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'Baroda Enquiry Commission Report, 1874' [7r] (18/502)
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.
Number of Group or
Case in Sumuiary
No. 2
No. 3
No. 4
No. 5
Nature of grievance, and nurribet
of complainants examined by
Commission.
'-Hi
Opinion of the Commission.
Grievances of the Bijapur
Thakors.
Seven complainants examined
Grievances of the Agricultura
classes, in connection with
the ill-treatment and
oppression to hich Hiey are
subject in the collection of
the Government Land
Eevenue, and other cesses.
Depositions of twenty-six (26)
complainants taken and re
corded and one hundred and
fifty-five (155) other coi
plainants orally examined.
Complaints of certain Vahivat-
dars, or Chief Executive
Officers of Mahals, of having
been summarily removed
from their appointments,
after having paid consider
able sums for them, without
any cause, and without a re
fund of the payments so
made.,
Three (3) complainants examin
ed.
Complaints of Baroda subjects
of personal ill-treatment, des
cribed as amounting to tor
ture, at the hands of the
Gaekwar's officials.
Four(4)complainants examined.
The levy of a Accession Naza;^ana/ , with the
measures taken to enforce its payment, is
the only item of complainants' grievances
for which the present Chief appears to be
directly responsible; and, though the tax
is, in the Commissions opinion, an objec
tionable one, it would appear, if 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).
statement is correct, that it was imposed
with the concurrence, as' it certainly Must
have been with the knowledge, of the then
Resident.
,]The present Chief is responsible for the addi
tion of the " Accession Nazarana" to the
previously heavy burdens borne tby the
people, and for the increased difficulties
experienced in consequence in realising the
Government demands. The exaction of
" Nazarana" from the Vahivatdars on ap
pointment and the alleged attempts of the
latter class to recoup themselves from the
ryots, which have been brought tQ notice by
some of the complainants in this group of
cases, would also appear, even if in existence
previouslv, to have acquired a more serious
and injurious character since the accession
of the present Chief. It is also important
to notice, in connection with thi^ group of
grievanqes, that representations of the ill-
treatment inflicted on them, are alleged by
some of the complainants, to have been
made by them and their fello \yr ^ufferers
to the Chief himself, the Minister and the
Revenue Commissioner, but without their
obtaiping any redress; while in some in
stances, the complainants depose that they
were further ill-treated in consequence.
Others of the complainants state that they
made no such representations, because their
doing so would have been useless: *
There seems to be no reason for doubt that
the levy of" Nazarana" on appointment,
from this and other classes of officials, is
customary, and further, that tlm collection
of the revenue of their Mahals has, in some
instances at least, been farmed out to the
Vahivatdars.
The number of such instances brought before
the Commission has not been large, but
there can be no doubt that such cases do
occur, and that there is good ground for
the opinion that the character of the class
of men, generally, employed as Vahivatdars,
and the circumstances connected with these
2 b c
About this item
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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