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'Baroda Enquiry Commission Report, 1874' [143r] (290/502)
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.
SCHEDULE I.
C ase N o. 9.
Maneklal Vithal, Soni, 22 years, goldsmith of Ahmedabad, states :—I have
three houseSj two in Ahmedabad and one here. IVEy father lived here, and was
employed by Government as a Soni on Rs. 12^ a month. Ke died here some 18
years ago, and on his death my mother, who was a native of Ahmedabad, took me,
then a boy of 5 years or so, there with her. 1 lived continuously in Ahmedabad
for some 10 years, learning my work and being educated. I then began to come
here for one or two months each year, as occasion required, to sell the results of
my work. I did no Government service here. I have a cousin, Amratlal,
who lives in Baroda, Last I had a quarrel with him in Ahmedabad
about a silver ornament, which he charged my brother with stealing. My bro
ther was taken into custody by the Police, but was released. In the month of
XpST I was here, and Amratlal got up a false complaint about me, that I had
written a letter to my brother in Ahmedabad, to the effect that Amratlal's daugh
ter, Ganga, had gone to the Maharaj, and that in consequence of this letter, he
(Arnratlal) would be turned out of caste. He brought some 10 or 12 witnesses
to prove his case. No depositions were taken in my presence. What happened
to me after my arrest was that I was asked whether I had written this letter
about my uncle and Ganga. I denied having done so, and was then remanded
to custody for 4or 5 days, at the end of which time I was again called up
before Eshvantrao, and told to show my handwriting. I did this and was again
taken to the Chabutra. Thence, in a few days, I was taken to the jail, and was
there told by Eshvantrao Foujdar, that I was sentenced to 14 years'imprisonment
for writing this letter about my uncle and Ganga. My mother made 4 or 5
petitions to the Gaekwar's Government, but was not allowed to see me. She
then complained to the Resident, who asked her to bring a certificate that she
was a British subject. She brought such a certificate from the Collector of
Ahmedabad, and after 4 or 4^ months in jail, I was released at the instance of
the Resident. I was ordered by him to give security to be present when called
upon.
I declare distinctly that I never wrote the letter which I was accused of
doing.
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).
Agents reserve crossrexamination.
Note.—The original proceedings of the deponent's trial and other papers
have been produced before the Commission by the Resident; and it being stated
that the signature, on his confession, which forms part of these proceedings, is a
forgery, the witness is shewn two documents, both purporting to be signed by him,
one being his alleged confession, the other a paper about his alleged domicile.
He denied at first that either of them was his, but subsequently stated that the
signature on the paper relating to his domicile is his, but that the one on his
alleged confession is not his.
Statement 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).
.
Complainant is a Gaekwari subject, as we can prove from the census papers
of 1872, from his having paid house assessment in 1869, and from the evidence
of similar witnesses to those whom he proposes to call to shew that he is a
British subject.
The depositions were taken in his presence, as the proceedings themselves
will shew. The signature he denies is his, as we can prove by evidence, and
by the comparison of writing by him. The signature which he says was taken
from him against his will, was made voluntarily by him.
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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'Baroda Enquiry Commission Report, 1874' [143r] (290/502), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, Mss Eur F126/78, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100023442807.0x00005b> [accessed 6 July 2026]
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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