MR. HERBERT ROBERTSI beg to ask the Secretary of State for India whether the Viceroy at once communicated to Colonel Younghusband the telegrams of 27th June and 4th July last, from the Secretary of State, forbidding Colonel Younghusband to make to the Tibetans any suggestion as to the appointment of a Resident at Lhasa, or to name any conditions without the sanction of the Secretary of State; and whether these telegrams were received by Colonel Younghusband before the decision was arrived at to proceed from Gyangtse to Lhasa.
MR. BRODIRICKThe telegrams to which the hon. Member refers were communicated to Colonel Younghusband by the Viceroy by telegraph on the 29th June and 5th July respectively. I have therefore no doubt that they had been received by Colonel Younghusband before the 8th July, on which date it was decided, as will be seen from a reference to the Blue-book (page 28, Number 85) that the advance from Gyangtse to Lhasa should be no longer delayed.