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'1902. THE LORD CURZON OF KEDLESTON. TELEGRAPHIC CORRESPONDENCE WITH THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR INDIA.' [122v] (255/412)
The record is made up of 1 volume (202 folios). It was created in 1903?. It was written in English. The original is part of the British Library: India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. Records and Private Papers Documents collected in a private capacity. .
Transcription
This transcription is created automatically. It may contain errors.
No. 133.]
Viceroy to Secretary of State.
* Telegram, 8tli March 1902, 5-30 p. m.
In acknowledging Your Lordship’s telegram of 26th February, announc
ing decision of His Majesty’s Government to raise pay of British Army,
thereby entailing upon Indian revenues initial annual charge of £226,000
and ultimate annual charge of £786,000, we desire respectfully to express
our regret that Government of India were not given an opportunity of
stating their views before decision was arrived at, and that we received no
official intimation until it was on eve of being announced to Parliament.
Your Lordship will not suspect us of questioning the policy of His Majesty’s
Government in its imperial aspect; and we are prepared to contribute to the
military needs of the Empire in future not less loyally than during the past
three years. But the change now introduced appears to have been dictated by
considerations so little connected with the Indian Army, and its effect, both upon
the military situation in India, and upon Indian finance, will be so serious that we
are constrained to represent to Your Lordship our views on these points, and to
ask you to submit them for the consideration of His Majesty’s Government.
(1.) The existing system of pay and recruitment has proved adequate to
the needs of India, and is well suited to our requirements. British soldiers
are already sufficiently well paid in this country. From the Indian standpoint,
we know of no ground for increasing their remuneration. Case for increase of
pay has arisen because of increase in strength of Home Army, not of Indian.
(2.) Under the new system, we can feel no certainty that men will re-engage
for Indian service. . Should they prefer entering the Beserve at home to receiving
an extra consideration for service abroad, the scheme must apparently break
down, and flow of men to India will be dried up. Any alternative scheme will
then have been rendered vastly more expensive by failure of this.
.(3.) Should these expectations be falsified, result will still be that entire
British Army in India will be on higher scale of pay, while bulk of army at
home will be on lower scale. "We shall be paying Sd. extra for each man.
Home Government will only be paying less than 2d. There will thus
practically be two armies serving under distinct conditions, and causing no
small difficulty in interchange.
(4.) A large reserve in England will enable Home Government to reduce
the number of men with the colours, and thus to recoup themselves for main
tenance of Colonial army on higher scale of pay. No such compensation will
About this item
- Content
This volume comprises printed copies of telegraphic correspondence, dated 1 January-31 December 1902, of Lord Curzon of Kedleston, Viceroy and Governor-General of India, with Lord George Hamilton, Secretary of State for India.
The beginning of the volume contains a detailed index of names, places and subjects (ff 4-15). This is followed by telegrams from the Secretary of State for India to Lord Curzon, numbered 1-588 (ff 18-97) and telegrams from Lord Curzon to the Secretary of State for India, numbered 1-584 (ff 99-198).
A wide variety of subjects are covered, including matters relating to:
- The Aden Protectorate, notably the delimitation of the Aden boundary and relations with Turkey [Ottoman Empire]
- Afghanistan, including the Amir [Amīr Ḥabībullāh Khān] and Russian relations with Afghanistan
- The Army in India
- Berar [also known as the Hyderabad Assigned Districts], particularly relations with the Nizam of Hyderabad [Asaf Jah VI]
- Military operations of the Boer War 1899-1902
- Boer prisoners of war in India
- China, including the evacuation of British troops from Shanghai
- A ceremony to mark the Coronation of King Edward VII (as King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India) including the Delhi Coronation Durbar A public or private audience held by a high-ranking British colonial representative (e.g. Viceroy, Governor-General, or member of the British royal family).
- The famine in India
- Financial and administrative matters
- Recommendations and awards of Honours of the United Kingdom to the British Indian Army and Government and to indigenous Indian rulers and dignitaries, including Coronation Honours
- The Koweit [Kuwait] Protectorate, including relations with Turkey
- British policy in Persia [Iran]
- The establishment of a Police Commission in India
- Construction and extension of railways in British India
- British relations with Russia notably in connection with India, Persia, Afghanistan, China and Tibet
- Military operations in the Somaliland Protectorate [the Republic of Somaliland]
- British policy in Tibet.
- Extent and format
- 1 volume (202 folios)
- Arrangement
The telegrams are arranged in chronological order from the front to the rear of each of the two sections of the volume, which are divided by a folio of blue card. Each telegram is numbered, and the index on folios 4-15 gives the numbers of the telegrams which correspond to each name, place or subject listed in the index.
- Physical characteristics
Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the first folio with 1 and terminates at the last folio with 198; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. side of each folio. The foliation sequence does not include the front and back covers, nor does it include the leading and ending flyleaves.
Pagination: the volume also contains two original printed pagination sequences.
- Written in
- English in Latin script View the complete information for this record
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'1902. THE LORD CURZON OF KEDLESTON. TELEGRAPHIC CORRESPONDENCE WITH THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR INDIA.' [122v] (255/412), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, Mss Eur F111/172, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100152865250.0x000038> [accessed 10 August 2026]
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- Reference
- Mss Eur F111/172
- Title
- '1902. THE LORD CURZON OF KEDLESTON. TELEGRAPHIC CORRESPONDENCE WITH THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR INDIA.'
- Pages
- front, back, spine, edge, head, tail, front-i, i-r:ii-v, 1r:78v, 79v:198v, iii-r:iv-v, back-i
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence