§ MR. CAINETo ask the Secretary of State for India if he will supplement the Paper Cd. 1321, of 1902, relating to the agreement with the Nizam respecting the assigned districts, by some selection of the State Papers or other documents referred to in paragraphs 4 and 6, and with tables showing the amount paid during each of the last ten years to His Highness the Nizam's
The Paper referred to is "East India—Agreement respecting Hyderabad Assigned Districts."
271 Government, on account of surplus revenue from the assigned districts, and the methods of computation by which the decision concerning the annual payment of twenty-five lakhs of repees has been arrived at.
(Answered by Secretary Lord George Hamilton.) The first paragraph of the Resident's letter to which the hon. Gentleman presumably refers, explains that the settlement was the outcome of informal and private communications, of which there is no official record. There are thus no Papers to be presented in addition to those included in the recent Return. The annual payments to the Nizam of surplus revenue for the last ten years have been as follows (in tens of rupees):—1900-1901, nil; 1899-1900, Rx. 185,008; 1898-9, Rx. 47,229; 1897-8, nil; 1896-7, Rx. 72,481; 1895-6, Rx. 29,173; 1894-5, Rx. 116,205; 1893-4. Rx.65,000; 1892-3, Rx. 83,014; 1891-2, Rx.130,697. The annual rent of twenty-five lakhs has not been arrived at by any exact calculations, but is intended as a liberal payment to the Nizam, having regard to the present revenue of the assigned districts, and the improvements which will be possible in their administration under the terms of the perpetual lease.