The daily morning journal and courier., 1903-12-21
THE ADVANCE INTO TIBET.

The projected advance of Colonel
 Younghusband's mission to Gyangtse
 Jong, coupled with an occupaton of the
 Chumbi Valley, has a military interest
 quite outside the detail of troops or
 dered to take part in the movement.
 At the same time, 1t is pleasant to be
 able to recall the fact that the two pio-
 neer battalions, the Twenty-third and
 Thirty-second, which are taking part in
 the advance, have repeatedly In the past
 proved their singular fitness for such
 work as now lies before them. Both
 are Sikh regiments, both rendered ad-
 mirable service in Afghanistan and
 Chitral, and wing of the Thirty-sec-
 ond played very distinguished part in
 Colonel Kelly's arduous march from
 Gilgit by way of the Shandur Pass.
 These pioneer battalions are drilled to fight as ordinary infantry, but are com
 monly employed during peace time in road-making, and even on service each
 man carries, in addition to his rifle, a pickaxe, shovel or other tool required
 for pioneer purposes. Colonel J. l.. R.
 Macdonald, c. B.,who is to have militia ry command of the increased escort, served with distinction as a sapper su- baltern across the frontier in the Haz-
 ara expedition of 1888, but is better
 known for his fine work in Uganda,
 more especially in connection with the Sudanese rnutiny. It will be remem-
 bered that Major Macdonald, as he
 was then, chased the rebels beyond
 Lake Koiga, thus leading up to their defeat by Martyr at Mruli, and that,
 after the fall of Khartum, the prospect
 of meeting between Lord Kitchener
 and Macdonald, who was marching up
 from the south, aroused considerable
 public interest. More recently Colonel
 Macdonald served as director of rail-
 ways on the staff of the China expedi-
 tion of 190G-1, of which, by the way, very possibly at Colonel Macdonald's in-
 stance, another reminder will accompa- ny the advance into Tibet in the shape
 of the Canadian fur coats specially pur- chased for the use of our troops in Chi na. These fur coats, with quantities Of other warm clothing and stores, are be- ing sent up to Siliguri, the northern ter
 minus of the railway, from Calcutta and the present base of operation.
 From Siliguri little hill railway
 climbs up to Darjiling, while it is also
 connected by a good road with an i'm portant route which runs along first the Teesta river and then the Rungpo, to the capital of Sikhim, Gantok, or, alter
 nately, by way of Gnatong and the Je- lep Pass into the Chumbi Valley. Sili-
 guri, therefore, is admirably placed
 either for forwarding supplies by way of Darjiling to the mission advancing
 from Khamba Jong, or for fitting out
 such troops as may be sent to occupy the Chumbi Valley, since the latter, based on Siliguri, can conveniently take
 to the road at once without experien- cling any of the greatly increased diffi- cuIties consequent on change of rail- quently become serious this bifurcation at such convenient point may assume very considerable importance.
 In discussing the military future of the advance into Tibet, 1t is desirable first to connect, and then to separate, the continued progress of the nilsson and the occupation of the Chumbi val ley. The latter Is, of course, In the first instance an obvious military precaution. As matter of fact, a military move-
 ment is very seldom made across the frontier without at least warning a cer- tain number of troops to hold them- selves in readiness to act, if necessary, as a support. It would be manifestly
 absurd to send even brigade into such country as Tibet, in circumstances de-
 noting if not hostility, at any rate a vigorous disregard of Tibetan suscepti-
 bilities, without making it certain that
 any support which might conceivably
 be required could be rendered promptly and effectively from conveniently ad- jacent region. A glance at the map will show how impossible it would be to
 support an advance from Khamba Jong
 to Gyangtse Jong by force posted in
 British territory, without running
 grave risks of delay through blocking
 of the very few available passes The
 occupation of a portion of the Tibetan
 borderland is therefore, military ne-
 cessitiy, and the Chumbi valley is sim
 gularly we'll placed for the purpose. It