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 but it involved a deviation from the earlier policy under which the Crown discouraged joint action and deliberation between the Indian States.

 

35. There were 40 States which had treaties with the Paramount Power. A larger number of States had some form of engagements or Sanads, i.e., acknowledgment of concession or authority or privileges generally coupled with conditions proceeding from the Paramount Power. The remainder enjoyed in some form or other recognition of their status by the Crown. More than two-thirds of the population of Indian States was to be found in the States governed by treaties.

36. The Treaties, Engagements and Sanads covered a wide field. The more important of them related to mutual amity and defensive alliance. These generally provided for territorial integrity, internal sovereignty and protection of States; prohibition of external intercourse and mutual aggression; the right of the British Government to advise in certain circumstances; and in some cases payment of tribute.

37. A number of them dealt with allied matters such as exchange, cession and gift of territories; cession of jurisdiction for railway and other purposes; cantonments and Imperial Service troops.

38. The Treaties dealing with important financial and economic matters included Postal and Portal Conventions, currency and coinage arrangements, engagements for opium, salt agreements and arrangements for exchange of postal correspondence, telegraph and telephone lines.

39. Lastly, there were miscellaneous agreements such as those relating to certain trade arrangements, construction of canals, leasing of forests and construction of waterways.

40. The rights and obligations of the States arising out of these agreements varied from State to State. Thus for instance so far as the arrangements for exchange of postal correspondence were concerned five States were entitled to maintain separate postal systems and they had Conventions with the Government of India which provided inter alia for mutual exchange of correspondence, parcels, money orders, etc. Ten other States were entitled to maintain separate postal systems but had no postal agreements with the Government of India. Twenty-seven States were entitled to receive service stamps free of cost. In six States official correspondence passing within the State and intended for delivery within it was carried free of charge by the Postal Department of the Government of India. 