One of the great expansionist of the British influence and control
of India, James Andrew Broun Ramsay, Earl of Dalhouse, served as
Governor-General of India from 1847 to 1856 whose reforms dragged the whole
British India to chaos.
Early Years and Career
Born on April 22, 1812, James Ramsay was the 3rd son of
George Ramsay, Earl of Dalhousie, in Scotland. Although the family lacked great
wealth, they earned great honor as great soldiers and administrators. His
father Lord George Ramsay served as one of Wellington’s commanders then as a
high official in Canada before becoming the Commander-in-Chief in India.
James Ramsay was physically weak but it did not stop him from
following his ancestry’s tradition of public service. He also became the heir
of their family's earldom as his 2 elder brothers passed away early. He also
learned to be religious much to his mother’s guidance.
For his education, he went to Harrow before going to Christ Church
in Oxford and graduating 4th in his class in 1833. He tried his luck in
politics running for the seat of Edinburgh in Parliament but ended in vain. He
then married in 1836 before in 1837 he finally took a seat as a Member of
Parliament representing Haddington and siding with the Tories.
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| Robert Peel |
In 1838, his father passed away and he assumed the role of
10th Earl of Dalhousie taking as well his father’s seat in the House of
Lords. In 1843 he took a huge step in his careers by becoming the vice
president of the Board of Trade of Tory Prime Minister Sir Robert Peel. Within
2 years, he rose up to become the Board’s president. He earned a reputation as
an efficient administrator supervising industrialization of the British
economy. He oversaw the regulation of the railroad industry to prevent another
railway mania that by then just ended. He also supported the controversial Corn
Law that Prime Minister Robert Peel supported. He was a workaholic leading
to a partial decline of his health. His experience on trade and
infrastructure served him well in his later career.
His skills as a great administrator survived beyond the Prime
Ministership of Sir Robert Peel after the Whigs (the opposite of the Tories)
took power. In 1847 the Whig Prime Minister John Russell offered him the
position of Governor-General of India. He accepted the position becoming the
youngest to hold the position and immediately sailed to the jewel of the crown
of Great Britain in Asia.
Governor-General of India
Lord Dalhousie arrived in India on January 2, 1848. As
Governor-General of India, he supervised the whole administrative apparatus of
the British East India Company. The Company held territories and maintained
alliances and spheres of influence with Indian princes. Some princes welcomed
the Company allowing them to keep their titles along with a healthy pension,
but some resisted just like what the Punjabi Sikhs did.
By the time Dalhousie arrived, a brutal and difficult Sikh War
just ended and he had to oversee the pacification of remaining resistance to
the advance of British control. In April 1848, a local rebellion erupted in
Multan. The rebellion grew quickly around the surrounding towns and villages
dragging entire Punjab into conflict. In November, Dalhousie sent in the army
to quell the rebellion only to face tough resistance. The British army found it
difficult to mobilize in full force due to lack of adequate supplies and
transport. On November, the British launched counter attacks against the
rebels. By February, the British retook Multan, the center of the rebellion,
and by March the 2 sides signed the Treaty of Lahore where Britain annexed
Punjab.
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| Sir John Lawrence |
He then assigned Sir John Lawrence to administer Punjab. Sir
Lawrence helped to pacify the Sikh which secured British control over the
state. Although some criticized him for his delay actions, he nevertheless
received honor from London with his elevation as a Marquess. Plus, the lessons
of the war made him realize the need of improving the country’s transportation
and logistics network for the government to effectively respond to crises.
Following the Sikh Wars, another crisis flared up in the other
side of India – in Burma. The Kings of Burma continued to resist British
commercial expansion. Hostilities broke out that resulted to the 2nd
Anglo-Burmese War. With better weapons, the British crushed the Burmese army
that led to Britain’s annexation of Pegu on December 1853. Moreover, he also
installed a new Burmese government that sympathized with the British, thus
placing the country as part of its Empire.
Reforms and Improvements
In military affairs, he initiated reforms to the irritant of
others. He changed the selection criteria for officers from being based on
seniority to merit. He also created a department responsible for uniforms and
the horses of the army. Medic also underwent reorganization and training to
provide substantial improvement to the conditions of wounded troops. He also
made sure for military officers to submit to civil authority. When Sir Charles
Napier gave allowances to his Sepoys without his authority, Dalhousie
reprimanded him that so offended that the soldier left his post.
He dealt with penal reforms. He made sure that inspections were
made regularly to maintain orderly conditions of prisons. He also abolished the
branding of prisoners.
Other reforms included the systematic filing of administrative
reports by local officials as well as expanding the number of members of the
Legislative Council of India. He also improved the conditions of civil servants
by giving them better pay and rights for leave alongside pensions.
He also strove to modernize India’s communication and
transportation network. To begin, he established a public works departments in
each of the Company’s presidency and established engineering colleges. Much of
his work relied from his previous experience as President of Board of Trade.
Among examples of his infrastructure projects included the Grand Trunk Road
between Calcutta and Delhi, and later towards Punjab. Network of telegraph
lines also began to crisscross India along with the reorganization and
centralization of the postal system making it more affordable and
efficient.
Following the development of infrastructure and communication in
India, Dalhousie also dealt with developing various industries in India. He
oversaw the improvements of the cotton, tea, and flax industry. He promoted the
development of agricultural implements as well as raising of sheep. Irrigation also built in Sidh, Madras, and Bombay. He planned to developed India’s iron
and coal industry.
In finances, he proved
himself efficient turning the revenue of the government from deficits to
surplus in 1854 and 1855. Much to the increase in revenue came as a result of
surged in tax collection from the newly annexed territories. Annexation of
Satara, Jhansi, Nagpur, and Oudh brought in £ 10 million.
One reason for the
increase of tax revenue came a result of the annexation of Indian states
through the so-called Doctrine of Lapse.
Doctrine of Lapse
One of the most notorious cause of the Indian Mutiny of 1857, the
Doctrine of Lapse brought about the expansion of direct British ruler over
numerous princely states of India.
Traditionally, Princes who maintained close relations with the
British received permission to have an adopted heir succeed upon their demise.
All changed, however, with Dalhousie. Under his new doctrine, the British prohibited
the adopted heirs to succeed their fathers and proceeded to annex the whole
state. In this manner, British controlled territory expanded drastically.
Many states fell to British annexations such as: Satara, Jaitapur,
and Sambalpur in 1849, Jhansi and Nagpur in 1853. The Lapse also applied to
titular princes with no kingdoms to rule like the case of Nana Sahib, the
adopted heir to the completely disintegrated Maratha Empire.
Attacking Indian Princes
Besides the Doctrine of
Lapse, he also attacked the pensions of Indian princes. He refused to honor
their titles and so he took out the pensions of the Nawabs of Carnatic, Surat,
and the Raja of Tanjore. He also attempted to stop pension payments to the
elderly Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah II but both side reached an agreement that
it would end with the death of the aging Mughal. Most importantly, he also
ceased the payment of pension to the Raja of Bithur and his son Nana Sahib who
took part in the leadership of the Indian Mutiny of 1857.
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| Bahadur Shah II |
One of Dalhousie’s well-known attack on the privilege and autonomy
of Indian Princes unfolded during his annexation of the coveted Oudh state. In
1854, Dalhousie sent a resident to the capital of the state Lucknow to report
on the state of affairs. The report revealed in March 1855 reported “disorder
and misrule” prevailed in the state. This situation prompted Dalhousie to plan
for the annexation of the state. He offered the ruler of Oudh the retention of
his title along with a handsome allowance in exchange for the complete transfer
of the government to the Company’s hands. The ruler refused and Dalhousie, even
in his worst state of health, instructed the mobilization of troops to the
border and provided careful instructions to avoid local resistance once the
annexation commence. The Indian prince continued to resist even under threat of
a military conflict and so the Company unilaterally announced the annexation
Oudh on February 13, 1856. Fortunately for the British no fighting erupted from
the annexation.
Westernization
On the other hand, Dalhousie proved himself as a westernizer of
India opposing Indian traditions he saw in contrast with western culture.
These measures included the intervention in what he perceived as
barbaric practice such as killing of babies in Punjab as well as human
sacrifices in some parts of India. Moreover, he promoted the education of women
which went against the patriarchal society of India.
He thought he did India a favor by attacking it uncivilized
practices and introducing western and modern reforms. His idea came that
England’s progress made its culture and ways far superior from the Indians.
Thus, he started to implement a westernization program in India that the
Indians saw as an attack on their identity.
Stepping Down as
Governor-General
In 1856, his tour of India as the Governor-General ended leaving
the country on March 6. As he returned, he received a pension of £5,000. He
left India a tinderbox waiting to explode due to opposition aroused by his
westernization efforts. The tinderbox of dissatisfaction to the cultural
intervention of the British exploded in a large scale rebellion with the Indian
Mutiny of 1857 that threatened to end foreign rule. Much of the blame for the
mutiny went to Dalhousie and his Doctrine of Lapse. Nonetheless, many of his
infrastructure projects helped to improve the colony’s administration
especially as the Crown took over.
Dalhousie’s work as Governor-General deteriorated his health and
in 1860 he passed away.
See also:
Bibliography:
Websites:
Ballhatchet, Kenneth. “James Andrew Broun Ramsay, Marquess and 10th earl
of Dalhousie.”
In Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc., Accessed on May 6, 2017. URL: https://www.britannica.com/biography/James-Andrew-Broun-Ramsay-Marquess-of-Dalhousie
Books:
Gupta, R.C. Central
India States & East India Company (1818-1858). Jaipur: Panchsheel
Prakashan, 1988.
Roberts, P.E. History of British India: Under the Company and the
Crown. London: Oxford University Press, 1938.
Wilbur, Marguerite. The
East India Company: And the British Empire in the Far East. Stanford,
California: Stanford University Press, 1945.
Wynbrandt, James. A
Brief History of Pakistan. New York, New York: Facts On File, inc., 2009.
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