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'Baroda Enquiry Commission Report, 1874' [218r] (440/502)
The record is made up of 1 volume (249 folios). It was created in 1 Nov 1873-14 Feb 1874. It was written in English. The original is part of the British Library: India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. Records and Private Papers Documents collected in a private capacity. .
Transcription
This transcription is created automatically. It may contain errors.
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SCHEDULE No. III.
Case No. 1.
Case of Motilal Samal.
Extracts from deposition of Balaji Grovindlal, present head of the Firm, vide
Sardar
Leader of a tribe or a polity; also refers to a military rank or title given to a commander of an army or division.
's cases, Deposition 21 Balaji Govindlal states :—I appear as representative
of Motilal Samal, deceased, the bankers of Baroda, Ahmedabad, Surat, and
Bombay. I am his son-in-law. He died 2 or 3 months ago from grief, and
has left a son 5 years old. I am now the representative of the firm. Our firm
originally belonged to Ahmedabad. Samal was the founder of the firm 100 or
125 years ago. After Samal, came Motilal and Harilal in a.d. 1829. The
whole of these allowances were stopped 15 months ago by Malharrao, the present
G-aekwar. The ostensible ground for stopping them was a false claim for debts
owed to the State for 50 years past. He claimed Rs. 1,25,000 in all from us.
Out of this sum he said he found from our books Rs. 64,000 owing to the State.
He took away our books, and has since kept them in his own possession. We
do not admit the debt at all. The Nana Sahib has, however, since settled this with
us, and we have no complaint to' make about it. There was a second item of
Rs. 50,000 which Nana Sahib has now settled, and we have no quarrel about
that. There remains but one item of Rs. 20,000 which the present Govern
ment claims as a Court fee on a suit for Rs. 3,84,000, which we have brought
against Bechar Nathu in the First Court of the G-aekwar. Khanderao, however,
exempted us from the fee, and directed that the suit should proceed without fees
being taken. We therefore now object to pay the money. The total amount
now due to us by the Sardars, Silledars, &c., is about 15
lakhs
One lakh is equal to one hundred thousand rupees
of
rupees
Indian silver coin also widely used in the Persian Gulf.
. This
amount I claim that the Gaekwar's Government should assist me in recovering
from these Sardars and Silledars by deducting the amount due to us from their
pay. All the private property of the firm which was in Gaekwari territory has
been attached. I cannot say what was the value of it. Motilal went to Ahme
dabad on urgent business about 15 months ago. The day after he left, his pro
perty and everything was attached, and he remained in Ahmedabad till he came
down to Baroda about 6 months ago. He then stayed in camp, as I said before,
for 4 months, and died after an illness of a few days in Ahmedabad, to which
place he returned when he first fell ill. I succeeded him in the business and am
new to it. We have lost
lakhs
One lakh is equal to one hundred thousand rupees
of
rupees
Indian silver coin also widely used in the Persian Gulf.
from this, and have been forced to close
our banks in Ahmedabad, Surat, and Bombay. No one will do any business with
us now we have lost our credit.
Reply of the
Durbar
A public or private audience held by a high-ranking British colonial representative (e.g. Viceroy, Governor-General, or member of the British royal family).
.
We divide our answer into 6heads —
1st.—With reference to the confiscation of his Inam village, we state that
it was given to the firm at a time when it had had extensive dealings with the
Government, and when large sums were due to the bankers. It was given in part
satisfaction of the Government debts. When the village was resumed the
Government did so, considering, from an examination of its own accounts, that
the debt had been paid in full, and that there was no necessity for continuing
the grant any longer. The Bank's books were not compared with those of the
State. The bankers did not appear for this purpose.
2nd.—With reference to the confiscation of the
Sepoy
Term used in English to refer to an Indian infantryman. Carries some derogatory connotations as sometimes used as a means of othering and emphasising race, colour, origins, or rank.
" Nimnok," {vide
Sch. II., Case 1, Deposition 21,) the Government considered that Motilal having
left Baroda without permission, was no longer a State servant, and that it had
therefore the right to resume the establishment.
in—1
About this item
- Content
Report of the Baroda Enquiry Commission on the administration of the government of Malharrao, Gaekwar of Baroda. The Commission comprised Richard John Meade (President), Edward William Ravenscroft, Mumtazul Dowlah Nawab An honorific title; an official acting as a provincial deputy ruler in South Asia; or a significant Muslim landowner in nineteenth century India. Faiz Ali Khan, Colonel Alfred Thomas Etheridge and Thomas Duncan Mackenzie (Secretary).
The report comprises a letter from the members of the Baroda Enquiry Commission to the Secretary to the Government of India, Foreign Department presenting their report on the results of the proceedings and submitting copies of correspondence, reports and statements relative to the enquiry (ff 5-19):
Appendix A, Part I
- Schedules I-III: Complaints and grievances against the Gaekwar's Government from individuals and groups (ff 21-78).
- Appendix B, Schedules I-III: Cases of complaint and grievance which the commission did not look into during the enquiry (ff 79-81).
- Appendix C: Letter from Colonel Richard John Meade, President, Special Commission of Enquiry on Baroda Affairs, to Colonel Robert Phayre, Resident at Baroda, 1 November 1873 (ff 82-83).
- Appendix D: Translation of an amended notice issued by the Resident to complainants desirous of appearing before the Baroda Enquiry Commission (ff 84-85).
- Appendix E: Schedules presented to the Commission along with Colonel Phayre's introductory statement regarding them. (ff 86-131).
- Appendix F: Letter No. 1128 of 1873 from Colonel Phayre to the President, Baroda Commission regarding the cases already submitted to the Commission, the List of undisposed petitions to be attended to by the Resident which could be used as additional cases if required and the statements that he had yet to make on cases under enquiry by the Commission (ff 132-133).
- Appendix G, Schedule I: Statements from witnesses with cross examination statements from the Durbar A public or private audience held by a high-ranking British colonial representative (e.g. Viceroy, Governor-General, or member of the British royal family). on behalf of the Gaekwar and statements from the Resident as to the accuracy of the information provided (ff 134-229).
Appendix Part II (ff 231-245)
- Letter from James Braithwaite Peile, Acting Political Agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency. , Kattywar [Kathiawar] to T D Mackenzie, Secretary, Baroda Commission, 13 December 1873 regarding papers requested by the Commission and informing them that the outstanding paper will be forwarded as soon as they are received. Enclosed with the letter are a memorandum from Peile for reconstitution of His Highness the Gaekwar's Contingent in Kattywar, 13 December 1873 and Rule for the guidance of the Officers and Kamdars appointed to the Contingent of Horse of His Highness the Gaekwar, serving in the various Tributary Mahals according to treaty.
- Letter from Peile to Mackenzie, 6 January 1874, forwarding a report and returns received from Colonel Walker, Superintendent to the Gaekwar's Contingent in Kattywar and stating that he does not concur with the Colonel's opinion. Enclosed with this letter is a letter from Colonel Chamberlen William Walker, 30 December 1873, providing the information on the Contingent requested by the Commission and enclosing an extract of the Contingents annual report for 1871 and a statement of the men within the Contingent on duty under officials paid by Talukdars etc, 06 March 1872.
- Letters from John Whaley Watson, Acting Political Superintendent Pahlanpur [Palanpur], Captain Henry Nicholas Reeves, Acting Political Agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency. Rewa Kanta [Rewa Kantha] and Major Philip Harrison Le Geyt, Acting Political Agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency. , Mahi Kanta [Mahi Kantha] to the secretary of the Baroda Commission 19 December 1873 to 9 January 1874 reporting on the Gaekwar's contingents serving within their districts and commenting on numbers of men, pay and conditions. The letters all refer to enclosed returns, but only the return for Mahi Kanta is included in the report.
- Extent and format
- 1 volume (249 folios)
- Physical characteristics
Foliation: the main sequence of foliation consists of a small pencil number in the top front right hand corner of each folio enclosed in a circle.
There is also an original sequence of foliation which consists of larger pencil numbers also in the top front right hand corner of folios, however the sequence is not consistent and some of the numbers may be filing references rather than foliation numbers.
- Written in
- English in Latin script View the complete information for this record
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- Reference
- Mss Eur F126/78
- Title
- 'Baroda Enquiry Commission Report, 1874'
- Pages
- front, back, spine, edge, head, tail, front-i, 2r:248v, back-i
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence