haraja had agreed
to organize, as his contribution to the Imperial service, a transport
corps of 1,000 fully-equipped animals.

At Ulwar I found the 600 Cavalry and 1,000 Infantry (all Rajputs) well
advanced in their drill and training; this was evidently owing to the
personal interest taken in them by the Maharaja, who seldom allowed a
day to pass without visiting the parade grounds.

By the end of March I had finished my tour in Central India and
Rajputana, and as the heat was every day becoming more intense, I was
not sorry to turn my steps northwards towards Kashmir, the army of
which State still remained to be inspected, and the measures most
suitable for its re-organization determined upon.

Our whole family party re-assembled at Murree early in April, and we
all went into the 'Happy Valley' together, where between business and
pleasure we spent a most delightful six weeks. The Maharaja personally
superintended the arrangements for our comfort. Our travelling was
made easy--indeed luxurious--and everything that the greatest care and
forethought and the most lavish hospitality could accomplish to make
our visit happy was done by the Maharaja and by the popular Resident,
Colonel Nisbet.

The Kashmir army was much larger than any of those belonging to the
Native States I had lately visited; it consisted of 18,000 men and 66
guns--more than was needed, even with the Gilgit frontier to guard.
Some of the regiments were composed of excellent material, chiefly
Dogras; but as the cost of such a force was a heavy drain upon the
State, and as many of the men were old and decrepit, I recommended
that the Maharaja should be invited to get rid of all who were
physically unfit, and to reduce his army to a total of 10,000
thoroughly reliable men and 30 guns. I knew this would be a very
difficult, and perhaps distasteful, task for the Commander-in-Chief
(who was also the Maharaja's brother), Raja Ram Sing, to perform, so
I recommended that a British officer should be appointed military
adviser to the Kashmir Government, under whose supervision the work of
reformation should be carried out.

At that time we had none of our own troops in the neighbourhood of
Gilgit, and as I thought it advisable, in case of disturbance, that
the Kashmir troops should be speedily put into such a state of
efficiency as would enable us to depend upon them to hold the passes
until help could arrive from India, I urged that the military adviser
s