[This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government.]
# SOUTH-WEST CHINA..
CONFIDENTIAL.
[2511]
No. 1.
C.
4680
[January 20.]
## SECTION 1.
Red? Rec 9 FEB 0
132
Acting Consul Litton to the Marquess of Lansdowne.—(Received January 20, 1906,)
(No. 17.) My Lord,
Tengyueh, December 19. 1905.
IN continuation of my despatches No. 15 of the 9th September and No. 16 of the 1st October last, I have the honour to submit a copy of a further Report (No. 23 of to-day's date) which I have addressed to Sir Ernest Satow, on the subject of the recent lama disturbances in North-west Yünnan.
I have, &c.
(Signed)
G. LITTON.
## Inclosure in No. 1.
(No. 23.) Sir,
Acting Consul Litton to Sir E. Satow.
Tengyueh, December 19, 1905.
REFERRING to my Reports No. 18 of the 9th September and No. 19 of the 1st October last, I understand that the Consul-General has kept you informed of the progress of events in connection with the suppression of the lama disturbances in North-west Yünnan.
In the course of my recent journey up the Salween I passed over to the Mekong, which I reached at a point only three stages south of Wei Hsi. I have also received several letters from the French missionaries. I may therefore submit a summary of the information which I have gathered, together with some observations thereon.
The rebellion collapsed in North-west Yünnan chiefly because it had been so vigorously suppressed in the Batang district of Szechuan. This cut the ground from under the feet of the Yunnan lamas, and left no course open to them except retreat into Thibet. The French Bishop of Tachienlu journeyed in October from Batang to the Yang-tsze frontier near Atentse. He writes that in many districts the lamas, and indeed the whole male Thibetan population, have been practically exterminated. It is further credibly reported that the villagers, as soon as they found that things were going badly for their lama oppressors, turned against them, and in several cases arrested and handed over to the Chinese the rebel leaders.
Chang T-tai, the provincial Commander-in-chief, advanced from Wei Hsi to Atentse in October without any fighting, but his troops impartially pillaged the villages of friends and foes alike, while the General himself made no difficulty about granting a free pardon to any one who could pay for it. The only serious military operation was the capture of the important lamasery of Tung-chu-lin (situated between Peng-tzu-la and Atentse, on the Mekong-Yang-tsze divide) by a body of Kwangsi braves under Colonel Elsieh, the newly-appointed Colonel at Wei Hsi. This is a very large and rich lamasery, and its capture seems to have crushed any further resistance on the part of the lamas. The Kwangsi men, though wholly without discipline, are undoubtedly ferocious when there is a chance of plunder, and horrible stories are circulated of how they ripped open their wounded enemies, devoured their hearts and livers, and so forth.
It is believed that the Yünnan Government has now been brought to see the necessity of inflicting severe punishment on all the lamas and Headmen guilty of murder and outrage. Prefect Li, the former Li Chiang Prefect, now temporarily degraded, has been appointed on a special mission to restore order and negotiate with the French fathers.
The surviving French priests have now returned to their posts. The country has been pillaged by both lamas and Chinese, otherwise quiet seems to have been restored.
Thanks to the prudence of its Sub-Prefect, who absolutely refused to allow Chinese ...
[1838 -1]
Reed in 70. nam & Zeb
[This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government.]
SOUTH-WEST CHINA..
CONFIDENTIAL.
[2511]
No. 1.
C.
4680
[January 20.]
SECTION 1.
Red? Rec 9 FEB 0
132
Acting Consul Litton to the Marquess of Lansdowne.—(Received January 20, 1906,)
(No. 17.) My Lord,
Tengyueh, December 19. 1905.
IN continuation of my despatches No. 15 of the 9th September and No. 16 of the 1st October last, I have the honour to submit a copy of a further Report (No. 23 of to-day's date) which I have addressed to Sir Ernest Satow, on the subject of the recent lama disturbances in North-west Yünnav.
I have, &c.
Inclosure in No. 1.
(Signed)
G. LITTON.
(No. 23.) Sir,
Acting Consul Litton to Sir E. Salow.
Tengyueh, December 19, 1905. REFERRING to my Reports No. 18 of the 9th September and No. 19 of the 1st October last, I understand that the Consul-General has kept you informed of the progress of events in connection with the suppression of the lama disturbances in North-west Yünuan.
In the course of my recent journey up the Salween I passed over to the Mekong, which I reached at a point only three stages south of Wei Hsi. I have also received several letters from the French missionaries. I may therefore submit a summary of the information which I have gathered, together with some observations thereon.
The rebellion collapsed in North-west Yünnan chiefly because it had been so vigorously suppressed in the Batang district of Szechuan. This cut the ground from under the feet of the Yunnan lamas, and left no course open to them except retreat into Thibet. The French Bishop of Tachienlu journeyed in October from Batang to the Yang-tsze frontier near Atentse. He writes that in many districts the lamas, and indeed the whole male Thibetan population, have been practically exterminated. It is further credibly reported that the villagers, as soon as they found that things were going badly for their lama oppressors, turned against them, and in several cases arrested and handed over to the Chinese the rebel leaders.
Chang T-tai, the provincial Commander-in-chief, advanced from Wei Hsi to Atentse in October without any fighting, but his troops impartially pillaged the villages of friends and foes alike, while the General himself made no difficulty about granting a free pardon to any one who could pay for it. The only serious military operation was the capture of the important lamasery of Tung-chu-lin (situated between Peng-tzu-la and Atentse, on the Mekong-Yang-tsze divide) by a body of Kwangsi braves under Colonel Elsieh, the newly-appointed Colonel at Wei Hsi. This is a very large and rich lamasery, and its capture seems to have crushed any further resistance on the part of the lamas. The Kwangsi men, though wholly without discipline, are undoubtedly ferocious when there is a chance of plunder, and horrible stories are circulated of how they ripped open their wounded enemies, devoured their hearts and livers, and so forth.
It is
Li, the former Li Chiang Prefect, now temporarily degraded, has been appointed on a special mission to restore order and negotiate with the French fathers. believed that the Yünnan Government has now been brought to see the necessity of inflicting severe punishment on all the lamas and Headmen guilty of murder and outrage. Prefect Li is a personal enemy of the lamas, and any of them who fall into his hands are likely to find little mercy.
The surviving French priests have now returned to their posts. The country has been pillaged by both lamas and Chinese, otherwise quiet seems to have been
restored.
Thanks to the prudence of its Sub-Prefect, who absolutely refused to allow Chinese
[1838 -1]
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