In the aftermath of the Battle of Plassey(Palashi) (1757), when the Company embarkedon its career of expansion, it established
the system of dual government. Under thissystem, everything was sought to be done bythe Company’s servants in the name of some
powerless and dependent prince. In theory theCompany was only the diwan (the collectorof revenue), but in practice it exercised full
authority. This authority was asserted by therefusal to continue the payment of annual tributeto the Mughal emperor Shah Alam II promisedby Clive. Cornwallis even stopped affirming obedience in letters to the emperor. Welleslecarried matters further with his objective oestablishing British predominance through hisSubsidiary Alliance System. Wellesley madsubsidiary alliances with the three of the major States of India: Hyderabad, Poona and Mysore.
Hastings (Moira) who became Governor General in 1813 ordered the removal of the phrase denoting the imperial supremacy from his seal.
He refused to meet Emperor Akbar II, unless he waived all authority over the Company’s possessions. But Hastings laid down a policy that the Company was in no way responsiblefor the administration of the Indian States.Thus, under the Subsidiary System, each Prince
was secure on his throne, notwithstandingthe discontent of his people or by his jealousneighbours. In regions such as Kathiawar and
Central India, divided among a great numberof petty chiefs, the Company’s close supervisionbecame indispensable for prompt action.
The Company army helped the Indianrulers under the Subsidiary system to quell anyrebellion or disturbance within the State. In
Hyderabad, the authority of the Nizam did notprevail in certain areas, as the Arab troops livedwithout any control. The assistance of British
troops helped reduce the Arabs to obedience.In Mysore state the financial management ofthe raja provoked a rebellion in 1830 and the
treaty of Wellesley only provided authority forthe Company to interfere. William Bentinck,as Governor General, relieved the raja of
all his powers and appointed Mark Cubbonto administer Mysore. In Gwalior, during a minority, the parties at the durbar quarrelled
bitterly among themselves. The army of the State passed out of control. Ellenborough moved with a strong army, but the State army resisted. At the battle of Maharajpur, the State army was defeated and new terms of conditions including the limitation of the military forces maintained by it were imposed in 1843. Dalhousie’s new method of annexing territories, Doctrine of Lapse, as we have seen, increased the territories under British domain.Every accession of territory also increased the influence of the Company over the governmentsof the Indian princes.
The biggest contribution of Cornwallis was the reform of the civil services. Cornwallis provided scope for employing capable and honest public servants. He put an end to the old tradition of the civil service wherein the Company’s servants were given a small salary but
were permitted to trade. Cornwallis appointed people solely on merit but considered that efficiency required the exclusion of Indians from
the Company’s service.Every district was divided into thanas
(police circles). Each thana was under a daroga, an Indian officer. Cornwallis’ police system was further improved under Warren Hastings. The rigid separation of judicial and revenue powers
was given up. The Collector began to function as Magistrate as well.
Cornwallis, who toned up the civil and criminal administration, however, did not pay adequate attention to the education of Company
servants. It was Wellesley who emphasized the need for educating and training them. Wellesley thought the civilians should have a knowledge of the languages, laws, customs and manners
11 History
Education
The establishment of a Madrasa by a learned maulvi with the support of Warren Hastings was the beginning of initiatives of British government to promote education. This Madrasa started with forty stipendiary students. What Warren Hastings had done for the Muslims, his successor was prepared to do for the Hindus. Cornwallis established a Sanskrit college (1791) in Benares. The successive governors in the next twenty years, however, did nothing to follow
it up. The Company held the view that it was not desirable in its own interests to encourage education in India. In 1813, when the Company Charter was renewed, it contained a clause intended to force on the Company the initiative
for a regular educational policy. Hastings encouraged the foundation of vernacular schools by missionaries. He was the patron of the Hindu College, established at Calcutta in 1817, supported by the Indian public for the teaching of English and of Western science. The cause of education was further promoted by missionaries
like Alexander Duff. Thanks to Hastings’ liberal outlook, press censorship instituted in 1799 was abolished. It was in such an atmosphere that the Bengali Weekly, the Samachar Darpan was started in 1818.
The Charter of 1833 emphasized the development of the country primarily in the
interest of its inhabitants. William Bentinck, appointed the first Governor General of united India reformed the society by suppressing thuggee (robbery and murder committed by the thugs in accordance with their ritual), abolishing sati and introducing English as the medium of instruction in schools and colleges.
This he thought would facilitate Indianization of the services. Bentinck founded the Calcutta Medical College in March 1835. The students of this college were sent to London in 1844 to complete their studies. Ten years after
the establishment of the Calcutta Medical College, the Grant Medical College in Bombay was founded in 1845. In 1847 the Thomason Engineering College at Roorkee (now IIT Roorkee) came into existence. In 1849 a school
for girls was founded in Calcutta.Macaulay came to India as a law member
in 1835. He was appointed President of the Board of Education. He had a poor opinion of indigenous learning. Macaulay recommended and government accepted to make English the literary and official language of India. Dalhousie showed keen interest in education. He approved of the system of vernacular education designed by James Thomason, Lieutenant Governor of the North-WesternProvinces(1843-53). The Educational Dispatch of Charles Wood (1854) outlined acomprehensive scheme of education-primary, secondary, collegiate. Departments of Public Instruction and a university for each of the three Presidencies were organized for the purpose.
University of Madras was established under this plan (1857), along with universities in Bombay and Calcutta. Dalhousie modified the policy of Macaulay by encouraging educationalinstitutions in vernaculars too. He also agreed to the principle of grants-in-aid to private effort, irrespective of caste or creed.
12 History
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