we must not forget that he wields the powers enjoyed by Richard the Second of England, and the Government of India is to him very much what the Pope was to that impulsive monarch.
The following description of His Highness's powers as regards government affairs is taken from an administration report written by Maharaja Sir Kishen Pershad Bahadur while he was Prime Minister.
"The administrative control of all State affairs is understood to rest with His Excellency the Minister, but in actual practice no action involving consequences of an important and permanent character is taken without the knowledge of His Highness, and his command is alone final in the last resort. No new law or regulation can be introduced, and no existing law or regulation can be altered, without the sanction of His Highness. No grant can be made of State lands or of any recurring allowance from State funds, no transfer of any existing State grant in lands or cash, either by inheritance or sale, mortgage or gift, can be made otherwise than with the permission of His Highness. No fresh expenditure of a recurring or unusual character can be made from State
