Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-03-24
TELLS Of HIS MARCH
TO FORBIDDEN LASSA
Col. Francis E. Younghusband Lee
lures Before National Geo.
graphic Society.
Treaty He Went to Procure Finally
Signed in Sacred Palace of
Dalai Lama.

Sir Francis Z. Younghusband of the
British army yesterday described the
mixture of delicate diplomacy and hard
lighting which featured his expedition to
Lassa, capital of Tibet. when in 1908 he
headed a detachment of 400 native In
Clan and 500 British troops as the repre-
sentative of King Edward VII. The noted
explorer, who has spent the better part
of his life in just such enterprises in be-
half of his government, Iectured before
the National Geographic Society at the
New Masonic Temple both in the after
noon and evening.
He told of the hardships OF the winter
trip over the passes of the Himalayas,
the endless and seemingly fruitless ne
gotiations with Tibetan military leaders
and priests and the siege endured by
him and 800 of his men for two months
while surrounded In a small Enclosure on
one of the high plateaus by 10000 Tibet
ans. The military and the ordinary
citizens of the country were found to be
reasonable, declared the officer. all, or
nearly all, the trouble being with the
Buddhist priests of the land, the lamas.
instability along the Indian frontier
and the approach of a rival power in
Tibet drove England into the country,
Explained the lecturer. 1t was suspected
that secret negotiations We're being car
RED on between the Tibetans and Russia
which would work to the detriment OF
England with her vast interests in In
dia. Finally, since no progress could be
made by attempting long distance nego-
tiating. the Tibetans refusing to nego-
riate. it was decided to beard the lion
in his dem and send a party to the
sacred city of Lhasa itself.
Signed in Sacred Palace.
He described the final frution of his
efforts, the signing of the treaty in the
palace of the dalai lama himself in the
forbidden city, the attendant ceIebra-
tons and the peaceful journey back to
India. II thought at one time I had
gone a step too far" he said. "ir insist
ing that the treaty be signed in such
sacred and famous place, knowing that
my government would be'as well satisfied
with a document ratified In my tent or
anywhere else, so long as it was valid.
But l chung to my point. feeling sure
that the influence Of such setting on
the Tibetans and the people of the ter
ritories that bound their land would
greatly enhance the value of the agree
ment, and so it turned out The spiritual
ruler of the country, the dalai lama,
was not present at the ceremony, how
ever. He went in "seclusion Tor the
peace of his SOUL for a period Of three
years about the time the expedition
arrived at Lassa.
Clear and beautiful lantern slide views
of Himalayan scenery. incidents of the
trip. prominent Tibetans, and of the
sacred city. with its towering monas-
reries and broad river, accompanied the
lecture.
Sir Francis told amusingly of newspaper
accounts at the time of the expedition
which commented on and admired the
dignity and bravery of the Tlbetan
troops, who when forced to retreat
miles an hour.
Forced to Move Slowly.
1T was not bravery or dignity said
he, $50 much as altitude. Later we had
to retreat ourselves on several occasions
and although extremely DESTROYS of max
ing good time, we found II impossible
either to run or to walk at faster pace
than two miles an hour. In addition. ow
ing to the rarity of the mountain atmos-
phere, shells from the guns of our noun
tain battery travelled about twice the dis
lance on the same charge of powder as
they would have done at sea level Bull
lets from the rifles behaved in the same
way and we were compelled TO revise
completely our system of sighting our
firearms
The lecturer. in addition TO the Iassa
expedition, has Travelled extensively in
Manchuria, from Picking to India by way
OF Chinese Turkestan, in Hunza, in Chi
trail. in the Transvaal, in Rhodesia, and
many other Asiastic and African lands.
The people of Tibet believe that the
soul of the dalai lama never dies Upon
his death it passes to the body of a babe
horn as near as possible TO the time of
dissolution. The new lama comes into his
full rights on his eighteenth birthday.