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treatment for fever; visit to the site of Pemberton's observatory; Rajah's reply to Thomson's letter - refuses to cooperate or to allow survey team to move further east |
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inaccurate spelling in the original text |
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19th February. As my fever got rather bad last night, Thomson very kindly insisted upon my going in for a good dose of Warburg's drops and it seems to have done me good for I am feeling very much better today although my head is still very bad. |
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Austin and Ogle returned late this evening. |
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No reply to Colonel Thomson's letter has come yet from the Rajah, nor have any of the Manipuri been near us today. We hear however that the subject has been under discussion for the last two days and the Rajah and his Ministers are said to have sat in Council almost the whole of last night concocting the reply, so I suppose we shall get it tomorrow. I only hope it will turn out to be satisfactory. |
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Feeling much better this morning, I went out for a long ride and visited the hill on which Pemberton used to have his observatory. I was very much struck today at the width of the roads in and about Manipur itself, which by the way is not a city or even a town in any sense of the term, in fact the only way I can describe it is to speak of it as a very large group or cluster of struggling villages intersected by several streams and large dikes, with good, broad roads leading off in almost every direction. Many of these roads, however, I must add lose their special characteristics very shortly after they leave the suburbs. There does not appear to be a single pucka [2] brick house in all Manipur, although the ruins of the old palace gateway, etc. testify to the fact that this was not the case formerly. The buildings all appear to be built in one uniform pattern and except for the size, I failed to discover any difference between them. The rich and poor appear thus to be housed very much alike. |
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This evening Colonel Thomson received the Rajah's answer to his letter of the 17th instance, but as it was very late when he got it, there was no time to have it fully translated. However we learnt enough of its contents to enable us to act, and so to save time, we have both telegraphed. He direct to the Government of India and I to the Commissioner as follows:- |
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"Survey of boundary carried up to Latitude 25o20', Longtitude 94o20' not withstanding Manipuri opposition." |
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"Trace from Austin's Planetable showing all surveyed up to date sent to Surveyor General who will furnish copies to India, Bengal and yourself in due course. Government orders clearly and fully explained to Rajah both by Thomson in letter and by me in open Durbar. Rajah refuses all co-operation and forbids our proceeding further eastwards - delay in order to get time to enable him to push on and make good a footing across watershed probable reason for Rajah's conduct. Nothing short of most distinct and peremptory orders from Government will induce Rajah to assist such orders now solicited." |
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This positive refusal of the Rajah's has certainly taken me rather by surprise. |
