Page:White Paper on Indian States (1950).pdf/149

 with whatever military and naval forces may be requisite to enable it to discharge that obligation. It cannot hand over these forces to any other Government—to a foreign power such as France, or Japan; to a dominion Government such as Canada or Australia; nor even to British India".

Dealing with tho contention that British Government could not transfer their treaty obligations to any other power or even to British India, the Committee went on to say:

"The argument ignores the settled practice of the Government of India and, by invoking so-called first principles in determining the "legal relationship", it overlooks the hard and unchallengeable fact that from the early days of the Company it has been the Government of India and the Government of India alone which has dealt with Indian Princes and Indian States. It introduces an element of "personal confidence" between them and the British nation which is not easy to understand. It suggests that the past and present Governments of India which have so far exercised the power, said to he delegated from the Crown, were and are acceptable to the Indian Princes and Indian States; but that the future