British India: Governor-Generals and Key Reforms

No, With the each land revenue policy, the power of the Zamindar and wealth of British increased.

Yes, the farmers started growing cash crops under pressure from the British. The British had also annexed  large tracts of tribal lands.

During the British rule and their emphasis on the development of transport network, railways formed a prominent and eminent part receiving advances for development. The increase in the railway networks led to increasing in running of trains which ran on coal engines. This eventually led to an increase in demand for coal with the expansion of railways. Also, the rapid industrialisation and increase in railway links back in Britain also called in for huge demands and so coal exports to Britain also increased the overall market demand for coal.

The East India Company Act 1784 was an Act of the Parliament of Great Britain intended to address the shortcoming of the Regulating Act of 1773.

Sati is a practice of burying alive the widows of Hindus. It was a social evil that prevailed in India society. Sati pratha was made illegal in 1829 by Bengal Sati Regulation of 1829 under Governor Generalship of William Bentinck.  It was mainly due to fierce campaign and lobbying of Raja Rammohan Roy and others that sati practice was formally banned.

Provisions of the Regulating Act:

1)    A  Court of Directors was created at London to oversee the affairs of EIC in India.  

2)    The Governor of Bengal/Fort William was elevated to the statue of Governor General of Bengal /Fort William  and governors of Madras and Bombay presidencies were brought under the control of Governor General of Bengal.

3)  The institution of Governor General-in-council was created with Governor General as head and with four other members to carry out Legislative & Executive functions.

William Bentick served as the Governor-General of India from 1828 to 1835. He abolished the Sati system in 1829 with the efforts of Raja Ram Mohan Roy. According to a regulation of December 1829, he declared the practice of Sati illegal and punishable by Criminal Courts as 'Culpable Homicide'. This decision was supported by an enlightened community of Indian society.

Bengal Sati Regulation, 1829. A Regulation for declaring the practice of Sati or of Burning or Burying alive the Widows of Hindus, illegal, and punishable by the Criminal Courts.

Before the 1857 revolt, British India had only two trunk roads under construction - one connecting Calcutta to Delhi, and the other connecting Bombay to Agra. These were part of Grand Trunk Road projects, with the Bombay-Agra line being the correct second route (not Madras-Calcutta, Delhi-Lahore, or Peshawar-Patna).

The East India company failed to pay its dues to Government to maintain its monopoly. On the other hand the officials of east India Company were getting richer by their private trade and by receiving gifts. Having observed these things, Lord North decided to overhaul the management of the East India Company with the Regulating Act.

A  Court of Directors was created at London to oversee the affairs of East India Company in India. Under Regulating Act. 

Governors of Madras and Bombay presidencies were brought under the control of Governor General of Bengal. Under the Regulating Act.

The Regulating Act of 1773 was first act of British Parliament to exercise indirect control over the affairs of East India Company's rule in India.

By 1773, the East India Company was in deep financial trouble. the East India Company owed money to both the Bank of England and the Government.

Governor General-in-Council was created with Governor General as head and with four members of the Council to control Legislative and Executive functions.

By a supplementary act passed in 1786 lord Cornwallis was appointed as the second Governor-General of Bengal, and he then became the effective ruler of British India under the authority of the Board of Control and the Court of Directors.

The institution of Governor general-in-Council was created with Governor General as head and with four other members to carry out Legislative & Executive functions.

A Board of Control was created at London with six members, two of whom were members of the British Cabinet and the remaining from the Privy Council. The Board also had a president, who soon effectively became the minister for the affairs of the East India Company.

The East India Company Act 1784 brought the affairs of east India Company in India under the control of the British Government.

The Governor of Madras and Bombay were clearly subordinated to the Governor General. the Governor-General was given greater powers in matters of was, revenue and diplomacy.

Provisions of the 1784 Act: 
1.   It brought the affairs of EIC in India under the control of the British Government.
2.   A Board of Control was created at London with six members, two of whom were members of the British Cabinet and the remaining from the Privy Council. The Board also had a president, who soon effectively became the minister for the affairs of the East India Company.
3. This Act provided for a joint government of British India by both the Company and the Crown with the government holding the ultimate authority.[The Board was given powers to superintend,direct and control the government of the Company's possessions in effect controlling the acts and operations relating to the civil, military and revenues of the Company.]
4. The membership in Governor General-in- council [governing council of the Company] was reduced to three members [1+ 3], and the governor-general, a crown appointee, was authorised to veto the majority decisions.

Sir Ellijay Impey was appointed as chief Justice of Supreme Court of Calcutta in 1771.

Regulating Act prohibited the servants of company from engaging in any private trade or accepting presents/gifts or bribes from the natives.

Governing Council were established at Madras and Bombay presidencies under East India Company  Act of 1784.

The East India Company Act 1793 also known as the charter Act of 1793, was an Act of the Parliament of Great Britain which renewed the charter issued to the British East India Company, and continued the Company's rule in India.

Under Charter Act of 1793, Senior officials were forbidden from leaving India without permission.Royal approval was mandated for the appointment of the Governor-General, the governors, and the Commander-in-Chief.

Provisions:
1. The Company's trade monopoly was continued for a further 20 years. 
2. Salaries for the staff and paid members of the Board of Control were also now charged to the Company. 
3. The Governor-General was granted extensive powers over the subordinate presidencies.The Governor-General's power of over-ruling his council was affirmed, and extended over the Governors of the subordinate presidencies.
4. Senior officials were forbidden from leaving India without permission.Royal approval was mandated for the appointment of the Governor-General, the governors, and the Commander-in-Chief.

• The Burmese
  war had depleted the treasury of the company. Due to the reduced income and
  increase in the expenditure, the company was facing a deficit of about one
  crore. So Bentick’s first duty was to economize. His economies measures were
  extensive and severe.
• Bentick
  appointed two committees, one Military and one civil to enquire into the
  increased expenditure of the company. According to the recommendations of the
  Committee, Bentick reduced the high salary of the civil Servants.

Bentick enhanced the income of the company by appointing Indians in administrative posts. The Indians were paid less salaries in comparison to their European Counterparts.

In suppression of Thugs, along with William Bentinck, one more name is cherished. This able officer was William Henry Sleeman. Initially he was a soldier and later became the administrator. In 1835, the 'Thuggee and Dacoity Dept' was created by William Bentinck and William Henry Sleeman was made its superintendent.

Lord William Bentinck was British governor-general of Bengal from 1828–33 and of India from 1833–35.He brought about many social and educational reforms like abolishing Sati ,suppression of female infanticide and human sacrifices, suppressed practices such as thuggee. He along with Macaulay introduced English education in India.

Sati pratha was made illegal in 1829 by Bengal Sati Regulation of 1829 under Governor Generalship of William Bentinck. Sati is a practice of burying alive the widows of Hindus. Under the provisions of the Act, anyone who forced a woman to perform sati would be given capital punishment.

Lord William Bentinck was the Governor-General from 1828 to 1835 in India. He introduced many administrative, judicial, judicial, social reforms in India. One of them was abolition of Persian as the court language because it was not easy for the litigants to fight in this language. So Bentinck ordered the use of vernacular language in place of Persian.

The Provincial Courts of appeal and circuit had been largely responsible for the huge arrears of cases. The judicial procedure followed in these courts often resulted in delays and uncertainties. Bentick abolished these courts.

Raja Rammohan Roy even filed a petition for a law banning sati practice. He appealed to William Bentinck, the Governor of Bengal, to ban sati practice in British India and his persuasion bore fruit when sati was banned by law in Bengal Presidency in 1829.

Lord William Bentinck passed a regulation in 1829 to abolish combined hearing of civil court and criminal court. So, the four circuit courts established earlier at Dhaka, Calcutta, Patna and Murshidabad were abolished and he established Separate Sadar Diwani and Sadar Nizamat Adalat at Allahabad for upper provinces.

Sati pratha was made illegal in 1829 by Bengal Sati Regulation of 1829 under Governor Generalship of William Bentinck. Sati is a practice of burying alive the widows of Hindus. It was mainly due to fierce campaign and lobbying of Raja Rammohan Roy and others that sati practice was formally banned.

Lord William Bentinck is known for administrative reforms, including the separation of judicial and revenue functions, but the combination of Collector and Magistrate functions was a hallmark of his administrative restructuring.

Lord Macaulay in his "Minute Upon Indian Education" argued that publication of books in Sanskrit and Arabic should be withdrawn, and support for religious institutions like madrassas should be reduced. Instead, the funds should be used to introduce western education. Lord William Bentinck's English Education Act of 1835 endorsed this minute.

To promote the use of the English language, Lord William Bentinck established Elphinstone College in Bombay in 1856.

Thomas Babington Macaulay, who is generally regarded as the architect of the system of education in India during the British rule, was a great essayist, historian, linguist, orator, politician, statesman and thinker. English was introduced by Lord Willaim Bentinck as a medium of higher education in India on the advice of Thomas Babington Macaulay who was also his council member. 

John Macpherson, who served as acting Governor-General, is often credited with formalizing the designation of the district head as the Collector.

The act of 1853 was last of the Charter Acts and that made Governor-General of Bengal as the Governor-General of India. It extended the Company’s rule and allowed it to retain the possession of Indian territories on trust for the British Crown. It provided for the addition of six new members called legislative councillors to the council of Governor General which came to be known as the Indian (Central) Legislative Council.

Act of 1853 was last of the Charter Acts and that made Governor-General of Bengal as the Governor-General of India. It extended the Company’s rule and allowed it to retain the possession of Indian territories on trust for the British Crown. It introduced an open competition system of selection and recruitment of civil servants.

While Cornwallis is often called the father of the Indian Civil Service, Lord William Bentinck is frequently associated with the expansion and structural changes in the civil service system during his tenure.

On December 4, 1829, The Bengal Sati Regulation was passed by the then Governor-General Lord William Bentinck. This act banned the Sati practice in all jurisdictions of British India.

Mahalwari system was introduced in 1833 by William Bentinck. Under the system, the land was divided into Mahals. Each Mahal comprised one or more villages which was collectively responsible for the payment of revenues. The villages committee was held responsible for collection of the taxes. It was introduced in Central Province, North-West Frontier, Agra, Punjab, Gangetic Valley, etc of British India.

Asiatic Society at Calcutta was founded by  Sir William Jones, a British lawyer and Orientalist, to encourage Oriental studies on 15 January 1784. It was the vehicle for his ideas about the importance of Hindu culture and learning and about the vital role of Sanskrit in the Aryan languages.

Vellore sepoy mutiny was the first instance of a large-scale and violent mutiny by Indian sepoys against the East India Company which was in 10 July 1806. It was basically caused by resentment at new British regulations that ordered changes in headgear and shaving style and the prohibition of ornaments and caste marks for the Indian troops. The Governor of Madras presidency at the time was William Bentinck.

Lord William Bentinck introduced the use of local languages in the law courts, replacing Persian as the official language of the judiciary.

Lord Amherst was succeeded by William Bentinck as the Governor General of India. Lord Amherst was Governor-General of India between 1823 and 1828.Lord William Bentinck was Governor-General from 1828 to 1835 in India and he introduced many judicial, financial, educational, social and administrative reforms.