§ LORD EUSTACE CECILasked the Under Secretary of State for India, Whether it is the fact that the native troops of the Indian Army are not armed with breechloaders; and, if so, to what reason it is to be attributed?
MR. GRANT DUFFIn reply, Sir, to the noble Lord, I have to say that as 13 the whole of the British troops in India are now armed with the Snider Rifle, the Enfield rifles formerly used by them are being distributed to the native troops. The Enfield rifle being superior to any weapon which the native troops can for a long time be called on to face, it was the opinion of the Government of India that this was the best arrangement to adopt for the present, as it was of course the most economical.