Admiralty to provide permanent squadron for Persian Gulf to be at disposal of Govt of India which will also be able to call on other ships in Indian seas for special service; if this service is really performed, it will be cheap at cost of £70,000.
Possibility adumbrated in Gladstone's speech in Commons that Indian financial year should be altered; while Argyll thinks it undesirable that Commons should think it can revise Indian budget, it might be possible to make general statement on Indian Finance based on actual figures for past year ra...
Refers to Mayo's letters of 14 and 23 July regarding latter's wish to remove Sir R Temple from Finance membership; accepts that loss of Mayo's confidence is reason in itself; discusses and dismisses popular arguments against him; believes whole objection to him stems from objection to Income tax;...
Possibility of finding new Finance Member from England who would be less vulnerable to jealousies of ICS colleagues; mentions three possible candidates; John Strachey able but very unpopular.
Pros and cons of changing to narrow gauge, particularly on Indus valley line; differing views on what narrow gauge should be, but whatever is chosen should become the uniform narrow gauge for all subsidiary lines; Argyll's despatch will support whatever Mayo's ultimate decision may be.
Encloses letter sent by James Wilson (editor, Indian Daily News) in Calcutta to Lord Salisbury, claiming that troops in Allahabad were on verge of mutiny [cf Mayo's letter to Argyll of 9 September (1)] and that there was widespread disaffection in India and dissatisfaction with Government among E...
Encloses paper by (Sir) G Chesney (Bengal Engineers) on establishment in England of Civil Engineering College for India, which is opposed by various sectional interests.
Encloses memorandum by Sir W Baker (Member, Council of India) on problems of narrow gauge for railways; Argyll's own 'hankering' is for standard gauge for Indus Valley and Frontier lines, and narrow gauge for all others; admittedly, if main danger is internal insurrection, then internal lines are...
Sends pamphlet entitled Is Irrigation necessary in Upper India? by Maj A F Corbett [see Mss Eur B380/5, ff354-60], advocating deeper ploughing in India.