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'Baroda Enquiry Commission Report, 1874' [18r] (40/502)
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
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27
ploy it as required, and miglit properly be left to deal with such matters as the
location of the men, and the sanitary arrangements of their lines or huts,
&c and should bring to the notice of the Superintendent any points in connec
tion with the men requiring attention or correction.
Whether the Superintendents, if appointed, should be directly under the
orders of the Political Agents, as their Assistants,—as proposed by Mr. Peile,—
or merely subject to their general authority in respect of the distribution and
employment of the Force, while they report to the Resident, when necessary, on
all matters connected with its internal economy and discipline, is a point on
which there is some difference of opinion. The former arrangement would
undoubtedly strengthen the hands of the Political Agents, and be more convenient
and agreeable to them, while the latter would of course be preferred by 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).
, and would perhaps have the advantage of ensuring an uniformity of
system in the proceedings of the Superintendents.
Looking to the practice elsewhere, it is not clear to us that the entire
dependence of the Superintendents on the Political Agents is absolutely essen
tial, and such an arrangement, under the peculiar circumstances of this Force
might be open to objection.
(4). The due mustering of the Force is a most important question, and
special precautions appear to be called for to ensure the maintenance and presence
for duty of the full number of men that ought to be available under the Treaty.
With this object, a Nominal Roll of each company should be prepared as soon
as the formation of the company is completed, under the signature of the Com
pany Commandant, and copies of the same should be furnished by the Subahs to
the Superintendents, or the other British Officers under whose control the Force
is employed, and be filed for record by them.
Musters should be taken and Muster Rolls prepared on the first da} 7 of each
month, and copies of the same, signed as above, regularly furnished to the Super
intendents, who would thus be kept informed of the state of each company.
The duty on which every man absent from muster is employed, should be clear
ly stated in the Muster Rolls.
Every Detachment or Detail from the Head Quarters of a Company should
be furnished with a certificate from the Officer commanding the Company stating
where and on what duty it is employed. This certificate should contain a Nomi
nal Roll of the men composing such detachment, and the officer commanding the
detachment should be prepared to produce it, whenever required to do so by the
Subah or Superintendent, or the Political Officer within whose district he is em
ployed. With these precautions and occasional inspections by the Superinten
dents, the maintenance of the proper complement would, it is thought, be fairly
kept under check.
52. Having thus submitted our views on the foregoing points, we deem
it to be our duty to add, that no permanent benefit can be looked for from the
measures we have proposed, without a complete and radical change in the pre
sent mode of employing the Contingent.
Complaints of the inefficient and non-military character of the Force are
made by almost every Officer, who has written on the subject, but many of the
duties on which it is used are altogether inconsistent with efficiency in any shape,
or of the very lowest standard.
It is unnecessary for us to enter here into any details on this point, but
references thereto will be found in the letters which form an appendix to this
part of the Report. The mode of employment to which we allude has doubtless
been the growth of circumstances. The Contingent has been at hand and has
been freely used as exigency or occasion arose, but the result is that which now
forms the subject of such general complaint and reproach.
According to our view, the re-organized Contingent should be employed solely
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.
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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