Approves severity with which Mayo has dealt with delinquents in Public Works Dept at Allahabad; is sure there is 'terrible quantity of fraud in the lower departments of the P.W.D. and of gross carelessness in the higher departments'; enclose another letter from William Fenwick claiming that procl...
Encloses copy of letter to Lord Derby from Maharaja Holkar of Indore which Argyll describes as 'insolent'; Holkar's claims for substantial cession of territory as reward for services during mutiny; question of undue interference in internal affairs of states by Political Officers; possibility of ...
Despatch will be sent supporting Mayo's refusal of any concessions to Holkar; Mayo should demand explanation from him of his gun-casting and other warlike preparations; Canning's mistake in allowing Scindia and Holkar to keep armies; Napier's reference to gun-casting in Bundelkhand States; since ...
Warmly approves Mayo's speech on Indian budget; factionalism gives Govt difficulties on Indian questions in Commons – absence of Sir Stafford Northcote in America means there is no-one on Conservative side on whom Govt can rely for help; in the Lords, Salisbury and Derby both treat Indian questio...
Defends Napier from Mayo's complaints over his conduct regarding army reductions; in assessing Napier's views, Argyll makes allowances for Napier's indisposition to reduce; policy towards Afghanistan following fall of Herat to Amir's son Yaqub Khan; hopes to deal easily with Commons motions on Na...
Has disallowed Act on Weights and Measures because of its excessive compulsory powers over independent traders; only one member of his Council voted against disallowance; they have beaten Nawab [of Bengal] with aid of Mayo's friends [on a Commons motion]; radicals vote against Indian Govt as matt...