Seal of Sera Seal Seal ofCouncil.) Dre-pung Monastery.) of Ga-den NationalMonastery.) Monastery.) Assembly.)AMPTHILL,Viceroy and Governor-General o India.


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GREAT BRITAIN AND THIBET.This Convention was ratified by the Viceroy and Governor-

General of India in Council at Simla on the 11th day of November,1904.S. M. FRaSER Secretary to the Government

of India Foreign Department.

DECLARATION signed by his Excellency the iceroy and Governor-Generalof India and appended to the ratified Convention betweenGreat Britain and Thibet of the 7th September 1904.-SimlaNovember 11 1904.Ris Excellency the Viceroy and Governor-General of Indiahaving ratified the Convention which was concluded at Lhasa onthe 7th September, 1904,* by Colonel Younghusband, C.I.E.

British Commissioner for Thibet Frontier Matters, on behalf of HisBritannic Majesty s Government; and by Lo-Sang Gyal-Tsen, theGa-den Ti-Rimpoehe, and the representatives of the Council, of thethree monasteries Sera, Dre-pung, and Ga-den, and of the ecclesias-tical and lay officials of the National Assembly, on behalf of theGovernment of Thibet, is pleased to direct as an act of grace thatthe sum of money which the Thibetan Government have boundthemselves under the terms of Article VI of the said Convention topay to His Majesty s Government as an indemnity for the expensesincurred by the latter in connection with the dispatch of armedforces to Lhasa, be reduced from 75,00,000 rupees to 25,00,000rupees; and to declare that the British occupation of the ChumbiValley shall cease after the due payment of three annual instalmentsof the said indemnity as fixed by the said Article: Provided, how-ever, that the trade marts as stipulated in Article If of the Conven-tion, shall have been effectively opened for three years as providedin Article VIt [sic] of the Convention; and that in the meantime,the Thibetans shall have faithfully complied with the terms of thesaid Convention in all other respects. AMPTHILL

Viceroy and Governor-Generalof India.This Declaration was signed by the Viceroy and Governor-General of India in Council at Simla on the 11th day of November,1904.S. M. FRASER Secretary to the Governmentof India Foreign epartment

t Should be Article VII.

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Anglo-Tibetan Convention, 1904

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