90
3.
The Consulting Engineers' letter
of May 26th. which suggested the proposals contained in
Your Lordship's telegram, affords in its third paragraph
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an explanation of what had hitherto puzzled me. They there
state that they understand that I had been without success
in my communication with the Indian Government with a view
to securing the services of an Officer. They therefore
apparently assumed that the matter was closed as regards
the Indian Government and themselves proposed Mr. Lindsey.
I am at a loss to know how they formed this view, which is
not borne out by the correspondence forwarded with my
Despatch of the 8th. of last May which must have reached
England before the date of the Consulting Engineers' letter
under reference.
4.
I have written at some length in
order to explain fully the origin of the misunderstanding
which pervaded the telegrams exchanged on this subject. I
would add that whether the Officer be nominated by the
Indian Government or whether Mr. Lindsey be selected it is
a matter of importance that the commencement of the
negotiations for a Joint Agreement should no longer be
postponed