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'Baroda Enquiry Commission Report, 1874' [57v] (119/502)
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.
4
officially, or this Commission was called on to deal The circumstances under
which the woman in this case has returned to her husband, not having come
before the Commission, it can form no opinion on that point, but there is nothin*
in this case to warrant the belief that the woman was taken into the palace
against her will.
With respect to the Resident's observations regarding the non -examination
by the Commission of the wife of the Government
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.
, whose evidence i s
summarised above, in case 'No. 3, the reason already assigned for the course
taken by it, appears sufficiently explanatory, but it may be proper to add here
that the Commission has from the first found it absolutely necessary to decide
against its being, on any plea whatever, drawn into the reception of vague
statements from parties who had no personal grievance to bring forward, and to
restrict its proceedings to the hearing and recording of the complaints of those
who desired to lay before it their own individual hardships. The propriety of this
determination has been abundantly proved in the course of the Commission's
proceedings. The case of the two women formerly belonging to the Ratnagiri
district, referred to in the latter part of the Resident's letter, has been already
disposed of in cases 12 and 13 of Schedule I.
G eneral O bservations and O pinion op the C ommission.
I. The cases under this head which have actually come before the Com-
mission for investigation by it are only three in number, viz., Nos. 3, 7, and 10.
II. With regard to Nos. 3 and 7, the Commission has no doubt of the truth
of the statements made by them of their forcible abduction from their homes by
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).
servants, and removal to the palace to render forced service within its
walls, and that the Maharaja himself was personally cognizant of this arbitrary
proceeding, and himself directed their detention, the fact of which latter, and of
their unwillingness to serve in the Palace, is virtually admitted 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).
itself in its yads to the Resident, (dated 22nd August, and 26th September
1873), quoted in his final letter of 2nd January 1874.
The Commission is further of opinion that the explanation given to it 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).
Agent in both these cases is altogether unsatisfactory, and in no
way relieves the Maharaja from the grave and serious personal scandal involved
in the shamefully oppressive treatment, to which these poor women were subjected,
III. The case of No. 10 is not so clear, as it rests entirely on the state
ments of the complainant and her father ; but the Commission sees no reason to
doubt the general accuracy of this complaint also, and draws from it the con
clusion that, as might be expected, the inferior agents employed—to quote the
words 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).
Agent himself—"to find out" (and bring to the palace)
" such women as were willing to enter its service," were not slow to take ad-
vantage of the opportunities for oppression afforded them by so questionable a
Commission,
IV. The evidence of No, 7 on the point of the forced detention in the
palace of other women besides herself, who had similarly been seized, is to the
effect that though there were 25 other old " Loundis" in attendance on the
Rani, she was the only new one. y*** I/'
On the other hand No. 3 deposes that 10 or 12 "Loundis" were in attendance
on the Maharaja s mistress when she was sent to her, and that about the same
number were brought after her arrival, and that all these stated that they had
been seized and carried off in the same way as herself.
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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- 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