16
5. That Tantai Shih Hung-shao were immediately recalled to office. This officer lost his post and was cashiered, in spite of the protests of His Majesty's Minister and of the Government of India, as a punishment for his friendly attitude in attempting to arrange a settlement of the northern frontier with Mr. Litton and Mr. Leveson in 1905. His recall to office before any further negotiations commenced would greatly strengthen the hand of those Chinese officers who might be appointed to settle the question now.
6. That Li San-pao, the interpreter who accompanied me to the unadministered territory in the spring, and who was therefore imprisoned by the taotai, were immediately released.
In the above points I have outlined what would appear to be the extreme limit of the favourable terms which could be granted by us, and, in view of the duplicity of the original Chinese negotiators in certain instances and of the unfailing Chinese obstruction along this frontier, I do not know that the Government of Burmalı would consider those suggestions under paragraph (1) to be admissible. I do not know, too, if such an arrangement as the above could be carried through in the ordinary way of business by the consul and the taotai, or whether it would be necessary for them to receive special powers, In any case it would, I think, be desirable that an officer of the Burniah Government should act with the consul and the Chinese representatives, and that this officer and the cousui should have an opportunity of meeting Mr. Stirling, of the Southern Shan States, Mr. Thornton, the Deputy Commissioner of Bliamo, and Mr. Hertz at a conference with the Chief Secretary to the Government, in order that the British position might be thoroughly clear to them before work commenced. Amongst those Chinese officers who would be suitable for the work are the Taotai Keng Pao-kuei of Tengyueh, Peng Chi-chih, at one time assistant boundary commis- sioner, lately Prefect of Yungehang and now Special Salt Commisioner for the Frontier districts; and Chao-kai-hsuan, the Frontier Deputy for Foreign Affairs. Work could not commence before the 1st October of this year, owing to the incidence of the raius, but much might be accomplished in one open season if the issues were clear and the question were pushed to a conclusion now that the Chinese are convinced that the Government of Burmah is in earnest, and that it is to their interest to effect a speedy settlement of the entire north-eastern frontier.
Military Affairs,
The general military situation on the Yunnan border has been outlined in the body of this report, and, in view of the recent and detailed description which has been given by Captain B. E. A. Pritchard both of the modern troops and of the old army in Yunnan, there remains little for me to add, save a general summary of the present distribution which has been affected by the recent situation on the frontier. The transfer of a body of new troops to Tengyueh has been foreseen for some months, and, although they have been hurried towards the frontier districts at a somewhat earlier date than was expected or was convenient for the Chinese, there seems no reason to believe that any material change has taken place in the general plan of action. The froutier garrisons in the districts to which my sources of information extend are given in a separate note attached to this report as Enclosure 5, and I have added also a short description of the new forts on the frontier as Enclosure 6.*
Mobility of New Troops.
One of the strongest criticisms which has been levelled at the modern-drilled troops of China has been their need of an undue amount of transport—a point on which they generally compare unfavourably with the old troops, who move quickly and are practically self-supporting. It may be of interest, therefore, to give a brief account of the march of the 500 men who have recently arrived at Tengyuel front Talifu. The distance is 240 miles, and this was covered in twelve days, giving daily marches of 20 miles, a creditable performance, as the road is mountainous and steep. They were preceded by a small advance guard, all of whom were mounted and who travelled a day ahead, making a survey as they went and selecting sites for camps, The main body proceeded always in marching order, by twos or fours as the width of the road permitted, each man carrying his rifle, bayonet, and a small quantity of
* Not printed.
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