2
which it is proposed to treat as having been accepted by China, and with a view to asserting effectively the rights of Hunza in the western extremity of the Taghdumbash - Pamir, in the event of action inconsistent with those rights being taken by the Chinese Government, His Majesty's Government also wish to know to what extent the Kanjutis have exercised rights of recent years in the above-mentioned territory. I note that in the despatch to your Government from His Majesty's Minister at Peking, dated the 29th May last, it is stated that south of the Uzbel Pass there has been no official settlement of the Russo-Chinese frontier.
(Secret.) Sir,
Inclosure 2 in No. 1.
Government of India to Mr. Brodrick.
IN our Secret despatch dated the 24th March, 1904, we submitted a proposal
Fort William, January 26, 1905. to His Majesty's Government that a formal notification should be made to China that, since the Chinese Government had been unable to fulfil their promises to the Mir of Hunza, that State, under the advice of the British Government, would withdraw from all relations with China, and henceforth would own suzerainty to the Kashmir State and the British Government alone. We further recommended, as regards the boundary between Kashmir and the New Dominion, that the Chinese Government should be informed that, since they had not shown any reasons for disagreeing with the proposals placed before them in Sir Claude MacDonald's despatch of the 14th March, 1899, we should henceforward assume Chinese concurrence and act accordingly.
2. Your telegram of the 10th August, 1904, informed us that His Majesty's Government considered it undesirable to make any communication to the Chinese Government on the subject of the boundary unless the Government of India were able to exercise effective control up to the frontier claimed, and we were asked to report as to the extent to which the Mir's rights had been recently exercised in the western extremity of the Taghdumbash Pamir, and as to the measures which it would be practicable to adopt for effectively asserting Hunza's rights in that territory, in the event of China acting inconsistently with such rights, as well as with the observance of the frontier which we proposed to treat as having been accepted by China.
3. We now have the honour to forward a selection of the correspondence which has taken place in connection with this question since the date of our despatch above quoted.
From the marginally-cited letter of Mr. Colvin,* Resident in Kashmir, it will be seen that the only right exercised of late years by the Mir of Hunza in the Western Taghdumbash is that of levying tribute from the Sarikolis and Kirghiz, who resort to that tract for grazing purposes. This right has been acknowledged by the Chinese, and the Mir's Representative went there during the past summer season, in accordance with custom, to collect the Mir's dues.
Quite recent evidence of the recognition of Hunza's rights is forthcoming in a letter, dated the 5th August, 1904, to the Mir of Hunza from the Amban of Tashkurgan, who, in reply to a complaint by the Mir that certain men of the Taghdumbash had not paid the "nazrana," writes that he has ascertained that a few Wakhi settlers at Dafdar have always been exempted from such payments by "the high officials," and that their exemption cannot be now cancelled.
4. The Mir, however, has no regular outposts on the Taghdumbash, and the only practicable means of enforcing, as against China, his rights in this locality, in the event of China acting inconsistently with such rights, would be by establishing levy posts at points near the proposed border, probably at Mintaka Aghazi and Kukturuk. only would this course be expensive, but there is reason to believe that the Chinese, Not while they acquiesce in the collection of what are now described as grazing dues, would never allow what was once merely blackmail, paid to buy. off raiding parties, to be magnified into a right of taxation, much less into a claim of territorial jurisdiction, and we share the opinion of Mr. Macartney that, were the Mir of Hunza to send his men to establish posts on the Taghdumbasb, the Chinese would resort to force to expel them.
5. The circumstances in regard to the tract about Darwaza are different. Though this lies beyond the watershed, and would probably be claimed by the Chinese, the Mir
* Inclosure 30.
3
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of Hunza has for many years past maintained there a regular post of four men without, as far as we are aware, any objection being raised by the Chinese. According to information now furnished by the Resident in Kashmir, the people of Shingshal depend for their grazing almost entirely on the valley between the Shingshal Pass and Darwaza. They are in the habit of going 20 miles beyond Darwaza for grazing, and there is a place about 5 miles beyond Darwaza from which they fetch salt. The inclusion of the Ghorzerab Valley, which lies 8 miles below the junction of the Shingshal stream with the Mustagh River, and 4 miles above the point where the Oprang joins the Mustagh, is a matter of considerable importance to the Shingshalis, who mainly depend on their flocks for their livelihood.
The Mir of Hunza states that the grazing in the Ghorzerab has been enjoyed since time immemorial by the Shiugshalis, and be doubts whether the Kirghiz or Sarikolis even know of the existence of the valley. We consider it very desirable to retain this tract on the British side of the boundary-line, and we trust that it will be possible to do so when a settlement is come to with China.
6. In his Excellency the Viceroy's telegram of the 12th January we informed you that we should shortly submit proposals for a composite arrangement for the settlement with the Chinese Government of all our difficulties in Chinese Turkestan. We include in this category
(1.) The question of Hunza's relatious with China;
(2.) The definition of a frontier-line to be formally recognized by the Chinese Government; and
(3.) The question of Mr. Macartney's position at Kashgar.
We are aware that His Majesty's Government have decided to defer presentation to China of the note regarding Mr. Macartney's position until the negotiations as to the Adhesion Agreement respecting Thibet are concluded, but there would, perhaps, not be the same objection to putting forward the case as part of a general arrangement for the settlement of all outstanding questions.
7. The proposal, then, which we submit for the consideration of His Majesty's Government is that China should be invited to accept the severance of all connection between Hunza and China to recognize the appointment of Mr. Macartney as British Consul at Kashgar, and to agree to the inclusion within the British frontier of the small projection beyond the watershed in the vicinity of the Sbingshal Pass and Darwaza, indicated in paragraph 5 of this despatch.
In return for immediate acquiescence in the above, we would abandon all Hunza claims to Raskam and to the Taghdumbash, and instead of pressing for the frontier defined in Sir C. MacDonald's despatch to the Tsung-li Yamên of the 14th March, 1899, we should be prepared to accept a frontier from Peak Povalo Scheikovski following the watershed, except for the projection near Darwaza, above described, which is required for the subsistence of the Shingshalis.
3. The advantages to China of these terns are transparent. We have a right to demand the recognition of Mr. Macartney, while the severance of the connection between Hunza and China has been forced on us by the inability of the Chinese to fulfil their promises to the Kanjutis in regard to Raskam. If the Chinese do not accept these exceedingly liberal terms, we must still insist upon the recognition of Mr. Macartney as our Consul in Kashgar. We would propose, in any case, immediately to carry into execution the severance of Hunza's relations with China, and we shall maintain the existing claims of Hunza at all points beyond the Mustagh Range.
9. We consider it very desirable that a definite settlement of the questions of the boundary and the severance of Hunza's connection with China should be arrived at while yet Kashgaria is a part of the Chinese Empire, and we urge that our proposals, if they commend themselves to His Majesty's Government, may be acted upon with the least possible delay.
We have, &c. (Signed) CURZON.
KITCHENER.
E. R. ELLES.
A. T. ARUNDEL.
DENZIL IBBETSON.
H. ERLE RICHARDS.
J. P. HEWETT, E. N. BAKER.
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