India Under British Rule from the Foundation of the East India CompanyWheeler, James Talboys
History
India Under British Rule from the Foundation of the East India Company
Wheeler, James Talboys
India -- History -- British occupation, 1765-1947
Thirty years passed away. There was an outcry in the British Isles
against annexation. It was proposed to restore the ex-Raja to his
throne, but Mysore had become to all intents and purposes a British
province. In the teeth of these facts, it was determined to restore this
flourishing territory to the rule of the worthless Hindu who had been
deposed by Lord William Bentinck a generation previously. Sir John
Lawrence fought against the measure, but was overruled. At last there
was a compromise. It was decided to place an adopted son of the ex-Raja
on the throne, and to remove the British administration from Mysore, and
place an Asiatic administration in its room. The ex-Raja was extremely
annoyed at this arrangement. It put an end to all his aspirations. He
did not want an adopted son, and would willingly have left his
territories to the British government, had he been only allowed to
handle the revenues during his own lifetime.
[Sidenote: Opposition of Durand.]
Sir John Lawrence, like every practical administrator in India, was most
unwilling to replace Mysore under Asiatic rule. He submitted under
pressure, but not without misgivings. Colonel Durand, however, opposed
it tooth and nail. Had he been a Roman general, ordered to restore the
island of Albion to an adopted son of Boadicea, or had he been an
English lord of the marches ordered to restore the principality of Wales
to a son of Llewellyn, he could not have felt more indignation. Durand
was, of course, powerless to resist, and the restoration was carried
out. The future alone can decide the merits of the question.
[Sidenote: Oudh talukdars.]
Next arose a controversy about the Oudh talukdars. Lord Canning had
dealt liberally with the talukdars, restored most of their so-called
estates, and converted them into landed proprietors. Sir John Lawrence
discovered that the rights of joint village proprietors had been
overlooked. Again there was a paper war, which ended in another
compromise. The talukdars were eventually confirmed in the possession of
their estates, but the rights of under proprietors and occupiers were
defined and respected.
[Sidenote: The cabinet and legislature.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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