were from time to time received and stored at Norbu-
ling under the Dalai Lama’s personal supervision, and
Dorjieff continued to distribute small but valuable
European-made gifts among the leading men of Lhasa.
The action of the Indian Government in sending Mr.
Claude White to enforce the rights of the Sikkimese over
their grazing grounds was interpreted by the Grand Lama
as an act of overt hostility, and was used to hasten the
catastrophe—-all the more readily, perhaps, because of
the repeated warnings of the old Amban Yu-kang that
the Tibetan policy with regard to the English was both
foolish and ultra vires : his protests were, however, consistently
and insolently ignored. At last, however, it
seems that the Shata Shape recoiled before the lengths
to which the Dalai Lama, now utterly in the toils of
Dorjieff, was prepared to go. The exact circumstances
of their quarrel are not known, but it is clear that in
1903 the Shata Shape was deposed from office and
thrown into prison ; where, I believe, the unfortunate
man remains. The story of this incident is not without
interest.
We get glimpses of the internal affairs of Lhasa
about this time, which reveal sufficiently clearly the
chaos which was then reigning. To any demur on the
part of his colleagues in the government, the Dalai
Lama opposed ill temper instead of argument, and
soon made the unfortunate discovery that the slightest
threat of resignation from temporal affairs— which one
might have supposed to be no unwelcome idea to his
harassed colleagues— speedily reduced the most insubordinate
member of the Tsong-du to submissiveness.
But the dissatisfaction of Tibet with the Russophile
tendencies of the Grand Lama could not thus be checked,
and the co-operation of England and China in the advance
of the Mission to Kamba jong was a rebuff for
the Grand Lama that could not be misinterpreted. The
Ugyen Kazi.
great astrologer of Tibet, the Lama of Re-ting, was
asked about this time to interpose the influence of the
stars against the encroachment of the British. It is
remarkable that in his answer he makes the definite