History - Rulers of British India (Part - 3)

George Barlow (1805-07)

1. Sepoy mutiny at Vellore in 1806.

2. Tried towards restoration of peace with Scindhia and Holkar

Lord Minto - I (1807-13)

1. Signed the Treaty of Amritsar in 1809 between Ranjit Singh and the English.

2. Sent the mission of Malcolm to Persia and that of Elphinston to Kabul in 1808.

3. Charter Act of 1813 was passed.

4. The rebellion of Veluthmbi in Travancore was supressed and he committed suicide in 1809.

Lord Hastings (1813 - 23)

1. Adopted the policy of intervention and war in India.

2. He was made Marquess of Hastings due to his success in the Gorkha war or the Anglo Nepalese war (1813-23).

3. Signed Treaty of Sagauli in 1816 after defeating Gorkha leader Amar Singh.

4. Introduction of Ryotwari settlement in Madras presidency by Governor, Thomas Munro (1820).

5. Adopted the policy of intervention and war. He considered Rajputs as the natural allies.

6. Pindari War (1817-18). The Pindaris, a marauding tribe, was defeated by Sir Thomas Hislop. The hunt for the Pindaris resulted in the Third Mysore War.

7. Also crushed the Pathans and made their leader Amir Khan, the Nawab of Tonk.

8. Abolished Peshwaship and annexed his territories in the Bombay presidency after the Third Anglo-Maratha war (1817-18).

9. Mahalwari (village community) system of land revenue was introduced in North-West province by James Thomson.

Lord Amherst (1823-28)

1. Received by the Mughal emperor (Akbar II) on terms of equality in 1827.

2. Acquired territories in Malay Peninsula and signed treaty with Siam.

3. First Burmese War (1824-1826) and treaty of Yandaboo in 1826 with lower Burma or Pegu by which British merchants were allowed to settle in southern coast of Burma and Rangoon.

4. Capture of Bharatpur (1826) in Rajputana.

Lord William Bentick (1828-35)

1. The post of Governor General was re-designated as Governor General of India as per the Charter Act, 1883. As such, Bentick can be technically called the first Governor General of India.

2. The Charter Act 1833 provided that no Indian subject of Company was to be debarred from holding an office on account his religion, place of birth, descent and colour.

3. Known as the benevolent Governor General. He was the most liberal and enlightened Governor General of India.

4. Banned practice of Sati in 1829.

5. Suppressed Thugi in 1830 (military operation led by William Sleeman). Sleeman is known as the “Indian Phanotm” for his actions against the Thuggies.

6. Banned female infanticide.

7. Created the province of Agra in 1834.

8. English was to be court language in higher court but Persian continued in lower courts. English was made the official language of India in 1835

9. Regarded as the father of modern western education in India.

10. Appointed Macaulay as president of Committee of Public Instruction. Macaulay’s minutes in education were accepted declaring that English should be the official language of India.

11. The Regulation of 1833 on land revenue settlement by Mertins Bird (called as the father of land revenue settlement in North). Use of field maps and filed registers were prescribed for the first time.

12. Inquiry into titles of Inam lands.

13. 1830, annexation of Central Chachar took place, on the plea of mis-government.

14. 1831 rebellion of Titu Mir and Kols.

15. 1831, annexation of Mysore.

16. Treaty of perpetual friendship with Ranjit Singh.

17. Abolished provincial circuit courts and courts of appeal set up by Cornwallis.

18. A separate Sadr Diwani Adalat was set up in Allahabad and Sadr Nizamat Adalat at Delhi.

19. James Wilson, a member of the Vicerory's Executive Council favoured financial grants to encourage the spread of Indian languages and literary activities. (The Viceroy's Council was the equivalent of modern cabinet.)

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