MR. GORSTasked the Under Secretary of State for India, Whether Her Majesty's Government are in possession of any reliable information as to the 1674 alleged debt of the Hyderabad State; whether any inquiry has been or will be made as to its amount; whether a Report from Major General Glasfurd, Settlement Commissioner, addressed to the Revenue Secretary of the Hyderabad State on February 4th, 1884, and communicated to the Government of India, relating to rack-renting of the ryots and to cruelty and extortion practised in the collection of revenue by the native officials has been received at the India Office; and, if so, whether it will be laid upon the Table of the House; whether any action has been taken, either by the Government of India or by the Native Government, in consequence of this Report; whether the Talukdars of Dharasio and Bidur, whose cruelty and negligence were the subject of that Report, have been in any way punished; and, whether the superior officials, the Sudder Talukdars, through whose laxity of supervision this misconduct took place, have been in any way punished?
§ MR. J. K. CROSSNo official statement respecting the debt of the Hyderabad State has yet been received, though an inquiry is now in progress. I may say, however, that Mr. Cordery, our Resident at Hyderabad, who is at present in England, informs me that the debt is stated by Salar Jung to be about 150 Hali Sicca rupees, in addition to the railway debt—about 100 lakhs being due to Government officials. No Report from Major General Glasfurd had been received on the 9th of April, the day Mr. Cordery left Hyderabad.
MR. GORSTinquired whether the hon. Gentleman would ask the Government of India whether any Report had been communicated to them?
§ MR. J. K. CROSSsaid, that if the hon. and learned Gentleman would give him any indication of such a Report having been made at all, he would communicate with the Government of India upon the subject.
MR. GORSTsaid, he should be happy to give the hon. Gentleman private information as to the existence of a Report which was communicated to the Viceroy of India.