RUSSIA AND TIBET.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXVII, Issue 11533, 19 November 1900, Page 3

RUSSIA AND TIBET.

The St. Petersburg correspondent of the London Times writes: — I have just received from a Russian source closely connected with Central Asia tho following interesting news, which, subject to confirmation, is of considerable significance. Information has reached St. Petersburg that an extraordinary envoy from Tibet named Akhvin Khomba, the second word of the name indicating his ecclesiastical rank, is at present on his way from Lhasa to Russia with a letter and presents from the Dalai Lama to the Czar. This seems to be the first time that the spiritual head of Tibet has ever sent a special mission to any European Sovereign, and such an act on the part of a country which has hitherto resisted all outside efforts to establish intercourse with its peculiar Government will no doubt, be regarded as an incident of som. political importance. The Tibetan envoy, comes to Russia, it is said, in consequent)© of a secret mission to Mongolia and Tibet carried out about 18 months ago by a wellknown and recognised professor of Chinese medicine in St. Petersburg, M. Badmayeff, who took with him presents from the Czar to the Dalai Lama and his subordinates. This Tibetian mission is, therefore, in the first place, a return of the compliment from Russia. It has been noticed that Russians have taken more than a platonic interest in Tibet ever since the explorations of the late General Prejevalsky, who was not satisfied with scientific exploration alone, but plainly showed tho desire of his patrons and supporters to open up political relations with that country. With this end in view Rus- * sians have evidently been preparing the ground, and it may not be quite a simple coincidence that a Tibetan mission to the Czar is reported during the present crisis in China, and at the moment when Manchuria is being completely severed from its dependence on Pekin. M. Badmayeff, to whose intermediation this expected mission from Tibet is attributed, is of Mongolian extraction and well acquainted with the land of his origin. He has recently published his views on the situation in China, including extracts from an official report, which he made on the subject of his recent visit to the part of the Chinese Empire in question. Ho bears witness to the absolute prestige and predominance of Russia in Mongolia and Tibet, and strongly advocates a separate and distinct Russian policy in China which would result in nothing more nor less than complete Russian hegemony in regard to that vast empire. If M. Badmayeff is to play the role r.f introducer of the first Ambassador from Tibet, one cannot help thinking of M. Loontieff, who induced Menelek to send the first Abyssinian embassy to St. Petersburg, and Prince Ukhtomsky, who has just arrived in China on a secret mission to Li Hung Chang and the Chinese Government. It is remarked here as strangely significant that the arrival of Prince Ukhtomsky at Shanghai coincides with the Imperial Chinose edict thanking the Czar for the withdrawal of his troops and asking for further Russian assistance.