THE SCIENCE OE FRONTIER DELIMITATION. 
225 
With these remarks, going back to Colonel Trotter’s lecture, we find that he has 
divided his lecture into two parts: (1) the things that precede delimitation, and 
(2), the delimitation itself. According to my view, the first part is delimitation 
and the second demarcation. 
As for delimitation, it can hardly be called a science at all, because we can lay 
down no fixed or definite laws or rules for delimitation. In delimitation, you 
have two parties or governments who have between them to decide the boundary; 
you have every kind and sort of country and all the varying circumstance and 
conditions of countries, tribes and contracting parties. You can lay down no law 
which, however well it may apply to the settlement of one boundary, will not be 
utterly wrong, and put you quite at sea with regard to the settlement of some 
other boundary. I repeat there are no fixed rules that you can lay down; you 
are bound down in delimitation work entirely by expediency and necessity, and 
those two laws are so very vague in their working that you can hardly discuss 
the varying results of their influence as a science. 
There are, however, two obvious rules which should be followed in delimitation 
work, I might say “ must be followed,” but in delimitation the word “ must ” is 
out of place; the words “wherever possible” should be used instead. These 
rules are as follows : (1) you should first consider and determine what boundary 
line you want; it may be a strategic frontier, it may be a tribal boundary, it may 
be a boundary to include a trade route ; in each case the boundary line required 
is quite different from what it would be in either of the other cases. (2) Having 
determined what boundary you want, then see that you get it—as I said before, 
wherever possible. Sometimes it is not possible—the other side will not let you, 
and then you begin to get into all the real troubles of delimitation. In delimi¬ 
tation it is advisable, wherever possible, to avoid splitting up a tribe. It is 
advisable, wherever possible, to choose a natural physical feature as a boundary. 
I agree with Colonel Trotter in thinking that a natural feature is the best boundary, 
but I do not agree with him in thinking that of natural features a river forms the 
best boundary. I think, from my general experience in that part of the world, 
which differs so much from the part where Colonel Trotter was, watersheds form 
the best of all boundaries; in Afghanistan and along the Indian frontiers generally 
watersheds are the best. At any rate, let the boundary be a natural feature if 
you have the choice of it, and do not let it divide a tribe if you can help it. Tor 
successful delimitation therefore, a thorough knowledge of the geography, 
topography and ethnology of the country concerned, is required. Without that 
knowledge it is unwise to delimitate, except in very general terms. It very 
seldom happens that such complete knowledge is available, at a distance from the 
country in question, and the details of delimitation should then be left to com¬ 
missioners deputed to settle those details in the country itself. Those commissioners, 
as Colonel Trotter said, ought to be made acquainted with all the negotiations 
that have preceded and led up to the work they are entrusted with. They should 
also, as he said, agree among themselves about the scale to work on. I experienced 
great difficulty from my Afghan colleagues being ignorant of previous negotiations 
between the Afghan and Indian governments. The first Afghan colleague that I 
had stated blandly one day that he had no authority to use a scale. I said that 
he had better get it as quickly as possible; it took him four months to get that 
authority, involving any amount of inconvenience. Of course he ought to have 
had authority given him to use a scale; therefore that authority should have been 
included in the “ Instructions for Afghan Boundary Commissioners.” At the 
same time, in my opinion, very few instructions should be given to com¬ 
missioners. I think they ought to be left as much as possible to their own devices, 
as any hard and fast instructions are apt to hamper a boundary commissioner 
