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ment of India, a copy of a letter, dated the 10th February last, which has been addressed to Mr. H. G. A. Leveson, Deputy Commissioner, Bhamo, regarding his deputation as British Representative of the Anglo-Chinese party for the examination of the undelimited frontier between China and Burmah north of latitude 25° 35. Sir Hugh Barnes believes that the instructions contained in paragraph 3 of this letter are in accordance with the views of the Government of India, and trusts that they will be approved.
I have, &c.
Sir,
Inclosure 5 in No. 1.
(Signed)
F. C. GATES.
Government of Burmah to Deputy Commissioner, Bhamo.
Rangoon, February 10, 1905. WITH reference to the correspondence ending with your telegram dated the 6th February last, I am directed to forward, for your information, a selection of papers, cited in the annexed list, regarding the proposed expedition for the examination of the Burmah-China frontier north of latitude 25° 35′, of which you have been selected to be a member.
2. Mr. Litton, His Majesty's Consul, Tengyueh, will be the British Representatire. It will be your duty to afford him all the assistance you can in attaining the objects of the expedition. The Taotai of Tengyueh will be the Representative of the Chinese Government. The meeting-place will be Kuyung, which is three and a-half days' journey from Sadun. The combined party will proceed northwards along the undelimited frontier, observing and surveying the country. They will go as far as possible subject to the necessity of returning before the rains break, that is, by the 1st June. The party will be accompanied by a military police escort of forty Ghurka sepors under a selected native officer, and the Inspector-General of Police and the Inspector- General of Civil Hospitals have been requested to make the necessary arrangements for the police and medical requirements as early as possible. The Surveyor-General Las also been asked to place three additional surveyors at the disposal of the party.
3 You will understand that the duty laid down upon the party to which you belong is not that of delimiting the frontier, but of ascertaining the actual position of the watershed and of pointing it out on the spot to your Chinese colleague. You should also endeavour to demonstrate to the Chinese Representative that the Chinese officials exercise no authority whatever on the west of the watershed. I am to explain that the present position in regard to the boundary in this region between Burmah and China is that the British Government have declined to admit the discussion of any proposals which would involve the extension of Chinese influence into the valley of the N'maikla, and that in September 1902 they instructed His Britannic Majesty's Minister in Peking to insist on the boundary proposed by the Government of India, of which a detailed description was given by Mr. Hertz in 1900. This boundary is the crest of the range forming the watershed between the streams flowing on the one side into the 'maikha, and on the other into the Shweli and Salween. There is no intention, so the Lieutenant-Governor believes, of departing in any way from this position, and the chief object of the present informal investigation is to induce the Chinese Government to acquiesce in it. The reluctance of the Chinese to accept it hitherto is believed to be due to the ignorance of their local officials both as to the position of the watershed, and as to the state of affairs which this Government believes to exist on the British side of it. It is hoped that this ignorance will be dispelled by the joint examination of the country that is about to be undertaken, and that it will be found possible to reassure the Chinese officials as to the nature of our demands, to convince them of the accuracy of our conclusions, and to persuade them to acquiesce in that geographical definition of the spheres of influence of the two Governments, which this Government believes to be the only one possible and consistent with facts. I am to invite your special attention to the letter from this Government to the Government of India in the Foreign Department, dated the 4th June, 1904, You will see that if the local Chinese Headmen can establish any claims to petty dues or presents from some of the small frontier villages on the British side of the border, it is desired to deal with them liberally, and you are authorized, if the watershed boundary is accepted, to
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offer to extinguish them by small money payments.
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You should communicate
to this Government your own and Mr. Litton's suggestions on this point as early as possible. Your party will be accompanied by surveyors who should map the line of the watershed so as to ascertain it with reasonable accuracy.
4. The first section of the survey work is from Manangpum to the head of the Tientang Valley, including the hills north of the Chinese Valleys of Lunma and Tantsa. The survey work may be difficult here, but political questions are less likely to arise on this section, and it may be done by a branch survey party, while the principal members of the party are encamped at the head of the Tientang Valley. From this camp the watershed between the head of the Tientang branch of the Shweli River and the head of the Chipwe Kha can be examined, and a visit can be paid to the Lisaw villages at the head of the Chipwre. When this has been done, the party can move to the Upper Mien Kawng Valley, whence paths lead to the upper tribu- taries of the Irrawaddy via Hpare, Tzuchu, and l'ien Ma. All these villages should be visited, and the country around there should be mapped. This can be done by sending out branch survey parties, while the principals remain encamped at Mien Kawng.
If possible, you should penetrate to the north along the western slope of the mountain range on, the west of the Salween River, cross that range into the Salween Basin and return along the Salween. Information of much geographical interest may thus be obtained.
Sir,
I have, &c. (Signed)
F. C. GATES.
Inclosure 6 in No. 1.
Government of India to Government of Burmah.
Fort William, March 18, 1205.
I AM directed to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 24th ultimo, forwarding a copy of a letter to Mr. H. G. A. Leveson, Deputy Commissioner at Bhamo, regarding his deputation as British Representative of the Anglo-Chinese Commission for the examination of the undelimited frontier between China and Burmalı north of latitude 25° 35'.
2. The Government of India approve the instructions to Mr. Leveson contained in paragraph 3 of the letter.
I have, &c.
(Signed)
C. SOMERS COCKS.