§ SIR ROPER LETHBRIDGE (Kensington, N.)I beg to ask the Under Secretary of State for India whether the Government of His Highness the Nizam has offered to raise, equip, and maintain, at its own cost, a strong military force to aid in the defence of the Empire; and whether Her Majesty's Government has accepted this offer; and, if so, what effect has been given to the acceptance by the Government of India, and what recognition has been accorded of the spirit in which the offer was made?
MR. CURZONIn 1887 the Nizam offered to contribute a large sum of money to the defence of the Empire, or, to use His Highness's own words, "in time of war, his sword." This loyal and generous offer was utilised in the organisation of the scheme of "Imperial Service Corps," under which the larger Native States maintain a portion of their troops on a footing to take the field in line with the British Army. In Hyderabad this scheme is still in course of evolution.