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'Baroda Enquiry Commission Report, 1874' [5r] (14/502)
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.
//
Confidential.
F rom
To
T HE MEMBERS OF THE BARODA ENQUIRY COMMISSION,
I /v
T HE SECRETARY TO the GOVERNMENT OP INDIA,
/ ' Foreign Department.
S IR, i ///. y^>z^
Having excluded our investigation opuie complaints of mal-adminfstration on''
the part of the Gaekwar's Government, brought before us for that purpose by the
Resideiit at Baroda, and the enquiries that appeared to be necessary to enable us
to f6rm an accurate opinion of His Highness' contingent, (maintained under the
terms of Article 8 of the Treaty of 6th November 1817), and of the measures
icalled for to render it reasonably efficient for the performance of the duties on
which it is employed—in accordance with the views and instructions conveyed in
your Office despatch as per margin—we have the honour
No. 2209, d a ted 19th Sep- to report herewith the results of our proceedings, on
tember 1873, to the (rovern- -i , i i • . .i , • 1
ment of Bombay. botn tnese subjects, tor tno iniormation and orders 01
His Excellency the Right Honourable the Viceroy and
Governor General in Council.
2. As your office has, from time to time, been kept informed of the progress
of our enquiry, it will be sufficient to state here, on that head, that the Commission
met in Bombay on the 1st November 1873, and on the same, day intimated to
the Resident—with reference to the instructions contained in paragraph 9 of your
office despatch already alluded to, that it was only to deal with such complaints
as were laid before it, by or through him—the course it proposed to take in car
rying out the duty delegated to it by the Government of India; that it commenced
its sittings at Baroda on the 10th idem, and continued them daily, Sundays
excepted, till the 24th December, when, the Resident having intimated officially
that he considered the cases already enquired into amply sufficient to establish
the General Charges brought by him against the Gaekwar's Administration, and
it appearing undesirable that the Commission should protract its stay at Baroda
any longer than was absolutely necessary, we at once returned to Bombay in
view to arranging and analysing the evidence that had been taken, and comple
ting our Report at the
Presidency
The name given to each of the three divisions of the territory of the East India Company, and later the British Raj, on the Indian subcontinent.
.
Copies of the letters to and from the Resident on the above ^ points will be
found among the appendices to this letter;—
3. As the enquiry on which the Commission has been engaged originated
in the allegations of maladministration of the Baroda State by the present Ruler
and his chief officers and servants, laid before Government by the Resident, it
will be proper in the first place to give a brief account of the principal events
connected with His Highness Malharrao, and bis career hitherto, and the names
and characters of the officials who are popularly regarded as his chief advisers.
I. His Highness Malharrao is the fifth and last surviving son of Maharaja
Seiajirao, and is about 43 years of age. Of his four
elder brothers, two, viz., Ganpatrao and Khanderao,
successively filled the post of Ruler after their father's death, the last-named having
reigned from 19th November 1856 to 28th November 1870. In 1863, His High-
1 B C
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