Interview with the Acting Prime Minister.
In His Excellency Bheem Shamsher I found a perfect gentleman, easy of
approach, but nevertheless of commanding presence.
“How are you impressed with our country?” said he.
“I am filled with a feeling of extreme pleasure,” I replied.
“How can that be?”
“Because not only your natural scenery, trees and plants, but even
your people look very much like those of my own country, and I cannot
help feeling quite at home here--a feeling which makes me forget the
difficulties of travel I have come through.”
His Excellency smiled a little. “That may be, because we belong to the
same race; but are you quite sure about our flora?”
“Why, yes, Your Excellency, not only your mountains and waters look
like ours, but you have pines, cedars, oaks, willows, keyaki (_Planeta
japonica_), cherries, peaches, pears, oranges, azaleas, elms, among
trees, and field products, such as rice, wheat, beans, millet,
buck-wheat and corn are as common with you as they are in Japan. I
also notice an equal similarity between the flowers and birds of the
countries. Above all I am profoundly impressed by the bravery of your
people and their kindness toward strangers.”
Quite pleased at what I said, His Excellency now changed the course of
conversation:
“I have been told that Tibet has concluded a treaty with Russia: do you
know of any evidence to prove this?”
“I have not come across any definite proof,” I replied; “but judging
from what Tsan-ni Kenbo has done and the fact that the Dalai Lama has
accepted a present of a Bishop’s robes from the Russian Government,
one may think that there must be some foundation for the rumor.
Furthermore, since the return of a Tibetan envoy from his mission to
the court of S. Petersburg, the Tibetan Government has, it is said,
come to show great firmness, even to the extent of expressing its
determination to engage in war, if need be, with any other country, and
this fact may point to the existence of a secret Russo-Tibetan treaty.”
“I have no doubt of its existence,” said my interlocutor; “but what do
you think has induced Tibet to conclude it?”
“As a mere priest, I know nothing about politics and diplomacy, but
I may venture to presume that it all came from the unreliability of
China, and the skilful manœuvres of Tsan-ni Kenbo, who worked on
Tibetan sensitiveness as regards its relationship with the Indo-British
Government.”
“Why is the Tibetan Government hostilely disposed toward England?”
asked the Commander-in-Chief.
The other questions which he put to me may be gathered from the
answers I gave, which were to the effect, that Tibet believed that its
intercourse with Christian England would end in the destruction of its
Buḍḍhism and nationality, while it rejoiced in the delusion that Russia
was a Buḍḍhist Power, and that the reason why it did not befriend Japan
was because it knew practically nothing about the existence of such a
country.
I next took my turn in leading the conversation, and as a beginning
I gave in detail the story of the causes which had led to the
incarceration and torture of my friends and benefactors in Tibet,
and appealed to His Excellency’s generosity to take the trouble
of forwarding my petition to the Dalai Lama. In the second place I
referred to the Samskṛṭ edition of the Buḍḍhist Scriptures, promised me
by the Prime-Minister-King. Thereupon the Commander-in-Chief cheerfully
gave consent to both my requests. He greatly pitied the ignorance of
the Tibetan authorities, and keenly sympathised with my position. He
promised me to do all in his power to have the petition forwarded, but
as the matter rested solely with the King _de facto_, he advised me to
wait for the latter’s return, when he would put in a good word for me.
As for the Scriptures, he saw no way of procuring for me the entire
collection within the period of time I intended to spend in Nepāl. I
then informed him of my determination to revisit Nepāl in two years’
time, and that I should be most pleased to receive the remainder of the
Scriptures on the occasion of that second visit, I taking home for the
time being such portions of them as could be collected during my stay.
All this was agreeable to His Excellency, and before I took leave of
him he shook me warmly by the hand and flattered me by saying that he
was very glad to have met such an honored Japanese.