The princely states constituted an integral part of the empire of Britain in India. Not formally annexed, they were controlled bvy the British through the doctrine of paramountcy. Professor Ray analyses how pressure-groups as well as official circles in Britain shaped this doctrine and wielded it as an instrument of exploitation. The book is a commentary on the legal, political, adminstrative and economic implications of the application of the policy of paramountcy to Hyderabad in the later half of the nineteenth century. It is also an eminently readable account of the aims and stratagems of Sir Salar Jung who was simultaneously the principle collaborator and chief adversary of British power.