CONTENTS. 



Sarat Chandra Das — Decision of the India Office — Failure of the 

 negotiations for sending an official mission to Tibet — Tibetan 

 aggression — Fatuous policy of the British Government — The Cal- 

 cutta Convention of 1890— Tibetan disregard of the Convention 

 of 1890 — The sham of Chinese suzerainty — The views of the 

 Government of India in 1899— The Viceroy's letter to the Dalai 

 Lama returned unopened — The appearance of Russia — A supposed 

 Russo-Chinese convention — Negotiations at Khamba Jong — An 

 advance to Gyangtse sanctioned — Tibetan belief in the support of 

 Russia — Gyangtse occupied — The advance to Lhassa begun — 

 The policy of the Government of India— A possible solution of 

 the Tibetan puzzle — The case of Bokhara an analogy — The 

 Tibetan dispute must be settled without reference to other 

 Powers ......•• 344 



CHAPTER XXVIII. 



THE FAK EAST. 



Commerce of the Far East— Great Britain's ideal " the open door "— 

 Russia's first mouthful of Manchurian ten-itory — The second 

 phase of the Manchurian question— Events following upon the 

 conclusion of the treaty of Shimonoseki — England's isolation — 

 Action of Russia, Germany, and France— The Port Arthur in- 

 cident — British ignorance of Far Eastern conditions and affairs 

 —The Intelligence Department— The duty of British statesmen 

 to stay the disintegration of the Chinese Empire . . 365 



CHAPTER XXIX. 



THE FAR EAST — Continued. 



The British awakening at Peking— The present value of Wei-hai-Wei 

 — Germany at Kiao Chau — The reform movement — A dramatic 

 coup d'etat— The Boxer outbreak of 1900— A colossal scheme of 

 regeneration — Russia's demands as the price of the evacuation of 

 Manchuria— The Manchurian Convention of 1902— Manchuria 

 seen once more under the searching light of war — Points to be 

 borne in mind in weighing the chances of Russia and Japan — 

 Russian lack of organisation — Official corruption — Capabilities of 

 the Siberian railway — The Russian army — The soldiers of the 

 Mikado— Buskido— The patriotism of the people— Victory in the 

 field likely to attend the Japanese forces— The fate of Russia rests 

 with the Russian people ...••• 377 



