The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1914-03-13
Credited With Knowing More
About Interior of Asia Than
Any Living Man.


~ OLONEL SIR FRANCIS YOUNG
u HUSBAND. due In New York to-
dag. from Liverpool. on board
the Cunard liner Mauretania, Ia credit
| ed with knowing moro about the In
terror OF Asia than any other man liv-
Ing. and was already famous as an OK
plorer when just ten years ago he won
for himself place in the pages OF
history by successfully leading TN
armed expedition to tho mysterious
stronghold OF Lhasa. capital Of the
hermit state of Thibet. which until
mat time had boon vigorously closed to
the outer world. Every white man
who had endeavored to penetrate into
the country. and TO reach the holy city
| or Lhasa, had been either killed or
turned back. fortunate. indeed, il he
escaped with whole skin.
| IT was Sir Francis Younghusband
who first drew aside tho thick veil by
which Lhasa. and. indeed. all Tibet.
had been concealed from view and BY
forcing his way through. In tho face o,
almost tnsuperable obstacles, and by
ieXacting not only reparation from tn.
| Grand Lama, for Thibetan attacks up-
on the frontier states of India, but by
also concluding a treaty OF friendship
! with that sacrosanct potentate Great
! ed profound Impression upon all
those races and tribes OF Asia which.
! protesting various forms OF Buddhism.
regarded Lhasa as the holy Of holes
and the DAT Lama not merely rs their
supreme pontin, but oven In the light
or divinity.
the Cashmere Mountains. Sir Francis
belongs TO a family. the name OF
which In ono TO conjure with in Eng
lands great Oriental empire Both
ms father and grandfather distin-
Huished themselves ns generals. in
] L.,
Britain established her mastery over
India, his brothers and cousins have
achieved military and administrative
renown there. while his mother was tho
sister of that Robert Shaw who was
the first Englishman TO cross the
Himalnyas to the plains OF Turkestan
beyond
While serving as captain OF the
| First Dragoor Guards, in Northern In
ola. he devoted himself to the task OF
exploration. He began IN 1856 with
Manchurin. and then made his me-
morablc trip from PckinE to India.
crossing the Cobb Desert. pushing
through Turkcsfan TO kashgar. CUR
mounting the llilnalayas. including the
1900 feet MustnEh pass. ana finally
reaching Cashmere. This unpreccdent-
ed feat led him to be transferred 70
tho Indian Political Department and
secret service. we'll as to the Indian
STAN 'oIp ana from mat time forth.
until he retired. In 1910, there was no
British officer who was the object of
more unrcmltting attention on the par,
| or the Russian government than Frank
YcunghusbRnd
/ His first encounter with Lord Curzon
was curious one. In 1889, befor.
CurZon had entered Parliament. or
even me was thought Of In connection
with India, he read a paper before tn"
/ Royal Geographical Society, in Lon
don. on the subject OF The Pamiry
which he had recently visited. Curzon
! in those days, much more than In the
present time. was inclined to be very
positive in his statements, to assume
a knowledge OF his subject superior
to every one else
| Curzon had no sooner finished his
address than there arose from the
benches n quiet looking man, wholly
! unknown to any one present, with =
! singularly soft and pleasant voice, OF
middle height. square jawed. with
! heavy eyebrows and mustaches. who
proceeded to apply to CurZon's paper,
| in very simple manner. Il criticism
sharpencd and pointed at every turn
with personal experiences all the
moro scathing and severe because II
was spoken In conversational tone
with slow, deprecatory gestures. and
without the slightest passion or preju-
o!cc. Not until he had finished speak
Ing did Ills hearers become aware that
he was Frank Younghusband OF the
| Indian Stan Corps, the hero Of the at
! that time quite recent journey from
Peking to India. through the heart OF
the Aaiatic Continent
! Lord Curzon. when he became Vice
! roy OF India. did not forget his critic.
and as soon as he reached Calcutta. ap-
pointed founghusband TO the import
ant and difficult post OF British resi-
dent at tho court of the Maharaiah OF
lndore, subsequently, realizing the
dream OF the coioners life, by giving
him the command OF the expedition to
Lhasa that no was created knight
commander Of the Order OF the Indian
| Empire.
Sir Franks last post In India was
! that OF British resident of Cashmere,
and If he was allowed to retire from
the service without any additional
honors. 1t was because of the vigorous
criticism to which he subjected the
policy OF the present administration in
| withdrawing Its agents from I.hasa
and in sacrificing all the advantages
and privileged position which he and
Lord curzon had secured in Thibet by
means OF his expedition to Lhasa
These sacrifices werc made for the
purpose OF cemcnting British friend
ship with Russia. But the result has
been unfortunate. For England's with
dr;twal was regarded throughout Asia
as sign OF weakness. and China took
advantage thereof TO transform her
| purely nominal suzcrainty into cfrec-
! tive sovereignty, converting Thtbct in
10 Chinese province, and now main
tanning there large body OF troops
Whereas Sir Francis Younghusband's
treaty with the Dai Lama had left
/. Thibct friendly buffer state. be-
tween China and British India, China
may now be said to be. thanks to her
military occupation OF 1hibet, at
the very gates OF British India
| Since his return to England, Sir
Francis, Who has the gold medal of
the Royal Geographical Society, and
honorary degrees from most of the
universities of the United Kingdom.
has been Rcdc lecturer at Cambridge,
has travelled extensively in South Az